The theme that we have been following this year is God is doing a new thing.
In the bible reading this morning we witness God doing a new thing in Israel as one Prophet – Elijah exits stage right and a new Prophey Elisha enters the scene.
As Elisha picks up the mantle left for him by Elijah There is much for us to learn about making sure that we are well positioned for the new thing that God is about to do. he life of Elisha is incredible and if we were to look at the miracles of Elisha recorded in the bible we would be astounded.
These days when the newsreaders are introducing television programs they often introduce them with a question that is meant to tempt you into watching their news program
So we here something like What is our Prime minister John Key doing at Waitangi and who confronted him and Who surprised Lydia Ko at the New Zealand Golf open
Well if we were making headlines in this style of Elisha’s miracles they might read like this:-
Jordan river divided. (2:14)
What stopped the Jordon river today and who crossed dry?
Waters at the spring of Jericho healed. (2:21)
Why are people now drinking the waters of Jericho
Bears from the woods, destroying the mockers. (2:24)
What are wild bears doing wrecking havoc in the woods and who is the Bald man?
Water for kings. (3:20)
Why are the Kings drinking fresh water and who bought it to them?
Oil for widow. (4:1-4)
Why is a widow selling oil and where did she get it from?
Gift of son. (4:16, 17)
Who has give birth to a son and what is his name.
Raising the child from dead. (4:35)
Why has the funeral of a young shunnamite boy been cancelled and who stopped it?
Healing of the pootage (4:41)
Why are the Prophets eating Pottage and who tried to poison them?
Bread multiplied. (4:43)
How come one hundred men are not starving after only having twenty loaves of Barley bread?
10 Naaman healed. (5:10)
What is Naaman the commander of the Aram army doing dipping hmself in the Jordan for and where has his leprosy gone?
11 Gehazi smitten. (5:27)
How come Gehazzi has leprosy and where did it come from?
12 Caused the iron to swim. (6:6)
What is an axe doing floating?
13 Sight to the blind. (6:17)
How come Elisha’s servant got so clever and who made him see?
14 Smiting blindness to these men. (6:18)
What is a blind army doing wandering around our nation?
15 Restoring sight to these men. (6:20)
Who restored the Aramean armies blindness and why didn’t we kill them?
16 Miracle after his death, man comes to life by touching Elisha's bones. (13:21)
What is a dead man doing walking out of Elisha’s tomb?
Elisha has an incredible life these 16 recorded miracles are exactly double the number of Elijah’s miracles recorded in 1st and 2nd Kings which is amazing when you read:-
9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?”
“Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.
In the last century in New Zealand Christianity has apparently diminished
In New Zealand, churchattendance in 1960 was about 20%of the population weekly, and 40%
monthly. By 2000 this had beenhalved to 10% and 20% respectively,figures identical to Australia and
very similar to Britain (18% and 8%weekly), although much of the decline occurred from the late 60s to
the late 80s and the figures have stabilised somewhat since.
But with Elisha we see an increase and when God does a new thing we see the church grow and the reverence and worship for God increasing exponentially for example in Korea in
In Korea in the 1880’s there were approximately no Protestant Christians and a small number of catholic”s who had survived persecution – by 1941 2 percent of the Population was Christian and by 2014 it was 30 percent and growing.
In 1923, Dr. Samuel A. Moffett,. Korea was already then one of the miracles of the modern missionary movement, and a commission of inquiry was sent to study the methods that had produced such great results. Since the first dramatic leap in church growth had occurred in my father's area of work in north Korea, they came to ask him the secret. I think his answer disappointed them. It was too simplistic. Too pietistic. But I think he was right.
"For years," he said, "we have simply held up before these people the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit has done the rest."
As we look at the life of Elisha this morning let’s consider what it is that has allowed his ministry to not only build on the great work that elijah had done but to grow it in an extraordinary way. Let’s explore the routhe Elisha takes to begin a journey of new beginnings.
In the Christian faith there comes a time of conversion for some that is very clear and sometimes dramatic and for others it is gradual.
Either way we come to a point when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and saviour . Aman whjo was persuaded to go to a large evangelistic meeting recalled – just as I was about to go out the door I was confronted by a man who looked me in the eye and said” Are you a Christian?”
“Strange question I thought, putting on my best Sunday school smile and saying, ‘Oh yes I think so .”Are you a Christian?” he insisted. A light in his eye.
“Crank,” I thought. “Humour him and then escape!”
So I replied, “Well I’m trying to be.”
“Ever try to be an elephant?”
Grinning at my dumb astonishment he told me that no amount of trying could make me a Christian.
He outlined Christianity to me he told me that Forgiveness for the past was possible to Him. Moreover, in his resurrection, He was offering me power to live the sort of life I had up to now considered hopelessly out of my reach.
What a stupendous offer! If the living God were really asking to come into my wretched tarnished life, to take over what I was wasting and spoiling – how dare I refuse him! He was promising ‘Behold I stand at the door and knock.”
“I flung open the door. He was as good as his word.
This man was born again he had a turnaround.
Each Christian has a moment like this and in a way Elisha had a turnaround the day he abandoned his plowing and followed Elijah – complete turnaround. But what did he do to totally be transformed by God into the outstanding Biblical prophet that he turned out to be.
Well this reading has stages of the journey here as Elijah moves toward heaven lets explore them to gether.
The first stage is the converted but not yet useful to God stage.
2 When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the LORD has sent me to Bethel.”
But Elisha said, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.
Elisha was being told to stay behind as Elijah was going up to Bethel.
The Old Testament town of Bethel (formerly named Luz) was one of the first places in the Bible where the Hebrew people met with God. The most famous of these encounters was Jacob’s dream of a stairway to heaven, with angels ascending and descending on it, and the Lord standing above it (Genesis 28:10–22).
Because this and several other early encounters with God happened at Bethel, it signifies our first beginnings of knowledge and understanding about God, heaven, and spiritual truth. And since this early knowledge of heavenly things comes in the first stages of our spiritual journey, when we are more earthly-minded than spiritual, Bethel represents a rather external and pragmatic sense of what God and spirit are all about.
One hint at this significance is that in the original Hebrew, Bethel means “house of God.” A house of God is an earthly, physical place (such as a church or temple) that is seen as the dwelling place of God. God cannot really be contained in a physical building or location (see 1 Kings 8:27), but we earth-bound humans often need something solid and physical to remind us of the presence of God, heaven, and spirit.
After Jacob had that amazing dream of a stairway to heaven with angels ascending and descending on it, and God standing above, he made this vow to God:
If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house; and of all that you give me I will surely give one-tenth to you. (Genesis 28:20–22)
Bethel is the place of meeting with God and until the Istraelites ruined it by worshipping idols there it was very important.
Elisha could, after his conversion experience decided that he didn’t want to take it any further and personalise his faith not to get too intimate with God. Just go to church occasionally and don’t meet God on a personal basis – Elijah is really testing his commitment really – But Elisha will have none of it and he pushes on.
Many people don’t get to do more than witness the new thing that God is doing from other than a spectators chair because they don’t push in to meet with God. I met with someone last week who told me that they don’t have time to meet with God but as we talked it became evident that all kind of other things were filling His life like speights relationships etc – they hadn’t pushed on to Bethel.
First pointIf you want a fresh beginning Push on to Bethel and meet with God. Now he is in that amazing place of intimacy with God. Many people want to stay there but if you want to be a leader in times of change with God you can’t stay there. It is great to be intimate with God but he calls you on from that place.
In psalm 27 verse 8 God says “Seek my face,” and in Revelation “Here I am” I satand at the door and knock.” Both these passages express God’s longing to be intimate with us. We need to respond to his desire to meet with us at the very core of our being is a desire to be intimate with God if we will but unearth it. Psalm 42 verse 1 says As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.
Many people christians included carry incredible burdons because they don’t get intimate with God!
Jesus said Come to me all you who are tired and heavy laden and I will give you rest.
So Elisha moves on to Bethel with Elijah In so doing he nails his colours to the mast.
There in that Great place it must be tempting to stay having discovered God and met with him.
The second point is Don’t stop at the place of former conquests press on to the new thing god is wanting to do in your life. Jericho was a place of a great former conquest – Joshua had completely vanquished the city and it had been rebuilt with a curse on it’s builder and Prophets were there in the new city. But if we might use this as a metaphor don’t stop at the place of former victories we need to press on to the new thing that God is wanting to do.
Elijah says to Elisha stay To stay would have been to live in yesterday in a way. Many Christians want to do that and they long for yesterday to be today. We should celebrate the good things that God has done in our past – in this particular church we can celebrate that former people came and established the gospel in this place – we can look back on revivals like the Waikaka revival in the neighbouring parish and we can camp on the site of that revival or in our case on the edge of it.
But for us as Christians we must press on God is wanting to do a new thing. The Salvation army movement The Salvation Army began in 1865 when William Booth, a London minister, gave up the comfort of his pulpit and decided to take his message into the streets where it would reach the poor, the homeless, the hungry and the destitute.
His original aim was to send converts to established churches of the day, but soon he realized that the poor did not feel comfortable or welcome in the pews of most of the churches and chapels of Victorian England. Regular churchgoers were appalled when these shabbily dressed, unwashed people came to join them in worship. Booth decided to found a church especially for them - the East London Christian Mission. The mission grew slowly, but Booth's faith in God remained undiminished.
In May 1878, Booth summoned his son, Bramwell, and his good friend George Railton to read a proof of the Christian Mission's annual report. At the top it read: THE CHRISTIAN MISSION is A VOLUNTEER ARMY. Bramwell strongly objected to this wording. He was not a volunteer: he was compelled to do God's work. So, in a flash of inspiration, Booth crossed out 'Volunteer' and wrote 'Salvation'. The Salvation Army was born. ‘Go for souls, and look for the worst,’1 Salvation Army founder William Booth ordered his first followers. They responded by providing social services along with spiritual advice. In the Army’s first years in New Zealand, three rescue homes for prostitutes and unmarried mothers, and two ‘prison-gate’ homes for recently discharged prisoners were set up.
In New Zealand the Salvation army was so radical and different that in Napier it’s early members were thrown into prison for disturbing the peace. Today the Salvation army great as it is a shadow of it’s former self – but we can’t go back there we need to move on to the new thing God is doing in our age.
We can’t dwell there though – Jericho here stands on the site of former victories – God has great plans for Elisha so he moves on.
Third point is To face new beginnings you need to go into uncharted territory.
6 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; the LORD has sent me to the Jordan.”
And he replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them walked on.
7 Fifty men from the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. 8 Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.
Elijah was leaving familiar territory in a way he was doing the reverse of what Joshua had done. He crossed the Jordan and left the area.
Elisha wasn’t giving up he knew that in order to follow God’s plan for his life he had to go the extra distance. He is now journeying alone with Elijah all the schools of Prophets are left behind.
Jesus does this – There is a moment a moment when he goes into the wildrerness and is tempted by the devil. He is on his own vulnerable but nonetheless fulfilling his God given call.
He does it again on the cross.
The Christians beheaded last week by Isis do the same thing – All of christendom are left behind it is now just them and their God given call.
Elisha now goes into uncharted territory –
It is a stepping out a going forth a leaving everyone else behind.
It is taking the risk of being thought that you are mad or insane.
What do all great risk takers have in common?
• Fear – of what might happen.
• Faith – to “step out” in spite of their fear.
• Favor – God’s reward and blessing on their life.
Hebrews 11:4-6 (NIV)
• By starting with “little things.” – Abel
4By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.
• By pondering “big things.” – Enoch
5By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God
“Every Christian’s life is marked by ‘windows of opportunity’
that demand that they take a radical step of faith
in order to follow Christ and fulfill His agenda for their life.”
Step by step Elisha has been moving towards this point where he is going to push forward and receive the anointing and calling that God has for him.
For you To walk into your God given call you will need to.
Go to Bethel
Move past Jericho
And cross the Jordan.
