Day 11 in Greece (Athens)

We had another good day hanging around Athens.

We started the day off by heading to the Agora (marketplace) in Athens. The Agora in Athens has some connections to the Bible as well. I intentionally left this connection out yesterday because I knew we would be heading to the Agora today. When Paul entered Athens he was deeply disturbed by all of the idols in Athens. So how did he respond? Acts says, "16 Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there" (Acts 17:16-17). Interestingly, there are two Agoras in Athens. One of them became so full of idols and temples that they had to build another one to be used as a marketplace. The old one remained in use for conversation and official city business. I find it interesting that when Paul was disturbed by all of the idols, his response was to go to the place where there would be a ton of people and he would have opportunity to share the gospel. He didn't sit idoly by and complain or mutter. He took action in the "city center."

Another really cool part of the Agora in Athens is a perfect restoration of a Stoa (or portico). The stoas surrounded the Agora on four sides. When you walk into ancient ruins and see all of the pillars lining the roads or agoras, these are part of the stoa. A stoa is basically a covered hallway with pillars on both sides. This one was perfectly restored by funds from the Rockerfellers. You'll be able to understand what I'm talking about when you see the pictures.

From the Agora, we went to church at an the Second Evangelical Church of Athens. It was very cool to be able to worship with these beleivers in Greece. I'm always amazed how "at home" it feels when I step into a church. I immediately felt connected to the people. They also had headsets that we could wear where we could hear a translation of the service in English. However, it stopped working at the beginning of the sermon. I still enjoyed listening to the sermon and watching the passion of the preacher. I also enjoyed being able to use some of my Greek knowledge to sing along with the songs and follow along with the Biblical text. Once the service was over, the pastor gave us a presentation about the Evangelical Church of Greece and their own congregation.

From church we went to lunch and then to the National Archealogical Museum in Athens. This museum had some pretty amazing things in it. We saw many of the iconic sculptures from Ancient Greece. We spent almost two hours walking around the museum and discussing the various pieces and their relevance to history and connections to the Bible.

We ended up finishing up a little early tonight so that people could have some free time to check out the city. My buddy and I spent some time walking around Athens and enjoying the local culture.

Only one more day left of the trip. It's been a very good trip. It's also been a long trip. I'm ready to be home again with my wife and daughters. Continue to pray for me and my family in these last few days. God has continued to take care of us and give us strength. We trust he will continue to do so.