E-Letters

This e-letter was written by my friend Ricky Cain. Ricky has studied the life of Paul for years and is writing a book about him. When you step back and look at the life of Paul in its entirety it's amazing how dangerous, untamed, and full of risk it was. This is the Christian life.

Jeff

The Life of Paul

By Ricky Cain
Nov 04, 2009

Paul of Tarsus is one of my heroes. This true story from his life - one of many I could choose from - will serve to illustrate why. The fine details of this story are debated among scholars and historians, but I believe the story goes something like this.

Some twelve years after Paul's conversion, he traveled to Galatia with Barnabas to plant churches in a region where the gospel had never been preached. Along the way, Paul angered synagogue leaders on the island of Cyprus with his message of a crucified Messiah.

Saul received thirty-nine stripes across his shoulders and chest by a whip made of three thongs of leather. Blood spattered all over his face and chest, and the pain was so intense, he couldn't scream.

But Paul was a driven man; driven by the life and passion of God within him. He would not be turned away from his mission. He and Barnabas continued on with their church-planting trip.

The two men needed to cross the sea to reach the port of Attalia in Asia Minor, so they bought passage aboard a cargo vessel. That night, a terrific storm formed and the crew fought all night to save the ship. By daybreak the ship had come apart. Barnabas was rescued relatively quickly, but Paul clung to wreckage the entire day and all that night. The wounds on his back and chest were on fire in the salty Mediterranean water. He was finally spotted at mid-morning of the second day and rescued.

For the next three days, Paul lay in a semi-conscious state with a dangerous fever and inflamed back and chest, yet he was more determined than ever to continue on. When he recovered, he and Barnabas set out to Galatia.

The two men began a 200 mile trek along the Augustan Road, up to the Pisidian plateau in the Taurus Mountains. This route was famously known as the wildest, most dangerous stretch of road in the empire. Unpredictable weather and flash flooding, and robbers and wild tribesmen made even Roman soldiers avoid the road at that time of year unless they were traveling with a garrison.

Paul and Barnabas finally arrived in the walled city of Antioch in the district of Pisidia. They found that the Roman colony's population had more slaves than free men. The small synagogue there rejected Paul's message. Undaunted, Paul and Barnabas planted a church made up primarily of these slaves. Synagogue leaders spread vicious lies and managed to turn the city against them, convincing city officials to punish them.

One by one, Paul and Barnabas were stripped of their clothing, bent over a stone pillar and beaten with birch rods. Paul's scarred back and chest sent a clear message to the Roman lictors that he was a repeat offender. They would not stop beating Paul until he lost consciousness.

When he awoke, Paul was outside the city wall, surrounded by the loving faces of the church that he and Barnabas had founded. Barnabas offered to take Paul home to Tarsus, but he wouldn't hear of it. There were other towns in Galatia that needed to hear the gospel of Jesus!

The walk to Iconium was painful and slow. After a brief rest, the two men planted a church there. Then, after perhaps four months, they could sense the city turning against them. This time they managed to slip out before violence erupted.

Paul and Barnabas made their way 20 miles to the small Roman colony of Lystra and planted a church there among the local Lycaonian people. Soon word reached Antioch and Iconium that the two men were in Lystra. Jewish leaders from both cities traveled to Lystra and successfully rallied the town against them.

Without warning a mob formed and rushed against Paul as he worked in the marketplace. He was beaten first and then stoned until he fell unconscious in a bloody heap. Convinced he was dead, they dragged Paul's body outside the city gates and left it crumpled in a ditch.

Miraculously Paul regained consciousness. His body was broken and racked with pain, but he forced himself up and walked back into the city. He was determined to show the fledgling church that they could do anything by God's power and strength within them. Paul preached not just with words, but with his life. He lived passionately and with reckless abandon to the calling he'd received. A servant, a leader, a brother... a hero!

"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21)