The Evangelism Theology of Paul
Apostle Paul was a man who dedicated himself to the evangelism, church planting, and disciple making. This author will examine the biblical answers of relationship evangelism for contemporary churches through the research on Paul’s ministry revealed in Acts.
Synagogue-centered Evangelism
The main concern of Paul to witness God’s gospel was on the Jews (Rom. 1:16). It approves why he visited synagogues whenever he went to each towns. Except for Philippi , he mostly employed synagogues strategically as contact points to deliver Good News.
Synagogues were the adequate place to meet the religious needs of dispersed Jews (Diaspora). In the time of Jesus, Diaspora Jews were more than Jews in Canaan. About seventy percent of dispersed Jews settled down on the shores of the Mediterranean. Harnack estimated the number of all Jews in the early Christianity age at around 4.5 millions. Wherever dispersed Jews settled down, they planted synagogues and abided by traditional rituals. Furthermore, they had culture to ask itinerant rabbis to preach the word of recommendation (Acts 13:15).
Therefore, Paul could have chance to witness Christ before pious and religious audience wherever he traveled. Contrary to pious foreigners, most Jews often rejected Paul and his messages (Acts 13:45, 50; 14:2, 19; 17:5; 18:12; 21:27; 23:12). So, whenever he was expelled out of synagogues frequently, he moved other towns (Acts 18:7; 19:7) and headed for synagogues again. In this context, Herbert Kane properly pointed out that synagogues were the place to supply Paul with the best chance to witness Christ as well as the place to confront most hostile groups in his ministry. Luke introduced his synagogue ministry several ...
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...st when Paul preached gospel.
Two Wing’s Evangelism revised by Rev.Kim, Sung Kon emphasize passionate prayer ministry in each cell group to encourage and motivate cell members for evangelism. Kim asserts that passionate prayer ministry in each cell group is to see the work of Holy Spirit because he is still alive and want to work among the obedient workers of God.
Conclusion
This research examined the evangelism of Jesus and Paul to focus on relationship evangelism in Korea context that has malicious attitude against the evangelism of Christianity. Jesus took initiative to approach at non-believers, and he found and developed a common topic from a gospel-recipient. His spiritual perspective made a Samarian woman confess he was a prominent prophet and it led her conversion. Jesus also taught his Evangelism Theology in several places of Synoptic Gospels.
In a survey conducted in 2012, LifeWay.com inquired about the importance of evangelism among members of the Christian faith. The results of the survey showed that 80 percent of people who claimed to follow Jesus Christ and had openly devoted themselves to the teaching of Christianity, felt that they had a “personal responsibility to share their religious views and beliefs about Jesus Christ with non-christians” (Wilke, LifeWay.com). Surveys such as this reflect the Christian doctrine of evangelism and the weight it holds within the Christian faith. As can be seen back in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus Christ commanded His followers “to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19).” However, Jesus never told His followers how doing this.
Paul the Apostle is the central figure in many New Testament writings. Many historians have attributed fourteen New Testament letters to Paul’s writing; seven of these letters are uncontested meaning historians are sure that Paul wrote them, the remaining seven are contested. Paul was not always a Christian; in fact, he persecuted Christians before Christ came and temporarily blinded him. Upon seeing Christ, Paul devoted his life to Christianity and set out to spread the teachings of Christ. Scholars often credit Paul’s leadership to the ability of the Church to become Hellenistic in one generation. Paul also answered specific worries and questions that his converters may have had in many of his writings; one of these writings is 1 Corinthians. In 1 Corinthians, Paul set out to deal with the many believers in Corinth who are divided into the followings of Paul or Apollos rather than Christianity as a whole. The converts of Paul in 1 Corinthians 12-14 were divided during times of worship because of jealousy invoked by the spiritual gifts received from the “Spirit”; the worships and the church became a place to boast who is closest to God, instead of a place of worship, interpretation, and love. In 1 Corinthians 14:26-33, Paul set guidelines in times of worship to heal the divide among his converts present in 1 Corinthians 12-14.
Paul’s response was concerning ecclesiastical and doctrinal controversies. These Jewish-Christians were teaching false doctrine to the Gentile members. They taught that to be saved one must be circumcised and observe the ritual requirements of the law. Paul believed a Gentile did not need to go through the ritual requirements of the law, Gentiles were welcomed into the church through baptism professing faith in Jesus the Christ. In Acts 15:24-29 the Apostles and elders of the church did call the Gentiles to live within the moral teachings of the law, most specifically to avoid idolatry and sexual sin and counseled them on kosher restrictions when eating with others who were Jewish so as not to offend and complicate ministry amongst the Jewish communities. The account in Acts actually attest to the controversies of Gentile reception in the church and what their obligation to the law would be. This is the problem Paul is trying to rectify in
Paul wrote the letter to the church in Ephesus which was located in Western Asia Minor. It was an important city in the Roman Empire because it represented a multi-ethnic commercial region, and it was largely populated. Ephesus was also filled with many pagans customs like the cult to Artemis, gods, and magic practices (Arnold, 3-5). Still, because they had heard the gospel that Paul had shared to them, many Jews and Gentiles converted to Christianity.
While many Jews continued to follow their original faith, there were several that converted to this new way of living. Origination of Christianity starts with a Jew names Jesus, here it is seen again where present times were very difficult and Jesus was able to provide salvation to the people of his community. In the Jewish scriptures a messiah was predicted to happen and Jesus was believed to be the Messiah. In contrast many people did not believe that he was the Messiah and Jesus eventually was crucified by Pagans. Despite the horrific event that took place, Jesus was resurrected and passed a long his messages from God. Jesus brought light into the lives of the poor and helped the ill, he wanted a change to happen as there were many wars and chaos present at the time. After Jesus’ death, Paul, one of his apostles, left to travel around the neighboring countries and spread the name of Jesus and his teachings. Paul was a very important individual and main contributor to the success of
They are asked to continue their ministry and the word of God spread despite persecution by Jews in that area. They continue on to Lystra where Paul is stoned and thought left for dead but with the support of disciples he gets up and continues to preach with
The establishment and growth of Christ’s church is Luke’s continual concern in Acts. Paul, Barnabas, Phillip, Stephen, John, and Peter were all empowered by and even called by the Holy Spirit to bring the gospel to others. Miracles were continually performed utilizing the Spirit within (Elwell 202). The seeds of faith they planted culminated in the early church’s beginnings. At first the followers of Jesus met in single groups and created an excellent, beginning model of the Christian community (Foster 191).
He came to a conclusion to have Christian prayers and other religious things inside people’s houses. This was not allowing Christianity to go big on a large scale. This made Paul change the laws of Christianity. To be able to be a Christian, all you needed to do was believe that Jesus was the Messiah (you would not have to follow any of the Jewish laws). This was like a cheat to Judaism.
The background to this chapter is that Paul is collecting an offering for the Christians in Jerusalem because many were living in extreme poverty, so he wanted to provide them with relief for that suffering. It is also quite possible that Paul saw the collection as an opportunity to bring a greater sense of unity within the church across Jewish and Gentile territories. Remember the Jews and gentiles were worlds apart. Their division went back hundreds of year. Acting from a heart of generosity and Christian concern by the gentiles giving to the Jews who were suffering would demonstrate the power of God’s love.
God had a plan for the Gentiles all a long but just kept it hidden. He wanted the Gentiles to be saved by the Gospel. God saw that Paul was desperate from all the sins that he has committed and used Paul to help spread the word to the Gentiles so that his plan for them would come true. He told the Gentiles to no be discouraged because of the mystery he brought up to them.
Global Evangelism is rooted in one of the Assemblies of God core beliefs of “speaking in tongues.” By their Holy Spirit infusing a foreign language into them, they believe it prepares them to evangelize to a different group of people. With these facts established one would think that the Assemblies of God are very prominent in global evangelism. While this appears to be the case, the opposite may be true as well. The Assemblies of God are using modern technology to spread their beliefs in ways unprecedented.
Paul's first missionary journey was to the island of Cyprus. Salamis was there first destination on the island. During his stay in Salamis Paul and Barnabas preached in the Jewish synagogues, while John also ministered with them. The next stop Paul and Barnabas made was Paphos at the almost opposite end of Cyprus. While in Paphos they found a Governor called Sergius Paulus who wanted to hear their teachings. However, the Governor had sorcerer, Elymas, in his company, who did not want him to hear the word of God. Paul being filled with the Holy Ghost admonished Elymas and said, "O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season" (Acts 13:10-11). Elymas being struck blind astonished the Governor and he believed the word of the Lord that apostles had spoken to him. After leaving Paphos John returned to Jerusalem.
In order to understand and make faithful judgment on Korean Ethnic Churches, it is necessary to familiarize with unique church composition with so diverse sense of values and nontraditional pastoral needs. To do so I will first explain brief necessary background and cu...
Evangelism is one of the key component for changing people’s lives. McRaney states, “The word evangelism comes from a combination of Greek words for “good” and “messenger.” Evangelism involves bringing the goods. Kent Hunter reminded us that “when Christians witness, they tell how Jesus Christ has changed their own lives. The change in their own lives gives them the desires to share the Good News with others.” Christians must share their testimony to people and spread the gospel so that they can bring lost souls to Christ. God has commissioned every Christian to evangelize so that people will learn about Jesus Christ and accept Him as their personal savior. Matthew 28:19 states, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. Christians are required to spread the Gospel throughout the world and can no longer just attend church. Christians must plant seeds and water the seeds so that lost souls will be saved.
In addition it is by means of that identical instrumentality that individuals should have their impact upon those they teach. The Holy Spirit’s influence on the early church and apostles conveyed teaching, friendship, the leadership and prayer into fulfillment. I feel that the real-life love revealed shouts to the 21st era Church’s should refocus on these fundamental leaders. To my understanding the book of Act demonstrate the days of the early church. Also, the four frameworks concerning the modern-church can attract knowledge to integrate these heart-felt leadership skills are historical context, learned contexts, interpretation and devotion. 2 Timothy 2:15 states, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (NKJV). Believers who overlook the Bible will definitely be humiliated at the