Title: Passing the Torch
12nd Annual All-Church Picnic and Chili
Cook-Off!!! July 15, 10am3 pm at Central Park
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5- We are bearers of the torch.
6- We are keepers of the flame.
7 8- What is at risk? The next generation.
9- Will somebody guard the flame?
10- Will somebody pass the torch?
11Receiving Giving a Spiritual Legacy
12Receiving Giving a Spiritual Legacy
- People who have passed the torch of faith on to
me
13Receiving Giving a Spiritual Legacy
- People to whom God wants me to pass the flame
14Observations from the Experience of Elijah and
Elisha
15- The Lord said to him (Elijah), Go back the way
you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When
you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram.
Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel,
and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel
Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 1 Kings
1915-16 (NIV)
16Observations from the Experience of Elijah and
Elisha
- To pass the torch we need a bold and humble
heart
17- So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of
Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen,
and he himself was driving the twelfth pair.
Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around
him. Elisha then left his oxen and ran after
Elijah. Let me kiss my father and mother
good-by, he said, and then I will come with
you. Go back, Elijah replied. What have I
done to you? So Elisha left him and went back.
He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He
burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and
gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set
out to follow Elijah and became his attendant. 1
Kings 1919-21 (NIV)
18Observations from the Experience of Elijah and
Elisha
- To receive the torch we need to take risks and
count the cost
19- When volunteers are asked how they happened to
get involved in their particular activity, the
most common answer is, Somebody asked me.
Conversely, when people are asked why they did
not volunteer or donate, they say, Nobody
asked. Robert
Putnam, Bowling Alone
20Observations from the Experience of Elijah and
Elisha
- To pass the torch we need to invite but not
manipulate
21- Never insult anybody by asking them to do an
easy job. Max DePree
22Observations from the Experience of Elijah and
Elisha
- To receive the torch we need to have the heart
of a volunteer
23- The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down
my life only to take it up again. No one takes
it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I
have authority to lay it down and authority to
take it up again. This command I received from my
Father. John 1017-18
24Observations from the Experience of Elijah and
Elisha
- To pass AND receive the torch we need to
celebrate
25Observations from the Experience of Elijah and
Elisha
- To pass the torch we need to invest our lives
26Observations from the Experience of Elijah and
Elisha
- To receive the torch we need to have a
teachable spirit
27- When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to
heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on
their way from Gilgal. 2 Kings 21
28MAP OF ELISHAS JOURNEY
29Observations from the Experience of Elijah and
Elisha
- To pass AND receive the torch we need to
develop unshakable loyalty
30- Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken
from you? 2 Kings 29
31- Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit
2 Kings 29
32- You have asked a difficult thing yet if you see
me when I am taken from you, it will be
yoursotherwise not. 2 Kings 210
33- As they were walking along and talking together,
suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire
appeared and separated the two of them, and
Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 2 Kings
211
34- Elisha saw this and cried out, My father! My
father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!
And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of
his own clothes and tore them apart. 2 Kings
212
35- picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah
and went back and stood on the bank of the
Jordan. Then he took the cloak that had fallen
from him and struck the water with it. Where now
is the LORD, the God of Elijah? he asked. When
he struck the water, it divided to the right and
the left, and he crossed over. 2 Kings 213-14
36- Think about those who have passed the torch of
faith to you. - Think also of those to whom you have passed the
flame. - Thank God for the torch-bearing ministry that is
given to every follower of Christ. - Every follower of Christ is where he or she is
because somebody passed on the torch of faith.
Not a single generation has been skipped.
Thats why we are where we are today.
37Receiving the Torch
38Receiving the Torch
- Whom did God use to pass on the flame of faith to
me?
39Receiving the Torch
- Whom did God use to pass on the flame of faith to
me? - Who has prayed for me, loved me, and let their
light shine for me?
40Receiving the Torch
- Whom did God use to pass on the flame of faith to
me? - Who has prayed for me, loved me, and let their
light shine for me? - Who has been a torchbearer in my life?
41Receiving the Torch
- Whom did God use to pass on the flame of faith to
me? - Who has prayed for me, loved me, and let their
light shine for me? - Who has been a torchbearer in my life?
- How can I thank or bless those who have been used
to pass on the torch in my life?
42Passing the Torch
43Passing the Torch
- Do I have people in my life to whom I am passing
the torch?
44Passing the Torch
- Do I have people in my life to whom I am passing
the torch? - In whom am I investing myself?
45Passing the Torch
- Do I have people in my life to whom I am passing
the torch? - In whom am I investing myself?
- Am I keeping the flame bright in my life so that
the torch gets passed on to others?
46Passing the Torch
- Do I have people in my life to whom I am passing
the torch? - In whom am I investing myself?
- Am I keeping the flame bright in my life so that
the torch gets passed on to others? - Who are specific people whom God has placed in my
life so that I can pass the flame to them?
47Passing the Torch
- Do I have people in my life to whom I am passing
the torch? - In whom am I investing myself?
- Am I keeping the flame bright in my life so that
the torch gets passed on to others? - Who are specific people whom God has placed in my
life so that I can pass the flame to them? - What are some of the steps I can take to more
intentionally be a torchbearer in the lives of
others?
48- What could happen in your church if all those who
follow Jesus commit to passing the torch of faith
on to others?