There were four stages to Elisha entering into and taking on the mantle of Elijah. Today we will focus on the first phase – the phase of Gilgal.
“And it came to pass, when the Lord was about to take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha to Gilgal.” 2 Kings 2: 1
Gilgal literally means “rolling away the reproach”. Gilgal Is representative of embracing the “cross life”. It is the life of receiving forgiveness, denying self and following not our own ways. but rather the ways of the Lord. We can see through the lives of Elijah and Elisha, that there needed to be a letting go of things past in order to open the way for a new beginning. It certainly takes an attitude of courage and perseverance to embrace this rolling away phase.
What do you need to roll away today? What do we as a body need to roll away in order to herald in the new day that the Lord has made? Is It disappointment, fear, failure, a broken relationship? Whatever it is, there Is hope! As you roll away the reproach, the doors for new things will open.
“Then the LORD said to Joshua, “This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” Therefore the name of the place is called Gilgal to this day.” Joshua 5: 9
At the strategic meeting last week the eldership took a resolution to close the door on yesterday, to roll away the reproach. This truly is a new beginning and as Elijah and Elisha moved on to the next phase of their journey together, the phase of Bethel (dreams and visions), we at King’s are doing the same.
You will notice in 2 Kings 2: 2 that Elisha stayed close to Elijah. “Then Elijah said to Elisha “Stay here, please for the Lord has sent me on to the Bethel.’ But Elisha said ‘As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!’ So they went down to Bethel.”
In order to build the momentum in this new day, and to develop our culture of staying close, we have resolved for 2010, that all the eldership and ministry team will be involved in Connect Groups and we would encourage you to also “get connected.”
It is exciting to know that, as the Lord lives, the best is yet to come!
