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

missionaries. As McGee rightly observes, from the beginning ‘the revival took an
indigenous course.’ 129 Aroolappen began his missionary activities in a village
called Christian Peta in Tirunelveli in 1840, and consequently a Brethren
congregation was formed in 1842. Having learned of the visitation of God in the
United States, England and Ulster in 1857-59, Aroolappen began to pray for a
movement of the Spirit in India, and consequently an outpouring of the Holy
Spirit occurred in 1860. G.H. Lang’s report, based on Aroolappen’s diary, shows
that like other Pentecostal revivals there were months of preparation, which
included prolonged prayer, preaching on holiness, weeping and confession of sins
before the actual outpouring of the Spirit. Aroolappen’s diary has details of the
outbreak of the Spirit revival. According to him, from the fourth of May ‘the
Holy Ghost was poured out openly and wonderfully’ upon the congregations. 130
There were visible manifestations of the Spirit, such as speaking in tongues,
interpretations, visions, prophecies, bodily shaking, people falling down, weeping
and intense conviction of sin. 131 Aroolappen states that although ‘some tried to
quench the Spirit’ the work of the Holy Spirit continued even in other nearby
villages, and people began to speak in tongues, interpret and prophesy. 132
This revival lasted for five years and made some lasting contributions. Dev
considers that the greatest contribution of the revival was that Aroolappen’s
church became a missionary church. 133 McGee quotes the report of Ashton Dibb, a
129
McGee, ‘Pentecostal Phenomena,’ 113.
130
Lang, History and Diaries, 143. For more details, see pp.142-46.
131
Lang, History and Diaries, 143-46; Also see Orr, Evangelical Awakenings in Southern Asia,
59-60; McGee, ‘Pentecostal Phenomena,’ 113; Dev, ‘Bharathan Unarvukal,’ 4.
132
Lang, History and Diaries, 145.
133
Dev, ‘Bharathan Unarvukal,’ 4.
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