Acts 17:16-36

The Apostle Paul’s strategic mission of expanding the church and spreading the Gospel was significant considering the challenges he had to conquer. His life and example was and is applicable to modern cross-cultural leaders and organizations. Philippians 2 is a letter written by Paul to the church of Philippi. It was prepared during his imprisonment in Rome for spreading the Gospel of Christ in an area where people predominately and traditionally believed in Judaism. His writing in this passage highlights Christ as the ultimate example of humility and Paul’s encouragement to his followers to keep the unity, as they are the light of the world.

“The apostle Paul could be similarly indirect. Instead of hitting the Athenians head-on with their idolatry, he first engaged them on a point of common interest and moved gradually into the good news of the one true God.”

With the ability to assimilate to various aspects of the universal Roman society, the apostle is able to relate to and address many different types of people. This aspect of his life makes Paul able to apply the collective ‘we’ when instructing believers of opposing backgrounds. Likewise, after his conversion

Acts 8:26-40 teaches us a variety of things about mission as well as evangelism’s role within it. It reminds us whose mission it is, that radical inclusion is anticipated, that evangelism is an important aspect of but is not in itself mission, and that the Holy Spirit plays a fundamental and essential role in mission and effective evangelism.

Paul begins his letter by saying he is an apostle not from men nor through man, but Jesus

Paul audience could follow his thoughts on building because of the many building that was built in their cities (Green, 2013, p.544, p.552) After Paul preaching the gospel in Athens, he continues to Corinth, the provincial capital of Achaia. The Jews in Acts who ended up in Corinth were known by their Latin names and some Greek families in city took Roman names. Paul was very familiar with the landscape of his audience. Paul was humble, but was uplifting God’s grace. Paul is careful not to think too highly of himself, but it was due to God’s grace he’s a wise builder. He told them he planted the seed when he preached and Apollo helped watered and God gives the growth. Paul stated the foundation is the

When considering the strengths and weaknesses of the book, the strengths dramatically outweigh the shortcomings. Allen succeeded in showing the reader that there is no excuse to discount the ministry of Paul as irrelevant in today’s missionary setting. He powerfully implemented scripture throughout the book with precision. Every verse, story, and biblical example of Paul’s practices and teachings that Allen used were necessary and served to back up his claims with ultimate truth. Also, the open addressing of his opponent’s arguments served to strengthen Allen’s thesis in a way that a simple stating of facts would be incapable of

Paul was devoted to spreading the gospel to many different people groups. An example from Paul's life that has taught me about spreading God's word is when he preached on his first missionary journey in Acts 13, even after many Jews slandered him and argued against everything he said. Paul’s demonstration of courage in this situation is very inspiring to me. It teaches me to be bold in my belief of the gospel, even when people disagree with me. Another

From January to April we meticulously analyzed the thirteen letters Paul the Apostle wrote to teach the gospel of the Christ to the first century world. He used these letters to instruct and advise the churches he founded across the Mediterranean. After thoroughly examining these letters through lecture in class and in the readings, I have come to find myself to be much more educated on the scripture than when I first came into the class. Before I took Life and Letters of Paul, I had little to none religious experience or knowledge on the topic of Christianity. This class helped me develop a solid foundation on how Christianity was spread and came about.

In his new book Becoming the Gospel Michael Gorman provides an interesting look at the life and letters of the apostle Paul. Gorman wants his readers to consider that more than knowing the gospel and its power to save, Paul want his recipients of his letters to live out the gospel in their lives. Thus Gorman’s central argument in this book is that “Paul wanted the communities he addressed…to become the gospel, and in so doing to participate in the very life and mission of God” (Gorman 2). Gorman explores this idea by taking the reader through a look at the letters of Paul using a “missio Dei” lens, to provide a new view of what Paul is teaching to these early Christian communities.

In reading Howard I. Marshall, “Acts”, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. He implied, the most significant for studying and interpreting the book of Acts is how a reader gets out of what he is reading and how he approaches it (Marshall, 17). He states that, “an average reader studies the books of Acts as a history book of the early church” (Marshall, 17). Readers should use critical thinking to seek a deeper revelation. For example: recognizing the authorship to the Gospel of Luke. And seek for what the author’s purpose of writing Luke-Acts (Marshall, 19). Accurate information gives better understanding. In fact, if a reader did not know the culture or customs of the first-century Christian writers of the early church. They would not know the first-century Christian writers were only known to write Letters and Gospels, and not large history literature, as the author did in the book of Acts (Marshall, 18). Who was the author addressing with his literature (Marshall, 18)? With these considerations, it is most significant to have accurate information to be able to study and interpret the true of the book of Acts.

Our source of knowledge of the apostolic work of Paul comes first from the Book of Acts. The epistles written by Paul serve to further our knowledge of his mission. These letters were written to churches that he had founded or churches that were known to him. Luke’s account of Paul introduces us to the basic facts about this important biblical figure. A more complete understanding of Paul’s journeys can be gleaned from his letters. These epistles were written almost at the time they occurred and they comprise some of the earliest works contained in the New Testament.

Paul experienced a transformation which altered his self-understanding and the way he employed his many gifts. Paul’s mission was to preach and teach the gospel of Jesus the Christ to the Gentile nations. (Acts

For this assignment I have decided to write an exegesis of Matthew 17:1-13. I have chosen the New International Version (NIV) as it is easier to read and understand. The New Spirit Filled Life Bible commentary explains that the book of Mathew was written around A.D 50-75 (Hayford 1321). The author is not exactly known, but it is attributed to Matthew. The major theme of this book is that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament, and that he is the Son of God.

In this letter Apostle Paul showed how great his love was for the church of Philippi, showing his gratitude for their financial support to further the work of the ministry and to express his concern about their spiritual walk. His only thought was about advancing the cause of Christ and building the Philippians’ faith to continue their mission in spite of the persecution they were facing. Within their church many of the people were at odds and some were trying to hinder the spread of the Gospel. Because of this, Paul encourages the church of Philippi to "stand fast, be of the same mind, rejoice in the Lord always but by prayer let your request be made known and the peace of God shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (4:1-7).