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Scriptures:
Galatians 3:28
Psalms 37:24
Acts of Apostles

Websites/other resources:
KWL A closer look at St Paul: A Christian Hero - https://app.kwl.com.au/year/8/6/6/KWL-8-6-6

Moodle documents
'The 3 journeys' - World behind the text
'Background to Paul's letters' - World  of the text
'Summary of the themes in Paul's letters' - World  of the text
'Circumcision in Judaism' - World of the text
'11 lessons we can learn from St Paul' - World in front of the text

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There are many lessons that we can learn from the Apostle Paul and his writings, one of them  is that ‘It’s okay to mess up’. It's impossible for us to be completely perfect, and that's why we need God in our lives. I understand that as Christians, we can be really harsh with ourselves when we make mistakes. It's easy to believe that if we make a mistake, God will abandon us. Paul has murdered a large number of individuals in the past. He attempted to put an end to Christianity. Even so, God loved him, forgave him, and had a plan for him. Know that it's acceptable if you make a mistake. Don't get discouraged by your mistakes but allow God to use them to transform and strengthen you so that you can be an encouragement those around you. This is communicated in Psalm 37:24 which says, “Though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand.” We can apply this lesson in our lives today. You can do this by accepting your mistakes and not dwelling on them, it is okay to make mistakes as long as you seek God’s forgiveness and love. An example is if you get a bad grade on an assessment, don’t beat yourself up about it as we learn from our mistakes and just think about what you can do better next time!

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During the time of the Roman Empire, the Romans managed to increase their wealth, source of slaves and patriotism, whilst maintaining peace amongst most people. In 27 BC the Romans began to gain power and formed, destroying the power of the Carthage, with their strong Roman Army always protecting them. Allowing the citizens to keep farming and trading in peace caused the leaders to gain the trust of the citizens. The Roman Empire stretched from Britain in the west to Mesopotamia in the east, some of the main cultural and ethnic groups being Greeks, Jews, Egyptians, Syrians, Africans, Germans, and Celts. Since there was such a large area that was occupied by the Roman Empire, safe and efficient transportation of goods and people was important. In response, the Romans built the Roman trade routes which were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance, transportation, and development of the Roman empire. Roman ships also patrolled the Mediterranean Sea. Across this vast region, there were also many religions followed, primarily polytheistic religions, meaning that they worship multiple Gods and Goddesses. In public areas such as main towns there were paintings and statues of their chosen deities and their families. Greek mythology was also very influential to the Roman Empire due to Greece’s geographical placement in relation to the Empire.

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Saul was a Roman, Jewish, persecutor of Christians who experienced a miraculous transformation in which he became dedicated to Christianity, documented in Acts of Apostles. Saul asks the high priest for letters to the synagogue in Damascus to take anyone who followed them as prisoners in Jerusalem. Before his encounter, Saul was single minded with the persecution of the Christians and determined to hurt and unjustly arrest them. On his journey he is blinded by Jesus, and he is instructed to stay in Damascus. Then a man named Ananias went to the house and healed Saul. Immediately Saul, now named Paul, could see again, and went to get baptised. This encounter led Paul spreading the word of Christianity and founding an extensive number of Christian communities in many areas of Europe. Paul after his inspirational encounter had such a large impact on the rest of Europe and Christianity itself whereas before this experience, he was a threat disgrace to the Christian community.

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Between 19 and 52 CE, Paul embarked on his second missionary journey. Paul began teaching and proclaiming salvation to all through Jesus Christ in Antioch, Syria, accompanied by Silas, a Jerusalem leader. Paul had a vision urging him to proclaim the gospel in Macedonia (northern Greece) when they were in Troas, on the tip of modern-day Turkey, so he continued to Philippi. Paul was wrongfully imprisoned throughout his time there but was miraculously released by God. Following travels to Athens, Corinth, and Ephesus, he sailed to Caesarea and finally Jerusalem, where he greeted the church before returning to Antioch.

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Paul addresses the cultural issue of circumcision in his letter to the Galatians. At the time, a main belief of the Jewish Christians was that becoming circumcised was compulsory for Gentiles to become Christians. This is because in the original covenant instructs that Abraham and all his male family members and descendants be circumcised. On the other hand, Paul believed the act of circumcision did not bring one closer to God; one who is circumcised does not have a closer relationship with God than one who is not. Subsequently, he challenged even Peter writing, “for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith…There is no longer Jew or Greek…” Galatians 3:28. Overall, circumcision was an important cultural challenge because it was believed to be significant and compulsory to become closer with God, but Paul proved that this was simply a physical change and not at all religious significance.

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Three of the key themes which remained consistent throughout most of his letters were hope and joy, the resurrection of the body and righteousness and salvation. Paul believes nothing in creation can finally separate us from God's love since God is supreme over all creation. We share in Christ's suffering, according to Paul, because of our suffering. As a result, Christians are encouraged to be optimistic and joyful. Saint Paul believes that life does not terminate when one dies. We will partake in Christ's resurrection life if we share in his death. We must be willing to share in Christ's sufferings as we follow him in faith, and we must die to our sinful habits via baptism. Paul's Jewish contemporaries believed that their Law could make them righteous. Paul responded by saying that the Law can only make us more aware of our sin, but it cannot deliver us from it. We are made right with God through faith in Jesus Christ, not by keeping the Law.