As believers in Christ, we pursue Christ to gain Him and worship God, being no longer slaves of sin or idol worshippers.
The prophet Elijah was raised up during one of the darkest hours of Israel’s sad history when they worshipped idols; may we heed the warning and be those who pursue Christ to gain Him, worship God and stay away from idols. Amen!
Though the age was so dark and corrupted, Elijah stood on the word of God, spoke the word of God, and did not pay attention to the fact that everyone was against him.
He was the minister of that age with the vision of that age, and he carried out the ministry of that age.
In each age, God chose and called a particular person or particular persons, and they saw the vision of that age, followed it, and carried out the ministry of that age, being the minister of that age.
In Elijah’s time, he was the minister of that age, and he was an anti-testimony telling the children of Israel that idolatry is a sin that offends God.
When all of Israel worshipped idols, from the king to the last one of them, Elijah came and told them that the idols were false gods and only Jehovah was the true God.
This Elijah was such a strong testimony that we see him again in the New Testament when the Lord Jesus was on the Mount of Transfiguration; Moses and Elijah came and conversed with the Lord.
Elijah occupies a place of prominence in the New Testament, being there on the mount of transfiguration.
Luke 9:31-32 says that they were conversing with the Lord, and they both appeared in glory with the Lord, speaking with Him about His departure, which He was about to complete in Jerusalem.
When Peter expressed his opinion that it is good for them all to be there, a cloud covered them and the voice from the cloud said, This is My Beloved Son, Hear Him.
Christ is the real Elijah; Elijah is a type, and Christ is the real prophet who speaks for God into us, infusing us with God and all that God is.
May we be the ones who worship God, stay away from idols and pursue Christ to gain Him today, focusing on nothing and no one else but Christ, the Beloved Son of God.
May we aspire to be the overcomers of today, the Elijah of today, those who are not afraid to stand as the testimony of Jesus and an anti-testimony to this crooked and perverted generation.
Though the situation around us is full of desolation and corruption, degradation and idolatry, we need to look not to what we see around us but to the Lord Jesus, and we need to let Him be expressed through us.
We need to stand one with the Lord in this age of degradation, standing for the truth even at the cost of our own life, realizing that the Lord is looking for overcomers, those who will bring in the age of the kingdom by being one with Him. We want to be such ones.
We’re no longer Slaves of Sin but Those who Pursue Christ to Gain Him Today!
![Then Elijah came near to all the people and said, How long will you go hopping between two opinions? If Jehovah is God, follow Him; but if Baal is, follow him. And the people did not answer him a word. 1 Kings 18:21 Answer me, O Jehovah; answer me, that this people may know that You, O Jehovah, are God and [that] You have turned their heart back again. 1 Kings 18:37](https://i0.wp.com/www.agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Then-Elijah-came-near-to-all-the-people-and-said-How-long-will-you-go-hopping-between-two-opinions-1-683x1024.jpg?resize=450%2C675&ssl=1 "Then Elijah came near to all the people and said, How long will you go hopping between two opinions? If Jehovah is God, follow Him; but if Baal is, follow him. And the people did not answer him a word. 1 Kings 18:21 Answer me, O Jehovah; answer me, that this people may know that You, O Jehovah, are God and [that] You have turned their heart back again. 1 Kings 18:37")
At the time of Elijah, all of Israel was worshipping Baal; their worshipping Baal was actually their worshipping Satan.
2 Kings 1:2 says that the god of the Ekronites was Baal-zebub, and in the New Testament Baalzebub means “the lord of flies”, referring to Satan as the ruler of the demons (Matt. 10:25; 12:24, 27; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15).
This name was changed contemptuously by the Jews to Beelzebul, which means “the lord of the dunghill”.
Satan is the lord of the dunghill; he specializes in leading flies to feed on dung. He is also the lord of the flies, and all sinners are like flies that follow Satan to “feed on dung”. Oh, Lord!
All the fallen descendants of Adam are captives of Satan, who leads them about to commit sins and makes them a slave of sin (John 8:34).
Satan captured us and entered into us, that is, in our flesh; deep in our heart, no one wants to sin, but Satan as the lord of flies leads us about to commit sins.
He leads the sinners “by the nose” to commit sins, for everyone is a slave of sin. Oh, Lord!
And we are following Paul’s pattern by considering the things that were once gains to us in the past to be “refuse” (that is, dregs, rubbish, filth, dog food, and dung) so that we may gain Christ (Phil. 3:5-8). Hallelujah!
In our daily life, we consider Christ as being the supremely precious One, and we seek to enjoy Him, love Him, and pursue Him to gain Him, for Christ and only Christ matters.
Yes, Satan as the lord of flies is still in our flesh, seeking to lead us to sin, and in ourselves, we have no power to fight him.
But we have the overcoming One in our spirit, for the overcoming life of Christ is in us and operates in us.
Whenever we turn to our spirit, the law of the Spirit of life is switched on and we are freed from the law of sin and of death (Rom. 8:2).
![Circumcised the eighth day; of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew [born] of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; As to zeal, persecuting the church; as to the righteousness which is in the law, become blameless. But what things were gains to me, these I have counted as loss on account of Christ. But moreover I also count all things to be loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, on account of whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count [them] as refuse that I may gain Christ. Phil. 3:5-8](https://i0.wp.com/www.agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Circumcised-the-eighth-day-of-the-race-of-Israel-of-the-tribe-of-Benjamin-683x1024.jpg?resize=450%2C675&ssl=1 "Circumcised the eighth day; of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew [born] of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; As to zeal, persecuting the church; as to the righteousness which is in the law, become blameless. But what things were gains to me, these I have counted as loss on account of Christ. But moreover I also count all things to be loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, on account of whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count [them] as refuse that I may gain Christ. Phil. 3:5-8")
Others around us may feed on dung and may even offer us to do the same, giving us all kinds of incentives, but we choose the better part: we choose to enjoy the Lord and pursue Christ to gain Him. Amen!
Whenever we’re in our flesh, when we live by setting our mind on the things of this earth, we are like the ones around us, like flies being led by the lord of flies to feed on dung.
But when we turn to our spirit, when we switch on the law of the Spirit of life, we transcend any of this dung, Satan’s power over us is broken, and we feed on things of life.
When we contact the Lord in spirit, He becomes the most precious One, and for His sake, we consider all other things as dung and refuse so that we may gain Christ.
This is who we really are as Christians: we are those who pursue Christ to gain Him!
Like Elijah, we have seen the unseen One, and we have received His speaking and commission.
We love to spend time with Him, we stand on His word, and we do not care about the opposition around us, for He in us can live the Christian life and overcome the one who is in the world.
Though there may be outward opposition and many opponents, we are joined to the Lord and we abide in Him, for He alone is all the world to us.
Lord Jesus, we love You! We cling to You. You are the most precious One. We refuse to be led by the nose by the lord of flies, Satan, to feed on the dung in this world. We choose You, Lord, and we pursue after You. We pursue after Christ to gain Christ. Hallelujah, Christ is the most excellent and precious One, and we are those who pay the price of all things to gain Him! What an excellent, precious, and wonderful Christ we have! Amen! We set our mind on our spirit, Lord, and we give ourselves to gain You today. We refuse to feed on dung, we refuse to be led by Satan to feed on his things of death, and we choose Christ!
Not Worshipping Idols but Giving our Worship to God, for He is the True God
King Ahab provoked Jehovah to anger more than all the other kings before him because he worshipped idols and led the people of Israel to worship idols.
Therefore, God raised up Elijah to declare that the children of Israel had been troubled because of idolatry and that only Jehovah is God (1 Kings 16:33; 18:3, 17-18, 37).
Ahab troubled the people of Israel by leading them to worship Baal and the idols.
As New Testament believers, we need to take heed to the apostle John’s word, “Little children, guard yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21).
Idols refer to anything that replaces or is a substitute for Christ as the true, genuine, and real God (John 20:28-29).
We need to see that the man Jesus is the very God (1:1-2; 5:18; 10:33; Rom. 9:5; Phil. 2:6; 1 John 5:20), and there is no other God besides Him.
And we need to put ourselves in the meetings of the church under the hearing of faith to see Jesus, be infused with Jesus, and be filled with Jesus, giving God the worship that He desires.
In Ezek. 14:3 Jehovah said to Ezekiel, “Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts”.
An idol in our heart is anything within us that we love more than the Lord and that replaces the Lord in our life.
Satan hides behind idols, and evil spirits are behind every idol to cause man to not worship God but worship Satan.
An idol is not just something like a physical statue or a painting; an idol is something in our heart, something that replaces the Lord in our life.
In the word antichrist, the Greek prefix anti has two meanings: “against” and “in place of”, or “instead of”.
This is the principle of the antichrist and the principle of an idol; it is, on one hand, to be against Christ, and on the other hand, to have something instead of Christ, something that replaces Christ (1 John 2:18-19).
We need to ask the Lord to save us from having a living that is in the principle of antichrist, the principle of replacing Christ.
Christ is both the anointed One and the anointing; for us to have a living in the principle of antichrist is to have a living in the principle of being “anti-anointing” (1 John 2:20, 27).
May we be saved from having a living that is “anti” the moving, working, and saturating of the Triune God within us.
If we don’t allow Christ as the anointed One to live through us, if we don’t live, behave, and move according to the anointing within us, we are anti-the anointing. Oh, Lord Jesus!
Christ right now is not only living in us but He is also moving and constantly anointing us; He is adding His element to our being as long as we worship God and turn to the Lord in spirit.
Satan’s aim is to receive worship from men by hiding behind numerous idols and religions (Matt. 4:8-9).
Idols have evil spirits and demons hiding behind them because Satan is behind them.
Because of this, the Father is seeking worshippers today, those who worship Him in spirit and in truthfulness; Satan, however, is trying to rob God of worship (John 4:23-24).
May we realize that Satan is after our worship, both directly and indirectly; he will come sneakily to us to attract us and rob God of worship through the things that we like and enjoy. Oh, Lord!
The ruler of this world in this age is Satan; his aim is to receive worship from men by hiding behind numerous idols and religions.
God, however, is seeking worshippers, those who open to Him, give Him the worship He desires, and choose to partake of Him.
May we be those who stay away from idols and are saved from anything of the worship of Satan, and may we give God the worship in spirit and truthfulness, honouring Him and enjoying Him.
Lord Jesus, we love You and we worship You. You are our Lord and our God. We refuse to have idols outwardly or in our heart. We give You all our love and all our worship. We worship You, Father, in spirit and in truthfulness. We are Your worshippers today. You are our only God, our true God, and You are the real and true life in us. Oh Lord, we treasure Your anointing and we love Your moving within us. We want to live by the anointing and allow Your anointing to lead us in our daily life. May our daily living with all its works and activities be under the divine anointing. Abba Father, we worship You! We give You the worship that You desire!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Sources of inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by brother Ed Marks in the message, and portions from, Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1984, vol. 4, “The Jubilee,” ch. 3, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-study of 1 and 2 Kings (2022 summer training), week 2, entitled, Four Crucial Journeys to Enter into the Ministry of the Age by Closely Following the Minister of the Age with the Vision of the Age.
- Hymns on this topic:
– Idols once they won thee, charmed thee, / Lovely things of time and sense; / Gilded thus does sin disarm thee, / Honeyed lest thou turn thee thence. / Captivated by His beauty, / Worthy tribute haste to bring; / Let His peerless worth constrain thee, / Crown Him now unrivaled King. (Hymns #437, stanza 2 and chorus)
– The worship which the Father seeks / Is in the spirit’s strength alone; / His Spirit into man’s would come, / That His and man’s may thus be one. / When Spirit unto spirit calls / The two commingle and are one; / Man’s spirit is the Spirit’s home, / The Spirit doth man’s life become. (Hymns #611, stanzas 3 and 4)
– It is the moving of the Spirit / Gracious as the ointment pure; / ’Tis based upon the sprinkling of the blood, / And it ever shall endure. / With God’s own essence it anoints me, / God to know subjectively, / That I may have His very element / Fully saturating me. (Hymns #266, stanzas 2 and 3)
About aGodMan
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Elijah was strong and courageous; he went against the four hundred fifty prophets of Baal and all the people of Israel. To stand up as an anti-testimony at the time of desolation, one must have the spirit of Elijah, the courage of Elijah, and the testimony of Elijah. Every age of desolation needs overcomers like Elijah to step forward; while everyone is going after idols, there needs to be ones who can stand up and denounce everyone’s mistake. Today the church is still in desolation; thus, there is still the need for people like Elijah to rise up to be an anti-testimony, not caring for their own lives, not caring for the extent of the outward opposition, and not caring about their numerous opponents. In the end all the prophets died, but not Elijah; rather, he was raptured alive (2 Kings 2:1). We do not need to fear death; people may want us to die, but God wants to rapture us. This was Elijah’s testimony. Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1954, vol. 4, p. 544
In this age Satan is the ruler of this world. In his entire life Satan’s aim is to receive worship from men by hiding behind numerous idols and religions. Many idols have spirits because Satan is behind them. Satan’s intention is to rob God of the worship from men. Therefore, the Scriptures say that God is a jealous God… John 4:23 says, “The Father also seeks such to worship Him.”…The Father has to seek for worshippers because Satan is trying to rob God of the worship from men.
Collected Works of Watchman Nee, vol. 15, pp. 28-29
We were born as slaves of sin, being led by the nose by Satan as the Lord of flies, but we are now children of God pursuing Christ to gain Him and counting all things as loss that we may gain Christ! Hallelujah.
And we are learning to worship God and stay away from idols, staying away from any replacement of Christ.
Oh brother we need to be saved from a living that is in the principle of antichrist and a living in the principle of anti-anointing.
We do not want to replace Christ or be “anti” the moving, working, and saturating of the Triune God within us!
Lord do this in us, save us in Your life from this sin that is in man, we want to be filled with your life until we are raptured!
To be those whom God is seeking and finds and render him true worship! Amen!
Brother, we need to be an anti-testimony, those who insist our Jesus is both human & divine.
We are in the midst of a world of idol worshippers.
With the grace of Christ, we can be strong & courageous. We need the spirit of Elijah, the courage of Elijah, and the testimony of Elijah.
In every age, the Lord needs overcomers like Elijah to step forward and denounce the idol worshippers, not caring for the outward opposition and our numerous opponents.
Satan is trying to rob God of worship from men by hiding behind idols and religions.
We must expose him as the “Lord of the flies,” one who offers mankind nothing but pain & sorrow.
Dear brother, today there is a need for an anti-testimony today’s Elijahs, ones who care not for their own lives but for God’s interest.
While Satan is still robbing man of God’s worship, the Father is seeking true worshippers, overcomers amidst the lukewarmness of God’s people, those who are no longer slaves to sin but who are willing to stand for God in this age!
we need realise in this age where the church is in desolation.
Satan the beelzelbub is the man to sin, before receiving the Lord we were captives of sin and Satan is now behind all sorts of idols that men worship his intention is to stop men from worshipping God.
We need to have this view and be like Elijah who stands for God and stands for testimony and only worship him, and may the Lord make us such ones
Amen Lord, we want to be Your overcomers! Give us the experiences we need for this!
Amen Praise the Lord!
Wonderful pattern of Elijah as one gained by God for His testimony. He was stong and courageous to stand for God and for His testiomony against all odds.
Amen! We pursue after Christ! We no longer serve sin or idols! We no longer feed on the dung, we no longer serve sin, but we are sons of the living God!
Sim! Amém! Fomos regenerados, somos filhos do Deus vivo e o pecado não tem mais domínio sobre nós!
Amen