What must it have been like?

Can you imagine what it must have been like for Paul, for the disciples? These men were given assignments by God to go out and give the Gospel. They were going into groups of people that were very steeped in traditions, people that were taught they must do certain things in certain ways to attain any hope of salvation. These people had lots of rules and a hugely works based religion. They may or may not have seen Christ in person, may or may not have heard the Gospel He was teaching. They had no Bibles. Some were, or would be, genuine born again Christians. Many were not. Great crowds came. They came out of a genuine drawing on their hearts. They came out of a great need for learning and edification. They came out of curiosity. They came out of boredom. Out of scorn.

Crowds and crowds of people came to hear and hear they did. And Paul (Timothy, John...) stood before them and talked and taught with heartfelt and divinely given words. They guided, led, admonished. And still it had little effect. Paul went so far as to ask them why don't you hear me. Christ gave the answer in John 8:44, "you are of your father, the devil".

They came. They heard the stories first hand. They saw the miracles. Some of them saw Christ in person. Some of them were born again, some weren't. Some believed in Christ but had no salvation. Some were as religious as they could be, doing works they believed would get them into heaven. These were the people Paul, and the others, were teaching, leading. The crowds had upstanding citizens, prostitutes, derelects. Men, women, children. People of different cultures and belief systems. And these were the people Paul dedicated his life to giving the Gospel to.

He had to have known that there were some born again Christians in the crowds and he had to know that there were many that were not. He taught, sometimes repeatedly, the Gospel and how a Christian should live. He warned of wolves in the midst of sheep. He admonished to let the people selling Christs name to be left alone because anytime the name of Christ is given, the Gospel is given.

What must Paul have thought and felt when he stood before those great crowds of people?