828 Church

One day the widow of a member of the group of prophets came to Elisha and cried out, “My husband who served you is dead, and you know how he feared the Lord. But now a creditor has come, threatening to take my two sons as slaves.” “What can I do to help you?” Elisha asked. “Tell me, what do you have in the house?” “Nothing at all, except a flask of olive oil,” she replied. And Elisha said, “Borrow as many empty jars as you can from your friends and neighbors. Then go into your house with your sons and shut the door behind you. Pour olive oil from your flask into the jars, setting each one aside when it is filled.” So she did as she was told. Her sons kept bringing jars to her, and she filled one after another. Soon every container was full to the brim! “Bring me another jar,” she said to one of her sons. “There aren’t any more!” he told her. And then the olive oil stopped flowing. When she told the man of God what had happened, he said to her, “Now sell the olive oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on what is left over.” 2 Kings 4:1-7 NLT

Pray

So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. Hebrews 4:16 NLT

“What can I do to help you?” Elisha asked. 2 Kings 4:2a

Prayer is not meant to be our last resort, but our first and consistent response.

Give what you’ve got.

“Tell me, what do you have in your house?” “Nothing at all, except a flask of olive oil.” she replied.
2 Kings 4:2 NLT

A little goes a long way when you give it to God!

Personal investment / effort goes a long way with God.

Do what God asks you to do?

Obedience is our most valuable commodity.

And Elisha said, “Borrow as many empty jars as you can from your friends and neighbors. Then go into your house with your sons and shut the door behind you. Pour olive oil from your flask into the jars, setting each one aside when it is filled.” 2 Kings 4:3-4 NLT

Before God will do what God can do, He expects me to do what I can do.

God’s solution usually requires effort and always requires humility.

God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. James 4:6 ESV

When you’re in a tough situation, pride is not your friend.

So she did as she was told. Her sons kept bringing jars to her, and she filled one after another. Soon every container was full to the brim! 2 Kings 4:5-6 NLT

First and even small steps toward a Godly solution require faith.

Honor God with the results.

When she told the man of God what had happened, he said to her, “Now sell the olive oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on what is left over.” 2 Kings 4:7 NLT

We need wise Godly judgement to make wise Godly choices.

Tola son of Puah, the son of Dodo, was next after Abimelech. He rose to the occasion to save Israel. He was a man of Issachar. He lived in Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim. He judged Israel for twenty-three years and then died and was buried at Shamir. Judges 10:1-2 MSG

Of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, 200 chiefs, and all their kinsmen under their command. 1 Chronicles 12:32 ESV

Which is better, to be Famous or Effective?

Tola may have been unassuming but he wasn’t ineffective!

You don't need to be a big deal to make a big difference.

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called. Ephesians 4:1 ESV

The key is to walk the walk He wills and walk the walk you walk with Christ!

Walking faithfully with God will connect you to the aid and assistance only He can give.

Which is better, to Choose Compromise or Conviction?

We’re called to Compassion for everyone, while believing with Conviction that God’s Word is true.

Conviction may not win you a popularity contest but it is what it looks like to follow Jesus!

Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32 NLT

Jesus’s convictions were fueled by His compassion!

Which is better, to live to live well or live to die well?

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? Matthew 16:24-26 ESV

He judged Israel for twenty-three years and then died and was buried at Shamir. Judges 10:2b MSG

Multiplying Possibilities!

There are some incredible things we can do collectively, that we could never do alone.

Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand, and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword. Leviticus 26:8 ESV

Partnership multiplies possibilities…

Getting together is good; Staying together is better; Working together is God.

For we are God's fellow workers. 1 Corinthians 3:9 ESV

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.
Ecclesiastes 4:9 ESV

Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17 ESV

Conviction and Compromise are both contagious, but you get to choose which you catch and which you spread!

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25 NLT

Our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”
In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. 1 Corinthians 12:18-22 NLT

Comparison is poison to partnership and diminishes the possibilities.

You are beautifully gifted and called to be you!

Comparison leads to self-centered serving that limits potential.

All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church: first are apostles, second are prophets, third are teachers, then those who do miracles, those who have the gift of healing, those who can help others, those who have the gift of leadership, those who speak in unknown languages. 1 Corinthians 12:27-28 NLT

So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts. But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all. 1 Corinthians 12:31 NLT

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9 ESV

We includes me and you!

The Kingdom isn’t built by hired hands, but by willing hands and hearts!

The church doesn’t consist of one person anymore than an orchard consist of one tree.

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Treasure in Jars of Clay But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
2 Corinthians 4:6-7 ESV

This Weeks Notes

A relationship with God has multiple ingredients, but none are more critical than prayer.

Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. Colossians 4:2 NLT

Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Praise. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you've sinned, you'll be forgiven, healed inside and out. Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. James 5:13-16 MSG

Prayer literally unlocks a whole new level of possibilities…

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. 1 Timothy 2:1-3 NLT

We’re meant to mix our thoughts with His thoughts until His thoughts become our thoughts and our thoughts become action.

Prayer isn’t just or even so much about asking, it’s about abiding.

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
John 15:7 ESV

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalms 37:4 ESV

You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. James 4:3 ESV

If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you’ll want what I want you to want, and I’ll give you what you want, because I wanted you to want it…

Prayer isn’t how we go about changing God’s mind, but rather our giving Him the space to change ours.

Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one. Matthew 6:9-13 NLT

Jesus is the master of the emergent or unmet need…

One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up… Luke 18:1-6 NLT

And as for the outsiders who now follow me, working for me, loving my name, and wanting to be my servants. All who keep Sabbath and don't defile it, holding fast to my covenant. I’ll bring them to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. They'll be welcome to worship the same as insiders, to bring burnt offerings and sacrifices to my altar. Oh yes, my house of worship will be known as a house of prayer for all people. Isaiah 56:6-7 MSG

“His is the power; ours is the prayer. Without Him, we cannot. Without us, He will not.”
Jack Hayford

“Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” John 11:40-44 ESV

As for me, I look to the Lord for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me. Do not gloat over me, my enemies! For though I fall, I will rise again. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light. Micah 7:7 NLT