We'll return to 2nd Kings chapter 2, 2nd
Kings chapter 2.
We'll read from verse 13.
Chapter 2, verse 13.
And Elisha took up the mantle of Elijah
which fell from him and went back and
stood by the bank of the Jordan and
he took the mantle of Elijah which had
fallen from him and smoked the waters and
said where is Jehovah the God of Elijah.
He also smoked the waters and they parted
hither and thither and Elisha went over.
And the sons of the prophets who were
at Jericho on the opposite side saw him
and they said the spirit of Elijah rests
on Elisha.
And they came to meet him and bowed
themselves to the ground before him and said
to him behold now there are with thy
servants fifty valiant men.
Let them go we pray thee and seek
thy master lest perhaps the spirit of Jehovah
have taken him up and cast him upon
some mountain or into some dine.
And he said ye shall not send.
And they pressed him till he was ashamed
and he said send.
They sent therefore fifty men and they sought
three days but did not find him.
And they came again to him now he
was staying at Jericho and he said to
them did I not say to you go
not.
And a man of the city said to
Elijah behold now the situation of the city
is good as my Lord sees but the
water is bad and the land is barren.
And he said bring me a new cruise
and put salt in it.
And they brought it to him and he
went forth to the source of the waters
and cast the salt in there and said
thus said Jehovah I have healed these waters.
There shall not be from things any more
death or barrenness.
And the waters were healed to this day
according to the saying of Elijah which he
spoke.
And he went up from things to Bethel
and as he went up by the way
there came forth little boys out of the
city and mocked him and said to him
go up go ahead go up go ahead.
And he turned back and looked on them
and cursed them in the name of Jehovah.
And there came forth two she bears out
of the wood and tore 42 children of
them.
And he went from things to Mount Carmel
and from things he returned to Samaria.
Chapter 4 verse 38.
And Elijah came again to Gilgal and there
was a famine in the land and the
sons of the prophets were sitting before him.
And he said to his servant set on
the great pot and boil potage for the
sons of the prophets.
Then one went out into the field to
gather herbs and found a wild vine and
gathered from it his net full of wild
Colossians and came and shred them into the
pot of potage for they did not know
them.
And they poured out for the men to
eat.
And it came to pass as they were
eating of the potage that they cried out
and said man of God there is death
in the pot.
And they could not eat it.
And he said then bring meal.
And he cast it into the pot and
said pour out for the people that they
may eat.
And there was no harm in the pot.
And there came a man from Beal, Cilicia
and brought the man of God bread of
the first fruits 20 loaves of barley and
fresh ears of corns in his sack.
And he said give to the people that
they may eat.
And his attendant said how shall I set
this before a hundred men.
And he said give the people that they
may eat.
For thus said Jehovah they shall eat and
shall have to spare.
And he set it before them and they
ate and left thereof according to the word
of Jehovah.
Last night we mentioned about the call of
Elijah to be a prophet.
And also the confirmation.
The call came to him when he was
plowing the field.
He responded to that call.
He followed Elijah all the way until Elijah
was taken from him.
And there he received the double portion of
the spirit of Elijah.
His calling was confirmed.
He was an apprentice as it were for
several years pouring water upon the hands of
Elijah before he was confirmed as a prophet.
So from then on he was a prophet
before God.
Now tonight we would like to fellowship together
on the circuit of his ministry.
You notice that in the last journey Elijah
and Elijah they walked together from Gilgal to
Bethel.
From Bethel to Jericho.
From Jericho to Jordan.
And then Elijah was taken to the heavens.
In a sense this walk through the four
stations represent a walk with God.
As we walk with God we will go
through what these four places represent.
And then at the last it will be
recorded.
When Elijah passed through these four places with
Elijah following him.
Did he do anything in these places?
There was no record.
It seems as if he was just passing
through.
He didn't do anything.
Why?
Because the emphasis is on the walk.
The walk with God.
The emphasis was not on the doing.
The emphasis was on life.
A life with God is a life that
walks with God.
And a life that walks with God will
go through various experiences as represented by these
four places.
And finally rapture.
So brothers and sisters in one sense this
applies to us today.
Our life with God is a walk.
We walk with God and if we do
we will walk into the heavens.
The walk is always heavenward.
It goes up.
But then you'll find after Elijah was taken
to heaven Elijah received the prophetic ministry.
Then you'll find he came back.
And as he came back he came to
the same places.
But in reverse order.
He started from Jordan.
Then he came to Jericho.
And from there he came to Bethel.
And after Bethel he came to Gilgal.
With Elijah it was a walk with God.
It goes upward.
Heavenward.
With Elijah it is a returning to the
people of God.
And in returning to the people of God
you'll find things are being done.
There were works to be done.
So in one sense with Elijah it represents
life.
With Elijah in returning to these places it
represents ministry.
Now this is the connection between life and
ministry.
And this is the right order too.
If we want to have a spiritual ministry
to God's people we must first have a
walk with God.
If we do not have that walk with
God which is heavenward there will not come
forth a ministry towards man.
It is manward.
That's why we say gift alone never constitutes
a ministry.
It has to be backed by a walk,
a life.
And with that life a ministry will be
produced.
So in the returning circuit you'll find the
principle of the demonstration of ministry.
So I do hope that we remember this
as the ground for our fellowship tonight.
Now first of all Jordan.
You know according to the record of the
word of God the waters in Jordan were
divided three times up to the
time of Elijah.
The first time the waters of Jordan were
divided so that the children of Israel could
walk through the riverbed to the promised land.
And how was the water divided?
It was divided by the ark.
The ark of God was born on the
shoulders of the priests.
And as their feet touched the water, the
water divided.
Then the priests who bore the ark they
stood in the middle of the dry riverbed.
And the children of Israel passed through.
And after they had all passed through then
the priests who bore the ark they also
came up to the other shore.
And when they came up on the other
shore the water returned.
Now that was the crossing of the river
Jordan.
Now we know that basically the water of
the river Jordan represents death.
But it is not just death.
It is life out of death.
So in the experience of the children of
Israel it is co-death, co-burial and
co-resurrection if we want to use New
Testament terms.
And so far as we are concerned this
is what it is.
We need to see our Lord Jesus not
only as one who bore our sins on
the cross.
But we need to see that our Lord
Jesus also has borne us in him.
And with him we were crucified.
And we were buried together with him.
Because we were in him.
And we were being raised from the dead
because we were in him.
So the experience of the children of Israel
crossing the river Jordan is our experience of
co-death, co-burial and co-resurrection with
Christ.
And because of that we come into the
abiding life in Christ.
That is the promised land.
Now that is the first instance.
Now the second instance when the waters of
Jordan were divided was when Elijah on his
way to heaven he came to the bank
of the river Jordan.
He rolled up his mantle.
He smote the waters and the water divided
so that he could go through it to
the other side to be raptured.
Now I believe this is different from the
first crossing.
Because the first crossing is co-death, co
-burial, co-resurrection with Christ so that from
now on we abide in Christ.
But with Elijah you see it was not
the ark that divided the water.
It was the mantle.
A mantle always represents ministry.
A work.
With Elijah it is prophetic ministry.
So the water was divided by that mantle.
And I believe the New Testament counterpart of
it is in 2nd Corinthians chapter 4.
You know 2nd Corinthians chapter 4 when we
read it, it seems as if it is
a chapter on spiritual life, on life.
What is spiritual life?
How can this life be manifested?
We are as earthen vessels but with a
treasure in us.
And the radiance, the power of that treasure
is of God, is not of us.
In order that the treasure may be manifested,
the vessel must be broken.
So God raised up all kinds of environments.
We are surrounded and yet we are not
finished.
Why?
Because we have a way out.
We are beaten down but we are not
beaten out.
So you find that the Holy Spirit was
so arranged our environment to break us, to
break the outward man, so that the inward
man which is Christ in us, the treasure,
may be manifested.
So Paul sums it up and says, we
bear in our body the dying of Jesus,
the slaying of Jesus, that the life of
Jesus may be manifested in us.
How can this life that is bound within
us, imprisoned within us, be released?
The only way for the life within us
which is Christ to be released is through
the breaking of the outward man.
By bearing in our body the dying of
Jesus, that is to say, we die daily.
We deliver ourselves as it were, deliberately, as
the Holy Spirit arranges in our environment, we
choose it.
We deliberately deliver ourselves to the dying of
Jesus, to the slaying of Jesus, and the
result is we are broken.
And the real life is released.
Life in us.
Now that is represented by Elijah.
The crossing of Jordan with Elijah is he
had now entered into the maturity of life.
He had come to know the life of
Christ, of course we are using New Testament
phrases, in such a way that he is
broken but Christ is released.
And that is the apostolic life.
That is the life of rapture.
That kind of life is to be raptured.
Now with Elijah, you find his returning.
He used the mantle of Elijah, he smoked
the water and said, where is the God
of Elijah?
And the water devoured him.
And he crossed over.
Now in his case, the emphasis is on
ministry.
So 2 Corinthians chapter 4, when you read
it, your first impression will be, now this
is life.
This is spiritual life.
But then if you read again, you find
this is spiritual ministry.
Actually what 2 Corinthians chapter 4 is talking
about, is talking about ministry.
Because Paul said, we have this ministry.
It is the ministry that is in view.
Now what is ministry?
Ministry comes out of life.
Therefore you will find in the same chapter,
verse 12, Paul continues to say, we bear
in our body the dying of Jesus that
the life of Jesus may be manifested in
us.
And then in verse 12 he said, that
the life of Jesus may be manifested in
you.
Now that's ministry.
When the life of Jesus is manifested in
us, that is life.
That is real life.
But when the life of Jesus is manifested
in you, that is ministry.
You know, when the life of Jesus is
released through us, and it touches other people,
it is an imparting of, and ministry is
none other but imparting of life.
I think this is a very basic understanding
of what ministry is.
You know, often times we think of ministry
as doing something.
Acting.
Sometimes we think of ministry only in terms
of serving.
Serving.
Now we have done something.
We have served some purpose.
We have accomplished some work.
But dear brothers and sisters, strictly speaking, this
is not ministry.
Ministry is the impartation of life.
Unless we are able to impart life to
other people.
Now of course, the life that is to
imparted is not our life.
The life that is imparted is the life
of Christ.
Whether it comes through prophesying, or it comes
through teaching, or it comes through serving, or
it comes through loving, or it comes through
helping, in whatever capacity, channel, it may come
forth.
You find what is really the substance of
ministry is the imparting of Christ.
Now, are we imparting Christ?
This is a very serious question.
We may be involved in many activities.
We may be doing all kinds of works.
We may be accomplishing all kinds of things.
But dear brothers and sisters, if there is
not an imparting of the life of Christ
in it, you have no ministry.
There is no ministry.
Ministry begins with Jordan.
That's where it begins.
You remember our Lord Jesus?
When He was 30?
He was going to commence His ministry.
Where did He commence His ministry?
At the River Jordan.
There you'll find our Lord Jesus who had
lived a perfect life for 30 years.
It was a perfect life.
But when He was to begin His ministry,
the first thing He did was to go
to the River Jordan and, in other words,
there He laid down Himself so that God
may be manifested through Him.
And it was from Jordan that He started
His ministry.
Brothers and sisters, where do we start our
ministry?
Do not think that Jordan is the last
station.
So far as life is concerned, it seems
as if Jordan is the last station.
Gilgal is the first one.
Jordan is the last.
But so far as ministry is concerned, Jordan
is the first, is the starting point.
Do we know Jordan?
Do we know that breaking of the awkward
man?
Do we know the life of Christ manifested?
Are we able to impart Christ?
So Elijah, in coming back, you'll find the
first point, the starting point is going through
the River Jordan.
Now after He passed through the River Jordan,
the sons of the prophets were watching.
They did not go with Elijah through the
River Jordan.
They were on the other shore.
And I don't believe they saw Elijah taken
up.
Only Elijah saw.
They didn't see.
So they saw Elijah coming back and they
saw the mantle.
They saw Elijah smoke the water and the
water divided hither and thither and He crossed
over.
Immediately they knew the spirit of Elijah rests
on Elijah now.
So they came to Him and bowed to
Him.
Why?
Because He was to be the head, the
superintendent of the school of prophets.
Now.
And you know what they suggested to Him?
It's unbelievable.
They told Elijah, they said, we have fifty
strong men here.
We are ready to go through the mountains
and the valleys to find the body of
Elijah.
God has taken Elijah away and maybe God
just throws him somewhere in a mountain or
the valley.
Now give us permission to find him.
Now Elijah of course knew that wasn't the
case because God took Elijah to heaven.
So Elijah said, no, don't do that.
But they pressed him so much until he
was ashamed.
He said, alright, if you want to do
it, you do it.
So they sent fifty men.
And of course after three days of searching
they couldn't find the body.
They had the knowledge that God took Elijah.
But their knowledge was mental knowledge.
You know, if our knowledge is only mental
knowledge, our understanding of God's word is so
limited we can only believe to a certain
point and no further.
They could believe that God took Elijah, but
they couldn't believe God could take Elijah to
heaven.
That's too high.
So God must throw him somewhere else.
Now isn't that true?
If our knowledge of God is only mental,
if our understanding of the word is just
mental, our faith is limited.
We can only believe thus far and no
further.
We cannot go all the way.
So after three days, of course they couldn't
find him.
But during those days where was Elijah?
He was staying in Jericho.
So you see the second station.
While he was in Jericho, the people in
Jericho came to him.
And they said, look here.
The location of this city is good.
Everything about the city is good.
Only the water is bad.
So the land is bad.
When the children of Israel came to Jericho
in the first place, the walls of Jericho
must be brought down.
The stronghold must be overthrown.
But here you'll find when Elijah was in
Jericho, they came to him and said everything
was good except the water.
And because the water was bad, the land
was bad.
What does the water here represent?
You remember our Lord Jesus when he talked
with a Samaritan woman?
He said if you know who he's talking
with you, and if you will ask of
him, he will give you a living water.
And you will never be thirsty again.
Because this water will become a fountain that
will well up within you forever.
Of course he speaks of his life.
And then in John chapter 7, on the
last day of the great feast, that is
the Feast of the Tabernacles, the Lord stood
on a high place and shouted, if anyone
is thirsty, come.
He that believeth out of his belly shall
flow rivers of living water.
And this he speaks of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit has not yet been given
because he has not yet been glorified.
So here you'll find the water represents the
water of life.
And then of course in Revelation chapter 22
you'll find in the holy city there is
a river of life that flows from the
throne of God and of the Lamb.
And it goes around the whole city and
wherever the river flows there is the tree
of life.
Water here speaks of life.
What is more basic than life?
You may have a good location.
You may have a good background.
You may have a good social position.
You may have a good education.
You may have good environment.
You may have riches.
You may have anything, everything.
But if the life is bad, you are
barren.
And isn't our life bad?
Paul said, in me that is in my
flesh there is no good.
But how difficult it is for us to
realize that.
Before we believe in the Lord, before
we believe in the Lord Jesus, the bad
side of our flesh committed many things until
we were horrified and we repented.
But after we believe in the Lord, we
use the good side of our flesh trying
to serve God to keep his law.
We are not that bad.
Our water is not altogether bad.
Until one day we realize that in us
that is in our flesh there is no
good.
Your good nature, your good temperament, your good
gentleman and so on and so forth.
No good.
There is absolutely no good.
Our natural life is bad water.
And if the natural life is bad, no
matter what you give to Him, it is
barren.
No good.
So they came to Elisha.
And you know what Elisha did?
Elisha said, give me a new cruise and
put salt in it.
He took the new cruise with the salt.
He went to the source of the water.
He poured the salt upon the source of
the water.
And he declared, Jehovah the Lord has healed
these waters.
Henceforth there will be no death and barrenness.
And it is so until this day.
You know this day is not only the
day when 2nd King was written.
But this day is even today.
If you go to Jericho today, you will
find in Jericho there is only one fountain.
One source of water.
It was the very fountain that Elisha healed.
When I was there over 10 years ago
we went to that place.
And we saw that water.
That was the only water in that locality.
So it was the water that Elisha healed.
And even today women will come in groups
to get water.
And we saw these women coming.
They came from a refugee camp.
The Arab refugee camp nearby.
But instead of putting a kind of earthen
pot, you know, a pitcher on their head
to draw water, they now use kerosene can.
Everyone had a kerosene can on their head,
you know, and they came to draw water.
The water has been healed.
And as you approach the city of Jericho,
you find it is green everywhere.
Green everywhere.
Now brothers and sisters, what is the spiritual
implication of the healing of the waters?
You will find the water was healed by
salt.
You know salt is something that not only
cures but also preserves.
There is a power in salt to cure
and to preserve.
In the Old Testament all the sacrifices must
be salted.
You must put salt on the sacrifice when
you offer it.
And also you find God's covenant with the
children of Israel say it is a covenant
of salt.
In other words, salt speaks of permanency.
Salt speaks of unchangeableness.
Therefore, salt in the scripture speaks of the
eternal life.
The life of God in Christ is represented
by the salt.
Now in Matthew we are told Christ says
ye are the salt of the world.
As if the disciples, they are the salt
of the world.
They are.
But if you apply it very strictly, actually
we are the salt of the world.
Why?
Because we have the life of Christ in
us.
He is the salt.
We are the new cruise.
The salt must not be put in the
old cruise.
There is no suitability there.
The salt has to be contained in the
new cruise.
And the new cruise represents individually and corporately
the church.
The church is the new cruise, the new
vessel.
And we who are the Lord are the
new cruise.
Brothers and sisters, if we live in the
old life, it is as if the salt
is diluted to the point that it becomes
favorless, saltless.
And it will be useless.
It will be cast away and be trodden
under.
But if we live in the newness of
the Spirit, we are a new creation.
And if we live in the newness of
the Spirit, we are like a new cruise.
And you will find the salt is there.
But it has to be poured out.
Are we willing to pour out, pour out
the life of Christ in us?
And as it is poured out, the water
is filled.
Brothers and sisters, here again you find it
is the pouring out of life.
But it is the pouring out of life
upon the deadness and the barrenness of the
old life.
And here you find it heals it, transforms
it.
Not in the sense that the natural life
is transformed into the spiritual life, but in
the sense that the soul is being transformed.
Why?
Because Christ's life has come in to substitute
self-life.
It is the transformation.
It is the transformation of our soul.
And from then on you will find there
is no more death, no more barrenness, but
free.
So brothers and sisters, here you find this
is ministry.
Ministry has a manward aspect.
The manward aspect is when the salt in
us is poured out, it cures.
And it gives life.
And it makes fruitful.
Makes it fruitful.
That's ministry.
Then from there on you will finally move
on to Bethel.
Something very strange happened in Bethel.
Now what is Bethel?
Bethel is the house of God.
The gate of heaven.
It should be the most pleasant place.
If Derrico came to Elisha to ask for
help, certainly Bethel will open its door to
Elisha.
But strangely, as Elisha ascended to Bethel, some
children came out.
Now all most, well, some authority told us,
actually the word there are not little boys
or little children.
The word there are teenagers.
Young people.
A group of young people came out to
meet Elisha.
And as this group of young people came
out, they mocked Elisha.
They ridiculed him.
They said, go up, go ahead, go up,
go ahead.
And Elisha looked at them and cursed them
in the name of the Lord.
And to Sheba, Sheba came out of the
forest and killed 42 of these youngsters.
Bethel was originally the house of God.
The gate of heaven.
It was a place where God was worshipped.
God rested among his people.
It was a place where revelation was given
from above.
But you know, at the time of Elisha,
something happened.
When the nation of Israel were divided into
two.
The ten tribes formed a nation of Israel
under King Jeroboam.
But then the people of Israel, every year
they still traveled to Jerusalem, to the temple
to worship God.
Because that was the place where the name
of God was set.
So when Jeroboam saw the situation, he had
a separate kingdom now.
But his people still went to Jerusalem to
worship God.
And if this thing should continue, sooner or
later, his kingdom will be so weakened, the
heart of the people will return to Judah
and his kingdom will come to an end.
So out of political consideration, he took a
step.
He made two golden towels.
Set one in Bethel, set another one in
Dan.
And he made some people priests.
Not Levites, but he made them priests.
And he made a proclamation in his kingdom
and said, you don't need to go to
Jerusalem to worship God.
We have Jehovah God here.
You come to Bethel and worship.
They even call the golden towel Jehovah.
So you find in Bethel a counterfeit worship.
Therefore when you read the book of Amos,
in Amos chapter 4 verse 4, it says,
go up, don't go up to Bethel and
transgress.
People went up to Bethel to transgress against
God.
So instead of being a pure worship, there
was a controversy and evidently the false priests
instigated, encouraged these young people to come out
to meet the prophet, to prevent him from
coming to the holy place.
What did they say?
They said, go up, go ahead, go up,
go ahead.
Now, if you know the typography of the
place, of course, when Elijah went to Bethel,
he had to go up.
That is true.
But that's not mocking.
Now, Elijah might be a ball head, but
that's not mocking.
Why was this considered as mocking?
They mocked Elijah and said, isn't your master
Elijah went up?
Why didn't you go with him?
Your master Elijah went up, but you were
left behind because you were not worthy.
You couldn't go up.
Why didn't you go?
And said, ball head.
Now, ball head, if you read Jeremiah, you
will find it is a sign of mourning.
When people mourn, they shave their hair.
It's a sign of mourning.
In other words, Elijah, you ought to be
ashamed of yourself.
How dare you come and try to be
the prophet of God?
You are not worthy.
You have failed.
So here you find the enemy tried to
put on a false accusation upon Elijah.
And Elijah, if he should accept that, his
ministry would be finished.
And dear brothers and sisters, isn't that true?
Wherever God is building his house, the enemy
tries to build side by side.
It always happens that way.
You know, in Matthew chapter 16, the Lord
said, I will build my church upon this
rock.
And immediately he said, and the gates of
Hades shall not prevail against it.
In other words, when the Lord is building
his church, real, on the rock, the enemy
is busy.
All the gates of Hades will be open
and try to attack, try to accuse, try
to frustrate, try to discourage, try to destroy.
But thank God, the Lord said, the gates
of Hades shall not prevail against it.
Why?
Because the gates of heaven is also open.
So Elijah turned back.
Instead of accepting the enemy's accusation, he stood
with God and he cursed them in the
name of Jehovah.
In other words, he exercised authority over the
enemy in the name of the Lord.
And the enemy was vanquished.
Brothers and sisters, this is authority that Christ
has given to his church.
The enemy is trying to discourage.
Oftentimes the enemy tries to accuse us falsely.
And you know, if we don't know the
enemy and accept his false accusation, our ministry
fails.
How we need to stand on the ground
that Christ is our right hand man.
He never changes.
We may fail, he never.
How we need to overcome the enemy with
the blood of the Lamb.
With the word, testimony.
Word of our testimony.
And with love, not our life, even unto
death.
And that is what is meant, if two
of you shall agree on earth, touching anything.
If you bind on earth, it shall be
bound in heaven.
If you loose on earth, it shall be
loosed in heaven.
Why?
Because there is a spiritual conflict there.
Whenever God is building something real, the enemy
always tries.
He wants to set up his conflict.
But we do not need to fear.
The Lord has given us authority.
And we need to claim the victory of
Christ.
The authority of Christ over all situations.
And the enemy shall flee.
So here you'll find ministry has not only
a manward aspect.
Real ministry always has an enemyward aspect.
If it doesn't touch the enemy, something is
not quite.
Do you think you can minister really life
to people and the enemy will just stand
by?
Never.
If it is just an imparting of mind
to mind, he doesn't need to be around.
But if it is the imparting of life,
and if it is the building of the
house of God, the enemy cannot afford to
stand by.
There will be the spiritual conflict there.
And often times it comes in the form
of a false accusation.
That's why the Bible says the brethren overcome
him, the enemy, by the blood of the
Lamb.
We are not perfect.
But thank God we have the blood.
And because of the blood of the Lamb
we have a testimony to others.
He is Lord.
We are fully committed to him.
And the Lord is committed to us.
This is the authority of the church.
So this is battle.
And then you'll find the circuit is what
complete when Elijah came.
But when he came to Gilgal, two things
happened.
You know Gilgal means rolled away.
Because when the children of Israel came to
Gilgal, they were circumcised.
And the reproach of Egypt was rolled away.
In other words Gilgal represents the subjective working
of the cross unto death.
But here you'll find Gilgal becomes a place
of life and resurrection.
Why?
When Elijah came to Gilgal you'll find there
was a drought standing there.
Scarcity of food.
And Elijah said set the pot.
Boil the pot for the people to eat.
And someone went out and saw a wild
vine.
And he gathered some gourd.
You know.
And they shredded the gourd into the pot
to add some crust to the pot.
But when they started to eat suddenly someone
cried out there is death in the pot.
They couldn't eat it.
And Elijah said take some meal, flour.
And he put the flour in the pot
and he said take out and eat it.
There is no more death.
Life has swallowed up death.
The meal represents Christ.
Because in John chapter 12 we are told,
verily, verily, I say unto you, unless a
grain of wheat fall into the ground and
die, it abides alone.
But if it shall die, it will bear
much fruit.
It represents the life of Christ which is
so pure, so fine, so balanced, so perfect.
And that life swallows up death and poison.
So you find here the cross has two
sides.
The cross has the side of death, putting
to death, death negative.
But the cross has the other side which
is positive, life giving.
So in the ministry of Elijah you find
it is the cross in the life giving
side.
And not only giving life, but life more
abundantly.
Because then the second incident was someone came
and gave Elijah plenty loaves, new loaves of
barley and a few corns of yeast.
And Elijah told his servant, lay it before
the people and let them eat.
And there were a hundred men there.
So the attendant said, how could this little
feed a hundred?
Elijah said, do it.
So they distributed and a hundred people ate
and they were left over.
It was just like our Lord using five
loaves and two fishes to feed five thousand.
And what is represented there is life more
abundantly.
Not only life giving, giving life, but it
is life more abundantly.
You have enough and left over.
And that is always the case when a
ministry is in life, is in life.
There is always something.
So brothers and sisters here you find in
the return circuit the nature of ministry is
demonstrated.
So we can sum up and say a
life with the Lord will produce a corresponding
ministry to man.
And that ministry will be a ministry of
life, resurrection life, the life of Christ.
Shall we pray?
Our heavenly father, we do praise and thank
you because thou has called us to ministries
of various kinds.
But the nature is the same.
It is a ministry of life.
It is a ministry of imparting life.
Not our life, but thy life.
Oh who is competent for this?
We do praise and thank you.
Our competency is of God.
That we are made ministers of the new
covenant.
Not of letter, but of spirit.
For the letter kills, but the spirit quickens.
Oh we do praise and worship thee.
We do ask thee Lord that every one
of us here may have a life with
thee.
And thus a ministry we ask in thy
precious name.
Amen.