Missionary Journeys And Strategy Of Paul Religion Essay

Missionary Journeys And Strategy Of Paul Religion Essay The purpose of this essay is to describe appropriate examples and strategy Paul used for his missionary journey that can be considered for 21st Century missions. The way I plan to structure my essay; I will explore theology books to find out what the authors say of Pauls missionary journeys. I will compare the authors opinions and then I will search the Bible scripture and give reference as evidence. I will begin my essay and describe from the book of Acts the call of God upon the Apostle Pauls life to the mission fields. The book of Acts describe how the Apostle Paul became a missionary (Acts 9) says Paul had a supernatural encounter with the Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus. Paul was temporarily with out vision. A disciple named Ananias had a vision of the Lord that he should go and pray for Paul. Ananias prayed for Paul and his sight was restored. (Acts 9:20) Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit and he went out to the Synagogue and preached the Gospel. The Bible says in (Acts 13:2-3) the Apostle Paul gave himself as an example to follow Jesus Christ, Paul fasted and prayed when Paul received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, he preached in different parts of the world for Jesus Christ. (Acts 16:13) says when Paul went to Philippi he had a prayer meeting at the riverside. Paul prayed and miracles happened, the Holy Spirit used him. B. Paul used the name of Jesus. The authors give reference to scholars who write their opinion of the missionary work Paul did. J. Louis Martyn, refers to Wilckens and Vielhauer who says how extensively however, did he function as a teacher of the scriptures? Specifically, did he take it as one of his tasks regularly to offer lengthy and detailed exegetical discourses to his congregations? His letters suggest no such thing. . Geoffrey Harris wrote first, his methods of reaching out to the Gentile world by first creating a Jewish Christian community; then, identifying and training leaders for the nascent churches; third, by deepening understanding of and commitment to the gospel in order to strengthen the churches in maturity. . Joseph Plevnik gives reference to Fitzmyer, he says what the apostle inherited from his Hellenistic and Jewish backgrounds, what he borrowed from tradition, and what he arrived at through his missionary experience, is all uniquely transformed by his knowledge of Christ, which he received at Damascus. . I have studied the theories of J. Louis Martyn and Geoffrey Harris, and Joseph Plevnik; The following Bible scriptures say Paul was dependent on the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 2:13) and (1 Corinthians 2: 4) (Luke 4:16-20) The Bible scriptures say Paul taught from scripture, he preached the gospel in the synagogues. (Acts 17:1) says Paul preached at a synagogues at Thessalonica, (Acts 14: 9-10) says Paul prayed for a crippled man with faith and told him to stand up the man was healed. J. Louis Martyn, who referred to Wilckens and Vielhauer goes on to say, that Paul made verbal attacks against scriptural instructions. The book of (Acts 17:16) says Paul was angered when he saw Athens, because the city of Athens was given to idols. I have studied the Bible scriptures and compared the authors opinions and I dont share the same view as, Wilckens and Vielhauer, however I have found Geoffrey Harris and Joseph Plevniks, opinions to be scriptural I prefer their views. Geoffrey Harris describes the strategy, Paul used to establish the churches. Joseph Plevnik says Paul received his knowledge through the experience he had with Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus. The Bible says, Paul wrote letters to Churches in Rome, Ephesians Philippians and Philemon. Paul would start his letters with a greeting and he would end his letters with a farewell (Act 9:15) and (Acts 11:1) say Paul wanted to reach the Jews and the Gentiles with the salvation message of Jesus Christ. The authors Martin Dibelius he refers to critical scholars, Joseph A. Grassi and Bernard T. Smyth describe their opinion of Pauls missionary work in spreading the Gospel. Martin Dibelius, refers to critical scholars and says scholars have referred for instance to improbability of certain scenes, as for example, to the fact that Paul assumes towards the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem a yielding attitude which we cannot possibly believe he would have adopted. . Joseph A. Grassi wrote one of the great reasons why Christianity spread like wildfire through the world in the first three centuries was precisely this that it was a proclamation of freedom addressed to a world. . Bernard T. Smyth, says to get this matter of Paul and prayer into perspective, it is useful to recall how, before the advent of Paul, the young Christian community was already very much a community of prayer. I have studied the theories of Martin Dibelius and Joseph A. Grassi and Bernard T. Smyth. Martin Dibelius referred to critical scholars who said, they cannot possibly believe that Paul, adopted a yielding attitude. The book of (Acts Chapter 9) says after Paul had a supernatural encounter with the Lord Jesus on the Road to Damascus, Paul was supernaturally transformed when he received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Jesus gave Paul a yielding attitude that enabled him to carry out his missionary work. Joseph A. Grassi describes his beliefs why Christianity spread throughout the world and the announcement of freedom in Christ Jesus. Bernard T. Smyth says that the Early Church was a praying community. The book of (Acts 14:23) says the early Church fasted and prayed. I have compared the views of the critical scholars and Joseph A. Grassi and Bernard T. Smyth, and I prefer the opinions of Joseph A. Grassi and Bernard T. Smyth, in contrast to the critical scholars, they have referred to Biblical scripture. Therefore the balance of the agreement is in favor with the view of Joseph A. Grassi and Bernard T. Smyth. Tom Wright, says Paul urges, the many splendoured wisdom of God must be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places. . Krister Stendahl, says, Paul tells the Church, Jews and Gentiles in Rome, that his call to the mission fields is the plan of God. . I have looked at the views of, Tom Wright, he says Gods word must be made known to the principalities and powers in heavenly places and Krister Stendahl says, Pauls call to the mission fields was Gods plan. The book of (Ephesians 6:12) says the battle is not against flesh or blood but against principalities and powers of darkness in high places. The book of (Acts 13:1-3) says The Holy Spirit selected Paul for his mission work. I have studied the views of the authors and have compared them with the Bible scriptures after analysing the scriptures. I prefer the view of both the authors Tom Wright and Krister Stendahl. C. The Early Church Fasted and Prayed. The book of Acts describes the strategies Paul used for his missionary work. Paul took the message of the Gospel to the Gentiles and taught of the authority of Jesus Christ and his power. The strategy Paul used he fasted and prayed and achieved his missionary journey through prayer. The Bible says Paul would minister to groups of people in the Synagogue; meeting with groups of Christians, in Church is a good way of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ, today. Paul wrote letters to communicate to the Churches, at that time there was not the technology there is today, such as the Internet, a telephone Christian television, Christian radio, tapes, or CDs, and DVDs. Today there are Christian organizations, such as Christian training courses, and Bible colleges and Church buildings that can be considered appropriate examples for 21st Century missions.

Political Correctness In The Classroom Essay -- essays research papers

Political Correctness In The Classroom Schools in Canada have recently become the battleground for the fight over how much political correctness should be allowed to infiltrate grade school classrooms. One can take two sides when dealing with such issues as violent toys, â€Å"good clean fun†, the benefits and disadvantages of political correctness. There is much controversy about violent toys which are far from being considered politically correct. The toys that enter many grade school classrooms throughout the country may also seem offensive to people who try to be as politically correct as possible. I can remember an incident involving myself, a water gun and a teacher back in grade four. What had happened was that I pondered onto school grounds with a tiny plastic watergun. As I proceeded down the hallway a teacher took notice of my â€Å"water-squirting† device. She approached me and ceased the toy from my hands . Many elementary school educators believe that violent toys can lead, and often do lead to violence if the children are allowed to play with the toys in an unsupervised environment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Something that used to be considered good clean fun has become a constant frustration to teachers and parents everywhere. Many educators on recess duty who have observed children at play have come to believe that rough play which might look innocent can and often does lead to real violence. The goodness of teaching political correctness in the classroom is its ...

Early Music and Baroque Era Concert Report Essay

Bach – Brandenburg Concertos No 5 was held at the Hall of Mirrors at the Coethen Castle. According to Goltz (2006) it was held to celebrate the 250th Anniversary of Bach’s death. The Freiburg Baroque Orchestra was stationed at the right hand corner of the mirror hall where the stage was illuminated by hanging tier lights. The orchestra was all dressed in black with the men having black tuxedoes and the ladies Black dresses or pants. The Bach – Brandenburg Concertos was composed by Johann Sebastian Bach during the baroque era. Bach used to serve prince Leopold and composed the music for him. The ensemble is small and consists of ten people. The genre of the music performed was a symphony. It had three movements: Allegro, Affetuoso, and then Allegro again. For this concerto number five the instruments used were violins, Harpsichord, Violas and the flute. In the fast movement, the music kicks off in mezzo forte and allegro. It is fast paced and the whole ensemble except for the flute is playing. Then the music goes to a diminuendo to give way to the flute which is accompanied by a violin. It is then joined again by the whole ensemble in a crescendo. Midway it goes to an allegro moderato which there after kept on interchanging with allegro. Towards the end it goes to a piano when the harpsichord takes the centre stages. It finishes off with a crescendo of the violin and the flute. The second movement is an adagio with the music starting at a mezzo piano and is a ritornando. The flute, a violin and the harpsichord take the centre stage. At this stage the harpsichord is audible as there are less instruments playing. It then picks up the volume getting to a mezzo forte and then softening its pitch at intervals. The texture is homophonic and smooth. Just as it is named it is an affettuoso. The third movement starts in an allegro then goes to staccato as a high pitched violin leads. The viola producing thick sound/ basses join in, in a staccato. The music rises in a high pitched crescendo then thereafter goes to a piano. This movement is mainly a ritornello- it keeps on repeating a part before it changes the melody. It ends in a mezzo forte. The Vivaldi: Four seasons was performed by Nigel Kennedy and the English chamber Orchestra. The performance was categorized into four seasons: the spring, autumn, summer and winter. It was composed by Antonio Vilvadi born in 1678 (Baroque Composers -n. d). The Vilvadi four seasons is also referred to as Le Quattro Stagioni. Each of the seasons had three movements in it. All the performances were appreciated by the audience who applauded at the end of each movement. The main focus of the Vilvadi four seasons is the violin with which Kennedy displays his virtuosic musical ability. Violin Concerto in E major, Op. 8 Nr. 1 â€Å"spring† the movements are arranged in an alternating format. The first and the third are in ritornello form. The second movement is slow paced and provides a contrast to the two others. Spring 1 is an allegro paced music. The violin plays a solo that dominates this movement. It joined by basses which take the music to a forte then it goes back to playing in a piano. The most notable is the parts where the violin plays in very high pitched allegro getting a back up from thundering basses to bring out a contrast. It ends suddenly in a ritornando. Spring two is an adagio which starts with a violin which remains the focal point for this movement. It gets an accompaniment from a low pitched string. It ends with piano undertones of a bass. Spring 3 is an allegro which starts with a mezzo forte having a mix of violins. This gives way to a legato solo violin which plays a high pitch with a background of low toned strings. It comes to a piano end after a session of forte music from the whole ensemble. The Violin Concerto in F major, Op. 8 Nr. 3 â€Å"fall†/ autumn starts in an allegro which has staccatos and is high pitched. It gets to an alternate of the staccato rhythm between the high and low pitch strings. The movement remains at an allegro and only gets to a ritardando halfway through. This lasts for three to four seconds and then goes back to mezzo forte then forte to end with a mezzo piano violin. Autumn II starts with a slow introduction by a legato solo violin which is joined by some more piano violins. The music gets to a diminuendo and progresses to die down; a second’s pause then the orchestra brings back the music in an allegro thunder. A harpsichord then comes in softly played together with a solo violin in adagio. This two take the movement to its end. Autumn 3 starts with a thunder from the basses. High pitched violins join in the music at a mezzo forte which then rises to a fortissimo. A highlight for me was the part where the solo violin was accompanied by claps from a percussion instrument. Violin Concerto in G minor, Op. 8 Nr. 2 â€Å"summer†1 has a staccato introduction which is in adagio. It then picks up to an allegro which grows in crescendo to a mezzo forte. Again the music dies down to a staccato piano violin, then to a fortissimo that thunders suddenly. This movement style is an alteration between a solo violin and forte sessions which the whole ensemble plays. Summer II has a slow introduction that is unexpectedly interrupted by a thunder from the basses. The basses also come to an abrupt end just as they had come in and the solo violin takes over again. This movement is the shortest and ends with a thunder. Summer III starts forte and picks up its pace. This movement has a good display of staccato playing by the violin. Violin Concerto in F minor, Op. 8 Nr. 4 â€Å"winter† 1 starts with a mezzo allegro that is a staccato. The soft music increases in tempo. The melody is dynamic and moves from piano to mezzo piano then to mezzo forte and eventually forte. It ends in a crescendo. Winter II starts with a solo violin which is mezzo forte and later gets ritardando and dies off. The whole orchestra rejoins and progresses to a diminuendo leaving a legato violin solo. The finish is a diminuendo. Winter 3 starts with a high pitched violin solo which rises in volume as the ensemble joins in. Midway it slows down to almost a stop. Then picks up a crescendo again which takes this movement to the end. I enjoyed the concerts which had a baroque style of music. The thing that amazed me was the Bach piece did not have a conductor. This according to Goltz (2006) was an 18th century practice. This was a very positive experience that made me appreciate the sophistication that had been developed by the composers.

Main Causes And Consequences Of Financial Crisis Finance Essay - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 807 Downloads: 4 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Finance Essay Type Argumentative essay Did you like this example? The U.S public policy which encouraged home ownership related the financial crisis. This led to the extension of mortgage lending which term sub-prime mortgages to unqualified credit requirement people. A dramatic rise in mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures in the United States triggered the ongoing financial crisis (Causes of Financial Crisis 2007-2010). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Main Causes And Consequences Of Financial Crisis Finance Essay" essay for you Create order Complex financial securities, less effective of the ratings agencies and corporate governance (Ivan Png, Financial Crisis 2008, P.5), liquidity shortfall in the U.S banking system, taking too much risk, increase leveraging and moral hazard of the bankers were many causes of the financial crisis. Regulators and central bank governors did not effectively supervise on the financial institutions. This was another cause of financial crisis. All of these directly and indirectly factors caused the financial crisis. The collapse of real estate, housing markets caused the value of mortgage-backed securities to fall sharply which damaged financial institutions globally. The financial crisis resulted world-wide slowdown in global growth and economic activities, decline in international trade, rising unemployment rate, rising income insecurity and impact on low-income group, and adverse consequences for banks and financial markets around the globe. The Group of Governors and Heads of Supervis ion hold meeting on 12 September 2010 for reforming the existing inefficient regulation to withstand financial shocks. 2. The main causes and consequences of the financial crisis There were too many players and factors contributing to the financial crisis. The U.S government provided home ownership opportunities to low income borrowers. C:UsersUSERDesktopExisting_Home_Sales_Chart_-_Mar_09b.png Figure 1: U.S. Existing Home Sales, Inventory, and Months Supply December 2005- June2009 The figure 1 shows the number of homes for sale increase (red column) but the homeà ¢ÃƒÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¬ÃƒÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¢s rate of sale decreases (blue column). That mean the supply of home exceeds the demand of home. The figure 1 also shows the length of month taking to sell home (black line). The housing market downs. The probability of foreclosure increased because most of the mortgages were given out on a variable interest-rate basis. The lending institution assumed that housing value would appreciate. But the increase in the money market interest rates occurred housing value down which caused the lendersà ¢ÃƒÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡Ãƒâ€š  ¬ÃƒÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¢ assets worthless. C:UsersUSERDesktopSubprime_crisis_-_Foreclosures__Bank_Instability.png Chart 1: Subprime Mortgage Crisis: à ¢ÃƒÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¬ÃƒÆ'†¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Vicious Cycleà ¢ÃƒÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  of Foreclosure and Bank Instability The lending institutions bundled sub-prime mortgages and variety of assets together and sold to capital market investors around the world so called mortgage-backed securities, MBS. Therefore the problem spread globally when borrowers could not afford to repay their mortgages (Khatiwada and Emily McGirr, Current Financial Crisis, P. 1). This is one of the main causes of financial crisis. Complex credit derivatives such as collateralized debt obligations (CDOs) and credit default swaps (CDSs), were toxic illiquid assets in the current financial crisis. The leading providers of financial institutions were heaviest users of these derivative contracts to against risk exposure, serious losses and to raise funds. The complexity of these instruments, accompanied by questionable credit ratings assigned to various those derivatives and severe liquidity crisis, resulted in huge write-downs of those derivatives value worldwide which led to financial crisis (Rose and Hudgins, Bank Management Financial Service, P. 306). Credit rating agencies were less effective and careless in assessing of the Lending Institutions (original source of loans) for giving investment grade, ratings to mortgage-backed securities, and collateralized debt obligations transactions. The Lending Institutions could sell their bad loans and risk exposure to global investors because of high ratings by bundling these bad loans into MBS and CDO securities. This impact effected on globally when the loans were default. Therefore rating agencies were one of the causes of financial crisis because financial institutions could not do too much complexity instruments without the high ratings, AAA (Credit rating agencies and the subprime crisis, Impact on the crisis). The combination of moral hazard with imperfect corporate governances was another cause of financial crisis. They were not effectively overseeing the management of a financial institution. They just took more business and more profit to get more commissions and bonuses. The more business implied more risk which led to financial meltdown. Weak business conditions, lack confidence of investors and worried counterparties led financial institutions facing liquidity deficit thereby they are insolvency. Stock market prices and market liquidity fell simultaneously because of crisis. The financial meltdown led the whole economy to recession, and many large and small financial firms failed. The whole world is interrelated so that the global economic activities turndown and international trade also declines. The unemployment rates rose because of the sever economy with a lot of businesses bankruptcy. As financial institutions and stock market have eroded, the retirement savings and investment of many individuals have lost value so the most poor were impacted seriously. All of these are the consequences of crisis. 3. The impact of risk management, leverage and incentives on the crisis