Class 3 Questions: Persecutor to Preacher

Compare Luke’s version in ACTS 9:19-30 with Paul’s own version in GALATIANS 1:14-18.  Number the following events in chronological order. 
__ Grecian Jews in Jerusalem tried to kill Saul.
__ Saul began preaching in the Damascus synagogues.
__ Saul went to Arabia and later returned to Damascus.
__ The brothers sent him off to Tarsus.
__ The brothers got him out of Damascus in a basket.
__ Barnabas brought Saul to the frightened apostles.
__  Saul traveled to Jerusalem but was rejected by the disciples there. 

How long did Saul stay in Damascus and Arabia after his conversion (GAL 1:17-18)?

Why do you think he went to Arabia? *

When Saul arrives in Jerusalem how do the disciples react (ACTS 9:26-27)?  Who reacted differently?

What was Barnabas’ original name (ACTS 4:36-37)?  Who renamed him and why this particular new name?

The root of the word encouragement is courage.  What does courage have to do with encouragement? 

In ACTS 9:26-28 what were the results of his encouragement?  What about in ACTS 11:22-24?

With whom did Saul stay for 15 days after he arrived in Jerusalem (GAL 1:18)?  Why do you think he chose to stay with him?

Compare and contrast Peter and Paul.  (Think about their backgrounds, heritage, encounters with Christ, ministries…).

ACTS 22:17-21 describes the Lord’s vision to Paul instructing him how to respond to the danger he was in.  What was Paul’s protest?  Why do you think he protests?

After he was rescued from death threats he was sent away to Tarsus.  We can’t be sure how long he was there, but it was probably about five to eight years.  Many conclude that the trials referred to in 2 CORINTHIANS 1:23-27 took place during this period.  Why? *

Based on ACTS 11:19-30 what caused the gospel to reach as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch?

Why do you think he went to Arabia? *

Whenever the Bible remains silent on a subject, scholars and theologians love to fill in holes with theories.  Here are a few possibilities why Paul went to Arabia.

1. Early church fathers believed Saul traveled there as a missionary, brining the Gospel to a group of desert dwellers.  If so he probably went to a populated area of Mesopotamia, east of Damascus.

2. Some scholars propose that Saul fled to Arabia to protect himself from Jewish leaders who, having heard of his newfound faith, wanted to nip it in the bud. 

3. Many believe that for close to three years Saul lived somewhere in the desert, cut-off from his former manner of life—in solitude, quietness, and obscurity.  He might even have gone to the wilderness of Sinai.  If he had ever been addicted to popularity, he lost the urge to pursue it during those years in the desert. If at one time he had become enamored with his own spiritual significance, that pride melted away in God’s presence. 

Reference: Paul: A Man of Grace and Grit & Paul The Apostle

After he was rescued from death threats he was sent away to Tarsus. We can’t be sure how long he was there, but it was probably about five to eight years. Many conclude that the trials referred to in 2 CORINTHIANS 11:23-27 took place during this period. Why? *

“We can be fairly sure that some of the trials referred to in 2 Corinthians 11:23-17 took place during this period, mainly because the ministry that is described in Acts does not accommodate all of them.  There Paul mentions, for example, five lashings at the Jews’ hands (v. 24), none of which is described elsewhere in Acts.  Such lashings were a common form of synagogue discipline.  No double Paul made persistent efforts in the synagogues in his home area to turn his hearers to faith in Jesus as Messiah and Redeemer, and no doubt he was subjected to discipline for his efforts.”

Excerpt from Paul The Apostle, Robert E. Picirilli (p. 60)