2 Corinthians 1:20

 For all the  promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.

Sunday AM Service with Dr. Leon van Rooyen

As Nehemiah 8:10 reminds us, “Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” This joy empowers us to step out in faith, serve others selflessly, and boldly proclaim the Gospel. It gives us the strength to fulfill the Great Commission and make an impact for eternity.

The anointing that rested on Elisha in life, continued to rest on his bones in death. When someone touched those bones, being dead, he was immediately brought back to life.

What we saw learned today is how this principle which we call impartation takes place through the laying on of hands. The Laying on of hands is one of the elementary doctrines of Christ found in the Bible and is used for ministering healing, the baptism in the Spirit, setting individuals apart for ministry, casting out demons and delivering blessings.

We also emphasized that we know, and so must you that we are not the gift-giver; rather, it is God who lives in us and uses us. We are simply the vessel, but God is the giver. We don’t control what He gives or who He gives to, we simply obey and lay hands on His people in faith.

The devil is still doing his works, but he has been defeated, and in Christ we not only escape from his cruelty ourselves, but we then become the instruments God uses to free others from the devil’s oppression.

As did the Lord, we are to go into the world and proclaim the Kingdom of God empowered by the Spirit of God and bring healing and wholeness to all those who have been oppressed by the enemy.

Jn 17:18   As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world

Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

What we learned today is that we are to be a people who embrace God’s mandate and determined in the idea that we are to be on offense and we will not stop engaging until the enemy’s works are completely destroyed. It’s to have the attitude that we will engage in the mission until the mission is complete. In Christ, we, His body, will engage with the enemy until the enemy’s works are totally dismantled.

Elisha received the mantle which is the empowerment of God to accomplish the purposes of God. God’s salvation is God’s power made available to bring wholeness in every capacity of life. It was not just healing for their souls, but healing for their entire being – spirit, soul, and body. This is what we mean when we speak of the word salvation. It brings healing to every dimension of our being, and to society around us. It’s God’s Kingdom order and power being made manifest and realized in our everyday lives - on earth, as it is in heaven.

Jesus defeated Satan, but the victory has to be enforced by the children of God, or people will die. We can win this fight. God’s will is for us to have the victory. When we have done all we can do, we keep standing in the power of His Spirit, clothed in His armor

God wants us to possess all that He paid a price for at the Cross of Calvary. The problem is that in order to possess His promises, we must be willing to first of all engage, and then we must be willing to fight the good fight of faith.

1 Ti 6:12 (ESV) Fight the good fight of the faith...

2 Ti 4:7 (ESV) I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Elisha had counseled the king to trust in God to bring him victory. Apparently, the King was tired of believing in what appeared to be a “false prophetic word” based on his present circumstances. As a result, Elisha, who had greatly benefited the king before was persona non grata. He was looking for Elisha to take his head himself because of the problems he faced in taking Elisha at his word.

In this time of peril, Elisha seemed to be at peace though the world around him was in turmoil. He didn’t allow the circumstances to change who he was, or the will of God for the situation. He stood fast on the Word of God even in the midst of the turmoil and as a result, brought himself, and even more importantly, the city into a great victory over the true enemy which was the enemy of our soul.