Raise up, Pass on, Step aside!
“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.”1 Kings 19:19 NIV
I wonder whether sometimes I sound like a broken record (I don’t know what the 2020 equivalent is of this, can you sound like a ‘broken digital download’!), but I am as passionate about raising, encouraging and releasing young leaders as ever. We all know church is going to look a little bit different as we come out of lockdown, so surely this is an amazing opportunity to try new things and put the phenomenal young people we know at the very centre of our church plans.
I have been reflecting on the call of Elisha and how it reminded me of the importance of journeying with young people, leading them in high quality, consistent discipleship, exploring and encouraging their giftings and then giving them opportunities to serve, lead and create within the church. This is why I have called this blog ‘Raise up, Pass on, Step aside’ – because as church we need to identify young leaders, give them opportunities to learn and grow and then we (as older leaders) need to STEP ASIDE!
So this is what I have learnt from 1 Kings 19
– Elisha was found working in a field – the work ethic of young people is key, we want to encourage young people who are willing. I heard a preach last week where it was said the difference between being ‘called’ and ‘chosen’ is the willingness to say “YES”. If being a servant is such a key element of our faith we want to model this but also seek out those young people who naturally work hard at what they are called (and chosen) into. Think about all those people that God called, they all had hard working jobs; shepherds, fisherman, tent makers, even a carpenter! Elisha was found working hard on the land, being willing to get his hands dirty to provide. Maybe this is one of the reasons God called Elisha to follow Elijah – because he knew he would take it seriously, work hard and give it his all. I have seen young people not worry about status or being recognised, they simply want to serve and they are willing to work hard at their serving – these are the type people that God calls!
– I wonder whether Elisha tells us something about commitment too? At the end of 1 Kings 19 it says this – “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 servant.” Elisha was called, chosen and then utterly committed, he was saying he was ‘all in’. He didn’t sell all his possessions and put the money away in case the whole Elijah thing didn’t work out! No he slaughtered his yoke of oxen, burnt the plowing equipment, and then cooked the meat and gave the food away. This was 100% commitment, similar to the disciples leaving their fishing boats and following Jesus, similar to Mary pouring all the expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet, this is an ‘all in’ attitude. It is this attitude we should be seeking and encouraging in our young people. We live in such a ‘temporary’ world where we move on from things so quickly, but here Elisha is saying “No”, this is what I am called to do and I am all in!
– Elijah put his mantle onto Elisha – as a leader I want to affirm the leaders I walk with. It is so important that when we give young people opportunities to serve and lead we show publicly that we are fully behind them. Part of our discipleship role is to share our experiences, our wisdom, we need to affirm the unique talents and character of the young person, it is like we need to ‘pass on the power’. The ‘mantle’ was the distinctive clothing of a prophet, people recognised the authority and role of the prophet. It is essential that we pass on this authority and ‘power’. The prophet was Gods voice to people, they spoke on his behalf. I have to believe that God is calling, choosing and speaking through a whole bunch of young people. As an older leader I have to give them opportunities to speak and to make it clear that God can equally (and probably in greater ways) speak through them. When a young person does a preach in church do we think that it is just a ‘nice’ thing for the church to do or do we seriously consider the possibility that God is going to speak, loudly, powerfully and relevantly? If I ‘pass on’ the mantle of leadership then I also have to ‘pass on’ an openness that God WILL speak. I need to lead by example and ensure that the gifts and serving of young people are equally valid and equally used.
– Elijah gets taken away when Elisha is ready – I think this is one of the key parts of this calling, I, as an older leader (Elijah), need to get out of the way when the time is right. I mentor, I walk, I disciple, I teach, I encourage but also I need to be ready and willing to ‘step aside’. For Elisha to fully step into his own calling did Elijah need to be out of the picture? So maybe God sent the chariot of fire to ensure that Elisha grew into the leader God knew he would, without Elijah continuing to be there. Too often older leaders hold onto their role at the expense of the growth and freedom of the younger leader, I want to have the wisdom and humility to know when it is my time to ‘step aside’. But as I ‘step aside’ I can look on from a distance and see God work knowing that I still have a role in discipling the next generation of leaders.
– Even greater things… In 2 Kings 2:9 it says this – “When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.” I cannot emphasise this enough; we must want, and hope for, this current generation of young people to do truly amazing, world-changing, history-changing things for the kingdom. But more than that, we have to do all we can to ensure that they achieve more than we (older leaders like me) have achieved. So as I look at the success of Alpha, Soul Survivor, Limitless, Spring Harvest, New Wine, 267 and many others – I give thanks for all of them. But as I look forward I will do all I can to help the future eclipse all these phenomenal successes for the kingdom. I should be doing all I can to prepare the ground so that the young people I walk with now can inherit a ‘double portion’ for the kingdom. Imagine summer festivals that gathered 40,000 Christians and ran for 40 years, imagine an Alpha-type course that doubled the 24 million people, in 100 countries, who have heard about Jesus through Alpha. I long for the young people I serve to do better than me, to achieve more, to be more significant, to have a greater impact, to fulfil their calling in a deeper way and to enable more people to hear the good news, the full-life news, of Jesus Christ.
“The company of the prophets from Jericho, who were watching, said, “The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha.” And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.”
2 Kings 2:15 NIV
The ‘bowing down’ at the end of 1 Kings 19 was a sign that the people had recognised the power of God working in Elisha, just as God had worked in Elijah before. Would we, as older leaders, be willing to act in this way? Would we be willing to ‘bow down’, basically acknowledge, follow and affirm the power of God working in young people. This is truly significant and yes, challenging, but that is no reason to not be willing to do it. There is a group of people who in 1 Kings 19 are off trying to find Elijah, who had been taken to heaven in a chariot of fire! I do not want to be wasting my time looking, or doing something, that God has clearly said has passed. I want my eyes open to what God is doing now and I believe that He is raising up a generation of young leaders to lead. What I need to do is ‘raise up, pass on’ and then ‘step aside’!
Currently I am joyously investing in a whole bunch of phenomenal young people, including: Lauren, Sam, Hannah, Alex, Steven, Ollie, Katie, Joseph, Samuel, Ben, Elizabeth, Grace, Chris, Juliet, Sally and wonderfully, thankfully, many, many more.
When you see them, listen to them, follow them and if I am in the way you have my permission to send a chariot of fire to get me out the way!