THE LIFE AND MISSIONARY

JOURNEYS OF ST. PAUL

The Mystery of God’s Calling in the
Apostle to the Gentiles
 QUESTIONS WE SHALL ANSWER
Who was St. Paul? Where did he establish the
- What was he before he first Christian communities?
became a Christian? What were his strategies as a
- What did he look like? missionary?
- What was his family and What were some of his trials
social background? and difficulties?
- Was he married or not? How successful was he as a
- What was his occupation? missionary?
- How did he become a What can we learn from him
Christian? and his missionary work?
 A BIO-DATA OF ST. PAUL
• Birth 2 A.D.?
• Conversion 35
• First Visit to Jerusalem 37
• Second Visit to J 44-45
• First Missionary Journey 45-49
• Second Missionary Journey 50-53
• Third Missionary Journey 53-57
• Arrest 57
• Departure for Rome 59
• Captivity in Rome 60-62
• Second Arrest 66
• Martyrdom 67
 WHAT DID ST. PAUL LOOK LIKE?
Acts of Paul and Thecla (an apocryphal book):
Paul is given a full physical description that may
reflect oral tradition: in the Syriac text "he was a
man of middling size, and his hair was scanty, and
his legs were a little crooked, and his knees were
projecting, and he had large eyes and his eyebrows
met, and his nose was somewhat long, and he was
full of grace and mercy; at one time he seemed like
a man, and at another time he seemed like an angel."
WHAT DID ST. PAUL LOOK LIKE?
 HIS NAME
Originally, SAUL, after the First King of Israel.
They belong to the same tribe.

“Saul” became “Paul” in Acts 13,9 (coinciding with the

conversion of the Roman proconsul, Sergius Paulus).
 BIRTHPLACE
TARSUS, TURKEY (Acts 21,39)
The City of Tarsus today:
NATIONAL, TRIBAL, RELIGIOUS
AFFILIATION
Phil. 3:
• circumcised on the eighth day, of the
people of Israel, of the tribe of
Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews;
as to the law a Pharisee,
• as to zeal a persecutor of the church, as
to righteousness under the law
blameless.
 CIVIL STATUS
- Most likely, remained single
throughout his life:
“I wish that all were as I myself am. But
each has his own special gift from God, one
of one kind and one of another. To the
unmarried and the widows I say that it is
well for them to remain single as I do. But if
they cannot exercise self-control, they
should marry. For it is better to marry than
to be aflame with passion.”
 OCCUPATION
Acts 18,3:
“and because he was of the same
trade he stayed with them, and they
worked, for by trade they were
tentmakers.”
 EDUCATION
Acts 22,3:
"I am a Jew, born at Tarsus in Cilicia,
but brought up in this city at the feet
of Gamaliel, educated according to
the strict manner of the law of our
fathers, being zealous for God as you
all are this day.
 HOW COME SAUL BECAME PAUL, AND THE
PERSECUTOR BECAME AN APOSTLE?

St. Paul’s Former Life:

“For you have heard of my former life in
Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God
violently and tried to destroy it; and I advanced
in Judaism beyond many of my own age among
my people, so extremely zealous was I for the
traditions of my fathers” (Gal. 1,13-14)
 “But Saul, still breathing threats and murder
against the disciples of the Lord, went to the
high priest and asked him for letters to the
synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any
belonging to the Way, men or women, he might
bring them bound to Jerusalem” (Acts 9,1-2).
ST. PAUL’S EXPERIENCE ON THE
ROAD TO DAMASCUS
 Acts has St. Paul narrating 3x (9, 22, 26)
that extraordinary event on the road to
Damascus during which Paul was hit by a
dazzling light, fell to the ground, heard the
voice of Jesus claiming he was persecuted
by Saul, and was given a mission.
 ST. PAUL’S EXPERIENCE ON THE
ROAD TO DAMASCUS
• But Paul never mentions that experience in his
letters. But speaks of a REVELATION of Jesus
Christ and of being called in the manner of the
prophet Jeremiah:
“But when he who had set me apart before I
was born, and had called me through his grace,
was pleased to reveal his Son to me…” (Gal.
1,15.16).
 ST. PAUL’S EXPERIENCE ON THE
ROAD TO DAMASCUS

• He also speaks of the GRACE (charis) of God

which has made him what he is now:
“For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called
an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But
by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace
toward me was not in vain” (1 Cor. 15,9.10) .
 ST. PAUL’S EXPERIENCE ON THE
ROAD TO DAMASCUS

• Models of Understanding Paul’s Experience:

- Call experience, like that of prophets?
- Conversion experience: but did Paul under-
go a change in religion (technically)?
- Mystical experience (without aid of senses)?
- Psychopathological: remorse of conscience?
 ST. PAUL’S EXPERIENCE ON THE
ROAD TO DAMASCUS
Whatever model one may use to understand
what happened to St. Paul on that road, one
thing is certain, HIS LIFE WAS NO LONGER THE
SAME AGAIN. As he rose from the ground, the
Lord became his guiding hand in walking in a
radically new way of life, pursuing a mission that
was completely opposite to the one he was
caught up with: the mission to bring God’s
message of salvation to the Gentiles.
 ST. PAUL’S EXPERIENCE ON THE
ROAD TO DAMASCUS
His reckoning of the whole event and the new
purpose of his life:
“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the
sake of Christ. Indeed I count everything as loss
because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ
Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of
all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I
may gain Christ and be found in him,
 not having a righteousness of my own, based
on law, but that which is through faith in
Christ, the righteousness from God that
depends on faith; that I may know him and
the power of his resurrection, and may share
his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
that if possible I may attain the resurrection
from the dead.” (Phil. 3,7-11).
ST. PAUL’S MISSION TO THE
GENTILES
• Acts 13: Now in the church at Antioch there
were prophets and teachers, Barnabas,
Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of
Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of
Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
While they were worshiping the Lord and
fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me
Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have
called them." Then after fasting and praying
they laid their hands on them and sent them off.
FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY
Antioch in Syria (Homebase)
Cyprus
Iconium (Konya) – Now Center for
Islamic Studies
Highlights of the First Missionary J
a. Paul accompanied by Barnabas and John
Mark
b. Victory over Elymas (Barjesus), the magician
who would have wanted to dissuade the
proconsul, Sergius Paulus, from believing but
did not succeed; was blinded instead.

c. “Saul” became “Paul”.

 Highlights of the First Missionary J
c. John Mark left them and returned to
Jerusalem
d. Success in Iconium: many were converted,
including Jews; Gentiles rejoiced, but rest of the
Jews who were jealous drove them out

e. Did many signs at Iconium but were molested

and stoned; at Lystra healed cripple, thus thought of as
gods; but stoned by Jews and dragged out of the city.
SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEY
Thessaloniki
Athens
Corinth
 Highlights of the Second M J
a. Dispute over John Mark; splitting into two
groups: Barnabas and John Mark, Paul and Silas

b. New missionary territories: Syria and Cilicia

c. New companion: TIMOTHY, from Lystra, of

Jewish mother but Greek father, so was
circumcised because of presence of Jews there
d. Spirit bringing them to Europe, to Macedonia,
after the dream in Troas
e. In Philippi, came to know Lydia who became a
believer; exorcised a servant girl who had a spirit
of divination, bringing fortune on her masters,
for which they were dragged into prison, but
released by an angel, and the guard baptized at
the end, realizing Paul and Silas had not
escaped. Paul asserted his rights as Roman
citizen, received apologies and was released.

f. Maltreated in Thessalonica; Paul escaped to

Athens

g. In Athens, Paul delivered speech at Areopagus

h. Came to Corinth and met Priscilla and Aquila,
tentmakers like Paul recently evicted from Rome
by edict of Claudius.

i. Came to Ephesus but did not stay long, though

he promised to return.
THIRD MISSIONARY JOURNEY
Ephesus
Highlights of the 3rd MJ
a. Apollos came to Ephesus and
instructed by Priscilla and Aquila
more accurately
b. Paul came to Ephesus (while Apollos
was in Corinth)
c. Did many signs in Ephesus; 7 sons of
Sceva who divinized in the name of
the Lord Jesus was overpowered by
the evil spirit who recognized them
using the name of Jesus, without really
authority to do so.
d. Incident with Demetrius, the
silversmith crafting statue of the
Ephesian goddess-patroness, Artemis.
Riot that ended with intervention of
The town clerk.
 e. “Funny” incident at Troas – Paul
spoke too long into the night and
Eutychus fell from the window but
survived (presumably by Paul’s
intervention!)
• f. The dramatic and tearful farewell with
the summoned elders of Ephesus
 VOYAGE TO ROME
Acts 25: Paul before Festus
Paul said in his defense, "Neither against the law of the
Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I
offended at all.“ 9 But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a
favor, said to Paul, "Do you wish to go up to Jerusalem,
and there be tried on these charges before me?“ 10 But
Paul said, "I am standing before Caesar's tribunal,
where I ought to be tried; to the Jews I have done no
wrong, as you know very well. 11
If then I am a wrongdoer, and have committed
anything for which I deserve to die, I do not seek
to escape death; but if there is nothing in their
charges against me, no one can give me up to
them. I appeal to Caesar." 12 Then Festus, when
he had conferred with his council, answered,
"You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you
shall go."
 LESSONS FROM PAUL’S
MISSIONARY JOURNEYS
1. The active role (guidance) of the Holy Spirit in
terms of which places they were supposed to go
or not.
2. Issues with companions – compatible &
incompatible partners
3. They preached to Jews first; only when the
Jews refused did they turn to Gentiles
 LESSONS FROM PAUL’S
MISSIONARY JOURNEYS
4. The power that Jesus had now were in the
apostles.
5. The amount of opposition and hardship and
life-threats they had to face.
6. The pastoral care which Paul and co. exercised.
7. The grace of God poured out on those who
accepted the message; the Church grew steadily,
there was no stopping its expansion.
 SUMMARY: PAUL’S STORY
• An extraordinary manifestation of God’s
GRACE, transforming a once formidable
enemy of His divine plan into its foremost
promoter and executor.
• Paul never looked back. In his life, we see an
example of TOTAL COMMITMENT TO HIS
MISSION AND TO CHRIST, HIS LORD AND
SAVIOR.
 SUMMARY: PAUL’S STORY
“FOR ME, TO LIVE IS CHRIST,
AND TO DIE IS GAIN” (Phil. 1,21)

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who

live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live
in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved
me and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2,20).
 QUESTIONS FOR US

1. How has God also intervened in my life? If I

do not feel He has, I might not be listening up to
now.

2. What “mission” have I received from Him?

Am I carrying out that mission now or not?