Today is Pentecost and neither of these texts were used. Instead the Acts text, where the flames set upon every person, and I Cor 13 were discussed. In this there was an acknowledgement by Barry that Pentecost has become a point of division between those who emphasize the Holy Spirit and those who do not. One side sees the other as overly emotional and without any theology, the other side sees those who emphasize knowledge as cold, unemotional and without joy.

I consider, there is truth on both sides, and that this is an argument whose time has past. There are now too many liberals in evangelicalism and Pentecostalism who talk about the tradition, and that the spirit is leading us to converge with the current narratives of inclusion, anti racism and tolerance. There are many liberals in the reformed church, or catholic church, or orthodox church, who argue that the traditions of Luther or St Francis or Calvin etc… lead to us converging with the current narratives of inclusion, anti racism and tolerance.

No. We are here to give glory to Christ and obey his commands, not to accede to the evil of this current year, that has resulted from our inclusion of the enemy, our celebration of anti racism, and our tolerance of evil.

John 14:21-29

²¹“They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.” ²²Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?” ²³Jesus answered him, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. ²⁴Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.

²⁵“I have said these things to you while I am still with you. ²⁶But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. ²⁷Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. ²⁸You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I am coming to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. ²⁹And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe.”

Numbers 11:24-30

²⁴So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord; and he gathered seventy elders of the people, and placed them all around the tent. ²⁵Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders; and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do so again.

²⁶Two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the spirit rested on them; they were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. ²⁷And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” ²⁸And Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses, one of his chosen men, said, “My lord Moses, stop them!” 29But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!” ³⁰And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.

The real division in the church is between those who have the spirit of God within them and those who do not. The way to tell this is not to look at what people say, but what they do. Those who say they are virtuous and support those organizations that destroy the gospel and promote harm to people need to repent. Those who say that they are sinners, and pray forgiveness from God and their neighbour are more righteous, for they are repenting anyway.

We are facing those who hate Christ and the Spirit. They follow the Spirit of this age, which is that of Satan. They will kill, and steal and destroy. There is another attack on London in Pentecost Eve.

We need to be able to see the truth and then speak the gospel. We do not need to listen the credentialed fools who call truth hate speech.

And we need to know this: the Church is not ours. It is Christ. It is because it has the Spirit of God in it, even though we are anything but perfect, that the gates of hell will not prevail against it.