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We have been cruising across the Mediterranean together for the past two days! Even though it has rained during part of our
trip, it has not dampened our spirits. We
have visited the island of Mykonos and Patmos in the Greek islands and have
also made our way to Turkey where we toured the famed city of Ephesus. Yesterday in Mykonos, we spent a few hours
doing some shopping, tasting the incredible food, and fellowshipping
together.
Today we followed Paul’s steps into Ephesus,
where we found him on his third missionary journey. During Paul’s day, it was the fourth largest
city in the Roman Empire and was the home to the goddess Artemis, also referred
to as Diana. The temple of Diana was one
of the Seven Wonders of the World, and it stood on a hill in full view of the
city. It was a place of immorality,
sorcery, and devil-worship. And yet, God
was able to do amazing things in that city for His glory to show those people
who the true God really was. Through the power of God, Paul
was preaching, healing the sick, and casting out demons. The effect of the Gospel was so penetrating
that those who were practicing magic brought their books and burned them in the
sight of everyone. Truly, “the Word of
the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing” (Acts 19:20). Now we know more about the church of Ephesus than any other church named
in the Bible. We see their birth here in the book of Acts. We have the letter
to the church at Ephesus in our New Testament as well as the Apostle John being
set apart as the pastor in Ephesus (along with the Timothy). In Revelation 2, Christ was pleading with
them for the sake of their own joy, for the sake of the gospel, and for the
sake of those who might come to know and trust in our Lord to be honest with
their sin and return to their first love…their devotion to Christ. This is so easy for us to do as well if we are not careful and intentional
in our walk with God! Pastor Ferrell
walked us through these Scriptures in Acts 19, Revelation 2, and some select
verses in the book of Ephesians. It was
amazing to see the ruins of this city that are among the most well preserved in
the world. The most impressive structure
is the Library of Celsus. It stands as a
monument to what this city was in its golden era of being one of the most important
port cities in the Mediterranean Sea.
As we left Ephesus, we sailed to the Isle of
Patmos where the Apostle John penned “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.” It was there that John encountered the risen
and glorified Christ in all of His glory! In Revelation 1, He is revealed as
the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who “loves us and released us from our sins
by His blood,” and as the “Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End.” Pastor
Ferrell pointed out that here we understand that God is not only the Lord of
history, but the Lord of eternity! Our
hearts resounded with joy as Pastor Ferrell preached to us about the continual
worship that takes place in heaven with these words of praise in Revelation 5
about Christ’s worthiness to receive honor, power, and glory from every people
group on this planet! He only is worthy
to open the title deed to the earth and it was His death that ransomed people
from every tribe, tongue, and nation.
What a tremendous truth to meditate on as we tour the place where it was
written! And, this same Christ who is
returning, will one day set everything right in Revelation 21. This same passage is echoed in Isaiah 25 –
“He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from
all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the LORD has spoken. It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God;
we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited
for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
In Patmos, we also got to tour the monastery
that was constructed there in 1088 AD on top of the mountain on the
island. Within the museum, we got to see
the manuscripts of Scripture that have been preserved. They actually have a 5th century
manuscript of the Gospel of Mark, which is the oldest manuscript of that
particular book in the world. As we left
Patmos, we were reassured that our Lord’s return is sure and we must continue
to serve Him until He comes!
Tomorrow, we will be have the opportunity to
tour the island of Crete, which also has Biblical significance with the church
that Titus pastored in the first century.
We will also be touring the island of Santorini in the afternoon, which
is famous for its beauty and shopping. On Monday, we will disembark and return to the city of Athens to finish our tour together of the Acropolis and Mars Hill.
Thank you for your prayers for us as we
continue to journey together. We have been learning so much and sharing what
God has been teaching us. We have also
grown closer to each other and have been making wonderful memories. See you on the blog again soon!
Your fellow servant,
Pastor Stephen
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