Saint Paul

Who was Paul?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFPS4pUhOsA&t=311s

Paul also known as Saul was born in Tarsus which is now located in Southern Turkey

·        The town had a university which at the time was one of the best in that part of the world. It followed the other great universities, Athens and Alexander.

·        Born in Tarsus of Jewish parents, Saul also enjoyed the rights and privileges of a Roman citizen since Tarsus was governed by Rome.

·        Saul was of Benjamite lineage and Hebrew ancestry.

·        His parents were Pharisees and fervent Jewish nationalists who adhered strictly to the Law of Moses and wanted to protect their children from the contamination from Gentiles.

·        Saul’s parents were Roman citizens but viewed Jerusalem as their sacred and holy city.

·        Saul could speak Greek some Latin and would have spoken Aramaic which was the official language of Judeah.

·        It is thought that Saul was born in AD 6 and died in AD 64.

·        That would make him about 27 years old at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion.

·        This made him a very knowledgeable person around the time of Jesus’ ministry.

·        As a young man he was taught a trade and became a tent maker. All Jewish men were taught to work with their hands. Jesus was a carpenter for 18 years.

·        At age 13 Saul was sent to learn from a rabbi called Gamaliel where he learned the psalms, Jewish history and the works of the prophets.

·        He spent about 6 years with Gamaliel and then went on to study at Jerusalem university to become a lawyer.

·        It was thought that Saul would go on to become a member of the Sanhedrin which was the Jewish Supreme Court of 71 men who ruled over Jewish life and religion.

·        During this period of his life, Saul became a fanatical Pharisee.

·        Like other Pharisees he tried to keep all the laws of Moses, 613 of them and was a very intense man.

What did Saul do before he was converted?

·        Saul would attack anyone who tried to undermine Judaism.

·        He set out to destroy Christianity as he thought it was a threat to Judaism.

·        During this time, he is reported to have attended the stoning of Stephen the first Christian martyr. Although it is not known if he actually threw any stones himself.

·        He became a lawyer to enable him to prosecute Christians.

·        Saul became determined to eradicate Christians and was ruthless believing he was acting in the name of God.

·        He was a religious terrorist who fully believed he was doing the will of God.

·        Even though he was alive at the same time as Jesus he did not know Jesus and his impressions of Jesus were mainly negative.

·        Saul was genuinely convinced that he was doing the work of God as he helped round up Christian men and women and subjected them to threats, imprisonments and floggings.

·        Saul said "And when they were sentenced to death, I cast my vote against them".

·        Saul’s early adult life then was marked by religious zeal and brutal violence and the relentless persecution of the early church.

What happened to Saul after he was converted?

·         Saul made a journey from Jerusalem to Damascus which is a journey of about 150 miles.

·         He was on his way to further persecute Christians in Damascus and was suddenly changed from persecutor to disciple and apostle of Christ.

·        Saul had asked for permission to root out any Christians in Damascus and to imprison them.

·        He was struck down by a bright light and heard the words “Saul, Saul why are you persecuting me?”

·        From that point Saul’s life was turned upside down.

·        He was blinded for 3 days and had to rely on his companions to lead him.

·        From that point Saul became a Christian and was called Paul.

·        When Paul was converted to Christianity he was uniquely placed to argue about both Judaism and Christianity

·        He became the most ardent Christian ever, planting churches in all parts of the known world.

·        Many people think that he was the greatest evangelist ever.

·        Many think that he was the greatest Christian ever.

·        13 of the 66 books of the bible were written by or were inspired by Paul.

·        But he was involved in murdering Christians.

·        God forgave him and used him to deliver his message.

·        Paul was uniquely placed to be an evangelist because of his incredible knowledge of the bible at that time.

·        He was able to speak to Jews and Gentiles with great knowledge.

 Paul’s life and conversion demonstrates how God prepares us long before he uses us.

This is illustrated very well in the way Saul was prepared in his earlier life by God for the plans God had for him.

Anyone can be redeemed and used by God.

Paul did not ask to be redeemed but God redeemed him anyway.

Paul as Saul was a seriously bad man and some say a murderer before he converted to Christianity.

Nobody is outside of God’s reach.

Every person good or bad can be reached by God and used for God’s purposes.