Partner Excursion to the Seven Churches of Revelation

Starting October 15, Rick Renner led a group of 140 ministry partners on a seven-day excursion to visit the sites of the seven churches in the book of Revelation, reports Rick Renner Ministries. The team included people from America, Russia, Ukraine, Latvia, and elsewhere. The sites of the seven churches are located in modern-day Turkey and are fascinating examples of biblical history. On this trip, the team visited each site, exploring the archeological treasures and seeing firsthand the places described by the apostle John.

The team visited the excavations at Ephesus, Laodicea, Pergamum, Philadelphia, Thyatira, and Sardis. They also traveled to the city of Izmir, built on top of the biblical city of Smyrna. The excavations at these cities are in various stages of completion. Ephesus, for example, is extremely well excavated, whereas the work at Laodicea is only just beginning. The tour group especially enjoyed seeing Pergamum, home of the ancient medical complex known as the Asklepion in honor of the Greek god of healing, Asklepios. People from all over Asia Minor traveled to Pergamum hoping to be healed. The group also learned about the idolatry that flourished in Pergamum. Indeed, the idolatrous nature of each of these cities was readily apparent, from the ruins of the great Temple of Artemis (Diana) in Ephesus to the Temple of Apollo in Thyatira, and the ruined temples in Laodicea and other cities.

After a full day of touring, the team gathered together in the evenings. Rick Renner taught on each of the cities they had seen earlier in the day, reviewing the passages in the book of Revelation, and explaining how what they had seen correlated to what the Bible described. Each city had its own unique character, and the Early Church in each city had its own unique problems. The message Jesus gave to John for each church was tailor-made to that congregation's situation and to the difficulties those believers faced. What the team saw each day as they visited the sites made these biblical passages come alive, and Rick's insightful teaching added a new depth to their knowledge of Jesus' messages to the seven churches.

On the last day, the team toured Istanbul, taking a cruise down the Bosporus River and visiting historical sites in the city. At the conclusion of the excursion, the team met to receive Communion. The following day, the partners returned to their respective nations, enriched by a deeper understanding of New Testament history, a new appreciation of the hardships the Early Church faced, and a new perspective on the power Jesus demonstrated as He spoke to these churches through John in the book of the Revelation.

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TAGS: Turkey Rick Renner book of Revelation Seven Churches of Revelation

[11/04/2008]

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