Looking for Paul

JLG

Well-known member
1) Acts one

- After his death Jesus appeared many times to the disciples for a period of 40 days!

- And he kept speaking about the Kingdom of God!

- And he told them to stay in Jerusalem to be baptized with holy spirit!

- And they would spread the good news of the Kingdom all around the world!

- When he was telling them these things he was lifted up and he disappeared in a cloud!

- Then two men in white appeared to them and told them that they would see Jesus appearing as he left them!

- And the apostles were together with disciples for a total of 120 people!

- And Peter spoke in front of all saying that it was necessary for the scripture to be fulfilled!

- They had to choose a disciple who had been with Jesus and the apostles from the beginning to replace Judas!

- And Matthias was chosen!
 
2) Acts 2

- All together at the same place

- A noise from heaven filling the whole house

- Tongues as if of fire visible to them and distributed

- One tongue on each one of them

- All are filled with holy spirit and they start to speak in different languages

- Jews from every nation were staying in Jerusalem because there was the Festival of Pentecost and they could hear them speaking in his own language about the magnificent things of God. And Peter with the Eleven explained to the people that they were not drunk. And they spoke about Jesus and all he did and about his resurrection. And they told the Jews to repent and get baptized so they could receive the free gift of the holy spirit. And 3,000 people were added that day. And all had everything in common and they were selling their possessions and properties and distributing the proceeds to all. So they received holy spirit and they could speak in languages for other people to be taught about Jesus and God’s Kingdom. And they didn’t need translators and they could understand what was said! It was no comedy!
 
3) Acts 3

- Peter and John cure a lame man at the entrance of the temple and they tell the people about Jesus resurrected and the necessity to believe in him to be saved.

Acts 4 Of course, the priests, the captain of the temple and the Sadducees are annoyed because the apostles teach the people about the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. So they seize them and take them into custody. But 5,000 people had listened to them and they become Christians. When Peter and John speak in front of the rulers of people and elders, they say they cure the crippled man in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the one they executed but he was raised up from the dead by God. And Jesus is the only way to salvation. And the rulers could not deny that the crippled man was cured. So they threaten Peter and John not to teach on the basis of the name of Jesus. But Peter and John refuse not to do it. So they ask God to strengthen them to keep speaking his word with boldness. And they are filled with holy spirit. And all the Christians keep having everything in common. So people sell what they have and share everything. And Joseph, a Levite sells a piece of land and brings the money at the feet of the apostles.
 
4) Acts 5

- Ananias and his wife Sapphira sell some property.

- But they secretly held back some of the price.

- So they lie and as a consequence they both die.

- The sick are brought to the apostles and they cure them.

- But the high priest and the Sadducees are jealous and they put them into prison.

- During the night, God’s angel frees them and tells them to go to the temple and teach.

- They are brought in front of the Sanhedrin.

- Gamaliel, a Pharisee tells the Sanhedrin to be careful about the apostles because if they do God’s work they may be fighting against God himself.

- So they flog the apostles and order them to stop speaking on the basis of Jesus’ name and let them go.

- And the apostles keep going to the temple and from house to house teaching.
 
5) Acts 6

A problem appears between the disciples, between the Greek-speaking Jews and the Hebrew- speaking Jews because the widows of the Hebrew-speaking Jews are privileged in the daily distribution. So the apostles propose to select seven reputable men to be for the distribution. And more and more disciples are added. And Stephen performs many miracles and some men become jealous of him so they persuade people against Stephen accusing him of blasphemy. And they take him to the Sanhedrin. And his face is like an angel’s face.
 
6) Acts 7

Stephen tells about the history of Abraham and the promise God made him to give the land to his descendants. But before that they would be foreigners and slaves for 400 years. Then he speaks about the covenant of circumcision God made with Abraham and about Isaac and Jacob and Joseph and the famine in Egypt and Jacob and his family went to Egypt and Moses who freed the Israelites from Egypt and about the golden calf and the 40 years in the wilderness and about David and Solomon who built God’s temple and about the sins of the Israelites. So the Jews become angry and they kill him by stoning him. And the end of the chapter says that Stephen fell asleep in death or he was put to repose.

https://biblehub.com/greek/2837.htm

koimaó from NG2749: sleep, fall asleep, die

Original Word: κοιμάομαι

Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: koimaó from NG2749 Phonetic

Spelling: (koy-mah'-o)

Definition: sleep, fall asleep, die

Usage: I fall asleep, am asleep, sometimes of the sleep of death.
 
7) Acts 8

Saul approves Stephen’s murder and a great persecution arises against the Christians in Jerusalem who are scattered in Judea and Samaria except the apostles. And Saul organizes the persecution putting men and women to prison. And Philip goes to the city of Samaria to preach the Christ to them. And he cures many people. In the city there is a man called Simon who practices magical arts and many think he gets his power from God. And he becomes a believer and gets baptized and follows Philip. The apostles send Peter and John to Samaria so the new Christians can get holy spirit by laying their hands on them. And Simon wants to get the same power so he offers money. Peter tells him to repent and be forgiven. So Simon asks Peter to make supplication for him. Then God’s angel sends Philip to the road that runs down from Jerusalem to Gaza where he meets an Ethiopian eunuch who has authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. He came to Jerusalem to worship. He reads aloud the prophet Isaiah but he doesn’t understand what he reads. So Philip explains to him about Jesus. And Philip baptizes him.
 
8) Acts 9

So Saul keeps fighting the Way that is the Christians. As he goes to Damascus, he sees a light and a voice asks him why he persecutes him and tells him he is Jesus. So Jesus tells him to go to the city and he will be told what to do. Then Saul realizes he is blind. And Jesus tells a disciple called Ananias in a vision to look for a man named Saul from Tarsus and lay his hands on him so he can see again. But Ananias doesn’t understand because he knows that Saul persecutes the Christians. But Jesus says that Saul has been chosen to represent him in different parts of the world. So Ananias does according to what Jesus told him to do. And Saul can see again and he is baptized. And then he goes to the synagogues and preach about Jesus. And people are astonished because they know he used to persecute the Christians and now he is one of them. So the Jews want to kill him because he works against them. So some disciples help Saul to leave Damascus by night. When he arrives in Jerusalem he tries to join the disciples but they are afraid of him and they don’t believe he has become a disciple. So Barnabas leads him to the apostles and he explains to them what happened to him as he was going to Damascus. So he preaches about Jesus in Jerusalem and the Jews want to get rid of him so the disciples send him to Caesarea. The situation improves for the Christians in Judea and Galilee and Samaria and they keep multiplying. At the same time, Peter travels to Lydda and he finds a paralyzed man who had been so for 8 years. And he cures him. So many become Christians. In Joppa a woman and a Christian called Dorcas dies. As Joppa is close to Lydda, the disciples ask Peter to come and resurrect her because she abounded in good deeds. And Peter resurrects her and many people become believers.
 
9) Acts 10

Cornelius is a Roman army officer who fears God and he has a vision. God tells him to send soldiers to get Simon Peter in Joppa. At the same time, Peter gets a vision and he sees all sorts of animals and he is told to eat them but Peter says he can’t because they are unclean. Then cornelius’ men arrive and want to speak to him. And the spirit in the vision tells Peter about the three men who are asking for him and he tells him to follow them because he has sent them. So they go back to Caesarea. So the time has come for the apostles and the disciples to preach to the non Jews. So Peter starts speaking about how God sent Jesus among the Jews and all the things he did. And the holy spirit starts spreading upon all the people present in the room. And they start speaking in foreign languages and magnifying God. And he baptizes all the people who are present. So the time has come for the apostles and the disciples to look for faithful servants among the non Jews. A great time for them indeed! In fact, like everywhere in the Bible, like in the creation, God follows a precise timing or program which is always difficult for human beings to understand. This is the same story for the end of this human society and it will be a great surprise when it happens like all the big events in the Bible even when people are told because they have eyes and ears but they can’t see and they can’t hear. Well, in fact they don’t want! It’s always the same with humankind, people have a brain but they don’t want to use it!
 
10) Acts 11

When Peter comes back to Jerusalem, the supporters of circumcision criticize him. So he explains to them all the details and they stop objecting. Then some Christians keep speaking to the Jews and others start talking to the Greek-speaking people and many more people become Christians. And Barnabas is sent by the congregation in Jerusalem as far as Antioch and more people become Christians. He goes for Paul in Tarsus and he brings him to Antioch. Then for a whole year they assemble in the congregation and there the disciples are called Christians for the first time.

- Here we see how difficult it is to accept changes!

- And time is necessary to adapt!

- Everybody is different and needs time according to that difference!

- Human differences are also difficult to accept or to understand!

- A lot to think about!
 
- My pleasure!
- Learning from Paul is sure an incredible example and adventure!
One of the most amazing/brilliant minds in human history. It has been said by many church historians/theologians his book on Romans is the greatest treatise/book written by man.

I remember my former pastor who is now retired when he preached through Romans in a year in the introduction quoted more than a dozen sources saying it was the greatest work even penned by human hands.
 
One of the most amazing/brilliant minds in human history. It has been said by many church historians/theologians his book on Romans is the greatest treatise/book written by man.

I remember my former pastor who is now retired when he preached through Romans in a year in the introduction quoted more than a dozen sources saying it was the greatest work even penned by human hands.
- Personally, all Paul's letters are great because they show his incredible activity and how he was always straight in his boots defending his faith with all his strength!
 
11) Acts 12

Herod the king begins mistreating some members of the congregation. He puts James, the brother of John, to death by the sword. As it pleases the Jews, he also arrests Peter. So the congregation is intensely praying to God for him. Herod is going to bring him out but God sends one of his angels to free him. Peter thinks he is seeing a vision. Then he goes to the house of Mary the mother of John who is called Mark. And the people in the house can’t believe it. So Peter tells them what has just happened. Later Herod speaks in front of an audience and they say “a god’s voice, and not a man’s!” Instantly God’s angel strikes him because he did not give the glory to God, and he is eaten up with worms and dies.

- Well, apparently he is finally punished for his bad deeds!

- He has an appropriate end according to his deeds!

- Barnabas and Saul, after fully carrying out the relief work in Jerusalem, return and take along with them John, also called Mark.

- They are quite a good team working together for God!
 
12) Acts 13

Barnabas and Saul are selected by the holy spirit. Then they go to Cyprus and they proclaim God’s word in the synagogues of the Jews. They go through the whole island. There they meet a Jewish man named Bar-Jesus, a sorcerer and a false prophet. He is with the proconsul Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man and he wants to hear God’s word so he calls Barnabas and Saul. But Bar-Jesus, also called Elymas, opposes them. Then, Saul, filled with holy spirit, looks at him intensely and he speaks against him and because he opposes God, he will be blind which happens instantly. And the proconsul becomes a believer being astounded at God’s teaching. Then Paul and his companions go on from Perga and come to Antioch in Pisidia. They go to the synagogue on the Sabbath day. Then Paul speaks to the people and he speaks about Israel’s history from Egypt to the wilderness and to the land of Canaan (for about 450 years). Then he talks about judges until Samuel the prophet and King Saul for 40 years and the king David and finally Jesus the savior. Before Jesus comes, John the Baptist invites people to get baptized as a symbol of repentance. And Paul says that he and his companions were telling about this word of salvation. Jesus has to die before being resurrected. Then Paul and his companions are invited to come back the next Sabbath and speak again about their message. But the Jews meaning the religious leaders are jealous and they begin blasphemously contradicting Paul. Thus he tells them that because they reject God’s word, the time has come for them to turn to the nations. So the people of the nations begin to rejoice and many become believers. Then the Jews oppose Paul and Barnabas inciting the prominent women who are God- fearing and the principal men of the city against them. So they go to Iconium.

- There we get an important event: Paul and Barnabas are going to turn to the nations to teach them God’s word!

- As usual, the Jews or religious leaders oppose them because they are jealous!

- PERSONAL INTERESTS NOT PEOPLE INTERESTS!
 
13) Acts 14

In Iconium They both teach in the synagogue and many Jews and Greeks become believers. As usual, the Jews oppose them. But they keep speaking with boldness. Finally there is a division in the city: some are for the Jews but others for the apostles. So some people of the nations and the Jews with their rulers want to stone them so they flee to other cities and keep declaring the good news. In Lystra Paul cures a man who is lame from birth because of his faith. And the crowds take them for gods. And they call Barnabas Zeus and Paul Hermes as he takes the lead in speaking. And the priests of Zeus want to offer sacrifices. But then the apostles Barnabas and Paul rip their garments and leap out into the crowd and cry out telling them they are just humans. But Jews arrive from Antioch and Iconium and persuade the crowds to stone Paul and drag him outside the city thinking he is dead. But he gets up and enters the city. Then They move to other cities to make disciples and at the same time to encourage the disciples. They appoint elders in each congregation.

- Paul and Barnabas know what they have to do and they keep doing it!

- Paul is stoned but survives and goes as usual!

- He knows it is not going to be the last time!

- But he is ready to serve God at any cost!

- What a STRENGTH!
 

https://www.cursillos.ca/action/st-paul/paul01-nation.htm


  • The text is originally in French and I used google translation!
  • Very interesting text which, thanks to the context, highlights the text itself!​

  • We can see a text in 3D!
  • We are given a lot of information which makes the text alive!


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1- Saint Paul, the Apostle of the nations
Paul of Tarsus was and still is today one of the greatest figures in the history of Christianity. This is why it is in our interest to know this pillar of our Church.
There are many ways to approach his work.


Statue de saint Paul au Vatican


We can study

his personality,

his theology,

his missionary journeys,

his many conflicts

his letters to the communities,

his relations with his friends and his enemies,

his influence through the ages,

etc., etc.

I think the best way to get to know this pioneer of Christianity well is to “follow his footsteps” from birth to death. He had an exceptional life, full of surprises and twists. He experienced scenarios worthy of the greatest action movies.

This approach is longer but it allows us to better discover all the richness and all the complexity of the character.
Many of us have a good knowledge of the four gospels: Mark, Matthew, Luke and John, but Paul, the author of the Epistles, remains an enigma and a question mark.
I hope to inspire you to read Paul of Tarsus, to pray with him and to meditate on his life and his writings.
I will endeavor to shed some light on this man, through his tortuous journeys, his theological development, his conflicts with the community of Jerusalem, his missionary journeys, his pastoral care for the churches and his passionate letters.

Determined, sometimes stubborn, touchy on occasion, Paul had many friends and many enemies. He played a leading role in the beginnings of Christianity and his influence continues to this day.

I will avoid getting involved in the innumerable controversies of specialists on the life of Paul, on the authenticity of some of his letters, on what Luke says of him or what he saw fit to pass over in silence. I would like to present to you the “life of Saint Paul” with all the richness that this unique apostle offers us. You will see him in action in the great cities of the Roman Empire, traveling from East to West, always eager to carry the Good News further, to the limits of the known world.

Through this "biography", we will also be able to lift the veil on the daily life of the first Christians and on the many communities founded by Paul.

I hope to inspire you to read Paul of Tarsus, to pray with him and to meditate on his life and his writings.

Hundreds of excellent volumes have been published by scholars who have great admiration for Paul and a deep knowledge of his missionary work. At regular intervals, I will give you the name of some of these authors, the title of their book, the edition and a photo of the volume mentioned.

This will perhaps encourage you to obtain one or other of these volumes, in order to better appreciate all the richness of Paul de Tarse.
 
So Saul keeps fighting the Way that is the Christians.
Good topic, "Looking for Paul", he was found of God. Just as Paul, then Saul, we all must meet the Lord at the crossroad in life. sometimes we are blind in our beliefs and doctrine, (as with Paul here), and need to "SEE" by faith, instead of by the flesh. when God calls, we must answer. sometime we might have to give up old way, and their means. but change is Good in the end. as with the OLD COVENANT, fading away, likewise NEW THINGS, are becoming clear, and establish in our hearts and minds. as the scripture's states, Philippians 3:13 "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before," Philippians 3:14 "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

And here in chapter 9 of Acts was a turning point for Paul. not only was his beloved religion, "Judaism", was no more, but the one whom he railed against was his God, Lord and Saviour, Jesus the Christ. YES, the ONE who died was his Lord and Saviour JESUS the Christ. for in chapter 22 when now, as the apostle to the gentiles, was telling or recounting his Damacus road experience, not only the Jews who heard, but us, because it was written, that Jesus was the God of our fathers. Acts 22:12 "And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there," Acts 22:13 "Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him." Acts 22:14 "And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth." what a shocking revelation for the man Saul at that time. he found out the God of the Old Testament was the Lord Jesus. and many, not all, but many Jews still today reject this notion..... well old habits are hard to die, but eventually, they do, overtime.

so yes, we all will have a Damacus Road experience and find out that the Lord Jesus is the ONLY TRUE and LIVING GOD. amen.

101G.
 
Good topic, "Looking for Paul", he was found of God. Just as Paul, then Saul, we all must meet the Lord at the crossroad in life. sometimes we are blind in our beliefs and doctrine, (as with Paul here), and need to "SEE" by faith, instead of by the flesh. when God calls, we must answer. sometime we might have to give up old way, and their means. but change is Good in the end. as with the OLD COVENANT, fading away, likewise NEW THINGS, are becoming clear, and establish in our hearts and minds. as the scripture's states, Philippians 3:13 "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before," Philippians 3:14 "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

And here in chapter 9 of Acts was a turning point for Paul. not only was his beloved religion, "Judaism", was no more, but the one whom he railed against was his God, Lord and Saviour, Jesus the Christ. YES, the ONE who died was his Lord and Saviour JESUS the Christ. for in chapter 22 when now, as the apostle to the gentiles, was telling or recounting his Damacus road experience, not only the Jews who heard, but us, because it was written, that Jesus was the God of our fathers. Acts 22:12 "And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there," Acts 22:13 "Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him." Acts 22:14 "And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth." what a shocking revelation for the man Saul at that time. he found out the God of the Old Testament was the Lord Jesus. and many, not all, but many Jews still today reject this notion..... well old habits are hard to die, but eventually, they do, overtime.

so yes, we all will have a Damacus Road experience and find out that the Lord Jesus is the ONLY TRUE and LIVING GOD. amen.

101G.
- Yes, we all must meet the Lord at the crossroad in life!
- completely right!
- And it means a lot!
- like in the case of Paul!
 
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