"And Elijah came to all the people, and said, 'How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.'" (1 Kings 18:21)
The difference between people who must see to believe and those who believe and then see is that the former are just spectators in life, the latter are the risk- takers, performers. This is true especially when it comes to entrepreneurship. The evil of communism and socialism and leftist political science is that while risk-takers provide the money in a culture, others want somebody to take it from the risk-takers and give it to the spectators. Whether you work for a small company or large corporation, go back far enough, somebody took a risk--------
and you now have a job. And, this applies no less to the People of God.
What a sad picture of the Covenant People in our text. Elijah demanded that they declare publicly who was their Lord and King-------- they gave no answer. They were thinking something to the effect, "Well, we know all of that stuff our fathers have passed on to us about, creation, the Ark, Abraham, the Passover and Deliverance from the Egyptians, but, well, it sometimes just seems too fantastic to really believe." And then there was Elijah, of whom the Bible says, "....was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not....for three years and six months."! Elijah was one of those risk-takers in life, alone on that mountain top when no one else believed, when no one else could see the Glory of the Living Triune God. He was such a man of faith that he did something which made absolutely no sense; He had them pour gallons and gallons of water on the altar before he set fire to it. Now someone may say, "Hold on there; Elijah didn't set the fire, God did." But, would God have done it if a man of faith had not taken the "risk" and asked for it? The title in my Bible of 1 Kings 18:20-40 is, "Elijah's Mount Carmel Victory." Now to the giddy religious person, this is an affront; Biblical Theology, however, affirms this. Nothing was "happening" on that mountain until Elijah put his faith "on the line." It was that risk of faith which released in the people, "The LORD, He is the God; the LORD, He is the God."
The difference between people who must see to believe and those who believe and then see is that the former are just spectators in life, the latter are the risk- takers, performers. This is true especially when it comes to entrepreneurship. The evil of communism and socialism and leftist political science is that while risk-takers provide the money in a culture, others want somebody to take it from the risk-takers and give it to the spectators. Whether you work for a small company or large corporation, go back far enough, somebody took a risk--------
and you now have a job. And, this applies no less to the People of God.
What a sad picture of the Covenant People in our text. Elijah demanded that they declare publicly who was their Lord and King-------- they gave no answer. They were thinking something to the effect, "Well, we know all of that stuff our fathers have passed on to us about, creation, the Ark, Abraham, the Passover and Deliverance from the Egyptians, but, well, it sometimes just seems too fantastic to really believe." And then there was Elijah, of whom the Bible says, "....was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not....for three years and six months."! Elijah was one of those risk-takers in life, alone on that mountain top when no one else believed, when no one else could see the Glory of the Living Triune God. He was such a man of faith that he did something which made absolutely no sense; He had them pour gallons and gallons of water on the altar before he set fire to it. Now someone may say, "Hold on there; Elijah didn't set the fire, God did." But, would God have done it if a man of faith had not taken the "risk" and asked for it? The title in my Bible of 1 Kings 18:20-40 is, "Elijah's Mount Carmel Victory." Now to the giddy religious person, this is an affront; Biblical Theology, however, affirms this. Nothing was "happening" on that mountain until Elijah put his faith "on the line." It was that risk of faith which released in the people, "The LORD, He is the God; the LORD, He is the God."
I say this today from the bottom of my heart: The only response I desire from my witness to Jesus Christ is, "The LORD Jesus Christ, He is the God; The LORD Jesus Christ, He is The God."
Father, in Jesus' Name, too many times I have been a spectator in life. I want to be a risk-taker, which brings forth, "The Living Triune God, revealed solely in Jesus Christ------------------------------ HE IS THE GOD." Amen.
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
