Implications of Acts 1:8 for Ghanaian Neo-Pentecostal Missiology
Issue: Vol.2 No.12 December 2021 Article 1 pp. 191-209
DOI : https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20212121 | Published online 9th December, 2021.
© 2021 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
The book of Acts is often referred to by many scholars and preachers when discussing Christian missions with emphasis on Acts 1:8 as the centrality of the book. Unfortunately, very little exegetical study is done on the text by scholars in relation to missions. It appears that Luke fails to provide a detailed blueprint strategies or approaches to the command for missions (witnessing) in the text. This article therefore considers Acts 1:8 exegetically to establish its missionary importance. In the light of this, the article assesses the mission strategies of the Early Church, Historic Missions and Neo-Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches in Ghana. The article contends that, a reflection on the current trend of Neo-Pentecostal/Charismatic approaches or strategies to missions in Ghana gives a valuable insight of a departure from the early missionary strategies in general. The article acknowledges that, the recent widespread involvement of Pentecostal and Charismatic churches in the use of radio, social media, television, open-air crusades, street evangelism, preaching in buses, prayer and prophetic meetings/conventions, medical outreach work and social welfare are ways to fulfill missions in the light of Acts 1:8. The article also highlights the need to broaden the understanding and task of Christian missions to meet the challenges of the recent changing Ghanaian Christian religious landscape.
Keywords: Missions, Missiology, Neo-Pentecostal Churches, Early Church,Strategy, Book of Acts, Historic Churches.
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Paul Kang-Ewala Diboro is a Lecturer, Department of Theology, Christian Service University College, Kumasi Ghana. He is also the Pastor of Church Obuasi, Ghana.
Boniface Kwaku Blewusi – Department of Theology, Christian Service University College, Kumasi – Ghana.
© 2021 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Publishers. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).