"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

"Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with

God something to be

grasped,

but made himself nothing,

taking the very nature of a

servant,

being made in human likeness,

And being found in appearance

as a man,

he humbled himself

and became obedient to

death --

    even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the

highest place

and gave him the name that is

above every name,

that at the name of Jesus every

knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and

under the earth,

and every tongue confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father."

 Last time, we read that Saul was escorted to Caesaria, left, and peace filled the land. Saul went back home to Tarsus, to the regions of Syria and Cilicia ("When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet. I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. Under Gamaliel I was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers and was just as zealous for God as any of you are today." - Acts 22:2-3). Saul was a Hellenistic Jew. This meant that he most likely read scripture in Greek and worshipped in Greek. Just as English seems to be a common language used by most people of in the world, Greek was the common language of the day. The Greek Empire, through Alexander the Great, had spread into Judea. So in Jerusalem it was not unusual to hear the language of Aramaic as well as Greek spoken. Along with the Greek language, Alexander the Great had spread the Greek philosophy and learning as well. It can be noted that when Paul spoke about "the wisdom of the world" as he does in I Corinthians 1:20, it is the Greek world he refers to ("Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?" - I Corinthians 1:20).

We see that at this time Saul centered his preaching in the regions of Syria and Cilicia and that he taught well. ("Later I went to Syria and Cilicia. I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. They only heard the report: 'The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.' And they praised God because of me." - Galatians 1:21-24). Saul spent 5 years in this area from 39 to 43 A.D.

Remember that Saul was an observing, practicing Jew who just happened to believe in Christ. So at this time, he must have taught in synagogues. The synagogue was still the base of his operation. What this most surely meant was that he submitted to Jewish discipline. Because of his views about Jesus, he must have suffered persecution from the Jews of that area. When Paul writes about 5 times receiving the forty lashes, minus one form the Jews in his second letter to the Corinthians, this probably occurred at this time. ("Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham's descendants? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes, minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked..." - II Corinthians 11:22-25).

It appears that it is also at about this time that Saul received the unusual vision that he writes about in II Corinthians 12. It is believed that Saul wrote his second letter to the Corinthians around AD46. He writes that this event happened 14 years prior, placing the time of his revelation at around AD42 or 43:

"I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know --  God knows. And I know that this man whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows -- was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell. I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say. To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in  my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." -II Corinthinans 1-10.

It is interesting to note how Saul suddenly goes into the third person when speaking about the revelation, but goes back to first person again afterwards. No one knows what this "thorn in the flesh" is but there has been much speculation. Some have theorized that it could have been epilepsy (Julius Caesar and Napolean had epilepsy). Whatever it was, it was most likely a bodily ailment.

In chapter 11 of Acts, Luke writes about Antioch. By tradition, if not by fact, this is his birthplace. Was he there as he wrote these passages? Antioch was a city founded in 300 B.C. by Seleucus Nicator, the first ruler of the Seleucid Dynasty. He named the city after his father, Antiochus and it became the capital of the Seleucid Empire. In about 64 B.C. Syria became a Roman province. Antioch became the seat of administration for the area and this city was the residence of the Roman Imperial legate. By 25 B.C. Antioch was the third largest city in the Roman Empire, Rome being the largest and Alexandria second. Antioch was a planned city and was built in a grid pattern. Julius Caesar, Augustus and Tiberius all spend resources and worked on the city. Herod the Great build colonnades on its main street and paved the road with polished stones. By 25 B.C. this city was a great center of commerce and politics.

Christianity is growing quickly in this region and there are many converts in Antioch. The church fathers in Judea are very interested in areas of growth and it is seen in situations such as Philip's work in Sumaria that they send Peter and John there to welcome the new converts ("When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit." - Acts 8:14-17). Similarly, because of the number of converts in Antioch, a delegate is chosen from Jerusalem to go to Antioch--Barnabas. After Barnabas arrives in Antioch, he realizes he needs help and so he travels from Antioch to Syria to find Saul. ("Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts . He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.  then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch." - Acts 11:19-26).

How much convincing did Barnabas have to do? What did Saul think when Barnabas showed up? I can imagine Saul being very happy to see the man who stood up for him in Jerusalem. I can also imagine that after years of persecution trying to speak with the Jews of this region, Saul must have felt some excitement when presented with the opportunity to go to a city of new believers, eager for learning. But these were also Gentiles, not Jews. Saul spent one year in Antioch from about AD44 to AD45 and successfully taught a great number of people in that year. Note that the term "Christian" first appeared in Antioch at this time. It should be noted that until Barnabas sought out Saul for help, Saul appeared to be working on his own. Starting from this point forward, Saul always worked with others ("fellow workers") and often referred to his need for companions.

 Next time - News from Jerusalem