paulstravelblog

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Malta

Where in the world am I today? You’ll never guess…well maybe, but like all of my travels it comes with QUITE the story. Gosh! We had quite the storm a few months ago! The Roman soldiers were transferring me to Rome and a storm struck. When the centurion finally listened to me we were able to find land. We landed on the island of Malta. It’s nice there. I got a snake bite my first night but through the grace of God I was unharmed. The natives thought I was going to drop dead and it was justice, but when I survived they I was some sort of god…again. This seems to be a somewhat common occurrence. The chief of the natives, Publius, was hospitable. He offered us a place to stay for three days. We will probably stay for the winter. Also in other news I cured Publius’ father and the sick in the village. I love that God has granted me this gift! Soon we will be leaving, the villagers are so generou, they are helping us restock the provisions for our journey. 

In the future Malta is still Malta, but it is known as one of the most Catholic countries in the world! 

Acts 27:6-44 & Acts 28: 1-10

Malta Culture : Language, Religion, Food - Original Travel, Original Travel, www.originaltravel.co.uk/travel-guide/malta/culture#:~:text=Roman%20Catholicism%20is%20the%20state,Catholic%20countries%20in%20the%20world. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025. 

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Troas

Hey!!! Im back, this time I was in Troas…again. Y’all might remember that I’ve visited twice now. The first time I was here I met Luke, he is a great writer and student of mine. This time I didn't have to worry about Titus and that he would reach me safely(praise Jesus), but when I was preaching on the first night a young man, named Eutychus, fell asleep while listening to my sermon(I was preaching past midnight, so I understand why he was nodding off). Unfortunately as he fell asleep he also fell out of the window…which was on the third story. Once I heard this I rushed down the stairs and embraced Eutychus. He was dead, but through Christ all things are possible. The power of God brought Eutychus back to life and the family went away very much relieved and happy.

In the future sadly this city will be in ruins, and it will be known as Old Constantinople. But it will still be visited by tourists. 

Nelson, Ryan. “Paul’s Missionary Journeys: The Beginner’s Guide.” OverviewBible, Overview Bible, 29 July 2023, overviewbible.com/pauls-missionary-journeys/. 

Ortiz, Kenneth. “Paul’s Four Missionary Journeys: The Complete Guide.” Theology For the Rest of Us, Theology For the Rest of Us, 16 Nov. 2024, www.theologyfortherestofus.com/pauls-four-missionary-journeys-the-complete-guide/. 

“Troas Meaning - Bible Definition and References.” Bible Study Tools, Bible Study Tools, www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/troas/#:~:text=The%20ruins%20of%20Troas%20extend,Eski%20Stamboul%20i.e.%2C%20Old%20Constantinople. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025. 

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Ephesus

Hello from Ephesus!! This is a gorgeous city! One of the biggest in the Roman Empire. I have been staying here for about three years. How the time flies! This wonderful port city comes with many stories, but also many hardships (I have been here for three years after all). I’ve spent a lot of time preaching in the synagogues and baptizing the faithful. One of the most notable was my interaction with a group of ‘exorcists’ who got beaten to a pulp after trying to exorcise a man possessed. I expelled the demon and this allowed for the faith to spread even more! Sadly I had to leave this town quickly due to riots that were started by jealous merchants who were losing business to the decline of idol worship. 

In the future this town will become ruins after being abandoned in the fifteenth century. It will become a source of interest for archeologists and tourists. 

Nelson, Ryan. “Paul’s Missionary Journeys: The Beginner’s Guide.” OverviewBible, Overview Bible, 29 July 2023, overviewbible.com/pauls-missionary-journeys/. 

Ortiz, Kenneth. “Paul’s Four Missionary Journeys: The Complete Guide.” Theology For the Rest of Us, Theology For the Rest of Us, 16 Nov. 2024, www.theologyfortherestofus.com/pauls-four-missionary-journeys-the-complete-guide/. 

“Ephesus‑ Turkey, Temple & Map.” History.Com, A&E Television Networks, www.history.com/topics/ancient-greece/ephesus. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025. 

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Athens

Hey guys!! So as you guys know I’ve been traveling a lot lately! My most recent adventure brought me to the city of Athens. It is most notable for it abundance of idols and worship of false gods, but I’d decided this was the perfect place to preach and also debate with the philosopher—you would be surprised with how many philosophers are in this city. After seeing a temple for the unknown god(aka the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ) I was able to turn many hearts towards the truth. I had established a community of believers by the time I left. 

In the future Athens will still be Athens. The good news of the Gospel I spread there will slowly grow and eventually most of Athens will be Christian. 

Nelson, Ryan. “Paul’s Missionary Journeys: The Beginner’s Guide.” OverviewBible, Overview Bible, 29 July 2023, overviewbible.com/pauls-missionary-journeys/. 

Ortiz, Kenneth. “Paul’s Four Missionary Journeys: The Complete Guide.” Theology For the Rest of Us, Theology For the Rest of Us, 16 Nov. 2024, www.theologyfortherestofus.com/pauls-four-missionary-journeys-the-complete-guide/. 

“Athens.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 16 Jan. 2025, www.britannica.com/place/Athens/Hellenistic-and-Roman-times. 

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Philippi

Hello y’all!! I’m back with more stories of my evangelization escapades. This time I went to Philippi. I was told to come this way through my dreams. I was able to stay with the kindest women named, Lydia. I baptized her entire household and she invited us to stay. While I was in town there was this slave woman who could predict the future through demonic possession. She followed me around shouting about how I was a servant of God. It got super annoying and eventually, when I had had enough I cast the spirit out of her. Her owners were not happy with me and had me and my companion thrown in jail(Ugh, romans). As we were praying an earthquake shook the jail and freed us! As we left we converted the jailer and baptized his family. Then we left(After thanking Lydia of course) because the officials realized we were Roman citizens and we didn’t want to stir up more trouble.

In the future Philippi will be a major archeological site as it was abandoned.

Nelson, Ryan. “Paul’s Missionary Journeys: The Beginner’s Guide.” OverviewBible, Overview Bible, 29 July 2023, overviewbible.com/pauls-missionary-journeys/. 

Ortiz, Kenneth. “Paul’s Four Missionary Journeys: The Complete Guide.” Theology For the Rest of Us, Theology For the Rest of Us, 16 Nov. 2024, www.theologyfortherestofus.com/pauls-four-missionary-journeys-the-complete-guide/. 

Fant, Clyde, and Mitchell Reddish. “Philippi | A Guide to Biblical Sites in Greece and Turkey | Oxford Academic.” Academic.Oup, Oxford Academic, academic.oup.com/book/41960/chapter-abstract/355227632?redirectedFrom=fulltext. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025. 

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Jerusalem

I’m back in Jerusalem again!! I went back for the Council of Jerusalem. The Church has grown so much!! Many gentiles have joined and as there are still a majority of Jewish-Christians the main topic was: “Do gentiles have to follow mosaic law?” The answer: “no”. This was something that certain communities were following and excluding gentiles for, but Peter cleared that up pretty quickly for us all. Which brought some relief as these early communities can’t agree on ANYTHING! Honestly they might start arguing about the color of the sky next. Jerusalem is only the beginning of my second journey. I will depart soon to evangelize in the gentile lands. 

In the future Jerusalem will still be Jerusalem, but it will be larger and be split between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.   

Nelson, Ryan. “Paul’s Missionary Journeys: The Beginner’s Guide.” OverviewBible, Overview Bible, 29 July 2023, overviewbible.com/pauls-missionary-journeys/. 

Ortiz, Kenneth. “Paul’s Four Missionary Journeys: The Complete Guide.” Theology For the Rest of Us, Theology For the Rest of Us, 16 Nov. 2024, www.theologyfortherestofus.com/pauls-four-missionary-journeys-the-complete-guide/. 

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Lystra

Golly do I have a story for y’all! So we went to the village of Lystra, right? And then when Barnabas and I were going around healing people a group of Greeks approached us and through we were the pagan gods Hermes(me?) and Zeus (Barnabas?). We tried to convince them we definitely were NOT Hermes and Zeus, but the final straw was when a priest of Zeus tried to sacrifice a bull to us. We took this and told the people about the one true God. Then the Jewish people from out of town came and convinced the people of Lystra to stone me(OUCH!). Through God’s grace I survived and went back into the village(spoiler alert: It surprised many people who thought I was dead).

In the future Lystra is near the village of Kilistra. In the ruins a Christian church can still be seen, noticeable because of its cross. 

Nelson, Ryan. “Paul’s Missionary Journeys: The Beginner’s Guide.” OverviewBible, Overview Bible, 29 July 2023, overviewbible.com/pauls-missionary-journeys/. 

Ortiz, Kenneth. “Paul’s Four Missionary Journeys: The Complete Guide.” Theology For the Rest of Us, Theology For the Rest of Us, 16 Nov. 2024, www.theologyfortherestofus.com/pauls-four-missionary-journeys-the-complete-guide/. 

“Lystra.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Oct. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lystra#:~:text=Lystra%20is%20the%20ancient%20name,Meram%20district%20of%20Konya%20province. 

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Iconium

Hello from Iconium! This is my first time here and everyone…well actually no…some of the people are friendly. I started preaching in the synagogues, because that has become almost routine for me. I preach and hope to convert people to Christianity. But many of the Jewish faith here think that I am disturbing the peace. Which is kinda fair since the Romans can’t tell us apart. But they threatened to stone me and my companions, so we left, maybe coming back some other time when they’ve cooled down, but I can't do much evangelization dead. 

In the future Iconium becomes the Turkish city of Konya. 

Nelson, Ryan. “Paul’s Missionary Journeys: The Beginner’s Guide.” OverviewBible, Overview Bible, 29 July 2023, overviewbible.com/pauls-missionary-journeys/. 

Ortiz, Kenneth. “Paul’s Four Missionary Journeys: The Complete Guide.” Theology For the Rest of Us, Theology For the Rest of Us, 16 Nov. 2024, www.theologyfortherestofus.com/pauls-four-missionary-journeys-the-complete-guide/. 

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Galatia

Hello from Galatia! This is a quiet providence. Not much has happened, but I did have to write a letter to the church communities there. Nothing bad, just letting them know about the council of Jerusalem. They were one of the communities that thought gentiles had to follow ALL of the mosaic law.(obviously they kept some things, fully cutting off mosaic law…that would‘ve caused a whole lot more problems) And since the council, gentiles do not have to follow all of mosaic law to be a part of the Christian communities. This has made it easier to evangelize and convert the gentiles!

In the future Galatia becomes modern Turkey, it has also shrunk a bit as it reached from where Turkey is now, to Europe.

Sauter, Megan. “Who Were the Galatians in the Bible?” Biblical Archaeology Society, Biblical Archaeology Society, 13 June 2024, www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/new-testament/who-were-the-galatians-in-the-bible/#:~:text=The%20apostle%20Paul%20addressed%20one,major%20Galatian%20city%20(Ancyra). 

Nelson, Ryan. “Paul’s Missionary Journeys: The Beginner’s Guide.” OverviewBible, Overview Bible, 29 July 2023, overviewbible.com/pauls-missionary-journeys/. 

Ortiz, Kenneth. “Paul’s Four Missionary Journeys: The Complete Guide.” Theology For the Rest of Us, Theology For the Rest of Us, 16 Nov. 2024, www.theologyfortherestofus.com/pauls-four-missionary-journeys-the-complete-guide/. 

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Cyprus

Hey guys! Hello from Paphos on the island of Cyprus(no, not the tree, the island). It quite nice here, we spent most of our time traveling across Cyprus and preaching in the synagogues we came across. When we reached Paphos we were confronted by a man. A Jewish magician and false prophet by the name of Bar-Jesus. He worked for the Roman Proconsul and through Bar-Jesus(and the fact that I may or may not have blinded someone) we were able to convert the Proconsul, Sergius Paulus to the faith. Otherwise this was a good trip, and the views on this island are simply amazing, you really must check it out. 

In the future this city will still be standing and inhabited and will be a big destination for traveling and archeology. 

Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. “Paphos.” UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, whc.unesco.org/en/list/79/. Accessed 16 Jan. 2025. 

Nelson, Ryan. “Paul’s Missionary Journeys: The Beginner’s Guide.” OverviewBible, Overview Bible, 29 July 2023, overviewbible.com/pauls-missionary-journeys/. 

Ortiz, Kenneth. “Paul’s Four Missionary Journeys: The Complete Guide.” Theology For the Rest of Us, Theology For the Rest of Us, 16 Nov. 2024, www.theologyfortherestofus.com/pauls-four-missionary-journeys-the-complete-guide/.