St. Paul, Part 1

Servants Preparation Curriculum

Lecture X, Servants Preparation Curriculum

1

St. Paul, Missionary Trips, Part 1

Objectives:

1. To learn about St. Paul’s merits/eminence
2. To study the life of St. Paul and his conversion to Christianity
3. To view St. Paul’s first missionary trip
4. To mediate on St. Paul’s first missionary trip

Lecture X, Servants Preparation Curriculum

2

Why Saul of Tarsus?

• The Lord Jesus Christ chose 12 Disciples
• The Lord Jesus Christ chose 70 Apostles
• There were more than 500 believers who saw Jesus after The Resurrection
• They chose Mathias (The 12^th Disciple) from a pool of 120 persons
• St. Peter’s 1^st speech (Acts 3) converted 3000 to Christianity
• St. Peter’s 2^nd speech (Acts 4) converted 5000 to Christianity

Lecture X, Servants Preparation Curriculum

3

Lecture X, Servants Preparation Curriculum

4

St. Paul’s Merits / Eminence

• Jesus Christ appeared to him 4 times
• He ascended to the 3^rd heaven
• God gave him the power of extraordinary miracles
• He wrote more than ½ of The New Testament
• He is the 2^nd author in The Bible after David
• He wrote the first 2 books in The New Testament which are the two Thessalonian Epistles

Lecture X, Servants Preparation Curriculum

5

St. Paul’s Merits / Eminence Cont.

St. Paul’s outstanding disciples:

• St, Mark The Evangelist
• St. Luke The Evangelist
• Timothy, The Bishop of Ephesus
• Titus, The Bishop of Crete
• Epaphras, the preacher to The Colossians

​

• St. Paul preached in Asia and Europe
• St. Paul founded the Church of Rome

Lecture X, Servants Preparation Curriculum

6

St. Paul’s Merits / Eminence Cont.

• St. Paul was sent by God
• The Father

“But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace” (Galatians 1:15)

• The Son

“Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do” (Acts 9:6)

• The Holy Spirit

“the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” (Acts 13:2)

Lecture X, Servants Preparation Curriculum

7

St. Paul, Missionary Trips, Part 1

Objectives:

1. To learn about St. Paul’s merits/eminence
2. To study the life of St. Paul and his conversion to Christianity
3. To view St. Paul’s first missionary trip
4. To mediate on St. Paul’s first missionary trip

Lecture X, Servants Preparation Curriculum

8

St. Paul

• Saul was born in Tarsus, South part of Turkey
• He came to Jerusalem and was taught by Gamaliel
• He was Jewish by religion
• He had Roman citizenship
• He was full of zeal for The Old Testament and Mosaic Law
• He witnessed St. Stephen’s stoning
• He lead a group of soldiers in arresting the Christians at Damascus / Syria

Lecture X, Servants Preparation Curriculum

9

St. Paul Cont.

• As Saul was going to Damascus / Syria to arrest the Christians, Jesus appeared midday in His bright glory and Saul fell on his knees
• Acts Chapter 9
• 35 AD

Lecture X, Servants Preparation Curriculum

10

St. Paul Cont.

• Jesus called Saul of Tarsus in Acts 9

​

“So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do” (Acts 9:6)

Lecture X, Servants Preparation Curriculum

11

St. Paul Cont.

• The Goads
• As the horse cannot resist the piercing effect of the goads, Saul cannot resist God’s voice in his heart

Lecture X, Servants Preparation Curriculum

12

St. Paul’s Conversion

• Saul’s conversion to Christianity
• Saul was blind and fasted and prayed for 3 days
• Then, God appeared to Ananias, The Bishop of Damascus, one of the 70 apostles, and told him to visit Saul

“But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:15)

• Ananias laid hands on Saul’s eyes and baptized him. Saul regained his sight and started preached in the synagogue in Damascus that “Jesus Christ is The Son of God”

Lecture X, Servants Preparation Curriculum

13

St. Paul The Great Servant

• The Jewish people at Syria persecuted him and guarded the town’s gate to arrest him
• The Christians were skeptical of him
• At the end, some of the believers helped him escape by letting him down in a basket off the wall

Lecture X, Servants Preparation Curriculum

14

St. Paul The Great Servant Cont.

Lecture X, Servants Preparation Curriculum

15

St. Paul’s Repeated Rejection

• 3 years in The Arabian Desert, South of Damascus
• He came to Jerusalem and joined Barnabas in service
• The Jews attempted to kill him
• The Apostles sent him to Caesarea
• Then back to Tarsus (his hometown) where he stayed there for 7 years
• St. Barnabas went out to him at Tarsus and brought him to Antioch / Syria and preached together for 1 year

Lecture X, Servants Preparation Curriculum

16

St. Paul’s Early Life

Lecture X, Servants Preparation Curriculum

17

In Antioch / Syria

• The believers were first called Christians by Saul / Paul
• Both went down to Jerusalem with donations and came back with St. Mark / John
• St. Barnabas is St. Mark's uncle

Lecture X, Servants Preparation Curriculum

18

St. Paul, Missionary Trips, Part 1

Objectives:

1. To learn about St. Paul’s merits/eminence
2. To study the life of St. Paul and his conversion to Christianity
3. To view St. Paul’s first missionary trip
4. To mediate on St. Paul’s first missionary trip

Lecture X, Servants Preparation Curriculum

19

Sent by The Holy Spirit / Acts 13-15

“As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” (Acts 13:2)

​

• The 1^st Missionary Trip = 45- 49 AD
• The team
• Saul
• Barnabas
• Mark ( John)

Lecture X, Servants Preparation Curriculum

20

The 1^st Missionary Trip: 45- 49 AD

• They started in Antioch / Syria and went to Cyprus

​

• Salamis to Paphos
• Perga
• Antioch Pisidia
• Iconium
• Lystra
• Derbe

Lecture X, Servants Preparation Curriculum

21

The 1^st Missionary Trip: 45- 49 AD Cont.

Lecture X, Servants Preparation Curriculum

22

The 1^st Missionary Trip: 45- 49 AD Cont.

• Saul curses The Sorcerer / The Diviner
• Pahpos: a Jew, (Bar- Jesus/ Elymas) opposed them, so Paul, filled with The Holy Spirit, called him the son of the devil and cursed him. He became blind and mediated about his conduct and repented
• Perga: St. Mark left them and came back to Jerusalem

​

• Note:
• St. Paul refused to take Mark with him on the 2^nd Trip and separated from Barnabas
• Later, St. Barnabas took St. Mark to Cyprus

Lecture X, Servants Preparation Curriculum

23

The 1^st Missionary Trip: 45- 49 AD Cont.

• Antioch, Pisidia:
• Paul led the sermon in the synagogue
• Paul preached two Saturdays / Sabbaths
• Paul’s Sermon:
1. The Jew's life in Egypt and Exodus
2. The Era of The Judges and The Kings (Samuel, Saul, David, etc.)
3. Jesus’ Crucifixion and Resurrection
• The Jews refused this message, but the Gentiles (non-Jews) believed him and converted to Christianity

Lecture X, Servants Preparation Curriculum

24

The 1^st Missionary Trip: 45- 49 AD Cont.

• Lystra:
• Paul healed a crippled person from his birth
• The people called Paul (Hermes) and Barnabas ( Zeus)
• The local priests came to offer sacrifices to them
• Then, the Jews from Antioch, Pisidia came and stoned Paul close to death and threw his body outside the city
• He got up and went back into the city
• This is as far as they went in the first trip
• Then, they went back the same way ordaining priests in every city

Lecture X, Servants Preparation Curriculum

25

The 1^st Missionary Trip: 45- 49 AD Cont.

Lecture X, Servants Preparation Curriculum

26

The 1^st Missionary Trip: 45- 49 AD Cont.

Lecture X, Servants Preparation Curriculum

27

Zeus

Barnabas

Hermes

Paul

St. Paul, Missionary Trips, Part 1

Objectives:

1. To learn about St. Paul’s merits/eminence
2. To study the life of St. Paul and his conversion to Christianity
3. To view St. Paul’s first missionary trip
4. To mediate on St. Paul’s first missionary trip

Lecture X, Servants Preparation Curriculum

28

Meditations

• A Zeal without knowledge (early life of Saul)
• St. Paul was blind for 3 days and spent time in the desert (~ 3 years) (every servant should dedicate time to study and meditate in The Bible)
• St. Paul experienced rejection but never showed despair
• God granted him the power to perform miracles to those who are full of zeal and passion (cursing Bar- Jesus, healing the crippled, leading the sermon, etc.)
• The life of the servant includes the power of God, miracles, and persecution all at the same time

Lecture X, Servants Preparation Curriculum

29

Meditations Cont.

• Humility of St. Paul
• People called him God, but he called himself Paul which means little / small
• All servants should imitate St. Paul referring all success and Gory to God - believing they are little without God’s grace
• Remember what God said to St. Paul: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Lecture X, Servants Preparation Curriculum

30

St. Paul, Missionary Trips, Part 1

Objectives:

1. To learn about St. Paul’s merits/eminence
2. To study the life of St. Paul and his conversion to Christianity
3. To view St. Paul’s first missionary trip
4. To mediate on St. Paul’s first missionary trip

Lecture X, Servants Preparation Curriculum

31

Review Questions

1. How many times did God call Saul of Tarsus?
2. Who joined Saul / Paul in his 1^st Missionary Trip?
3. Where did St. Paul curse The Sorcerer / Diviner and why?
4. Where did St. Paul heal the crippled man?
5. What did St. Paul and Barnabas did on their way back home?
6. What do we learn from St. Paul’s 1^st Missionary Trips?

Lecture X, Servants Preparation Curriculum

32

Memorization Verses

1. “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

​

• “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace” (Galatians 1:15)

Lecture X, Servants Preparation Curriculum

33