The Life Of Paul
INTRODUCTION: Evidently Paul did more traveling than any other gospel preacher of his day. He was either directly or indirectly responsible for establishing more congregations than any other preacher. And he wrote more books than any other person of the Bible. He is credited with writing the books of Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and perhaps Hebrews.
The following is an outline of his Life:
I. HIS CONVERSION. Acts 9:1-30.
II. HIS FIRST PREACHING JOURNEY. Acts 13: 1-14:28.
a. He leaves from Antioch of Syria.
b. He travels through the island of Cyprus.
c. He then goes up into Asia Minor (through Pamphylia, Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe) and returns by the same route to Pamphylia and sails north of the island of Cyprus back to Antioch in Syria.
III. HE IS INVOLVED IN THE MEETING AT JERUSALEM REGARDING CIRCUMCISION. Acts 15.
IV. HIS SECOND PREACHING JOURNEY. Acts 15:35 — 18:22.
a. He leaves from Antioch of Syria.
b. He goes north by land into Asia Minor.
c. He travels through Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch of Pisidia.
d. After traveling to the northeast he then journeys to Troas in Mysia.
e. While at Troas he receives the Macedonian call. He goes over into Philippi, Amphipolis, Apollonia, Thessalonica, Berea; down to Athens, and Corinth Greece.
f. He sails across the Aegean Sea to Ephesus and then down to Chidus and back southeast to Caesarea. He travels to Jerusalem and journeys by land up to Antioch in Syria. (On this second trip he establishes the church in Philippi (Acts 16) and the church in Corinth (Acts 18).
V. HIS THIRD PREACHING JOURNEY. Acts 18: 23 — 21:17.
a. He leaves from Antioch of Syria.
b. He travels by land north into Asia Minor.
c. He travels up into Galatia and across Asia Minor into Ephesus.
d. He establishes the church in Ephesus and spends three years there. Two of these three years are spent in the school of Tyrannus.
e. He then travels the coastal region north and around the Aegean Sea. He goes into Macedonia and down into Greece.
f. He travels back around the Aegean Sea and stops at Troas. He preaches to the brethren who had gathered to break bread on the first day of the week.
g. He then travels south to Miletus where the Ephesian elders meet with him.
h. He bids them farewell and travels by ship south to Chidus, then by Rhodes and Patara and back across to Tyre in Phoenicia.
VI. PAUL AT JERUSALEM. Acts 21:18-23:21.
a. From Tyre he travels to Jerusalem.
b. He is taken prisoner; he makes his defence before the people, and then before the council.
VII. HE IS SENT TO CAESEREA. Acts 23:22-26:22.
a. He is sent to Felix.
b. He appears before Felix.
c. He appears before Agrippa.
VIII. HE IS SENT TO ROME. Acts 27:1-28:31.
a. He departs for Rome.
b. They are shipwrecked and delivered at Melita. Acts 27:1-14.
c. From Melita they travel north to Pateoli. Acts 28:1-14.
d. And from Pateoli they go by land through Appii Forum and Three Taverns and then to Rome.
e. Then at Rome Paul meets with Caesar. He is then allowed to have his own hired house, where he received all that came in unto him. Acts 28:15-31. What happens after two years at Rome, we do not know.