Paul The Apostle Of The Church

After that Saul was refered to as Paul. He left his old life and began his mission as a amasador of Christ’s message to all the world, or the world as it was known at that time. He left Jerusalem and began his missionary journeys, at least five of them. He went to Asia minor (modern Turkey), Syria, Greece, Italy, Spain even Britian.Paul trained Timothy and John Mark. He was so dedicated to the calling Jesus put on him that he paid for it spending five years or more in prison for his teachings and faith on multiple occasions. He was whipped bewaten and tortured on more than one occasion. He even lived through a stoning attempt and being shipwrecked. He paid the ultimate price with his life as a martyr at the hands of the Romans.

During the middle of the 1st century Paul who was a Hellenized Jew became a missionary to Gentiles throughout the Roman empire. The Prosecution of a Roman Citizen tells the story of how Paul, who was one of the twelve apostles, was handled by the legal procedures of the empire as a Roman citizen.

Paul was a persecutor of Christians before becoming a strong follower, and even a leader, himself. Through the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 6:13), we know that he was present among a group of Jews who had killed a Christian leader named Stephen. It is explained that Stephen was speaking out against the Temple and Jewish Law (Acts 8:3). Paul continues this persecution of Christians as it is apparent in Act 8:3 that he would harass followers of Jesus by breaking into their homes and sending them off to prison. Our textbook says that Paul went as far as writing a letter to the high priest of the Jerusalem Temple to grant him the authority to arrest individuals in Damascus that “belong to the Way” (Acts 9:1-2). Paul was only protecting the faith that he was raised in, studied, and lived by. He was very faithful to his Jewish

Jouette M. Bassler’s book Navigating Paul provided interesting perspectives on the well-known character. Paul began as a tormentor of the early Christian Church as he believed Jesus to be a fabricated messiah. Paul was a man of the Law (Jewish Torah) and belonged to the Pharisees, a sect of Jews that stringently observed the traditional law of the Jews. Pharisees always saw themselves as superior to other Jews and particularly over Gentiles.

Before leaving on his mission, he went to the high priest and asked for “their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them—both men and women—back to Jerusalem in chains.” Even in his early years, Paul followed the rules and we see this characteristic in him as a leader later in life. After his conversion on the road to Damascus, the light of Jesus transforms Paul’s life. From that moment forward, we see Paul begin to study the word, live with the rabbis, and partner with people that were spreading the gospel. Throughout Paul’s missionary journeys, we see the impact that this time of his life had on his work and relationships with other people. Overall, Paul’s years serving in the Roman Empire opened his eyes to the plight of the Christian people and softened him for the work the Lord had called him to do.

He goes to Judea and Learns with Raban Gamleael; he becomes involved in persecuting Christians. Eventually, according to a legend Saul is blinded by a vision. He goes on the road and Jesus comes to him and asks him why he is persecuting the Christians, Jesus blinds him. Jesus toells Saul to go to a certain Christian to get healed. Saul did that and then he changes his name to Paul, because Paul means healed. Paul has a great influence on spreading Christianity to non-Jews, and forming it as a separate religion. Between 45 and 65 CE, he journeyed throughout the eastern Mediterranean region, spreading the teaching of Jesus and founding Christian communities. Paul visited Rome, where, according to tradition he was put to death. Paul’s Epistles to Christian congregations form an important part of the New Testament. The New Testament was a combination of four gospels written by Paul and a book of Revolution; this is in relation to the Old Testament, which was the Torah. Paul insisted that Jesus was not just the Jewish Messiah but a savior for all human races. By following the teachings of Jesus, all people could be saved from the consequences of their sins. They could avoid damnation and instead enjoy the bliss of salvation in paradise after death.

Paul, formerly known as Saul, is first introduced in Acts 7-8 as a persecutor of Christians, and one compliant during Stephen’s stoning. In Acts 9, Saul has an encounter with the risen Christ that changes his life forever. Throughout Paul’s ministry, whether preaching to Jews or Gentiles, he will always proclaim the resurrection. Paul is extremely important to the book of Acts as he picks up Peter’s ministry and continues to take the gospel further and further into the Gentile world. While Luke is recording Paul’s ministry in the book of Acts, Paul is also writing letters (also known as the Pauline epistles) which now make up a majority of the New Testament. It is in these letters that Paul goes into detail defending his apostleship, but Luke will also defend him by describing him as a man filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:9), an apostle (Acts 14:14), and showing the parallels between the miracles both he and Peter performed.

In this letter Apostle Paul showed how great his love was for the church of Philippi, showing his gratitude for their financial support to further the work of the ministry and to express his concern about their spiritual walk. His only thought was about advancing the cause of Christ and building the Philippians’ faith to continue their mission in spite of the persecution they were facing. Within their church many of the people were at odds and some were trying to hinder the spread of the Gospel. Because of this, Paul encourages the church of Philippi to "stand fast, be of the same mind, rejoice in the Lord always but by prayer let your request be made known and the peace of God shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (4:1-7).

Paul begins the letter of Romans by introducing himself and stating his mission. Concisely stating the gospel message, Paul encourages the Roman Christians to “bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name” (1:5), or for the glory of Jesus Christ. He goes on to write of his desires and intentions to visit Rome in order to preach the gospel of Christ to the Jews as well as the Gentiles. Paul continues by explaining his excitement for the gospel as well as the need to live the gospel out in our lives. Finishing the first chapter, Paul presents the inexcusable idolatry, sinfulness, and evilness of the ungodly.

Christianity over the course of history has a vast influence on individuals, society and the way believers conduct themselves. It provides morals, practices and ethics that every Christian attempts to live by. Throughout the many denominations in the Christian church, Paul of Tarsus had a significant influence on the faith. His contribution to the development and expression of Christianity is immense and can be seen to stem from his writing and missionary journeys which have implemented his ideas and interpretations onto the development of Christianity. After Jesus, Paul was arguably the most significant figure in Christianity as his teachings form a significant part of the New Testament. Like may other Pharisees of that time in history, Paul sought to suppress the early Christian movement. He accused early Christians of blaspheming against God and breaking Mosaic Law. However, Paul had a life-changing experience when he had a vision of Jesus, and he spent the remainder of his life as a missionary for the early church. Centuries after his ministry, his teachings still influence Christian theology.

The Apostle Paul (formerly Saul) is responsible for the spread of Christianity throughout the areas of Asia Minor and Greece. Through his 3 mission trips to the region Paul created a base of support for the Christian faith and implemented a support strategy for future growth. The time period for his journeys was 45 AD – 58 AD. The story of Paul is interesting from the perspective that the man best known as the author of most of the New Testament started out as a devout Jew and despised the Christian faith. After his conversion he made it his life’s work to spread the Christian message throughout the world. To this end, Paul made several mission trips to the area of Asia Minor and Greece.

It seems strange that so little is known biographically about one of the most important figures in Christian history, but this only serves to add to the mystery and grandeur surrounding the Apostle Paul of Tarsus. Much, however, is known of the time after his conversion to Christ and what he did to contribute to Christianity in this period, and it is this that leaves a greater legacy than the simple facts of his life. The contributions that he made towards the cause of Christ and the spreading and formation of Christianity are what he is perennially remembered for.

Saint Paul, originally named Saul, was a crucial part in the development of Christianity. Paul, who was born in Tarsus, Cilicia, grew up Jewish and was trained as a rabbi (Adcock). Paul eventually converted to Christianity, but before he did, the future of the religion was looking very slim. Rome had made it illegal to practice Christianity. Paul was a pious Jew, so his conversion to Christianity surprised many of his followers. They viewed him with much suspicion and treated him with hostility. Paul was dedicated to his new life and made it his mission to spread Christianity throughout the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire and eventually to Rome itself. Paul made two separate journeys throughout the Mediterranean. He preached about the message of Jesus to many and sent his letters to the people he had not visited. Paul saw that his new faith had a message for everything and everyone. By converting to Christianity, St. Paul has saved Christianity from extinction, has written crucial letters about his faith, has preached to hundreds of people, has spread Christianity throughout the Roman Empire, has caused

Paul wrote letters meant to be shared with all new churches, but while Paul was writing the letter to the Church of Ephesus, Romans incarcerated him restricting him to a jail cell for the spreading the word of the Gospel.

Our source of knowledge of the apostolic work of Paul comes first from the Book of Acts. The epistles written by Paul serve to further our knowledge of his mission. These letters were written to churches that he had founded or churches that were known to him. Luke’s account of Paul introduces us to the basic facts about this important biblical figure. A more complete understanding of Paul’s journeys can be gleaned from his letters. These epistles were written almost at the time they occurred and they comprise some of the earliest works contained in the New Testament.