Religion and Philosophy in the Mediterranean

    Paul was very active in spreading Christianity throughout the Mediterranean.  He established churches in the Southern provinces of Asia Minor (modern day Turkey).  These included Cilicia (Paul's home-Tarsus), Galatia (received one of Paul's earliest letters), and Asia (Ephesus was capital).  He also founded churches in Philippi and Thessalonica.

    Worship would have been filled with the sounds of flutes, smells of meat in the market, and speakers making a good show before the crowd to be praised by them. 

    He was  different sharing the gospel with the Gentile world.  He proclaimed that Jesus was the only Savior, not the emperor or any of their gods.  He spoke powerfully and pointedly to the Mediterranean people.  He offered hope.  

    He traveled with others for protection (Acts 13:5).  The travelers preferred to stay in private homes because the food and accommodations were safer (Acts 16:15, 17:5-7).  The virtue of hospitality was highly prized (1 Peter 4:9).

    The early Christians were willing to take many risks to travel and spread the gospel.  They often sailed on cargo ships (no passenger ships available) which were not an easy way of travel but often the fastest.  They took these risks because they believed they were responding to Jesus' commission to "be witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).  They had a conviction that there was only one God who created all men so they were responsible to him (Acts17:24-31; 1 Cor 8:4-6). 

    The risks they were willing to take and their willingness to have no permanent home showed how they believed in the gospel.  They believed it was their job to share this with all they could.  So different from us but were they really?