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a contextual missiology of the spirit - eTheses Repository ...

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<strong>the</strong> state, such as Jodhpur, Jaipur, Kota and Udaipur, while continuing in secular<br />

employment. She said that <strong>the</strong>re were many occasions when he went away to<br />

preach leaving herself and <strong>the</strong>ir children in Ajmer alone for days.<br />

3.2.2. Local Revivals<br />

The current research found that revivals in existing churches played a significant<br />

role in <strong>the</strong> development <strong>of</strong> Pentecostalism in Rajasthan. Atma ka gagruti (Spirit<br />

revival) occurred in a few places in Rajasthan, during which people witnessed<br />

new and unusual <strong>spirit</strong>ual experiences in <strong>the</strong> mainline churches. However, <strong>the</strong>y<br />

did not recognize it as revival, nor did <strong>the</strong>y compare it with any Pentecostal<br />

revivals as <strong>the</strong>y were unaware <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>m. These local revivals took place without<br />

any external influence. It is significant that, as in Tirunelveli, Kerala and Mukti,<br />

<strong>the</strong>re was a Holy Spirit outpouring among <strong>the</strong> local Christians in Rajasthan also.<br />

These Rajasthani revivals have many parallels with o<strong>the</strong>r revivals in India.<br />

It appears that <strong>the</strong> first Spirit revival in Rajasthan took place in Udaipur in 1959-<br />

60 in <strong>the</strong> Shepherd Memorial Church, <strong>the</strong>n a Methodist and now a CNI church.<br />

According to John Masih, a chief participant <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se <strong>spirit</strong>ual happenings, a<br />

<strong>spirit</strong>ual thirst and hunger developed among many members <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> church after<br />

Emmanuel Loel made several visits to <strong>the</strong> church in 1959. Loel was an Air Force<br />

<strong>of</strong>ficer from Jabalpur, MP, and had a Pentecostal experience. Many people in <strong>the</strong><br />

church began to ga<strong>the</strong>r for prayer in <strong>the</strong> church and in various houses <strong>of</strong> church<br />

members. There was definitely an increasing desire for prayer, and some spent<br />

extensive hours in prayer. In <strong>the</strong>se prayer meetings people had many <strong>spirit</strong>ual<br />

111

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