Wednesday Night

IN our world today we have gotten into an American form of Christianity, which is tremendously different that what we see in the Bible.

Most folks just go to church on Sunday, He how you doin, oh I go to UHBC, or Ridgecrest so Christ died for you on the cross so we could go to a building once a week just think of that. Just think how much that must make the angels cry.

But God planned that every believer would have an impact on their world. Every one of us is supposed to have an impact in our realm of influence. No matter where we are we are called to have the sweet aroma of Jesus coming off of us.

Jesus said YOU are the LIGHT OF THE WORLD YOU ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH Not the ministers all of us. How do you make this impact and not fall into the sitting trap?

The Bible gives us examples of people who are very ordinary like you and I who left a tremendous impact on their world. One of those people who was very ordinary, the Bible goes out of the way to tell us how plain jane and ordinary he was.

Yet even in his ordinary, plain, bland he becomes maybe the greatest prophet in the OT his name is Elijah. We find out that he is mentioned in the OT and NT and on the mount of transfiguration it is he and Moses who appear with Jesus Christ.

Not Isaiah, or Jeremiah, or Abraham, It’s Moses and Elijah.

1 Kings 17:1-6

1 Kings 17:1–6 ESV

Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” And the word of the Lord came to him: “Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” So he went and did according to the word of the Lord. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.

Now the Bible goes out of the way to tell us this mighty man of God was very ordinary. He is mentioned in

It says Elijah was a man just like us, flesh and bones weaknesses frailties, but that’s the point for us to impact our society and the world around us we have got to believe that we dont have to be supermen and women in order for God to use us.

God uses ordinary people.

thats what He delights in doing, taking ordinary men and women and using them in extraordinary ways. God makes Elijah very bold

The nation of Israel has split after Solomons death and after that the nation divided to 10 tribes and 2 tribes and Judah was the Southern Kingdom and Benjamin was the other tribe but the 10 Northern tribes broke away. They worshipped false Gods and they never had not even one good king ever in the whole history.

The southern kingdom had some good kings like Hezekiah obviously David but Hezekiah Josiah, but the north none. Right there on the top of the list of bad Kings there was King Ahab and His lovely wife Jezebel, where he met her we dont know and they made a dynamic duo for wickedness for idolatry for baal worship and worse.

Out of nowhere comes Elijah and what do we know about him? Nothing zero, nada, he comes from the other side of the Jordan river Tishbe, we know nothing about him, no training no Bible school no seminary, just an ordinary guy.

You talk about nerve, you talk about faith, He goes right up into Ahab and he tells him the judgment of the covenant be upon you now the blessings and cursings the cursings are gonna come onyou because you have turned the people away from god and you have them worshipping Baaal and now by thr word of the Lord its not gonna rain God is shutting up the Heavens lets see what baal and Asherah and all of your other false Gods are gonna do now.

First of all thats bold, how did Ahab not just kill him? Maybe he just laughed him off, but then Elijah goes and disappears and he goes by the direction of God he goes to the Brook Cherith.

Imagine the faith you have to have to go during a drought into the wilderness and God says I’ll feed you twice a dayravens will come and bring you food.

Like what if they don’t get the message think of it from his point of view, So he was very bold and brave, but then again later after he withstands hundreds of false prophets from baal and faces them down on Mt. Carmel.... this is how were made one minute were strong in the Lord the next minute were putty.

He faces down hundreds of false prophets and then Jezebel seeks to intimidate and kill him, she sends out a message and says how about this Elijah in 24 hours Im gonna kill you.

This brave man of God who appeared with Jesus on the Mt of transfiguration the Bible says he got totally afraid and he runs away to hide.

What?

God helps you face down all those prophets, you go up to Ahab known for his murderous ways and prophesy in his face and now a ladies threat is gonna make you dissapear?

The Bible says he went out in the desert and sat under a tree and he wanted to die. He wanted to die He told God I dont wanna go on anymore, Elijah flesh and blood just like us, but oh did he effect the world that he lived in.

Let’s just look at that I just wanna leave you with two things here tonight.

so that we can pray, because what did Jesus say my house shall be called a house of prayer, no song, no sermon can dispense mercy and grace all they can do is point you to God.

If you dont ever come before the throne of grace and ask for mercy and grace you’ll never get it.

So the Bible tells us that Elijah is this normal regular man, weak at times. James points out he was just like us.... dont ever say you are not able to serve God and God is not able to use you like that. What was his secret?.....

It’s all in that first sentence

He says to Ahab

“Now THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL WHO LIVES”

THE LIVING GOD

Thats the first thing that has to happen to all of us if were gonna effect the world we live in. We have to have a living God, Elijah was aware at all times that God was alive not a doctrine, not a verse in the Bible, not a building you go to...

he says THE LORD THE GOS OF ISRAEL THE GOD WHO LIVES

I represent the living God, I walk with Him, He walks with me, I talk to Him and He talks back to me, He gives me direction, I dont have a doctrinal statment I’m just not a 5 point calvinist I have a living God.

I wonder how many people who go to church around the US have a living God 24-7. When they go to bed at night they talk to Him, when they wake up they are expecting something to happen because He is alive!

Christ is not in the tomb He is alive

How many believe He is alive?

We have a living Savior but he can be dead to us unless the Holy spirit quickens our spirit and we realize he is alive. The living Jesus who is at the right hand of the Father is only alive to us if we believe He is alive.

You can wanna go to church, you can love studying God’s Word but if you dont believe in a living God there will be no power eminating through your life from the power of the Spirit.

6 days a week people have no expectation from God they face problems and they dont even think He would intervene and help them. Because their God is not living now they would never say that He is God they would argue until 3 in the morning that He rose from the grave but when the rubbe rmeets the road they dont act as though they have a living God like Elijah.

He looked right up into Ahab’s face and he says listen here Ahab the God of Israel the Lord God who lives he has been watching you and I have been walking with Him.

When you serve the living God you pour your heart out to Him every day He is alive, you have no doctrine of prayer you pray!

You have a god who you know is listening, and you know He doesn’t live to do my bidding but I desire to hear and do His bidding.

I talk to Him like I talk to Amy and she talks back to me and we have fellowship, when you serve a living God you have fellowship 24-7 you dont put Him away for a box for Sunday.

Now were going to go worship God shall we all just bow our heads and sing or pray. Now it’s beautiful to go to church and worship but Elijah has something better...

He had a living God all the time.

What do you see in the book of Acts education? NO

He chose fishermen and tax collectors on purpose just to show the world it’s not by might or by power but by the Spirit of the living God!

You see Peter who failed the Lord so terribly on the night He was betrayed, and He is preaching on the day of Pentecost and you study in the book of acts when they went to the temple who knew what the living God would show them what to do?

Peter is told on the roof, He is waiting on a meal I read it today, He is waiting for lunch to be served and he falls into a trance and God tells him to go to the Gentiles and preach the gospel to Cornelius an italian soldier.

I mean these things aren’t happening in church they are happening because they have a living God!

Everyday is exciting when you have a living God! Are you with me?

How many know what I am saying is the truth. You have a living God!

I’m not talking down to you at all, I am reminding you and myself, do I have a living god?

I know He is living but the point is, is HE living to me, am I conscience of His presence?

Do I talk to Him does He direct me. Elijah’s whole life was go here now go there, now go over here and do this...

WHO WAS TELLING HIM THIS?

THE LIVING GOD!

That’s why I get so tickled by these people who think you can have plans for your day, I am telling you in ministry its messy. You get up and think I need to do this or that but when you spend time in the presence of the living God you may be on your way one place and then God divert you to another location.

Now you can’t

I might be on my way to make a visit and the Lord says don;t go there go here instead.

I may show up to the house and no one be home and then the Lord says not today junior your going here.

May days never end the way I think they will, they never go according to my plan, not because I am waywayrd and dont have a plan I do everyday I have a planner with things to get done and they always get done they just never get done in my time frame.

My plans are subject to His plans and when you learn to walk with the living god you learn to stop whatever your doing and listen!

Only the Holy Spirit can do that, that’s why Jesus said when He comes He will make the things of me real to you. Oh how we need the Holy Spirit so that we can know the living God THE LIVING GOD

Mrs. Gayle Taylor is sick, has a great battle she is facing, what do we need a verse from the Bible or do we need the living God who we can speak to and say GOD DO A MIRACLE!

We saw Harley who wasn’t supposed to live a year stand now cancer free, because we cried out to the living God and he saw fit to heal him.

Living Christ

everything is exciting

You go to the drug store and God may have something set up for you to be a part of His plan will you see it, will you see the opportunity to be His hands and feet?

for most of us theres not that expectency, we have a god in a box I do this I do that but God just showing up and doing whatever He wants to do whenever He wants to do it, that’s not how I taught brother I go to church I am faithful to the house of the Lord.

But a living God I dont know

The Bible says that ELijah said Ahab the Living God BEFORE WHOM I STAND or as the NIV has it WHOM I SERVE

Thats the secret on having a life that impacts the world around you have a living God and be at His disposal to do whatever He tells you to do.

Thats was the secret of Elijah it was the secret of the apostle Paul who called Himself a bondslave of Jesus Christ.

In other words look I just follow orders, well pastor I dont wanna be locked up and lose my ability to do what I want move where I want Is this not tragic?

People move change jobs and do all sorts of things without ever consulting God about it at all. Because to them He is not living they make their own plans with their own IQ and then when it goes sideways they ask God to get them out of the jam they are in.

But no such way Christinaity is found in the Bible even Paul on His missionary journey couldn’t go certain places for the Spirit forbid Him then he tried to go over to Bethenea but the Spirit would not allow him.

Im not talking crazy now you look at me you think I am nuts I am not!

Listen I dread Charismatic movements and emotionalism, but I also dont want a doctrinal postion and stance without the power of the living God

There are alot of doctirnally right churches that have the life of a ham sandwich.

theres nothing happening why?

Theres no living God, but they say we stand on the foundational truths of the Bible thats important I am all for doctrine but you can know doctrine and not know God!

You can have emotions and not have the Holy Spirit

WORSHIP HIM IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH!

Theres a balance

God is not a doctrine god is a person, Jesus is alive

Listen to me God is a living god who can restore stolen property like you husband, your wife, your children your grandchildren who Satan is robbing from the joy of knowing the living God

Parent after parent who are giving up their children are living ungodly lives of rebellion and they think all hope is lost because they have lost faith in the fact that god is alive.

Some because God didn’t answer the way they thought He would or should and so they have given up. To them God is not really alive He is someone you cry to but He cant really do anything about my problems.

But when you know God is alive anything is possible.

We serve a living God. Were told what to do and you go and do it.

Now I am being serious when I say this, there are many churches that think their pastors are off the wall crazy with some of the ideas they bring into staff meetings.

Some of them are, but can I suggest to you that there is a living God and He is not silent but still can tell us to do new things?

OUR GOD IS A GOD OF NEW BEGINNGS, OUR GOD IS THE GOD OF NEW CREATIONS, IN REVELATION HE SAYS BEHOLD I DO A NEW THING

Let me tell you something we need a fresh word from Heaven if were going to continue to impact our world in future generations. Heres the question will we recieve that new vision?

Or will we say we have never done it that way before?

If you will tonight were going to pray and I want you to ask God to reveal Himself to you,

Father I pray that you give me eyes to see You are alive and I am not living the way Elijah lived, were not living like the NT church lived directed and protected by the Spirit daily.

god I want that, I want you Lord