Ataturk put the beauty of the Hagia Sophia on exhibition for the world to see, but in 2020, Erdogan repurposed the space to display Islam. As a result, a visit hides multiple Christian sacred items once displayed for touring. This write-up will detail the hidden Christianity that the Hagia Sophia now shuns. In January 2024, the status and entrance of the site changed. Before, the balcony was off-limits, but now the ground floor and courtyard are no longer accessible through a normal entrance.
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Searching Below the Surface – Look at unexpected Islamic ideas.
In reading, Searching Below the Surface: A Deeper Look at Covenant and Contract, one expects simple answers to complex issues. However, exploring a much-needed contrast between how the God of the Bible functions in a covenant manner and the Islamic Allah in a contractual way will take the reader into a Scripture dig. The foundations help one to understand marriage as an outcome of these beliefs, leading each of us to discover why biblical marriage is a covenant, not contractual – like Islam.
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Discovering the Proof of Greek Churches in Izmit
The Byzantine churches spoke Greek and became a part of the Greek Orthodox Church in 1054 A.D. with the Great Schism. So, when we see Greek church buildings in Turkiye from the 18th and 19th centuries, we can assume that, in many places, there existed a Byzantine church at that location before or nearby. Let’s explore this possibility.
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Can God use Dreams and Visions?
I was asked this question in correspondence with a dear believer. Unquestionably, God’s word is authoritative, and let’s consider a few passages that will guide us today. How can we biblical interpret dreams and similar experiences?
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Plow Burners For Christ
The story of Elisha tells of a devoted man who, in a powerful act of faith, set his plow ablaze as a sacrifice to the Lord. This decisive moment symbolized his commitment to abandon his former life and embrace the divine calling that beckoned him, leading him to a path of service and purpose (1 Kings 19). Early on, my mission encouraged us to be Plow Burners for Christ. To leave our past and work toward a new ministry in the least-reached areas.
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The Ten Known Churches of Nicomedia (Izmit) – Part 2
The later Byzantine churches of Nicomedia are mainly from the 9th to the 19th century. Let’s see what we can find, which is primarily based on oral and literary history. In 1888, the ancient city of Nicomedia became Izmit. In this section, we will research some of the later churches found on our list.
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The Ten Known Churches of Nicomedia (Izmit) – Part 1
Nicomedia hosted the Eastern Roman capital from 286 to 330 AD. This city that buried hundreds, if not thousands, of martyrs has historically been known as an essential Christian city, but is now totally forgotten. Even the churches from the past have been covered up, like the multiple layers of history that sit below the modern city of Izmit. Ten known churches can be found in the historic and archeology evidence.
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Izmit’s Ancient Churches Found – but Where are They?
Historically, many churches existed in ancient Izmit – Nicomedia. Where were the ancient churches of Izmit? Let’s look at the little evidence that remains to give us insight into where the churches were.
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