Standing Among the Faithful

The Lord also said to Elijah:

"Yet I have left me 7,000 in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which has not kissed him."

These 7,000 were faithful servants of the Lord. Yet as we look at Elisha, we see how he exceeded and went beyond the life of those 7,000 people—the impact of his ministry, the penetration of his reach, the multiplication of his effectiveness far surpassed theirs.

From Oxen to Ministry

Elijah found Elisha in a humble state:

"So, he departed thence and he found Elisha the son of Shaphat who was plowing with 12 yoke of oxen before him."

That was his life before—honest labor, respectable work. But now he was being called to a ministry far higher than managing oxen. When Elijah passed by and cast his mantle upon him, Elisha's entire life was redirected toward a greater calling.

From all we have seen, a clear truth emerges: we can exceed our past. We can exceed our previous life and our previous ministries.

Measuring and Knowing Your Progress

The Importance of Measurement

If you do not investigate, if you do not find out the limits of your past life and previous ministry, you will not know how you exceed. You must gauge, you must measure, you must know: This was my limit before today, before coming to this conference. Now I am having impartation, a new mantle coming upon my life for a greater ministry.

Years to come, if Jesus tarries, we will be able to measure how far we have gone and how much higher we have risen because we are going to exceed the previous limits of our lives.

Life in All Its Dimensions

Exceeding limits applies to multiple areas:

• Your personal life
• Your family life
• Your professional life
• Your spiritual life
• Your Christian experience
• Your ministry

You ought to be able to say: This is where I was, and this is where I am now. In Christian experience, you were saved and belong to the Lord—that is settled. But now you can have a Christian experience that goes far beyond where you were before.

If you are today what you were 10 years ago, or what you were 20 years ago in Christian experience, and the only testimony you can give is the same spiritual level you occupied then, how are you exceeding the previous limits of your life?

Measuring Your Ministry

In ministry, ask yourself: How deep is the ministry? How high is the ministry? How broad is the ministry? In which way am I exceeding previous limits? How spiritual, how saintly, how sacred is the ministry I have?

If you do not measure, if you do not find out, you will not know whether you are going down or going up, whether you are expanding or shrinking. But because you measure, because you think about it, you can say: Looking at the parameters and all the instruments I use to gauge myself, I am exceeding previous limits of life and ministry.

The Double Portion: Qualitative and Quantitative Excellence

Recognition of Greater Anointing

In 2 Kings 2:15, when the sons of the prophets witnessed Elisha's ministry after Elijah was taken up, they declared:

"The spirit of Elijah does rest on Elisha."

But this statement requires clarification. Qualitatively, yes—the spirit of Elijah does rest upon Elisha. Quantitatively, no. A double portion had come upon him. It was not merely a single portion that came upon Elisha.

Different Ministry, Different Miracles

When you compare the miracles of Elijah with the miracles of Elisha, you see they are different in kind. Elijah's ministry was primarily one of judgment—calling fire down upon the prophets of Baal, pronouncing judgment upon Ahab. This reflected the time in which he lived.

Elisha's ministry, by contrast, was restorative and life-giving:

• Water that was bitter and causing death was healed
• Poison in a pot of meal was neutralized
• The dead were raised
• Famine was stopped

It was a different kind of ministry—not one of judgment, but of healing, deliverance, and blessing.

Quantity and Quality United

When we count all the miracles in Elijah's ministry and compare them to Elisha's, those of Elisha were double those of Elijah. So the statement is complete: the spirit of Elijah does rest upon Elisha qualitatively, yes; quantitatively, no. He had a double portion, and in this we see a minister who exceeded the limits set before him.

The Challenge Before You

The question now comes to each of you: What limit are you going to rise up to? If you just come to listen to the message, enjoy it, but leave without a plan, without a purpose, and without any measurable progress, you will not know you are exceeding limits. But we do not want to come to a conference like this as usual. We want to find out: What can I do? What can you do? What can we do?

Not only as individuals, but as associations of ministers and as the church together in our various countries, what can we do that we exceed the limits of our levels of living, Christian life, ministerial life, and ministry itself?

Three Pillars of Exceeding Limits

Number One: Burning the Bridge Behind Before Burning for God

If we are going to burn and shine for God like John the Baptist—a burning light and shining light—we must first burn the bridge behind us. We must cut ourselves off from entanglements that would hinder our full devotion.

In 2 Timothy 2:4, Paul writes:

"No man that worries entangles himself with the fears of this life."

Our fears of this life become entanglements. They start in small ways. A rope binds your hands together, holding them so firmly that you cannot cut free by yourself. The engagements of the world, the affairs of this life, the fears that are not necessarily sinful—they are entanglements that hold your mind, your heart, your vision captive.

Jesus taught this through the parable of the sower. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns choked the plants. Mark 4:19 tells us:

"The desires for other things entering in and the deceitfulness of riches and the things of this life coming in choke the word and it becomes unfruitful."

These are the entanglements, the encumbrances that prevent us from serving the one who has chosen us to be soldiers in His army.

What Pleases the Master?

What pleases Him who has chosen us to be soldiers? It is not coming before the Lord and smiling at Him. For a soldier, that does not please the captain who put him on the battlefield. We must know why we are in the army of the Lord.

Being strong, being prepared—these are important. But that is not the end of the story. We must ask: What pleases the one who died for the whole world? What pleases Him who gave His life that everyone might be saved? Am I doing that work? Am I in that ministry? Am I pleasing the Lord by bringing sinners out of their darkness, out of their dungeon, out of evil and leading them to the Lord?

The Master said: "Other sheep I have which are not of this fold. Them I must bring in." If we only concentrate on the sheep we already have and rearrange them—moving them from the front to the back—we accomplish no growth. The other sheep are not coming in. We must find out in our lives and in our ministries what pleases the Master.

Striving Lawfully for Mastery

In 2 Timothy 2:5, Paul continues:

"And if a man also strive for masteries, yet you see not crown except you strive lawfully."

Athletes of Paul's day prepared intensely for the Olympic games. They built themselves up through discipline and practice. But we do not simply copy their methods. The athlete's example is an illustration, not a blueprint. Rather, we ask: As they are faithful in their pursuit, what am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to prepare? How am I supposed to equip myself for the calling God has given me?

We must strive lawfully—according to God's design and purpose for our lives.

Number Two: Bonding with the Benefactor Before His Baptism from God

When we speak of baptism, we mean immersion. In Acts 2, it is immersion in the Holy Spirit. But the fruit of the Spirit extends far beyond one dimension. The fruit of the Spirit is love. We can be immersed in love, baptized in love.

The fruit of the Spirit is joy and peace. We can be so aware and baptized in the joy of the Lord, and the joy of the Lord is our strength. We can be so baptized and immersed in the peace of the Lord that within us and around us, we are immersed in His peace.

Many say, "I am baptized in the Holy Ghost"—and that is wonderful. But then we ask: Why are you not baptized in love, immersed in love? Why are you not baptized in joy, immersed in joy? Why are you not baptized in peace?

When we are baptized in water by immersion, the water is inside us, the water is around us, and the water refreshes us on the inside and the outside. The baptism we speak of here is not a limited baptism. It is the baptism of power, the baptism of love, the baptism of the peace of God, and the baptism in the gifts and graces of the Spirit of God.

The Temptation to Hold Back

When Elisha was about to receive his full calling, the sons of the prophets at Bethel came to him and said:

"Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head today?"

When one person says this, it is strong enough to hold a man back. When many voices chorus the same message, it becomes even more powerful. The fifty sons of the prophets said together: "Do you not understand what is about to happen to Elijah?"

But Elisha answered: "You think I don't know? I know it. Hold your peace."

There are times when we talk too much, when we try to convince others that we know, that we are not an ignorant follower. In doing this, we delay the very work God is calling us to. Elijah was not going to wait while Elisha defended himself. Elijah was moving on. So Elisha said: "Hold your peace."

What the Sons of the Prophets Had

The sons of the prophets were not insignificant people. They were students in the school of the prophets, learning the prophetic ministry. They studied how prophets act, how prophets minister, what prophets do. Yet despite their knowledge and study, they never came to the execution and fulfillment of that knowledge. They had the knowledge, but they lacked the mind, the decision, the will to follow through with the prophetic ministry they were preparing for.

Even now, some study prophecy deeply—the times and seasons, the signs of Christ's return. They know when He will come. But they do not study how to prepare for His coming. They acquire knowledge of prophetic eschatology, but lack the knowledge of being ready for His appearing.

The sons of the prophets stood apart, watching events unfold, but they were not the ones advancing the kingdom. They were spectators, not participants.

Overcoming the Voices That Hold You Back

Whatever temptation comes your way—whatever voice tells you to stay back, that you have done enough, that you should not go further—you must overcome it. These voices may come from social media, from your local assembly, from well-meaning people. But you must know: I must overcome. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors.

You will be more than a conqueror in Jesus' name. You will overcome.

Bridle Your Tongue

There are moments when someone may approach you with great urgency: "Brother, pastor, I have been looking for a chance to see you." And you must answer: "I am sorry, I cannot talk now. There is a burden inside me. I need to go home. They have closed the meeting, but I have not closed my session of prayer. I need to get home and pray it through."

When they press: "Please, please, I need your attention now," you must bridle their tongue. Because this is a moment for you that will never come again.

Proverbs 10:19 teaches us:

"In the multitudes of words, there wanted not sin. But he that refraineth his lips is wise."

In the multitude of words, sin flourishes. Not always grievous sin, but the sin of talkativeness—the sin of revealing secrets, of speaking about things that should be held in your heart, of allowing the power of God to leak away from your life through endless conversation.

Be wise. Do not answer every question. Do not explain yourself to every curious person. When they ask where you are going or what you are doing, do not feel compelled to report. I will be wise today. Ask yourself: Are you going to help me increase in power, in anointing? What are you after? What are you up to? If the answer is no, then hold your peace. Your future achievements will speak louder than your present explanations.

Number Three: Blessings for Beneficiaries Beyond His Borders Through God

When you look at Elisha, his ministry went far beyond the borders of Israel. It exceeded the perimeter that contained Elijah. The touch of Elisha was felt everywhere in the entire land.

When Elijah was alive, all Elisha did was pour water on Elijah's hands. Some might say: "What you could not do when Elijah was alive, when you were side by side with him, how do you think you can do it now that Elijah is gone?"

But that reasoning misses the point. That is our calling. What we do, what we accomplish—these things will come.

Miracles of Provision and Healing

Consider the widow with the pot of oil. Her creditors had come to take her children into slavery. She had nothing except one small pot of oil. Elisha asked: "What do you have at home?"

She answered: "I don't have anything except a pot of oil."

Elisha instructed her: "Go borrow empty vessels—not a few. Lock your door and begin to pour. Fill one, and move to the next. This one is full, that one is filled up, this one is overflowing."

When she ran out of vessels, the oil stopped flowing. He told her: "Go sell the oil and pay all your debts. Then eat and feed your family from what remains." All her debts were paid, and she was sustained.

Naaman's Cleansing

A man named Naaman, a commander from Syria—beyond the borders of Israel—came seeking healing from leprosy. "My lord, if you go to the prophet in Samaria, he will cure you of your leprosy."

When Naaman arrived, Elisha sent a messenger with instructions: "Go dip yourself seven times in the Jordan River, and your flesh will be restored."

After initial resistance and argument, Naaman obeyed. He dipped himself one, two, three, four, five, six, seven times. And his flesh came back, fresh as a child's. The leprosy was gone.

But when Gehazi, Elisha's servant, saw this and thought of the reward Naaman had offered, he ran after him in secret. "Where are you coming from?" Elisha asked his servant.

Gehazi lied: "Your servant did not go anywhere."

But Elisha replied: "Did I not see you in my spirit when that man turned from his chariot to meet you? This is no time for acquiring personal possessions and wealth. Because you have acted in greed, the leprosy of Naaman will come upon you." And Gehazi went out white as snow with leprosy.

Divine Intelligence and Spiritual Warfare

When the Assyrians waged war against Israel, they could not understand how their military strategies kept failing. Every plan they made in secret was being reported to the king in Samaria. "Who is the traitor?" they demanded.

One of their officers answered: "No one, my lord. There is a prophet in Israel, Elisha, who hears even the words spoken in your bedroom. Everything you say, he hears and tells the king of Israel."

So powerful was Elisha's spiritual sensitivity that he could perceive the enemy's counsel and report it to defend his nation. His ministry extended to protecting his people through divine intelligence.

Victory Over Famine

During a terrible famine in the land—so severe that people were even cooking their own children—the king blamed Elisha for the calamity and sought to kill him. But Elisha, sitting in his house with the elders, remained calm and declared:

"Hear ye the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria."

A man on whom the king leaned said: "If God would open the windows of heaven, might that be?" And Elisha replied: "You will see it with your eyes, but you will not eat thereof."

And it came to pass exactly as Elisha had spoken. The famine ended, the price of grain plummeted, and abundance returned—though the doubter did not live to eat of it.

Ministry That Transcends Death

Eventually, Elisha departed this life not by rapture, as Elijah had, but by the common path all mortals walk. Yet his ministry did not end with his death.

On his deathbed, the king came to him and wept, saying: "My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof."

Elisha asked the king to open the window and shoot arrows, saying: "Shoot!" The king shot three arrows and stopped.

Elisha said to him: "Why did you stop? You should have struck the ground five or six times. Then you would have completely defeated the Syrians. But now you will strike them only three times."

After Elisha's death and burial, something remarkable occurred. A group of people was taking a dead man to the grave when they saw a band of armed men approaching. In haste, they dropped the dead body into the nearest open sepulcher—which happened to be Elisha's grave.

When that dead body touched the bones of Elisha, something extraordinary happened: the man came back to life and stood on his feet.

The ministry of Elisha went beyond his very life. Even in death, his power continued. The touch of his mortal remains brought resurrection to the dead.

Now It Is Your Turn

The Moment of Your Calling

We have spoken much about Elisha. Now we must talk about you. Your moment has come. Christ has been working toward this very moment. He will baptize you in His love, in His power, in His anointing.

I know this because you are here today. And you are not here by accident. God ordained that you would be here at this very time. He knew what you would hear. He knew what He would plant in your heart. He knew the desire that would rise within you. And He is here to make it happen—in your life, in your ministry.

A New Level Has Come

A new level has now come upon you. A new anointing has now come. A new power has now come. Let no voice hinder you. This is your moment of receiving.

Rise up and tell the Lord: Boundless blessings in my ministry. Boundless blessings in my ministry. Breathless blessings even beyond the earthly life.

Open your mouth and declare to the Lord: Don't let anything stop me. Don't let any thought stop me. Don't let any idea stop me. Don't let my past stop me. Your present and your future will be greater, will be higher than anything you ever saw in the past.

It is a new anointing. It is a fresh anointing. It is a heavenly anointing coming upon your life and coming upon your head today.

From Obscurity to Purpose

When Elisha led the yoke of oxen, he never knew what lay ahead. But as he followed on, a new ministry came—a ministry far beyond his previous imagining.

Today is your day. Burn the bridge behind. Break the bridge that would draw you to future entanglements. Break down the barriers that caught others from fruitful ministry. Nothing will hinder you—and do not hinder yourself.

Let nothing stand between you and Christ. Nothing between you and the baptizer. Nothing between you and your benefactor. The Lord is for you as you are for the Lord. You will exceed limits in Jesus' name.

The Mantle Without Feeling

When that mantle fell upon Elisha, he did not feel any emotion. It was not based on how he felt or his emotional state. Elisha did not hear any audible voice. Elisha did not see any painted vision on a canvas. Yet he knew: My mantle has come.

Feel it or don't feel it. Heat or cold. The urge to cry, to smile, to laugh—whatever the feeling—understand this: without any spoken voice, your mantle has come upon you.

It is not the feeling that matters. It is the action. It is what you do after this mantle. Elisha divided the Jordan River. It was what he did that revealed he had received the spirit. It was his demonstration of power, his execution of ministry, his irresistible anointing.

Quality and Quantity

Your mantle comes with quality. It comes with quantity. It comes with power—irresistible power. Show the world not through feeling, but through doing. Through demonstration. Through the works that follow.

The Prayer of Impartation

Father in the mighty name of Jesus, we acknowledge that we are not accidents. My brother, my sister, you are not an accident. You are here at this time for good purpose. You are here because open heavens are now shining and smiling upon you.

Your past is gone—good past and bad past alike, placed in the hands of the Lord. You will come out a new creature. A new minister. A new man. A new woman. With a new anointing upon your life now in Jesus' name.

Block out the thoughts of the past. Remember: They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They will mount up with wings as eagles. You will run, and you will not be weary. You will walk and you will not faint.

Because the God of heaven now brings new power, new anointing upon your life. Go and do what you were ordained to do.

Lord, I pray the mantle of power, the mantle of anointing, the mantle of signs and wonders, and the mantle of preaching and proclaiming the word with power come upon everyone now in Jesus' name.

Through you many souls will come into the kingdom. Through you many hopeless lives will become hopeful. Through you the work of God will be done and will go further in your borders here and beyond your borders in Jesus' name.

Irresistible power. Irrefutable power. Come upon everyone now.

Whether we feel it or not, Lord, I pray the faith to know that we have received what you gave. Let that faith be in every heart right now. We are going out to do what you have newly appointed and ordained for us to do. We will see new things we have never seen. We will do new things we have never done. We will go to new places we have never gone.

Every brother, every sister—confirmation in your life. Demonstration in your life. Lord, manifest yourself beyond our previous limits. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.