Where is macedonia in the bible

The Romans built many reliable roads throughout their empire to greatly improve long-distance travel. One of these roads was called the Egnatian Way, and it passed through several towns in Macedonia visited by the apostle Paul in the New Testament as he established churches in Philippi and Thessalonica Acts And the whole city was filled with confusion: and having caught Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul's companions in travel, they rushed with one accord into the theatre.

And after the uproar was ceased, Paul called unto [him] the disciples, and embraced [them], and departed for to go into Macedonia. And [there] abode three months. And when the Jews laid wait for him, as he was about to sail into Syria, he purposed to return through Macedonia. For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.

First they gave everything they were able … and then they gave more than they were able:. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints — and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. Look at that closely.

The Macedonians were giving beyond their means. The implication is that they were giving away things they knew they needed. And it seems that trust was rewarded as God multiplied their gifts. It starts with plain common sense 2 Corinthians and expands like the Fibonacci sequence.

If we needed all 10 of something, there would be a problem in giving one away. We gain something — the privilege of participating in his work, the sheer joy of giving, and, ultimately, the blessing of fellowship in eternity with those who benefitted from our gifts. We do best when we remember that all the resources in the world belong to God , he is generous , and he desires not only to provide for our needs Matthew , but even to reward our generosity with the ability to be more generous.

For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. When Paul explains the Macedonian story to the Corinthian church, he explains a principle to them: Sow generously, and you will reap generously. The grace God gave to the Macedonians? He has more of it 2 Corinthians And he frequently gives it to those who live life with an open hand:. He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.

You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. In this time, when small churches are struggling, when even big churches need more to provide for their members, when many among the body of Christ around the world are struggling for enough to eat, we need to ask God how much more he wants us to give. Macedonia, under the Ottomans, was essentially a geographic region, not an ethnographic one. The largest of these ethnic groups was the Slavic Bulgarians.

Macedonians are natives or descendants of any one of the above-mentioned ethnic groups. As the Ottoman Empire fell, our ancestors fight for autonomy turned to a fight for freedom and independence as Macedonia became the target of Greek, Serbian and Bulgarian expansion, each claiming closer ethnic or historical ties than the others. Significant events from this period include:.