St. Paul's Life and Ministry

St. Paul's Life and Ministry

• St. Paul wrote more than half of the books of the New Testament.
• He was a great philosopher who explained the doctrines of incarnation, redemption, etc.
• He was the first apostle to preach to the Gentiles, earning him the title "Apostle of the Gentiles."
• The Lord Jesus Christ appeared to him and called him to the faith.

St. Paul's Background

• St. Paul was born in Tarsus, Turkey, which was a center of Greek culture.
• He also had Roman nationality.
• He was Jewish from the tribe of Benjamin, from the Pharisees, with a Jewish name "Saul" meaning "prayed for" and a Greek name "Paul" meaning "small."
• He was the disciple of Gamaliel, the greatest Jewish teacher of that time, and learned the Jewish law from him.

St. Paul's Conversion

• St. Paul initially persecuted Christians, thinking it was pleasing to God.
• He consented to the death of St. Stephen by guarding the clothes of the witnesses.
• The Lord appeared to him on his way to Damascus, asking "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?"
• He was blind for three days, then St. Ananias the disciple prayed for Saul, and he received his sight and was baptized.

St. Paul's Ministry

• St. Paul started his service by spending 3 years in seclusion in the desert of Arabia.
• He then returned to Damascus and started preaching.
• He went on 4 missionary trips.
• He wrote 14 Epistles of the New Testament.

St. Paul's Imprisonment and Epistles

• St. Paul was seized and taken to be persecuted in front of Caesar in Rome.
• While a prisoner, he was permitted to dwell for two years in a house with the soldier who guarded him.
• He continued preaching during that time and wrote Epistles to the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon.

The Epistle to the Philippians

• The Epistle to the Philippians is full of happiness and joy, with the word "joy" or "happiness" repeated around 16 times.
• The city of Philippi is in Europe.
• St. Paul wrote the Epistle to the Philippians to:
  • Thank them for their care and gifts.
  • Let them know that he was well.
  • Encourage them to rejoice in all circumstances.
  • Send them Epaphroditus who was feeling much better.