Team Players verses Lone Rangers 2

Hello Everyone,

 In 1 Kings 18:20-46 Elijah realized two things. First, his competition wasn’t the prophets of the false god but Baal himself.

It is wise to recognize our opponents. We are not at war with other churches.

We are not called to compete with other Christians.

Our battle isn’t against flesh and blood but against the prince of darkness in this world.

Our children are not a casualty of church wars but of cultural wars.

We are in direct conflict with the enemy of this world who wants our children as his trophies.

Second, Elijah realized that success wasn’t on his shoulders. He wasn’t carrying the team.

He was a second-string player warming the bench while God did what only God does.

His courage came from confidence in the Lord.

When we are on God’s side, we are not the star players. We just “feed Him the ball” and watch Him work.

Our role as believers and as churches isn’t to be great for God.

It is to make great the glory of God.

Our job as fathers and mothers of faith isn’t to be heroes and to do it all by ourselves.

It is to admit that we need God and to depend on Him for everything.

On God’s team, the element of surprise is always your strategy.

1 Kings 18:38

³⁸ Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.

Ephesians 3:20.

²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,

God could have just sent a spark. He could have just set the offering to a slow burn.

Not good enough for our God. In verse 37 Elijah pleaded, “Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”

A streak of lightning would have answered the prayer.

Even that would have been more than what Baal could or did accomplish.

Even a steady fire would have fit the bill.

But God chose to do something only God could do, more than Elijah could even imagine or ask.

Elijah knew that God could do it (indicated by his faith to pour that much water on the altar).

The element of surprise is always on the favor of God’s team. His strategy isn’t the most obvious or even logical according to limited human perspective.

But His strategy is always the right one to accomplish all of His purpose and achieve all of the recognition He wants.

Elijah prayed for FIRE, and FIRE he got but not just any FIRE. It was the consuming FIRE of the Lord drinking up an offering and all the water that went with it.

That was a surprising display even for the prophet.

God wants to display that measure of His POWER in us too. Ephesians 3:20 is not in response to the God of the Old Testament who made the earth, parted waters, sent plagues, and championed armies.

It is the promise available to us today.

Greater Things Are Still To Come!

Pastor Phil