The Holy Spirit in Mission: Prophetic Speech and Action in Christian Witness

Gary Tyra (DMin, Fuller Theological Seminary) is professor of biblical and practical theology at Vanguard University of Southern California. His books include The Holy Spirit in Mission and Christ's Empowering Presence.

"Tyra's book is a must read for any leader wishing to lead his or her church into authentic New Testament ministry."

"Tyra's work is a welcome voice to the missional church movement. His emphasis on missional pneumatology is necessary to the ways in which the church understands and carries out ministry. It also provides a solid resource for clergy, laity and seminarians."

"Western evangelicals are facing many challenges of a changing cultural and spiritual terrain and Tyra challenges us to follow biblical and contemporary examples of Spirit-empowered Christianity. . . . In our twenty-first-century historical context we in the West are as much a mission-receiving culture as a mission-sending one. Tyra's work helps us all to see where we need to go."

"The Holy Spirit in Mission is a fresh call to the church to intentionally participate with the Holy Spirit in what God is doing in the church and in the world. It engages the best of missional scholarship while giving very practical examples of how we can all be involved with the Spirit in God's mission. I highly recommend it to all church leaders."

"Christians from various theological backgrounds will benefit from Tyra's counsel to be more sensitive to the Spirit's movements as we seek to edify and equip disciples for missional faithfulness."

". . . the book critically fills a lacuna and important bridges big-picture visions of what the missional church should do vis-à-vis personal callings for ministry. On this, we can salute Tyra's call to Christians to obey God's voice more clearly, more missionally, and more corporately in ways that are less programmatic but more Spirit-led in mission."

"Recent years have seen the emergence of a series of writings addressing various aspects of the Holy Spirit's role in the church and mission. Gary Tyra's The Holy Spirit in Mission focuses on a theme which has not found adequate treatmentin contemporary theological literature. The role of inspired prophetic speech as an essential aspect of the Spirit's empowerment in the life of a believer is of special interest especially in many parts of the majority world where the power of the Holy Spirit is igniting explosive church growth. However, as every sympathetic but astute observer knows, the effectiveness of such 'Spirit' movements are often hindered by inadequate biblical and theological grounding. Tyra's work succeeds in addressing a critical gap in this regard. Tyra's sensitive scholarship and pastoral experience have helped him to come up with a sound, balanced and readable volume—a welcome contribution of immense value to the health of the global church. Although Tyra'sviews are significantly shaped by his Pentecostal roots, the case he presents is consonant with evangelical essentials and should provoke interest and response from a wide spectrum of Christians who warmly and reverently welcome the work of the HolySpirit in the life of the church today. This book is an essential addition to every theological library!"

"I applaud Gary Tyra's bridge-building efforts on this most practical and pivotal arena of our joint witness throughout the body of Christ."

"This book is especially helpful in making the activity of the Holy Spirit in our lives clear and accessible to the individual. I highly recommend it for those who want to make 'prophetic speech and action in Christian witness' something they actually work with and count on."

"This study brims over with enthusiasm and conviction, from its biblical survey of the role of the Spirit in mission, to Tyra's creative argument backed by personal experience in the Pentecostal movement and quotations from many mission scholars and theologians."