In the Footsteps of Paul

It was with understandable excitement that we landed in Samos airport to spend a week overlooking the Straits of Samos with Pythagoria just down the road!

Samos is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea. It is separated from Asia Minor, Turkey by the half-mile wide Straits of Samos. In the 1st century AD Paul almost certainly sailed through those straits and into the then capital city of Tigana, now called Pythagoria. Acts 20:15 doesn’t tell us what Paul did in the short stopover in Samos, but he always spoke of the Lord everywhere he went, so I guess he did that as they docked in Pythagoria.

We went to Samos to encourage, preach, pray and speak to the people who came out to Zefiros Beach Resort with Richmond Holidays. We had a great week both with the guests and the Samos team of 15 workers. How encouraging to watch their interaction with each other and see them living Jesus on the beach, in the hotel and in ministry. We went like Paul to strengthen and encourage Christians and we thank God for the privilege.

On Wednesday morning, we got up early and travelled to the island of Cos. It would have been nice to retrace Paul’s journey exactly and beach at Miletus on the way. Unfortunately it is in Turkey and relations between the two countries are formal rather than cordial – and our hydrofoil didn’t go that way. However we did go to Patmos and saw the hill from which John saw Asia Minor and where he was given the amazing book of Revelation. From Patmos we made our way vis Leros and Kaliminos to Cos. The journey only took 4 hours, but the water was turbulent and quite rough on a calm day! We could well imagine why Paul was shipwrecked 3 times in these choppy waters! We were awestruck at the courage of the man of God and humbled to think that we were travelling through the same waters that he travelled 2 millenia ago. We prayed that our ministry might be as effective!

Paul landed in Cos, Acts 21:1 and had an overnight stop there. Tradition has it that he stopped in Kefalos the very resort that we stopped in and a church was erected there in honour of that landing. The church, built in the 6th century, is now in ruins and it was very special to stand on the spot where Paul stood in Cos.

History is a wonderful thing, but unless we learn the principles of evangelism and discipleship that Paul preached and lived, like the church in Cos, we too will be in ruins. May God help us to venture all whatever the cost like Paul did.