PH 4-minute Bible teaching
Elijahs and Elijahettes
The genius behind the local church is more than just one thing. Certainly we come together each week to take the Lord’s Supper. That’s the New Testament model. And we come to hear the proclamation of the Apostle’s Doctrine. All that is explicitly clear in Scripture. But there’s something else too.
Church is a place where Elishas meet Elijahs and “Elijahettes.” If you aren’t there, you aren’t successfully playing the role God intends for you to play in order that discipleship occur. If you want to just listen to the audio version of this clip, just click here.
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Transcript: Elijah and Elijahettes
Wed, Oct 18, 2023 : Peter Heck
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So did Elisha have the right priorities? Does God honor his request to give him the double spirit? Look at those next two verses, verses 11 and 12. As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them. And Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out my father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel. And Elisha saw him no more then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart, either because he's sad that Elijah and Elijah is gone. Or it's just an expression. I'm not really sure why he's tearing his clothes, somebody probably knows better than I do. But regardless of that, what I want you to pick up on right there is the importance of what he cries out in verse 12.
Did you see what he cried out? When Elijah is going up into heaven? He says those words my father, my father. Okay, the language there in the context, even in the English translation, it does not let you think that he's talking about God. He's not looking into heaven, seeing God and saying, my father, my father, well, who is he talking about? He's talking about Elijah. He's saying to Elijah, my father, my father, but wait a minute. Elijah is not his dad. You remember his dad Shaphat Robinson? Yes. We remember Shaphat. That's who his dad is.
So why is he calling out to Elijah as his father? What is this obviously indicating this is a huge point for those of us that want to leave a spiritual legacy. Elijah was his spiritual father, his mentor, someone who was passing down to him a spiritual legacy. And so profound was the spiritual legacy that Elisha has one request. It was, I want to be double what Elijah is, that's what I want. Can I tell you how I'm going to know if I've lived a successful life? And I hope I can keep these priorities straight for the next however many years that I'm granted here. If at the end of my life, if my son says to me, “he was a godly man, but I want to be twice the godly man, he was.” That right there is a sign that I have done my job and raised him to value things that ultimately matter.
And certainly that's the case with Elijah, you're one of the real reasons that Alicia is going to be blessed by God, and so affected for him in the years to come is because he didn't hang out with materialistic, worldly, carnal people. He left all of that behind, he set fire to that life. And he chased after a man who had nothing but God was completely, utterly fulfilled. That's why, why was Elisha so effective? Because His eyes were not set on worldly people and worldly things. But instead, were focused on someone who could ask spiritual things onto them.
What about us? Who is it that we sit at the feet of? Do we want to learn how to have a really healthy retirement? Are we trying to listen to those people who have succeeded in business? Because I want to make sure that I do this the right way? Are we talking to people who know how to manipulate the construction arena so that we can get a really nice house for a really good price? Who is it that we're surrounding ourselves by so that we can “get ahead?”
Are we surrounding ourselves with spiritual people? They may not have, they may not have anything materially, they may not be able to give us anything as far as possessions, but the richness of their spirituality is something we want to catch hold of. That's what we desire.
Can I tell you one of the geniuses, genius purposes of the church? This is why online doesn't cut it. And I know for those who are shut ins, that it's a wonderful resource, but it's one reason. Yeah, it's great to come to church and hear a message from the Bible. That's great. And it certainly can help us and understanding what we should think. And it is great to come to the Lord's table, we should do it. It's the model of the New Testament. And we need that time of remembrance.
But one of the great geniuses of the local church that simply isn't met when your church is online is this part right here: churches, a place where Elishas meet Elijahs and Elijahettes. That's what happens here. These are people that this is a place where a young woman can meet Stacy Evenson. This is a place where a young man can meet, probably not Phil, but can meet Kevin Colbert, and they can sit and learn from their spirituality. I can learn from Danny Bagley if I'm here, and I form a relationship with Him, somebody who has a spiritual walk that I can learn from who has that experience, who has that relationship with God, and I want to be more like that. That's what can happen here.
You can't get that through a screen. You can't get that through your daily interactions as one of the geniuses of the local church. It's why Jesus established the local church. My question is, if you found one, or depending on your stage of spiritual life, are you one, have you found an Elijah to surround yourself with or are you and Elijah to those who are around you?
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