15TH JUNE 2021
Text: Matthew 17:1-6; Malachi 4:1-6
Ministering: Pst. Dele Olubi
No one knows when God will come calling but it is sure that exams are inevitable for us to be promoted in the kingdom. In 1 Kings 17, we see a man who operated in the extraordinary but his life was not without tests and exams. It was not a joke for a man of his calibre to cause kings to tremble. This man, Elijah, reappeared in Matthew on the mount of transfiguration.
In Luke 1:27, we see a resemblance between John the Baptist and Elijah. They carried the same spirit. Elijah, as powerful as he was, did not do many miracles but this didn’t define the limit of his power. In the same way, John the Baptist was regarded as the mightiest prophet of the Old Testament with no recorded miracles.
One of the things that was so much evident in his life is the spirit of jealousy for the Lord. He displayed this when he slaughtered over 400 prophets of Baal.
If God’s kingdom will come, He must be sure that He has men like Elijah who can uphold His principles and also protect the interests of the kingdom. In upholding the interest of the kingdom, however, the church must be aware of the spirit of Jezebel that is always present wherever the spirit of Elijah is. For every good thing God has packaged for you, Satan has also packaged an alternative for you.
The spirit of Elijah is also confrontational. This made Him not fit into the religious system of his time. The spirit of Elijah is the spirit of restoration, it seeks to restore the pure form of worship.
Mark 9:11-13
It should be noted that the term “Elijah’s spirit” is not referring to the human spirit, rather, it is an office and a mantle that is trans-generational.
God is ready to restore His power and spirit to the church but He needs to be sure of the people He is releasing them to. We need to make our hearts right for the coming of God’s kingdom.