Thread by @Billieiswriting

It's #penecost Sunday so here are some thoughts from a queer, Anabaptist, trans woman with an Evangelical and Vineyard background about that.
1/🧵

https://twitter.com/Billieiswriting/status/1662843598914613248

At #pentecost the Holy Spirit was "poured out" on the existing group of Jesus' followers confirming and empowering them in the ministry of bringing God's Kin-dom. It was a distinctive thing that happened to and for that community. 2/🧵

https://twitter.com/KaJuror/status/1662674429506101249?t=AicYlpCIQrgXCO_KcZF9mw&s=19

I will talk about the empowering part in a second but first the confirming bit:
At Pentecost the community recovered the Holy Spirit confirming to themselves and one another that they really were tasked with Jesus' mission. 3/🧵

We see God using discernable outpourings of the Holy Spirit in the chapters of Acts following #Pentecost to indicate to the Apostles and the community that other people and groups are also included in Jesus' mission and community. 4/🧵

First to Samaria, then to a gender variant person from Ethiopia, then to the "unclean" Gentiles, the Holy Spirit is discernably active in confirming their inclusion in the Body of Christ.

The Spirit continues to say "this, too, is Jesus' body". 5/🧵

The lesson (one we humans have so much trouble internalizing) is that they should not be calling unclean (unfit for inclusion in the community) what God has made holy. The same Spirit that had been poured out on them was also poured out on those they had thought to exclude. 5/🧵

And on to the mission:
Jesus, before his death and resurrection had told them "If I am lifted up, I will draw all people unto me". They were being given the means to contribute to that, told to go into all the world and make disciples. 6/🧵

And the Spirit manifested at Pentecost as flame—purifying fire.

🔥They were not to see themselves as subject to contamination by "the world" they were bringing a cleansing fire to the world.🔥

Only the fire didn't burn what they expected. It burned away their prejudices. 7/🧵

And despite all of this, the church today so often refuses to even be open to seeing where and how the Spirit is Moving. I spent time in the Vineyard where they are OBSESSED with renewal and revival.
Their movement began when a gay man prayed for their young people.
8/🧵

The Spirit is moving among Queer ppl. The Evangelical church refuses to see it. They insist on calling unclean what God declared holy.

If they would only be willing to follow the Spirit, they could be blessed. But they cut us away and cut themselves off.

https://twitter.com/Billieiswriting/status/1637285078916014082?t=Ntt39Sja7OsO2dKmZ-jz5A&s=19