For many years I have been fascinated with the Apostle Paul and his life. I love the way he was converted on the road to Damascus and then went from a persecutor of the church to a church leader.

While doing some research on Paul I came across this timeline of his life on GotQuestions.org. I found it really helpful in understanding Paul and his works.

Here is a chronological list of major events in Paul’s life (the dates are approximate):

• Conversion on the road to Damascus, AD 34
• Three years in Arabia, AD 34—37
• First missionary trip, AD 46—48
• Jerusalem Council, AD 49 or 50
• Second missionary trip, AD 49—52
• The epistle to the Galatians, AD 50
• The epistles of 1 and 2 Thessalonians, AD 51 and 52
• Third missionary trip, AD 53—57
• The epistles of 1 and 2 Corinthians, AD 55 and 56
• The epistle to the Romans, AD 57
• Arrest in Jerusalem, AD 57
• Imprisoned in Caesarea, AD 57—60
• Appeal to Caesar and trip to Rome, AD 60—61
• The epistle to the Ephesians, AD 61 or 62
• The epistle to the Colossians, AD 61 or 62
• The epistle to Philemon, AD 61 or 62
• The epistle to the Philippians, AD 62 or 63
• Release from the first Roman imprisonment, AD 63
• Trip to Spain (?), AD 63 or 64 (see Romans 15:24, 28)
• The epistle of 1 Timothy, AD 64
• The epistle to Titus, AD 64
• The epistle to the Hebrews (?), AD 65 or 66
• Second Roman imprisonment, AD 66—67
• The epistle of 2 Timothy, AD 67
• Martyrdom, AD 67

I find his missionary trips and writings very interesting. I also find that from his conversion to his death was 33 years. The same amount of time Jesus lived on earth.

If you are interested there is an article that explains the timeline in a deeper way on GotQuestions.org.

Here is another simple answer to a great question. It is from “To be a Christian” #65…

65. What does Jesus’ death mean for you?
    Jesus bore my sins and died the death that I deserve, so that I could be saved from sin and eternal condemnation and reconciled to God. (Psalm 32:1–2; Isaiah 53:10–12; Matthew 20:28; Romans 5:8–10; 2 Corinthians 5:17–21)

Jesus died so our sins could be forgiven and we could be in right relationship with God.

I would encourage you to download a PDF copy from this website for free.

I really enjoyed this video from Wes Huff. He talks about the reliability of the Bible through the various views on the same events from the Gospel writers.

You can it here on YouTube.

For most of my 36 year Christian walk I have read the Bible every day. I have usually read one chapter a day or have done some sort of Bible reading plan on the Bible app.

Over the last few years I have started doing the lectionary readings of the day. The two main sources I have used are the Revised Common Lectionary or the Daily Catholic Readings.

Both of these resources have a three year cycle that includes an Old Testament reading, a Psalm and a New Testament reading. These readings line up with the seven church seasons of the year (eg. Lent, Ordinary Time, Advent ect).

So if want to start reading the Bible and are not sure where to start, you might like to try the daily lectionary readings. You can find links to them below.

• Revised Common Lectionary
• Catholic Daily Readings

Two weeks on the life and teachings of Jesus

Day 1 – Luke 1:1-80 – Preparing for Jesus’ arrival
Day 2 – Luke 2:1-52 – The story of Jesus’ birth
Day 3 – Mark 1:1-45 – The beginning of Jesus ministry
Day 4 – Mark 9:1-50 – A day in the life of Jesus
Day 5 – Matthew 5:1-48 – The Sermon on the Mount
Day 6 – Matthew 6:1-34 – The Sermon on the Mount
Day 7 – Luke 15:1-32 – Parables of Jesus
Day 8 – John 3:1-36 – A conversation with Jesus
Day 9 – John 14:1-31 – Jesus’ final instructions
Day 10 – John 17:1-26 – Jesus’ prayer for His disciples
Day 11 – Matthew 26:1-75 – Betrayal and arrest
Day 12 – Matthew 27:1-66 – Jesus’ execution on a cross
Day 13 – John 20:1-30 – Resurrection
Day 14 – Luke 24:1-53 – Jesus’ appearance after resurrection