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

would have been no opportunity for him to witness before Caesar. Therefore, it is
likely that the Spirit was giving approval to his decision to exercise his legal
rights, and such a decision had two results. First, Paul expected a fair trial before
Caesar, and second, he was to be a witness to his faith in Jesus before Caesar.
Paul’s experiences of the Spirit underline that exercising one’s socio-political
rights is not contrary to the voice of the Spirit.
In conclusion, the early Christians were making necessary adjustments both in
their mission theory and practice in the light of changing situations, but according
to the guidance and direction of the Spirit. As seen in the above discussion, the
early community responded to the Spirit and Spirit experiences in formulating and
reformulating their mission theology and practice. In most cases they made
changes under the direct guidance of the Spirit, and on certain occasions they
ascribed their decisions to the Spirit. It is important to note that in all the above
discussed episodes the Holy Spirit intervened when people were involved. In
complex situations, the Spirit intervened and enabled His people to come through
the crisis. This demonstrates that in their mission, when the primitive Christian
community faced various issues from within and from without, their Spirit
experiences played a role in directing their mission. The Spirit experiences of the
local communities and the subsequent changes they made in their mission theory
and practice demonstrate the contextual nature of their mission. The changing
situations, such as socio-cultural, religio-political and global-local issues, and
their Spirit experiences had a significant role in shaping and reshaping their
missiology. Newbigin, a missionary in India for several years, is significant here:
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