Wednesday, August 5, 2020

Acts 20:1-6

20 When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia. He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece, where he stayed three months. Because some Jews had plotted against him just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia. He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas. But we sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days.
-Acts 20:1-6




When I decided to go to college down in Georgia, one of by biggest concerns was finding a community there. I was moving to a state hundreds of miles away by myself, knowing nobody in the area at all. It actually reminded me of when I first decided to attend the Academies@Englewood instead of going to my own town's high school. I had similar fears of not finding friends and being alone. However, entering college I had my identity as a Christian to rely on and help me find a community I could thrive in, in Georgia.

In this part of Acts Paul is finishing up his ministry in Greece. He's actually headed to Corinth (the city to whom Paul wrote 1st Corinthians to). In the passage it says, "He traveled through the area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people..." The people that is referenced here are actually Christian communities that were established in smaller regions on the way to Corinth. Paul here is visiting them on his way North, giving them encouragement as he passes through. Even in the days of the early Church where Christianity was just starting to spread, Paul was able to find Christians alike to himself seemingly everywhere!

If that was the case for Paul back then, how much more now when Christianity has spread all across the world. This is why even with my concern for finding community going to college, I had confidence I would find people with similar faith to me. I ended up joining a college ministry and finding an amazing group there. No matter where you're going in whatever stage of life, whether it be college, moving with family, or a job, if you seek a Christian community God will probably provide one for you. We have the luxury of having brothers and sisters in Christ everywhere, so let's not let that go to waste!




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