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

Second, in certain cases the Spirit told people to move from their existing
locations after facing challenges. While Paul was preaching to the crowd in
Jerusalem, he said that he moved from Jerusalem because he was asked to do so.
While he was praying in the temple in Jerusalem he heard a voice in a trance
which said, ‘make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for they will not receive
your testimony concerning Me’ (Act. 22:18). Consequently, he shifted his focus
from Jews to Gentiles and moved out of Jerusalem. Third, on other occasions
when they were facing persecution the Spirit led them to specific groups to
communicate the message. When there was persecution in Jerusalem and its
vicinity, Philip was told by the Spirit to go to the desert between Jerusalem and
Gaza (Act.8:26-39). Apart from being a man ‘full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom,’
Roger Stronstad saw two other Spirit experiences of Philip in this context. He was
‘led by the Spirit to the Ethiopian Court official’ (Act. 8:29), and ‘he was
supernaturally transported by the Spirit after he had baptized the Ethiopian’
(Act.8:39). 122 While there was severe persecution in Jerusalem and all were
scattered to diverse places, Ananias had a dream telling him to go to the house of
Judas to heal Saul (Act. 9:10-12). It is significant that all Christians in Jerusalem
knew that Saul was a leading persecutor and they were afraid of him (Act. 9:26).
However, in response to the dream, Ananias went to meet Saul, and as a result he
was healed, filled with the Holy Spirit and became a disciple. Later he became
one of the leading voices of early Christian community.
122 Roger Stronstad, ‘Affirming Diversity: God’s People as a Community of Prophets,’ Pneuma
17, no. 2 (Fall, 1995): 153.
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