In the footsteps of Paul - A group of Messianic Israeli soldiers in Greece seeking to grow closer to Yeshua

On Saturday, October 7th, 2023, the lives of every Israeli in Israel were drastically changed. Any sense of routine and normality quickly disappeared. In light of the brutal Hamas terrorist attack and numerous hostages kidnapped into Gaza, there was a national call to action that drew Israelis at home and those scattered abroad on various ventures – to come and defend our homeland.

Over 300,000 IDF reservists were called into action, the entire array and the largest amount called up to duty in the State of Israel’s history. The small Messianic Jewish community here in Israel was no exception: fathers, husbands, sons, pastors, youth leaders, deacons. Believers from all walks of life responded to the call to action and joined the war effort to defeat Hamas, secure the borders in the north with Lebanon, and bring the hostages back home.

Though a small community in Israel (roughly estimated to be about 0.02% of the population), most Israeli Messianic Jews have served in Israel Defense Forces and are active in reserve duty. Today there are Messianic Jews who faithfully serve in all branches of the IDF, spanning from the Israeli Navy, Air Force, Army, Military Intelligence, Commando Brigade, etc.

Since the beginning of the war, essential combat gear such as body armor, up-to-date vests, helmets, knee pads, and even basic medical gear were greatly lacking. Many combat soldiers were preparing to enter Gaza wearing old strap-on vests from the Vietnam era, with no body armor. Through the efforts of several Messianic organizations and charities here in the Land and thanks to generous donations from believers all around the world – we soldiers received the supplies and gear that were needed, above and beyond. Along with sharing gear amongst our teammates, were also able to share and demonstrate the love of Yeshua, and encourage fellow soldiers that there are Christians all over the world who love them and support them.

Almost one year later, the war continues. It has claimed the lives of over 1,400 Israelis, including three Messianic Jewish believers who laid down their lives to protect their country. The war has become a routine of life for Israelis and the Messianic Jewish community. A few months of reserve duty, then back to “normal life,” i.e. working, being a father, a husband, serving in the local kehilah (congregation), and then back to reserve duty.

Shmuel and Danny’s vision

Danny and Shmuel, the organizers of the trip to Greece, both leaders in local congregations, have served during the war as combat soldiers in the IDF. They both understand the need for Messianic combat soldiers to have an opportunity to heal and process. This trip to Greece was for those who have been impacted in a negative way. An opportunity to share experiences with one another, and grow in our relationship with the Lord. A chance to take off a week and not be bombarded by news; a break from hearing Hebrew. These are all factors that wear people down after 11 months of warfare.

The trip was intended to be an opportunity to breathe some fresh air.

By God's grace and thanks to Danny and Shmuel's hard work of coordinating and organizing, on the 2nd of September, we had the opportunity and privilege to unite together – 26 Messianic Jewish believers, all active duty reservists, combat soldiers – to take a break from the rigorous routine of fighting and “normal life” to fly to Greece and walk in the footsteps of Paul the Apostle.

To be inspired by Yeshua's journey, and grow closer to Him.

We were a group of men from all walks of life – husbands, fathers, young single guys...students and teachers, engineers, CEOs and the unemployed… But with two common denominators: Brothers in Christ and brothers in arms.

This trip to Greece was a special opportunity for us to bond, share stories and testimonies of God's faithfulness throughout the war, as well as to rest, and prepare ourselves physically, spiritually and mentally to return home and back into action.

After gathering at the Ben Gurion Airport outside of Tel Aviv, we began our travels together to Greece. Departing on our El-Al flight, the 26 of us guys were full of energy and excitement for the adventures ahead. Upon arriving in Athens in the late morning, we exited the airport and were greeted by our bus driver, Petros. We piled into the bus, and thus officially began our journey in Greece in the footsteps of Paul the Apostle.

Our first stop for the day – the Areopagus and the Acropolis in Athens, as mentioned in the Book of Acts.

"Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols. Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there. Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, “What does this babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,” because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection. And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak? For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean.” For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing." (Acts 17:16-21 NKJV)

Though already accustomed to being surrounded by ancient ruins in Israel, it was quite a spectacle to stand on the ancient ruins of the Parthenon and the Temple of Athena. Danny opened his Bible to Acts 17 and read aloud Paul’s speech to the philosophers.

Ultimately, those philosophers interrupted Paul and sent him on his way. “It is a curiosity…” we thought to ourselves, that a temple was built here in honor of the Greek goddess of wisdom, Athena, yet the philosophers of that time were unable to understand and receive the wisdom of God and the Gospel.

We were reminded of the verse from 1 Corinthians: "Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, 'He catches the wise in their own craftiness.'"(I Corinthians 3:18-19 NKJV)

This verse came alive for us when, the next day, we headed to the ancient city of Corinth, the very site that Paul went to following his discourse with the philosophers in Athens. As we toured the ruins with our local guide, on the mountain in front of the city lay the remains of the Temple of Aphrodites – an ancient place of prostitution and immorality. Already we were beginning to better understand the letters of Paul to the Corinthians in dealing with sexual purity and morality. The prosperous and rich ancient city, much like the Las Vegas of today, had no lack of sinful behaviors. However, perhaps because of the rampant immorality, Paul’s message of the Gospel was well received by the Corinthians, and a church was established.

Despite being rejected by the Athenians, the Gospel blossomed in Corinth and the Apostle Paul spent a year and a half there. In the museum, our guide showed us an exhibit of an ancient stone with the phrase “Hebrew synagogue” in Greek, affirming what the Bible says about Paul teaching in the synagogue and a large Jewish presence in the city in ancient days.

On our third day, we traveled to the ancient city of Delphi. Our local guide walked us through the different sections of the ruins – the Temple to Apollo, the museum, etc. We listened to tale after tale of bizarre and wild stories of Greek gods and the squabbles amongst them; jealousy, infidelity… The climax was the story of Apollo turning into a dolphin and super-jumping dozens of kilometers into the sea.

The question we asked ourselves: “Why worship gods who are sinful like us?” with the conclusion that only Yeshua, who came in the flesh and lived a sinless life, is worthy of our praise.

On Day 4 of our journey, we toured the orthodox monasteries of Meteora. These clusters of monasteries are found on the tops of beautiful natural rock formations. For many of us Israelis, this was our first exposure to the Orthodox Church. Our local guide shared the stories of monks who traveled to these rock formations and with great risk and toil carried the supplies up the formations to build the monasteries.

The idea of fleeing the world to pray in a monastery was surprising to us. As believers in Israel, we are so few and the Gospel is so unknown nationally, that wherever we are in the army, studies, or at our jobs, we understand that it is our calling to be the messengers of Yeshua and His Gospel to those around us. Though often difficult and uncomfortable: “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16 NKJV)

Our last stop of the day was to the Synagogue of Berea. We walked through the Jewish Quarter of Berea. The buildings were old. The majority of the Jewish population here was expelled by the Nazis and sent away to concentration camps during World War 2, with only a very small Jewish community remaining. We promptly arrived at an old building with a sign in Greek, English and Hebrew that read: “Synagogue of Berea.” We were joyfully welcomed by a local Jewish woman who is the caretaker of the place. We piled inside the synagogue and sat down as Danny read from Acts, chapter 17, concerning the Jews of Berea.

“These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” (Acts 17:11 NKJV)

After Danny read the passage, Shmuel expounded upon the importance that we, as men of God (fathers, husbands, leaders and soldiers – just like the Bereans) daily search the scriptures.

On the fifth day of our journey, we arrived at the ancient ruins of Philippi, in the northeast portion of Greece. Passing through the Agora (marketplace), we promptly arrived at the ruins of what is traditionally recognized to be the jail where Paul and Silas were kept overnight.

“But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.” (Acts 16:25 NKJV)

Paul was in chains, a prisoner in miserable conditions, and yet with joy, he praised the Lord and sang hymns. The Lord caused an earthquake and eventually led Paul to be released, working all things together for good. For many of us on the trip, this story struck a chord. Sometimes war feels like a prison – having to spend hours, nights, days, weeks in a war zone, unable to take off your uniform and war gear, perhaps being cooped up in an APC or a tank for hours on end: having to be in a place that you don’t want to be; having to do things that you don’t want to do; having to leave family and friends in order to fight; yet, still choosing to rejoice in the Lord and trust Him. This is a challenge for all of us followers of Yeshua!

“Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10 NKJV)

From Philippi we arrived in Lydia, the traditional location where Paul baptized her and her household.

“Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.” (Acts 16:14 NKJV)

The Orthodox Church constructed a lovely church facility along the riverbank. We sat there as Danny read aloud the story to us. We popped off our sandals and dipped our feet into the cold river. This was a beautiful and serene moment we shared together, listening to God's word and soaking in His beautiful nature. Danny emphasized that it was God who opened Lydia’s heart to heed the things that Paul spoke of. It was a very important reminder that, as we return home, each one of us will go to our own “mission field” with our families, coworkers, and our military team. It is our duty to share the Gospel and reflect Yeshua’s character, but it is God who works in the heart and draws people to Himself.

For our last tour day, journeying south back to Athens, we stopped at Mt. Olympus. We drove as far as the road upwards would take us. We hopped off the bus and climbed the winding path leading up to the foggy summits that awaited us. We reached a viewpoint and took in the spectacular view. Though in Greek mythology, Mt Olympus is the dwelling place of the gods, there were no Olympians to be found. Just a spectacular view of the many hills and valleys laid before us. The view itself, of the one true God's beautiful creation, was inspiring.

We spent our final evening together in the city of Laryssa. It was hard to believe that an entire week had already gone by. Soon we would be on a plane back to Israel, back home. The feeling was bittersweet – our families and loved ones await us but the war awaits us as well. Duty still calls.

As soon as we return, a few of us will already be called back up to reserve duty. But with tomorrow a long way away, we enjoyed the final moments of our 'band of brothers,' with whom we had the privilege of walking in the footsteps of Paul the Apostle.

We have truly been inspired by all that we’ve seen and learned. In addition to the educational aspect of the trip, the true highlight was the bonding and camaraderie of us fellow brothers in Christ, as we got to sing worship songs together and have discussions on the bus rides, share meals together, pray together, spend our evenings sitting and bonding, sharing stories of war and testimonies of God's faithfulness and miracles during these past 11 months. No doubt, as we continue to fight to defend our country and trust in God, we men will, by God's grace, meet again and have many more stories and testimonies to share with one another and with those who have been praying for us.