Macedonia was a Roman province in southeastern Europe, in the region that today corresponds to northern Greece. Its main biblical cities were Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea, linked by the Via Egnatia, an important Roman road that crossed the region.
Paul was in Asia Minor when he had, at night, a vision of a man from Macedonia begging him to come and help him. He understood the request as a call from God and crossed the sea to preach there.
Thus Macedonia became the gateway for the gospel into Europe. Churches marked by faith amid persecution were born there, such as those in Philippi and Thessalonica. Paul would return to the region more than once, always strengthening the disciples.
Years later, the apostle gratefully recalled the generosity of these churches. Even living in extreme poverty, they gave beyond their ability to help the poor Christians in Jerusalem. Macedonia shows that the gospel flourishes even amid scarcity and tribulation.
