St. John's Smiths Falls. Rev. Brian A. Burrows.
Text: 1 Kings 19:13,"What are you doing here, Elijah?"
Theme: What is the future of our Church?
Intro:- Elijah the prophet is in fear of his life, hiding in a cave! He was being hunted by the King because of his great zeal for the God of Israel. He had opposed the pagan prophets of Baal. He found himself the only true prophet left in Israel. He hears a whisper, a still small voice saying to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
God brushes aside his excuses and commands him to anoint Hazael King of Aram, Jehu King of Israel and appoint Elisha as his successor.
- A lesson for the future!!
What indeed is the future of our Church? What are we doing here in our Church? Are we discouraged by lack of support and interest in the faith? Do we spend time listening to the whisper, the still small voice of God?
I think there is a lesson for us from Elijah! It is time to listen very carefully to the voice of God through Scripture, prayers and someone's personal testimony. God still speaks to his people often in a whisper – in a still small voice!
What are we doing here? Think about it! How are we involved not just in the Church and its activities, but with God through His Son Jesus Christ?
- Be involved in the Community!
We are called to be interested in the lives of the people who live with us. We can offer leadership in the areas of concern like loneliness, homelessness, sickness and so on. We can show compassion to those in need as well as being examples of holiness.
- Look to the future!
Who will replace us in the Church? Who will share the faith we have in Jesus our Lord? These are hard questions and like Elijah we must look for some one or some people who will continue to follow Jesus and keep the faith alive in the future! We must indeed pass on our enthusiasm and energy for the things of God. Above all, we should share that spark of faith with those who will come after us!
Conclusion:-
As a little boy, I remember my old Sunday School teacher telling us the story of Elijah. From those small beginnings, I became the first person to be ordained from that Church in living memory. We do not know what the future holds for the Church now, but seeds, as it were, of faith sown now will produce results in the future. Listen then to the whisper, the still small voice of God speaking still to us, "What are we doing here?"
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