Like Elijah [Part 1]

Alan White, pastor, Bible teacher and author of his latest book, the power to bless do not disqualify yourself by saying God uses those more spiritual people God uses those more more God can use audio but he could never use me in that way.

God is saying through God can use in your prayers every bit as much as he did Elijah and remarkable way. That's Pastor Alan Wright welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life. Old I'm Daniel.

Excited for you to hear the teaching today.

In the series miracle man has presented at renewal. The church North Carolina are not able to stay with us throughout the entire program I'd like to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. It can be yours for your donation this month to Allen Wright ministries as you listen to today's message go deeper as we send you today's special offer. Contact Pastor Alan.org that's Pastor Alan.org or call 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860. More on this later in the program but now let's get started with today's teaching years, Allen Wright some good news is a sound of the rushing of rain in your ears a (there is a miraculous outpouring on the horizon. May your eyes be blessed to see if you're in a season of drought. Take heart, small cloud arises from the sea of God's grace. If you're in a season of plenty, praise him. God's grace knows no bounds. Elijah was just as human as you are and God change the whole atmosphere through his prayers. Likewise, your prayers are unspeakably powerful and effective because when you're in Christ you're clothed with his righteousness. Some of the heavens open and miracles rain down this year, to the glory of God and the blessing of many. That's the blessing the Lord has led me to speak over your life this year and it is rooted and powerful text in James chapter 5 James chapter 5 where I read starting at verse 14 is anyone cheerful let him sing praise. In verse 14 is anyone among you sick let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord in the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power is it's working.

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours and he prayed fervently that it might not rain every three years and six months not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again in the heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruits is amused by a popular poster that's out there now it says always be your self unless you can be Batman, in which case, always be Batman 37 but I'll chocolate that is because I was like every other little boy that I ever knew I wanted to be Batman.

I would've been fine being Superman I have the Cape utility bill but can learn to be Batman and a close third base Spider-Man our little boy Bennett hee hee most of his boyhood. He lived in some sort of costume Batman Superman and he wasn't the caped crusader. He was Mr. incredible or certainly he was David defeating Goliath or at the very least Peter Pan who can at least fly never grows old we lived without him grew up with all these the fantasies of our childhood. When I was a kid not only don't be a superhero, but also fantasize about being a super athlete and turned out that was just as fantastic of a vision as the other. I could barely stand it out and watched some guys playing tennis at Wimbledon and Bjorn Borg or something and I just couldn't even watch the whole matchup sort, but if it was go play some tennis on it be that that person and somewhere on the pathway to adulthood. Though we come to our senses and we realize were not going to be Superman or Batman or wonder woman, or maybe even the Princess at the ball and you start saying things that are healthy to say like it is what it is I am who I am. What will be will be and it is important that counselors tell us to accept reality, lest you be in denial and live in a fantasy world and so there is something healthy about accepting the limitations on your life.

You are not Batman Superman or wonder woman and then you come to the Scripture, where now as a mature adult and you let go of such fantasies. You come to the Scriptures and you read about superheroes in the Bible, Abraham, who was a father of a nation Moses, who parted the Red Sea year Joshua brought down walls of Jericho or David that defeated the Philistine giants are even you come to the New Testament read stories like Peter apostle who Lord you so much in healing that is sometimes just his shadow would land upon someone and they would be healed.

And so, in the same way they go. I can never be Batman or never be Superman, you tend to read those stories and say I could never be like that those of the superheroes. Interestingly, in the mindset of the Hebrew people. There was one figure who stood out as may be the superhero of all superheroes. I his name was Elijah's name means Yahweh is my God Jehovah is my God, he confronted the wicked King Ahab. He was once miraculously fed by Raven. He was used by God to defeat 450 prophets of the pagan God ball all he twice called down fire. In one instance was used by the Lord to bring back to life.

The dead son of a widow and when it came time to leave this earth, he went out in a world when accompanied by chariots of fire. He is a legendary in the mindset of Israel. Elijah, the ancient rabbis considered Elijah to be in some mysterious way available to them as an arbiter of important matters that required special wisdom. The most prominent example of this is in the Seder meal, the Passover feast practiced by every Orthodox Jewish family because Malachi chapter 3 prophesied that there would be a return of Elijah. There's an expectation that Elijah would precede the Messiah and Elijah because he could help arbitrate difficult matters that the rabbis couldn't figure out they suppose would be the one to answer a puzzling question. Should there be four or 5 cups of wine at the Seder meal a complicated question for a variety of reasons and so the rabbis in ancient time decided that this would be left for Elijah to decide when he returns.

So at the Seder meal. There are four cops that are drunk and there's 1/5 cup that's empty and there's a empty chair that Elijah's chair. I say all this to try to describe how big and wondrous a superhero Elijah is in the mindset of the Jewish people. Interestingly, when Jesus has come in his ministry as at its apex. There is this moment that might be the most dramatic moment of glory in Jesus's earthly ministry that is called the Transfiguration, where he is suddenly brilliantly illuminated and there are two figures that appear on either side of him, Moses and the other is Elijah. I say all this to lead to this question. If Elijah is such a superhero in the Bible to the Jewish people and and and to the early believers isn't it shocking that James singles out Elijah is the example to compare you and me and our prayer life to him to say Elijah is just as human as you are to say Elijah had nothing on you to say Elijah wasn't used by God because he was so much more special than you this saying all of this is is like saying that person that you think you could never be you can be. It may be that you're not going to be Superman, Batman, or wonder woman but what James is saying is you are like Elijah and he then goes on to explain the context of a healing community where God moves wondrously through the prayers of the people in the local body of Christ that Allen Wright will have more teaching moment from today's important series like something is holding you back if you can important see that could change everything.

Is there someone you love to sing stack to help them back child. What's missing blessing on the faith filled vision spoken over, I learned you can learn how to embrace the will practice a blessing to Pastor Ehrenreich's new book, it's a blast, which quickly became an enzyme number one bestseller after 370s until now the hardcover book has only been available through retail sales this month and Allen Wright ministries once send you the I thank you for your donation is not only received a best-selling that also receive a free session video place in which Pastor Alan teaches how to blast and covers content not found in about a video course includes a detailed study guide perfect for personal growth or small group discussion. Make your gift today and discovered the power to blast the gospel is shared when you get to Allen Wright ministries this broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you get today. We will send you a special offer.

We are happy to send this to you as I banks from Allen Wright ministries call us at 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website. Pastor Alan.work. Today's teaching now continues your once again is Allen writing want to highlight this for you today to let you know something of the essence of the kind of environment where a lot of healing takes place and what I think James is saying about the power of your own prayer life. It is a text that is very clear saying to each of us do not disqualify yourself by saying God uses those more spiritual people God uses is more morally upright people.

God can use somebody else, but he could never use me in that way. What God is saying through James here is that God can use your prayers every bit as much as he did Elijah and every bit as much remarkable ways and that is clearly astounding, but is what the gospel teaches in showing you what the Lord I think has been revealing to me and studying of fresh James chapter 5, especially verses 14 through 17. I want to highlight few. Three words or concepts that are links to healing. In this text that I think are often misunderstood and I want to lift these up for some moments of reflection, first in verse 14.

This admonition to call upon the elders of the church to let them pray over the sick, and in verse 16. Two different concepts there that are very important and are links in the text to the healing ministry and one is confession of sin and the other is that the righteous person is one who has great power in prayer. So three concepts that are in some way inspired by the Holy Spirit. LinkedIn James mind here to the ministry of healing and the outpouring of the miraculous intervention of God through the prayers of the people. Something about the calling upon the elders or something about confession of sin. And there's something about the righteous person.

I think all three of these are often misunderstood and I want to talk suffers about this text that says call upon the elders of the church. Some people have, I think, taught and proposed and perhaps her been a time in my life where I tended to believe more in this direction. I do not now that what James is saying is that God has set apart certain more anointed people and he'll use their prayers more than others, and so therefore if you're in a predicament you're sick, you need to get the certain really special people especially anointed specially gifted to be the ones that will will pray for you. The reason that I think that can't be what James means by calling on elders is that the whole meaning of verses 13 through 18, in which every verse includes the word prayer in James five verses 13 through 18, prayer, prayer, prayer, prayer, prayer, his whole point is I have been suggesting you is that God uses the prayers of any Christian as much as he could.

Elijah so it would fly in the face of that if James were saying but there these few special people and they really have more power prayers than you do that with those two things can go together when you're interpreting Scripture what the most in important interpretive principles is simple. Take the more plain meaning of the context of a passage and understand the individual verses in terms of that plain meaning you ever have a time where your little confused by Scripture because it seems to fly in the face of something that is more basically understood then you start out with the framework of that which you know is basic and simple to understand. For example if there's a text in Malachi that says Esau I have hated and Jacob I have loved you can't come to the conclusion that God is a God of hate because you know this about God. God is love and it everywhere in his word is law. So you begin from that framework. You say God is speaking about some of the mystery that I must understand here things is is saying God uses the prayers of every saint and don't ever diminish yourself forever compare yourself to someone else thinking that I'm I'm not spiritual, and often not good enough. So I don't think it what he saying is that you need to just get the especially anointed leaders to pray for. Instead, at the very onset of hearing the statement call upon the elders. This is letting us know that even in its infancy. The early church had a governing structure to it and that he's speaking about a connected local body in the Western culture in the United States.

We are fiercely individualistic in our thinking.

Other parts of the country. Eastern and in the global South, people don't think as much this way, but we have this idea that Christianity is about me and Jesus that is not the picture in the Bible at all. The picture in the Bible of what it means to be a Christian is something much greater than that it is not so much about me and Jesus and I just have made my personal profession and I'm private about this. Instead there is a beautiful mystery that is wondrous and glorious called the church and God has connected us as the body of Christ so much that Paul teaches that we are the body of Christ on earth, and each one is a member of it so vitally connected that we could no more say to one another. I don't need you, then your own head could say to your hand. I don't need you or vice versa, that we were that connected that there is a mysterious connection of the unity of the spirit by which we have been. I want to say mystically organically connected, beloved, I have more in common with you because you are a Christian, then I do.

Anybody else on the face of their we might have different interests, we might have different teams you might not even like Carolina basketball. But if you are in the body of Christ, we are mystically connected and I really believe beloved. This is something that we have missed in the West because were so individualistic to say call upon the elders is to say that if you are so infirmed that you can't even get to the assembly you need to know that you have elders you can call upon it is to say that you're living in a submitted relationship to spiritual oversight. There are some churches that emphasize church membership, some don't. I think the important thing is this. We are not individuals who are trying to go it alone.

We are the body of Christ we live in harmony, unity, love, peace not always unanimous. Not always agree on every point.

But together submitted with people that we have elected to office is elders and we value that it is in other words, saying James is talking here about healing takes place in the context of committed Christian community is a beautiful thing is a powerful thing to it was struggling.

You know, we struggle because we we've seen abuses of power in the secular world and we resist that an notions of leaders that have not been good shepherds and we were appalled by that. We see the way God designed his world by his own choosing.

Was he made us in his own image and part of that image is a God is one God, but he exists in three persons, you understand that God with in his own being is triune and therefore he is one, but he is within himself relational and he was the one who said, is not good for man to be alone. He made us for this type of intimate connection. This is who we are written as human beings we need each other desperately. And so what happens is, he puts us into families and he designed the family he designed a family for a mother and a father, and he designed for there to be nurture and love and encouragement and blessing and instruction that flows from parents who, though they may not be perfect love their children and believe for their children. Have a wonderful destiny.

So if you grew up in a family. You had wonderful healthy home you had parents who have a look at your life and recognize gets in you call a mounds that you're gifted in this life and look at you got a wonderful destiny and wonderful future in front of you and the blessed that into it had an unspeakable power in your life and you don't have any idea how great the extent is of that blessing that's flowing in your life.

Anything healthy, there's no one in your life.

All of that came out of this parental structure whether these people that are your authorities believe wonderful things for your life is very rare, powerful densities teaching just like Elijah from the series miracle man were starting it up today and Alan is back in a moment with additional insight on this for your life and the final word stick with us feel like something is holding you back as if you lack an important scene that could change everything. Is there someone you love hissing stack to help them back child.

What's missing blessing.

We all need faith filled vision spoken over our lives. You can learn how to embrace the biblical practice of blessing to Pastor Alan writes new book, it's a blast, which quickly became an Amazon number one bestseller after 370s until now the hardcover book has only been available through retail sales this month right ministries once to send you the book I thank you for your donation did this not only receive the best-selling book that you also receive a free session video place in which Pastor Alan teaches how to blast and covers content not the video course includes a detailed study guide perfect for personal growth or small group discussion.

Make your gift today and discovered the power to blast the gospel is shared when you get to Alan Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you get today. We will send you a special offer. We are happy to send this to you as I banks from Alan Wright Ministries, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website Pastor Alan.work Alan we were going friends to a brand-new series refer just part one of the first part of the series lot. A lot of the groundcover on miracle man become well really excited to launch this new series focusing on Elijah and Elisha and Daniel. I would just like to say right up front. Let your heart be open to the miracles of God, you only caught part of today's teaching.

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