Day 1 – Setting the Stage: The Story Behind the Story

 Today we began our Journeys of Paul: Greece and Rome Study Tour, stepping into the world where the gospel first crossed from Asia into Europe.

We explored the vast networks of the ancient world,its seas, roads, and even its shared language, all of which God used to prepare the stage for the greatest message ever told: the story of redemption, the beginning of restoration, the coming of Jesus and the good news that would transform the world.

As we walked, we were reminded that God often works behind the scenes, quietly and intentionally weaving together details long before anyone sees the full picture. He did it in the first century, and He’s still doing it in our lives today. Every path we walk and every experience we face can become part of His greater plan to posture us for His message, His direction, and His purposes.

Today, this truth came alive as we walked the ancient Via Egnatia, the Roman road that once linked Asia to Europe through Macedonia, built in 146 BC. Following in Paul’s footsteps, we arrived at Neapolis (modern Kavala) and journeyed to Philippi, the very first place where the gospel entered Europe.

It was here that Lydia, a businesswoman and worshiper of God, opened her heart to the message of Jesus and became one of the first leaders in the early church. With Bibles in hand, standing among the ruins of Philippi, we read from the book of Acts and Paul’s letter to the Philippians, realizing afresh that God is always at work, often in the in-between, in the unseen, and especially in the difficult moments.

Paul wrote from prison, “I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel” (Philippians 1:12). Standing where Paul once stood, beaten and imprisoned for the sake of the gospel, we could see how even suffering can become the soil for God’s greatest advances.

As our first day closed, we were reminded not only of Paul’s perseverance but of Jesus’ humility, the One who bowed low, who descended to lift others up. In a world that tells us to climb higher and step over others to succeed, Jesus calls us to kneel, to serve, and to love.

May we walk with this same posture,” of being open, humble, and aware of the God who still writes His story through the roads we travel.

The Journey is the Destination.

Jerrell

"When you step into the world of the Bible, the words of the Bible come to life."