Page 137 - Advanced Biblical Backgrounds Revised

Chapter 15: Asia Minor and Cyprus and the Expansion of the
Early Church (Acts, Ephesians, Revelation)

Connect…

The Hellenistic world enjoyed many established methods of travel. Because of this, Paul and his
companions were able to travel from city to city and region to region. As many pastors know, traveling
for ministry is both exciting and hard. It can also be dangerous. Animals, thieves, corrupt governments,
political enemies, and religious enemies can become barriers to personal safety and successful ministry.
In this chapter, we will see how the Gospel spread through Asia Minor and Cypress. This ministry would
not have been possible without much travel and facing danger to take the message of Messiah King
Jesus to the world.

Objectives…

1. The student will be able to summarize the locations and government types of Cyprus and Asia
Minors.

2. The student will be able to explain some of the religious thoughts of Asia Minor.

3. The student will be able to explain the basic social and economic backgrounds of Asia Minor and how
they shed light on the biblical story.

The Lesson ...

From Syria to Cypress and Asia Minor.

Most are unaware that there are two cities named
Antioch in scripture. The first one is in Syria. It served as
a starting point for the ministry of Paul on His first
missionary journey. Those journeys would take him, not
exclusively, to Cypress and Asia Minor. The other
Antioch, known as Antioch of Pisidia, was in Asia Minor.
Acts 11 records the establishment and ministry of the
church at the Antioch of Syria. Acts 13 records the
sending of Paul and his companions on the trip by the
Syrian church. 179 That trip started from Antioch in Syria.
They traveled to and set sail for Cyprus at the port of
Seleucia in Syria (Acts 13:4).

179 Paul’s First Missionary Journey. https://freebibleimages.org/illustrations/bj-paul-maps/.

136