The Holy Spirit in Mission - by Gary Tyra (Paperback)

About the Book

The church has been called to participate in God's mission in the world. But without a robust, biblical sense of the Spirit's action, how can we be sure we're fulfilling that call? In this innovative work of missional pneumatology, Gary Tyra synthesizes charismatic and evangelical perspectives to flesh out the nature and purpose of the church's preaching, proclamation and service.

Book Synopsis

The church has been called to participate in God's mission in the world. But without a robust, biblical sense of the Spirit's action, how can we be sure we're fulfilling that call? Gary Tyra employs a biblical theology of the Holy Spirit to deepen and inform our understanding of life as the church, the people of God. Since the church's mission to and into the world is both evangelistic and prophetic, the task calls for the working of the Spirit in our preaching, proclamation and service. Tyra brings together both charismatic and evangelical emphases resulting in a theological and practical synthesis that is richer than when either is taken separately.

Review Quotes

"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."

--Berten A. Waggoner, national director, Vineyard USA

". . . 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."

--John Cheong, Trinity Journal, Spring 2014

"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."

--Trevin Wax, Christianity Today, January 2012

"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 treatment in 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's views 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 Holy Spirit in the life of the church today. This book is an essential addition to every theological library!"

--Ivan Satyavrata, senior pastor and chairman, The Assembly of God Church Mission, Kolkata, India, and International Deputy Director, South Asia, The Lausanne Movement

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

--Denzil R. Miller, Enrichment, Fall 2012

"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."

--Andrew Kinsey, Missiology, 41(3)

"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."

--Malcolm R. Brubaker, The Pneuma Review, Fall 2012

About the Author

Gary Tyra (D.Min., Fuller Theological Seminary) is associate professor of biblical and practical theology at Vanguard University of Southern California. He has over twenty-five years of pastoral experience, including his last position as senior pastor at Yorba Linda Community Church in Yorba Linda, California. He is the author of Christ's Empowering Presence, Beyond the Bliss and Defeating Pharisaism.