People are constantly around persuasive messages. Gass and Seiter (2014) defined persuasion, saying, “Persuasion involves one or more persons who are engaged in the activity of creating, reinforcing, modifying, or extinguishing beliefs, attitudes, intentions, motivations, and/or behaviors within the constraints of a given communication context” (p. 33). Gass and Seiter also estimated that people are exposed to anywhere between an average of 300 to 3000 persuasive messages a day (p. 10). Because these messages are everywhere, Christians cannot ignore them; rather, they have to be conscientious, intentionally sending positive messages to the world. As Jesus says in Matthew 5, Christians should be “the light of the world,” becoming a positive
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All Christians should do this; in Matthew 28:19 (ESV) before his ascension to heaven, Christ commanded Christians to “go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” According to Gass and Seiter (2014), interpersonal communication is the most effective form of communication, so Christians should go out and form relationships if they want others to listen to what they have to say (p. 11). In Galatians 5:13-14, Paul instructed Christians on how to do this: “… Through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” Through loving and serving their neighbors, Christians can gain a strong influence in their lives. Without this influence, attempts at Christian persuasion are often futile noise. As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:1: “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” Rather, through these relationships, Christians should follow Cheney’s (1983) advice and create a common ground with those around them, using their similarities and shared experiences as a starting ground as they enter discussion on topics where they have differences (p. 148). By doing this, Christians can begin affecting others’ beliefs and actions through Christian …show more content…
Moral good can present itself in many ways throughout the natural world, ranging from legal justice to neighborly generosity. No matter how moral good presents itself, it stems from one person putting others above himself and his own needs. Even though non-Christians, having been created image of God, can still do moral good, moral good best comes through truly following God and his commandments. Peoples’ beliefs and actions come from within themselves, with Jesus telling his disciples in Mark 7:21: “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery.” Therefore, in order to best spread moral good, Christians should spread spiritual good. The critical step Christians must take when persuading non-Christians is to lead them into a knowledge and relationship with God. However, it does not end here: without continuing on with their faith, becoming more like God through sanctification, Christians will continue doing moral wrong, harming those around them and disqualifying themselves from being effective Christian persuaders. In contrast, through sanctification, Christians gain the “fruits of the spirit” discussed in Galatians, showing the world true moral goodness. Then, through this goodness, Christians have an excellent platform to continue influencing others through Christian
All Christians should do this; in Matthew 28:19 (ESV) before his ascension to heaven, Christ commanded Christians to “go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” According to Gass and Seiter (2014), interpersonal communication is the most effective form of communication, so Christians should go out and form relationships if they want others to listen to what they have to say (p. 11). In Galatians 5:13-14, Paul instructed Christians on how to do this: “… Through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” Through loving and serving their neighbors, Christians can gain a strong influence in their lives. Without this influence, attempts at Christian persuasion are often futile noise. As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:1: “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” Rather, through these relationships, Christians should follow Cheney’s (1983) advice and create a common ground with those around them, using their similarities and shared experiences as a starting ground as they enter discussion on topics where they have differences (p. 148). By doing this, Christians can begin affecting others’ beliefs and actions through Christian …show more content…
Moral good can present itself in many ways throughout the natural world, ranging from legal justice to neighborly generosity. No matter how moral good presents itself, it stems from one person putting others above himself and his own needs. Even though non-Christians, having been created image of God, can still do moral good, moral good best comes through truly following God and his commandments. Peoples’ beliefs and actions come from within themselves, with Jesus telling his disciples in Mark 7:21: “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery.” Therefore, in order to best spread moral good, Christians should spread spiritual good. The critical step Christians must take when persuading non-Christians is to lead them into a knowledge and relationship with God. However, it does not end here: without continuing on with their faith, becoming more like God through sanctification, Christians will continue doing moral wrong, harming those around them and disqualifying themselves from being effective Christian persuaders. In contrast, through sanctification, Christians gain the “fruits of the spirit” discussed in Galatians, showing the world true moral goodness. Then, through this goodness, Christians have an excellent platform to continue influencing others through Christian