The Life and Teachings of the Apostle Paul: An interactive commentary from Acts and Paul's epistles

This is an interactive commentary on the life and teachings of the apostle Paul. It contains many illustrations and questions to draw the reader into the story and references to other scriptures which are related. The verses are referenced so you can easily check how I came to my conclusions. It contains some pictures which are historically accurate. Some of Paul's life stories are told in reading dramas which could be used on a church stage with just one rehearsal. We will work chronologically through Paul's life and epistles by starting in Acts 7:58 where we first read of him. He was a ringleader in the persecution of the church of Jesus Christ, and was at the persecution and death of Stephen the first Christian martyr. Stephan had said to him and the Jews gathered there, "You stiff necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears. You always resist the Holy Spirit as your fathers did." When Saul and those with him heard this they were cut to the heart and gnashed and ground their teeth together as a sign of their anger. They plugged their ears and threw him out of the city and stoned him to death. The witnesses laid down their clothes at Saul's feet. At Stephan's stoning he was described as a young man, so he must have been in his twenties during Jesus' earthly ministry, but there is no record of him meeting Jesus before his resurrection. At Stephan's stoning he was already a strong leader, and became the leader of a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem. The church scattered throughout Judea and Samaria except the apostles. Saul made havoc of the church and devastated it. He went from house to house and dragged men and women out and put them in prison. 8:3 His efforts did not have his desired effects because as the church scattered they preached the gospel every where they went, and the church grew. 4 Saul (His Hebrew name. Paul his Gentile name) was struck down by Jesus while traveling to Damascus to persecute disciples, and he submitted to Jesus' authority. Acts 9 He became the greatest missionary ever, and the most famous author in the New Testament. Paul suffered more persecutions than any other person. He was in prison often and flogged severely. Five times he was lashed by the Jews 39 times. He was beaten with rods three times, stoned to death once (but was resurrected or revived if not completely dead) and shipwrecked three times. He was constantly on the move and in danger from rivers, bandits, Jews, Gentiles and at sea. He went without sleep and had been hungry and thirsty many times. 2 Cor. 11:23-27 He was delivered from a lion. 2 Tim. 4:17 He was beheaded. He wrote fourteen epistles. In this book some of the epistles are woven into his missionary journeys to set them in their historical context. Later in life, when the apostle Paul looked back on that time when he persecuted the church he said that the reason he was shown mercy was so that by him, the chief of sinners, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his perfect patience as a pattern for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. I Timothy 1:15, 16 It may seem strange that Jesus used such an evil person as a pattern. Saul became a great missionary because he knew the gospel was powerful enough to save the very worst of sinners. It saved him. This book travels with Paul on his three missionary journeys and his time in captivity first in Jerusalem and then in Rome where he was under house arrest but witnessed to many who came to visit him.