Jesus’ words in John’s gospel during a lengthy dinner conversation have the disciples experiencing a number of incidents such as foot washing and communion first hand that become identifiers for Jesus followers. Later, Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will come in his absence. The presence of the Holy Spirit is one of power, counsel, comfort, conviction and advocacy. It will be the catalyst for Greater things to be done in the name of Jesus. However, what are the greater things and why do most people tend to settle for lesser things? These will be the questions we will be asking ourselves.
John 14:12 says: Anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do greater things than these.
To understand how we can do greater things, we will be looking at a couple of well-known Old Testament leaders Elijah and Elisha. The relationship between these two guys gives us an example of how God empowers a leader and then transfer it to an apprentice so that they and others can follow God’s direction for their lives. Indeed, Elijah does great things for God. But, Elisha’s apprenticeship and acceptance of the leadership role is one we can study, learn and apply for ourselves as we venture out toward greater things for God.
However, before we go there I want to tell you a story of a want to be professional tennis player by the name of
TOMS humble beginnings happened unintentionally.
Blake Mycoskie was born in Arlington, Texas to Mike Mycoskie, an orthopedic surgeon, and Pam Mycoskie, an author. After first attending Arlington Martin High School, he graduated from St. Stephen's Episcopal School in Austin in 1994. Mycoskie, who began playing tennis when he was 10, attended Southern Methodist University on a partial tennis scholarship in 1995, and elected a dual major in philosophy and business.[2] After an Achilles tendon injury he sustained as a sophomore, which effectively ended his tennis career, Mycoskie left SMU and launched his first business, EZ Laundry.[3] Originally focused on SMU, which had no on-campus dry cleaning service, EZ Laundry expanded, ultimately employing more than 40 people, servicing three universities, and generating close to $1 million in sales.[4] Mycoskie sold the company to his partner in 1999.
Blake Mycoskie, who first visited Argentina while competing on the Amazing Race, returned to the country on vacation in 2006. While there, he met an American woman who was part of a volunteer organization which provided shoes for children in need. Mycoskie spent several days traveling from village to village with the group, as well as on his own. "(I witnessed) the intense pockets of poverty just outside the bustling capital," he wrote in a 2011 article for The Business Insider. "It dramatically heightened my awareness. Yes, I knew somewhere in the back of my mind that poor children around the world often went barefoot, but now, for the first time, I saw the real effects of being shoeless: the blisters, the sores, the infections."
Inspired, Mycoskie returned to the United States and founded Shoes for Better Tomorrows. Designed as a for-profit business which could continually give new shoes to disadvantaged children, he created the "One for One" business model: the company would donate a new pair of shoes for every pair of shoes sold. An early example of social entrepreneurship, the shoes, similar to the Argentinian Alpargata, were created to appeal to a worldwide audience, which would both sustain the company's mission and generate profit. Shoes For A Better Tomorrow, later shortened to TOMS, was started in 2006; by 2013, the company had donated more than 10,000,000 pairs of shoes to people in need.The shoes are sold globally in more than 1000 stores.
In 2011, Toms expanded to include eyeglasses in its "One for One" offering -- for every pair of sunglasses purchased, sight-saving medical treatment, prescription glasses or surgery is donated to a person in need.[18] While Mycoskie conceived the idea, a "Sight Giving Partner," the Seva Foundation, was contracted to administer the actual program, which launched in Nepal, Tibet, and Cambodia. In a 2012 interview with Fast Company, Mycoskie said it was helpful for him to work with Seva. "I've been there when (people have had) surgery... and I've handed out the glasses. But as Toms grows, it has to be less about 'What's Blake's most intimate, joyful experience?' and more about 'What's the great need?'"
Mycoskie published the book Start Something That Matters in 2011. In it, he wrote about the virtues of social entrepreneurship and the concept of businesses using their profits and company assets to make charitable donations or engage in other charitable efforts, using his experience with Toms to demonstrate both the intangible and real returns. For every copy of Start Something That Matters sold, Mycoskie promised to give a children's book to a child in need. Fifty percent of royalties from the book were then used to provide grants to up-and-coming entrepreneurs, and Mycoskie increased this to 100% in late 2012. The book became a New York Times best-selling business book,[25] and a number one New York Times best-seller in the advice category. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blake_Mycoskie
The interesting part of the Tom’s story is the way in which God worked in Blake’s heart. He didn’t see himself as a miracle worker but God did.
Reminds me of a scripture from 1 Kings. You remember that under God's guidance, Elijah struck a heavy blow against the evil of false gods. He was an instrument for miracles like raining down fire from the sky against Israel's idolaters. Elijah had incredible faith in God. He loyally carried out the Lord's instructions and struck boldly in the face of enormous opposition. However, he often showed his humanness. After a stunning victory on Mount Carmel, Elijah fell into depression. Despite the miracles God performed through him, Elijah proved was only human. He was in need of God's patience as much as the next guy. In fact, it was God who commanded Elijah to find an apprentice.
Slide: Listen to this scripture 1 kings 19:19 -21
19 So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. 20 Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,” he said, “and then I will come with you.” “Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?”
21 So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.
Have you ever thought about your life as a vocation or a calling? That what you do to provide for yourself or your family is actually just a drama stage by which you are to act out a life in a way that honors God. If God working watching your life like a play on a stage, what would the story line be? Would it be fully committed to God? What gets in the way of your fully following God?
The first step Elisha made toward God was not to follow after Elijah, which represented God’s purpose for his life, but to burn his plows to that he had nothing to go back to. Elisha burns the tools of his former career in order to follow God. Elisha needed to be totally surrendered to God, his will and be ready to sacrifice control over his life. Elisha was never going back to being a farmer. Sometimes people don’t go after greater things for God because they want to keep their options open. We tend to forget God does great things through us. Before God can do greater things in us, we have to give him all we've got. Ultimately remembering all we have has been given to us by God.
We need to acknowledge God’s greatness. He surpasses everything in the world. God does great things in us when we live into our divinely created purpose as being created to bring God glory and enjoy him forever. There is no career, relationship, position, status or anything else that can be greater than God.
As the staff has been talking over the past week about people we personally knew who literally burned the plow, we began to realize we all have had moments of burning the plow. Kevin MacDonald left corporate america to help launch a campus, Chris Rechsteiner convinced her husband to move to Wisconsin for her first call, I sold my business. It was interesting but then somebody told a story of spouse who said but I've never had a mountaintop experience. Does everyone need to have that? The answer was surprisingly no! Burning the plow can look as simple as the Biker chick who turned chaplain. Its the story of the person with a passion for the Lord who has another group of friends outside the church. The friends all know about the Christian among them. They even went to church at one point. However, they never quite fit in. so the Biker chick decided to start coordinating Motorcycle rides with a lunch and short bible study. In the end, over 40 biker chicks gather for rides and bible teaching from their friend. Why? because she burned the plow of fear. Fear she would lose the friends. Fear of what her friends thought of her. Fear of the church's reaction. Fear of being inadequate. However, always remember this: God rarely calls the equipped but equips the called.
What plows need burning in our lives? (relationships, expectations, experiences)
If you say you don't have a plow to burn, listen to this from Paul....
33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?”
35 “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?”
36 For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 11:33-12:2 NIV)
Consider what things reflect the greatness of God: nature, art, history, Scripture, relationships, and experiences. What helps us think of God’s greatness?
Action step to consider: before Elisha followed Elijah, he burned the plows of his former life. Is there a decisive break from your past that needs to happen in order to accept the greater life God has in store? Do some self-reflection on whether or not you’re ready or willing to make the break necessary to move on.
Start with the truthful answer and ask God what steps may be necessary to move forward.
Do you need to plan a ‘plow-burning’ ceremony? Clean out, dump, burn something?
https://communitycenter.life/rev-robert-butler-info
