Want a Double Portion Of Anointing?
Nine manifestation gifts are listed in I Corinthians 12:7–11:
*Word of wisdom.
*Word of knowledge.
*Faith.
*Gifts of healing.
*Working of miracles.
*Prophecy.
*Discerning of spirits.
*Divers kinds of tongues.
*Interpretation of tongues.
WE CAN HAVE A DOUBLE PORTION OF ANY OF THESE IF WE SIMPLY ASK:
Read 2 Kings 2:1-12 & Mark 9:2-9
And Elijah asked Elisha, “tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.” And, Elisha responded, “please let me inherit a double portion of your spirit.”
Now, this is a passage that is seldom invoked in progressive, post-enlightenment, or mainstream churches. US Pentecostals are more at home with those bold and life-transforming biblical passages. But, perhaps we’re missing something when we ask for less than what we need from God, ourselves, and the communities of which we are a part. Perhaps, we are settling for less when we act as if the wellspring of possibility and the energy of love are not on our side or are unable to work in our lives and in partnership with our creativity do great things for our world and ourselves.
Today’s scriptures speak of a transfigured world. Jesus goes to the mountaintop and is bathed in divine energy and light—this is truly a “theophany,” an encounter in which God shows up in a majestic way and our lives are, from that moment on, utterly transformed. Now the passage describes this mystical experience in the briefest of terms. Listen again to Mark’s vision of the Transfiguration: What could these words possibly mean?
And he was transfigured before them and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them.Can you imagine the scene? If you were one of the disciples, how might you describe such an event?
Now Elijah is faced with a similar life-transfiguring experience. With his mentor and teacher about to leave him for another plane of existence, Elisha boldly requests, “Give me a double portion of your spirit.” Perhaps, Elisha is asking to share in the power of his mentor—the power to change lives and heal the sick; the power we describe in terms of “miracles,” energetic acts of God that transform minds, bodies, spirits, and communities.
“Give me a double portion of your spirit.” That’s a bold request. That’s assertive. That’s chutzpah. And we ask ourselves, “should we so bold with God and one another? Aren’t we crossing a line when we ask for what we really need, when we ask for something big and wonderful and life-changing? And, when we ask for a double portion of energy, love, or creativity?”
But perhaps Elisha is right. He knows he’ll never get another moment like this, so why not take a chance? Perhaps, the story of Elisha tells us that we can’t afford to think small today. We must ask for something big and then work our hardest to bring it about. Even though ecological and economic—even physical health—limits oppress us; we need to imagine greatness and then live into the greatness we imagine for ourselves and the world.
Now, you know I’m not a big fan of easy spiritual answers and inch-deep theology that promises “your best life now” if you simply follow the directions. But, you know we progressives suffer from the opposite extreme. We are too conformed to our perceived personal or communal limitations. We are too conformed to the theological limitations imposed by the outmoded Newtonian world view and the modern notion that reality is limited to what we can see and taste and touch.
I often go back to Jack Canfield and Mark Hansen’s The Aladdin Factor, when I need to ask for something more. Its thesis, simply put, is “ask for what you really need in life,” whether it’s a pay raise, a new job, help from a friend, a blessing from another, and then, after asking, open your imagination and go to work to achieve it. You won’t get anywhere if you don’t ask for great things. The challenge of The Aladdin Factor and the boldness of Elisha’s request are similar to Jesus’ promise: “seek and you will find, ask and it will be given you, knock and the door will be opened to you.” Or, put negatively, “you have not because you ask not.”
And, I am convicted by these passages—Am I asking too little of God and myself? If God will supply all our deepest needs, then why not go to the source, ask boldly, and then go to work? Are we asking too little of God as a community of faith?
Now, the Elisha passage is quite realistic. Elijah tells his student Elisha to turn back over and over again. “Stay here,” don’t go any further, don’t follow me. Whenever we choose to be bold, we are immediately confronted by obstacles, both internal, self-imposed limits, such as “I can’t do that” and external, environmentally-imposed limits, such as “you can’t do that.” While we don’t know Elijah’s reasons for putting an obstacle in Elisha’s way, Elisha does not take “no” for an answer, even from his mentor. His persistence echoes Jacob’s demand of his nocturnal companion, “I will not let you go until you bless me.” And, we need to persist in spite of the obstacles in our path.
These passages invite us into a lively, enchanted, wonder-full universe, in which the only limits are our personal and communal imaginations. They invite us to ponder the “impossibilities” that persons like us have brought into being as a result of imagination, persistence, and creativity.
Just think—what has been “impossible” once upon a time that now we take for granted?
A time for congregational conversation.
Think again— what “impossibilities” loom ahead for us?
A time of congregational conversation.
Now, more personally, what “impossibilities” do we need to confront here at our church?
A time for congregational conversation.
If we are to confront the “impossibilities,” we need a “double portion” of God’s spirit. We need to be bold—asking great things of ourselves and of God, and then moving forward though obstacles may be in our way. Let us commit ourselves, with all our questions and reasons to stay where we are and not move ahead, to pray for, imagine, and then work for a “double portion” of God’s spirit for this community and for our lives as God’s partners in healing the world.
OBTAINING THE DOUBLE PORTION:-
Intro: This passage records the home going of one of the greatest men in the word of God. Elijah was greatly used of the Lord in his generation, but his time on the earth came to an end. The day came when it was time to pass the baton to a new generation. Our text tells us about a young man named Elisha. He was a man hungry for all God could give him. He wanted the Lord and His power in his life and he was willing to pay the price to get it.
This passage tells us what it took for Elisha to obtain the double portion he asked for. What we learn here from him is valuable in our own lives as well. Like it did for Elisha, the mantle of ministry in these days rests upon you and me. If we are going to be as effect as we should be for the glory of the Lord, then we too need the power of God’s Spirit. This passage tells us how to go about getting the power of God on our lives. Let’s look into these verses together this evening as I preach about Obtaining The Double Portion.
ELISHA MADE A SPIRITUAL REQUEST:-
The Content Of His Request - Elisha asked to receive double portion of Elijah’s spirit! The request was not for twice the power that had rested on Elijah. The request was to be recognized as Elijah’s replacement. Of course, he had already been selected by God for that position - 1 Kings 19:16. It was common for firstborn children to receive a double portion of their father’s estate. This was mandated by the Law, Deut. 21:17. (Note: He called Elijah “my father” in verse 12.) Elisha was asking for the right of the firstborn! He was asking that the same Spirit that had empowered the ministry of this great man of God be given to him as well. What kind of spirit was he asking for?
1. A Spirit Of Faith - Elijah learned to trust in the presence and power of God in this world. He knew that God was in absolute control of every situation. He walked by faith!
2. A Spirit Of Obedience - Elijah instantly and without question, even when the commands of God made no sense at all!
3. A Spirit Of Courage - His faith in God and his obedience to God combined to give him the courage to stand for God, even when others ran away.
He merely wanted to take over where Elijah had left off. He wanted to be the next prophet to Israel!
The Character Of His Request - Elisha is told that he has asked a “hard thing”. In other words, it was beyond the power of Elijah to grant such a request. Only God could raise up prophets and give positions of power and influence. On the surface, Elisha’s request seems a little selfish! It seems as though he is asking for twice the power and twice the glory, etc. In truth, his request is most humble in nature. Elisha knows that Israel still needs a man of God to deliver the word of God and do the work of God. He also knows that if he is to be that man, then he needs power that he does not possess! He needs the power of God working in him and through him if he is to accomplish this ministry! (Note: Elisha wasn’t asking for power, wealth or position. He was asking to be controlled by the Spirit of God. In fact, to be a dedicated, outspoken man of God during the dynasty of the house of Omri and Ahab, was to live a life of constant danger! He was asking for divine power to accomplish the will of God! This request was not about pride, it was about necessity!)
The Condition Of His Request - Elijah tells Elisha that is he is with him until he is taken out of this world, then he will have the thing for which he is asking. The idea here is that this blessing can be his, but Elisha must remain faithful unto the end! It would have been far easier for Elisha to have stayed in one of the town they passed through, but had he dropped out along the way, he would never have received the blessing he desired and desperately needed!
(Note: If there was ever a day when we needed people with a heart like Elisha’s, it is the day in which we live! When will we learn that we will never be able to do what the Lord has saved us and called us to do without His power? For far too long, the church has tried to operate in the machinery of human wisdom and power. As a result, we have lost the power of God that made us remarkable! A.W. Tozer commented that without the ministry of the Holy Spirit, 95% of what the early church did would have ceased. He went on to say that if the Spirit were removed today, 95% of what we do in the modern church would continue unabated! (Ill. Thomas Aquinas and his visit to the Vatican!)
My friends, we need to seek the Lord for spiritual power in these days! We don’t need to get concerned about numbers. We don’t need to be concerned about becoming seeker friendly. We don’t need to get caught up in the many debates that are engaging the hearts and minds of church folks. What we need to do is to carry out the command of Eph. 5:18. We need to be filled with the Spirit of God! We need to get before the Lord and request an influx of His power and His glory in these days! If we are to get the job done, we must have Him! Oh we need Him and His power more than we need crowds, money, buildings, or any of the things we hold so dear. We need God!
This kind of blessing and power does not come upon the uncommitted! It is reserved for those who will pay the price in pray and holiness before the Lord! If you are willing to go all the way with the Lord, He will bless your life with His power and glory! Would to God we had some thins evening who would get before God and seek His touch and His power in their lives! It isn’t about pride to ask God to fill you with His Spirit and to use you for His glory, it is about survival! The future demands that God’s servants be filled with God Spirit! We need that same spirit of faith, obedience and courage that rested on Elijah to be placed within us!
It would do us well to remember that all those great men of God we venerate from the past are gone! The mantle has been passed to us and we are responsible for serving the Lord for ourselves in these days. We need God, not the stories about what He did for someone else! We need Him to do it in us today!)
ELISHA MANIFESTED A STEADFAST RESOLVE:-
(Ill. From the time it became apparent that Elijah was leaving until the moment he left and Elisha received the blessing, several trials crossed his way that attempted to hinder them. However, Elisha remained focused on obtaining the double portion.)
Opposition Did Not Shake His Resolve - At every turn the sons of the prophets ask Elisha the same question, “Knowest thou that t he Lord will take away thy master from thy head to day?” This question is literally this: “Why are you still following that old man? The Lord is through with him and is calling him to heaven today. You would be better off to stay with us, or to strike out on your own.” They tried to talk him out of his resolve! (Note: If you decide that you are going after God until you obtain the double portion, you have better look out! All around you there will be people who will do there best to talk you out of it! I don’t know if they are bothered or offended when someone progresses farther than they have, but you can be sure that they will attack you and oppose you if you go with God! Wholehearted commitment to the cause of Christ leaves many people baffled! (Ill. Joseph - Gen. 37-39; Ill. 3 Hebrews - Dan. 3; Ill. Daniel - Dan. 6; Ill. Paul - Acts 26:24; Ill. Jesus - John 7. Don’t let that crowd shake you, just run with God!)
Opportunities Did Not Shake His Resolve - Every time they passed through a city, Elijah even attempted to get Elisha to stay. This wasn’t an effort on his part to hinder Elisha’s progress, it was designed to test his resolve. Of course, each of the places mentioned help a special place in the heart of the Jew and would have made a pleasant stopping place. These were opportunities for Elisha to stop and to settle down!
1. Gilgal - The place of beginnings - It was here that the Israelites first celebrated Passover in the promised land. Here the males born during the wilderness wanderings were circumcised and the covenant was renewed, Josh. 5.
2. Bethel - The place of dreams - It was here that Jacob met God and dreamed of angels descending and ascending out of heaven, Gen. 28.
3. Jericho - The place of past victories - It was here that Israel had its first military victory in the promised land, Josh. 6. Jericho was also a border town. To pass beyond this location was to enter wild, new territory.
4. Jordan - The place of death - That river represented the boundary for the Promised Land. To cross it meant to enter into death. It was a formidable barriers that few would ever want to cross.
Prayer:-
Father God i come today and ask that you would give discernment and increase. To those here today. Thank you for your wonderful word.. in Jesus name i pray..AMEN AND AMEN
