Calling of Elisha By Elijah - 1 Kings 19:20
1 Kings 19:20 Elisha then left his oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, "Let me kiss my father and mother good-bye, and then I will go with you." Elijah answered, "All right, go back. I'm not stopping you!"
It takes a genuine man of God to recognize another genuine man of God. It takes a real man of God to conquer a man of God. How to spot your successor in the ministry? How to know how to choose your leaders, and workers in your church?
I. Elisha Is Called To Replace Elijah - 1 Kings 19:16
II. The Robe of Elijah Was Placed In Head of Elisha 1 Kings 19:19
III. Suddenly Elisha Left His Current Work - 1 Kings 19:20
IV. Elisha Runs Toward Elijah Not Away From Him - 1 Kings 19:20
V. Elijah Permitted Elisha To Say Goodbye To His Family - 1 Kings 19:20
VI. Elisha Followed Elijah And Started Out As His Helper Or Servant - 1 Kings 19:21
I. Elisha Is Called To Replace Elijah - 1 Kings 19:16
1 Kings 19:16 anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet.
A fruitful, successful ministry starts everyday on your knees or face before God in your daily devotions with God. God knows Elijah, Elijah knows the voice of God. He knows His Words. He knows how to obey God in His Words. He's accustomed to God's command by practise. Knowing God is knowing His Words.
1 Kings 19:19 Elijah left and found Elisha plowing with a team of oxen; there were eleven teams ahead of him, and he was plowing with the last one. Elijah took off his cloak and put it on Elisha.
1 Kings 19:20 Elisha then left his oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, "Let me kiss my father and mother good-bye, and then I will go with you." Elijah answered, "All right, go back. I'm not stopping you!"
1 Kings 19:21 Then Elisha went to his team of oxen, killed them, and cooked the meat, using the yoke as fuel for the fire. He gave the meat to the people, and they ate it. Then he went and followed Elijah as his helper.
Come on now, take it from veteran Apostle Paul, as he said:
Philippians 3:10 All I want is to know Christ and to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings and become like him in his death,
Studying God's Words never end. I'll tell you what kind of a church it is, by showing me how many hours a pastor spends his time on his studies. The life of your local church where you pastor depends on your life of study. A pastor is different in his way of life, and his life is his studies. You might call it a delight, an enjoyment or a sacrifice, but spend time in your studies.
John 5:39 You study the Scriptures, because you think that in them you will find eternal life. And these very Scriptures speak about me!
II. The Robe of Elijah Was Placed In Head of Elisha 1 Kings 19:19
1 Kings 19:19 Elijah left and found Elisha plowing with a team of oxen; there were eleven teams ahead of him, and he was plowing with the last one. Elijah took off his cloak and put it on Elisha.
A robe is a dress fit for the body, not on the head. It's a symbol of transfer of responsibility. You need to carry the responsibilities on your head or in your mind. The perfect choice is a someone who has a mind for God.
If you will choose, consider his studies, consider his time of studies, and how strong his mind is. We are all called to suffer, one suffers a different level than another, but all must suffer for the Kingdom of God, make sure the mind of the person of your prospect has a strong mind and will or else..
Deuteronomy 28:28 The LORD will make you lose your mind; he will strike you with blindness and confusion.
Deuteronomy 28:34 Your sufferings will make you lose your mind.
... he might lose his mind in the ministry.
III. Suddenly Elisha Left His Current Work - 1 Kings 19:20
1 Kings 19:20 Elisha then left his oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, "Let me kiss my father and mother good-bye, and then I will go with you." Elijah answered, "All right, go back. I'm not stopping you!"
Being full time has it's priveledges, but before you can focus on God's works and ministry, you need to leave something behind, you need to sacrifice things.
Learn from the Apostles examples: Im talking full time ministry, of full-time calling here. It's like a soldier leaving his family.
Luk_5:2 He saw two boats pulled up on the beach; the fishermen had left them and were washing the nets.
Luk_5:11 They pulled the boats up on the beach, left everything, and followed Jesus.
Luk_5:28 Levi got up, left everything, and followed him
Mar_1:18 At once they left their nets and went with him.
Mar_1:20 As soon as Jesus saw them, he called them; they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and went with Jesus.
Mat_9:9 Jesus left that place, and as he walked along, he saw a tax collector, named Matthew, sitting in his office. He said to him, "Follow me." Matthew got up and followed him.
Mat_19:27 Then Peter spoke up. "Look," he said, "we have left everything and followed you. What will we have?"
Mat_19:29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake, will receive a hundred times more and will be given eternal life.
IV. Elisha Runs Toward Elijah Not Away From Him - 1 Kings 19:20
1 Kings 19:20 Elisha then left his oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, "Let me kiss my father and mother good-bye, and then I will go with you." Elijah answered, "All right, go back. I'm not stopping you!"
Unlike Jonah who ran from the calling of God, at this time Elijah symbolized God's calling in the life of Elisha, Elisha realized that he will not accomplish nothing if he will ran from the call of God, so he decided to say good bye to his family, his father and mother, leaving everything in their hands so he could pursue his great calling from God. Sounds familiar? Majority of us can relate to this story. Yes, all full time calling is done like this, you leave everything behind, including your family and pursue God's calling
Mat_4:20, Mat_4:22, Mat_9:9, Mat_19:27
Matthew 4:20 At once they left their nets and went with him.
Matthew 4:22 and at once they left the boat and their father, and went with him.
Matthew 9:9 Jesus left that place, and as he walked along, he saw a tax collector, named Matthew, sitting in his office. He said to him, "Follow me." Matthew got up and followed him.
Jonah 1:1 One day the LORD spoke to Jonahah son of Amittai.
Jonah 1:2 He said, "Go to Nineveh, that great city, and speak out against it; I am aware of how wicked its people are."
Jonah 1:3 Jonahah, however, set out in the opposite direction in order to get away from the LORD. He went to Joppa, where he found a ship about to go to Spain. He paid his fare and went aboard with the crew to sail to Spain, where he would be away from the LORD.
Matthew 19:27 Then Peter spoke up. "Look," he said, "we have left everything and followed you. What will we have?"
Matthew 19:28 Jesus said to them, "You can be sure that when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne in the New Age, then you twelve followers of mine will also sit on thrones, to rule the twelve tribes of Israel.
Matthew 19:29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake, will receive a hundred times more and will be given eternal life.
Matthew 19:30 But many who now are first will be last, and many who now are last will be first.
V. Elijah Permitted Elisha To Say Goodbye To His Family - 1 Kings 19:20
At some point in time, you have to agree and permit your successor to say goodbye to his family since he will be leaving them behind at a long time, or most probably permanently to pursue God's calling in their lives. You have to let them go first temporarily. It's natural for humans to do that, since they will be missed by their parents, and family.
Matthew 8:21 Another man, who was a disciple, said, "Sir, first let me go back and bury my father."
Matthew 8:22 "Follow me," Jesus answered, "and let the dead bury their own dead."
Luke 9:61 Someone else said, "I will follow you, sir; but first let me go and say good-bye to my family."
Luke 9:62 Jesus said to him, "Anyone who starts to plow and then keeps looking back is of no use for the Kingdom of God."
Acts 20:37 They were all crying as they hugged him and kissed him good-bye.
Acts 20:38 They were especially sad because he had said that they would never see him again. And so they went with him to the ship.
VI. Elisha Followed Elijah And Started Out As His Helper Or Servant - 1 Kings 19:21
1Kings 19:21 Then Elisha went to his team of oxen, killed them, and cooked the meat, using the yoke as fuel for the fire. He gave the meat to the people, and they ate it. Then he went and followed Elijah as his helper.
Put emphasis on "... as his helper" It's very important that your successor will not start at the top, or if you're the Senior Pastor, your successor can't be the Assistant Senior Pastor all at once, he has to start from the beginning. Don't despise small beginnings, don't be even ashamed of it. All of us has to start somewhere else and it's logical for us to start from the bottom and slowly raise it up. Why? Because of pride.
Zechariah 4:10 People will not be ashamed of the small beginnings, and they will be very happy when they see Zerubbabel with the plumb line, measuring and checking the finished building. Now the seven sides of the stone you saw represent the eyes of the LORD looking in every direction. They see everything on earth."
1 Timothy 3:6 An elder must not be a new believer. It might make him too proud of himself. Then he would be condemned for his pride the same as the devil was.
1 Corinthians 3:1 Brothers and sisters, when I was there, I could not talk to you the way I talk to people who are led by the Spirit. I had to talk to you like ordinary people of the world. You were like babies in Christ.
Hebrews 5:12 You have had enough time that by now you should be teachers. But you need someone to teach you again the first lessons of God's teaching. You still need the teaching that is like milk. You are not ready for solid food.
Hebrews 5:13 Anyone who lives on milk is still a baby and is not able to understand much about living right.
1 Peter 2:2 Like newborn babies hungry for milk, you should want the pure teaching that feeds your spirit. With it you can grow up and be saved.
In humility your successor or better call him/her your Elisha should be willing to serve your needs first and then by serving you first he will learn how to serve in humility, the very ingredient that is needed today, so he won't fall like the devil, and he will be long-term in the ministry.
1Timothy 3:6 An elder must not be a new believer. It might make him too proud of himself. Then he would be condemned for his pride the same as the devil was.
Matthew 4:9 The devil said, "If you will bow down and worship me, I will give you all these things."
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