A vision in the night appeared to the Apostle Paul of a man from Macedonia, pleading with him to come and help (Acts 16:9-11). Concluding that God was calling him to preach the Good News in Macedonia as well, Paul and Silas arrived in Philippi, a leading Roman colony in the province of Macedonia. It is here Paul established the first Christian community in Europe.

The Holy Spirit commissioned Paul and Barnabas for kingdom ministry from Antioch, a place His presence was seen and felt. Why shouldn't we ask for the same?

Very few Christians today realize that Cappadocia is a region in Turkey mentioned in Scripture. Peter wrote his first letter to the believers here—those who met in cave churches to worship the Lord. This brings a whole new light to the words he shared!

When you think about the city of Ephesus from the first century, what's the first impression that comes to mind? Would it surprise you to learn Ephesus was a place of wealth and opulence? A city of power and beauty? The center of religion and idol worship? While all these descriptions are true, the people of that day saw something more. The citizens considered Ephesus to be a notoriously evil place.

Like the communities of Philadephia and Thyatira, the ruins of Smyrna are centered in the middle of a busy modern city. Now called Izmir, it's the third most populous city in Turkey. Located on the coast of the Aegean Sea, Smyrna was a major trade route and a wealthy port city in the first century, home to nearly 100,000 residents. It's a vibrant port city still.

Noted by ancient historians as “the most illustrious city of Asia” and a “royal city,” Pergamum in all its ruin still has the power to take your breath away.

Thyatira holds all the hallmarks of a classic “middle child”—very fitting, as its letter lands right in the middle of the other messages to Messiah's communities in the book of Revelation. And yet, they received the longest letter of them all, filled with poignant significance.

Sardis was a city of decadence, power, and paganism. With a population of 120,000 in the first century AD, its people were known for loose living, pleasure-seeking, and lovers of extravagance. And yet, it was from this place that the Good News spread rapidly, creating one of the largest Christian communities to impact the culture around them.