This paper uses Paul’s instruction from the New Testament: Acts 17 to guide modern missionaries.
This paper stresses that the missionary must heed the fundamental teachings of Paul as they are set forth in Acts 17, in order to successfully and peacefully deliver the word of God to groups of non-believers. The author stresses that, like Paul, when appealing to those who have yet to receive the teachings of Christ, remember to rely on logic as well as emotion. The paper reveals that Paul?s message two thousand years ago is no different than the missionary’s message today: discourage ignorance and foster the acceptance of Christ.
“When Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus, he appealed to his audience through both logic and sympathy. He capitalized on their innate religiosity, evident in their numerous shrines and idols. Using this to his advantage, Paul complemented the people on their display of faith and belief but also instructed them that a higher level of truth and understanding was possible. Paul explained that their “unknown God” was the Supreme Being “who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heave and earth”, (Acts 17, 24). Furthermore, Paul explains that an omnipotent power simply cannot be limited by the confines of man-made shrines.”