The MTV Movie & TV Awards is not the first place you expect to see some evangelization in action, but Monday night actor Chris Pratt preached the love of God to the next generation. The actor, best known for his roles in Parks and Rec, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Jurassic World, accepted the Generation Award by offering ‘9 Rules from Chris Pratt, Generation Award Winner.’

And while there were several poop references that got laughs from the audience, these rules also included:

• You have a soul, be careful with it.
• God is real, God loves you, God wants the best for you. Believe that. I do.
• Learn to pray. It’s easy, and it’s so good for your soul.
• Grace is a gift. And like the freedom we enjoy in this country, that grace was paid for with someone else’s blood. Do not forget it. Do not take it for granted.

In discussing Pratt’s speech on The Patrick Madrid Show, host Patrick Madrid commented that Pratt’s evangelizing the MTV audience reminded him of St. Paul’s approach in evangelizing the Greek people.

“I like the fact that he is introducing this message that is so antithetical and so foreign to much, if not all, of what you see on MTV nowadays,” Patrick said. “So I admire the fact that he is doing that. It reminds me of what St. Paul did in Athens.”

“We read this in the book of Acts, where he is speaking on what is called the Areopagus, which was a place where they had many shrines set up to different gods,” he continued. “So rather than beat them over the head and tell them ‘you guys are idolaters and you’re worshipping false gods’ and calling down fire and brimstone, he doesn’t do that at all.”

“He does something that I think Chris Pratt is trying to channel, and doing so rather well if you ask me. And that is he begins by saying, ‘Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious, and I see here that there is a shrine to an unknown god. I’m here to tell you who that God is.’ And then after finding some common ground with them, he proceeds to proclaim Jesus.”

“Not that Chris Pratt is St. Paul. I’m not saying that,” Patrick clarified. “Nor was his message crafted to be like what St. Paul said. But there is a similarity, in that he’s walking into this situation with a message that the jaded glitterati don’t think about much, if I had to wager a guess. And he’s introducing it in a way that is winsome, favorable, and of course the fact that he is a popular, well-known celebrity in his own right. That makes it even more compelling for an audience like that to listen to.”

Listen to the full discussion, including clips of Chris Pratt’s speech, below:

The Patrick Madrid Show airs weekdays from 9:00 – noon Eastern/6:00 – 9:00 a.m. Pacific on Relevant Radio® and the Relevant Radio App.