The
Elijah Challenge Coordinator: a Bird of Prey
Teaching
for TEC Coordinators
Regional
Elijah Challenge Affiliates
Isaiah 46:8 “Remember this, fix it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels. 9 Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. 10 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. 11 From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do.
We are looking for birds of prey: men of war who are anointed and trained in destroying the works of the enemy for the purpose of taking new territory for the Kingdom of God. Just as importantly, they will also be expected to teach the Basic Training and equip others with The Elijah Challenge as they themselves have been equipped. David was the quintessential man of war; under him the Kingdom of Israel was firmly established on earth. When this man of war decided not to lead his men into battle, he fell into the sins of adultery and murder (2 Samuel 11). David’s son Solomon, in contrast, was a man of peace.
1 Chronicles 22:6 Then he called for his son Solomon and charged him to build a house for the LORD, the God of Israel. 7 David said to Solomon: “My son, I had it in my heart to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God. 8 But this word of the LORD came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight. 9 But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon, and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign. 10 He is the one who will build a house for my Name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’
Solomon’s role would be equivalent to that of a pastor whereas David would be equivalent to a missionary, evangelist or apostle.
In the New Testament we see a similar contrast between Peter and Paul. The former was told to take care of the Lord’s sheep (John 21:16) in and around Jerusalem, the latter to take the gospel to the Gentiles at the ends of the earth. Peter had a soft side that could give in to the fear of man. On one particular occasion this drew a direct public rebuke from Paul---the uncompromising hardened soldier.
Galatians 2:11 When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. 12 Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. 13 The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.
14 When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?We are looking for Pauls to be Elijah Challenge Coordinators.
There are some servants of God who are doing the work of a pastor serving in a local church, but in reality they may have the calling of missionary, evangelist, or apostle. Such pastors can be candidates to be Coordinators.
They should be tested first.
Some who already have an established “successful” ministry might not be drawn to The Elijah Challenge. They are already content with what they have and might not be hungry for a new challenge. Those who are hungry and who have been searching---and this can include servants of God who are starting out---are the ones who can run with what the Lord gives them.
The "Peters" and "Solomons" are important as well. There will be those successful and well-known pastors who will want to work with The Elijah Challenge. Instead of being a Coordinator, they can be a “Friend of TEC” who can open doors for TEC via their connections. After the doors are opened, then the Coordinator can run through them.
Ideally, the pastor or Friend of TEC can provide the organizational skills and networking while The Elijah Challenge Coordinator trains the troops and leads them into battle. We need both.
Luke 10:9 "Heal the sick who are there and tell them,
'The kingdom of God is near you.’"
