DAVID ADAMS dips into Reg Piper’s The Life & Labours of Paul…
Reg Piper
The Life & Labours of Paul: Insights from Acts & The New Testament Letters
Anglican Press Australia, Sydney South, NSW, Australia, 2016
ISBN: 978-1925041934
“It’s an ideal read for someone who wants to find out more about Paul’s life – and what we can learn from it – during their daily interaction with the Scriptures.”
Designed as a personal devotional series to read during the 40 days of Lent (but useful at any time), Reg Piper’s text provides 40 short daily studies taking the reader chronologically through the life of the apostle Paul, from his role as a key persecutor of Christians to his road to Damascus conversion experience, his missionary journeys as a leader of the early church and ultimately his death in Rome.
Piper, a former Anglican bishop of Wollongong, explains the purpose of the book in the introduction where he invites readers to “reflect on how God graciously shaped Paul as an apostle of Christ Jesus, and how, thus taught, he expounded God’s love in his ministry and letters”.
“It will be an exercise in which we shall try to take seriously Paul’s exhortation to ‘follow my example as I follow the example of Christ’ (I Corinthians 11:1).”
Each day comes with a selected text – usually just a few verses and certainly no more than a chapter, illustrating something of the life of Paul – with a brief page or page-and-a-half reflection which gives it context within his life and a short prayer which contains a challenge concerning the application of what’s discussed in the reader’s own life.
The book is written in easily accessible language and the amount of reading required each day isn’t onerous. While it’s a terrific way for someone who knows little of the life of the man who wrote 13 of the 27 books of the New Testament to engage with him at a deeper level, those intimately familiar with the details of Paul’s life will also find it a great refresher.
The text includes questions for groups and even sample sermon outlines for use by either a small group or even an entire church. And there’s timelines and maps to help you come to grips with the over-arching picture of Paul’s life.
It’s an ideal read for someone who wants to find out more about Paul’s life – and what we can learn from it – during their daily interaction with the Scriptures.
