Apostle Paul was a Pharisee: The Life of Apostle Paul:
The Apostle Paul was once a pharisee (Scriptures 1. Paul as a Pharisee). He thought he was doing all the right things and was very strong in his beliefs. Paul studied scripture and obeyed all the Jewish laws. He was looked up to as a leader and teacher.
Paul Persecuted Christians:
As a Pharisee, Paul’s main purpose in life was to persecute Christians. (Scriptures 2. Paul’s Mission for Christians). He was very ambitious about this and truly wanted to stop the Christian movement.
Apostle Paul’s Salvation: The Life of Apostle Paul:
In order to get Paul’s attention, the Lord did what he had to do. (Scriptures 3. Paul Blinded). Paul was a tough case. His conviction to persecute the Christians was strong. So, the Lord took big actions to get Paul’s attention. Jesus spoke to Paul and blinded him. Paul was blind for three days. God sent a man (Ananias), who was a servant to the Lord, to touch Paul’s eyes and heal him. Paul’s sight came back. A few days later, Paul was teaching in the synagogues.
Paul had Many Enemies:
Christians were understandably afraid of Paul and they tried to kill him. Paul had a lot to lose by become a Christian. He was a person of power and wealth as a Pharisee. Now that he converted, the Christians hated him for persecuting them in the past, and the Pharisees felt betrayed by him, and the Jews believed he was preaching blasphemy. So, Paul had a lot of enemies coming from all directions to deal with (Scriptures 4. Paul Had a Hard Battle with Many Enemies). He was beaten and imprisoned several times.
Apostle Paul’s Powerful Ministry:
The Apostle Paul’s faith was so strong that God performed great miracles through him. (Scriptures 5. Paul Performed Miracles). He also started many churches and wrote most of the New Testiment in the Holy Bible. He had a very powerful ministry and many followers.
Paul did not dwell on past, but moved forward (Scriptures 6. Put the Past Behind Us and Move Forward). Paul suffered with temptation to sin too and recognized his sinful nature (Scriptures 7. Paul Recognizes His Sinful Nature).
He was truly born again of the spirit. Even though Paul knew scripture well, he relied on Holy Spirit to get the message through (Scriptures 8. Paul Relied on Holy Spirit).
Conclusion: The Life of Apostle Paul:
The story of Apostle Paul teaches us much.
It doesn’t matter what you’ve done in the past, Jesus still loves you and wants you to follow him. Look at Paul – he was a Christian killer! Can you think of anything worst? His life ambition was to persecute Christians, yet look how the Lord used him.
God loves you no matter what’s in your past. You don’t have to change first, Jesus will take you just like you are. It may be hard socially to become a Christian. If your family has a different belief, they may get really upset at you. You may have to make new friends. Those things happened to me. Paul had to completely change his life and he made enemies. But it’s all worth it. I can’t imagine living without Christ in my heart. Unfortunately, I lived in anger for so long. I was in my 40’s when I finally accepted Christ. Now I have peace and love in my heart. Following Jesus is good! It’s a pleasure to obey the Lord. It makes you feel really good. Those old things that you thought you didn’t want to give up mean nothing once you have Jesus in your heart. Jesus is gentle and kind – sometimes convicting, but only for our own good. Please believe me, it is a pleasure to serve the Lord.
See: Life of Apostle Paul Bible Study Worksheet
See: Part 2 #3 What is Stopping You?
Also See: Free Bible Study Worksheets
Also See: Part 3 – List of Prayers
Leave a Reply