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Post 6 - Life lesson from Paul's letters

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Post 6 - Life lesson from Paul's letters

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In Paul's epistles he not only writes for the people of that time but today, Paul’s letters are still a source of valuable life lessons. In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he expresses that improving your circumstances helps to achieve happiness and that joy can be found in amongst difficult situations. In the passage Philippians 4:6-9 Paul tells us to not be anxious about anything, but to by prayer, present ourselves to God. In doing this, Paul explains that having the peace of God will guard your hearts and minds in Jesus Christ.  "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7). Finally, in this passage he expresses that the Philippians must search for the good in things and that whatever they have received and learnt from him must be put into practise and in doing this, the God of peace will be with them. From this letter to the Philippians, a life lesson Paul teachers us is to find joy and focus on the good in things, even in difficult circumstances. To find this joy we must be one in spirit and in mind with God, focus on your goal with God and to present ourselves and have peace in God. For we must start pursuing happiness like Christians.

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Post 5 - The cultural challenge for Paul

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Post 5 - The cultural challenge for Paul

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There were many challenges for Paul when writing the epistles and converting communities to Christianity. One cultural challenge Paul faced was in the community of Galatia. In his letter to the Galatians, he addresses the status of the Jewish law, and what it takes for Gentiles to become Christians. When Paul travelled to the community of Galatia, they had no intention of circumcision. However, a group of Jewish Christians travelled to Galatia and preached that in order to be saved they needed to follow the conditions of the Jewish law, circumcision in particular. “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?” (Galatians 2). This was just a small part of the much more significant challenge for Paul. This significant challenge was that the Jews perceived themselves as more superior then everyone else, and they believed all Christians needed to be like them. This was a significant challenge for Paul as in an honour and challenge society, his honour had been challenged and Paul then had to defend it. This cultural challenge was revealed in his epistle to the Galatians.

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After completing his three missionary journeys, Paul wrote letters to ensure these Christian communities he had established on his journeys would continue to grow. In these letters, Paul reminded these Christians of the great gift they had in Jesus. The purpose of Paul's letters was to keep spreading the word of Jesus and to keep other communities believing, instead of them falling back to their original faith. The first letter he wrote to the Romans, the second to the first Corinthians, then the third to the second Corinthians, the fourth to the Galatians, the fifth to the Ephesians, the sixth to the Philippians, the seventh to the Colossians, the eight to the first Thessalonians, and the ninth to the second Thessalonians. The five themes in his epistles were, 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. One of the main messages in his preaching of these letters was to spread the good word of Jesus, which was that he resurrected and that he was the Messiah. This way, Paul sustained the beliefs of Christians, and converted many more into this religion. Today, these letters are still guiding and inspiring church believers.

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To help preach and spread the message of Jesus, Paul embarked on many widespread journeys, mostly on foot. To assist in making the journey easier, Paul used the network of roads the Romans had built throughout the empire. Paul had three main journeys all about 2253.08, 4506.16 and 4345.22 kilometres. Pauls first journey started in Antioch’s seaport Seleucia, where he was accompanied by Barnabas. They both sailed to Cyprus and arrived in Salamis where they spread the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. Next they went to Pamphylia and the other Antioch in Pisidia. There they entered the synagogue where the leaders sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have a word of exhortation for the people, please speak.” (Acts 13:13-52). Then they went down to Lycaonia working across Iconium where they again entered the Jewish synagogue. They spoke so successfully there that a large number of Jews and Greeks believed in what they were preaching. However, the ones who refused to believe poisoned the Gentiles minds against the brothers. After this, Paul continued to travel to Lystra and there they met a man who was born lame. Paul looked into the mans eyes and said, “stand up on your feet,” and with that the man jumped up and began to walk. Then some Jews came from Antioch and stoned Paul, but this did not kill him. The next day, Paul and Barnabas left for Derbe. They then went through Pisidia, and came to Pamphylia, they preached the word in Perga, and then went down to Attalia. From there they both sailed back to Antioch and on arrival they gathered in the church. Paul stayed there a long time with the disciples. These journeys were very significant, and preaching to these large number of crowds helped Paul spread his message more efficiently.

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Paul was not always Christian and a follower of Jesus, he was once Saul, a Jewish that stoned Christians. However, Saul was struck by a blinding light and he heard the voice of Christ, asking ‘why are you killing us?’ The light was God entering his life which resulted in his conversion. This conversion has been so significant as then Paul has been able to help spread the word of Jesus and Christianity. Paul helped and finished what Jesus couldn’t do. Some evidence of the impact Paul’s message had was the numerous churches situated in Cappadocia. There were over one hundred churches built there with many frescoes inside. If it wasn’t for Paul’s teachings and his conversion, then the religion Christianity wouldn’t be thriving today.

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The Mediterranean world in 33 CE was a time when Christianity was thought to be dangerous and a threat. In this time, Rome controlled much of this area of the world because of the Roman Empire which was around for 507 years. As a result of the vast nationalities living in the Mediterranean world, there were many different languages spoken. Some include Latin, Greek and Hebrew. Paul spoke many of these languages which helped him to preach the message of Jesus to everyone, but he also composed letters to express the value of Christianity. Paul preached to many ethnic and cultural groups of the time, some including Galileans, Parthians, Medes and Elamites. Paul usually travelled on foot to visit and preach to these groups but the transport of animals would have been used. Goods may have also been transported using wheels of some sort. The citizens of this time feared the Christian religion Paul was spreading, they instead were Jewish or polytheistic. Some main cities that were significant in this time were Cappadocia, Ephesus, Antioch, Phrygia and Corinth. These are a few examples of the main cities but are not the only ones that were significant at the time.

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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; 3:12-144:6-9
Elaborate - Website

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Post 6 - Interpret and apply one of Paul's messages for us today in 50-100 words

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Post 6 - Interpret and apply one of Paul's messages for us today in 50-100 words

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1. Choose one of the epistles listed on the right and read closely the identified passages.
2. Express the ideas in your own words.
3. Suggest why and how the message is applicable for individuals or groups of people today.

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Explain - Article: "Getting a handle on Paul's though" and related document

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

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Explain - Themes in Paul's Epistles

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Post 4 - Explain the purpose of Paul's letters and identify the main message in his preaching in approximately 100 words

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Post 4 - Explain the purpose of Paul's letters and identify the main message in his preaching in approximately 100 words

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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 or second or third journey  *Include a map

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Post 3 - Outline the extent of Paul's first or second or third journey  *Include a map

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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 to Tarsus in 50-100 words

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

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ACTS 2:1 - 13  (Origin of Listeners)
ACTS 21:37-40  (Greek and Hebrew; Jew; citizen)
Explore Activity - Documentary

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Post 1 - Describe the Mediterranean World in 33 CE approximately 100 words  *Add a map

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Post 1 - Describe the Mediterranean World in 33 CE approximately 100 words  *Add a map

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General Vocabulary                                         Questions to address
circumcision                                                        1. Why did Rome control much of this area of the world? For how long did it so?
stylus                                                                    2.  What languages were used? How common was written communication?
zealous                                                                 3.  What were some of the different ethnic/cultural groups living in the regions?
4. How were people and goods transported?
Religious Vocabulary                                         5. What were some main religions? What were some main cities?
pagan
theological
Gentile
missionary
apostle
disciple

Historical vocab/concepts
Roman Empire
Caesar
Slavery