You are viewing lesson 59 in the series “Times of Israel” which provides 61 pages that give you a comprehensive overview of the Biblical history of Israel. The main events of Bible times, the great empires, Bible characters, and the books of the Bible, are all put into a framework that is easily understood and memorised.
Paul’s Adventures —And the gospel’s global outreach
Time ~ 11. Dawning of New Israel Span ~ 70 years Books ~ Acts, the Epistles, Revelation Figures ~ Peter Paul Begins with ~ Death of Jesus
Another of the great preachers during the dawning of New Israel was the apostle Paul. In this lesson we will look at Paul just as last lesson we looked at Peter.
1 Jesus Recruits His Enemies
Jesus did not choose only from among the faithful and obedient to find those he needed to help establish his kingdom. He also chose from among his enemies. Paul is the notable example. However it must be said that all of us were really enemies of Jesus at one time, and he also called us unto himself.
2 Paul’s Equality with the Twelve
The twelve apostles were a special group in many ways, special enough that it was necessary to replace Judas after he betrayed Christ and committed suicide (Acts 1:15-26). However, the twelve were not the only apostles. Others too had a special mission from God.
Paul, and some of his partners in the gospel, were also apostles (Romans 16:7 Acts 14:14). Paul regarded himself, as far as authority was concerned, an apostle "not one whit behind the very chiefest"(2Corinthians 11:5, 12:11).
Christ used the twelve apostles, including Peter, to establish the kingdom of Heaven (his church) in Jerusalem. He also used them to spread the kingdom throughout the world in widening circles (Acts 1:8). However twelve men alone would be too limited to accomplish that task. The dawning of New Israel was, like the dawning of a new day, to sweep around the globe. So the Lord appointed other apostles and preachers to help with this task. Among these Paul was notable, not only for the work he did, but also for the manner in which he was called.
3 A few facts about Paul
An apostle of Christ (not one of the twelve).
Had a special visitation from Christ (1Corinthians 15:7-8).
He was baptized by a disciple called Ananias.
Originally named Saul. Jesus named him Paul.
He was a dedicated Pharisee before becoming a Christian (Philippians 3:4-7).
His home town was the city of Tarsus in Cilicia.
He was highly educated under Gamaliel (Acts 22:3).
He was able to competently address assemblies and enter into debate in Jewish synagogues, before courts and kings, in philosophers' forums, among idolatrous mobs.
A great part of the book of Acts is about Paul.
He wrote most of the letters in the New Testament, namely Romans to Philemon, and probably Hebrews.
His letter to the Romans is widely regarded as a classic in religious literature.
He was a persecutor of the church before he became a Christian and an apostle.
He had a vision of Christ on the road to Damascus, and this completely changed his life.
He suffered many hardships (2Corinthians 11:23-28).
He spent a lot of time in unjust imprisonment and house arrest.
—“The Adventures of Paul ” ...You can have the article on this page filed on your device in PDF format, yours to keep and share. Tap “Download or Save” on the button if you would like to do this.