This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator. Included in the journey is a mission to Spain, ministry on the island of Crete, ministry in Ephesus, stops at Miletus, Troas, various cities in Macedonia, Corinth, and probably Nicopolis. In Philippians 3:20-21, Paul writes, "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” —Philippians 3:20–21. ‘Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’, The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. At best, we have two legitimate and engaging portraits of Paul. They spent “considerable time there” (Acts 14:3), and the city became increasingly divided: some Jews and Gentiles supported them, and others reviled them. For instance, the letters narrate conflict between Paul and people in his communities—rather than between Paul and Jewish and Gentile authorities, as we see in Acts. But after his encounter with Jesus, instead of stamping out Christianity, Paul stoked the flames of the faith wherever he went, at whatever the cost. We are broken people that can be transformed by God's saving grace that He so lovingly gives to us, even though we don't deserve it. On six occasions in Acts, Jews and Gentiles alike made plans to murder him—and one of those times, they stoned him and left him for dead. In Philippians 3:13, Paul writes, "...Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead." Deep down, you know what you need to thrive and I know that you can get there. The reality is that Saul was a Hebrew name and Paul was a Greek version of the same name. 2. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.’, But the Lord said to Ananias, ‘Go! All in all God used a man who was wicked and transformed him into an evangelistic dynamite. After Paul’s arrest, he was taken to Rome and imprisoned, not in a house as during his former internment, but probably in the notorious and cold (2 Timothy 4:13, 21) Mamertine Prison around the time that Nero started to unleash a horrific wave of persecution against Christians in Rome. Whether or not one affiliates with a religious tradition that considers Paul an enduring authoritative voice, the complex letters and legacies of Christianity’s “second founder” are critical to engage today. Whether or not Paul made a fourth missionary journey (possibly to Spain) largely depends on if he was imprisoned in Rome once or twice. (Acts 2:16-17; 3:21,24-26) Israel is fallen and It is not enough to know WHAT a writer said, we must know WHY he said it, in order to truly understand the work. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.” —Acts 9:1–9. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. The religion and culture of Jews. He also recognized that's what's going to get us into Heaven. We will likely never know who really wrote Hebrews. Still, scholars can’t be sure that Paul did make this fourth journey, as the primary sources for his other three journeys (Acts and the epistles) don’t give us an explicit account of it. I have had many different types of baked mac and cheese and most are dry. In Paul's engagement with others, he didn't act as though he was better than them, but instead fueled his conversation with compassion. The soldiers took drastic measures, but an angel spoke to Paul, and he encouraged and advised them along the way. There, Paul performed another miracle: he healed a man who had been lame since birth (Acts 14:8-10). 10. After listening to everyone, the Apostle James concluded: “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Then they sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John Mark parted ways with Paul and Barnabas (this became a point of tension between Paul and Barnabas later). "This book throws in a perspective so deep that the first chapter could spark a conversation lasting for hours. For nearly two centuries, New Testament scholars have thought about the inconsistencies and congruencies between Paul as depicted in Acts and Paul as portrayed in his own letters. Of all the ways Paul affected Christianity, the biggest was arguably his role in spreading the gospel to non-Jewish communities. As a first-year college student, I've been doing a lot of meeting and introducing myself to people, often with the classic format of "name, hometown, major". Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free. But before he was known as a tireless champion of Christianity, Paul was actually known for persecuting Christians. Throughout the rest of Acts, Paul is a prominent figure who plays a pivotal role in bringing the gospel to non-Jewish communities. For more, visit the Good Book Blog, a seminary faculty blog from Talbot School of Theology. Fun fact: “Asia” used to refer to a very specific region in part of what we know as Turkey today, but westerners began using the name to describe pretty much anything east of them, until they eventually used it for the whole continent. Let’s begin! For three Sabbaths, Paul taught in the synagogues and established the group of believers that he would later write to in 1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians. We know from other sources that Paul was eventually martyred in Rome, but Acts doesn't tell us that. Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Despite never witnessing Jesus’ ministry, Paul arguably contributed more to the growth of the Christian movement than any other apostle. So why should we take the time to learn from a previously known murderer? While Moses still holds the title for writing the most words in the Bible (traditionally), Paul wrote the most documents. He played a crucial role in spreading the gospel to the Gentiles (non-Jews) during the first century, and his missionary journeys took him all throughout the Roman empire. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. Over the last two millennia, countless books have been written about Paul and his teachings. Paul knew that the only way that he would get to know God on the level that he wanted to was by spending time with Him in His Word and through prayer. The Beginner’s Guide. James, Cephas and John, those esteemed as pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. He believed that Jesus was a mere man, and was therefore rightfully executed for claiming to be God. Paul was born a Jew with Roman citizenship. The book of Acts speaks of a state of affairs where Paul does appear to have a deliberate strategy but this is guided and, in some cases, overruled by the providence of God through the Holy Spirit. Instead of studying like I intended on doing today, I made a face mask for some reason and thought I'd share how I did. Not a fun fact: Even though Paul argued that Christians didn’t need to be circumcised in Acts 15, he circumcised Timothy in the very next chapter “because of the Jews who lived in that area” (Acts 16:1–3). So since he isn't God, he cannot see what is in front of us, so that only leaves one weapon for him to use: our past. Barnabas wanted to bring John Mark again, but Paul didn’t think John Mark should come since he’d abandoned them before. My opinion is that Mauck the attorney has absolutely NAILED IT, to be quite colloquial. Early Christian writers even suggested possible alternative authors. by Ryan Nelson | Feb 28, 2019 | Bible characters | 11 comments. Please enter your email address associated with your Salem All-Pass account, then click Continue. Donald Guthrie wrote in his New Testament Introduction that “most modern writers find more difficulty in imagining how this Epistle was ever attributed to Paul than in disposing of the theory.”. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised.” —Galatians 2:6–9. Fourth-century church father John of Chrysostom said “For after he had been in Rome, he returned to Spain, but whether he came thence again into these parts, we know not.” And Cyril of Jerusalem (also from the fourth century) wrote that Paul “carried the earnestness of his preaching as far as Spain.”. No one is beyond the saving grace of God. Acts 17:16 says, "While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols." "The book is a terrific addition to any lawyer's library. He immediately started preaching the Word of the Lord. Only counting the times the Bible explicitly says they planned to kill him, not just attack or harm him, here they in sequential order. Here they met with a group of women, including a wealthy cloth dealer named Lydia. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. On many of Paul’s journeys, he travelled by boat. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.’, Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. He stayed with two named Aquila and Priscilla, who were tentmakers, like him.