From my point of view here is a list of some of the cool things that he did. Some are pretty ironic to me and just strike me as funny, amazing or both! I smile the whole time when I read about Paul. He is someone that I would have loved to have known.
- He raised a young man from the dead who fell asleep and fell out of a window while listening to Paul preach.
- He was ship wrecked twice.
- One of the times he was shipwrecked he was a prisoner aboard the ship. He told the captain and crew that a terrible storm would happen, they would lose all their precious cargo and their lives would all be in danger. But the weather was good so they took off from port anyway and didn't listen to him. Almost immediately they were caught in a raging storm that lasted 14 days and beat upon them. They lost their cargo and started fasting that they would be saved. By the end of the journey you can bet that they were listening to Paul. When they were at the point of destruction he told them to let the Life Boat go and cut it loose and they did what he said instead of getting in it. Paul prophesied that all 276 members of the crew would be saved and they were. The ship broke a part and even those who could not swim were saved by hanging on to pieces of the ship.
- He was bit by a poisonous snake and shook it off like it was nothing. The local natives waited for him to swell and kill over and die but he never did either. They claimed that he must be of God.
- Paul was beaten by an angry mob and put in jail. After the leaders of the mob realized that what they did was wrong they pled with him to leave jail quietly in the night so he could leave without anyone seeing. He refused to leave, demanded an apology and left during the day.
- People brought him articles of clothing so that he could touch them and they could take them back to others to heal them.
- He was a master of strategy. When mobs combined against them he had a way of dividing them against each other instead.
- Paul spoke several languages and was well learned in the scriptures. To be so accomplished in both of these talents was rare in his day. While he was explaining his case in a type of court before King Agrippa one of his captors said "Paul too much learning hath made thee mad!" In other words you are have learned so much you are going crazy. Later the king says "Paul you have almost persuaded me to become a Christian!"
- He fought with one of his missionary companions about not taking along a third companion that he felt had abandoned them on another mission. They disagreed so bitterly that they left on a sour note and each got another companion and served separate missions in opposite ways.
- Several faithful members of the church known for their prophesy told Paul that he would be beaten and taken captive at Jerusalem and told him not to go. He said he was not only ready to be beaten for Christ but to die also. None could persuade him not to go.
- Once when he was at the point of being beaten at the hand of a roman soldier in front of angry mob in order to appease the crowd, Paul casually mentioned that he was a Roman as he is being tied up. It was unlawful to beat Romans with out a trial and it scared the soldier so he went and told his captain. It is funny to me that he withheld this information until the very last possible moment for a dramatic affect.
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