The double spirit of Elijah.
I've heard a good deal about Elijah's spirit and Elijah's mantle lately. OK, if you don't know what I am talking about. Elijah was the prophet of God during the time of king Ahab. Elijah performed many great miracles in order to point the people back to God. In the end Elijah didn't die, but was taken up into heaven. Elisha was his student and shortly before Elijah was taken up into heaven, Elijah gave his stole or mantle (which is the scarf that the prophets and priests wore draped over their shoulders) to Elisha, symbolising the passing on of God's ministry through Elijah and now Elisha, then he asked Elisha, “what can I give you?” and Elisha says “a double portion of your spirit”. It was granted to him, but what exactly does that mean?
Fast forward to today, and many claim to have this double portion for themselves and others claim that certain people, by doing certain things or praying certain ways can have the double portion of the Holy Spirit. Let's take a step back for a moment. Yes, it is true that Elijah asked for and received a double portion of Elisha's spirit and was given Elijah's mantle. While this is the case we have no reason to believe that this is offered to anyone else (save for one other person, which I'll get to in a moment). No where in the Bible are we told that anyone can have the same double portion as Elijah received. In fact, we are told in 1 Corinthians 11 that there is one spirit and HE gives spiritual gifts and these gifts are for the good of the entire body and they work together, under Christ the head of the body, and “in all of them and in everyone is the same God at work.” This body works together, and the only head of this body is Jesus Christ, all other parts under Christ as the head work together, under the same spirit, by the same God for the same purpose. Elijah's gift to Elisha, as with everything Elijah did, was not from him but from God and it was an incredible gift given through grace, not through anything Elisha did other than his faith in God. If a double portion was something we could or should work to receive Scripture would tell us so and we would be told the formula for receiving that double portion. This is not the case. We are told simply that we will receive the helper, the teacher, the Holy Spirit. We are told there is only one Holy Spirit and only through Him do we receive the anointing.
But here are the steps we take that are steps too far with the story of Elisha and Elijah. “You can receive a double portion of the anointing if you...(insert tithe, speak positively, go to the right Church, follow the right pastor, read the right book, go to the right conference)”. “Your pastor has a double portion therefore he deserves a double portion of honour and compensation” (As Elisha refused to take any compensation as his word was from God 2 Kings 5). “Your pastor has a double portion of the anointing therefore he is your spiritual father as Elijah was to Elisha.” (Jesus said call no one father for now you have only one father God [Matthew 23:9]). “The mantle of Elijah is a mantle of authority” (The mantle often symbolised a yoke of servant hood and symbolised that they were under the authority of God, it was a prophetic mantle and a miraculous mantle, but neither Elisha nor Elijah took any kind of authoritative role). “The mantle is an example of spiritual covering, Elisha was spiritual sustained and protected because he was under Elijah's spiritual protection”. OK, so none of those assumptions are stated plainly in Scripture.
In fact, when we hear about someone receiving a double portion in the new testament it is in reference to the Apostate Church in Revelation 18. She receives, because of her sin, a double portion of wrath. The sin specifically mentioned against the Apostate Church was that “She glorified herself and lived in luxury” (Rev. 18:7).
Here is what these assumptions about Elijah's mantle and spirit do. They create a class system in the Church; a Spiritual hierarchy that comes, not from God but, from man. If we take the leap and say that a double portion of the anointing equals a double portion of authority then we do, what the church does often as we assume that someone who is able to get large amounts of people to follow them as an authority must then be a man with a double portion, therefore we must follow them as well. We then make leaps like, if they have a double portion then I will find my spiritual covering and protection in them. If they have a double portion then I will honour them and they will be my father and they will be the head of the Church. If they have a double portion then they should become the visionary leader for my Church and my life. If they have a double portion I will follow them and receive a double portion through them.
So here's what happens. The double portioned leader becomes our “spiritual” father (Our only father is to be God according to Matthew 23). The double portioned leader becomes the object of our glory and honour (Romans 11 reminds us that all things are from him, through him, and for him). The double portioned leader becomes the visionary head of the Church and the Church is to serve his vision (Col. 1:18 says Jesus Christ is the only head of the Church). The double portioned leader provides spiritual covering through his mantle, therefore if you stop following that leader you then go without spiritual covering (John 17:12, Jesus is our protector). Because your leader is given a double portion of the Spirit, if you are aligned rightly with him, there will be a trickle down effect, and you will receive the Spiritual overflow. Now, these things are statements we now hear often, but they are not only false but they are dangerous.
God is our only father. Jesus is the only head of the Church. The Bible is God breathed and is sufficient for all that we do as a Church, therefore God has given us (all believers) the vision for the Church. All believers receive the Holy Spirit, are led by the Spirit, taught by the Spirit, and given gifts and tasks in the ministry of God by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit comes from God. To God all glory and honour are reserved. It is under God's wings we are covered and protected and this covering will stay with us through our relationship with him and his grace for us no matter what Church we attend. All that is good and that comes from God is given to us through Jesus Christ by grace through faith. It comes directly from him our high priest, not from men.
So what is Elijah's spirit. Everything Elijah did was by the command of God and for the glory of God. Elijah took no official office and demanded no honour or obedience from men. He simply shared what God told him. He demanded no love offerings but rather lived off the provision of God. He expected no favour among men, but rather spoke words of truth that men hated. Elijah prophesied the truth and only the truth. Everything he prophesied came true as per Deuteronomy 18, marking him as a true prophet.
There are two people in the Bible who had the “Spirit of Elijah”. Elisha and John the Baptist.
And in order to see what this spirit does in a person, this spirit that so many claim and desire. Some people even advertise that they claim to have the Spirit of Elijah. But in looking at those who really had the Spirit of Elijah I would be so bold as to say that many claiming such a spirit are very different from these two.
Elisha, in 2 Kings 5 is visited by a general of an opposing army, the Syrian army. The general has leprosy and is referred to Elisha by a young Hebrew girl he had kidnapped to work in his household. Elisha, sent his servant to tell Naaman to go wash seven times in the Jordan river (this alone made Naaman mad but he relented and listened). After he did so, Naaman's skin was cured. Naaman went to Elisha and offered him thanks and payment. Now it would have been a massive payment given the position of this man. But Elisha refused to accept it and instead he called Naaman to follow God. Elisha refused to take credit for what God had done. In doing so, Naaman came to faith in God, even declaring that he would worship no other God. Elisha had the Spirit of Elijah and he had the chance to become great and rich, to take credit for this thing that God had done, but his goal, as with the Spirit of Elijah was NOT self promotion but God promotion.
John the Baptist had followers before Jesus had followers. People came to hear him speak. John lived in the desert and wore camels hair. Now this is mentioned is Matthew 3:4 and it sounds a bit strange, but this is mentioned to show that John, despite his place in the kingdom and despite his prominence among the people, lived poor without self promotion. When Jesus was ministering John's disciples came to him and asked what he thought of Jesus because Jesus was baptising like John did, but John's response in John 3 was to say “he must increase and I must decrease”. John died in Harods prison. He was decapitated upon the request of Harod's wife. Jesus had raised many from the dead, but not John. In fact, Jesus said, while John was still living, that even the “least of those in the Kingdom of heaven will be greater than John.” John pointed to Jesus not to himself. John was there to testify to the power of God not to his own power.
This is what it means to have the Spirit of Elijah. The two men who we know had this Spirit did not add anything to the Word of God. They did not take for themselves credit, wealth, or fame. They did not demand the obedience of their followers to them, but rather to God and God's word. They released those to followed them to following God. They didn't claim to have sole access to God, but rather showed others how to have access to God.
This speaks to Godly leadership in the Church. Who is the head of Elisha? Who is the head of John the Baptist? Who is the head of the Church? It is Christ. What was the vision for Elisha and John the Baptist? Did it comes from their great understanding of the world or their high position? No, it came from the word of God, the same word that all who can read and understand have access to.
The true spirit of Elijah existed for the sake of pointing people to Christ as it was manifest in John the Baptist. It was not about raising up pastors, or giving protection, it was simply gearing the world for that moment when John the baptist proclaimed “behold the lamb of God who comes to take away the sins of the world.”
There is a charge here, a call to a new way of thinking, that we stop looking for anointed leaders and we start focusing on how God has anointed us as a priesthood of believers and giving us a spiritual anointing and gifting in order to serve him. A call that we focus less on being followers of preachers and pastors and that each one of us would see in ourselves the call to “make disciples” that we each would find a way to preach the Gospel. That we would stop lifting up some parts of the body as celebrities and that we would start seeing that God has called each one of us to glorify him. That we would spend less time reading what other people think about God and more time reading what God actually said. That we would spend less time reading, watching, and listening to stories about what great things that some other Christians have done and start to see that God has called you and equipped you to do great things for him as well.
But take this lesson from the Spirit of Elijah, from the actions of John and Elisha, that whatever you do, do it for the for and not for men and give it all you have been given (Col. 3:23) for it is from him and for him and through him and to him belongs the glory.