Being a Faithful Witness

Water and meat. A hidden Elijah was privately nurtured by God from a brook running through the Kerith Ravine, and from bread and meat delivered by the raven’s talons. These were life-sustaining provisions, absolutely necessary to Elijah’s survival.

Water and meat. A public Elijah called for water, and then more and more, to be poured on the altar of God. He cut the bull into pieces and laid the meat on the altar. Then he called for fire, and those elements of water and meat were consumed by God’s answer to the challenge on Mt. Carmel. The result? Four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal lay dead, and the people of Israel lay prostrate, crying, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!”

And us?

Water. “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him. By this he meant the Spirit” (Jn. 7:38-39 NIV).

And meat. “Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work” (Jn. 4:34). Our water and meat: the Spirit and the will of the Father.

Do we each have a public ministry for Christ? All who belong to Him can. It may be counseling or singing or interceding in prayer or teaching or preaching or sending cards of encouragement, but He has some way that we can minister to others. “For you have been chosen by God himself – you are priests of the King… so that you may show to others how God called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Pet. 2:9 LB).

But notice… the provision begins privately. No private provision, and Elijah wouldn’t have been around when it came time for public ministry. He’d have shriveled up at the bottom of the Kerith Ravine first! Likewise in our lives, the Spirit flows from within, and the will of the Father has to be internalized, made our own. Then they will pour through us and overflow from us into public ministry. Then, instead of offering others our best human effort, through us will pour divine provision for their drought and famine.

So here’s a question to ask ourselves as we consider Sunday’s sermon: “What am I offering when I reach out to others? The fruit of my own efforts, maybe words and work given legalistically to prove my worth to God and others? Or is the Holy Spirit pouring through me, is the will of the Father simply taking on hands and feet as I reach out to others, nurturing them with the elements God has already given me?

It’s so easy to get off-balance, to give all our time and energy into our public ministries… but it starts within. If we stay open to the Source, and allow the Spirit to pour through us, and feed on the will of the Father, we may not get the dramatics that took place on Mt. Carmel. But we will surely will see the forces of evil (discouragement, doubt, despair) defeated in the lives of those we minister to, and we will hear from lips that used to worship the idols of sin and self, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!”