Tuesday, March 19, 2024
HomeVideosSaul Of Tarsus In The Bible

Saul Of Tarsus In The Bible

Sending And Receiving Nations

Who was Saul of Tarsus?

Major nations not only send and fund missionaries abroad, but also receive them from other countries. In 2010, the United States sent out 127,000 missionaries, while 32,400 came to the United States. Brazil was second, sending out 34,000, and receiving 20,000. France sent out 21,000 and received 10,000. Britain sent out 15,000 and received 10,000. India sent out 10,000 and received 8000. Other major exporters included Spain at 21,000 sent out, Italy at 20,000, South Korea at 20,000, Germany at 14,000, and Canada at 8,500. Large recipient nations included Russia, receiving 20,000 Congo receiving 15,000 South Africa, 12,000 Argentina, 10,000 and Chile, 8,500. The largest sending agency in the United States is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who, at this date 2019, has 67,000 full time proselytizing young missionaries all over the world with many more elder missionaries serving in similar circumstances. The Southern Baptist Convention, has 4,800 missionaries, plus 450 support staff working inside the United States. The annual budget is about $50,000 per year per missionary. In recent years, however, the Southern Baptist foreign missionary operation has operated at a deficit, and it is cutting operations by 15 percent. It is encouraging older missionaries to retire and return to the United States.

Lessons From The Life Of Saul

Saul had it all. Good looks, height, charm, and leadership ability. He was chosen by God, touched by his Spirit, and given the opportunity to be Israels first and greatest king.

Sauls own insistent disobedience against the Lord, however, dashed any opportunity for an enduring dynasty. Instead, jealousy and bitterness began to brew in the kings heart.

Sauls own son Jonathan could have felt just as bitter or jealous. After all, Jonathan knew full well that he had lost the kingship because of his fathers sin and that David would become king instead. Yet Jonathan was willing to be second to David if that was Gods plan. Saul, however, would hear none of it.

Jealousy ate at Sauls tormented mind. Like a man unhinged, he was driven to chase David in the wilderness, bent on destroying the man God chose as his replacement. In his jealous rage, Saul eventually viewed his own soldiers as conspirators against his happiness and Gods priests as traitors against his life.

Sauls jealousy mushroomed into a terrible cloud of destruction. He murdered hundreds of innocent people but never could catch David. In the end, Saul fell victim to his own sword. Years later, Davids son Solomon wrote, Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood, but who jealousy is even more dangerous .

If one of Gods most gifted men could not survive jealousy and other sins, who are you and I to think we can sin the same and fare any better?

For further reading:

An Interesting Observation About Saul’s Conversion

Christ chose Saul of Tarsus to be His messenger to both Jews and Gentiles, and He personally appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus. This sets apart Saul’s conversion, but there’s another interesting difference between Saul’s conversion and the others in Acts. We read about this difference in what Saul of Tarsus, also known as the apostle Paul, wrote about his own conversion in his letter to the Christians at Galatia:

Galatians 1:11-12

But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Luke’s account in Acts doesn’t mention anyone actually teaching the gospel to Saul, nor does it specifically mention Saul believing the gospel. This passage from Galatians shows how Saul came to know the gospel of Jesus Christ. He received it through direct revelation from Jesus Christ Himself! Jesus showed Saul the gospel, presumably during those days in and near Damascus.

This is the only conversion in Acts in which people did not teach the gospel to the ones being converted, and is the only conversion in Acts in which Christ reveals His own gospel directly to a person. No wonder, then, that Paul had such a deep and detailed knowledge of the gospel!

Also Check: Preach The Gospel Bible Verse

Pauls Fourth Missionary Journey

Some argue that Paul made a fourth missionary journey as well, since some of his letters refer to events and visits that may not be accounted for in Acts. This largely depends on whether Paul was imprisoned in Rome once, or twice, which his letters are ambiguous about.Paul suggested he would travel to Spain , but he provides no record of this journey in his letters. However, early church fathers claimed Paul did, in fact, travel to Spain.

In his letter to the Corinthians, first-century church father Clement of Rome said Paul had gone to the extremity of the west, which at the time presumably meant Spain. Fourth-century church father John of Chrysostom said For after he had been in Rome, he returned to Spain, but whether he came thence again into these parts, we know not. And Cyril of Jerusalem wrote that Paul carried the earnestness of his preaching as far as Spain.

Still, scholars cant be sure that Paul did make this fourth journey, as the primary sources for his other three journeys dont give us an explicit account of it.

The Idea Is That Paul Would Now Be Controlled By The Holy Spirit

Saul of Tarsus was converted by hearing the voice of Jesus Christ ...

In this context, the idea is that the Holy Spirit would now control Saul. The one who was the great persecutor of believers in Jesus Christ would not become a follower of Him. The emphasis here would be on his changed lifestyle. Indeed, from the greatest persecutor of Christians, Saul would become the greatest proclaimer of the truth of Christ the Apostle Paul. The idea is Saul would now be filled or controlled by the Holy Spirit.

Also Check: What Does The Bible Say About War In Jerusalem

Differences Between The Accounts

A contradiction in the details of the account of Paul’s revelatory vision given in Acts has been the subject of some debate. Whereas Acts 9:7 states that Paul’s travelling companions heard the voice, Acts 22:9 states that they did not. Traditional readings and modern biblical scholarship both see a discrepancy between these passages, but some modern Conservative Evangelical commentators argue that the contradiction can be explained. argues that first century readers might have understood the two passages to mean that everybody heard the sound of the voice, but “only Paul understood the articulated words”.

The debate revolves around two Greek words. The noun translates as not only “voice, utterance, report, faculty of speech, the call of an animal” but also “sound” when referring to an inanimate object. However, the normal Greek word for an inarticulate sound is .The verb , which usually means “hear”, has the secondary meaning of “understand”, which is how most translations render it in 1 Cor. 14:2, for example. However, this meaning is so rare that the main English-to-Greek dictionaries do not list among the possible translations of “understand”. Resolving the contradiction involves translating and in Acts 9:7 as “hear” and “sound” respectively, but translating the same words in Acts 22:9 as “understand” and “voice”.

Likewise the and others. By translating and differently in each case, the contradiction is eliminated.

Life Lessons From The Apostle Paul

God can change anyone. God gave Paul the strength, wisdom, and endurance to carry out the mission Jesus entrusted Paul with. One of Paul’s most famous statements is: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” , reminding us that our power to live the Christian life comes from God, not ourselves.

Paul also recounted a “thorn in his flesh” that kept him from becoming conceited over the priceless privilege God had entrusted to him. In saying, “For when I am weak, then I am strong,” , Paul was sharing one of the greatest secrets of staying faithful: absolute dependence on God.

Much of the Protestant Reformation was based on Paul’s teaching that people are saved by grace, not works: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-” This truth frees us to stop striving to be good enough and to instead rejoice in our salvation, gained by the loving sacrifice of God’s own Son, Jesus Christ.

Read Also: What Does Marriage Mean In The Bible

Sample 1 A Roman Decree

The following excerpt, from a decree of the Roman Senate to the town of in in 170 BC, is rendered in a reconstructed pronunciation representing a hypothetical conservative variety of mainland Greek Koiné in the early Roman period. The transcription shows raising of to /e/, partial raising of and to /i/, retention of pitch accent, and retention of word-initial /h/ .

· , , , · .Concerning those matters about which the citizens of Thisbae made representations. Concerning their own affairs: the following decision was taken concerning the proposal that those who remained true to our friendship should be given the facilities to conduct their own affairs that our praetor/governor Quintus Maenius should delegate five members of the senate who seemed to him appropriate in the light of their public actions and individual good faith.

Modern Missionary Methods And Doctrines Among Conservative Protestants

Old Testament: What Happened to Saul of Tarsus | Is The Bible Reliable?

The of 1974, birthed a movement that supports evangelical mission among non-Christians and nominal Christians. It regards “mission” as that which is designed “to form a viable indigenous -planting and world changing movement.” This definition is motivated by a imperative theme of the to make God known, as outlined in the . The definition is claimed to summarize the acts of ‘ ministry, which is taken as a model motivation for all ministries.

This Christian missionary movement seeks to implement churches after the pattern of the first century Apostles. The process of forming is necessarily social. “Church” should be understood in the widest sense, as a body of believers of Christ rather than simply a building. In this view, even those who are already culturally Christian must be “evangelized”.

Church planting by cross-cultural missionaries leads to the establishment of self-governing, self-supporting and self-propagating communities of believers. This is the famous “three-self” formula formulated by of the London in the 19th century. Cross-cultural missionaries are persons who accept church-planting duties to evangelize people outside their culture, as Christ commanded in the .

A typical modern mission is a co-operative effort by many different ministries, often including several coordinating ministries, such as the network, often with separate funding sources. One typical effort proceeded as follows:

Also Check: Who Am I Bible Verse

King Sauls Important Story In The Bible

Before he was something, when he was ordinary, Saul was a humble man. True, he was born into a well-respected family. He was particularly good-looking. He stood much taller than other Israelite men.

Then again, he was a farmer who tended animals and worked the land. Most other men did the same. But God in His providence, the Lord God orchestrated a meeting between Saul and the prophet Samuel, who honored him and anointed him king of Israel.

King Saul couldnt really comprehend what that meant, but as he turned to leave Samuel, God changed Sauls heart , the Holy Spirit came upon him powerfully , and he prophesied. What a change, indeed!

At this point, Saul still was so humble that he didnt tell his relatives about his anointing as king over the nation of Israel.

Then, when Samuel cast lots before the people to confirm who was king, and announced that Saul had won, he disappeared. They found him hiding among the supplies .

After winning an important military victory, Saul was reconfirmed as king of Israel , and Samuel made an important speech . Within a few days, however, disaster strikes.

Feeling extreme pressure, does Saul pray? No. Instead, he gives into pride, disobeys the Lord, and takes Samuels place at the altar . Immediately, Samuel arrives to announce that the Lord has judged him.

Unlike Saul, lets not give into pride, envy, or jealousy when God chooses to honor and use someone else more than He uses you or me.

Ways To Tell The Story:

This story can be told using a variety of methods. Always remain true to the facts found in the Bible but help children connect to its meaning by using drama, visual aids, voice inflection, student interaction and/or emotion. or Each teacher is unique so only use the illustrations that best relate to the way YOU are telling the story in THIS lesson. Too many illustrations can be confusing so eliminate any that cover other stories or details you do not wish to emphasise in this lesson.

Or use the video below.

Don’t Miss: Who Does The Bible Say I Am

Pauls Ministry To The Gentiles

Of all the ways Paul affected Christianity, the biggest was arguably his role in spreading the gospel to non-Jewish communities. He certainly wasnt the only apostle to do so, but he is known as the apostle to the Gentiles because thats who Jesus specifically called him to minister to , he and the other apostles agreed that was his role , and that was undeniably the focus of his ministry.

When Christianity emerged, it was often thought of as a Jewish sectit built on Jewish teachings and beliefs, and because most Christians were also Jewish, many still followed Jewish customs and rituals established in the Law of Moses.

But Christianity was radically different from Judaism, and while many early Christians followed the Law, it wasnt a prerequisite for believing in Jesus. The Law of Moses and the old covenant it bound them to had been replaced by Jesus new covenant, and the law of love .

For Paul, the apostles, and the early Christians, the Law was one of the greatest theological issues of their day. First-century Jews had grown up believing the Law was central to their identity as Gods chosen people, and they struggled to fully grasp that Jesus rendered the Law obsolete .

Ananias And Saul Obey

Saul Of Tarsus: A Madman Saw The Light

What could Ananias do but obey his Lord? That’s just what he did as we see in the final verses of our study of Saul’s conversion:

Acts 9:17-18

And Ananias went his way and entered the house and laying his hands on him he said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once and he arose and was baptized.

Once Saul’s divine encounter was over, it was up to peopleSaul himself and Ananiasto obey what Jesus had told them to do. Both men did, and it is evident in this passage that part of what Saul was to obey was to be baptized. The Bible tells us that’s exactly what he did.

In Acts 22:12-16, we read the record of Saul, by that time called Paul, describing his own conversion:

Then a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good testimony with all the Jews who dwelt there, came to me and he stood and said to me, Brother Saul, receive your sight.

And at that same hour I looked up at him.

Then he said, The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth. For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.

And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

Read Also: What Is Anger In The Bible

The Apostles Agree With Paul

Paul constantly wrote to Gentile Christians to tell them not to worry about circumcision , and in Acts 15, the apostles met with Paul and Barnabas to officially settle the matter, because pockets of Jewish Christians were continuing to tell Gentiles to get circumcised.

Peter argued that God hadnt discriminated between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians because hed given them both the Holy Spirit, and if in the entire history of Judaism no one had been able to keep the Law , then why would they put that burden on the Gentiles ?

After listening to everyone, the Apostle James concluded:

It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath. Acts 15:1921

If youll notice, the apostles didnt decide that Gentiles should follow the most important commandments, or the Big Ten, or anything like that. Instead, they essentially instructed Gentiles be culturally sensitive to their Jewish brothers and sisters, because the Law was respected and observed by Jews everywhere.

Paul wasnt going to let that slide.

Righteousness Received By Faith

This concept is difficult to grasp. And it is hard to believe, since it is counter-intuitive and is such amazing news! How can someone else take my sin? Who would do that? Don’t I have to bear it and the consequences of it? How can this be? This seems the opposite of the Eastern concept of karma. It is!

The core of the Christian faith is that we believe Jesus died for our sins on the cross and was raised from the dead for our salvation. Either it is true or it isn’t. Either the crucifixion and resurrection are merely nice Christian stories or they actually happened in history and are spiritual facts of life.

If the crucifixion and resurrection actually happened — and I believe they did — then Jesus, the Holy One, took all of the degradation of our unholiness upon himself, “the righteous for the unrighteous” , in order to remove our sin and guilt. Ponder Isaiah 53 to understand this better. This is what Paul means when he refers to “the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith” in Philippians 3:9.

But what does faith have to do with it? Though Christ has died for the sins of the whole world , that salvation takes effect only for those who put their trust in him. Faith confirms what God has done and activates this salvation for oneself.

Paul points to two Old Testament passages to illustrate righteousness by faith:

Notice a clear linkage between faith and salvation or righteousness in the following verses from the Gospels:

Recommended Reading: What Bible Verse Says Be Strong And Courageous

RELATED ARTICLES

Most Popular