CON CAMPBELL: I'M IN PURSUIT
OF PAUL THE APOSTLE. MY NAME IS CON CAMPBELL. I'VE STUDIED PAUL'S 13 NEW
TESTAMENT LETTERS FOR YEARS. NOW I WANT TO KNOW HIM BETTER. FOR THE FIRST TIME,
I'M FOLLOWING HIS JOURNEYS FROM JERUSALEM ACROSS
THE MEDITERRANEAN, ALL THE WAY TO ROME
WHERE HE WAS MARTYRED. IT WAS SAID THAT
ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME. FOR 30 YEARS, PAUL HAD
WALKED THE EMPIRE'S NETWORK OF STONE PAVEMENT. NOW, THOSE ROADS
WOULD LEAD HIM TO ROME. PAUL'S JOURNEYS
BY SAIL AND BY FOOT HAD TAKEN HIM THOUSANDS
OF MILES AROUND THE EMPIRE, ESTABLISHING MANY
COMMUNITIES OF FAITH. ON HIS LAST VOYAGE, PAUL HAD
LEFT THE ISLAND OF MALTA, STILL UNDER ROMAN GUARD, AND SAILED TO
THE ITALIAN PORT OF PUTEOLI, CERTAIN OF GOD'S WILL, BUT
UNCERTAIN ABOUT WHAT LAY AHEAD. FROM PUTEOLI,
PAUL WALKED 120 MILES NORTH ON THE VIA APPIA TO ROME. 2,000 YEARS LATER, I FOLLOWED
ON THE VERY SAME STONE ROAD. I IMAGINED PAUL THINKING
OF HIS IMPENDING TESTIMONY BEFORE EMPEROR NERO, WHO
HELD ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY. I LIKE TO THINK THAT
THE WORDS PAUL WROTE TO ENCOURAGE THE FOLLOWERS
OF JESUS IN ROME ALSO ENCOURAGED HIM. HE WROTE, "WE KNOW THAT
ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER "FOR THE GOOD OF
THOSE WHO LOVE GOD, "THOSE WHO ARE CALLED
ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE." ROME RULED THE WORLD. THE CITY WAS THE ICON
OF THE EMPIRE. IT SHARED A POWER
AND ACHIEVEMENT. TODAY, THE GRAND
BUILDINGS OF THE CITY REFLECT A LONG
AND VARIED HISTORY. ROME IS ALIVE AND VIBRANT.
IT'S STILL A GREAT CITY. AND I'D HEARD THAT ROME
HAS SOME OF THE BEST MUSICIANS IN THE WORLD.
OF COURSE, THAT INTERESTED ME. THE BEST ADVICE I WAS GIVEN
WAS ROME WASN'T BUILT IN A DAY AND DON'T TRY
TO SEE IT IN A DAY. I CROSSED THE CITY'S
OLDEST BRIDGE. REMARKABLY, IT WAS STANDING
WHEN PAUL WAS HERE. NOT ONLY HAD ITS CURVED ARCH
SPANNED THE TIBER RIVER, BUT IT HAD SPANNED
THE CENTURIES, SURVIVING WARS AND WEAR. IN PAUL'S DAY, THERE WOULD
HAVE BEEN MANY TEMPLES, MANY MONUMENTS AND
OFFICIAL BUILDINGS, BUT PAUL HAD SPIRITUAL EYES TO SEE THE PAST
THE GLORY OF ROME, TO SEE ITS PEOPLE IN
NEED OF PILLARS OF TRUTH, IN NEED OF A SPIRITUAL
EMPIRE, A SPIRITUAL KINGDOM, A SPIRITUAL REVOLUTION. I NEEDED SOME GOOD CONVERSATION
AND SOME GOOD GELATO, AND FOR BOTH, I ASKED A
LOCAL, DR. CORRADO PRIMAVERA. CORRADO HAS BOTH A GREAT NAME AND A HEART FOR THE PEOPLE
OF ROME, JUST LIKE PAUL. CON: ALRIGHT, WHAT
ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE? CORRADO: WELL, I DON'T KNOW.
YOU CAN HAVE THREE FLAVORS LIKE STRAWBERRIES, LEMON AND TIRAMISU GELATO, THAT'S ALL. CON: I THINK I'M GOING TO GO FOR
THE MINT CHOCOLATE PLEASE. CON: CORRADO HAS
BEEN A MINISTER AND TEACHER IN ROME
FOR MANY YEARS. ACTUALLY, HE'S BEEN TRYING
TO DO WHAT PAUL DID HERE. AND JUST AS IN PAUL'S DAY,
BELIEFS COME IN MANY FLAVORS. SO, I WANTED TO KNOW MORE OF
WHAT IT'S LIKE FOR CORRADO TO ENGAGE ROMAN CULTURE TODAY. CORRADO: PAUL IS A MODEL OF
PERSEVERANCE, OF SACRIFICE OF DEDICATION, AND THAT'S
ACTUALLY WHAT ENCOURAGED ME, AND NOT JUST ME, BUT I CAN THINK OF OTHER OF MY COLLEAGUES AS THE PASTORS AND LEADERS
IN THIS SMALL COMMUNITY OF BIBLE-PREACHING CHURCHES, BECAUSE IT REQUIRES SACRIFICE AND DEDICATION
AND PERSEVERANCE. AND SO, LOOKING AT PAUL
IS AN INSPIRATION TODAY. CON: SO, YOU FIGHT
THE GOOD FIGHT BUT YOU DON'T ALWAYS
SEE FRUIT IMMEDIATELY. I THINK PAUL SAW A
FRUIT, BUT HIS INFLUENCE WAS MUCH GREATER
AFTER HIS DEATH. CORRADO: YES,
I FEEL THE SAME WAY. LOOKING AROUND, ANCIENT
RUINS, MODERN RUINS, THE CITY NEEDS
TO HEAR THE GOSPEL. THE SAME GOSPEL
THAT PAUL PREACHED IN THE FIRST CENTURY. CON: IN THE FIRST PLACE, YEAH. WHERE CAN I GO TO GET A
SENSE OF FIRST-CENTURY ROME? CORRADO: WELL, THERE
ARE MANY PLACES. THE FORUM, THE ROMAN FORUM THAT IS CLOSE
TO US, ONE OF THE PLACES. CON: I HEARD ABOUT OSTIA ANTICA. CORRADO: OSTIA ANTICA, ANCIENT
OSTIA, YES, THE HARBOR OF ROME. IT'S A CITY WELL-PRESERVED. WALKING THROUGH ANCIENT
OSTIA MAKE THE SENSE OF WALKING THROUGH
AN ANCIENT ROME. CON: I THINK I HAVE TO
GO THERE. ALRIGHT. TAKING CORRADO'S
SUGGESTION, I HEADED ABOUT 16 MILES
SOUTHWEST TO OSTIA, ROME'S ANCIENT HARBOR CITY. CENTURIES LATER, THE SKELETON
OF OSTIA'S ONCE VIBRANT PORT CAN STILL BE SEEN. PAUL DID NOT LIVE HERE,
BUT HE VISITED HERE. IT'S EASY TO GET
A SENSE OF WHAT ROME MAY
HAVE LOOKED LIKE. THERE ARE VERY WELL-PRESERVED
DWELLINGS, HOMES, SHOPS. AND WITH ALL THESE
COMPLETED WALLS, YOU REALLY GET A GOOD FEEL
FOR ROMAN LIFE. WHAT'S UNUSUAL IS THAT
WHEN PAUL ARRIVED IN ROME, HE DIDN'T GO INTO A PRISON. WHILE AWAITING TRIAL,
HE WAS ALLOWED TO RENT HIS OWN APARTMENT
UNDER HOUSE ARREST. HE WASN'T A FLIGHT RISK. HIS APARTMENT COULD
HAVE LOOKED SIMILAR TO THE BRICK BUILDINGS
HERE IN OSTIA. HE WAS STILL UNDER GUARD. SOLDIERS ROTATED SHIFTS,
AND HERE THE CLICHE FITS. PAUL HAD A CAPTIVE AUDIENCE. HE WROTE ABOUT
THE IMPERIAL GUARDS IN HIS LETTER TO
THE CHURCH OF PHILIPPI. "NOW, I WANT YOU KNOW,
BROTHERS AND SISTERS "THAT WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO ME "HAS ACTUALLY
ADVANCED THE GOSPEL "SO THAT IT HAS BECOME KNOWN "THROUGHOUT THE
WHOLE IMPERIAL GUARD "AND TO EVERYONE ELSE
THAT MY IMPRISONMENT "IS BECAUSE I AM IN CHRIST. "MOST OF THE BROTHERS HAVE
GAINED CONFIDENCE IN THE LORD "FROM MY IMPRISONMENT,
AND DARE EVEN MORE "TO SPEAK THE WORD FEARLESSLY." PAUL WAS ALSO ALLOWED
TO RECEIVE VISITORS. AS WE KNOW FROM PAUL'S TRAVELS, EVERY PLACE HE WENT, HE WENT TO THE
SYNAGOGUE FIRST. SINCE HE'S UNDER HOUSE
ARREST, HE'S NOT ABLE TO GO TO THE
SYNAGOGUE IN ROME, BUT THE JEWISH PEOPLE
COME TO HIM INSTEAD. AND THEY'VE NOT HEARD
ANYTHING NEGATIVE ABOUT PAUL. INSTEAD, THEY WANT TO
HEAR IN HIS OWN WORDS WHAT IT IS THAT HE
HAS BEEN PREACHING. SO, PAUL TELLS THEM WHAT
HE HAS BEEN PREACHING, ARGUING WITH THEM AND
TRYING TO SHOW THEM FROM THE SCRIPTURES THAT
JESUS IS THE HOPE OF ISRAEL, THE ONE THAT THEY HAVE
BEEN WAITING FOR, THE PROMISED CHRIST, MESSIAH. NOW, WE'RE TOLD THAT
SOME OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE BELIEVED PAUL'S MESSAGE AND
ACCEPTED CHRIST AS THE MESSIAH. AND YET, OTHERS WERE
NOT SO CONVINCED, AND IN FACT, THIS INSPIRED
SOME DEBATE AMONGST THEMSELVES. ALSO, WE KNOW THAT PAUL
RECEIVED OTHER VISITORS, AND WHOEVER CAME TO HIS HOUSE, HE BOLDLY PROCLAIMED
THE MESSAGE OF CHRIST. AND HE WAS UNDER HOUSE
ARREST FOR TWO YEARS. WHILE PAUL STAYED
IN HIS MODEST RESIDENCE, THE MONUMENTAL FORUM IN
ROME WAS THE CITY CENTER BUSTLING WITH BUSINESS,
TEMPLE WORSHIP AND CIVIC ACTIVITY. THE BACKLOG OF CASES KEPT
PAUL WAITING FOR THIS TRIAL. HERE AGAIN, PAUL IS
WAITING, NOT KNOWING. BUT, DURING THIS TIME,
PAUL IS ACTIVE. HE GAVE US CHURCHES,
AND ALL OF US, WRITTEN TREASURES AND
SOME OF HIS LAST WORDS. THEY'RE OFTEN CALLED
THE PRISON LETTERS, THE LETTER TO THE
EPHESIANS, THE PHILIPPIANS, THE COLOSSIANS AND TO PHILEMON,
SHOWING HIS PASTORAL CARE. AND PAUL WROTE PERSONAL
COMMENTS TO TIMOTHY WHOM HE HAD MENTORED. HE SAID, "MAKE EVERY
EFFORT TO COME TO ME SOON "BECAUSE DEMAS HAS DESERTED ME "SINCE HE LOVED
THIS PRESENT WORLD "AND HAS GONE TO THESSALONICA. "ONLY LUKE IS WITH ME. "BRING MARK WITH YOU FOR HE IS
USEFUL TO ME IN MY MINISTRY. "WHEN YOU COME, BRING THE CLOAK
I LEFT IN TROAS WITH CARPUS, "AS WELL AS THE SCROLLS,
ESPECIALLY THE PARCHMENTS." CURIOUSLY, LUKE CONCLUDED
PAUL'S LIFE STORY ABRUPTLY IN THE BOOK OF ACTS
WITH A SIMPLE SUMMARY OF PAUL'S TWO-YEAR
HOUSE ARREST IN ROME. LUKE SAID, "PAUL WELCOMED
ALL WHO VISITED HIM, "PROCLAIMING THE KINGDOM OF GOD "AND TEACHING ABOUT
THE LORD JESUS CHRIST "WITH ALL BOLDNESS
AND WITHOUT HINDRANCE." LUKE CONCLUDES HIS REPORT
OF PAUL'S STORY IN THE BOOK OF ACTS WITH
PAUL'S TWO-YEAR HOUSE ARREST. WE DON'T KNOW WHY LUKE FINISHED
TELLING THE STORY THERE. IT MIGHT BE THAT LUKE
HIMSELF DIED IN ROME AND WAS NOT ABLE TO TELL
THE END OF THE STORY. SO, WE'RE NOT SURE
EXACTLY WHAT TRANSPIRED. WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT
AFTER PAUL'S HOUSE ARREST, HE TRANSITIONED INTO A MORE
SEVERE FORM OF IMPRISONMENT. THERE'S SO MANY
STATEMENTS OF PAUL THAT ARE SIGNIFICANT FOR ME. I MEAN, HE SAYS
TO THE PHILIPPIANS "TO LIVE IS CHRIST
AND TO DIE IS GAIN." I MEAN, HERE'S A GUY WHOSE
LIFE IS CONSTANTLY AT RISK AND HIS ATTITUDE IS, "WELL, IF
YOU KILL ME, I'VE GOT CHRIST. "YOU KNOW, I'M GOING TO
GAIN IF YOU KILL ME." SO, THEN THEY SAY, "WELL,
WE WON'T KILL YOU." AND HE GOES,
"WELL, TO LIVE IS CHRIST." SO, YOU KNOW, EITHER WAY,
PAUL WINS, AND THAT'S A REALLY
IMPORTANT VERSE THERE IN PHILIPPIANS
CHAPTER ONE. I THINK IN THE END OF ROMANS 8, THAT NOTHING CAN SEPARATE
US FROM THE LOVE OF CHRIST. HERE IS A GUY WHO'S
GONE THROUGH IT ALL, SHIPWRECKED THREE TIMES,
CHASED BY THE AUTHORITIES, IMPRISONED, BEATEN, BUT
NONE OF THESE THINGS CAN SEPARATE US FROM THE
LOVE OF GOD IN CHRIST. AND PAUL HAS ABSOLUTE
ASSURANCE OF THAT. AND IT MEANS IF YOU
REALLY REFLECT ON THAT, AND REALLY INTERNALIZE
THAT TRUTH, THEN THERE'S NOTHING
TO FEAR IN THIS WORLD. THERE'S NOTHING THAT
CAN THREATEN YOU. EVEN DEATH DOESN'T THREATEN YOU. I MEAN, HOW DOES THAT
TRANSFORM A PERSON'S LIFE WHEN YOU ARE NOT THREATENED
EVEN BY DEATH. NERO WAS THE EMPEROR OF ROME, AND NERO WOULD PERSECUTE
MANY WHO FOLLOWED JESUS INCLUDING THE APOSTLE PETER. WE HAVE NO DETAILS
ABOUT PAUL'S TRIAL OR HIS FINAL IMPRISONMENT, NOTHING IN THE BOOKS
OF ANY TESTAMENT AND NOTHING IN
HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS. PAUL HAD APPEALED
TO THE EMPEROR, AND SO WE PRESUME THAT
HE DID APPEAR BEFORE HIM. TRADITION HOLDS THAT HE
SPENT HIS LAST DAYS HERE IN MAMERTINE PRISON. THE CONDITIONS WOULD
HAVE BEEN HORRIFYING. IT'S POSSIBLE HE WAS
FLOGGED AND TORTURED, AND HE WOULD HAVE CHAINED, SHACKLED BY HIS WRISTS AND FEET. THE CELL WOULD HAVE ALSO
BEEN USED AS A LATRINE WITHOUT ANY FACILITIES
FOR WASHING. SO, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN
FILTHY AND FOUL. IN FACT, PRISONERS HAD TO RELY
ON FRIENDS EVEN TO BRING FOOD. SO, PAUL'S LAST DAYS
WERE PROBABLY SPENT HERE, SHACKLED LIKE AN ANIMAL,
LIVING IN HIS OWN WASTE, COLD, NAKED, HUNGRY,
AWAITING EXECUTION. PAUL WROTE, "I AM ALREADY
BEING POURED OUT "AS A DRINK OFFERING,
AND THE TIME "FOR MY DEPARTURE IS CLOSE." THE LORD HAD LED PAUL
ALL THE WAY TO ROME. NOW, HE WOULD
LEAD PAUL TO HIMSELF. THE APOSTLE PAUL WAS
EXECUTED BY BEHEADING, BY THE ORDER OF EMPEROR NERO. JUST SOUTHWEST OF ROME IS
THE SITE MARKING PAUL'S TOMB. IT'S A MAGNIFICENT ANCIENT
CHURCH NAMED FOR ITS LOCATION, THE CHURCH OF SAINT
PAUL OUTSIDE THE WALLS. THE CHURCH WAS IMPOSING AND
INVITING AT THE SAME TIME. A STATUE OF PAUL IS
CENTERED IN THE COURTYARD COMPLETE WITH THE SYMBOLISM
OF THE SWORD OF TRUTH. INSIDE, THE VAST SYMMETRICAL
OPEN SPACE SEEMED HALLOWED. I FELT OVERCOME
WITH A KIND OF REVERENCE. I WAS VISITING THE GRAVE
OF AN OLD FRIEND FOR THAT'S WHAT PAUL HAD BECOME. I WALKED DOWN TO WHERE
MOST BELIEVE HIS BODY STILL RESTS IN A CRYPT. ETCHED ON THE SURFACE ARE THE
WORDS, PAUL: APOSTLE AND MARTYR. AFTER THOUSANDS OF MILES, I
NOW STOOD IN THE SAME SPACE AS THIS HUMBLED GIANT. BUT, HE IS NEVER MORE
ALIVE THAN NOW IN CHRIST. I NEEDED TIME TO PROCESS. SOME OF PAUL'S LAST
WORDS CAME TO MIND. "I HAVE FOUGHT THE GOOD FIGHT. "I HAVE FINISHED THE RACE. "I HAVE KEPT THE FAITH. "THERE IS RESERVED FOR ME
THE CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS "WHICH THE LORD,
THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE, "WILL GIVE ME ON THAT
DAY, AND NOT ONLY TO ME, "BUT TO ALL THOSE WHO
HAVE LOVED HIS APPEARING." I'VE BEEN IN PURSUIT OF PAUL
MUCH LONGER THAN THIS JOURNEY. 20 YEARS AGO, WHEN I FIRST
READ HIS LETTER TO THE ROMANS, I BEGAN SEEKING
TO UNDERSTAND HIM, SEEKING TO LEARN FROM HIM. AND I'LL BE IN PURSUIT OF
PAUL WELL BEYOND THIS JOURNEY, SO I DESIRE TO CONTINUE
TO FOLLOW PAUL AS HE FOLLOWED CHRIST,
AND TO ENGAGE THE WORLD FOR HIS GLORY. IT'S REALLY VERY
DIFFICULT TO OVERSTATE THE CONTRIBUTION
THAT PAUL HAS MADE TO THE HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY
AND TO THE CHURCH TODAY. EVEN IF WE JUST LOOK AT
THE NEW TESTAMENT ITSELF, OF ITS 27 BOOKS, 13 OF
THEM ARE WRITTEN BY PAUL. AND HIS LETTERS
ARE DEEPLY PASTORAL. THEY'RE PROFOUNDLY THEOLOGICAL, AND THEY EXTOL THE GLORY
OF GOD IN CHRIST. WE SEE THAT PAUL IS ARGUABLY
THE GREATEST MISSIONARY OF THE CHURCH, PLANTING
CHURCHES THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE MEDITERRANEAN REGION AND ESTABLISHING THE LEADERSHIP FOR THE SECOND GENERATION
OF THE CHURCH, REALLY ESTABLISHING
THE GROUNDWORK FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL CENTURIES. AND PAUL, IT COULD BE ARGUED,
IS THE GREATEST THEOLOGIAN OF THE CHURCH
AFTER JESUS HIMSELF. HIS THINKING HAS SHAPED EVERY
SINGLE CHRISTIAN THINKER FOR THE LAST 2,000 YEARS. HE HAS A PROFOUND GRASP
OF THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES AND HOW TO READ THEM
IN LIGHT OF CHRIST. AND TODAY, PAUL CONTINUES
TO INSPIRE AND FRUSTRATE. HE WAS A CONTROVERSIAL
FIGURE IN HIS OWN DAY, AND HE HAS REMAINED
CONTROVERSIAL THROUGHOUT THE AGES.
HIS WRITINGS INSPIRED THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION,
ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT SOCIAL MOVEMENTS
IN THE HISTORY OF THE WEST. AND EVEN TODAY, HIS
DOCTRINE OF GOD'S GRACE REMAINS CONTROVERSIAL
AS PEOPLE STRUGGLE. IS IT REALLY THE CASE
THAT I CANNOT CONTRIBUTE TO MY OWN STANDING WITH GOD, THAT I CANNOT CONTRIBUTE
TO MY OWN SALVATION, THAT IS IS ENTIRELY
GOD'S GIFT IN CHRIST THAT I'M MADE RIGHT WITH GOD? PAUL SAYS YES,
THAT IS THE CASE. THAT IS STILL A CONTROVERSIAL
UNDERSTANDING TODAY. BUT, ONE THING AS I STAND HERE AT THE ROMAN FORUM
THAT STRIKES ME IS THAT PAUL WAS UNDER
THAT AUTHORITY OF NERO, PUT TO DEATH BY NERO,
BUT TODAY, PAUL IS ADORED AND STUDIED AND TALKED ABOUT. NERO, NOT SO MUCH. I LIKE THE STATEMENT
MADE BY F.F. BRUCE, THE GREAT 20TH-CENTURY
NEW TESTAMENT SCHOLAR WHEN HE SAID,
"THE TIME WOULD COME "WHEN MEN WOULD NAME THEIR
SONS PAUL AND THEIR DOGS NERO." I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S NEXT. ONLY GOD KNOWS, BUT THE
LONGER YOU'RE A CHRISTIAN, THE LONGER YOU KNOW, AS PAUL
DESCRIBES IT, IT'S A RACE. IT'S A MARATHON,
AND THE IMPORTANT THING IS TO NOT BE WORRYING ABOUT
WHAT'S THE NEXT BIG THING. THE IMPORTANT THING IS
ENDURANCE EVERY DAY, YOU KNOW? AND JUST ONE DAY AT A TIME. ONE STEP AT A TIME, YOU KNOW. SO I JUST FOCUS ON THAT,
WHAT I HAVE TO DO TODAY, AND TRY TO BE FAITHFUL IN THAT, AND WHATEVER GOD BRINGS IN
THE FUTURE IS THE FUTURE. AS HEBREWS 12 SAYS,
"LET US FIX OUR EYES "ON THE ONE WHO'S ALREADY
COMPLETED THE RACE "AS WE RUN THIS RACE." AND SO, WE'RE PURSUING CHRIST. HE'S STANDING AT THE FINISH LINE KIND OF BECKONING US TO
COME AND FINISH AS WELL SO YOU DON'T QUIT THE
RACE BEFORE YOU GET THERE. YEAH, THAT'S THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. IT'S A TOUGH RACE. I'M GRATEFUL,
GRATEFUL TO BE IN THE RACE. AND LIKE PAUL, GRATEFUL
THAT WE NEVER RUN ALONE. WELL, NEXT I WANT TO
BE IN PURSUIT OF PETER, COMING TO CINEMAS NEAR YOU SOON.
