Both of my grandfathers were church ministers who had been in prison for their faith. I grew up among Christian relatives, and I heard the gospel and read the Bible from early ages. And for me as a young kid, it was like fairy tales or folk stories — literally, they felt like items from another world. Works of imagination.
When I got a little older and I started to discover geography and to travel a little, I was surprised by how much I had been missing in my Bible reading — neglecting, not really knowing, that all these stories are not really created stories. They are real stories about real people who faced similar challenges to the ones I face, who lived in situations similar to mine.
When I started to visit some of the biblical sites and locations — when I went to Ephesus, ancient Ephesus — it helped me to understand several Bible passages even better. The book of Acts, all those missionary journeys of the Apostle Paul. I saw how strategic he was in his ministry: he purposely was going to main cities, trying to be as close as possible to where all people gathered.
Real stories about real people who faced real challenges — people like us.
When I went to Israel, I received not just a completely new perspective, but my picture of the ministry of Jesus became so much enlarged and strengthened. When I was in the place where David and Goliath fought, I realized: there were two hills. Neither army wanted to start the battle because nobody wants to go down — everybody wants to be up. So David really went down, trusting the Lord completely that God Almighty was going to give him victory.
Study the biblical geography. Come and visit the places when you can. And when you read the Bible, just remember: this is a real story about real people, facing real challenges — people like us. That reality is going to help you appreciate what God has done, and to be strengthened in what he is doing now.