Here’s the fifth installment of an eight-part tour through the different sites the Mars Hill trip will visit next year on the Turkey expedition. Go here for more information about the trip, the full itinerary, and how to sign up.

Pamukkale, by miss_ohara

Day 5: Hierapolis and Kusadasi

Today we'll take a short drive to Hierapolis visiting the vast, ancient necropolis (burial grounds), large amphitheater, the St. Philippe Martyrion, and famed Roman baths. On this day, we'll also visit the remarkable white travertine falls and hot springs of Pamukkale. We'll continue our journey to the port city of Kusadasi for a relaxing afternoon, dinner and overnight.

Day 6: Ephesus

This is the big day, the day the whole trip revolves around!

To the Ephesus, the Church "That Has Left Their First Love"

"'I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lamp stand from its place, unless you repent. Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’"

Revelation 2:2-7

We will start early this morning with the first of two teachings by Pastor Mark in Ephesus, Paul's home from 52-55 AD. He wrote 1st Corinthians and Ephesians while here. Here are some of the historic sites we'll see this day:

• The marble Ephesian road will take us by the Church of the Virgin Mary (the site of the council of Ephesus)
• The amphitheater where the rioters protested against Paul and the gospel, crying, "Great is Artemis of Ephesians!"
• The spectacular Library of Celsus
• The Agora (marketplace) and the city bath ruins
• The Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven wonders of the Ancient world.

The Library of Celsus, by dachalan

The remainder of the day will be spent at leisure, swimming in the blue Aegean Sea, relaxing on the beach or by the pool, or staying back at Ephesus and exploring on your own.  This evening, when all the other tourists are gone, we will return to Ephesus and have the entire site to ourselves. And in the same spot that Paul taught and delivered a sermon condemning pagan worship and started a riot, Pastor Mark will lead us in a once-in-a-lifetime teaching. Read the remarkable passage on the Riot at Ephesus, from Acts 19:21-40, after the jump:

A Riot at Ephesus

21 Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, "After I have been there, I must also see Rome." 22 And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.

23 About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way. 24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen. 25 These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, "Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. 26 And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods. 27 And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship."

28 When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" 29 So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul's companions in travel. 30 But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him. 31 And even some of the Asiarchs, [1] who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater.32 Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. 33 Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander, motioning with his hand, wanted to make a defense to the crowd. 34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"

35 And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, "Men of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone that fell from the sky? [2] 36 Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. 37 For you have brought these men here who are neither sacrilegious nor blasphemers of our goddess. 38 If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. 39 But if you seek anything further, [3] it shall be settled in the regular assembly. 40 For we really are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion."

Next up: Istanbul extension, aka redux. In July 2011, Pastor Mark will lead a group of Christians and pastors from all over the world on the Turkey Expedition, teaching at various important sites in the early Church’s history. Out of this, Pastor Mark will write a book and, along with other MH pastors, will develop a full preaching and group discussion curriculum on the book of Ephesians, which we’ll go through with churches from across the globe beginning in 2012. For more information on this pioneering endeavor, go here.