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“DoublePortion
Anointing.”
By Robert.B.Dalton.© Menorah Publications.
Australia & New Zealand.1996.Re-edited, 2016.
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* Points of distinction and emphasis, are used by our authorship solely tobring light to our dialogue.
* Unless otherwise indicated, all Scriptural references appearing arequotations from the King James Bible ...computer software, E Sword version 10.2.1 © 2013 by Rick Meyers.www.e-sword.net
First Edition (1996, re-edited 2016)
Copyright © 2016. Australia by Robert.B.Dalton.Apart from the purpose of private study or review forarchive retrieval, no part may be reproduced without theexpressed and written permission of the authors (and/ or)their agents for “Menorah Publications.”
TM
Menorah
==========Publications =====http://menorahpublicationsweeblycom.weebly.com/
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“The Double Portion Anointing.”
“I pray thee ...Let a double portion ofthy spirit be upon me ...”
2 Kings 2 Verse 9(b) “ ... And Elisha said, I pray
thee, let a double portion of thy spiritbe upon me.”
Very relevant to the Church in these last daysare the stories of instruction contained in both First
and Second Kings concerning “The Call,”“The Commission” and
“The Anointing” of Elisha by the patriarchElijah.
Like Elisha, the last day Church will we believe,
have the “Double Anointing” of The HolySpirit.
The translation of Elijah gives a type and figureof the ascension of Christ and the opening of TheKingdom of Heaven to all believers. When Elijahwas translated into Heaven, he left behind hismantle, and a Double Portion of his spirit rested onElisha as he took on that mantle.
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So too when Jesus left this earth, He gave HisChurch The Holy Spirit but as Elisha pleaded withElijah for the Double Portion of his spirit in order tobe qualified for the service of God and the needs ofhis generation, so too do we.
Hear the cry of Peter to the call of the Lord to ...
“save ourselves from this crookedand perverse generation.”
Acts 2 Verse 38-40“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and bebaptized every one of you in The Name of JesusChrist for the remission of sins, and ye shall receiveThe Gift of The Holy Ghost.” (39) “For the promiseis unto you, and to your children, and to all that areafar off, [even] as many as The Lord our God shallcall.” (40) “And with many other words did he testifyand exhort, saying, Save yourselves from thisuntoward generation.” (distinctions mine.)
If the Church does not move in the Spirit andpower, that equates to that which was poured forthfrom Pentecost, she will fail in her role to minister to
this “sin-sick” and dying world.
Those whose degeneration progressivelyexceeds that which was experienced by thedisciples at the time of the writing of the book ofActs.
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And we shall see the intensity with whichscripture says that the depth of depravity in whichwe have been called to minister supersedes that ofSodom and Gomorrah,
Matthew 24 Verse 37
“But as the days of Noe [were], soshall also the coming of the Son ofman be.”
Without the reality of Paul’s own words, weshall not be able to do reasonable service.
Ephesians 3 Verse 17“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by Faith; thatye, being rooted and grounded in Love,”
As Jesus poured out of His Spirit on thedisciples gathered on the day of Pentecost, so tooHe has poured out His Anointing on us who wouldbut receive of it!
John 14 Verse 12 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hethat believeth on me, the works that I do shall he doalso; and greater [works] than these shall he do;because I go unto My Father.”
The reason for the significance of this particularstory to the Church of this hour is because this storyof Elijah and Elisha provides an exciting example ofhow Double Portion Power can be ours.
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Not that we are seeking power for it’s own end,we are seeking to draw ever closer, even deeperinto our God and Saviour. You know, you can haveas much of The Lord as you desire. But after all, we
need to understand, that we can only “touchpeople for The Lord, to the degreethat we ourselves are touchingHim!”
The world will continue to mock and scoff about
things they know nothing about, but, “a manwith an experience, is never at themercy of a man with an argument!”
And that my friend, is what “relationship,”is all about, either you have it, either you hungerand thirst for it or you don’t!!!
But that is the most marvellous thing about TheLord God Almighty because He say’s through Hiswritten Word.
Jeremiah 29 Verse 13“And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shallsearch for Me with all your heart.”
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Psalm 14 Verse 2 “The LORD looked down fromHeaven upon the children of men, to see if therewere any that did understand, and seek God.”
David himself as King, had that desire to seekThe Lord with his whole heart!
Psalm 27 Verse 4 “One thing have I desired of TheLORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in TheHouse of The LORD all the days of my life, tobehold The Beauty of The LORD, and to enquire inHis Temple.”
You are His Temple, He seeks to dwell in yourheart by Faith. Are you in fact cultivating His Will,His Purpose and Good Pleasure in The Garden ofyour heart!!!??
Psalm 70 Verse 4 “Let all those that seek Theerejoice and be glad in Thee: and let such as loveThy Salvation say continually, Let God bemagnified.”
The greatest desire of Elisha’s heart was thathe would receive a Double Portion of Elijah’sanointing and he did. As we study this story, we canlearn from his steps of obedience that led to thismarvellous gift and see how we too can walk in the,
“Double Portion.”
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Let’s start by recognizing that the name Elijah
means “My God is The Lord” Elijah in thissense, has become to us as a type of The Lord
Jesus Christ and Elisha means “My God issalvation” and this too is a type of you and meas believers in Christ.
Everything in the Old Testament is a shadow tothe substance of the New Testament.
The Old Covenant contains the shadow and
the New contains “the substance of thatshadow.”
Moses, Elijah, Elisha and the rest of theprophets walked as a type and shadow to help ussee what God wants us to do and how He wants usto live.
When we see Elisha, we see “a shadow,”we see “a type” of what you and I arereally walking in.
As Elisha walked with Elijah, so you and Iwalk with Jesus, Our Lord andSaviour. Paul the apostle said everything waswritten in the Old Testament for our learning.
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1 Corinthians 10 Verse 11“Now all these things happened unto them forensamples: and they are written for our admonition,upon whom the ends of the world are come.”
In other words, it’s there because I am walking
in a “Faith,” that has become the literalsubstance of the example that has preceded in ourvery forefathers.
When the Lord talks about an Elijah walking
with an Elisha, it’s not just a piece of history ...it has substance to it that you and Ican walk in.
Micah 6 Verse 8 “He hath shewed thee, O man,what is good; and what doth The LORD require ofthee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walkhumbly with thy God?”
All that’s in the Bible is for us. We can walk in itdaily and when we see that, it will help us with ourdaily experiences with God. It will create a hunger in
us to see what more can be read in God’sWord and applied to our lives.
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Jeremiah 29 Verse 13 “And ye shall seek Me, and
find Me, when ye shall search for Mewith all your heart.”
Everything in the Word of God is there for areason, there are no meaningless details containedwithin its sacred pages. Thus it is not unrealistic forus to desire the Double Portion for which Elishayearned and to look at that type so we can followand get the substance of what he got.
So now we will go to 1 Kings 19 Verses 15-16,the first mention of Elisha, here we find God givingElijah a directive ...
1 Kings 19 Verses 15-16“And The LORD said unto him, Go, return on thyway to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thoucomest, anoint Hazael [to be] king over Syria:”(16) “And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint[to be] king over Israel: and Elisha the son ofShaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint [to be]prophet in thy room.”
Here, we see that God “called” Elisha, TheLord God had spoken to Elijah and said,
“I want you to go and anoint Elisha.”
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Before God gives you the Double Portion
anointing, you must be “called” to it in the first
place! Now, I hear you ask, what is a “Calling?”
We are all called to fulfill “God’sWill,” “God’s Purpose” and “God’sGood Pleasure.” As we work together, weare knitted together in the fabric of His Love andGod’s plan as revealed through Christ Jesus mademanifest to the world through those that are,
Romans 8 Verse 28(b)“ ... the called according to [His] Purpose.”
Where we have experienced a true conversion,our priority of purpose is thus four-fold in Christ’s
stead, bearing in mind that we are “saved toserve” those that are in Christ therefore revealin their lives ...
1. “The Glory of God.”
Romans 5 Verses 1-2 “Therefore being justified byfaith, we have peace with God through our LordJesus Christ:” (2) “By whom also we have accessby faith into this grace wherein we stand, andrejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
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Romans 8 Verse 18 “For I reckon that the sufferingsof this present time [are] not worthy [to becompared] with the glory which shall be revealed inus.”
Romans 15 Verse 7 “Wherefore receive ye oneanother, as Christ also received us to the glory ofGod.”
1 Corinthians 1 Verse 31 “That, according as it iswritten, He that glorieth, let him glory in The Lord.”
2. “The Wisdom of God.”
1 Corinthians 2 Verse 7 “But we speak the wisdomof God in a mystery, [even] the hidden [wisdom],which God ordained before the world unto ourglory:”
Psalm 111 Verse 10 “The fear of The LORD [is] thebeginning of wisdom: a good understanding haveall they that do [his commandments]: His praiseendureth for ever.”
3. “The Grace of God.”
1 Corinthians 15 Verse 10 “But by The Grace ofGod I am what I am: and His Grace which [wasbestowed] upon me was not in vain; but I labouredmore abundantly than they all: yet not I, but TheGrace of God which was with me.”
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Ephesians 2 Verses 8-9 “For by Grace are ye savedthrough Faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] TheGift of God:” (9) “Not of works, lest any man shouldboast.”
4. “The High Praises of God and theCorporate Worship of His Body.”
Psalm 149 Verses 4-9 “For The LORD takethpleasure in His people: He will beautify the meekwith salvation.” (5) “Let the saints be joyful in glory:let them sing aloud upon their beds.”(6) “[Let] The High [Praises] of God [be] in theirmouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand;”(7) “To execute vengeance upon the heathen, [and]punishments upon the people;” (8) “To bind theirkings with chains, and their nobles with fetters ofiron;” (9) “To execute upon them the judgmentwritten: this honour have all His saints. Praise yeThe LORD.”
Acts 2 Verses 46-47 “And they, continuing daily withone accord in the temple, and breaking bread fromhouse to house, did eat their meat with gladnessand singleness of heart,” (47) “Praising God, andhaving favour with all the people. And The Lordadded to the church daily such as should besaved.”
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Hebrews 13 Verse 15 “By Him therefore let us offerthe sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, thefruit of [our] lips giving thanks to His Name.”
In a parable about The Kingdom of Heaven in
Matthew 22 Verses 1-14 we see Jesusshowing the call of God has beenextended to every person on twolevels.
Matthew 22 Verse 14
“For many ... are called, ... butfew [are] chosen.” (distinctions mine.)
God’s call of salvation, is a call to relationship
and is offered to every person “the many” but
only those who answer God’s call “the few” areactually chosen.
In the same way, the call to God’s purpose or
ministry is offered to every person whohas responded to the first call butGod will only choose those whopersonally answer. “It is a choice,an act of the will, not theintellect!”
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In the case of Elisha and Elijah and theattaining of the Double Portion, it was the secondcall that Elijah offered Elisha. As we look at the lifeof the apostle Paul we will see that this call toministry is three-fold also.
1. Firstly, it is important to realize that the startingpoint and foundation of all ministry is
“servanthood.” All who are Christ’shave been given this call.
Philippians 2 Verses 5- 9
“Let this mind be in you, which wasalso in Christ Jesus:”(6) “Who, being in the form of God,thought it not robbery to be equalwith God:”(7) “But made Himself of noreputation, and took upon Him theform of a servant, and was made inthe likeness of men:” (8) “And beingfound in fashion as a man, Hehumbled himself, and becameobedient unto death, even thedeath of the cross.”
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(9) “Wherefore God also hath highlyexalted Him, and given Him aName which is above every Name:”
Paul often introduced himself in his letters as
“the servant of Christ Jesus.”
2. Next, is a special calling of God’s Gracegiven to each believer for a particular kind offunction and here we see the wonderful variety inthe Body of Christ.
1 Corinthians 12 Verses 27-30“Now ye are The Body of Christ, and members inparticular.” (28) “And God hath set some in TheChurch, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdlyteachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings,helps, governments, diversities of tongues.”(29) “[Are] all apostles? [are] all prophets? [are] allteachers? [are] all workers of miracles?”(30) “Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak withtongues? do all interpret?”
Paul identified his own special calling as “called tobe an apostle.”
1 Corinthians 1 Verse 1 “Paul, called [to be] anapostle of Jesus Christ through The Will of God,and Sosthenes [our] brother,”
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3. And finally, there is that particular calling thatspecifies the bounds of a ministry, the calling whichis outworked differently in each believer. Even inministries of like kind, there is a great variety inscope, focus, operation and mix of gifts.
1 Corinthians 12 Verses 4-6“Now there are diversities of gifts, but the sameSpirit.” (5) “And there are differences ofadministrations, but the same Lord.” (6) “And thereare diversities of operations, but it is the same Godwhich worketh all in all.”
Paul identifies his particular calling as being
“set apart for the Gospel of God.”
Romans 1 Verse 1 “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ,called [to be] an apostle, separated unto TheGospel of God,”
Now, in order to best express the ministry God
has called you to, you must have an equalbalance of ministry function.
- Ministry to The Lord,- Ministry to The Body,- Ministry to the community,- Ministry to ourselves.
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Jesus, others and thenourselves ... ministry to the Lordshould be the priority of NewTestament service!
This is achieved through unitywith Christ for then we will have theMind of Christ, the Love of Christ,being one in spirit and purpose withChrist and our fellow-workers thusbecoming an effective instrument inChrist’s ministry to His Body.
Ministry is not competitive. The measure ofour success in ministry is not each other but the
ministry of the Lord Himself ... He isour yardstick!
Ministry involves building each other up, nottearing them down. This is the ministry of The HolySpirit working through each believer in the
“Bond of Peace.”
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Now that we have explained “the call,” wewill go to Isaiah Chapter 49 where we will see whata calling involves.
Isaiah 49 Verse 1 “Listen, O isles, unto me; andhearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called
me from the womb; from the bowelsof my mother hath he mademention of my name.”(distinctions mine.)
The first thing we see is, a calling involves
“a predestination,” you cannot go,where God has not called you!Many have tried, but ALL havefailed!!!
Psalm 37 Verses 23
“The steps of a good man areordered by The LORD: and Hedelighteth in his way.” (24) “Though he fall,he shall not be utterly cast down: for The LORDupholdeth him with His Hand.” (25) “I have beenyoung, and now am old; yet have I not seen therighteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.”
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Romans 8 Verses 29-30 (Amp)“For those whom He foreknew (of whom He wasaware and loved beforehand ), He also destinedfrom the beginning (foreordained them) to bemolded into the image of His Son (and shareinwardly, that He might be the firstborn among
many brethren.” (30) “Moreover whom Hedid predestinate, them He alsocalled: and whom He called, themHe also justified: and whom Hejustified, them He also glorified.”
Job 1 Verse 8(b) “... Hast thou considered myservant Job, that [there is] none like him in theearth, a perfect and an upright man, one thatfeareth God, and escheweth evil?”
Here, in these scriptures we also see the same
thing, a predestination of “the called” ... butwe also see here a further step, that of
“separation from sin, the world andsatan.”
This in NO way gives indicationthat God is only interested in the“frozen chosen” ... the selected eliteas some would try to suggest.
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2 Peter 3Verse 9 “The Lord is not slack concerninghis promise, as some men count slackness; but islongsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any shouldperish, but that all should come to repentance.”
As Charles Haddon Spurgeon, so aptly put it:
Quote, “Christians are not to be usedfor anything but God. They are aset apart people; ... they are not forthe devil’s use, not for their ownuse, not for the world’s use, but fortheir Master’s use. He has madethem on purpose to be usedentirely, solely and wholly for Him.”end quote.
Isaiah 49 Verse 2(a) “And He hath made my mouthlike a sharp sword; in the shadow of His Hand hathHe hid me, ...”
The next thing God will do when He calls you isHe will fill you with His Word. He will make yourmouth become a sharp two-edged sword for The
Lord. If you are hungry for The Wordof God, it’s a proof, a confirming ofthe fact that you’re called of God!
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As this happens there will come preparation inyour spirit, preparing you to be used. But this
preparation is a must before use.
This preparation is done in secret, it is thesame as Praying to our Heavenly Father in secret:
Matthew 6 Verse 6(b) “ … pray to thy Father whichis in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secretshall reward thee openly.”
This Hebrew word for “hid” in this scripture is
“chaba,” pronounced as “khaw-baw” and
means “to do secretly,” now watch what the
Lord does as He prepares you!
Isaiah 49 Verse 2(b)“... and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hathhe hid me;”
God declares you are an arrow in the hands of
The Lord, importantly, “God declares it” ...this, you know in your heart. No man hasthe right to try to countermand that which God
Himself has declared to an individual. Let noman deceive you, you know in yourheart not your head that ... God holds thebow and you are the arrow.
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But first He has to polish the shaft to the tip ofthe arrow He makes it smooth so that will hit thetarget.
“You need to be smooth andpointed enough to hit the devil andhis plans right between the eyes!”
Psalm 64 Verses 7-10 (Easy to Read Version.)“But suddenly, God will shoot His arrows, and thosewicked people will be hit.” (8) “He will use their ownwords against them, and they will be destroyed.Then everyone who sees them will shake theirheads in amazement.” (9) “People will see whatGod has done. They will tell other people about him.Then everyone will learn more about God. They willlearn to fear and respect Him.”(10) “Good people are happy to serve The LORD.They depend on Him to protect them. All those whowant to do right will praise Him!”
There seems to be a vogue in this day in whichwe live in that many who have a role in Pastoringseem to have the impression that they have
suddenly become some sort of “super-saint”and that nobody else lest of all their peers hearsfrom God.
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They give the impression that they have somesort of exclusive hotline to The Lord and that everyconversation from God involving man comes fromGod’s lips directly to their ears.
Well, the question that is begging to be askedhere is Brother, where were you when The HolySpirit plucked at the strings of their heart and they
received Jesus as both Lord and Saviour withoutany help from you!
Many’s the “Well-meaning” Pastor, whohas hindered (basically through ignorance) thepurpose of God in an individual’s life by playing at
“here we go round the mulberrybush” ... in the guise of Pastoral Counsel.
Friends, if you don’t know whatGod is saying in the life of anindividual, then please be forthrightenough to say so!
If you are under the misconception that we are
“Pastor bashing,” then please think againabout what you say because we too are your fellowservants in a Pastor/Teacher role.
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The heart of the matter concerns not our
Pastoral posturing, but reaching out inheart-felt Love, to those that have been what I call
“the burned,” “the bashed” and “theburied!” Those to whom Jesusreferred to as “despised andrejected” ... of men we might add!
Isaiah 49 Verse 2(c)
“... in His quiver hath He hid me;”
The word “hid” here, is not the same as theword previously mentioned. Here the Hebrew word
is “cathar” pronounced “saw-thar” and
means “to conceal.” This concealment is forthe purpose of rest. God gives you a little restbefore He shoots you.
“He hid me to rest me before Heshot me out into service to glorifyHim.”
In the rest comes the preparedness, thereaction that we need to take as God’s children isone that is of the nature of a disassociatedresponse in that the preparation takes place by thehand of the Lord in the school of the Spirit.
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What in fact is being said is thatwe need to take our hands off andlet go ... we need to “Let go, andLet God!”
Isaiah 49 Verse 3“And said unto me, Thou [art] my servant, O Israel,in whom I will be glorified.”
And when He shoots you, He says, “Youare My servant in whom I will beglorified.” God will glorify His Namewhen He shoots you, that is what isinvolved in a calling.
1. God “calls” you from the womband “separates” you for Hispurpose.2. He “prepares” you by filling youwith “His Word.”3. He “polishes” you.4. He “refreshes” you.5. Then He “uses” you!
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6. You will be “His servant.”7. You will “Glorify Him.”8. But the most exciting thing of all, is the fact that
He calls YOU “FRIEND:”
John 15 Verses 14-15 “Ye are my friends, if ye dowhatsoever I command you.” (15) “Henceforth I callyou not servants; for the servant knoweth not whathis Lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for allthings that I have heard of My Father I have madeknown unto you.”
Proverbs 18 Verse 24 “A man that hath friends must
shew himself friendly: and there is a friendthat sticketh closer than a brother.”
Even better, when you know that His Name is
“The Living God!”
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Now, back to the example of Elisha and Elijah,Elijah, as we have explained previously, was told byGod to go and anoint Elisha to replace him asprophet.
1) This was Elisha’s calling from God for ministry.
1 Kings 19 Verses 15-16 “And the LORD said untohim, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness ofDamascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael[to be] king over Syria:” (16) “And Jehu the son ofNimshi shalt thou anoint [to be] king over Israel: andElisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shaltthou anoint [to be] prophet in thy room.”
It was also the confirming sign to Elijah that hishome coming drew near! He was about to hearthose wonderful words ...
“Well done thou good and faithfulservant, enter ye into your rest!”
2) The Bible indicates that when God called Elisha,He saw something in him and that is why He calledhim. Unless God finds the same thing in you, Hewon’t call you. And what was it He saw?
For the answer to this question we need to goto 1 Kings Chapter 18, where we read how Elijahthe prophet had just called down fire from Heavento destroyed Baal worship.
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1 Kings 18 Verses 38 “Then the fire of The LORDfell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and thewood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked upthe water that [was] in the trench.” (39) “And whenall the people saw [it], they fell on their faces: andthey said, The LORD, He [is] The God; The LORD,He [is] The God.”
Next we see Elijah the prophet gives
“The Word” of The Lord to Ahab bringingdestruction to Ahab’s home.
1 Kings 21 Verses 17-19 “And The Word of TheLORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,”(18) “Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel,which [is] in Samaria: behold, [he is] in the vineyardof Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it.”(19) “And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thussaith The LORD, Hast thou killed, and also takenpossession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying,Thus saith The LORD, In the place where dogslicked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood,even thine.”
However, soon after, Ahab again fell under thesway of his wife Jezebel. And this unfortunatelymeant that Baal worship would have a chance ofrecovery from the blow dealt it by Elijah and wouldthrive again.
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So Elijah is accordingly instructed to take thenecessary steps to make sure it is forever dealt theblow of death ... there were three.
1 Kings 19 Verse 17 “And it shall come to pass,[that] him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shallJehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword ofJehu shall Elisha slay.”
Firstly, Ahab was to be attacked from without bythe Syrians and for that purpose warlike Hazael wasto take the Syrian throne.
Secondly, when Ahab was thus weakened,Jehu was to seize his throne, since Jehu was aknown opponent of Baal worship, and also aruthless soldier.
And thirdly, Elijah was to appoint as his ownsuccessor, the vigorous and lion-hearted Elisha,who might be trusted under Jehu to complete thedestruction of the adherents of Baal.
In this picture, we see that God saw in Elisha awarrior spirit. He was a man who was willing to
destroy and defend for God, all that stoodto oppose God. So must those whodesire the Double Portion Anointing.
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You must not compromise theFaith but be willing to stand anddefend against those who wish toweaken or destroy it!
Elisha knew how to use the sword. And you
must know how to wield “The Sword ofGod’s Word.” You must know how to fightaggressively and with courage.
We can only do exploits withGod, if we know Him and areknown of Him!
Daniel 11 Verse 32(b)
“... the people that do know theirGod shall be strong, and do[exploits].”
3) The account goes on to report that, obeyingGod’s directive, Elijah finds Elisha ploughing withtwelve yoke of oxen, or twenty-four oxen, whichmeans his father, Shaphat, must have been wealthysince some of the richest men of the time onlyowned six oxen.
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1 Kings 19 Verse 19 “So he departed thence, andfound Elisha the son of Shaphat, who [was] plowing[with] twelve yoke [of oxen] before him, and he withthe twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast hismantle upon him.”
Here we see that no-one iscalled who is lazy and unwilling towork. Elisha was at the tail-end of the 12 yoke ofoxen, working with others. We see too Elisha’shumility. Although his father owned the farm Elisha
worked on it. So God does not choosemen who are fit ... but “He fits menwho are chosen.” God did not equip Elishabecause he was the son of a wealthy man orbecause he was ploughing but because he waschosen.
“God does not choose theequipped, He equips the chosen!”
Psalm 147 Verses 10-15 “He delighteth not in thestrength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the
legs of a man.” (11) “The LORD takethpleasure in them that fear Him, inthose that hope in His Mercy.”
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(12) “Praise The LORD, O Jerusalem; praise thy
God, O Zion.” (13) “For he hathstrengthened the bars of thy gates;He hath Blessed thy children withinthee.” (14) “He maketh peace [in] thyborders, [and] filleth thee with thefinest of the wheat.” (15) “He sendeth forthhis commandment [upon] earth: his word runnethvery swiftly.” (distinctions mine.)
Another thing to notice is it had also just rained,breaking a famine: Elisha would have been verydirty from the mud being thrown up from behind theoxen in the fields that both he and his father had
been labouring in. Elisha’s preoccupation,was that his hands be firmly lockedto the plough!
1 Kings 18 Verses 1-2 “And it came to pass [after]many days, that The Word of The LORD came toElijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyselfunto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.”(2) “And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And[there was] a sore famine in Samaria.”
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1 Kings 18 Verses 41-45 “And Elijah said untoAhab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for [there is] asound of abundance of rain.” (42) “So Ahab went upto eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top ofCarmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth,and put his face between his knees,” (43) “And saidto his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. Andhe went up, and looked, and said, [There is]nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.”(44) “And it came to pass at the seventh time, thathe said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of thesea, like a man’s hand. And he said, Go up, sayunto Ahab, Prepare [thy chariot], and get theedown, that the rain stop thee not.” (45) “And it cameto pass in the mean while, that the heaven wasblack with clouds and wind, and there was a greatrain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.”
Can you just imagine the shock on Ahab’s faceas he had to drive his horses at full gallop to outrunthe rain and the drenching that chased his
unbelieving heart all the way to Jezreel. Godhas His ways of humbling not only“the doubter,” but also the“self-righteous.” In this we see God never
calls those who are clean, “self-righteouspeople” ... He instead loves to finddirty people to wash.
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Psalm 51 Verse 7 “Purge me with hyssop, and Ishall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter thansnow.”
Ezekiel 16 Verse 6 “And when I passed by thee,and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I saidunto thee [when thou wast] in thy blood, Live; yea, Isaid unto thee [when thou wast] in thy blood, Live.”
Isaiah is an example of one who saw hisneed to be cleansed by God.
Isaiah 6 Verse 5 “Then said I, Woe [is] me! for I amundone; because I [am] a man of unclean lips, and Idwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: formine eyes have seen The King, The LORD ofhosts.”
And Peter after the huge draught of fish ...
Luke 5 Verse 8 “When Simon Peter saw [it], he felldown at Jesus’ knees, saying,
Depart from me; for I am a sinfulman, O Lord.”
Isaiah 1 Verse 18 “Come now, and let us reasontogether, saith The LORD: though your sins be asscarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though theybe red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
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... So in our first encounter with the young man
Elisha, we find him dirty, sweaty, and hardat work. God knew the one Hewanted to finish Elijah’s ministry.
4) The Bible then says Elijah “passed by himand threw his mantle on him,” whichdesignated Elisha as his successor.
1 Kings 19 Verse 19(b)“ ... and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantleupon him.”
Now, in God’s Word, the mantlerepresents something fantastic ...
Ruth 3 Verse 9 “And he (Boaz) said, Who [art]thou? And she answered, I [am] Ruth thinehandmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thinehandmaid; for thou [art] a near kinsman.”
Here, we see a mantle represents “a man’srights and his personality.”
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In the context of the marriage as in the case ofRuth and Boaz it says literally,
“Everything of his is mine andeverything of mine is his!”
When Jesus calls you, he immediately gives
you His Righteousness and the Fruit ofHis Nature in preparation for a Double Portion
Anointing. He is stating, I am your coveringof both “protection and direction.”
He takes our old tattered, sin-stained garments,and exchanges them for new,
“the garments of righteousness... His Righteousness!” Everythingthat belongs to Him is ours andeverything we have should besurrendered to Him.
When Elijah cast his mantle on Elisha it said,
“I am signifying by this action,that you are a chosen man.”
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This word used of Elijah’s mantle, is the
Hebrew word, “Addereth,” and is rendered as
“a large over-garment.” It appears to havebeen a sheepskin, his only garment, and had a stripof skin or leather binding it to his loins.
Several other Hebrew words are used for theword mantle and they are,
“Miyl,” referring to an outer garment or robe.
“Ma’ataphah,” rendered also as a cloak.
Symbolic of service, the covering of the call,the confirmation to flesh and blood of the calling ofThe Holy Spirit by the setting apart of the one uponwhom God’s mentor chose.
“The room,” was symbolic of the office,the vesture to which the mentor occupied it was andis, sanctified space. In other words, the office to
which he is “called,” “appointed” and“Anointed!”
Elisha’s cry was for God to so empower himthat he would let down neither the Lord GodAlmighty or Elijah in his own service toward Him.
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Elisha’s cry was to be soempowered that he would be totallycomplimentary.
Doubly complimentary to bothThe Lord who called him and theone who preceded him ... whatlegacy do we leave our Master?
Is the world any better for myhaving been here? A good question,one that we feel would impact usall!
5) Elisha, not hesitating and apparently eager to go,
ran full bore after Elijah and said,
1 Kings 19 Verse 20(b)“... Let me, I pray thee, kiss myfather and my mother, and [then] Iwill follow thee ... ”
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He showed great respect for hisparents, he showed no reluctance,no hesitation to leave all behind andgo forward ...
“There was no comfort zone.”
6) But then,
1 Kings 19 Verse 21 “And he returned back fromhim, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, andboiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen,and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Thenhe arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered untohim.”
What does his action mean? Firstly, Elisha wasa man of his word. Service was his heart and he
showed it - right here in the fields oflabour and in that sense “washed”the feet of his parents and fellowlabourers.
Acts 1 Verse 8 “But ye shall receive power, afterthat The Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shallbe witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in allJudaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermostpart of the earth.”
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And secondly, it showed his renunciation of hisformer life. He left his former life and forgot it. Godwill never bring you to the Double Portion if you arecarrying the weights of yesterday, which must beforgotten.
Paul spoke of it as,
Philippians 3 Verse 13(b) “ ... but [this]one thing [I do], forgetting thosethings which are behind, andreaching forth unto those thingswhich are before,”
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Only when you release youryesterday will you receive thepromise of tomorrow.
“Service” toward The Lord begins with
“Faith toward God,” outworked in the homeand then reaching out into the community.
7) We also see that Elisha was notthe only servant of Elijah, weremember he told another servantto go and look for rain at the end ofthe drought.
1 Kings 18 Verse 43 “And (Elijah) said to his
servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And hewent up, and looked, and said,[There is] nothing. And he said, Goagain seven times.”
He was willing to be one ofmany who served Elijah.
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So to cap off the last seven points,
1) God called Elisha.2) He was already a warrior.3) He was already a worker.4) Elijah gave Elisha his mantle.5) Elisha ran after Elijah.6) He burnt the past, destroyed it
saying goodbye to it.7) He was willing to be one of many
servants.
Growth in God, always involves a journey,
“Going On!” The first of theprinciples of the doctrines andteachings of Christ.
Therefore, growth involves a moving out of
“self and deeper into Him!” We journey
away from “pride and posturing inposition,” and learn the flexibility of functioning
in true humility of purpose ... “the servantrole.”
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God was not choosing a man of naturalassets, but a man of Faith, who was willing to beone of the prophet’s servants.
Are you willing to do the samething today with your life? It’s thefirst step down the road to theDouble-Portion Anointing.
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Now a Journey, “On To Gilgal.”
Follow, as we go to 2 Kings Chapter 2, wherewe next find Elisha following Elijah and traveling toa number of locations that are symbolic of where wemust walk with Jesus Christ before we have ourDouble Portion Anointing.
We find them first in Gilgal, where the cloud byday and the fire by night were no longer evident,
which represents a place of religiousactivity with no supernatural power.
It is the place where Joshua dwelled, asrecorded in Joshua Chapter 5, a place where hewas to forget Egypt ...
Joshua 5 Verse 9“This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt
from you. Therefore the name of theplace is called Gilgal to this day.”
It’s the place where you forget the old life,
saying, “I’m born again now; my sinsare washed away and we’re havinga marvellous time.” It’s a time when a lot ofChristians suddenly think,
“Hey, I’ve arrived!”
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But verses 10 to 12 go on to say that afterkeeping the Passover in Gilgal,
Joshua 5 Verse 11 “And they did eat of the old cornof the land on the morrow after the Passover,unleavened cakes, and parched [corn] in theselfsame day.”
You see, the children of Israel were dependenton God, both for their deliverance from Egypt andfor their daily provision afterward.
God’s miraculous provision for each day wasincredible. Each morning, they found manna lying
on the ground, which they would gather for theirneeds - fresh each day.
However, they eventually began to take it forgranted and even complain about the same old
thing, despite the miraculousprovision.
When the opportunity came,they ate of the old corn, and themanna ceased thevery next day!
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So what does this mean for us? Gilgal, is theplace we come to after our salvation experience,which is symbolized by the deliverance from Egypt.
We leave our life of sin and run into the out-stretched arms of our Redeemer, happy to be out ofthe place that held us captive for so long.
In Gilgal we soon forget the awfulness ofour Egypt, where we needed the supernatural to getus out. Once we get comfortable and no longerseem to be dependent upon God, we see no needfor the supernatural.
Man’s memory at times does have a shortattention span, we think we can handle thingsourselves.
So the manna ceases, along with the Glory ofGod as revealed in the cloud and pillar of fire. Gilgalrepresents religion with no power ... and althoughnone of us really desires that, it’s where many of usend up.
And many of us get so comfortable in Gilgalthat we never leave.
2 Timothy 3 Verse 5“Having a form of godliness, but denying the powerthereof: from such turn away.”
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We’re happy to be born again and satisfied withreligious activity, never growing or maturing to adouble portion of God’s anointing. So many people
say things like, “If I could only feel what Ifelt when I got saved” or “If I couldonly feel the way I did when I wasfilled with the Spirit.” It’s a place where
things “used to be.”
However, in spite of all this, there is acomforting thought. God takes you to Gilgal for a
purpose, to show you that theChristian life was meant to be livedwith The Holy Spirit’s empoweringin our lives and not according to thedictates of either “religion or flesh!”
We must go beyond Gilgal, our attitude needs
to be like Elisha’s. “I’m not staying aroundhere ... As the Lord lives and asyour soul lives, I will not leave you!”
Our focus must be on The Lordand Him only, I’m going beyond here to myDouble Portion!
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Then ... “To Bethel.”
After Gilgal, Elijah and Elisha went to Bethel,
which is a place of great decisions,a place where you can surrender and yield to God,
a place of dying to your owndesires. Bethel is mentioned throughout the OldCovenant.
It was the place where Abraham pitched histent and made a decision to live for God. It was theplace where his grandson, Jacob, told God hewould follow and serve Him.
It was the place to which he returned to wrestlewith The Lord and be transformed from Jacob toIsrael.
It was the place where Samuelfirst heard the voice of God. It wasthe place where Saul rejected theWord and lost everything, includinghis kingdom.
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It’s at Bethel God would haveyou make your most difficultdecision for life. It’s the place ofgaining or losing everything you’vegot. Some who arrive at theirBethel’s succeed mightily, whileothers fail. But you must gothrough to get the Double Portion.
Once you reach Bethel, you can surrender andyield, but you will not find your Double-PortionAnointing there.
At Bethel, Elijah said to Elisha,
2 Kings 2 Verse 4 “And Elijah said unto him, Elisha,tarry here, I pray thee; for The LORD hath sent meto Jericho. And he said, [As] The LORD liveth, and[as] thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So theycame to Jericho.”
Elisha quickly responded,
“As The Lord lives, and as your soullives, I will not leave you ... !”
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I can just imagine him saying,
“You’re not going without me!”
You can decide to remain at Bethel or perhapseven go back to the mediocrity of Gilgal.
Or you can forge ahead and enjoy theBlessings of God. In that sense,
“Bethel becomes the bow tolaunch you on in the purposes ofGod!”
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Now To ...“Jericho, a place of Action.”
Next came the place of warfare, Jericho ... theplace of spiritual opposition. It was in the vicinity ofJericho that The Lord Jesus faced satan when Hewas tempted for forty days and nights. It was therein Joshua’s time that the walls came tumbling down.
When you arrive in Jericho, satan will opposeyou, attacking your finances, your body, your mind,your family.
It’s where you fight the forces of hell, but alsowhere you will find The Captain of The Hosts. Youcan be certain, when you decide to sacrifice selfand follow God, the devil will show up to opposeyou, but The Captain of The Hosts is there with thesword ready to assist you.
You can be sure that your victoryis just around the corner, forwarfare surrounds the birth of amiracle.
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Don’t Delay “YOUR Journey ... ”
Gilgal is the place of religious opposition,Bethel is the place of friend and family oppositionand Jericho is the place of spiritual opposition.
But just beyond is victory and the Double
Portion ... it’s where we partake of thepromise of the things to come!
It is important to realize that a vital key tosuccess here is not to get distracted, least of all bythe flesh. Distraction is an enemy of your soul.
During your times of distraction, remember thatGod gives you the power to move on in victory.
“Whoever or whatever that woulddistract me away from prayer, thereading of the Word, the fellowshipof the saints, worship andcommunion with the Lord can onlybelong to one of three things ...
1. the world.2. the flesh.3. the devil.
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Please remember the base-line that if it’s,
“distractive, it’s destructive.”
If the devil cannot distract you he will certainlytry to make you busy! God is a God of order and aGod of balance and in His presence there isfullness of joy.
If there is no joy, then I would question in whatit is we are participating! You don’t have to fake it in
God, “Rivers of Living Water,” are justthat, they bubble and flow.
They are naturally alive, refreshing and vibrant!God takes the natural, and makes it super-natural,
so that our Life in Christ becomes “naturallysuper!”
Where The Father is, there are times of
“refreshing,” in The Presence of TheSon there is “Peace” and where The HolySpirit has free rein there is “True Liberty toWorship The Father in Spirit and inTruth ... Refreshment, Peace andLiberty in unhindered Worship.”
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How do you fight at Jericho, the answer,
is with praise in ...
- The Holy Spirit- Truth- Refreshment- in Liberty- To Worship:
At Gilgal God fights for you, to get
you there to teach you a lesson, at BethelGod fights with you ... there’s surrender
and at Jericho God fights throughyou ... just praise Him! Stand, holdthe ground and see the Salvation ofThe Lord!
Philippians 4 Verse 13
“I can do all things through Christwhich strengtheneth me.”
because ...
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1 John 4 Verse 4(b)
“... greater is He that is in you,than he that is in the world.”
- at Gilgal ...- at Bethel ...- at Jericho ...
And Finally ... To The Jordan!
And so, what happens at Jordan, the nextstop? God opens your eyes and you receivespiritual sight. It was at the Jordan that John theBaptist saw The Holy Spirit descending in the formof a dove. It was at Jordan that Jesus began Hisministry.
Jordan is the place where you begin to see
beyond the natural and into thesupernatural realm.
It’s the place where Elishareceived his Double-PortionAnointing. Here’s a wonderfulpassage of scripture:
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2 Kings 2 Verses 8-13 “And Elijah took his mantle,and wrapped [it] together, and smote the waters,and they were divided hither and thither, so thatthey two went over on dry ground.” (9) “And it cameto pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah saidunto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I betaken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee,let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.”(10) “And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing:[nevertheless], if thou see me [when I am] takenfrom thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shallnot be [so].” (11) “And it came to pass, as they stillwent on, and talked, that, behold, [there appeared]a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted themboth asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind intoheaven.” (12) “And Elisha saw [it], and he cried, Myfather, my father, the chariot of Israel, and thehorsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and hetook hold of his own clothes, and rent them in twopieces.” (13) “He took up also the mantle of Elijahthat fell from him, and went back, and stood by thebank of Jordan;”
Hidden within these scriptures is a fantasticshadow of what happens at Jordan, the place ofspiritual vision. Elisha did two things, he tore off his
old clothes, signifying the release of theold man and the past.
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Then he picked up the mantle that had fallenand knew that his Double Portion had come.
When the new is on the way, saygoodbye to the past. Give up theold so God can perform the new inyour life.
Ephesians 1 Verses 17-18 “That the God of ourLord Jesus Christ, The Father of Glory, may giveunto you The Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation inThe Knowledge of Him:” (18) “The eyes of yourunderstanding being enlightened; that ye may knowwhat is the hope of His Calling, and what the richesof the glory of His inheritance in the saints.”
You cannot receive your Double-PortionAnointing until you know the promises of God andexpect to receive them through Faith in Him.
Abraham had to trust God for the son He hadbeen promised. Trusting in his own strength or inhis own works did not bring the son of promise. Hehad to see Isaac by Faith before he received him.When you see with the eyes of Faith, then thepromise begins to come your way with power.
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Numbers 13 Verse 33 “And there we saw thegiants, the sons of Anak, [which come] of the giants:and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, andso we were in their sight.”(distinctions mine.)
You need to see yourselves the way God sees
you. For the way we see ourselves isthe way hell sees us ... hell onlybelieves the evil report!
When Joshua entered the promised land withCaleb and the other ten spies, they saw grapes ...not the giants the other 10 saw!
Those that saw the giants died in thewilderness right along with those that believed their
“evil report!” You see, they never denied theexistence of giant fruit and grapes ... they ate thosewillingly and when they had their stomachs full, theydeclared with fervency that it could not be done!
Only those who believed Godentered, namely Joshua and Caleb.Spiritual vision conquers all ... itbelieves the promises of God ... weneed the “Joshua and Calebcompany!”
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2 Corinthians 5 Verse 7
“For we walk by Faith, not by sight:”(distinctions mine.)
Mark 10 Verses 46-52 tells of Bartimaeus, theblind man, who wore a garment traditionally worn bythe blind in accordance with Hebrew custom.
Mark 10 Verses 46 -52 “And they came to Jericho:and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples anda great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the sonof Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging.”(47) “And when he heard that it was Jesus ofNazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus,[thou] Son of David, have mercy on me.”(48) “And many charged him that he should hold hispeace: but he cried the more a great deal, [Thou]Son of David, have mercy on me.”(49) “And Jesus stood still, and commanded him tobe called. And they call the blind man, saying untohim, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee.”
(50) “And he, casting away hisgarment, rose, and came to Jesus.”(51) “And Jesus answered and said unto him, Whatwilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind mansaid unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight.”(52) “And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thyFaith hath made thee whole. And immediately hereceived his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.”
(distinctions mine.)
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Anyone wearing such a garment was knownto be blind and helpless, requiring assistance withthe basic things in life, such as being fed and caredfor.
When the Lord Jesus heard him crying out, Hesaid, “Bring him to Me.” Immediately Bartimaeuscast off his garment.
Before he ever received hismiracle, he threw off his garment,showing his total dependence onGod. He let go of the old to receivethe new.
I cast off willingly the garments of “self” thathave held me for so long inidentification with the traditions ofreligion and religious men!
When I by Faith see myself as a child of God, Ino longer go with head bowed low and eyesdowncast, mumbling, “Oh God, I am so unworthy towalk in Your Presence.”
I walk into The Holy of Holies, not with guilt, butwith freedom from condemnation.
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The darkness that once bound me no longerclouds my spiritual eyes. I see! When I read the
Word, I believe it, and I enter in as achild of God ... that is the way youare to approach the Double-Portionof His Anointing.
Decide you are not going to stayin Gilgal’s mediocrity but that youare going on to Bethel where you’lldie to self and decide for God forever.
Then on to Jericho where you’ll fight every devil
that can come against you, and you’ll winbecause the Lord Jesus is besideyou until you ... at last reachJordan, where you will begin to seethe Promises of Heaven that areyours, and you will appropriatethem. You will be a force for Godthat will shake both earth and hell!
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Revelation 12 Verse 11
“And they overcame him by theBlood of The Lamb, and by theword of their testimony; and theyloved not their lives unto the death.”
(distinctions mine.)
A-men!
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Bibliography of reference material.
Cartledge, David. “Tabernacle Truths.”Paraclete Publishing. Qld. Aust.
(1992 edit.)
Conner, Kevin.J. “The Tabernacle of Moses.”Acacia Press. Vic. Aust. (1975 edit.)
Dake, Finis. Jennings. “Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible.”Dake Bible sales. P.O.Box 1050.
Lawrenceville, Georgia. 30246. U.S.A.(11th edit. 1993.)
Dalton. Robert.B. “The Tabernacle and its Rituals.”Menorah Publications. (1992 edit N.Z.)
Hagin, Kenneth.E. “Understanding The Anointing.”Hagin Ministries. (1983 reprint.)
Hamilton, Victor.P. “Handbook on The Pentateuch.”Baker books (1982 edit.)
Henry, Matthew. “Commentary on The Whole Bible.”Hendrickson Publishers. (1991 edit.)
Hinn, Benny. (Video Tape Series, The Holy Ghost Invasion ...“The Double Portion Anointing”;Orlando Christian Revival Centre.)
Prince, Derek. “The Foundation Series.”Sovereign World Publishing Ltd.
(Revised edit. 1986.)
Payne, J.Barton. “The Theology of The Older Testament.”Zondervan Publishing. (1978 edit.)
Myer, F.B. “The Way into The Holiest ...Expositions of The Epistle to The Hebrews.”
Lakeland series. (1968 edit.)
Sanford, Agnes. “Healing Light.”Ballentine Publications,
Ephipany Books. (1983 edit.)
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Strong. James. “The Exhaustive Concordance of The Bible.”Hendrickson Publishers, Massachusetts. U.S.A.
(1991 edit.)
Subritzky, Bill. “The Anointing.”Dove Ministries (Auckland, N.Z. 1985 edit.)
Thompson, Frank Charles. “Thompson Chain Reference Bible.”B.B.Kirkbridge Bible Company, Inc.
(K.J.V. 1964. edit.)
Vine, W.E. “Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old andNew Testament Words.”edited by F.F.Bruce. World Bible Publishers.
Iowa Falls, U.S.A. (1981 edit.)
Williams, S.Jim. “Ministering the Anointing.”School of The Bible (study series)
Book # 5 (1986 edit.)
Williams, S.Jim. “Wisdom ... the missing Link.”Clarke & Matherson Publishing. N.Z.
(1986 edit.)*********************************************************************
Combined Editorial, “The New Bible Commentary.” (Revised)Guthrie, D Motyer, J.A.. Inter-varsity Press. (1976 edit.)
Consulting editors, Stibbs, A.M. & Wiseman, D.J.
Acknowledgement for the clipart used in our cover page, from the Franciscanartist; Fr Philippus
Philippus, OFMCap.Seminari Menegah.
J1.Lap.Bola.Atas24PEMATANG SIANTAR 21127.Indonesia.
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TM
Menorah PublicationsCatalogue 2016.
Series, “Discovering Discipleship … ”
Hebrews 6 Verses 1-2
No.1 - “Let us go on …”No.2 - The “how to,” called …
Repentance:No.3 - The “can do,” Faith from God:No.4 - “Baptism … the waters.”
No.5 - “The Laying on of Hands:”No.6 - “Resurrection of the dead.”
No.7 - “The Eternal Godhead:”
“ ... Going on to perfection ... !”
The first of a three part series of Bible Studies,these lay the foundation teachings of our Faithbased on Hebrews 6 Verses 1-2. Good for youngdisciples, each lesson is prepared so it can be usedas private, group or classroom study material.
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Series, “Growing Discipleship …”
“The Be- Attitudes, Love‘s Divine Attitudes”Matthew 5 Verses 3-11
1.“Blessed” … “are the poor in spirit.”2.“Blessed” … “are they that mourn.”3.“Blessed” … “are the meek.”4.“Blessed” … “are they which do hunger.”5.“Blessed” … “are the merciful.”6.“Blessed” … “are the pure in heart.”7.“Blessed” … “are the peacemakers. ”8.“Blessed,” “are they which are persecuted.”
If you “be in Christ,” then it stands toreason, that whatever curved balls are thrown
to you in this life, you will “Be-in-Christ’s-Attitude,” and not react in an inappropriatemanner. As hard as that may be!
“Blessed are …” relates to the presenttense, to the here and now, not only to the future.But from here, to there and beyond!
This second of a three part series of Biblestudies, are designed to help understand thedevelopment of our Christian Character in our dayto day walk.
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Series, “Overcomers…Discipleship.”
That ye might be ... “partakers.”2 Peter 1 Verses 1-11
1.) “And beside this, giving all diligence ...”
2.) “... add to your Faith virtue ...”
3.) “… and to virtue knowledge;”
4.) “And to knowledge temperance; …”
5.) “ … and to temperance patience; …”
6.) “ … and to patience godliness;”
7.) “And to godliness brotherly kindness; …”
8.) “ … and to brotherly kindness charity(or LOVE.)”
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Our third in the Discipleship series, is
“Discipleship that Overcomes,”
And is titled,
That ye might be ... “partakers.”
These lessons come from the second letter ofPeter and work well alongside the previous series
entitled, “The Beatitudes” which cover thedevelopment of our Christian Character.
If a man has come to the place of little or nogrowth, then surely, he has remained as a babe. Ifhe has not given himself over to be dealt with byThe Spirit of Grace, then he is marked by the arm ofthe flesh.
He is still a Christian, but a carnal Christian, ababe in Christ. But if he completely surrenders hiswill to The Holy Spirit, he will rapidly and willinglychoose to put down the deeds of the flesh andbecome what God’s Word calls a
“ Spiritual man.”
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Series, “The Parables of Christ ...”(Matthew 13 Verses 1-53)
The disciples, they had heardHis first four parables spoken to thelistening crowd ... the multitude.
Jesus did not use parables inthe earlier part of His ministry, andwhen He began to use them, it wasa matter of surprise to his disciples,who asked Him His reason fordoing so.
Matthew 13 Verses 10-13 “And the disciples came,
and said unto Him, Why speakest Thouunto them in parables?”(11) “He answered and said unto them,
Because it is given unto you toknow the mysteries of The Kingdomof Heaven, but to them it is notgiven.”
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(12) “For whosoever hath, to himshall be given, and he shall havemore abundance: but whosoeverhath not, from him shall be takenaway even that he hath.”(13) “Therefore speak I to them inparables: because they seeing seenot; and hearing they hear not,neither do they understand.”
The whole thing turns on the distinction
between “earnest inquirers” and
“careless hearers.” The earnest inquirerhas ears to hear; the other has not.
That is, instead of apprehending The Truth, heis only perplexed and confused by it, and instead ofgoing away enriched, he is poorer than ever.
The meaning is so simple and familiar, thateven a child can understand it. Being of the natureto connect with everyday things, things that arefrequently observed.
Parables, are the meal prepared for us by TheLord of The Harvest, He prepares a meal for eachof His laborers, though they are few, all are well fed.
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He has seen to it, that a young lad now bringsto the table,
“Five loaves and two fish!”
This is something for us all towell consider, they had twelvebaskets full, after the crowd wasfed.
Jesus took the twelve, andturned the world inside out, to theright side up!
Many may bring the Scripturesto the mind, but The Lord alone canprepare the mind to receive HisWord: Our Master, our Saviour Jesus differs from
all other teachers ... they may reach theear, but only He can instruct theheart! “Others may teach what is tobe believed, but only Jesus canteach us how to believe!”
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Series, “The Parables of Christ ...”(Matthew 13 Verses 1-53)
(1) - “The Parable of The Sower.”
(2) - “The Parable of The Tares.”
(3) - “The Parable ofThe Mustard Seed.”
(4) - “The Parable of The Leaven.”
(5) - “The Parable ofThe Hidden Treasure.”
(6) - “The Pearl of Great Price.”
(7) - “The Parable of The Drag Net.”
(8) – “The Scribe andThe Householder.”
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Series, “The Gleanings ...”
Not such a strange word really, but a wordwhich is not often used to day. What does it mean
for us “to glean?” In simple terms, it means
“to gather together.”
We gather together that which will draw us
deeper into “Relationship” with our Lord andSaviour Jesus Christ.
We, are gathering and gleaning in the fields of
our kinsman Redeemer King Jesus. “TheGleanings,” was written out of gratitude for myown Salvation, and the way that He my King hasBlessed me by revealing more about Himself astogether we build the Relationship that religioncannot offer!
Many, many Brothers and Sisters in Christ aredesperately hungry and we who feed at His table
have a “duty of care” to share with thosearound us. This is the reason for this series.
To answer questions and have all things in
common ... the basis of “communion,common-union” so enjoy, grow deeper intoJesus Christ and be Blessed.
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Acts 2 Verses 44-46(a) “And all that believed weretogether, and had all things common;”(45) “And sold their possessions and goods, andparted them to all men, as every man had need.”
(46a) “And they, continuing daily withone accord ...”
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Series, “The Gleanings ...”
(1) - What is ... “Sin?”(2) - The “how too,” called,
“Repentance.”(3) - The “Squeeze” of Temptation.(4) - “The Tongue ...”
taming the unruly member!(5) - The “can do,” Faith from God:(6) - The Growth of “Grace.”(7) - “Baptism,” the waters.(8) - “The Holy Spirit.”(9) - “The Laying on of Hands.”
(10) - “Divine Healing.”(11) - “The Resurrection.”(12) - “The Eternal Godhead ...”
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Series, “Ripened Husks ...”
(1) – “Salt, Light and perfect Sight.”
(2) – “Living in Submission.”
(3) – “The Christian and Finance.”
(4) – “The Growth of Grace.”
(5) –“The Law of Love.”
(6) – “Prayer and Fasting.”
(7) – “Giants in the Land.”
(8) – “The Anointing of God.”
(9) –“Double portion Anointing.”
(10) –“ Entering in to Rest.”
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Poem: “Garden of My Heart …”
In the garden arrived the dawn,crisp, the airand still,birds delighted the morning sun.so quite,The Lord whispered Oh, my heart
“look, write, see and hear.”
Saw I the sky,Heaven’s blue skirt.Glowed your,Handiwork, painted in clouds.Then said He in
“the garden of my heart,”“In seeing, see, in hearing hear,”I was hearing The Voice of our God!Thank You Jesus!!!
My hand trembles at His Touch,The Anointing of His Spirit flows …I write, please Lord,please tell me more.His reply to my soul,
“You have much to hear!”R.B.D. (2015)
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There is a glow in my heart that say’s, this is
“the grain” that I want in my storehouse:
Jesus used the description of harvested grainas a wonderful way of showing us why it is
important for “whole grains” of wheat to have
“The Husk” removed.
If grain that is harvested has “the husk”intact, then it will not be stored well for later use. Asa matter of fact, you are inviting the spread ofmould.
Grain is normally harvested when ripe, and the
“ripened husks” are winnowed. This is theprocess whereby the grains themselves, are tossedinto the air and as they do, they rub against eachother to remove the outer sheaf or husk.
God’s desire, is that we play an active role towork with The Holy Spirit in and through our lives toremove the excess baggage. To remove the old
covering, so that the “pure whole grain” willremain.
And there be no “Bushel of self,” there
be no “Bushel of former days!”
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A bushel measure, was a standard measureand filled a woven basket made to the bushel sizeand was used to store that measure in a dry andsafe manner till it was required to be used:
Matthew 5 Verse 15 “Neither do men light a candle,and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; andit giveth light unto all that are in the house.”
You stick a lighted flame under a dry wovenbasket and it will either smother the flame, or setfire to the house!
“I must decrease,in order that He increase!”
Grain, was bought to the “threshingfloor,” and there it was threshed. The sheaves,were beaten with a rod or with a winnowing fork inorder to separate the grain from the stork.
Once the pile of grain was a reasonable height,it was time to see the leathery husks come off. Toachieve the removal of the husk, the grains weretossed into the air to land on a round cane basket.They were then flipped up into the air, until the huskblew off into the breeze.
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Winnowed grain, de-husked, and dry, nowready for proper storage in the garner or granary tillthe time of use. All the husk, was then burned off.
Matthew 3 Verse 12 “Whose fan is in His Hand, andHe will thoroughly purge His floor, and gather Hiswheat into the garner; but He will burn up the chaffwith unquenchable fire.”
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Copy-right ... personal observations.
To those Brethren, that have laboured long andhard in The Word of our God ... I take time to Bless them publicallyfor their endeavours to pass on that Holy Ghost inspired Wordthroughout His Church ...
Hebrews 6 Verse 10 “For God [is] not unrighteous to forget yourwork and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward His Name,in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.”
Therefore, edify The Body of Christ, encourage and exhort;but remember, if you are tempted to call the work of another yourown, you are the one that will in the end be held responsible foryour actions. “The Spirit of Grace,” gave the work to the hand of“the scribe,” who faithfully put pen to paper. Plagiarism, is not onlyillegal, it is immoral; above all, we must ...
Romans 12 Verse 10“[Be] kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly
love; in honour preferring one another;”
So I exhort you in The Name of our Lord and Saviour, to feelquite free to use the material with which The Lord has so blessedus and those before us, bearing in mind that the pre-eminencebelongs to
The Lord Jesus Christ Himself ...
Your brother in His service,Robert .B. Dalton.
Matthew 10 Verse 8(b) “ ... freely ye have received, freely give.”
http://menorahpublicationsweeblycom.weebly.com/
e mail [email protected]
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“The stronger the foundation,the brighter the future!”
1 Corinthians 3 Verse 11“For other foundation can no man
lay than that is laid, …which is Jesus Christ.”
Let us join together to,
“Church the Un-Churched,Teach the Un-Taught,”and most of all,
“Reach the Un-Reached ...for Jesus!”
“Go Ye ... !”“Speak Ye ... !”
“Do Ye ... !”
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About the author.
Born and raised in inner Sydney, N.S.W. Australia, Robertwas a child when the likes of Arthur Stace, Alan Walker and TedNoffs ministered to Sydney in the nineteen fifties.
The Lord spoke to Robert at the age of seven, outside of theold Cleveland Street Congregational Church. For many years, hecontinued to live for himself. That is, until The Lord again spoke tohim in The Bay of Plenty in New Zealand. He received JesusChrist into his life as Lord and Saviour in February, 1980. BeingWater Baptised in April, Born Again and Filled with The Holy Spiritin May of the same year.
Bob and Nikki married, in October of 1987 and have anawesome family of five plus four of Bob’s older children withaltogether and to date nineteen Grandchildren.
Bob has compiled and published materials helpful for growthand development in Christ Jesus. Sadly, but with great joy, Nikkipassed into Glory to be with our Lord. 21st July, 2014.
Over the years, Bob has ministered as a Pastor/ Teacher andfunctioned as itinerant Preacher with a strong call to Missions.
His desire, is to see more folk, coming out of themselves,and going deeper into personal relationship with our Lord andSaviour, The Lord Jesus Christ.
