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

and magic. He was tormented by the evil spirits, and his wife was seriously ill,
and finally he decided to commit a family suicide. However, he says that he was
guided by some inner voice to visit his neighbour, where he found a Pentecostal
pastor who was on an accidental visit to the village. The pastor prayed for
Pannalal and his family, and as a result, he was delivered from the evil spirits and
his wife was healed. Soon he started witnessing Christ and praying for the sick,
and he gradually formed a congregation, and today he oversees four growing
congregations in the Girva Tahsil. 76 Another story, the experiences of Kantilal 77
and his family, shows the way ordinary women were involved in the healing. He
too came from a non-Christian family, and his wife was seriously ill for more than
two months. Mrs. Laxmi, 78 a Pentecostal believer went and prayed for Kantilal’s
wife and she was healed. Soon the whole family came to Christian faith, and later
he became a full time Pentecostal minister. 79
Moreover, pneumatological missiology takes the theology of social action
seriously. As discussed above, Pentecostals argue that Spirit empowerment is
intended for the purpose of serving the community. Many draw upon the social
concern of the Spirit among the primitive Christian community in Luke-Acts. For
example, Max Turner argues from the life of this early community that Spirit
empowerment is not only for evangelistic mission, but it has multiple purposes,
76
For more details of the story, see Reji Chacko, ‘Sharing the Living Manna,’ Cross and Crown
37, no. 2 (Nov-Dec 2007): 24.
77
Pseudonym.
78
Pseudonym.
79
For more details of the story, see C&C Correspondent, ‘They Believed and they Saw the Glory
of God,’ Cross and Crown 37, no. 5 (May-June 2008): 09.
283