Paul: the "Super Apostle"

This week we'll be studying the apostle Saul (later known as Paul), from Acts 9:20-31. I want to challenge you to do a couple of things this week: 1) read the passage and some of the supplemental passages that I'll send and 2) look for things that either stick out to you or can be applied to your day to day life this week. Here's the passage:

Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. ²⁰At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. ²¹All those who heard him were astonished and asked, "Isn't he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn't he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?" ²²Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.^[a]

 ²³After many days had gone by, the Jews conspired to kill him, ²⁴but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. ²⁵But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.

 ²⁶When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. ²⁷But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. ²⁸So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. ²⁹He talked and debated with the Grecian Jews, but they tried to kill him. ³⁰When the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

 ³¹Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.

A brief background on Saul is that he was a ferocious persecutor of Christ's message. He was a witness to the stoning of Stephen in Chapter 6 and when we see him converted he had the very rare authority of the Sanhedrin (Jewish governing council) to extradite and imprison any of Christ's followers that he found in Damascus. After his conversion, however, he is given the title 'Apostle,' begins to go by his Greek name (Paul) and goes on to write 2/3 of the new testament as we know it. Romans, Galatians, Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Thessalonians, Timothy, Titus, Philemon and Hebrews were all letters penned by Paul to either specific believers or churches as instructions on living a life for Christ. The most amazing thing about all of this is the extent of NT scripture penned by a man who was not really even present during Christ's ministry. 

The term "Apostle" comes from the greek "Apostolos" which means "messenger" or "one sent with orders." For Paul to call himself an Apostle (Look at the first verse of any of the above-mentioned letters) when he was clearly not sent by Christ during his time on Earth was quite the claim! If all scripture is God-breathed and inerrantly true, by what authority was this great apostle commissioned?

Later this week we will look at the source of Paul's knowledge and authority.