Discovering Apostle Paul

Paul or Saul as he was known before his conversion, was a 'Pharisee of the Pharisees'. He was passionate about his Jewish faith and was committed to getting rid of new cults like Christianity. Saul set out for Damascus to imprison any Christians he found there but was dramatically converted by an encounter with the living Christ. Saul the persecutor became Paul the preacher.

Paul set out on three great missionary journeys. In Ephesus he preached in homes - the first house churches and in hired halls, where he invited people to come and hear the Gospel. He also preached in the open air which led to a riot as the followers of the goddess Diana found their income affected by Paul's preaching.

As a pastor, Paul had to deal with the pressure of conflicting ideologies and of caring for the church. He spent 18 months establishing the church in Corinth where the church had to deal with the immorality of the city. He was shipwrecked on the island of Malta and suffered other physical ailments. As a Pastor, Paul coped with these because in the Bible he had a resource that strengthened him.

Throughout history, the Dardanelles have been a barrier between Asia and Europe. It was here in 1915 that Australian forces were called on to attack Turkey as part of British plans during World War 1. Almost 2000 years earlier, the Apostle Paul pioneered the spread of the Gospel into Europe in this same area when he heard the call to 'come over and help us'.

Paul was never quiet about the Gospel. He struggled with his old Jewish associates to whom Jesus was just a political failure, not the Messiah. In Galatia, he had to deal with the Judaizers - those who wanted to add the traditions and practices of the Jewish faith to new believers. The presence of the Holy Spirit was evidence of their new life, not their following of Jewish law.

Paul's background gave him a good understanding of Greek culture and philosophies. But to him the Gospel wasn't philosophy, it was truth and unlike the monasteries of Meteora, where monks hid their faith away, Paul engaged with the philosophers of his day in the market place. In Athens he was invited to address the Council of the Areopagus about the resurrection and 'Unknown God'.

The story of the fortress of Masada on the shores of the Sea of Galilee and how Jewish zealots ultimately committed suicide, rather than be slaves to the Romans continues to inspire patriotic Jewish people today. Paul was a patriot and in his preaching recounted the history of his own people and explained how Jesus was the Messiah. He always went to the synagogue first.

After his third missionary journey, Paul was warned not to go to Jerusalem, but when he did he continued to proclaim the Gospel. His Jewish accusers said he was neglecting the law, breaking down the traditions of the faith. Addressing the crowd after the riot that ensued, he spoke of his own heritage and background. Even though he was arrested, he continued to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel.

As a Prophet, Paul challenged his listeners to live lives worthy of their calling with no idolatry, immorality or drunken and irreverent behaviour. He instituted the sacrament of communion, which Paul said looked forward to the return of the Lord Jesus. He dealt with questions like the nature of Christian hope and the age to come and death.

Paul saw the inside of many prisons throughout his journeys. He took the opportunity to write letters from prison to the churches he couldn't visit. Imprisoned in Jerusalem he was sent to Caesarea where he proclaimed the Gospel to Felix and Agrippa. Because he had appealed to Caesar, he knew he was on his way to Rome and he hoped to be able to strengthen the churches there and travel on to Spain.

Paul travelled to Rome and encouraged the church, met by fellow Christians. At the spot where he is believed to have died a martyr under Emperor Nero is the Church of St Paul's outside the Walls. Today, 2000 years after Paul lived, his letters and sermons continue to have an impact today.