Day 09 - Corinth, Giannikos Winery, Free Time

Today is the last day of our journey through Turkey and Greece, with stops where the Apostle Paul either personally visited or influenced church creations. Some of the sites featured impressive temples and monuments to honor the gods and men worshipped as gods. Paul learned of the challenges specific to the regions he addressed in his epistles. These subjects include: idolatry, witchcraft, healing centers, and vain philosophies.

Paul’s letters to the churches in Asia and Greece went beyond offering mere encouraging words. His teaching provided specific instruction to counter a culture steeped in sexual immorality directly connected to the gods a citizen would believe provided their daily needs. Paul’s teaching of a personal relationship with a personal God, the one true God, would be counter-culture to Roman/Greek society. The challenge for Paul’s audience is the same as today- how does a believer follow Jesus in contrast to the culture? Paul preached that the power of God would break the connection with culture. That word is still effective today.

Two churches combined for this trip, one from CA and one from AZ. The pastors from those churches provided insights from God’s Word that applied to the sites we visited. Their teaching has helped bring clarity and context to portions of scripture I thought I knew. For me personally, I will continue to be reflective on what I learned on this trip. My biggest takeaway; massive structures were built to honor gods. The statues and buildings erected have crumbled, but my God still sits on the throne.