Drive Thru History: Acts to Revelation

The church continued to grow in Jerusalem and the Apostles continued preaching at Solomon’s Colonnade on the Temple Mount. Peter and John healed a crippled man and were imprisoned by the authorities because they were perceived as a growing threat to the religious establishment. However, after Peter and John miraculously escaped, they continued to perform miracles in the name of Jesus, and crowds continued to come from nearby towns all around Jerusalem. As the movement grew, the religious leaders finally took a stand against a courageous deacon named Stephen. In the end, they killed Stephen for his adherence to the Gospel, and he became the first martyr for his faith in Jesus Christ.

Dave travels to a number of sites outside Jerusalem to share accounts of the Gospel being preached in Samaria, Judea, and beyond. We follow Philip to the Samaritan city of Sebaste, where he confronted a sorcerer, and the Roman Road to Gaza, where he baptized an Ethiopian court official. We then travel with Peter through the Judean town of Lydda, where he healed Aeneas, and the port city of Joppa, where he healed Tabitha and lived with a tanner named Simon. Dave ends in Caesarea, where Peter shared the Gospel with a Roman centurion named Cornelius, and his entire household became the first Gentile followers of Jesus Christ.

Dave introduces us to Saul and we visit his hometown of Tarsus in present-day Turkey. We travel a segment of the Road to Damascus and experience Saul’s supernatural encounter with Jesus. Dave climbs Mount Bental in the Golan Heights of Israel to get a glimpse of Syria, while examining the dramatic transformation of Saul the persecutor to Paul the Apostle. Dave ends in Caesarea on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea to explore the life and legacy of Herod Agrippa and his persecution of the early church in Judea.

Followers of Jesus started congregating in Syrian Antioch, about 300 miles north of Jerusalem. There, the church grew quickly among the Jews and Gentiles. Dave travels to modern-day Antakya, Turkey, and the ancient church known as “St. Peter’s Cave,” to explore the Biblical accounts. Ultimately, the church at Antioch chose Paul, Barnabas, and John Mark to lead the first missionary journey deeper into the Roman Empire. Dave jets from Antioch to the incredible island of Cyprus – the first stop for Paul and his team. Leaving room for fun, Dave drives the entire island, from Salamis to Paphos, investigating the events described in the Book of Acts.

In this episode, Dave continues traveling the route of Paul’s first missionary journey, sailing north from Cyprus to the coast of Asia Minor. Dave visits the Biblical sites of Perga, Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe, where Paul and Barnabas preached the Gospel, healed the sick, and faced dramatic challenges. While experiencing the food and fun of the Turkish culture, Dave journeys to other ancient sites in Turkey that help explain the early growth of Christianity in the region, despite severe persecution.

Paul and Barnabas returned to Syrian Antioch, where they spent a considerable period of time strengthening the church there. After a number of months, they traveled to Jerusalem for a special meeting of church leaders. James and the Jerusalem Council ultimately decided that Gentile believers were not required to follow the Mosaic Law, but should abstain from immoral acts practiced throughout the Roman Empire. After returning to Antioch, Paul and Silas left on a second missionary journey. This three-year trek started in Galatia, where Paul revisited the churches he previously launched in Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Pisidian Antioch.

Paul and his team continued their missionary journey through Macedonia in present-day Greece. After crossing the Aegean Sea, they landed at Neapolis and traveled to nearby Philippi. Dave visits the ancient ruins of Philippi and investigates the Biblical accounts that happened there. Dave then takes a road trip to ancient Thessalonica, where Paul and his team preached the Gospel, but were ultimately run out of town by a violent mob. Despite growing persecution, the church continued to grow throughout the Roman Empire.

Paul, Silas, and Timothy escaped Thessalonica and set-up shop in the remote city of Berea, where they preached the Gospel. Once again, the mobs got violent, and Paul was sent ahead to Athens for his safety. Dave takes a 300-mile road trip from Berea to Athens in present-day Greece, visiting ancient sites such as Mount Olympus and Thermopylae along the way. In the epic city of Athens, Dave investigates the accounts of Paul, including his work as a tentmaker in the Agora and his peaching of the Gospel at the Areopagus.

After a short time in Athens, Paul hit the road again. His next stop was Corinth, the capital city of Achaia Province. Corinth was a pretty immoral place, filled with pagan temples and idols. Dave explores the accounts of Paul working and teaching in the city, investigating a number of artifacts that support the Biblical record. Although the Corinthian Jews brought charges against Paul, the proconsul of the region ruled in his favor, and Paul was able to preach in peace. He spent a year and a half in Corinth before leaving the city and retuning to Antioch, thus ending his second missionary journey through the Roman Empire.

After spending time in Syrian Antioch, Paul left once more to travel the Roman Empire and share the Gospel message. Paul’s third missionary journey took him back through Tarsus, Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Pisidian Antioch. He visited churches and friends throughout the regions of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening the disciples as he went. Ultimately, Paul arrived at the incredible city of Ephesus. Dave travels to Ephesus in present-day Turkey to share the accounts of Paul among the ruins and artifacts at this well-preserved site. After more than two years in Ephesus, Paul finally left and completed his missionary journey through Macedonia and Greece.