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

particular contexts,’ Lord begins with the ‘biblical eschatological theology as a
backdrop for considering particular experiences.’ 40 Elsewhere, Kim also suggests
that such a mission theology should interact with other contextual theologies,
which are ‘not primarily biblical and historical but are contemporary theologies,’
arising in diverse contexts, ‘where the Spirit is at work.’ 41
The current research concerning Pentecostalism in Rajasthan reveals the potential
of the Spirit dimension in contextual missiology. It proposes a contextual
missiology of the Spirit which focuses on the mission of the Spirit in the world
through the agency of the church. However, this does not exclude any other
agencies of the Spirit or any other mission of the Spirit; rather it recognizes the
wider mission of the Spirit in the world as K. Kim argues. This model realizes that
the church is a servant of the Spirit in His mission in the world. The mission of the
Spirit in the church and through the church does not underestimate the mission of
the Spirit outside the church. This model discusses the potential of contextual
mission of the Spirit through the church. It also considers that the Spirit can
empower the faith community, that is the church, for contextual mission. In this
model, the role of the Spirit is not restricted to conversion, evangelism, church
planting and growth, but His role is assumed in diverse issues the faith community
faces, whether internal or external.
The contextual missiology of the Spirit also maintains that a Pentecostal
missiology cannot be completely and purely local in all aspects, as the impact of
40 See Lord, Spirit-Shaped Mission, 139-40.
41 Kim, Mission in the Spirit, 242-43.
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