Title: Double Inspiration (December 11)
Content span id="writeContents">◆ Main text: 2 Kings 2:8-11
There are times when I am not impressed with many words, but there are times when I am moved by a single word. When I lead a revival meeting, I sometimes experience something like that. There were two people who went to the same church and lived like enemies for ten years. How in the world... We worshiped together and talked about the love of Christ, we went to the same church, and for ten years we did not speak and lived like an enemy. There are real and fake in the world, but real love is from near to far. I think that coming in from afar is fake love.
I often say hello at revival meetings. That day too, I said goodbye for the first time. The two of them, who had never seen each other sit together in their lifetime, were forced to say hello because they were late. “Why do I look so good when I see you?” It was disgusting at first, but after that greeting the two stopped crying. With a single word, a problem with a person that had not been solved for over ten years was solved. Even though we say that we have received the love of Christ, we are used to the love we receive, but we think that we are not too stingy with the love we give.
In the Bible, Solomon, who offered a thousand burnt offerings, prayed earnestly before God, and God said, “What shall I give you?” There is such a record that I asked. I wanted to give something to my beloved disciple, but I asked him what he wanted, and what he would like to give him as his last gift as a teacher. At that time, what Elisha asked for was, “Give me the inspiration that doubles your power.” I'm asking for double inspiration. In a way, it sounds like such a proud proposal, but in fact, this is not a proud story, it is a very humble story. Because my humanity is too low to follow the Master, because I cannot imitate what you have done with what I have, because I am so poor looking at myself, without the power of God. is a longing that I need double your inspiration because I cannot do what you have done.
The second reason is that the society in which the disciple Elisha will live has become worse than the era in which the teacher lived. The idea is that to be able to overcome the evil world, you need double inspiration. The world is getting worse and worse. Where does the strength to overcome this evil world come from? Human talent has limits. Human abilities are limited. There is no other way to defeat the evil generation. They say that we need double inspiration because we cannot live in this difficult age without the power of God. Everyone, I'm here because you've been inspired twice more this year than last year. It is also said that we need double the inspiration to live the new year ahead.
Don't think that just because we went to church once on a Sunday is our whole life of faith. We must know how to shed tears of emotion before God at least once in our Christian life, we must also know how to pray with all our might, and we must also receive the joy of answering that God answered us in this way when we prayed. You can overcome difficulties on this earth only when you have hope for the kingdom of heaven while living your life of faith, but you must not go to church once a week and pretend that this is the whole of your life of faith. The reason we fall and fall so quickly even when faced with small difficulties is because we do not have the power in our religious life. Because we believe in Jesus without power, we always fail in our faith life, face difficulties, and make the mistake of being frustrated in the face of problems.
What is the God-given power? is to win. You can win. You can win the world. Evil can be overcome. You can beat the problem. Because you are a child of God, you can overcome because you have the power that He gives to His children. In the era that Elisha would live, a school was now built to raise disciples. Elisha's idea is that in order to raise these many disciples, they must have the ability to do so. Everyone, even as we look back on society, it is actually getting more and more difficult. Rather than talking about a bright future, various difficult things keep coming before us. In order to overcome this difficulty, we too must pray like Elisha in this December. “Give me double inspiration. In the new year, we are double inspired and we want to live a victorious life.”
What was the secret to Elisha's double inspiration? The first is that he never left his master. I mean, we've always been together. The life of faith is always with Him. It is with Jesus. Being with the Holy Spirit is the most important virtue in our life of faith. It's not like the fire goes out by accident. Answers don't come by chance, but you have to do what you pray for and you have to receive the power you pray for. Don't think that it's a blessing if you don't pray and it goes well. You must receive what you prayed for.
Among my testimonies, when I went to a revival meeting in Boston, there was one of the best pianists I knew in Korea. When the best pianist met me, if I told him I had some kind of disease, I would have seizures if I just sit in front of the piano. Before meeting me, I was already sick with a strange disease that broke a few pianos. I attended my meeting with someone's introduction, and the sermon for the first hour was a message that asked for double inspiration. Elisha followed Elijah and later took on Elijah's cloak, and he was blessed by this sermon that he was inspired twice. The next day, after the daytime meeting, when I entered the hotel where I was staying, my coat was gone. I have to be fluent in English to go down to the lobby and talk to him, but I can’t even ask because I’m not good at that. After thinking about it, I stood at the pulpit that night.
But the clothes the pianist was wearing were familiar. Still, while thinking that a world-famous pianist cannot steal someone's clothes, and that someone who stole it can't even wear it and attend a meeting, if someone loses it, he becomes suspicious of others. “I think that’s mine…” My eyes keep moving. In three days, he received grace and told the story. In the sermon that Elisha received Elijah's robe and received grace, he said, "Ah~ If I get one of that instructor's clothes and wear it..." that he wore Then... when I put that coat on, it was a blessing. Also, listen to this sermon today and do not come to my house and steal other people's clothes. It seemed like a foolish idea, but now he is a seminary professor. The woman who used to smash the piano is now a professor teaching seminaries. How talented have you become? You must have the ability. When you have the ability, people change. When you receive the ability, you will know how to live in a new way.
"It's just that the fire is going to go out... If you go to church for a long time, it seems that you just receive fire and receive gifts." no. In order for Elisha to receive the gift, if Elijah goes to Gilgal, he follows him to Gilgal, if he goes to Jericho, he follows him to Jericho... I will follow him until he says "Amen"... When I see people receiving grace, I follow them so hard that I hear that they have no fault. That means that when you receive power, you become a new person when you receive power. Gentlemen, you cannot easily believe in Jesus like this. As always, we should not believe in Jesus in this way. In the new year, like Elisha, I hope that you will receive power and live a victorious life.
At what time did you get this double inspiration? The spirit was opened. Here we see Elijah ascending into heaven in a chariot of fire. The kingdom of God cannot be seen with human eyes. The eyes of the spirit must be opened. That is why we must pray in order to have our spiritual eyes open. When the eyes of the spirit are opened, Jesus can be clearly seen. When the eyes of the spirit are opened, the power of God can be clearly seen. When the eyes of the spirit are opened, we can experience God's power in detail. You have to live with this ability. How does the Bible record it? The Bible records that Elisha was more powerful than Elijah. As we prayed, as we were empowered... Hopefully, this December, we pray our prayers, “Lord, in the new year we cannot overcome this difficult world without strength, God give us strength. Please give me double the inspiration.” I earnestly hope that prayer will become a prayer for all of us. We will pray with you.
“Thanks and thankful Father God, like Elisha, we want to pray like this. As the world gets worse and harder, God, we confess that we cannot overcome this evil world without prayer. Lord, give us strength and work. Like Elisha, give me earnest longing and help me to open my spiritual eyes. I earnestly pray in the name of Jesus. Amen."