Excerpted with permission from the Footsteps of Paul Bible Study, session one by Tony Merida. Copyright 2026, Lifeway Press.
Luke highlighted the focus of Paul's teaching: Jesus. Like Jesus with the disciples on the Emmaus Road, Paul set before his hearers this message: It was necessary for the Messiah to suffer and rise from the dead (Acts 17:3; Luke 24:26). In short, Paul proclaimed a suffering Savior and a victorious King—not self-help, political revolution, or prosperity.
Luke highlighted three important aspects of Paul's Christ-centered teaching. There's application for our witness within each component: Paul's method, Paul's subject, and Paul's boldness.
Luke emphasized the verbs: Paul explained, proved, and proclaimed. He opened up the Scriptures, reasoned with his hearers, and bore witness with conviction. Acts repeatedly highlights this ministry of proclamation. The whole mission to Europe involved this calling: God called us to preach the gospel (Acts 16:10).
This is strikingly countercultural. In our age, preaching is a negative word, viewed as arrogant or outdated. Some churches even replace proclamation with "sharing perspectives," as though truth were up for grabs. But biblical preaching necessarily includes conviction. If the gospel is true, then we must declare it. As Paul said, we also believe, and therefore speak (2 Corinthians 4:13). Belief compels proclamation. In our time of tolerance and hostility toward Christianity, we need holy boldness to commend Christ. The church stands in this great tradition of preaching. Don't be afraid to speak the gospel.
From promise to poetry to prophecy, the Old Testament testifies with one voice: The Messiah must suffer and then rise. Having fulfilled these conditions, Jesus is the Christ, the long-awaited King.
The apostles regularly preached this theme. Peter spoke of the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow (1 Peter 1:11). Paul declared the same before Agrippa: the Messiah would suffer, and [. . .] rise from the dead (Acts 26:23). The Jews often mocked this as foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:18), yet it was essential.
To the unfamiliar reader, the Bible can seem like a collection of disjointed rules and stories. But in reality, it is one unified narrative pointing to Jesus. Philip told Nathanael, "We have found the one Moses wrote about [. . .] (and so did the prophets)" (John 1:45). Jesus Himself said, "the Scriptures [. . .] testify about me" (John 5:39). All of Scripture points to Christ—the Old Testament anticipates Him, the Gospels reveal Him, the epistles explain Him, and Revelation points to His return.
Vaughan Roberts illustrates it well, telling a story of a group of children trying to assemble a jigsaw puzzle. They couldn't figure it out until they turned over the lid and saw that it was a medieval court scene with a king surrounded by his royal advisors. One of the boys cried out, "Now I see it—the king is in the middle!" Once they recognized that, the puzzle was easy, and they were soon able to finish it. That's what we must keep in mind when it comes to Scripture: The King is in the middle. Once you see the King in the center, everything else fits together.
Therefore, like Paul, we must show people the grand story of redemption and the Redeemer who died and rose again.