Saint Paul's Contributions to the Early Church
Throughout his life St Paul contributed heavily to the early church which has also impacted the church today. He travelled widely around the Mediterranean region to spread the word of Jesus as well as writing many letters to towns and people in that area. Back when St Paul lived in the first century AD these were the main forms of communication. If people wanted to spread a message they either had to send a letter or walk on foot to spread the word by telling it to people in person. Spreading Jesus' message took a lot of dedication and effort from St Paul but it has resulted in Christianity now being one of the largest religions in the world. Throughout his missionary travels St Paul went to places. In total he went on five missionary journeys which took him to places such as Syracuse which is now called Sicily and Ephesus. The main impact that Paul's travels had on the early church was that they gathered a following of people. Paul did this by telling people about Jesus and his teachings. He spread the word to people of many different races, groups and cultures. This meant that knowledge of Jesus was spread to a wider community who could choose to start following him and learning about his teachings. St Paul would give them advice by replying to their letters. St Paul also wrote many letters to people who had questions or needed help with living a Christian life. Many of these letters now make up a large portion of the Bible. One of his well-known letters was written to the Galatians. In St Paul's letter to the Galatians he says that "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." What Paul meant in this was that God and Jesus would judge you on the faith that you displayed and in their eyes faith was shown through love. These letters had the effect of further spreading the word of Jesus to people of other religions.
Ultimately, Paul's letters and travels gathered a large following and faith to Christianity and Jesus.
Ultimately, Paul's letters and travels gathered a large following and faith to Christianity and Jesus.