“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. John 14:12

Greater Week 1 Notes
(for men only)

John 14:12
12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

Have you ever felt called to something Greater?

1 Kings 19:15-21
15 The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel — all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.”
19 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. 20 Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother good-by,” he said, “and then I will come with you.”
“Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?”
21 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 attendant. (NIV)

Do you ever feel like there is something holding you back from pursing God’s design for something Greater in your life?

If yes, what is holding you back?

How does Elisha burning his plows illustrate what must be done in our lives if we truly want to see greater things.

“Surrender” the tools of the old way of life

“Sacrifice” control over my life

Are you ready to Surrender? Are you able to Sacrifice?

Many of us don’t go after greater things because we feel unqualified to start with.

Do you struggle with feelings of self-condemnation?

Where do feelings of self-condemnation come from?

How do these feelings keep us from doing greater things?

If we will overcome our fears of losing something, God can give us something greater than what we were afraid of losing (Atari or Nintendo story in video)

Spiritual Hearing Test
- When was the last time God told you to encourage somebody and you did?

- When was the last time God showed you a trouble spot in a relationship where you weren’t necessarily wrong but you went to that person and tried to make it right?

- When was the last time God showed you something you were doing that wasn’t necessarily bad, but it wasn’t what he wanted for your life, and you stopped it just because He said so?

- When was the last time God told you to stop committing a certain sin and you gave it all you had in trying to quit?

- When was the last time God told you to take a bold risk for Him and you took the risk?

So How is your hearing?
____ Very Good!
____ Good
____ Below average
____ Practically deaf!

Before Elisha could follow Elijah, he had to burn his plows or he might have been tempted to go back when times got hard.

What are the plows in your life that need to be burned for you to move into your greater destiny?

Plan your plow burning ceremony, then do it!

Greater: Faith is Action from Elevation Church on Vimeo.

WRESTLING JACOB
by: Charles Wesley (1707-1788)

OME, O Thou Traveller unknown,
Whom still I hold, but cannot see,
My company before is gone,
And I am left alone with Thee.
With Thee all night I mean to stay,
And wrestle till the break of day.

I need not tell Thee who I am,
My misery, or sin declare,
Thyself hast call’d me by my name,
Look on thy hands, and read it there,
But who, I ask Thee, who art Thou?
Tell me thy name, and tell me now.

In vain Thou strugglest to get free,
I never will unloose my hold:
Art Thou the Man that died for me?
The secret of thy love unfold;
Wrestling I will not let Thee go,
Till I thy name, thy nature know.

‘Tis all in vain to hold thy tongue,
Or touch the hollow of my thigh:
Though every sinew be unstrung,
Out of my arms Thou shalt not fly;
Wrestling I will not let Thee go,
Till I thy name, thy nature know.

My strength is gone, my nature dies,
I sink beneath thy weighty hand,
Faint to revive, and fall to rise;
I fall, and yet by faith I stand,
I stand, and will not let Thee go,
Till I thy name, thy nature know.

Yield to me now–for I am weak;
But confident in self-despair:
Speak to my heart, in blessings speak,
Be conquer’d by my instant prayer,
Speak, or Thou never hence shalt move,
And tell me, if thy name is LOVE.

‘Tis Love, ’tis Love! Thou diedst for me,
I hear thy whisper in my heart.
The morning breaks, the shadows flee:
Pure UNIVERSAL LOVE Thou art,
To me, to all, thy bowels move,
Thy nature, and thy name is LOVE.

Contented now upon my thigh
I halt, till life’s short journey end;
All helplessness, all weakness I,
On Thee alone for strength depend,
Nor have I power, from Thee, to move;
Thy nature, and thy name is LOVE.

Lame as I am, I take the prey,
Hell, earth, and sin with ease o’ercome;
I leap for joy, pursue my way,
And as a bounding hart fly home,
Thro’ all eternity to prove
Thy nature, and thy name is LOVE.

Gentlemen -

If you were with us for our last quarterly Men’s Breakfast, you experienced a powerful – Holy Ghost filled – Testosterone packed – Epic Event…. If you weren’t there, well… you missed out. But DONT worry. You can tune in to what you missed, brought to you by our awesome keynote speaker Pastor Chris Brooks.

And it happened one day that he came there, and he turned in to the upper room and lay down there. 12 Then he said to Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite woman.” When he had called her, she stood before him. 13 And he said to him, “Say now to her, ‘Look, you have been concerned for us with all this care. What can I do for you? Do you want me to speak on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army?’” She answered, “I dwell among my own people.” 14 So he said, “What then is to be done for her?” And Gehazi answered, “Actually, she has no son, and her husband is old.” 15 So he said, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood in the doorway. 16 Then he said, “About this time next year you shall embrace a son.” And she said, “No, my lord. Man of God, do not lie to your maidservant!” 17 But the woman conceived, and bore a son when the appointed time had come, of which Elisha had told her. 2 Kings 4:11-17