Paul And Barnabas: A Thematic Analysis

I need to take a page from Paul because I sometimes have a tendency to be people pleaser and not a God pleaser. Paul’s mindset was all about building the kingdom of God. Paul was not moved by people’s emotions and threats that were made towards his life. Having a made-up mind really helps one to be focused on his task. Paul was task driven and motivated to build, exhort, and correct churches to ensure people’s souls were in the right standing with God.

The question starts in chapter 11. Peter encounters an astonishing disclosure that God is putting forth "the repentance that leads to life” (Acts 11:18) to Gentiles without obliging them to become Jews first. Be that as it may, when he goes to Jerusalem in the company of some uncircumcised (Gentile) men, some of the Christians there whine that he is abusing Jewish law (Acts 11:1-2).

Although it seems that Acts 15 and Galatians 2 record the same event, that is not the case. In the book of Acts, specifically Acts 15, Peter is in Jerusalem at the Jerusalem council. In Galatians 2, Paul speaks about his second journey to Jerusalem. The events that occurred in Galatians also relates to the events in Acts. The main question while analyzing both chapters is: Does it record the same event? There has been speculation that it is the same event told in both chapters, but it is evident that in Acts and Galatians, it tells the stories of different events. Both of these chapters detail similar happenings, but it is not the same event.

Acts 15:8,9 “And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.” God knows all that is in the hearts of men and is an all-knowing God. Nothing is hidden from Him. The Pharisees were saying that the Gentiles must be circumcised and the apostles and elders discussed the matter saying they received the Holy Ghost as did the Jews, and that salvation comes by faith toward Christ in their hearts. (9)

Reading from Galatians 1:1 Paul explained to them that Jesus Christ and God the Father, who caused Jesus to become alive again after his death, has sent him. They have giving him the authority to be a special worker and teacher on Christ’s behalf. And that it was not of any human form or that, he was not sent by men. In Romans 11:13 “now I am speaking to you Gentiles. God has sent me to be a special worker and teacher on Christ’s behalf. He has sent me to teach the good news about Christ to you Gentiles. And I thank him that he has given this important work to me.” Paul told the Galatians that “the good news that he taught them did not come from any human person. That no human person gave it to him or taught it to him but it was Christ Himself who showed him” Gal.1:11-12. When the apostles who were with Christ saw that Paul had a separate message from what they had. They were led by the Holy Spirit to give to Paul and Barnabas the right of fellowship for them to go the “uncircumcision” while they remain with the “circumcision”. (Gal. 2:6-7). We can see from here that Paul’s apostleship was different from the twelve representing two different gospels.

In summarization of Acts 16-23 it should be noted that Timothy joined Paul during this time as well as he was circumcised since Paul wished to respect the Jews and since Timothy had not already been because his father was Greek. Also during this time they commanded a spirit who allowed a servant girl to tell the future out of her which landed them in prison because her master was upset, during their time in prison they were able to escape but instead they chose to stay and because of this they were able to witness to the jailer and his family and they were saved and released. Also, Paul spent some of his time witnessing to the Jews but when they disregarded and insulted him he instead got up and brushed them off noting that it was upon their

In conclusion I believe you can basically break down Pauls’ life into two Pauls’. The first Paul is the Paul that was a zealous Pharisee who brutally maltreated the first Christians and their beliefs. Compared to the second Paul whom received

Christianity over the course of history has a vast influence on individuals, society and the way believers conduct themselves. It provides morals, practices and ethics that every Christian attempts to live by. Throughout the many denominations in the Christian church, Paul of Tarsus had a significant influence on the faith. His contribution to the development and expression of Christianity is immense and can be seen to stem from his writing and missionary journeys which have implemented his ideas and interpretations onto the development of Christianity. After Jesus, Paul was arguably the most significant figure in Christianity as his teachings form a significant part of the New Testament. Like may other Pharisees of that time in history, Paul sought to suppress the early Christian movement. He accused early Christians of blaspheming against God and breaking Mosaic Law. However, Paul had a life-changing experience when he had a vision of Jesus, and he spent the remainder of his life as a missionary for the early church. Centuries after his ministry, his teachings still influence Christian theology.

Although you may see no tension, because of your studies, between the writings of James and Paul, other scholars and churches find a tension between the authors. It is understandable why certain churches believe that there is tension. Namely, because Paul preaches that justification is by faith alone and James preaches a seemingly work based message (i.e., a message that states that faith without works is dead), it is understandable that churches see a tension. However, with your insight at hand, scholars and churches should reconsider the tension: since Paul was emphasizing the spiritual side of salvation and James is emphasizing the practical side of faith, the reader can understand that the authors are addressing two different subjects.

In the book of Acts, we see many continuations of different messages begun by other people. The book of Acts brings a connection to the Gospels and Paul's epistles. Luke and Acts were both written by Luke. The book of Acts was written after the resurrection of Jesus. It could be said that book of Acts a continuation of the book of Luke. We see that the purpose of the book of Luke is Luke trying to help Theophilus understand the things of Christ. In turn, l believe the purpose of the book of Acts is to show that the gap between Jewish and Gentile believes has been filled. Because of the new covenant, they could now become believers in Christ without having to fear judgement of not being of Jewish descent. The book of Acts is also very important

It seems strange that so little is known biographically about one of the most important figures in Christian history, but this only serves to add to the mystery and grandeur surrounding the Apostle Paul of Tarsus. Much, however, is known of the time after his conversion to Christ and what he did to contribute to Christianity in this period, and it is this that leaves a greater legacy than the simple facts of his life. The contributions that he made towards the cause of Christ and the spreading and formation of Christianity are what he is perennially remembered for.

In verse 15, Paul writes, "We who are Jews by birth and not 'Gentile sinners" Paul seems to be telling his gentile reader that the Torah has no bearing on their salvation. I feel that he purposely or inadvertently gives the law merit more merit than intended by suggesting that Jews are not sinners because they received the law. He draws a distinction between himself and "the gentile sinners" yet he is telling his audience that the ways, some of which are still a part of his own way of life, are irrelevant. He seems to almost make a separation of culture and religion. He seems to be saying that the rectitude of the Jews dates from birth, because the Jewish religion is a part of their culture. Peter claims to

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.

The values and beliefs outlined by St Paul to the early church are still influencing todays christians. Paul’s values and beliefs don 't only have an affect as but also his actions. Paul would get persecuted, stoned, hurt and jailed just to preach the word of the gospel and Jesus’ messages. Today as christians Paul’s actions back then have impacted us to accept everyone in today’s society and to not judge if you’re black or white, poor or rich or non-religious.

In the city of Athens, Paul is “provoked to give testimony about Christ to the unbelievers within this city. There were both Jews and gentile people percent in the streets and synagogue, which Paul is fluent in both cultures. This event is cataloged in Acts 17:16-32, where he reasoned with both Jew and Gentile worshipers (Acts 17) because of the idols that are misleading these people to false gods. The Jewish people who would have had a better knowledge of Yahweh, but have been stubborn and unfaithful to God since the covenant with Abram, should be able to understand what Paul is conveying to them. Israel has been waiting for the Messiah to come and save them from the time of the second captivity in 596 AD. But the people group that was most interested in what Paul was presenting, were the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. “And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying ‘May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak’” (Acts 17:19)? This is where it gets interesting as the Areopagus is where they meet for court.