Comparing St. Paul And Lee Strobel In A Case For Christ

On the road to Damascus the Lord intervenes in Saul’s life (Acts 9: 3-6) and he is genuinely converted during that encounter with the Lord Jesus. Under the ministry of Ananias (a disciple) he was also healed and filled with the Holy Spirit. Saul now known as Paul from that moment on immediately began preaching Christ in the synagogues of Damascus. Paul’s preaching was very convincing and disturbing to the Damascus Jews to the point where they desired to kill him. Therefore, the other Christian disciples assisted him in his escape by night (Acts 9:22-25) that he may escape to Arabia. Paul’s missionary Journeys were defining actions of him, he usually set foot with other companions and he endured hardships on these voyages. He was imprisoned, lashed and stoned several times and almost murdered once (2 Cor. 11:24-27).

When I think about a successful pioneer from the Bible, the principal individual that rings a bell is Paul, who was once named Saul. Paul noted to be one of the best teachers the world has ever known (Patheos, 2015). He may have endured more than some other Christian and as it were, Christ endured more

Saint Paul, originally named Saul, was a crucial part in the development of Christianity. Paul, who was born in Tarsus, Cilicia, grew up Jewish and was trained as a rabbi (Adcock). Paul eventually converted to Christianity, but before he did, the future of the religion was looking very slim. Rome had made it illegal to practice Christianity. Paul was a pious Jew, so his conversion to Christianity surprised many of his followers. They viewed him with much suspicion and treated him with hostility. Paul was dedicated to his new life and made it his mission to spread Christianity throughout the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire and eventually to Rome itself. Paul made two separate journeys throughout the Mediterranean. He preached about the message of Jesus to many and sent his letters to the people he had not visited. Paul saw that his new faith had a message for everything and everyone. By converting to Christianity, St. Paul has saved Christianity from extinction, has written crucial letters about his faith, has preached to hundreds of people, has spread Christianity throughout the Roman Empire, has caused

He was first named Saul, but God had greater plans for him to be a leader to his people so a conversion took place. The conversion of Saul begins while he is on the road to Damascus, "suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him [and] he fell to the ground" (Acts 9:3–4), [the light was] "brighter than the sun" (Acts 26:13) and he was then blinded for three days (Acts 9:9). While he was blinded, he heard a voice in Hebrew which translates to "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads" (Acts 26:14–15). After this encounter, Saul’s blindness was cured by one of Jesus’ disciples, Ananias. His blindness was referred to as “something like scales” upon his eyes until he was then baptized. After Saul’s conversion to Christianity, he changed his identity to Paul because he was no longer a persecutor of Christianity named Saul. Saul was now was a believer and follower of Christ named Paul. He became a powerful leader in Acts. One that Christians should consider a role model because he led his people so powerfully and accomplished the future God wanted for him.

In Acts 9, after the stoning of Stephen, Saul was on his way to Damascus to persecute more Christians because the followers of Christ, even after the stoning of Stephen, went everywhere to preach the word of God such as the city Damascus; therefore, Saul went to Damascus to persecute more Christians. On his way there, a very intensified light that almost blinded him from heaven was shining on him and Jesus spoke to Saul asking him why he persecuted him and would soon Saul that he is Jesus, the promised Messiah who came down to this Earth for one reason and one reason: To save the entire world. Those words would eventually open up his heart and he would eventually realize that what he was previously doing was the work of the devil and that Stephen, the man he stoned, wasn’t speaking blasphemy and that he was spreading the word of God. After his conversation with Jesus, he had become blinded for three days and in those three days he did not eat nor drink; however, he began to get closer to God through prayer and reflection. After those three days passed, a disciple named Ananias was sent by God to Saul to heal him of his blindness and to baptize him. Saul had received both of those gifts and soon after

Saul tried to verbally persuade the Born Again Christians to stop being followers of Christ Our Lord. He also threatened to have them suffer some pain if they did not change their minds. He even murdered or killed some of them when they chose to continue to be followers of Christ Our

The grace of God must have abounded all over Paul in the miraculous conversion experience. To think of how wretched of a man he was and the things he had done to believers would seem unforgivable. It is quite apparent that God’s grace has no measure and amount that can be given out in abundance. Dr. Constable says, “Saul's unexpected and extreme conduct, understandably bewildered the Jews who lived in Damascus. Instead of persecuting the Christians, he was proving that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. This is what

St Paul of Tarsus is a significant figure in Christianity due to his major contributions of writings and letters which form a significant amount of the New Testament. St Paul is considered to be the forefather of Christianity after Jesus. Paul had a major impact on these spread of Christianity through his mission journeys, contributing to the religious traditions and helping expand Jesus’ original teachings. The reason behind Paul being a significant person in Christianity is because he contributed to the development of Christianity.

St Paul offered the Christian communities of his time what they needed to follow Jesus and his journeys enabled him to improve the lives of the less fortunate whilst relying on Christ for strength and guidance. This is reinforced through the way that Jesus revealed that the intention of his Church would be for less fortunate Christians, as “he chose imperfect people to be leaders of his Church. ”5 Three missionary journeys of St Paul and his companions are recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, St Paul’s fourth and final journey was completed alone, as a prisoner in chains and ended with his death. Many are familiar with the journeys of St Paul however, only those who have participated in their own missionary journeys can compare their experiences with those of St Paul. In St Pauls Journey’s it is shown that through making sacrifices, decisions and journeys Christian pilgrimage found expression in the

Professor Ambrosio asserts that Saul's vision "establishes a direct connection between Paul's question, 'Who are you, Lord?' and Jesus as the one who is being persecuted in the person of those who have faith in Him" (Hero or Saint Saul of Tarsus). This direct connection is what ultimately helps transform Saul into Paul a new man. Christianity, in other words, is the religion of throwing off the old man and putting on the new. The new, of course, is Christ which is why

The Apostle Paul (formerly Saul) is responsible for the spread of Christianity throughout the areas of Asia Minor and Greece. Through his 3 mission trips to the region Paul created a base of support for the Christian faith and implemented a support strategy for future growth. The time period for his journeys was 45 AD – 58 AD. The story of Paul is interesting from the perspective that the man best known as the author of most of the New Testament started out as a devout Jew and despised the Christian faith. After his conversion he made it his life’s work to spread the Christian message throughout the world. To this end, Paul made several mission trips to the area of Asia Minor and Greece.

Saul was a murderous, evil man whom wanted nothing more than to see all Christians rot away and perish. He wanted nothing to do with the faith because he thought it was a lie. Saul was there when Stephen was stoned to give approval of his death. Saul was on his way to take prisoners back to Jerusalem from Damascus, when the presence of God came upon him. Saul could not see once the Lord had spoken to him. He had his men take him to Damascus, and Saul fasted for 3 days. The 3 days is important because God was working in him, making his eyes right. Making the lamp to the soul clean. God had to do this, so that Saul could be made clean and be prepared for the Holy Spirit to enter his body. A disciple named Ananias to come and meet Saul in the

Whatever tales may have spun out of the antiquity of time, Jesus was not the initiator of Christianity as we know it. The division between Jews and Christians did not begin with the death of Christ. Indeed, many of his teachings have been lost forever for none of his disciples ever wrote a single word down. Although this religion, established solidly upon this man, does not even regard Jesus in most of the New Testament (Collier). The man behind the curtain, the usurper, and divider was an Apostle who never met Christ. In fact, he twisted and filled his letters to the Corinthians, Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, and Philippians with thoughts and quotes from Jesus that filled his own idea of what form Christianity should take. The Apostle Paul was that man.

According to writings in the New Testament Saul was dedicated to the persecution of the early disciples of Jesus in and around Jerusalem. In the book of Acts, chapter nine, it is stated that Saul was traveling on the road from Jerusalem to Damascus on a mission to bring anyone of the Christian faith bound to Jerusalem. As he traveled the resurrected Jesus appeared to him in a great light, Saul was struck blind. After three days Ananias of Damascus restored his sight. This transformed Saul of Tarsus into Paul the Apostle. Paul then began to preach that Jesus of Nazareth was the Jewish Messiah and the Son of God. “Paul’s experience that turned him from persecutor to apostle was a prophetic call and a direct encounter

insisted on interpreting Jesus as the fulfillment of promises made in the Hebrew Scriptures. Only Paul understood it. This is why he had such a struggle with those other Christians who insisted on the need to obey the law of the Old Testament.