Teaching Resources

The Name Elijah Before 1998, when the Lord led us to read Luke 1:17, we never associated Elijah with missions. We then began to see his life pattern and its significance for spiritual renewal and world evangelism. He trained in the desert. Elijah lived the “crucified life.” The goal of a missionary call includes this determination to lay aside worldly pursuits to follow God, and suffer if necessary (1 Kings 17:5-6). He was an ordinary man, like us. (James 5:17) He shows us that bringing people back to God does not depend on natural giftedness. As a servant of God, Elijah was commended for faith, suffering and a demonstration of God’s power that was publicized by the lives of changed people. He mentored Elisha and the company of the prophets. Mentorship of people, as opposed to education alone, is the biblical model. It includes the devotion of one’s life to another to develop his or her ministry. Elisha received Elijah’s mantel (I Kings 19:19-21). He inherited a double portion of his spirit (II Kings 2:9). Elijah also mentored the company of the prophets founded by Samuel (II Kings 2:7). He prevailed in prayer. His earnest prayers moved God, creation, and men’s hearts. The work of missions is built on this kind of prayer. Two notable examples of his prayer life were stopping a drought (1 Kings 18:41-44) and raising a boy from the dead (I Kings 17:17-24). He lived by faith. His simple trust brought God’s provision when none seemed to be possible. The challenges for provision on the mission field can only be met with this kind of faith. He experienced the power of God in his ministry. The Word of God spoken by Elijah was backed by the manifest presence and power of God (1 Kings 18). Increasingly, missionaries are seeing signs and wonders to bring conviction in the Word of God. He was devoted to God and fearless in dedication. His unhesitating devotion made him a bold spokesman for what is right (I Kings 17:1, II Kings 1:3-4). He knew the promptings of God’s Spirit and obeyed. (1 Kings 17: 2-6, 19:9-18). “Elijah lived with God. . . He was single-minded, severe, fearless, as these were the qualities the circumstances demanded. He knew who had called him and what he was sent to do. His ministry was geared to the emergency, and that fact marked him out as different, a man apart.” Leonard Ravenhill

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