1Ki 17:10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.
1Ki 17:11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.
1Ki 17:12 And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.
1Ki 17:13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.
1Ki 17:14 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.
I’ve heard this preached many many times. It has been a standard for the message of faith. I could always count on the church to provide me the instruction that led me to be just like Elijah. Encouragement was never an issue. After all, A Great and Mighty Fortress is Our God, Right? Today, the church has released itself into several roles, none of which identify with the spirit of the prophet. Biblical encouragement and approach to life situations aren’t palatable enough for the average Christian. The call to claim blessings is one that is wrapped in submission, sacrifice, and humility. Notice that the prophet didn’t promise the widow meat, milk, dates, figs, etc. He promised meal and oil. Even with this she still had to gather sticks for the fire. The contemporary call, “come as you are – leave as you came” has filled the church with milk-sucking individuals. The problem arises when these unsaved hearers become sick from the milk. They then call for gentler sustenance. Out pops the soy-milk gospel. It promises abundance without sacrifice, grace without repentance, and self-esteem in place of humility. The Epicurean (see Acts 17:18) call has reached the church! We have traded the spirit of the prophet for the spirit of the poor. Prosperity doctrine, moral relativism, self-help, and repentless gospel are all fatalistic in nature. This may seem impossible, but think about it. The Epicureans and Stoics promoted high living because of their eventual death. “Eat, drink, and be merry because tomorrow you may die” was the clarion call of this movement. The church today has become its own enemy. We call for happiness, materialistic blessings, abundance, and earthly power in lieu of Biblical humility, power, and blessing. The Son of Man had no place to lay His head, but we can measure our spirituality by the thread count of our sheets? Egyptian cotton is no substitute for Holy Ghost Fruit! Our promises are not temporal in nature. Sure, God will bless and provide for us, but those blessings are for His benefit, not ours. We live for one reason, that he may be exalted! This heresy is a crisis for the American Church. Its time that we drop the fatalism and regain the spirit of the prophet. Jeremiah preached and they beat him. He cried to God and threatened to leave the vocation. However, the call and submission had been dealt with. The Word was like a fire in his bones (Jeremiah 20:9). He could not leave the call because he was a prophet. He received, obeyed, delivered, and lived the Word of God. Could you imagine the modern implication of his situation. He would be told that he needed to plant a seed, just believe, claim it, or laugh his way through the persecution. After all, why should he suffer… He was going to die anyway… Just like Elijah’s widow. Friends, I don’t fear the first death, its the second that scares the Hell away from me.
