<TITLE>04. Par 17-22</TITLE>L-17 Then we find her coming up to the prophet. The prophet looked, and he could see her coming. Now, God doesn't always tell everything to His prophet; He just tells him what He wants him to know. God had not told Elijah that the baby was dead. Here's what he said, "Here comes the Shunammite, and she's wearied, and God has kept it from me." He said to her, "Is all well with thee, with thy husband, and with the baby?"
Listen, what she said, "All is well." Her baby was a corpse, and her husband frantically, and her heart broke. But all is well. Why? She is in the presence of God's representative. She knowed, something had to happen. I like that. And she knelt at his feet and begin to tell him.

L-18 He said to Gehazi his servant, "Take my staff and go to the baby. And if anybody tries to stop you, don't stop. Go." That's the message.
That's the message for the ministers today. Don't stop for for the social parties and things, bunco games in the church, dances. The message is urgent. People are dead in sin and trespasses. We ain't got no time to argue theology: Are you Methodist? Baptist? Catholic? That doesn't make any difference. Get the message there.
Now, I think that's where Paul got laying handkerchiefs on the people, because I believe Paul was a fundamentalist. And you see, Elijah knowed that God was in Him and everything he touched was blessed. If he could get the women to believe the same thing...

L-19 But the women's faith wasn't in the staff, it was in the prophet. The staff might work when the prophet wasn't there. But the prophet was there then. But she said then, "As the Lord your God lives, and your soul never dies, I will not leave you." I like that. Hold onto your convictions. We've got to--today before us, the Representative of God in the earth, the Holy Ghost.
Now, God give the promise. Just hold onto the Spirit of God, and don't be afraid. "I'm not going to turn loose. I'm going to hold to Your Word, Lord. I will not turn loose."

L-20 Elijah knew the only way he'd get rid of her was go with her. So he girded up his loins, went to the house. He met the servant coming back...?... Elijah went into the room, closed the door, kept the unbelieving on the outside, walked to and fro until the Spirit come on Him. Then he run, laid his body across the baby. The baby sneezed seven times, jumped up in his lap.

L-21 Oh, how he liked that little story. Oh, he thought, "If I could only have lived in that day, I'd have that prophet to pray for my blind eye."
Just then he heard something coming. It's the hoofs of a little mule. And he hears someone running ahead of it. He gets his ragged coat, put it on him, goes out. "Have mercy. Give me a coin. I haven't had a coin today. I've got a little girl home hungry. I got a wife home hungry. Please help me."

L-22 All of a sudden there come a voice, "Out of my way, blind beggar. I have no time for blind beggars today. I'm a servant of the Lord, and I'm the head of the ministerial association of Jerusalem. I understand there's a fanatic prophet from Galilee coming in and out of this city today. And the Jericho association has called me. We're going to have a council today. We're going to see that He can't get no healings down here. We come down to stop Him. Out of my way. I must be on my way." Away they went.
Blind Bartimaeus felt his way back to his rock. The sun had come around, so it was shady there. He moved back into the sun, found him another rock and set down, continued his dream. Said, "Just think, that same prophet Elijah and Elisha came down this same road here, arm in arm, going to the Jordan; and struck his coat against the water and crossed over. And one struck it and come back. The Jordan dried up.


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