Pastor Cheri
Our Book Review begins today, and we are using our book for the month, DON’T STOP HERE!
Hallelujah!
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We begin...
Introduction
Ignorance of God's Word is a destroyer. God said,
"My people are destroyed (that is, they perish, suffer, are brought down and crushed) for lack of knowledge..." (Hosea 4:6).
In other words, they are impoverished, punished, brought down, crushed and destroyed because they lack knowledge - spiritual knowledge. They get into trouble for their lack of knowledge (Isaiah 5:13).
I can't understand a Christian who wants to grow in the things of God but doesn't invest in spiritual things. Some Christians have a library of worldly home videos; they can be described as 'champions in worldly video collections.' If you're that way, you're known in Heaven as a carnal Christian; and if you want to see the glory of God in your life, then you must put a stop to it. You've got to change. You can't keep collecting such things and still expect to grow in God.
Remember that your life is the character of the things you watch, read and listen to. Make no mistakes about it; what you are today is an expression of what you put into you yesterday! Your life today is therefore the result of the things you've been feeding your inner man on.
*Don't get garbage into you - garbage in garbage out!
Jump to page 14*
GET READY To MOVE FROM GILGAL TO JORDAN!
This book will help you find your place. It will stir you up to desire spiritual growth, move you out of your comfort zone and launch you into the deep in the realm of the Spirit. It will open your eyes to see where you are in your spiritual journey, point you in the direction you ought to be headed and show you how to get there.
The story of the journey Elijah and Elisha took from Gilgal to Jordan is very significant. It typifies the various stages of our spiritual growth and the different points we find ourselves in our walk with the Lord.
Through this beautiful portion of Scripture, I'll show you what each of these places Elijah and Elisha went to signifies and what you must do to move from one point to the other.
Don't stop now in your walk with God; get ready to move from Gilgal to Jordan!
Pastor Chris Oyakhilome February, 2004
*Go to Chapter One*
GiLGAL: 1
The Place of Beginning
"And it came to pass, when the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Beth-el. And Elisha said unto him, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Beth-el" (2 Kings 2:2).
I want you to note the words 'from Gilgal.' Elijah and Elisha had been at Gilgal; that was where they began their journey. Elisha had been with Elijah and had served him for long (2 Kings 3:11). Now it got to the point where the Lord was about to take Elijah home to heaven and Elijah wasn't sure Elisha was aware of it. So he said to him, "The Lord has sent me to Bethel, so you stay here at Gilgal. Don't worry about coming with me anymore. I'Il continue on my own from here."
Elisha replied, "No sir! l won't. Wherever you go, I go!" So they went on together to Bethel.
Elisha was a man who knew how to press into spiritual things. His boss, Elijah, said to him, "Thank you; you've done a lot for me already. Now stop here, for the Lord has sent me to Bethel." Remember, they had been together at Gilgal. Elisha must have thought to himself: If the Lord has sent you to Bethel and the same Lord asked me to follow you, then what will I be doing here while you go on to Bethel? So he refused to stop at Gilgal and followed him on to Bethel. He continued with Elijah through the journey.
You see, this story here means a lot and you'll need to understand the significance of each of the places they journeyed to for you to get what the Spirit is communicating through this beautiful portion of the Bible.
GILGAL: THE PLACE OF BEGINNING
Gilgal signifies the place of beginning. It is the starting point for the new life. The word 'Gilgal' actually means, 'rolling away.' It signifies God beginning a new thing in your life, as the old one is rolled away.
"And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day"(Joshua 5:9).
The Lord called the place 'Gilgal,' because that was where He rolled away the reproach of Egypt from His people, Israel. Egypt is a type of the world, and when you come to Christ, the reproach of the world is rolled away from your life. It's the place of beginning, and the Bible tells us that God sent Elijah on His journey from there. Elijah was about to go to heaven, but he had a ministry to fulfill in Bethel that day. So he said to Elisha, "You stop here at the point of beginning; I'm going on to Bethel" When you come to Christ, you're at the point of beginning - at Gigal; but don't remain there, you must move further in your life.
THE STARTING POINT OF THE NEW LIFE
Gilgal represents the starting point for the babe in Christ. It's the point of salvation when you proclaim Jesus as Lord of your life. It's the point at which the Holy Spirit baptizes you into the body of Christ, but you must not remain at this point. Yes, iť's true you've just come out of Egypt (the world), arnd its reproach has been rolled off your life now. You should thank God for that, but is that the greatest testimony of your life presently? Is that all that you can share with others about this new life you've received?
The testimony of our salvation is an eternal one, but if that's all you're going from place to place to share, it's not good enough. You've got to move forward in your life!
Several years ago, we used to sing that old song:
I am happy, I am saved.
I am saved, I am saved.
I am happy, I am saved.
Hallelujah!
It's a beautiful song, you ought to be glad that you're saved, but don't stop there at the point of salvation. You need to ask yourself, "Am I still tarrying at Gilgal? If Jesus comes today, will He meet me at Gilgal? Remember, Gilgal is the place of beginning; it's not the greatest place. At Gilgal, Elijah said, "The Lord has asked me to go to Bethel," so don't stay at Gilgal, don't let Jesus meet you there! He wants you to move on.
*Salvation is beautiful for every Christian but there is more, don't stop at Gilgal, move forward!
Go to Chapter 2.*
BETHEL: 2
The Place of The Altar
"And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him. And he removed from
thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the name of the Lord" (Genesis 12:7 8).
Bethel is a special place. There was where Abram pitched his tent and built an altar unto the Lord. Chapter thirteen of the same book, from verse one, reads thus:
"And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning (we read that in Genesis 1 2:8), between Bethel and Hai; Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the Lord." (Genesis 13:1-4).
This lets us know Bethel is the place of the altar. It's the place of commitment; the place of the vow. Bethel is that place where you get to and say, "Lord, all I have is yours." It's the place where you erect an altar before the Lord. That altar in itself signifies surrender. So Bethel is also the place of surrender. Have you come to Bethel in your Christian walk?
THE PLACE OF COMMITMENT AND OF THE VOW
Abraham raised an altar and called upon the name of the Lord in Bethel, but his grandson, Jacob also journeyed to Bethel and there's a lot we can learn from his experience there.
"And Jacob went out from Beer sheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the Sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will l give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but THE HOUSE OF GOD, and this is the gate of heaven. And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God: And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee" (Genesis 28:12-22).
Jacob made his commitment to God at Bethel, and said, "Lord, everything I have is yours. You, Lord, will be My God, and of all that You give me, I will surely give the tithe of it." The tithe is one-tenth of what God blesses you with. Jacob made a commitnment to Jehovah at Bethel to give Him the tithe always.
Have you come to that point in your life where you know what it is to make a commitment to God? Have you made a vow to God about your life? Let me tell you something: God deals with vows; they are sacred things to Him. That's why it's important that you learn to strike a deal with God through your vows. Sometimes you may find yourself in a predicament in your life, or things are not just going right for you. That's the best time to strike a deal with God and make a vow! That way, you're challenging God to move in a certain direction for your good and you too will move in a certain direction. God can always be trusted to keep His part of the Vow, but He'll watch out for you to fulfill yours.
Jacob made a vow at Bethel. He said to God, "If You would keep me in this way that I go, and give me bread to eat, and clothes to put on, and cause me to return to my father's house again in peace, then You shall be my God, and this stone that I have used as a pillow shall be an altar set up unto God."
COMMIT YOURSELF TO GOD AT BETHEL
The first thing you do in Bethel is to recognize God as your Lord and commit yourself to Him. The next thing is to commit yourself to His house. When you commit yourself to God, you must also commit yourself to His house. Look at David; he said, "The Lord my God has said He would dwell in tents, but I've decided to build Him a house. How can I be in a palace and my God has no place. Surely, I will build Him a house!" (1 Chronicles 17:1).
That's the kind of commitment you show toward God and His House when you
get to Bethel.
What have you done for the Lord in your life? He has given you bread to eat, clothes to put on and a place to stay, but has He become your God? If He is your God, you'll consult with Him; you'll yield yourself to Him. If He is your God, He would have the right of way in your life. We are in a generation that does not recognize God. Only the Holy Spirit can open a man's eyes to know God in this generation we live in. It's worse than the very generation that Jesus called an evil and adulterous generation (Matthew 12:9). This is why you must be able to answer the next question clearly, without a shadow of doubt. Have you come to know Him as your God? Is He your God in this godless, heathenistic society?
Have you made your commitment to Him? Have you come to Bethel, or are you still at Gilgal where you want to be like other nations and be renewed unto Saul's rulership? The children of Israel made Saul king, but Saul represents the king of the flesh. Is that what you want for your lite? Some people have been born again for ten, fifteen, maybe even twenty years, but cannot be distinguished from the new convert. What are you waiting for? Why are you still at Gilgal? You've been born again this long, but how many people have you led to Christ? You may not feel like you're ready for it, but you're going to move out of Gilgal by the anointing of the Holy Ghost! That's why you're reading this book!
Recognize that God needs you. There's a harvest of souls all over the world. Don't just sit down there with your hands folded in your laps; get up and do something!
*Have you committed yourself to God? Have you committed yourself to His work?
You should be involved in all that God requires you, that is how to live the authentic Christian life. Don’t fall short in any area. Let God’s house be unable to do without you. Hallelujah!
I believe you have received knowledge today and also discovered your stand as a Christian? We will continue on Sunday.
Lift up those hands and worship the Lord now. Thank Him.*