A Portrait of Apostle Paul

The apostle Paul was not always a Christian advocate. He learned traditional documents and Hebrew Scriptures with his father in his childhood home in Tarsus. At age ten, he was delivered to Jerusalem to examine with Rabbi Gamaliel a respected Pharisee and son of Rabbi Hillel. Rabbi Hillel established the school that thought that tradition was better than the Law. The religious school of Gamaliel used a common interpretation of Scripture. Relying upon something of Scriptural exegesis, learned men met to go over Old Testament passages. Students were trained to contradict, doubt and question what they read by giving varying interpretations and presenting illustrations to support the different interpretations.
As a rabbinical scholar of Gamaliel, Saul was a first hand experience of the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:58). Later, Saul entered upon a journey to Damascus to persecute some early Christians. He was stopped on the street by a flash of light that blinded him. 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me'? Jesus asked (Acts 9:3-4). That incident changed the course of Saul's life and his name. He became a follower of Jesus in place of as the promised Messiah persecuting others for their belief in Jesus. After converting to Christianity and performing many years of instruction and fellowship with other Christians, Paul was now prepared to start his ministry.
In Pisidian Antioch Paul began his Christian ministry with Barnabas at his side. He realized his main ministry was to bring the Gentiles into the human body of Christ after addressing a group in a synagogue. He observed to Jewish unbelievers first since his Jewish back ground increased his concern for salvation for his Jewish brothers and sisters. Paul's missionary travels were extensive. Some of the places he visited included Galatia, Phrygia, Ephesus, Corinth in Macedonia, Caesarea, Jerusalem and Rome.
Paul's knowledge in Scripture helped him to learn and understand the doctrines of the early Christians and relate these ideas and principles to the early biblical knowledge he received. Paul saw history from a divine perspective received both as a student of Gamaliel and from his experience with Jesus during his desert wanderings before he started his ministry to the Gentiles. Paul was extremely intelligent and this intelligence served him debate religious and philosophical topics with the most educated scholars. Being a Tarsian, Roman, Hebrew and social Greek, Paul understood that usually culture misunderstands the function and nature of the relationship and God that God hopes to have with man in the world.
Paul's ministries are noted in the book of Acts. This source provides several reports of how Paul served as a missionary to the Gentiles. Acts describes the functions of Paul's three missionary journeys in the Roman Empire. The apostle planted churches, preached the gospel message and provided support and strength to early Christians. God gave Paul strength, intelligence and stamina that will enable him to handle the work given to him by Jesus. God changed Paul so that he could embrace the energy that God gave him to preach the Christian life to others. Even though Paul was small in size, he suffered physically throughout his travels. Many missionaries are motivated by his capability to persevere and minister to others during adversity. Paul is credited with saying 'I could do things through Christ who strengthens me,' (Philippians 4:13).