Overview of Paul s Ministry I.) First Missionary Journey (Acts 13 14:28) (Date: AD 47 49) a. Starts at Antioch in Syria i. Church commissioned Paul and Barnabas for missionary journey (John Mark joined them as well) b. Cypress i. Sergius Paulus (proconsul) converted c. Perga (13:13) i. John Mark deserts/ goes back to Jerusalem d. Antioch in Pisidia i. Word of the Lord spreads throughout region ii. Jews stir up city and Paul and Barnabas are expelled from the city e. Iconium i. Many Jews and Gentiles believed ii. Paul and Barnabas stayed for a long time defending the Gospel iii. Fled to Lystra at threat of stoning by the Jews and Gentiles f. Lystra/ Derbe i. Paul heals a man who can t walk, and the people think that Paul and Barnabas are their gods come incarnate. Call Barnabas Zeus and Paul they call Hermes, and begin preparations to sacrifice to them before Paul and Barnabas try to stop it. ii. Jews from Antioch and Iconium arrive and persuade multitudes to stone Paul. They do so to the point that they think he is dead g. Journey back to Antioch i. Passed back through previous cities preaching as they went and appointing elders h. Antioch i. Reported on missionary Journey ii. Stayed for a long time, iii. Wrote the letter to the Galatians during this time, just before the Jerusalem Council II.) Furlough 1 (Acts 15:1 35) (Date: c.a. AD 48/49) a. Jerusalem Council i. Paul and Barnabas go to defend spreading the gospel to the Gentiles. ii. They along with Peter and James convince the council that there is no need for gentile believers to be circumcised or become Jews before they become Christians iii. Go back to Antioch with the Council s decree along with Silas and Judas III.) Second Missionary Journey (Acts 15:36 18:21) (Date: AD 49/50 52)
a. Paul and Barnabas split over John Mark (Paul doesn t want to take him along since he deserted them, Barnabas wants him to go with them) i. Barnabas and John Mark head to Cyprus. ii. Paul selects Silas and they travel through Syria and Cilicia b. Meet Timothy in Derbe/ Lystra. Timothy joins them in the journey i. Paul circumcises him c. Want to go to Asia, Holy Spirit prevents. d. Vision while in Troas, to go over to Macedonia e. Philippi i. Lydia baptized while Paul and crew ministered in Philippi ii. Paul and Silas beaten and thrown in jail (for healing a demonpossessed slave girl) 1. Prison guard converted after the earthquake. iii. Set free from Prison and stayed at Lydia s house for a while, ministering to the church that met in her home. f. Thessalonica i. 3 5 week stay. Many saved. Jews stir up trouble and Paul and Silas leave for Berea g. Berea i. Many saved. Trouble makers from Thessalonica come make trouble in Berea, Paul leaves for Athens, Silas and Timothy stay for a while, until Paul sends for them. h. Athens i. Paul reasons with the Athenians from Philosophy, and there worship of the unknown god. i. Corinth i. Meets Aquila and Priscilla who have come from Rome because of Emperor Claudius edict ii. Silas and Timothy catch back up with him iii. Crispus, ruler of the synagogue, is saved iv. Stays 1 year and 6 months preaching and teaching. Many saved. 1. during this time he writes both 1 st and 2 nd Thessalonians (c.a. 50 51) j. Journey back to Antioch i. Ephesus 1. Aquila and Priscilla left in Ephesus to minister 2. people of Ephesus implore Paul to stay and minister to them, but he must press on IV.) Furlough 2 Antioch (Acts 18:22) (Date: c.a. AD 52) V.) Third Missionary Journey (Acts 18:23 21:17) (Date: AD 52/53 57) a. Begins by going around Galatia and Phrygia again. Strengthening the believers there
b. Ephesus i. Apollos discipled by Aquila and Priscilla and sent to Corinth ii. Paul baptizes the Ephesian believers in the name of Jesus iii. Ministers in the area for 2 years 1. 1 st Corinthian written (c.a. 55) 2. Many miracles performed by God through Paul iv. Sends Timothy and Erastus to Macedonia v. After a near riot and huge uproar, Paul leaves for Macedonia c. Macedonia i. Probably wrote 2 nd Corinthians during this 3 month time frame (c.a. 55 or 56) ii. Visits (among others): 1. Berea 2. Philippi 3. Thessalonica 4. Athens 5. Corinth a. While in Corinth, wrote the Epistle to the Romans (c.a. 57) d. At Troas, God, via Paul, restores the life of a dead young boy e. Heading for Jerusalem. Wants to arrive by Pentecost. i. From Miletus, he calls for the Ephesian leaders of the church, and then exhorts them. Warning them of false prophets and letting them know that they will never see him again. ii. Disciples at Tyre tell Paul not to go to Jerusalem. iii. At the home of Phillip the evangelist, Agabus a prophet form Judea prophesies of Paul being bound in Jerusalem VI.) Final Trip to Rome (21:18 28:31) (Date: AD 57 62) a. Jerusalem i. Charged with bring Gentiles into the temple, 1. Seized by Jews while he is in the temple and they begin to beat him to death. 2. Saved by Roman guards who stop the disturbance, but arrest him 3. Addresses the mob giving testimony and in doing so, shares the gospel 4. Jews get angry when he tells them that God sent him to the Gentiles 5. Released from shackles because he is a Roman citizen ii. God reveals to Paul that he must go to Rome iii. Plot to kill Paul is discovered iv. Roman commander sends him to Felix in Caesarea b. Caesarea i. Trial before Felix 1. Jews accuse 2. Paul responds
3. Felix won t make a decision a. Paul gets to testify before Felix on and off for 2 years (Caesarean Imprisonment) (c.a. 57 59) ii. Felix replaced by Festus 1. Festus looks into the situation wanting to do the Jews a favor 2. Paul appeals to Caesar iii. King Agrippa asks to hear Paul 1. Paul gives his testimony (pre conversion life, conversion experience, post conversion life) 2. Agrippa admits that Paul almost persuades [him] to become a Christian (26:28) c. Journey to Rome i. Allowed to visit friends in Sidon ii. Sail on from Crete against Paul s warning, and encounter a storm for 14 days, resulting in shipwreck on Malta. 1. Viper bite on Paul has no effect 2. Paul heals the father of Publius 3. Stay on Malta 3 months d. Rome (First Roman Imprisonment) i. Paul Allowed to dwell by him self with the soldier who guarded him (Possibly, he was under house arrest, in a house he rented in Rome) ii. Paul calls the local Jews and tells them of why he was sent to Rome, explaining all that has occurred and sharing the gospel with them. 1. some believe, so do not 2. some are offended by his ministry to the Gentiles iii. Dwells for 2 years under house arrest, preaching the kingdom of God with all confidence, no one forbidding him (28:31) 1. during this time Paul wrote: a. Circulating letter to the churches around Ephesus (c.a. 61) b. Letter to the church at Collase (c.a. 61) c. Letter to Philemon to receive back graciously his runaway slave Onesimus and set him free (c.a. 61) d. Letter to Philippians (c.a. 62) Book ends abruptly. The reason for this is that Luke wrote the book in 62 AD while Paul was still in prison (house arrest), and thus it does not record his later release and subsequent ministry and later capture and execution because obviously they had not happened yet. But to complete an overview of Paul s ministry, the below is a tentative overview based upon various scriptures coupled with historical writings.
VII.) Ministry after the book of Acts ends (c.a. 62ish 68ish) a. Released from prison (c.a. 62) b. Silent Years / Fourth Missionary Journey i. There are about 3 4 years that are unaccounted for in church history concerning Paul s ministry. Many think that during this time he finally made his way to Spain and ministered there around 62 65). ii. From 65 67 Paul ministered around the Aegean Sea iii. During this interim between his first Roman imprisonment and his second (62 66/67) Paul wrote 1 Timothy and Titus c. Capture i. Most likely location for capture is Troas (c.a. 67) ii. Transported to Rome where he was held in a cold dungeon like prison, chained down. d. Executed in Rome under Nero(c.a. 67) i. While awaiting execution writes 2 Timothy.