11 So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to
Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi,
which is a leading city of the [4] district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We
remained in this city some days. (Acts 16:11-12 (ESV)
This is the first time Paul comes to Europe with the Gospel.
It is quite possible that Paul had been to Europe before as a child and so on.
But since his conversion, by all recorded accounts, this is the first time he
makes it to Europe. He himself would probably have not noticed anything of a
change in surroundings. It was the same heathen/ Roman world he had grown up
in. Cultural differences would have been about as marked as those between San
Francisco and Los Angeles.
But I want to just pause here. What Paul does will change
the world, and it will start with Europe. The gospel will live here. And from
here it will spread around the world. And however critical the world, and even
Europe is today, concerning its history, and abuses of power and circumstance.
However, much that criticism is deserved or not, there will come a day when the
world will thank Paul profusely for bringing the Gospel to Europe when he did.
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