ELIJAH THE TISHBITE … Elijah was very content to be unknown on the earth. I believe that is what God is looking for in people to live under an open Heaven. God is looking for people to be content not to be known in the earth, as long as they are known in Heaven. Still, it’s possible to be known on earth and not be known in Heaven. And, what is even worse than that is, to be known in the Church, but not known in Heaven. Jesus said there will come a day when people who were famous in the Church (who “prophesied in Your Name”, “cast out demons in Your Name”, “spoke in other tongues in Your Name”) will not be known by Him. They might have had a professional relationship with Him, but not a personal one. Those people got intimate when they needed something, when some demand was placed on their lives, but personally, just spending time, Jesus did not know them. We all need to come to the realization that we don’t care who knows us on earth, as long as we are known in Heaven. Elijah was willing to be unknown in the earth. He was willing to turn up with a word of faith and power and say, “LORD, these people don’t know me, but I will tell them what You said.” Elijah was typified in the New Testament through the Ministry of John the Baptist. John the Baptist showed up in the same way. He was trained in an obscurity. It was prophesied of John the Baptist that he would come in the spirit and power of Elijah. He just showed up and nobody knew who he was. All the Bible said of him was that there came a man sent from God and his name was John. He went to the woods and started preaching to the trees and people started showing up. And guess what … they showed up! People came from the community and the religious community and they said: “John, are you Elijah? Are you The Prophet? Are you The Christ?” They really were seeking to put a title on him.They wanted to make him into something. But John speaking back to them said, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness.” He said, “I would much rather be a voice than I would be a name. I would much rather be recognized in Heaven than to be recognized on earth. Quit trying to put a title or a position from earth on me, I am just a voice from Heaven.” We have many people in Church today who want a title, they want a position, they want to have some sort of significance, but all that is needed is a voice to make a difference in this world. Elijah was just like John the Baptist - he simply showed up one day. Nobody knew who he was. Hebrews 11 records many names from Bible history, but you know whose name is not there? It was Elijah’s. Again, this is a picture of the kind of people that God is looking for to stand under an open heaven. Elijah’s name does not appear in the record, but what he did stands out in verse 33 “who through faith subdued kingdoms” and verse 35 “women received their dead raised to life again”. He did not need his name mentioned. There are a lot of people who want their names mentioned, but they are not doing the stuff. Elijah did the stuff and did not have his name mentioned! But above all the people in the Old Testament, save Moses, Elijah gets honored above them all and shows up on a mountain whilst Jesus is getting ready to be transfigured? God says, “if you let your name be unknown in the earth, I’ll never forget your name in Heaven; I’ll honor you and give you a place (Malachi 3:16).
Posted on: Sat, 16 Aug 2014 11:42:34 +0000
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