5 June. Paul and Barnabas appoint elders in each church
"Paul and Barnabas told the Good News in Derbe [see 7 on the map on 31 May], and many became followers. Paul and Barnabas returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch [in Pisidia] [see 8 on the map], making the followers of Jesus stronger and helping them stay in the faith. They said, 'We must suffer many things to enter God's kingdom'."
"They chose elders for each church, by praying and giving up eating for a certain time. These elders had trusted the Lord, so Paul and Barnabas put them in the Lord's care."
"Then they went through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. When they had preached the message in Perga, they went down to Attalia. And from there they sailed away to Antioch [in Syria] [see 9 on the map] where the believers had put them into God's care and had sent them out to do this work. Now they had finished."
"When they arrived in Antioch [in Syria], Paul and Barnabas gathered the church together. They told the church all about what God had done with them and how God had made it possible for those who were not Jewish to believe. And they stayed there a long time [two years] with the followers."
(Acts 14:21-28)
Paul and Barnabas preached the good news in Derbe, and a large number of people become believers. Virtually nothing remains of Derbe today, apart from a remote settlement mound at Kerti Höyük.
From Derbe, the disciples retraced their steps back to Perga, stopping off at Lystra, Iconium and Pisidian Antioch to strengthen the new believers and to appoint elders in each of the new churches. In each city they fasted and prayed to ensure that God guided them when appointing the right people to lead these new churches. At each place, they chose older people who "had trusted the Lord".
Paul and Barnabas travelled through Pisidia and Pamphylia and taught again in Perga. Instead of boarding a boat at Perga, however, they walked on down to the coast at Attalia (modern-day Antalya in Turkey). Paul and his friends would then have had no difficulty in securing a passage on one of the empty Roman grain ships heading back along the north Mediterranean coast to Egypt via Antioch in Syria.
On reaching Antioch, they told their ‘home’ church everything that God had done to strengthen the faith of the Jews and Gentiles in the towns they had visited.
Today, modern Antalya (Attalia) in Turkey has become an important tourist resort and commercial city. It still has an attractive old harbour filled with gulets, and lined with restaurants looking out across the remains of the old city walls.
To the south of the harbour, a Roman lighthouse still forms an impressive landmark for sailors. Those wishing to explore remains of Roman Attalia can view the unique collection of marble sculptures in the Antalya Archaeological Museum or can visit the impressive remains of the monumental Hadrian’s Gate, built in honour of the emperor’s visit in 130AD.
The photo shows the Roman city walls and harbour at Antalya (Attalia) in Turkey.
You can read more about Antalya (Attalia) @ https://www.thebiblejourney.org/…/paul-barnabas-return-to-…/