Scripture Reference: 2 Kings 4: 1Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha,
“Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord, but the creditor has come to take my two children to be his
slaves.” 2 And
Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me; what have you in the
house?” And she said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of
oil.” 3 Then
he said, “Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and
not too few. 4 Then
go in and shut the door behind yourself and your sons and pour into all these
vessels. And when one is full, set it aside.” 5 So she went from him and shut the door behind
herself and her sons. And as she poured they brought the vessels to her.
6 When the vessels were
full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her,
“There is not another.” Then the oil stopped flowing. 7 She came and told the man of
God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons
can live on the rest.”
Quotes About Working together:
"Alone we can do so
little; together we can do so much." -Helen Keller
"Teamwork It is the fuel
that allows common people to attain uncommon results." - Andrew Carnegie
Objective: Christians should work together in life and ministry because we need one another and we can achieve more united than we can divided.
Summary: In the aforementioned scripture reading a widow came to Elisha and asked for assistance. Elisha responded to her with a plan that required teamwork. First he himself worked with the woman as she "cried to Elisha" and shared her story with the prophet. Elisha took time to listen and respond to the woman. The blessing of being united in the church universal is that we are able to cry to our brothers and sisters in the church when we go through whatever we go through. Not only did Elisha talk to the woman but he willingly helped her to process how she could solve her problem. Beloved its more than just being present with people when they struggle but he actually asked "What Shall I do for you?" Some of us are so quick to dismiss people that we miss out on opportunities to minister and witness the work of the spirit. Elisha helped the woman to understand that all was not lost. How many times have we looked at our situation and quote the woman in this story by saying "I have nothing..." It doesn't matter how broken we may be- we have something that we can use. Once the woman informed Elisha that she had oil he told her to get her greater community involved in her victory by borrowing "empty vessels and not too few." Too often many of us let our pride hinder us from the victory that God is trying to give us. You must not allow pride to block your blessing; if God tells you to ask for help then ask for help. Conversly, if you have the opportunity to loan or give something to a hurting brother or sister you must do it. Remember, it is more blessed to give than it is to receive. After the woman prepared her business Elisha gave her a simple encouraging phrase- "Go Sell!" Sometimes that's all someone needs is a few words to push them out of their comfort zone in order to follow the steps that God has before them. Let us work well with one another. Let us cry together, help one another process/plan our work, and let us encourage one another. You can do it; we can help! Be Blessed, Rev. Derek A. Terry
Closing Mediation:
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