Paul, worth listening to

Some people brush aside the writings of Paul and do not spend time trying to figure out what he is saying. If you do this you are dismissing a huge part of our Bible. That doesn't sound like a good idea to me.

Let's look at Paul and see if he sounds like the sort of person worth listening to. He was a Jew, the son of a pharisee ( a religious leader) and became a pharisee and was considered very learned at a young age. He was dedicated to wiping out the new christian religion but then had a dramatic resurrection encounter with Jesus and his life was turned around. After spending three years alone thinking through the implications of christianity he began his missionary journeys to both Jews and gentiles throughout the Roman Empire. During this time he showed his tenacity and determination to spread the gospel in suffering stoning, beating and imprisonment, and surviving several ship wrecks. This man obviously believed wholly in the gospel he was preaching. Surely we can put up with a little extra studying to come to terms with what he is saying to us in his letters. It won't require you to be stoned, or beaten ,or imprisoned, just a bit of careful thinking. Surely we owe him that after what he went through.