Pentecost

Pentecost. The birthday of the Church. The day the resurrected and ascended Jesus sent the Holy Spirit from heaven, to be our counsellor and empowerer until his return, to lead us into all truth, giving gifts and growing fruit in our lives, seeing the world turned upside down. Today, when we gathered to worship, we announced to the church that we would be leaving in the summer, to go we don't know where, led by that same Holy Spirit.

Right now there are a lot of signs that God is at work, doing something new in those of us who are going, and those of us who are staying; establishing a break-through on many fronts where the enemy has controlled us, kept us hemmed-in when God would have his kingdom break-out.

And right now it feels like all hell has been let loose, in desperate counter-attack. Among the friends we lead, one couple is facing both their fathers - both their daughters' grandfathers - being seriously ill at the same time, one with a failing heart, the other with an aggressive brain tumour; another friend - a husband, and father - told us this morning that he had found out on Friday that he has leukeamia; another friend, that both his daughters have been troubled with demonic visions this week (as has our own daughter, Susannah). Two other friends are trying to buy a house, a process that has been overly drawn out; they went round there tonight, and found the outside of the property covered in curse-tape (a satanic practice where curses are recorded onto audio-tape, and the tape is then pulled out of the casing and tied to buildings belonging to Christians; there are active satanists in the area - and two local magic shops - and some of the buildings on our church campus were also targetted when we first moved in).

All hail the power of Jesu's name;
Let angels prostrate fall!
Let angels prostrate fall!
Lift high the royal diadem
And crown him
Crown him
Crown him
Crown him
And crown him Lord of all!