Paul's Influence On Johnny Awwad

Paul’s distinctive contribution to Christianity is his heresy- the doctrine of salvation by faith. A salvation available not just to the descendants of Abraham, but to the pagan, non-Jewish world as well. When he was writing to those in the Roman capital, Paul makes the declaration that proved to be the cornerstone of all his writings Romans 1:16-17, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, ‘The one who is righteous will live

Paul more than anyone was responsible for the spread of the Jesus movement into the Gentile world. By the end of the first century Christianity had become an important religious force. Paul while respectful of its Jewish origins moved the Christian faith into a position where it was no longer bound by Jewish law and was able to embrace people of any cultural background. After his own conversion, Paul passionately espoused his message from the Palestinian world through Asia Minor and southern Europe to Rome, the heart of the empire. Some of his letters by Paul to fledgling churches throughout the Roman Empire are contained in the New Testament and outline Paul 's theology. He insisted that Gentiles had as much access to the faith as Jews and that freedom from the Law set everyone free. It was this teaching which was essential for the development and success of the early church which would otherwise have remained another Jewish sect.

It was very likely that Paul wrote his letter to the Romans around 55-56 C.E. while he was on his third missionary journey. It is also believed that he was in the city of Corinth when he wrote it. Paul was writing to the church in Rome, which at the time the members were predominately Jewish. At the time there were approximately 50,000 Jews living in Rome. They either worked as slaves or had once worked as slaves, but gained their freedom. During this time, the Jews were given special protection from the Roman government, because they did not have to partake in pagan religious festivals or worship the Roman emperors. Unfortunately, in the late 40’s the emperor, Claudius, expelled a large number of the Jewish people because of a disturbance over a man named “Chrestus.” Therefore, the church in Rome likely became highly Gentile (Winn). In the event of these actions by the emperor the leadership of the Roman church became mostly Gentile.

Before getting into Paul as a missionary, it is important to understand his background. Who was Paul and how did his work have an impact on Christianity? Understanding the background of Paul will help us understand the words that he wrote. If you have your Bibles, please turn with me to Acts, chapter 22. Verse 3 gives six facts in one sentence outlining the background of Paul. “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated under Gamaliel, strictly according to the law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as you all are today.” Tarsus was in the southeastern part of Asia Minor and the major city in Cilicia. Paul was born in Tarsus and a citizen of this “no ordinary city” (Acts 21:39). Paul said he was “brought up in this city” which suggests he came from Tarsus to Jerusalem and received his education there at an early age. Tarsus was a privileged and prosperous city.

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

Friend…‘Paul began as a prisoner’, BUT ‘he ended as the captain’. What a difference it makes when a person has faith in God! Instead of vainly wishing for a change (Acts 27:29) or selfishly trying to escape (Acts 27:30), Paul got ready for the demands that would come at

Paul, formerly known as Saul of Tarsus, was raised in a Jewish household, but he also had exposure to Roman culture because his father was also a Roman citizen. After his family relocated to Jerusalem, he became the apprentice of Gamaliel, who was a Hillelites Pharisee member. Paul on the other hand, had become a member of the Shammaites Pharisee, who strictly followed the Jewish law, and believed that those who did not follow the Jewish law were preventing the coming of God’s kingdom. As a member of this Pharisee, Paul too part in the persecution of Christians who were accused of heresy, because he along with the other members believed that they were spreading and supporting a belief in a failed messiah, who we have come to know as Jesus Christ.

From the beginning of Acts, readers can see that Saul began persecuting the church, “entering house after house; and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison.” This caused many Christians to scatter across the regions. Therefore, those who left started preaching the word; not only to the Jews, but also to the Gentiles. Readers must remember that “a definition of the word ‘church’” is “belonging to the Lord.” If the church belongs to the Lord, nothing can destroy it; “Or, as Gamaliel advised the Jewish council, ‘If this plan or action should be of men, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God’” (5:38-39). Christians are continually encouraged throughout Scripture to stand firm in their beliefs and faith in Jesus. Today, persecution may look different or not as physical in some areas in the world, but it is still an active part of being a Christian. Again, as Fernando tells us, “…that persecution may be a necessary part of the Christian life.” Though Christians in the 21st century America do not suffer physical abuse, they do suffer from the constant pressure by the media forced beliefs, Political Correctness, being viewed as ignorant, etc. In the book of Acts, you do not read about the church fighting each other over denominational beliefs, but fighting for Jesus against the Jews.

Paul has traditionally been portrayed as having converted from Judaism to Christianity, and thus as both the original apostate and a threat to the Jewish people and to Judaism (Jant, 551). Paul’s conversion “was not the conversion of a terrible sinner from

Paul writes in Acts 22:6 that he experienced a vision, ‘I fell to the ground and heard a voice say, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me... I am Jesus of Nazareth.”’ Paul was blinded but continued on to Damascus where he became certain that his vision of Jesus symbolised his calling to spread the Gospel. When he arrived his sight was restored by a disciple named Ananias and Paul was baptised as he became a Christian, a follower of Jesus. This conversion to Christianity enabled Paul to believe that he had been given a mission to go preach the word of God. Paul embarked on journeys to towns where he would seek employment and gradually get to know people. Paul wanted to influence these people by speaking of his experiences he had with God and what they had taught him about Christianity and the teachings of Jesus. In these towns, Paul also established local churches and invited elders to run them whilst he was out of town spreading the word of God, ‘Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust’ (Acts 14:23).

There are so many things we can learn from the life of Paul. Paul was originally named Saul, who hated Christians and persecuted them. While Saul was traveling to Damascus to arrest anyone who was a follower of Jesus Christ Saul and his friends were struck by a bright light. They heard the voice of the Lord saying "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:4) If I was Saul, I would be terrified and submit immediately. Saul became blind for three days and on the third day scales fell from his eyes and he was completely changed. He went from a murderer and a persecutor, to a changed man named Paul. This is living proof that God can use anyone if they are willing. God can completely change the life of anyone, but it is not by our own strength

Paul would write an introduction, have a body, and then wrap up his letter in a conclusion. In his introduction he would identify himself as well as a companion and address the community by the phrase “to the church in ___”. He would then go on to greet the people by saying “Grace to you and peace” and would later offer thankfulness. His body included the issues he wanted to address and ways to solve them. Finally, in his conclusion, he would often mention where he was traveling to and then end with a prayer.Around the time Paul’s letter to the Romans was written, many were being persecuted. Rome had a long history of persecuting not only Gentile Christians but Jews as well. For example, Emperor Claudius expelled Jews that associated themselves with “Chrestus” or Christ in A.D. 49. This was just one of the conflicts of beliefs that Saint Paul sought to resolve. In his writings, he expresses how the Romans needed to remain firm in their faith during that time and how God would save those who were being persecuted. Another reason for the writing of this letter was for Paul to gain the support of this audience so they could help him possibly spread his mission to Spain and the West.Saint Paul was once again responding to reports he had heard regarding the people and the church in

Paul’s first missionary journey led to the creation of the First Church Conference where the First Church Council and Paul came to agreeable terms on exactly what parts of the Mosaic Torah laws Gentile Christians would have to obey. They determined that Gentile Christians did not have to become circumcised, but they did have to follow Torah laws against sexual misdeeds along with certain dietary rules. After a dispute with Barnabas, Paul recruited new companions, Silas and Timothy, giving him a vision which Macedonian Greeks appeal to him for help. In Phillipi, Paul created the first Christian church and was arrested along with Silas because of the accusations made by an irate slaveholder that Paul was trying to convert Romans to Judaism. Paul was eventually released because it was decided that there was no case against him and his

Saul’s occupation was being a Pharisee- a group of Jewish authorities who conducted the law. In his time of being a Pharisee, Saul participated in the persecution of Christians. One day Saul had a vision of Jesus and heard Christ's voice asking him “why persecutes thou me?”. After his vision of Jesus, he devoted his life to spreading the message of Christ and changed his name to Paul, to symbolise that he was a new person. Although Paul didn’t meet Jesus, he still travelled and spoke the word of Christianity and was one of the founders of the Christian Church. He taught the faith in Jesus was the meaning of Christianity. In Paul's lifetime, he achieved great things, but this would have been hard. Because he was a Pharisee, it would have been a shock to society that this administer of the law disowned his religion and perused another, especially because one of his actions was the persecution of Christians. “There is no longer Jew or Greek… for all of you are one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26-29). Paul portrayed foreigners to be the same as Jews. He explained that we are all equal and should love one another. Paul thought this because he was a Jewish turned Christian and would have been treated as an outcast

For some background information on Paul. His original name was Sual in Hebrews announced in the new testaments. He was yoked to a rabbi so he can become a rabbi him self. Paul converted to christianity when he saw the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the road of Damascus. During his life he created three big ministries to travel through the Roman Empire, and he did this because he was planting churches. His goal was to preach to the new Christians the word of God, and to give encouragement. Paul started his mission because the Lord asked of him to do so, and so the Lord provided him with wisdom and strength to for fill his journey.