Wonsuk Ma

Given this unique locus of today's church, this book takes us back to the foundational teachings of Jesus on missions: the Great Commission (Gospel of Matthew) and the Messianic Commission (Gospel of John). Although these two passages are "universal" in grounding Christian mission, Professor Keener wants to assure that the role of the Holy Spirit is central to Christian living and acting as God's witnesses. Wonsuk Ma, PhDDean, Distinguished Professor of Global ChristianityCollege of Theology and Ministry, Oral Roberts University"Craig Keener, one of the finest and most prolific NT scholars of our day, has produced another gem. For All Peoples: A Biblical Theology of Missions in the Gospels and Acts blends together rich scholarly insights, rooted in an unsurpassed knowledge of the first-century world, with an edifying and pastoral eye that is always focused on the radical nature of Jesus' call to follow him in his redemptive mission. Successive chapters illuminate the seminal contributions that Matthew, Luke, John, and Paul make to a biblical theology of missions. The final chapter, rooted in the narrative of Acts, appropriately ties together these themes by describing Paul's Macedonian vision as a call for the Church to take the gospel from its place of origin in Asia to the mission field of Europe. After almost two millennia, Keener reminds us just how relevant this call remains for the growing and vibrant churches of Asia today." Robert P. Menzies, PhDKunming, China"This is Craig Keener at his best--thoroughly expositional and passionately missional." Dave Johnson, DMissManaging EditorAsian Journal of Pentecostal Studies

The God Who Is Love created man male and female for love. Human sexuality is a gift of Creation. The image of our God who is love is borne by "man" as "male and female," with no hint of either sexʼs imaging the divine more fully than--or apart from--the other. Through this gift, we may love and be loved deeply, may enjoy a profound oneness in marriage, and, from loveʼs natural self-giving, may give life to children, the greatest ongoing fruit of such love. Despite all its goodness, many on this planet experience sexuality in brokenness and pain. We know sin and evil spoil and steal from Godʼs good creation, but we do not despair. The Good News of Jesus Christ reckons seriously with every enemy of human fl ourishing. His victory has won healing the Holy Spirit applies to the broken, through loving ministry. These truths of Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration unify the essays in this book. Most began at the Scholarsʼ Consultation of the Empowered21 Asia Global Congress in Singapore in 2017. Here they explore Godʼs intention for our sexuality, ways we misuse and abuse this gift, and ways Spirit-empowered communities help heal brokenness and restore the divine image. Expressing theological and socialscience scholarship and front-lines ministry experience from the First and Majority Worlds, these essays probe gender theory, inequality, and fl uidity and dysphoria; sexual exploitation of children and women and their resilience; homosexuality; fi ghting HIV/AIDS; promoting sexual wholeness; and more. Readers will deepen their biblical, theoretical, and practical understanding so they may minister healing and restoration with wisdom and compassion in the power of the Holy Spirit.

The surge of the Pentecostal movement in this century has brought new relevance to the study of the Spirit of God in the Old Testament. Surprisingly, however, this theme has been largely neglected by Pentecostal scholars. Ma seeks to fill this gap by providing an in-depth study of the spirit of God in the Isaianic traditions. He argues that the Old Testament concept of the Spirit of God has more than one root, and that the development of the various spirit traditions can be fruitfully traced. The study utilizes a synchronic approach together with historical analyses in order to elucidate the message of the book of Isaiah. The author concludes that the concept of the Spirit of God retains a strong eschatological significance throughout the book.