The sending of the church to spread the good news of the gospel often crosses cultural and social boundaries. This means that Christians must be sensitive to the needs of others and provide a level ...of hospitality to others as a means of offering respect and humbly entering their world. Hospitality is grounded in generously giving to others and receiving the blessings they offer in return. This article discusses the connection between spiritual generosity that is experienced through the work of the Holy Spirit and an example of biblical hospitality shown in the story of Lydia found in Acts 16. The context of the exchange between Lydia, a well-to-do business woman and her friends and the Pharisee-turned-follower of Christ, Paul and his missionary companions provides a biblical example of the work of the Holy Spirit in both parties. Spiritual generosity comes from the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that indwells all believers, allowing the crossing of cultural boundaries to provide hospitality as a means of sharing the love of God through Christ. Hospitality is connected to spiritual generosity that assists Christians in accomplishing the missio Dei, the mission of God as a means of experiencing the kingdom of God on earth through the church. The Lydia–Paul story provides an example of how the generosity shown to humanity through the sacrifice of Christ and given to us through the Holy Spirit is directly connected to the need to extend hospitality to others as a means of accomplishing the missio Dei.
In recent years the center of Christianity has been shifting away from Western cultures such as the United States, Canada and Western Europe to the Majority world south and east of these areas. ...Christianity is growing more rapidly in Africa, Asia and Latin America where the majority of the world population now resides. In contrast, we see a decline in attendance in many churches in western cultures such as the U.S. Yet Christians are given a missional mandate by Jesus to “go and make disciples” (Matthew 28: 18-20). That leads to the question of what might be causing the shift and how can those of us from the U.S. and other western cultures engage more meaningfully in spiritual conversations with people from the Majority world, some of who may live in our own neighborhoods. This dissertation addresses some areas in which Wesleyan-Evangelical mission theory might be renewed in light of the changes taking place across the globe and in the local context. Renewal is suggested through affirming the solid foundations that exist within the Wesleyan-Evangelical tradition in comparison with pentecostal/charismatic pneumatology and mission theory and dialogue with Latin American voices in mission theory. The idea here is not to “pentecostalize” the tradition, but to find places of congruence where a fresh perspective may enhance what already exists. Several themes emerge that may prove helpful in understanding cultural contexts in the Majority world that are often more spiritually attuned than those from western based cultures that tend to separate physical and spiritual realms. How the Wesleyan-Evangelical interpretation of the role of the Holy Spirit and mission might be renewed to more fully engage in the conversation is one of the questions to be addressed. Additionally the indigenous voice, in this case from the Latin American perspective, is essential to the conversation moving forward. For this reason, a brief overview of the works of Latin American missional scholars from the Evangelical and pentecostal/charismatic tradition are included as a means of dialogue with North American partners. The comparisons between the Wesleyan-Evangelical and pentecostal/charismatic traditions and context in Latin America are highlighted through a case study on Venezuela. A brief historical sketch of Christianity in the country is included along with research findings from my fieldwork in that country. The survey results support several of the themes identified throughout this dissertation. The intent of this study is to serve as a bridge between traditions and cultural contexts as we seek to build the kingdom of God through empowering the body of Christ. The historical foundations of the Wesleyan-Evangelical tradition should not be abandoned. What is proposed here is a means of renewal through considering the work of the Holy Spirit, seen in the pneumatology of the pentecostal/charismatic tradition, as a way of enhancing awareness of spirituality that exists in the Majority world. This along with the inclusion of the indigenous voice from both leadership and lay participation are vital to a renewed understanding of the missional task. These two subjects are considered across various Christian traditions providing the opportunity for ecumenical work towards the same goal to take place. That goal is a command from Jesus himself to “go and make disciples,” serving others in his name both overseas and in our own daily context.
