Because of the emperor’s decree, Christians in Ephesus faced a life-or-death decision: remain faithful to God or worship the emperor at his temple. Because many Christians would not bow down to the emperor, the apostle John, being the Bishop of Ephesus at this time, received the most blame. Accusing John of political defiance and subversiveness, Domitian punished him with banishment to the island of Patmos in 95 A.D.
Sometimes the location of an event in the Bible is as important as the occurrence itself. There is no more outstanding example of this than the city of Caesarea Philippi, considered the Roman empire's epicenter for worshipping pagan gods. Here, the scene is set for Peter’s great confession of who Christ is. Jesus and his disciples had just traveled 30 miles north, a two-day journey from the Sea of Galilee to Caesarea Philippi. Jesus led them here for an important reason. Before heading south on the final trip to Jerusalem, Jesus had one last test for the disciples.
Who is your favorite female character in the Bible? How many of you would choose someone who was only mentioned a couple of times in the Bible by name, but who dedicated her time to serving her Lord? Let's meet Joanna, one such woman who offers a great example of a life of service.
Kashvi meets the Christian owners of the orphanage and begins to have a relationship with the one true God. The contrast between the "religion" of her childhood and the true godly faith of her new life at Karunai House really shows how the gospel can change your life.
This city is quite the man-made accomplishment, especially considering that the town didn’t even exist in the Old Testament. Herod built this city to celebrate humanism: the glory of Caesar Augustus, the Roman Empire, and Herod's own worldly achievements. Herod established this city to celebrate man forever and built the harbor to show he could “conquer nature” himself. Caesarea Maritima certainly boasted all the worldly pleasures man could ever hope for. But God had other plans.
You might think of the creeds of Nicea and Constantinople as your personal connection to Cappadocia...our spiritual bond to this place is vital. Next time you or your minister reads from the Nicene Creed, think of Cappadocia and the three church fathers from there that God sent at just the right time in church history to defend those truths we hold so dear.
