St. Paul's Missionary Journeys lesson.ppt

Values Education grade 8

2. "To the one who has faith, no
explanation is necessary. To
one without faith, no
explanation is possible."
- St. Thomas Aquinas

3. Paul: Apostle to the Gentiles
1. Diaspora Jew from Tarsus – dual culture
•Hellenistic culture – Greek language, culture, customs
•Jewish culture – Scripture, Torah, Pharisee
•Double name – Saul (Jewish) and Paul (Roman)
2. Persecuted the Christian church.
•Stephen (Acts 7:58; 8:3; 9:1-2).
•Motivated by “zeal” for Jewish law (Gal. 1:13-14; Phil. 3:6).
3. Conversion/call (c. 32/35 AD)
•Appearance of Christ on road to Damascus (Ac. 9).
•Call to be “apostle to Gentiles” (Gal. 1:13-17; Phil. 3:4-9; Rom. 11:13).

4. ACTS 9:1-19
Meanwhile, Saul continued to oppose the Lord's
followers. He said they would be put to death. He
went to the high priest. He asked the priest for
letters to the synagogues in Damascus. He wanted
to find men and women who belonged to the Way
of Jesus. The letters would allow him to take them
as prisoners to Jerusalem.

5. On his journey, Saul approached Damascus.
Suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.
He fell to the ground. He heard a voice speak to
him, "Saul! Saul! Why are you opposing me?" "Who
are you, Lord?" Saul asked, "I am Jesus," He replied.
"I am the one you are opposing. Now get up and
go into the city. There you will be told what you
must do."

6. The men traveling with Saul stood there. They
weren't able to speak. They had heard the
sound. But they didn't see anyone. Saul got up
from the ground. He opened his eyes, but he
couldn't see. So they led him by the hand into
Damascus. For three days he was blind. He
didn't eat or drink anything

7. In Damascus there was a believer named Ananias. The
Lord called out to him in a vision. "Ananias!" He said.
"Yes, Lord," he answered. The Lord told him, "Go to the
house of Judas on Straight Street. Ask for a man from
Tarsus named Saul. He is praying In a vision Saul has
seen a man come and place his hands on him. That
man's name is Ananias. In the vision, Ananias placed his
hands on Saul so he could see again."

8. "LORD." ANANIAS ANSWERED, "I'VE HEARD
MANY REPORTS ABOUT THIS MAN.
They say he has done great harm to your holy people in
Jerusalem. Now he has come here to arrest all those who
worship You. The chief priests have given him authority to
do this." But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! I have chosen
this man to work for Me. He will announce My name to
the Gentiles and to their kings. He will also announce My
name to the people of Israel I will show him how much he
must suffer for Me."

9. Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. He placed his
hands on Saul. "Brother Saul," he said, "you saw the Lord Jesus.
He appeared to you on the road as you were coming here. He
has sent me so that you will be able to see again. You will be
filled with the Holy Spirit." Right away something like scales fell
from Saul's eyes. And he could see again. He got up and was
baptized. After eating some food, he got his strength back.
Saul spent several days with the believers in Damascus.

10. D.Paul’s Missionary Journeys
•First Missionary Journey (Acts 13-14)
•Barnabas and Saul sent out by Antioch
church.
•Cyprus and central Asia Minor.
•Rejection by Jews – acceptance among
Gentiles.
•Antioch: controversy over circumcision of
Gentiles.

11. ACTS 13:1-12
In the Church at Antioch there were prophets and
teachers. Among them were Barnabas, Simeon, and
Lucius from Cyrene. Simeon was also called Niger.
Another was Manaen. He had been brought up
with Herod, the ruler of Galilee. Saul was among
them too. While they were worshiping the Lord
and fasting, the Holy Spirit spoke.

12. "Set apart Barnabas and Saul for me, "he said. "I have
appointed them to do special work." The prophets and
teachers fasted and prayed. They placed their hands on
Barnabas and Saul. Then they sent them off.
Barnabas and Soul were sent on their way by the Holy
Spirit. They went down to Seleucia. From there they sailed
to Cyprus. They arrived at Salamis. There they preached
God's Word in the Jewish synagogues John was with them
as their helper.

13. They traveled all across the island until they came to
Paphos. There they met a Jew named Bar-Jesus. He was
an evil magician and a false prophet. He was an
attendant of Sergius Paulus, the governor. Paulus was a
man of understanding. He sent for Bamabas and Soul.
He wanted to hear God's Word. But the evil magician
named Elymas opposed them. The name Elymas means
Magician.

14. He tried to keep the governor from becoming a believer.
Saul was also known as Paul. He was filled with the Holy
Spirit. He looked straight at Elymas. He said to him, "You
are a child of the devil! You are an enemy of everything
that is right! You cheat people. You use all kinds of tricks.
Won't you ever stop twisting the right ways of the Lord?
Now the Lord's hand is against you. You are going to go
blind. For a while you won't even be able to see the light
of the sun."

15. Right away mist and darkness came over
him. He tried to feel his way around. He
wanted to find someone to lead him by the
hand. When the governor saw what had
happened, he believed. He was amazed at
what Paul was teaching about the Lord.

16. D.Paul’s Missionary Journeys
•Council of Jerusalem ( 50 CE, Acts 15; Gal. 2)
•Summit to resolve gentile adherence to Jewish Law
issue.
•Must Gentiles be circumcised (i.e., convert to Judaism, observe Jewish
Law and be circumcised)?
•Agreement not to require circumcision.
•Significance
•Preserved unity between Paul and Jerusalem leaders.
•Opened door to wider Gentile mission.
•Paved way for eventual separation of Judaism and
Christianity.

18. PAUL’S 2
ND
JOURNEY
After separating from Barnabas, Paul chose Silas to
accompany him on his second missionary journey. They
traveled north to Asia Minor. Their goal for this journey
was not to start Churches, but to encourage the existing
Churches to have strong faith in Christ. The young
Timothy joined Paul and Silas in Lystra. The apostles
journeyed to Macedonia, and in the city of Philippi, Paul
and Silas were imprisoned.

19. DISAGREEMENT BETWEEN PAUL AND
BARNABAS
Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the
believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord
and see how they are doing.” Barnabas wanted to take John, also
called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him,
because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued
with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that
they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus,
but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the
grace of the Lord. He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening
the churches.

20. D.Paul’s Missionary Journeys – cont.
3.Second Missionary Journey (Acts 15:36-18:22)
•Split with Barnabas – accompanied by
Silas and Timothy.
•Antioch through Asia Minor to
Macedonia and Greece.
•Corinth – 18 months; wrote 1 Thess. (c.
50).

22. JOURNEY TO ATHENS
Paul then stood up in the meeting of the
Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in
every way you are very religious. For as I walked
around and looked carefully at your objects of
worship, I even found an altar with this inscription:
to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very
thing you worship—and this is what I am going to
proclaim to you.

23. D.Paul’s Missionary Journeys – cont.
4.Third Missionary Journey (Acts 18:23-21:16)
•Antioch to Ephesus – 2-3 years; longest stay on
any journey.
•Through Macedonia and Greece to Jerusalem.
•Paul’s collection for Jerusalem.
•Relief for poor in Jerusalem.
•Symbolic of unity of church – Jewish and Gentile Christians in one
church.

25. D.Paul’s Missionary Journeys – cont.
5.Arrest and journey to Rome (Acts 21:17-28:31)
a.Jerusalem – arrested over disturbance in Temple.
b.Caesarea – held 2 years; appealed to Caesar.
c.Rome – house arrest; awaiting trial; preaching gospel.
d.Likely executed by Nero (60-65).

27. MISSIONARY MANDATE OF THE CHURCH
Then Jesus came to them. He said, "All authority in
heaven and on earth has been given to me. So you
must go and make disciples of all nations. Baptize
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and
of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey everything I
have commanded you. And you can be sure that I
am always with you, to the very end."

28. CCC 850
The Lord's missionary mandate is ultimately
grounded in the eternal love of the Most
Holy Trinity: The Church on earth is by her
nature missionary since, according to the
plan of the Father, she has as her origin the
mission of the Son and the Holy Spirit.

30. THERE ARE VARIOUS WAYS TO PROCLAIM THE
GOSPEL
•First, the truth of the Gospel must be shared with others
through spoken words.
•Second, every action of a Christian must reflect the Gospel.
We, Christians, should be doers of the Word and conduct
ourselves in a manner that honors God. However, we must
always remember that we should not carry all the burden of
changing the world because that is God's work, and we are just
His instruments. Our commitment must be to excel in the
things that God has prepared for us.