Day 09 - Priene, Didyma, Miletus

We woke up to a tranquil view of the gorgeous Aegean Sea, which was also the backdrop to our last morning devotional. In Acts 1:6-8, we read of the apostles looking up as Jesus ascended to heaven. Pastor Josh explained they had been expecting Jesus to conquer Rome and establish an earthly Kingdom. They were left wondering, What now? Pastor reminded us of Jesus’s words in Matthew commissioning them to spread the Good News. And they did!  As we finish our journey and study of their obedience, Pastor Josh challenged us to wrestle with the same question. What now, Lord?  What do you have for me when I get home?  How will this trip change me?

Our first visit was to Priene, a German dig site. We gathered in the stadium with a capacity 6,000, the smallest stadium of our tour.  Originally a port city, Priene is now several miles from the coast of the Aegean Sea due to silt from the Big Meander River filling in to create fertile farmland.  This city was re-founded by the Greeks in 350 BC and welcomed Alexander the Great in 334 BC. Here, he dedicated the Temple of Athena. (See our group pic!)

In Preine was an inscription exalting Augustus and using similar language found in scripture to describe Jesus … that he was sent as a savior to establish peace and order and his birth marked the beginning of good news. This was the culture facing early Christians sharing the actual Good News about Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior. The writings of the apostles pushed back against this inscription, noting Jesus as pre-eminent in all things. We read from the Four Great Christological Passages that contrast Jesus to the gods of the ancient world. (Col 1:15-20, John 1:1-14, Phil 2:6-11, Heb 1:8-14) The truth about Jesus spoke to the heart and was a matter of faith.  It did not allow for Jesus to simply be added to the pantheon of gods. As we were reminded in Joshua 24:15, a choice must be made about whom to serve.

Sitting in the ruins of an ancient synagogue, Pastor Josh posed the question, How did the church change the Roman world? The simple answer? One person at a time. Whether a government official or a military guard or a slave, believers saw those around them with the heart of Christ and chose to love them as Jesus does. We imagined them gathering in a home church with relationships that were authentic, not transactional. God wants to use us in the same way, in the homes and neighborhoods and communities in which He has placed us. What needs to change in our daily rhythms when we get back home to allow the love of Christ to permeate our lives and impact our corner of the world?

On to Didyma and its holy road stretching from Miletus on which people would pilgrimage to visit the Oracle Center. In size and beauty, it was one of the four major Oracle Centers of the ancient world. Traveling to it was a big deal!!  Visitors and great leaders, including Alexander the Great and Caesar, trekked from all over to present their questions to the priestly family who took them before the virgin nuns who answered in riddles. After making this great journey and waiting an indefinite amount of time to both ask a question and receive the reply, the seeker was answered in a rhyme that was rarely a definitive yes or no. In comparison, Jesus offered His followers direct access to the One True God through the indwelling Holy Spirit. No more pilgrimage and long lines and riddled answers. Believers found joy and freedom through Christ. God speaks to us through His Word, through prayer, through the counsel of other believers, and through our circumstances.

After a delicious lunch al fresco, we journeyed to Miletus, which was also a port city that used to be surrounded by water and boasted four harbors. Two lions flanked Lions Harbor; between them stretched multiple chains which prevented unwelcome ships from entering the city. Miletus, with a population of 80,000, was known as the city of philosophers and was likely the home to a school of philosophy.  One of their philosophers, the Father of City Planning, designed streets in a grid pattern that provided more sun in the winter and less in the summer.

Pastor Josh took us to Acts 20 where we found Paul in Miletus about to end his missionary journeys and sail to Jerusalem. He called for the church leaders from Ephesus to join him a final time. He recounted their story and how he gave everything he had to train them in all of God’s ways, that he had declared the whole counsel of God, holding nothing back. The Holy Spirit had revealed to him imprisonment and affliction awaited him. However, Paul cared only to fulfill his ministry and testify to the gospel of the grace of God. He warned them to guard the flock from fierce wolves that would attack both from outside and from within the flock. Paul had fought for these churches and now he was passing the baton to the local church leaders.

God changed the ancient world through His church. He is still changing the world today through His church. Pastor Josh challenged us to find a quiet spot to wrestle with and pray over a few final questions:

How will God use you and me to fulfill His purpose?

Will we be bold like Paul?  Like him, are you and I willing to give all we have for the ministry God has given us?

It has been a unique blessing to be a part of this Bible Study Tour. The Lord has worked in all our hearts in different ways throughout our time on this journey. We pray we will all use what we have learned and experienced to benefit others and glorify our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Scott and Marci