The Apostle Paul

1. The Apostle Paul More than any other individual, Paul is responsible for the future universality of the Christian church.

2. We know about Paul from two sources • Acts • Focuses on the spread of the New Way • Emphasizes harmony and agreement • Paul is one of the players in the huge drama • Paul’s letters (epistles) • Focuses on teachings about faith in Christ • Emphasizes truth as he sees it • Actively defends himself and his right to be an apostle.

3. Paul’s first missionary journey Acts 13-14 • With Barnabas. • Started and ended at Antioch • Successfully evangelized “God-fearing” Gentiles who attend synagogues in Asia Minor (now Turkey) • Lame man healed in Lystra • Paul and Barnabas called gods. Later stoned. • Interrupted over issue of whether Gentile converts should follow Mosaic law, especially circumcision and dietary laws.

4. The Jerusalem conference Acts 15 • The first church council • Must a Gentile convert to Christianity first become a Jew? • Christian Pharisees wanted all Christians to keep all the Jewish law • Peter opposed this citing his experience with Cornelius and silences the others (Acts 15:7-11) • Gal 2:1-14 seems offers a different perspective from Paul’s viewpoint.

5. The Jerusalem conference • 15Then certain individuals came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.’ 2And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to discuss this question with the apostles and the elders. 3So they were sent on their way by the church, and as they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, they reported the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the believers.*4When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. 5But some believers who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees stood up and said, ‘It is necessary for them to be circumcised and ordered to keep the law of Moses.’ • 6 The apostles and the elders met together to consider this matter. 7After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, ‘My brothers,* you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that I should be the one through whom the Gentiles would hear the message of the good news and become believers. 8And God, who knows the human heart, testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us; 9and in cleansing their hearts by faith he has made no distinction between them and us. 10Now therefore why are you putting God to the test by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? 11On the contrary, we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.’

6. The Jerusalem conference • 12 The whole assembly kept silence, and listened to Barnabas and Paulas they told of all the signs and wonders that God had done through them among the Gentiles. • 13After they finished speaking, James replied, ‘My brothers,* listen to me. 14Simeon has related how God first looked favourably on the Gentiles, to take from among them a people for his name. 15This agrees with the words of the prophets, as it is written, 16 “After this I will return,and I will rebuild the dwelling of David, which has fallen;   from its ruins I will rebuild it,     and I will set it up, 17 so that all other peoples may seek the Lord—   even all the Gentiles over whom my name has been called.     Thus says the Lord, who has been making these things 18known from long ago.”*19Therefore I have reached the decision that we should not trouble those Gentiles who are turning to God, 20but we should write to them to abstain only from things polluted by idols and from fornication and from whatever has been strangled and from blood. 21For in every city, for generations past, Moses has had those who proclaim him, for he has been read aloud every Sabbath in the synagogues.’

7. Paul has a different perspective Galatians 2:6-14 • 6And from those who were supposed to be acknowledged leaders (what they actually were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those leaders contributed nothing to me. 7On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel for the circumcised 8(for he who worked through Peter making him an apostle to the circumcised also worked through me in sending me to the Gentiles), 9and when James and Cephas and John, who were acknowledged pillars, recognized the grace that had been given to me, they gave to Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, agreeing that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10They asked only one thing, that we remember the poor, which was actually what I was* eager to do. Paul Rebukes Peter at Antioch • 11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood self-condemned; 12for until certain people came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But after they came, he drew back and kept himself separate for fear of the circumcision faction. 13And the other Jews joined him in this hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14But when I saw that they were not acting consistently with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, ‘If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?’*

8. Paul’s second missionary journey Acts 16-18 • With Silas & Timothy • Barnabas and Paul separate over issue of John Mark. • In Gal 2:13, Barnabas followed the circumcision camp.) • First to Asia minor. • A Macedonia calls them to Greece. • Lydia and her household convert (her home becomes the church center in Thyatira) • There is a greater Gentile population • Paul preaches in Athens, the center of Greek philosophy • Greater success in Corinth. Paul later writes some of his most vivid letters to this church.

9. Paul's’ third missionary journey Acts 18-21 • Paul becomes more resolute and believes it is the end of his time • Reflects Jesus’ final trip to Jerusalem. • The trip’s climax is in Ephesus and the feud with the Greek silversmiths. • Paul sets his face toward Jerusalem Acts 20:22-23 “And now, as a captive to the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and persecutions are waiting for me.”

10. Diana (Artemis) of the Ephesians

11. Paul in Jerusalem Ch 21 Paul is accused of blasphemy and profaning the Temple. Roman soldiers protect Paul from the mob. Ch 22 Paul Defends himself to the Jews from the Temple steps. When he says that God sent him to preach to the Gentiles, the Jews become irate. Ch 23 Paul speaks before the council (Sanhedrin) and splits the Pharisees and Sadducees over the issue of resurrection from the dead. • The divine plan is revealed that Paul must go to Rome to preach there (23:11) . Ch 24 Paul speaks before Felix. He is sent to Caesarea and kept under house arrest by the Roman governor Antonius Felix for two years. Ch 25 Festus becomes the new governor and Paul appeals to Caesar through him (25:8-12) Ch 26 Paul speaks before Herod Agrippa II. Paul gives a long defense proving his is not guilty of any political crime. Christianity has a friendly relationship with Rome. • Agrippa and Festus agree that Paul could be set free if he had not appealed to Caesar. • Luke makes it clear that Paul is only prosecuted in Rome because of a misunderstanding.

12. Journey to Rome Acts 27-28 • Long sea voyage and shipwreck where Paul saves the crew. • Paul bitten by a serpent • Awaiting trial and with full knowledge of his captors, Paul continues to evangelize in Rome.

13. Paul in Prison