Title: The Power to Work
Elijah played an 850-to-1 match, but you can see he's prepared a lot. Without preparation, God would not have been able to work. It is the process that God values more than the result. If the process is not sincere, God's hand cannot reach it. Sometimes we have the idea that once we do something, God will be with us. But it is a thought, not a belief. It is also an expectation, not a certainty. Those who have faith know that they will receive answers and prepare. I prepare as much as I can and wait for God's hand.
After meeting the Lord on the road to Damascus, the Apostle Paul had the skills and ability to immediately start the ministry, but he was preparing for a lot of time and waiting for God's touch in his hometown of Tarsus. God led us to the Antioch church through Barnabas, where the world missionary work began.
Jesus' disciples in Jerusalem also obeyed the Lord's command, prepared in Mark's upper room with prayer, and received the Holy Spirit. After that, they were able to carry out the work of world missions. God works only for those who prepare without haste.
Second, thorough worship produces God's work.
Worship is the best thing a human can offer toward God. There are many people in the world who take the lead in doing good and giving alms. But what makes Christians different from them is in the act of worship. Elijah thoroughly prepared a gift for God and worshiped him with sincerity. As a result, they experienced the work of falling fire, and the work of God extended to all the people.
We sometimes say that worship is formal. But worship is the power that makes history. There is no special record of worship in the early church, but this shows that they took worship for granted. Worship is the duty that believers should do. However, today's believers often mistakenly think that their worship service is a special thing.
Faith begins with hearing. Hearing starts from the pulpit. The word flowing from the preacher who preaches the word is God speaking through him, so it becomes food for the souls of the saints and helps them to grow in faith. The saints must grow by eating the words that flow from the pulpit. Otherwise, you will become a deformed saint.
Third, crying out in prayer brings about God's work. Elijah prayed with thorough preparation and earnestness. Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, heard the sound of Jesus passing by and could not see where he was standing, so he cried out more loudly to seek Jesus.
“Call to me, and I will answer you, and I will show you great and mighty things that you did not know” (Jeremiah 33:3).
The church must not cease to pray. When the saints want to have history, they must pray out loud. In the early church, all the saints gathered together to pray in one accord, sometimes fasting and praying all night.
Prayer has the power to change all things and create history. When we encounter problems in life, if there is only one way to receive a solution, it is prayer.
In the book of Judges, when Israel was destroyed and humiliated, the Israelites fasted and prayed for repentance. Each time, God sent a new judge and made it possible to break free from the bondage of the enemy country.
Prayer has the power to lead a successful life. Please pray endlessly for a life of receiving answers.