The Sanctification of Elijah

A few months ago I was wondering why Elijah the prophet was given such a prominent place in the Bible. After all, he didn't write any books, nor were any named after him. I don't believe there is any messianic prophecy credited to him, but he was the subject of much messianic prophecy in both the Old and New Testaments.

Pastor Greg Laurie reminded me of this subject recently on TBN when he spoke about Elijah. That inspired me to study more and write about this amazing man of God.

Elijah the Tishbite appears in 1 Kings 17 with a message for the king:

“As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.”

Elijah was bold and brash. He was maybe a little scary, coming from the presence of God. But I see “except by my word” and think of something else.

Elijah was zealous and proud. Maybe not arrogant but definitely self-confident. This is a quality that creates boldness, and perhaps this is why God chose him for this mission. But his story starts before this chapter. It starts with a rugged but simple man in prayer.

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. ‭‭James‬ ‭5:17

When Elijah appeared before Ahab he had already prayed earnestly and the drought had already begun maybe six months earlier. When Elijah said he “stands before God” he meant that he had standing with God, like an appointment or an office to represent God. This gave him the boldness to speak. But after this meeting with the King he had to run and hide for three years.

During this time of severe famine God continued to sanctify Elijah. You can see the result of this in the following chapters. Elijah still had hubris when he spoke to the people on Mount Carmel:

“I alone am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men.” ‭‭18:22‬

But when it came to the time to call for rain, Elijah did not make a public spectacle commanding rain to come down, but remembered God’s promise:

“Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the face of the earth.”‭‭‭ 18:1‬

So he went up to pray and wait for the Lord in a posture of humility:

So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he crouched down on the earth and put his face between his knees. He said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go back” seven times. It came about at the seventh time, that he said, “Behold, a cloud as small as a man’s hand is coming up from the sea.”‭‭18:42-44‬

The famine ended and Elijah ran faster than a chariot to Jezreel, possibly assuming that King Ahab would put his wicked Canaanite wife out on the street. Elijah may have thought his troubles were over until he met Jezebel in her wrath. Apparently for the first time in his life Elijah feared for his life. Immediately he ran to hide in the Judean wilderness, then made his way to the mountain of God where got another lesson in humility.

Then he came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” ‭‭19:9-10‬

God brought him to the mountain top and spoke to him, not through a mighty destructive wind or an earth shaking voice or a fiery blast, but in a low whisper:

“What are you doing here Elijah?”

Elijah gave Him the same excuse for a final time:

"I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” 19:14

Now God gave him his marching orders, to anoint other kings of Syria and Israel, and to anoint another prophet named Elisha to replace him. And oh, by the way:

“I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.” ‭‭19:18‬

To this command there was only a response of obedience. Elijah went and did what God told him to do. His mission now was to pass the mantle to Elisha (yes that’s where “pass the mantle” comes from.)

Elijah’s human bravado was broken but his place in God’s heart and in God’s kingdom was lifted to new heights. Elijah humbled himself to resign his special appointment, but God himself exalted Elijah, and soon brought him into His eternal presence escorted by a chariot of fire (yes that’s where that movie got its name).

Elijah’s voice continues to cry out like a voice in the wilderness, calling us to a decision:

“How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” 

Easter Thoughts 2022

I was in the Maundy Thursday service and the Easter services at my church over the last few days and had these thoughts:

• To an outside observer with no religious perspective, it must seem strange that such a multitude would gather each year to celebrate events that occurred 2,000 years ago.
• Over these 2,000 years the body of Christ has constantly demonstrated the righteousness of God by its perseverance through tribulation and death.
• The Holy Spirit has constantly demonstrated the grace of God by resurrecting the souls of men through new birth into the eternal kingdom of God.
• The resurrection message will be completed when the entire body of Christ is resurrected and glorified in her marriage to Jesus the Lamb of God.

Thus, the Easter message is constantly new and meaningful to every generation and every soul who sees and hears this message through us! I can't think of a better demonstration of this gospel of grace than the presentation below coming from Ukraine.

 Until next Easter... He is risen indeed!

Hearing From God

One Sunday recently I was awakened at 5:00 AM with a strong desire to hear from God. I had been studying the second half of Isaiah so when picked up my Bible I discovered these verses:

The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of disciples,
That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word.
He awakens Me morning by morning,
He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.
The Lord GOD has opened My ear;
And I was not disobedient
Nor did I turn back. (Isaiah 50:4-5 NASB)

These verses in Isaiah are part of a prophecy spoken by the Spirit of Christ in reference to His earthly ministry. That Sunday morning I seemed to hear the Lord affirming the many times He has awakened me to train me and reveal Himself to me (that is the Spirit of Christ in me.) I was not always obedient, and I have to admit that as yet I have not been blessed with "the tongue of disciples". But I am blessed that He has opened my ear and given me a deeper understanding of His word and His plans for me.

The word spoken by our Lord Jesus is life; like bread from heaven it sustains the body and restores the soul. So many times in the Bible Jesus would speak a word, bringing sight to blind eyes or life to paralyzed limbs. The word of faith - the gospel of Christ - can perform surgery on the soul and give hope to those who are hopeless. That Sunday morning these words of Jesus from Isaiah filled my heart with such joy that I entered into a time of worship I have only experienced once before in my life.

Times like this are a foretaste of heaven, meant to encourage and strengthen us to persevere through this life. As Nehemiah says "Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." As I look back on this now I have a little idea what heaven is like. It truly is joy unspeakable and full of glory to be in the presence God, to enjoy the privilege afforded to us by the atoning sacrifice and triumphant resurrection of our Lord Jesus!

A Curious Word from John the Apostle

The elder to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth; and not only I, but also all who know the truth... (2 John 1:1 NASB)

This word translated as "lady" from John's second epistle piqued my curiosity one day when I was reading the New Testament.

When I looked up the original Greek word I became even more curious. John used the word kyria, a word which has puzzled translators and bible scholars for centuries. The translators of King James' authorized version used the word lady, which had a very British connotation at that time.

"Lady" in that culture meant a woman of high position, commonly understood to be the wife of a "Lord". In Greek the word "kyria" is the feminine form of the word Kyrios, which is the title of our Lord Jesus in the New Testament. Thinking about the German word for church - Kirche - I came across this etymology of the word which explained a lot to me.

Greek kyriakon (adj.) "of the Lord" was used of houses of Christian worship since c. 300, especially in the East, though it was less common in this sense than ekklesia or basilike. An example of the direct Greek-to-Germanic transmission of many Christian words, via the Goths; probably it was used by West Germanic people in their pre-Christian period. (Etymonline on "church")

Maybe this epistle was written to a woman - maybe her name was Kyria. But I think John's second epistle was addressed to the chosen bride of Christ, which is the church. John referred to the spiritual body of Christ as the bride or wife of the Lamb many times in the book of Revelation. This analogy is actually a reference to prophecies in the book of Isaiah about Zion, the New Jerusalem, which is the spiritual kingdom of God.

It will no longer be said to you, “Forsaken," 
Nor to your land will it any longer be said, “Desolate”;
But you will be called, “My delight is in her,”
And your land, “Married”;
For the LORD delights in you,
And to Him your land will be married.
You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD,
And a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
For as a young man marries a virgin,
So your sons will marry you;
And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
So your God will rejoice over you. (Isaiah 62:3-5 NASB)

And so, John says to the chosen bride of Christ - walk in the truth...abide in the word...don't let deception and the spirit of antichrist into your house of worship! God delights in you as his bride, the body of His beloved Son!

Maintaining Control

 I'm reading a book by a new friend at church named Dean Rush. He was an Air Force pilot as a young man, then an airline executive, entrepreneur, and finally the executive pastor at Community Bible Church in San Antonio.

The book is called Flying Free - Life After Crisis, and I just finished a chapter called "Maintain Control - Manage Chaos". This chapter recounts a great example of maintaining control in a crisis, in this case an engine failure while then 17-year-old Dean was flying to his first pilot certification appointment.

In Paul's letter to the church at Philippi, he wrote:

Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God.

Philippians 1:27-28

The word alarmed is translated from Greek ptyromenoi which means frightened, the root meaning - "becoming psychologically detached from reality" or "to fly off into unrealistic, irrational behavior".

Being frightened and alarmed is the exact opposite of psychologically maintaining control. Whether preparing for flight, preparing for battle, or just preparing to speak before a hostile audience, the key to maintaining control always begins with preparation. I recently heard some military men recounting their experiences in battle, and how their military training created instinctive reactions that got them through the fog of war.

Our preparation as Christians begins by relinquishing control of our lives to the Almighty Creator. That step of faith opens the door for the Holy Spirit to establish His presence in our hearts and minds.

Next we must hear the word of the Lord by reading and listening to godly instruction from the Bible. 

Finally we should begin each day preparing for spiritual battle by putting on the full armor of God. That means living in truth, dressing in the righteousness of Christ, training in the good news of peace, holding fast to faith, relying on our Savior Jesus who intercedes for us, and boldly speaking the word of God.

When we are prepared and able to maintain control in the midst of battle, our opponents will see that the battle is in the Lord's hand, and in any situation the outcome will be victory for the kingdom of God. Paul gave this admonition to the Philippians even as he was suffering and facing death in a Roman prison. Even in death there is victory when we stand firm in faith and fellowship. Indeed that is the ultimate victory, to demonstrate God's righteousness in the midst of tribulation.

I am enjoying reading this book and find great encouragement in its pages. Lessons learned in life are the best lessons to share with others. I hope you find encouragement here as well!

Your Trial Ends Tomorrow

For a few days recently, I exchanged email with some friends with the subject Re: Your Trial Ends Tomorrow. The thread started with a message from an online service about to expire.

Sometimes email subjects like this persist when the thread becomes quite different. Today I looked at one of these emails and thought - I wish my trials would end tomorrow!

Isn't that a wonderful thought! The only problem is that tomorrow, -Your Trial Ends Tomorrow- will still be in the future. Tomorrow will always be in the future as long as today is still called today. That reminds me of this verse:

But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Hebrews 3:13

Sin always wants to deceive us, to tell us "you can do it tomorrow" or "you can quit tomorrow." In the Bible, Today is the time to act. Tomorrow is some time in the future and in my case it's usually too late!

As far as Trials go - will they ever end? Jesus says "In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." John 16:33

James says "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance." (James 1:2-3)

Thankfully trials come and go and we get stronger through them. Our final trial will end when the last enemy is defeated, which is death. The Bible says we should not fear death because that is the end of the conflict, the day when we shed this old shell and put on immortality.

Victory in God's kingdom is not what we expect. Jesus re-defined victory in a surprise attack on the gates of hell, by offering His blood to purchase our souls from the law of sin and death. What our Adversary saw as defeat was actually the ultimate victory for the kingdom of heaven. Now Jesus is seated at the right hand of God and says to all men: You are welcome here - leave your baggage at the gate!

I can see this clearly now - we can experience victory where the world sees defeat. Though we can rest assured that our trials will end tomorrow, every pain and shame of this mortal body reminds me that victory is certain and we can rejoice in it -the hope of glory- today!

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Cor 15:57

Healing the Blind

One Sunday recently a friend in my Bible Fellowship shared the experience his wife is going through with the loss of sight in one eye. He related how God had spoken to him in this and other circumstances to grow his faith. He finished that testimony by playing this Willie Nelson song "It's Not for Me to Understand" from 1971, which he heard on the country radio station recently during their time of deepest concern. The song is about a boy born blind, and God's answer to the question - Why?

The ninth chapter of the Gospel of John is about Jesus healing a man born blind. The chapter ends with Jesus saying basically the same thing that Willie sang - you too are blind without My eyes. Like the song, the meaning is profoundly simple but deep.

And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.” Those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, “We are not blind too, are we?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains."

John 9:39-41 NASB

Is Jesus saying that blind people are sinless? Not at all; that would be far too shallow and meaningless. No, Jesus is talking about innocence vs. arrogance, spiritual awareness vs. the wisdom of this world. What the blind man saw, that the Pharisees missed, was his own spiritual poverty and need of healing that only God can provide, of both soul and body. The Pharisees were blinded by their arrogance and religious zeal, unwilling to accept the promise of eternal life that only Jesus could give.

This analogy of blindness as innocence continues with the parable in John 10 where Jesus presents Himself as the Shepherd of sheep that only know His voice. The loss of innocence through the awareness of sin begins -not surprisingly- in the beginning with the original sin.

When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.

Genesis 3:6-7 NASB

The forbidden fruit gave Adam and Eve the wisdom of the world, but caused them (and all their descendants) to be blinded to the presence of God, banned from Eden and the Tree of Life.

It is our sinful flesh that separates us from God and blinds us to His presence. The more we experience the desires and cares of this world, the less we will experience the still small voice that speaks to us in the darkness of night.

While we are blinded by this world and sin, if we have received the Spirit of Truth we "have ears to hear". We simply must take time to listen. This is why there are times when fasting and prayer are required, to put aside the desires of the flesh and open our ears to hear.

The Word of God is living and active when we listen and apply it to our lives. This is a lesson that I need to re-learn every morning and every day. But as time wears away my flesh and my eyes grow dim, my spirit grows stronger and more aware of the unseen treasure that is available in the presence of the Almighty. That is where we all need to focus as we see the day of our redemption drawing near.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus 

Look full in His wonderful face 

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim 

In the light of His glory and grace!

 From the hymn "Heavenly Vision" by Helen Howarth Lemmel