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The Life of Apostle Paul with Rick Steves Journey to Turkey and Greece with noted public television host Rick Steves and introduce the Apostle Paul, Christianitys greatest theologian and missionary.

About two thousand years ago Roman soldiers executed Jesus of Nazareth. The story appeared to be over. But it was just getting started. Within a generation, pockets of Greek, Roman, and Jewish members of a new faith, developed communities throughout the Eastern Mediterranean world. In time, that new faith, Christianity, became the official religion of the Roman Empire.

This is the story of early Christianitys greatest missionary and leading theologian - the Jewish Pharisee and tentmaker from Tarsus who became the Apostle Paul.

The Life of Apostle Paul with Rick Steves comes with a helpful user's guide that makes this resource ideal for adult forums, confirmation classes and youth ministry.




The Life of Apostle Paul with Rick Steves

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Pauls preaching helped spur and shape the outward expansion of the Jesus movement, first into the Jewish diaspora and then into the vast, rich religious cultures of the pagan world. It is hard for us to imagine Pauls mission to establish Christian communities across Asia Minor and beyond.

There was no creed, no developed theology, no structure, no pope, no liturgical norms -- only the preaching, fueled by Pauls passionate belief that God had spoken decisively in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, revealed as the source of divine life for all who hear his Gospel of forgiveness and regeneration.

Pauls dramatic conversion from persecutor to tireless broker of the Jesus movement became the road map for the tumultuous history of the early church. Without Paul (or another genius like him), the story of Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified and risen Christ, might have remained a small heresy within Judaism, swept away like so many other subsets when Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D.

The birth of the new church was difficult in all respects. In his own poignant recounting of the trials that accompanied his preaching, Paul put beatings, imprisonment, shipwreck and the constant risks of the road well behind his greatest suffering, which he called my anxiety over the churches.


What were these?


Chief among them were dissension and rivalry within the church itself. Spies from the mother church of James in Jerusalem dogged Pauls missionary journeys, insisting that circumcision and full observance of the Mosaic Law were required of all converts, undermining Pauls insistence that grace in Christ alone was what saved.




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Space and time forbid that we examine all the questions in opposition to the imminent return of Christ. The most common were suggested by Robert Cameron and others to the effect that how could the apostles expect that Christ would come in their lifetime when they knew the I gospel had to be preached around the world, Paul had to appear before kings, and John would outlive Peter.

Dr. Paul Feinberg has an excellent answer. In this case, one size fits all or one answer works for all the timing problems:


What about preaching the gospel to the end of the earth and the death of Peter as an old man? The difficulties cease to exist when one realizes that the doctrine of imminency rests not on the teaching of Jesus, but on the Epistles. The Epistles began to be written in the late 40s and early 50s. By that time the preaching of the gospel throughout the then-known world was imminent, as was Peter's death.

The doctrine of an any-moment return of Christ began to be taught somewhere during the apostolic period of the church's history. The problems for an any- moment Rapture only arise if one makes Jesus' teaching the basis of the doctrine.

However, what sense can be made of an imminent Rapture of the Church before it is even formed? The point being made is extremely important, but should not surprise us.



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In a time when the church is threatened by interest groups and ideologies, and when parishes are in danger of being divided by the same, the Pauline letters summons contemporary congregations to find their unity in the crucified Christ.

Christians in Pauls day debated such issues as vegetarianism, eating meat sacrificed to idols, and celebrating pagan festival days. Even today we continue to quarrel over issues such as smoking, urban music, and hip-hop clothing.

The advice Paul gives in Romans 14:1-4 to both weak and strong Christians of his day applies to people in all cultures who debate questionable issues do not judge another.




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The apostleship of Paul IS special and different from that of the 12. Paul is God's apostle for us Gentiles today in this present dispensation of His grace to us. In his epistles God has set forth His word which is expressly TO US and ABOUT US today. The 12 apostles, in contrast, were commissioned by the Lord in connection with His program with Israel. Hence, their ministry and writings pertain to God's program with Israel.

SOME OF THE DIFFERENCES

Though this is but a brief examination of this subject, may the following list of some of the main differences between the apostleship of Paul and that of the 12, help to make this issue all the more apparent.


1. The 12 were called to be apostles by the Lord while He was here on the earth. (Matt. 10:1 4)

Paul was called to be an apostle by the unexpected reappearing of the Lord Jesus Christ from heaven. (Acts 9:1ff; I Cor. 15:8 10)


2. The apostleship of the 12 was to Israel alone, and then to Israel first, because God's program at that time was with Israel. (Matt. 10:5ff; Acts 3:25 26)

Paul was commissioned as "the apostle of the Gentiles" and was sent out to the nations, because the program of God now is the "dispensation of the grace of God" for us Gentiles. (Romans 11:13; Eph. 3:1ff)


3. Peter, and the other apostles, had the "gospel of the circumcision" committed unto them to proclaim; the good news of Israel's covenanted kingdom and blessings. (Matt. 10:6 8; Gal. 2:7 8 )

Paul had the "gospel of the uncircumcision" committed unto him; the good news of God now being long suffering and having turned to us Gentiles to accomplish a secret purpose with us. (Gal. 2:7 8 )




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To the unbiased believer of the Word of God, there is overwhelming proof that the secret of God's eternal purpose and of His good news to man was first communicated by revelation to the Apostle Paul, that he in turn might make it known to others. Not only does Paul himself declare this by divine inspiration but his declarations are amply confirmed by a comparison of his message and ministry with the messages and ministries of all his predecessors.

But while particular distinctions have often been noted in this connection, we feel that too little attention has been given to the broader aspects of his message and ministry as compared with those of his predecessors. Those great, grand truths which he was commissioned to unfold were the constant subject of his discourse and his letters, and his life and conduct harmonized perfectly with those truths and with the dispensation he ushered in.

To the believer this evidence should be conclusive that Paul was God's chosen vessel, raised up especially to proclaim the message and program of grace. But to those who hesitate to accept these inspired statements at their face value, we have further important evidence to offer in the fact that no other bible writernot even all the others put togetherhave so much to say about grace.




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