Many Christians have been to Ephesus or on a tour of the seven churches in Revelation. But how many have been to Antioch in Pisidia? Maybe a few. Actually, Paul visited Antioch in Pisidia on each of his missionary journeys.
My husband and I like to travel ‘off the beaten track’. After doing some research, we drive from Ankara, the capital of Türkiye and pull up alongside a boarded-up area. ‘Inside there is the ancient city of Antioch in Pisidia,’ my husband promises. It doesn’t look hopeful. Eventually we find the ticket office that charge us the equivalent of about 50 pence; a well-spent 50 pence!
This city does not receive the attention from archaeologists that it surely deserves. An amphitheatre is undergoing some restoration but most of the stones are left exactly where they fell centuries ago. There are the remains of several very ancient churches. But the jewel of the site is a stone inscribed with the words translatable as ‘Paul the Philosopher’.
A year after we had first visited the modern town of Yalvac, (Old Prophet) housing the ancient city of Antioch in Pisidia, we return. My husband and I take a short-term team with us to follow in the footsteps of Paul. Acts chapter 14 tells us that Paul travelled through Antalya, Perga and up to Antioch in Pisidia.
It is very meaningful to read Acts 14 with the team in what remains of the synagogue that Paul preached in. Together we pray that once again there will be a living church in this place!
Our trip ends where Paul started his journey into what is now modern-day Türkiye, in Antalya or Atalia as it is called in Acts 14. We visit the only place along the coast where Paul could have come into port, now a thriving tourist city. We meet up with a young couple, who are working very hard to pastor a church, to pray with them and to encourage them.
The Protestant church in this land is beginning to resurface and grow. Türkiye is arguably the second Biblical land. Most of Paul’s letters were written to churches in what is now known as Türkiye. Also, a good percentage of the book of Acts covers this region. There is so much of interest to see. It is not just the old stones and places mentioned in the Bible, it is the ‘living stones’ that deserve our attention. Young pastors are emerging to replant churches in places that Paul visited or would have travelled through.
These prayer visits are organised directly by Mark & Marie World Horizons/3D workers serving the Turkish Church, not World Horizons UK.
For more information, please use the contact form in the menu bar to express an interest and we will put you in touch with Mark and Marie.
* Any costs incurred for the trip are to be paid directly to Mark & Marie. Flights to Türkiye must be arranged by the individual. World Horizons UK does not accept any responsibility for the visits or for any circumstance which leads to changes or cancellations. It is strongly recommended that individuals arrange their own appropriate travel insurance.
