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GALATIANS 3:1-14;15-25;26-4:7
CORINTHIANS 12:4-7;12-14;13:1-3
PHILIPPIANS 2:1-5; 3:12-14; 4:6-9
ELABORATE - Website
http://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies/l/life-lessons-from-paul-13-session-study.html

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Interpret and apply one of Paul's messages for us today in 50-100 words 

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Interpret and apply one of Paul's messages for us today in 50-100 words 

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There are two main ideas/messages that are portrayed in the epistle to the Philippians in chapter 2, verses 1-5. I feel that this passage is all about connecting with Christ through sharing the same qualities and principles and doing good things for the cause instead of self-recognition – through doing this it will give you joy. Due to things like social-media, we have become a very self-absorbed and self-aware society and have neglected the values of humility and selflessness.

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Post 5 - Identify and explain in 50-100 words a cultural challenge for Paul that is revealed in one of the epistles 

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Post 5 - Identify and explain in 50-100 words a cultural challenge for Paul that is revealed in one of the epistles 

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There were many cultural challenges that Paul had to face whilst he was preaching and converting people into Christians. In one of Paul’s epistles to the Galatians, he writes to their community about the debated issue of the status of the Jewish law and what is to be required in order for the Gentiles to become Christians. A while after the first conversion of Gentile Christians, a group of Jewish Christians came to Galatia and preached that if you wanted to be saved, you would have to follow the Jewish law and be circumcised. The Galatians accepted this message well and decided to follow what they said. The Jewish Christians were challenging Paul’s honour and integrity, however, Paul acted upon this immediately. He challenged the idea of placing a burden on the Gentile Christians in order for them to convert. The centre point of Paul’s argument was that salvation comes from believing in Jesus not by the works of the law.

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EXPLAIN - Article: "Getting a handle on Paul's thought" and related document

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EXPLAIN - Themes in Paul's Epistles

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Post 4 - Explain the purpose of Paul's letter and identify the main messages in this preaching in approximately 100 words

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Post 4 - Explain the purpose of Paul's letter and identify the main messages in this preaching in approximately 100 words

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After Paul had visited and established new Christian communities, he kept in contact with them through letters called epistles, to ensure that they continued to grow and sustain their Christian beliefs. In his letters, he would talk about the wonderful gift of Jesus Christ. They contained one of the five main themes – The Cross and Christ’s Death, The Resurrection of the Body, Righteousness and Salvation, Hope and Joy and The Christian Community and the Body of Christ. There were nine early Churches of Christianity that he wrote to. These were Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians. In Paul’s letters, the main messages were the good news of Jesus (his resurrection) and that he was the Messiah.

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ENGAGE ACTIVITY SET 2
EXPLORE ACTIVITY - Locating the communities

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Post 3 - Outline the extent of Paul's first, second or third journey 

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Post 3 - Outline the extent of Paul's first, second or third journey 

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In 46AD, after Paul was baptised and became a Christian, he travelled on his first Missionary journey to ten countries in the Mediterranean world and preached to spread the word of Jesus. He started in the eastern area of the Mediterranean Sea from Antioch’s seaport, Seleucia and sailed to the island of Cyprus where he worked all over the island, with his companion Barnabas. They taught and preached to people about Christianity in synagogues in Salamis and several other parts of the island. Paul and Barnabas kept on sailing north-west to Pamphylia and then another Antioch in Pisidia. From there, they travelled east to Lycaonia, then down to Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. Then they travelled back through Pamphylia and Pisidia and then worked in Perga. They did this because they went back to check up on the new groups of Christians they had left behind before. If Paul couldn’t go back to some groups, he would write letters to them. After that, they travelled down to Attalia and caught a ship back to Syrian Antioch.

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ACTS 7:54-8:3
ACTS 9:1-31
ACTS 21:37-22:21
GALATIANS 1:15-16

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Post 2 - Explain the significance of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus in 50-100 word 

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Post 2 - Explain the significance of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus in 50-100 word 

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The conversion of Saul of Tarsus to Paul a disciple of Jesus, was highly significant as it represented a complete change of his religious beliefs. Saul of Tarsus was a strict and devoted Jew who persecuted Christians. Jews thought that they were blasphemous, dangerous and a threat to their community and religion. But on a journey to Damascus, a blinding light came down from heaven and the Lord spoke to him and said, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Jesus told Saul to go to Damascus where he would be told what to do next, however, when he opened his eyes he couldn’t see anything. So, the two men travelling with him guided him to Damascus where he remained blind for three days. Jesus asked a disciple, Ananias, to give Saul his sight back. So he did and from then on, Saul was devoted to God and preached the word of Jesus. I think that as such a strong non-believer in Christianity, something very significant had to have happened to Saul in order for him to change his religious views.

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ACTS 2:1-13(Origin of listeners)

ACTS 21:37-40(Greek and Hebrew; Jews; citizens)

EXPLORE ACTIVITY - Documentary

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Post 1 - Describe the Mediterranean World in 33CE in approximately 100 words

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Post 1 - Describe the Mediterranean World in 33CE in approximately 100 words

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In the Mediterranean world in 33CE, there was a period where Christians were hated and were thought to be dangerous and a threat to the Jewish community. For 507 years, Rome ruled this area because of the Roman Empire. There were a variety languages spoken in these areas as a result of many nationalities and cultures living there. The dominant languages were Latin and Greek, however there were many more. Paul spoke a vast amount of these languages, so it was easier for him when he was preaching to people about Jesus and the message he left behind. He preached to many ethnic and cultural groups in these regions, such as Galileans, Parthians, Medes and Elamites. Paul mainly travelled on foot, possibly on an animal and sometimes a boat to meet these cultural groups and preach the word of Jesus to them. People and goods were usually transported on animals, on foot and sometimes they would create wheels to transport heavy materials. The Jews and polytheistic religions were worried about the Christian religion that Paul was progressively spreading.