Paul's Missionary Journeys

The Christian Church today is active around the world. You can find faithful believers professing Jesus Christ is Lord and teaching salvation by grace alone in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa alike. Churches and denominations commission and send missionaries to be the hands and feet of Christ to communities near and far. This work and activity is not new for Christians. It started with the apostles and the early Church as they eagerly spread the message of Jesus and taught new believers the foundations of faith. 

The Book of Acts records the incredible efforts, stalwart faith, and profound sermons that ignited the flame of our Christian faith. These early experiences and teachings of the Church yielded fruitful instruction and wisdom for Christians throughout the ages. Join Groundwork for our series, “Paul's Missionary Journeys,” and together we’ll examine the prolific and effective work of the Apostle Paul to root our faith securely in the foundational truths of Jesus and to strengthen our own ability to confidently share our faith and continue spreading the good news of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth today. 

Who was Paul?

The apostle Paul was one of the most active evangelists of the early church. He is an apostle because he encountered the risen Jesus. This encounter is recorded in his dramatic conversion story found in Acts 9. Originally known as Saul, that encounter with Jesus changed his whole life trajectory. He stopped persecuting Christians, somewhere along the line his name changed from Saul to Paul, and he began preaching and teaching about Jesus everywhere he went.  

Acts 23:6 and Philippians 3:5-6 tell us that Paul was not only Jewish, he was a Pharisee. This meant he knew the Jewish scriptures and was well-trained to interpret them. This gave him the skills and knowledge to preach and teach with authority. Acts 9 describes how he started his ministry locally in Damascus and Jerusalem. A couple of chapters later in Acts 11 we find out the gospel is spreading and people further north in Antioch have heard about Jesus and believed. Another apostle, Barnabas, gets Saul/Paul and brings him there to teach and nurture the church in Antioch. 

What are Missionary Journeys?

After spending time in Antioch, the believers recognized that the Holy Spirit had gifted Paul and they commissioned and sent him out to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ and plant new churches. Often with a companion, Paul traveled from place to place living among the people and teaching about Jesus as Messiah. The stories from his journeys are recorded in the second half of Acts, chapters 13-28. The churches Paul planted on these journeys are the same churches to whom he wrote letters of instruction, correction, and guidance. 

The Impact of Paul’s Missionary Journeys on Our Faith

When we study Paul’s missionary journeys and how the early church worked out the meaning of the gospel of Jesus Christ for their daily lives, we understand our heritage and gain wisdom for our future. Paul’s preaching and teaching on these journeys lay the foundation for the doctrine of belief Christians ascribe to still today. Understanding how Paul and the other apostles worked together through disagreement to come to a new understanding in light of Christ gives us a framework to reexamine our own practices in the light of the gospel.  Witnessing the two ways people responded to the gospel: acceptance or opposition, helps us accept this reality when it happens to us still today. It gives us confidence to share our faith in Jesus Christ, knowing that God works through the good and the bad, our successes and our trials. 

I invite you to learn important lessons about what it means and what it looks like to be an ambassador for Christ through our Groundwork series, “Paul's Missionary Journeys”:

• Paul's First Journey: The Gospel Spreads and the Church Grows - Acts 13-14
• The Jerusalem Council: The Church Resolves Division and Seeks Unity - Acts 15:1-38
• Paul's Second Journey: Jesus the Messiah and the Resurrection of the Dead - Acts 15:39-18:22
• Paul's Third Journey: Strengthening and Encouraging Believers - Acts 18:23–21:17
• Paul's Journey to Rome: Proclaiming Jesus Everywhere - Acts 21:27-28:31

...and together we’ll consider our part in Jesus’ Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), learn to disciple other believers, and rejoice that the Holy Spirit is still at work spreading the good news of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth.