And here some time ago, I was reading an article where there was a home, and five boys was borned in this home. And as soon as their oldest one got old enough to go to the Navy, off to the Navy he went. The second one followed, the next one, until all the whole five went away to the Navy. And there was no Marines or Navy men in their family. The mother and father couldn’t understand just why these people, these boys, every one wanted to go to the Navy.
There was a–a real fine combing investigation made of this. And come to find out, in the bedroom where these boys all was brought up, in this bedroom there’s a beautiful big picture hanging there of a big ship sailing on a quiet, calm sea. And it so impressed the boys as they went to bed at night, looking at this picture. It was on their mind to sail that quiet soothing sea. And along the morning when they arose, the first thing they could look at was that ship making her way through the quiet, calm sea. And it impressed the boys so, that each one become a sailor.
Now, if a picture of a ship will impress boys to become Navy men, sailors of the sea, what ought the picture of the Lord Jesus Christ do? See? Always have the right thing before your children. “Bring up a child in the way that it should go.” See? Bring it up and teach it right. It’ll certainly, won’t depart from it.
Now, Elijah was a–Elijah was a stern man and very bold, and he was set in here for an example. God placed him here to show His Divine judgment through this man. And Elijah, his successor, was a young fellow and not too old, probably in his forties or something, when God called him. And he received a double portion of the Spirit of God that was upon Elijah, come upon Elisha. Oh, what a type there that is of the Church. See, as Elijah the prophet was taken up and Elijah asked… Elisha asked Elijah, or vice versa it was, Elijah asked Elisha, “What will you that I do for you?”
And watch. He asked a great thing: “That a double portion of your Spirit come upon me.”
Now, the Bible wants us to ask for big things, not to be satisfied, “Lord, yeah, I belong to church now. That’s enough.” No, that’s not enough for me. I want to do something else. I want great things. “Well, Lord, by His grace, I claim a million souls for Christ in my own individual ministry, a million souls or better.” I’m not satisfied with that. I want two or three million souls for Christ. Just got to keep going as long as I got breath and energy to move, I just want to keep on going. Because this is the only time I’m going to be able to do that. Right now (See?), right now. And this may be your last time that you’ll have the opportunity to do it.
Elisha The Prophet
Chicago, IL
56-1002E