Dr Paul Allen

Painting by Rembrandt of Paul, one of the most notable of early Christian missionaries, who called himself the "Apostle to the Gentiles." Paul, a Hellenistic Jew, was very influential on the shift of Christianity to Gentile dominated movement. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Criticism is a close companion of creativity.  Whether it’s merited or not, there are many sources of criticism, especially those that express the fear of something new and different. This is exactly what Peter faced back in Jerusalem . After God extended the gospel to the Gentiles and smashed the social barriers that existed between them and the Jews, the “circumcision party” in Jerusalem criticized Peter and his recent exploits (Acts 11:2). We’re not told why they had a problem, but whatever it was, it was clear they didn’t like Peter’s association with the Gentiles. We can learn a great deal from Peter’s response to the criticism he received. He didn’t become angry and vengeful. He didn’t cower in s

The Gentiles Ask to See Jesus (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Evangelical Christians respond to this question with a resounding yes. The Bible includes many passages about cross-cultural evangelism. In the Great Commission (Mt 28:18–20), Jesus commanded His disciples to evangelize all the nations of the world. The word translated “nations” is the Greek word ethne, which is the root word for the English word ethnic. Thus Jesus instructed the apostles to make disciples of all the ethnic groups of the world. At His ascension (Acts 1), Jesus reiterated the command, instructing the apostles to witness even to the “ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Clearly the Bible reveals God’s concern for all the cultures of the world. Jesus Himself is the supreme example of cross-cultural ministry. Jesus left heaven to minister on earth. He was the first incarnational missionary as God in the flesh. In a similar way, Christians today should live the gospel among the cultures of the world. Jesus also dem