Speech: Paul Of Tarsus
Specific Purpose: Inform my audience why Paul of the Bible still makes an impression on today's preachers and teachers in all walks of life.
Thesis Statement: He wrote his most important work in 57 A.D., his epistles are part of the best selling work in the world. Paul of Tarsus was one of the greatest orators that have ever lived, and his writings and speech mannerisms are still practiced to this day by preachers and lay people the world over.
Introduction:
I. Background information of Paul and what led him to become the ultimate witness of Christ to the Gentiles.
Body
I. Paul's background
A. Paul was born a Jew in Tarsus
a) Paul was a Roman citizen by birth
b) Paul was a tentmaker by trade
B. Paul was Pharisee (A Jewish teacher of the strictest order)
He was a persecutor of the Christian faith and openly killed people who professed to know Jesus Christ as their personal savior.
C. Paul's real name was Saul of Tarsus
a) God struck him off his horse on the road to Damascus
b) The Lord asks him, "Saul of Tarsus, why does thou curse me?"
c) The Lord made Saul blind with scabs over his eyes
d) Saul agreed that Jesus was the true Son of God and said that he would go to the Gentiles (Non-Jews) and preach the word of the Gospel of Christ.
II. Paul was a great and influential writer
A. Paul wrote 13 books of the New Testament
a) The most important was the letter to the Romans that he wrote while he was in Corinth, Greece
b) Poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge regarded Romans as, "The most profound book in existence…"
c) Commentator Godet called it, "The cathedral of the Christian faith…"
d) Martin Luther wrote, "This epistle is the chief part of the New Testament, and the very purest gospel…the more it is dealt with, the more precious it becomes."
III. Paul was a great orator of his works and others writings
A. Paul defended himself in front of many high ranking Roman and
Greek officials and won the most important battles.
a) Defended himself before Felix
Felix afraid of the wrath of the Jews
b) Accused before Festus by Jews
c) Appeals to Rome when no guilt is found
d) Defends himself before Agrippa
e) Agrippa can find no fault, when Paul argues his case
B. Paul defends himself and his teachings at the Grecian Areopagus
a) Areopagus was the respected Grecian open court forum
b) Epicureans and Stoics sought to bring him before the court because of his views of their religion
Ruden, Sarah. Paul among the People: The Apostle Reinterpreted and Reimagined in His Own Time. New York: Pantheon, 2010. Print.
Paul the Apostle is the central figure in many New Testament writings. Many historians have attributed fourteen New Testament letters to Paul’s writing; seven of these letters are uncontested meaning historians are sure that Paul wrote them, the remaining seven are contested. Paul was not always a Christian; in fact, he persecuted Christians before Christ came and temporarily blinded him. Upon seeing Christ, Paul devoted his life to Christianity and set out to spread the teachings of Christ. Scholars often credit Paul’s leadership to the ability of the Church to become Hellenistic in one generation. Paul also answered specific worries and questions that his converters may have had in many of his writings; one of these writings is 1 Corinthians. In 1 Corinthians, Paul set out to deal with the many believers in Corinth who are divided into the followings of Paul or Apollos rather than Christianity as a whole. The converts of Paul in 1 Corinthians 12-14 were divided during times of worship because of jealousy invoked by the spiritual gifts received from the “Spirit”; the worships and the church became a place to boast who is closest to God, instead of a place of worship, interpretation, and love. In 1 Corinthians 14:26-33, Paul set guidelines in times of worship to heal the divide among his converts present in 1 Corinthians 12-14.
Luther, Martin. Luther's Commentary on Galatians, Fourth Edition. Trans. Theodore Graebner, D. D. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, (No copyright date).
Paul, also known as Saul, was an apostle of God who wrote the book of Ephesians and was sent to set up churches for Him. He changed his name from Saul to Paul because he wanted to start his life over, follow God, and live for Him. He wanted to start over because he was known as a man who persecuted Christians. Saul did not even notice he was doing wrong until he started to reach Damascus and a voice yelled from the Heavens saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Saul answered back, “Who are you, Lord?” then the Lord answered, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But, rise and enter the city, and you will be told what to do.” For three days Saul was made blind by Jesus and did not eat or drink. Then, Ananias walked into where Saul was staying and restored his sight, something like scales fell off his eyes and he could see. After being in Damascus with the disciples he proclaimed that Jesus is the one true God. Then, he fled to Jerusalem where he joined the disciples with the help of Barnabas, changed his name to Paul and became a missionary to Christ. He set out on three missionary journeys where on his third, he was put under house arrest in Rome for two years where he wrote the book of Ephesians. After his release, he left, went to Spain, and was eventually persecuted and martyred by Nero.
Paul and Jesus both have similar topics they teach. Not only that, but Paul and Jesus have very similar teaching styles, with the key difference being how they react to mistakes made by their pupils. Paul and Jesus both lose their temper at points and get very angry, but Jesus transforms his anger into forgiveness, where Paul does not. These similarities and differences presented allow us to better understand what Jesus taught by referencing Galatians as a guide. Overall, we see that Mark and Paul’s letter to the Galatians show the similar beliefs Paul and Jesus had, but also show how they react when those beliefs are
The historical cultural situation of the writer and his audience is that in this time Paul is preaching to Ephesus, and that the audience are mostly gentiles. Pauls original name was Saul, and he was an apostle who spoke the Gospel of God, to the 1st century audience/world. The author is much undeinfed, but most have found that it can be paul, and little say it was a follower of paul. His background was personally chosen by God. Gods best messeng...
Paul the Apostle, was a famous preacher of first century Christianity and was God’s tool used to spread the light of the gospel to the Gentiles. Paul is credited fir having written many books in the New Testament of the Bible. He was born an Israelite to a clan of the tribe of Benjamin, speaking the Aramaic and Hebrew tongues from infancy. He was an enthusiastic student and a stringent devotee of the Torah. He was the man that later had a peculiar meeting with the Lord Jesus Christ while on the road to Damascus. His life and duty were considerably altered and in turn eventually changed the course of the development of Western Civilization and culture.
Virtually all scholars accept the Apostle Paul as the author of Philemon. Paul, who was formally called Saul prior to his work as an Apostle, was born in the city of Tarsus, the Capital of ancient Cilicia. Tarsus was declared a free city by Rome, thus making Paul a Roman citizen. He was Jewish by blood from the tribe of Benjamin. Paul studied under the teaching and influence of the rabbi Gamaliel and became a Pharisee. As a Pharisee, Paul possessed a rigid adherence to the letter of the law and strongly opposed and fought against Christianity. Paul was converted to Christianity by Jesus on a persecution journey to Damascus in AD 33. After his conversion, Paul became a missionary to the Gentile world. He is believed to have written at least thirteen books of the New Testament before his death in AD 67-68.
While many Jews continued to follow their original faith, there were several that converted to this new way of living. Origination of Christianity starts with a Jew names Jesus, here it is seen again where present times were very difficult and Jesus was able to provide salvation to the people of his community. In the Jewish scriptures a messiah was predicted to happen and Jesus was believed to be the Messiah. In contrast many people did not believe that he was the Messiah and Jesus eventually was crucified by Pagans. Despite the horrific event that took place, Jesus was resurrected and passed a long his messages from God. Jesus brought light into the lives of the poor and helped the ill, he wanted a change to happen as there were many wars and chaos present at the time. After Jesus’ death, Paul, one of his apostles, left to travel around the neighboring countries and spread the name of Jesus and his teachings. Paul was a very important individual and main contributor to the success of
Harris calls Paul “the most influential apostle and missionary of the mid-first-century CE church and author of seven to nine New Testament letters” (H G-33). It would be quite an accolade to receive such recognition, but what makes it even more remarkable is that Paul, or Saul, (Saul was his Judean name and Paul was his Roman name (footnotes B 1943)) originally persecuted the ekklesia or “church”. Paul went from persecuting the ekklesia or “church” to being its “most influential apostle and missionary”. Why and how did Paul make such a drastic change? The answer to the question can be found in various books of the New Testament including some of the letters that Paul wrote. This answer also aids in the explanation of how and why Paul argue with the Ioudaioi.
Paul has given an extraordinary of example of humbleness to those who preach and teach the Gospel. Although, the Apostle Paul was well known prepared on any theological subject, he went to Jerusalem to meet with other apostles to verify that his message was alienated with the Gospel. Therefore, pastors and church leaders should look intentionally for spiritual mentors that help them to grow in their knowledge of the Gospel. (121, Habermas)
Jesus and Paul are two crucial characters in the New Testament. They both depict the Gospel on which Christianity is based upon, but there is debate about rather these two versions of the Gospel are complementary. Scholars like George Shaw claim that Paul is “anti-Christian,” and he “produced a fantastic theology” (Shaw 415-416). On the other hand, I believe that even though Jesus and Paul may present the Gospel different at times, they are still advocating the same religion. Through the understanding of the Gospels and Paul’s letters it is clear that Jesus and Paul have the same underlining goals and values.
The early life of the Apostle Paul is a broad overview of his youth growing up in Tarsus.
It is important for me to remember when preparing a sermon, that it is not about the preacher, but through preaching, God the Holy Spirit does the work of giving God’s
As time went on I grew to be a man of firm convictions and fiery temperament. I always acted on my beliefs. Thus, when I was confronted with what I understood to be a heresy to Judaism, I worked with all my might to quell it. This heresy would one day come to be known as Christianity and at that time I, referred to then as Saul of Tarsus, was among the foremost of its persecutors.