Elisha: A True Follower

1 Kings 19:19-21 2 Kings 2:1-14; 3:11
According to a recent survey published in the British press - 72% of people in Britain are happy to call themselves Christians, 3% Muslim, less than 1% Jews, less than 1% Sikh, 13% atheists - plus about 15,000 Jedi Knights!
The most surprising statistic is the one about the number of Christians. For a nation that professes such a high ratio of Christians, we have contradictory statistics on crime, fraud, violence, sexual immorality and so on. It was the great Indian Apostle the Sadhu Sundar Singh who visited England many decades ago and was so disappointed. The ratio of Christians in those days was even higher and Sundar Singh expected to find a society reflecting that. He was deeply disappointed and returned to India as quickly as he could.
The problem is that while 72% of the population claim to be Christian, only 8% attend church regularly. And that 8% includes Anglicans and Methodists and URC etc.
The big question is: "Where are the other 64%?"
The truth is that while 72% may be believers, only 8% are followers. There is a world of difference between being a believer and being a follower of Jesus.
When Jesus gave us the great commission in Matthew 28, He told us to go into all the world and preach the gospel, making disciples of all nations. A disciple is a learner, an apprentice, one who follows. The Chinese house church leader Brother Yun visited England recently and Keith Rudman asked him this question - what is the difference between the church in China and the church in England. One of the things he said was that in England we have focused on trying to make believers out of people, whereas in China they make disciples, followers.I want to ask you the question today - are you a believer in Jesus or are you a follower of Jesus? Three things we can learn from the prophet Elisha about being a follower.

Elisha was Determined
There are always two great hindrances to following Christ - family and finances.
First of all finance. Elisha was determined. He was ploughing with 12 yoke of oxen. That means his estate was so large, he was so wealthy, that he had 12 ploughs working in his fields, each being drawn by a pair of oxen. And he himself was ploughing with the twelfth - he was strong and committed to the family business.
Yet he was determined - killed the oxen he was using (probably the best) and he burned the yoke. If ever there was a case of burning your bridges, this was it. He could have at least stored the yoke, something to fall back on, or passed it on for others to use. But he was so determined that he didn't just leave to follow - he actually destroyed the means of going back.
When Peter left his nets to follow Jesus, he didn't destroy them. Later on he went back to them when discouraged. Elisha was determined - he burned his bridges. It was all or nothing, no escape route, no safety net, no attraction. What Elisha was ensuring was that there would be nothing for him back there, he was cutting his links with his past. His wealth and strength were in the past but it held nothing for him.
We need to understand that it's not the lack of finances that hinders us from doing God's will but the lure of finances. Just as Paul wrote to Timothy, it's not money but the love of money that is the trap, the hindrance.
Brother Yun said that in China the Christians are persecuted and tortured for their faith, it is the cross they bear. In the latest issue of Christianity and Renewal the editor said pictures smuggled out of Christians being tortured in China were too disturbing and awful to publish.
In China, the persecution is a consequence of being a follower of Jesus, they can't escape it, but neither do they let it stop them from following.
Brother Yun said the cross we bear in the west is materialism. The lure of finances - the ever present need to earn a living, to provide a home, food, holidays, entertainment, luxuries, comforts - this is the cross we have to bear. We can't escape it, living in the west means you live in a materialistic society. But by the same token, we must not let the lure of finances deter us or hinder us from following Jesus. We need to be so careful to avoid the spiral of needing to earn more and more money to the detriment of our following Jesus. Yes you need to earn, you need to provide a roof and a meal to live in this society, but has the spirit of materialism entrapped you? Are there things you know God has called you to do, but you've shelved them. Are you a believer who has stopped following? You need to be determined.

If finance is one hindrance to being a follower, family is the second. Elisha went back to kiss his mother and father. We read in the gospels of a man that Jesus called to follow him, but the man asked if he could go first and bury his father. There is a subtle difference between going back to kiss your mum and dad and going back to bury them! The second man's parents were not yet dead, what he was saying was that he was not yet ready to leave all and follow Jesus, that he wanted first to do his own thing, to live his own life, to put his earthly commitments ahead of his heavenly ones. He was a believer, but not yet ready to make the sacrificial step to being a follower. Elisha on the other hand wanted no more than to go back and say cheerio, good bye!
Family can sometimes hinder us from being followers of Jesus. We ought always to respect our parents to honour our family and earthly ties, but never at the expense of following Jesus. Your mother and brothers are waiting for you they said to Jesus. Who are my mother and brothers he replied? You are! The ones who are following.
I knew a man once who was following Jesus until the day his wife gave him a stark ultimatum - it's me or God, take your pick. He chose his wife.
I went home to visit my parents just before going to Bible College. My parents were not yet Christians. One morning my Mum sat on the end of my bed and pleaded with me not to go, to forget about Bible College, to return home to England. I had to kiss my Mum and Dad goodbye. Many is the time I've heard of parents desperately trying to deter their children from following Christ, spouses desperately trying to talk their partners out of their new found faith. It takes courage, determination to follow Jesus in the face of such opposition.
Sometimes the greatest offence comes through those whom we love the most, the ones closest to us. We need to be determined. If you would be a follower of Jesus, you must be determined not to let family or finances distract you.

Elisha was Dedicated
Elisha was dedicated. From the time he was called to the time Elijah was taken up in the whirlwind was ten years. When he killed his oxen and burned the yoke, he didn't just step into a highly paid new job as prophet to Israel. He first went though ten years of moulding, accompanying Elijah, learning all he could. Being a follower of Jesus is not learned in the classroom nor is it imbibed from the pulpit on Sunday mornings. It is learned in the day to day daily grind of following Jesus, and following him in the context of hanging around with those from whom you can learn. The apostle Paul said be ye a follower of me even as I am of Christ.
No-one can force you to be a follower of Jesus, you have to have not just determination, but a dedication. Determination helps you break from the past, but dedication takes you forward into the future. Do we learn all we can from the older ones among us? It is easy to look at older followers of Christ and think they're old hat or old fashioned etc etc. But we have so much to learn from them. The gospel is more caught than taught. Are you dedicated? Are you hanging out with mature disciples, learning, letting your life be shaped and moulded.
I once spent three weeks with Bill Anstruther on a mission trip around Zimbabwe, sleeping in the same room, driving all day, listening and watching as he ministered up to five times a day. I saw him kneel by his bed in prayer every night. I learned more in those three weeks than in years anywhere else.
2 Kings 3:11 An interesting comment on young Elisha - he poured water on the hands of Elijah - he was a servant to him, performing menial tasks. No, you don't have to do that to me!! But who are you following?
If you would be a follower of Jesus, it will take dedication. Cell group? Shadow your leader. Follow your leader! Learn and grow. Do you have a teachable heart?

Elisha was Desperate
It seems strange to me that Elijah tried to put Elisha off at the most critical time in his life. The young man had followed him like a shadow for ten years, and suddenly on the day that they are to be parted, he tries to shake him off, put him off. But Elisha was desperate. I want the double portion, I want your anointing and not just your anointing but that which is allotted to the first born, the double portion. No way am I letting you out of my sight, not on your Nellie!! Why did Elijah do this? Was he really trying to get rid of Elisha? Or was he trying to fan into flame the call of God on his life, making sure he had that unique spark, that determination, that dedication and yes that desperation to go all the way, to become a true follower. It's sometimes hard to understand but God will test our love for Him. Will we really follow him unto the very end? Will we say like Job though he slay me yet will I serve him. Matt 15:21-28 Jesus marvelled at the faith of the Canaanite woman. What an insult Jesus handed out to her, basically calling her a dog. But instead of getting offended instead of going off and sulking, instead of saying forget it, I don't need you, her response was one of sublime faith. Even the dogs get to eat the crumbs that fall beneath the table. That's the kind of faith Elijah was looking for in Elisha. That's the kind of faith God is looking for in you. Are you desperate enough, do you love him enough to follow even in the face of snub and offence and insult. Or is your pride rattled.

Elisha was determined enough, dedicated enough, desperate enough to be there when Elijah was taken up into heaven and consequently the double portion was his. If you are determined enough, dedicated enough, desperate enough you will see the risen and ascended Christ and the double portion will be yours. Will you be a follower of Jesus?