Eldad and Medad church

Tuesday October 2^nd, Numbers 11: ²⁵ Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took of the Spirit that was on him and put the Spirit on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did not do so again.  ²⁶ However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but did not go out to the Tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them, and they prophesied in the camp. ²⁷ A young man ran and told Moses, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp."  ²⁸ Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses' aide since youth, spoke up and said, "Moses, my lord, stop them!"  ²⁹ But Moses replied, "Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD's people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!"  How often do we try to possess and control God’s grace?  Like the Smothers Brothers skit of old with “Mom love you best” we try to claim our exclusive right to God’s love and point out the failings of others.  Terrorists and people of hate on both sides preach “Kill the Infidel” or “Kill the Muslim terrorists extremists” and both sides fail to see the work of God in the other.  Fundamentalism of all kinds tends to create enemies of those whom God created and called our brothers and sisters.  God’s love for us is manifest best when we show love for the whole family of God.  Eldad and Medad were God’s way of moving the spirit out where it should have been in the first place, among the people and a creation called good.  It is time to open our worship experience up to the gifts of the people and it is time to take our worship experiences out into the streets and unloose the chains we use to try to bind God to our image. We need an Eldad and Medad church movement outside the walls of respectability.