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Paul's ministry in Thessalonians
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Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians was both his way of showing gratitude and to give further instruction to his early Christian followers on how to maintain their faith in Jesus Christ, they now all possessed. The Thessalonians had not always been followers of Christ they were previously Gentiles who then converted to Christianity. Paul gave thanks and further instruction to the Thessalonians so that they could stay prepared for the Advent. I believe that Paul was aware that the followers of Christ what be subjected to temptation and suffering for spreading the Gospel. The Gentiles and Satan could have a great influence on followers of Christ if they are not prepared. Paul knows the struggle of being converted and in result prepared the Thessalonians through ministry and prayer. …show more content…
Paul was proud that the Thessalonians kept to God’s word and turned away from a life of idol worshiping and living in sin. The scripture found in (Brettler/Newsom, pg.2075) says, “For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living God, and to wait for his son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead- Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming”. The Thessalonians believed that salvation would come during judgment. “In reflecting on his initial preaching in Thessalonica, Paul sees that the people responded because the power of the Holy Spirit was working through his preaching”, (Kugler/Hartin, pg. 427). Through the powerful and genuine ministry that Paul brought upon the Thessalonians it enabled them to remain strong and faithful during
Aquinas, St. Thomas. COMMENTARY on SAINT PAUL'S EPISTLE to the GALATIANS. Trans. F. R. Larcher. Albany: Magi Books, 1996.
The most compelling description of Paul is that he is dependable, and will always be devoted to his unit even during times of hopelessness. Some soldiers gave up at the end of the war because they thought that the war would never end, and that the Allies would not give up until all the Central Powers were defeated. Paul is not one of those soldiers; instead he was the one that remained devoted to his country. In his description of war, Paul says, “…a great brotherhood, which adds something of the good fellowship...and of the desperate loyalty to one another of men condemned to death, to a condition of life arising out of the tension and forlornness of death” (272). This displays that Paul still remains whole, and that he hasn’t been impaired by
In Beloved, Sethe’s journey from enslavement to freedom is explained. Although she is physically free from the bondage of slavery for 18 years, but is still haunted by the terrible recollections of it as it is clear when one day, after many years , Paul D, a former and the last of the male slaves to survive after their escape from Sweet Home, the plantation in Kentucky, where Sethe was also a slave 18 years before, comes to visit Sethe and stirs up memories and its effects of her past which have been tried hard to bury and suppress.
Unlike the other churches like Galatians, when Paul writes to Romans, he is writing to a group of Christian converts that he has never actually met before. Despite not knowing his audience personally, his message to the Romans is similar to that of the Galatians- a bad destiny comes to those who do not remain faithful and follow evil and God determines the fate of those who have faith. Near the beginning of Paul’s incredibly long letter to the Romans, he warns them outright of their destinies if they reject all that is true and commit sins, proclaiming, “But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for
A young man, misunderstood, confused, and unhappy with his life is not too uncommon. Most individuals in this situation would evolve or conform to his or her surroundings. In Willa Cather’s, “Paul’s Case,� this is far from the truth. Paul despises living his life on Cordelia Street in Pittsburgh, PA so much that he lies and steals to get away. Sherry Crabtree, a critic of this story, emphasizes the use of symbolism in this story; she notes that flowers are used to show how Paul is isolated for his existing world. Consequently, the main idea of “Paul’s Case� is the struggle of a young man’s isolation; Paul’s actions show how he is disgusted with the way his life is going and will do anything to alter his lifestyle. Cather does an exceptional job using symbols to represent the way Paul is isolated.
The rest of this letter to the Philippians is much more praise and thanks from Paul. The interesting part about this and something to remember is that Paul is in fact imprisoned and rather than complaining about his situation, he takes the opportunity to give God the glory. Paul in fact uses the word “joy” sixteen times throughout this letter and overall that is a summary of what he is expressing to the Philippians. Rather than Paul merely rebuking the Philippians and making a laundry list of all the things they were doing incorrectly, Paul was taking delight in knowing that the Philippians were doing God’s will. Along with this, ...
Harris calls Paul “the most influential apostle and missionary of the mid-first-century CE church and author of seven to nine New Testament letters” (H G-33). It would be quite an accolade to receive such recognition, but what makes it even more remarkable is that Paul, or Saul, (Saul was his Judean name and Paul was his Roman name (footnotes B 1943)) originally persecuted the ekklesia or “church”. Paul went from persecuting the ekklesia or “church” to being its “most influential apostle and missionary”. Why and how did Paul make such a drastic change? The answer to the question can be found in various books of the New Testament including some of the letters that Paul wrote. This answer also aids in the explanation of how and why Paul argue with the Ioudaioi.
At a bird’s eye view, the audience sees Paul’s letter as seemingly addressed to the Christians in Ephesus, where Paul “labored for well over two years.” Because the Ephesians as the addressee of the letters are absent from the early manuscripts, it suggests that “it is a letter generated not by the immediate circumstances of Paul or a specific community crisis, but by the desire to communicate the implications of his mission to a wider circle of Gentile churches.” Matera validates this by explaining that it was indeed “a circular letter to Gentile believers in Asia Minor” and that it “functions as a summary of Paul’s teaching for a new generation of Gentile believers.” Paul wanted to show his addressees how salvation is brought about by God’s divine
In approximately 50 A.D. Paul had traveled to Philippi and then to Greece for the first time. During this time, he and two traveling companions, Timothy and Silas, they spread the word about Jesus to the Thessalonians. They formed a community of believers there and Paul was the founder of this new Christian community. He, Timothy, and Silas exercised authority over the Thessalonians according to 1 Thessalonians 4:7. “we were able to impose our weight as apostles of Christ”. The three stayed with the newly founded community for quite a while and it was not specifically stated as to how long they stayed all the book said was that “they stayed for a time to be”.
Thank you for your post. I want to comment about the Bauer-Ehrman thesis which revolves around the idea that early church was a pluralistic society in which all beliefs were held equal. He bases his thesis on the writing of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthian. However, he ignored the data of the New Testament. In fact, he did not consider the New Testament as a whole. Paul wrote numerous letters in the New Testament. The Apostle Paul that wrote 1 Corinthian is the same Apostle that wrote the letter to the Galatians. If the Bauer’s evidence is working with the writing of Paul to the Corinthians but not as well to the Galatians. In his letter to the Galatians, he does not tolerate such thinking. He was very uncomfortable with the idea of pluralistic
Outside of Jesus Christ, there may not be a more important figure in Christianity other than St. Paul the Apostle. Paul was at one point a persecutor of early Christians, however a revelation experience in the mid-30’s AD changed his view of the faith. He ultimately became the most prominent figure in the spread of early Christianity, as his many missions established Christian churches throughout the Roman Empire. During the time of his missions, Paul penned numerous letters to the various Christian communities that he had helped establish. Pauline writings were the earliest of the New Testament writings, and ultimately comprise a third of the New Testament. One letter of particular interest when studying the theology of Paul and the early
(Write and elaborate on at least 3-5 themes from the epistle). Compared with Paul’s other letters, Ephesians is harder than most to pin point the central themes. The most dominant theme present is God’s plan to reconcile Jews and gentiles; therefore, unity, the mystery of the gospel, and the holy call of God’s people will all tie into God’s plan to reconcile Jews and Gentiles. God’s plan to reconcile Jews and Gentiles for some is seen as the only theme of Ephesians. Paul believes the reconciliation was consummated through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The fall brought separation, man’s separation from God and man’s division among mankind. The first chapters clearly depict this and the rest of bible and history proves it. Paul being a professed Christian Jew, had to have a heart for all people. This theme shows that the gospel restores communion between God and man as well as reconciles man with man. It is here we see the true power of the Gospel. The second theme is connected to the first theme, and it is unity. Although Ephesians doesn 't outline the definition of what unity is, it gives a description of primary features of unity. Paul is an advocate for unity because of all the bickering that was taking place in Ephesus. People were divided on scriptural doctrine. Paul wanted to remind them that God creates one body to serve Him. He calls all sorts of people from various backgrounds, and these groups of people comprise His church.
The Apostle Paul is known as the greatest missionary of the early church. Paul, who once vowed to wipe out belief in Jesus Christ, was later converted to do the work of Christ. He would author almost half of the 27 books in the New Testament. He endured sickness, rejection, and repeated attacks on his life to bring the message of God's grace and forgiveness to Gentiles. Paul was the apostle largely responsible for the solid inception and growth of Christianity. He spoke before Jews, Greeks, and Romans. Paul is known as the apostle to the Gentiles. He defended God's Word before kings and emperors of this world. By the end of his life, much of the Mediterranean world had been reached with the gospel.
In addition to this, Paul notably makes his points in terms that the Romans would sympathize with - for one, at the beginning of the epistle, he writes that he is “a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians…hence [his] eagerness to proclaim the gospel to [those] also who are in Rome” - and generally makes his civic identity quite clear. (Romans 1.14-15) The Romans had a tendency to generalize groups that were not, in fact, Roman (or Greek) under the label “barbarian.” As a whole, his tone is indeed “eager,” as he states, in the sense that his message comes across as rather urgent and extreme, reflecting the somewhat common stereotype of a “fire and brimstone”
I Corinthians was written by the Apostle Paul to help young and weak believers to grow in righteousness. This letter was written between 53 - 55 A.D. This was during Paul’s third missionary journey, towards the end of his three years ministry In Ephesus. A few years later, he was receiving questioning letters and reports of problems that were plaguing the church. Paul was outright in his letter to the Corinthians, answering their questions and instructing them in several areas. I Corinthians provide us with a glimpse inside “one struggling local church” in the first century. The Spirit of the world seemed to have had more influence in the church than the Spirit of God. He warns them not to follow the pattern of this world, but rather, to live as godly examples, reflecting godliness in the midst of an immoral world. He sought to bring understanding to the issues of divisions, marriage and divorce, liberty and responsibility, the exercising of spiritual gifts in the church, and the doctrine of resurrection.