Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. (James 5:17-18 ESV)
James tells us that Elijah's prayers are a pattern for our own. Eliajh's prayers opened and closed the heavens; an authority that is now invested with the church [Matthew 18:18].
The results of Elijah's prayers are telling. There was a response both from heaven and the earth. Heaven gave forth its rain, and the earth brought forth its fruit. The Greek word used for fruit is "karpos" which can also be translated as "harvest". Elijah prayed for the rain from heaven and the harvest from the earth.
The response in the natural realm to Elijah's prayers, are a pattern for the response in the spiritual realm to the prayers of the church. We are those with authority from God to pray down the refreshing rain of the Holy Spirit from heaven, and pray forth the harvest of souls from the earth.
Ask rain from the LORD at the time of the spring rain (Zechariah 10:1 NASB)
Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9:38 ESV)
2 comments:
Praise YahwehShua! Shalom!
Woe unto you scribes and pharisees, hypocrites, you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men. For you neither go in yourselves, neither suffer them that are entering to go in.
You are right, the church can open heaven, but how often does it shut heaven with the locked door of tradition I wonder.
The scribes and pharisees were simply the church of Jesus's day.
Post a Comment