Untitled - St.Francis Magazine

St Francis Magazine Vol 8, No 2 | April 2012 Elijah had confidence in the voice of God; he trusted God’s Word and therefore obeyed explicitly and immediately. This becomes a hallmark of Elijah’s journey: God speaks and Elijah obeys, even when the command seems a little irrational. 7 Longevity in service, particularly in the context of challenge and crisis, has to be founded on sound doctrine. In order to go well and last long in ministry we must cultivate utmost confidence in God’s Word. By that I mean we recognize the Scriptures as the inerrant and infallible Word of God, and in so doing, it becomes the basis for our security and fulfillment in service. Our security comes not from living with a healthy bank account in a guarded community, but in trusting in the promises of God’s Word. And our fulfillment comes not from seeing the fruit of our labors, or receiving the affirmation of supporters, but from simply obeying the commands of Scripture. I believe that this is what Jesus had in mind when he spoke about building our lives on a solid foundation. 8 A life that does not crumble when the world shakes is a life that has the highest regard for the Word of God. We see this in the life of Elijah and we see this in the pages of countless biographies of those who have blazed the trail in cross-­‐cultural Christian service since the birth of the modern mission movement. I wonder whether in some respects our view of Scripture has changed over recent generations. I wonder whether the Bible has become our pick-­‐me-­‐up, a book we read to lift our spirits, rather than the inerrant Word of God that is meant to galvanize our convictions. If I am correct, then perhaps one of the major causes of mission attrition in this generation can be traced back to a devaluing of our utter confidence and dependence in the Word of God. 7 1 Kings 17:3-­‐108 Matthew 7:24-­‐25127