Steve Furtick preached a barn-storming, swash-buckling message at the Royal Albert Hall tonight, taking us through 2 Kings 2:1-15, the story of Elijah’s mantle and anointing falling upon Elisha, as Elijah was swept up to heaven.
He is the Lead Pastor of Elevation Church, North Carolina, which began in 2006 with a group of 30 people. Now they have 12,000 gathering in 8 different locations. Steve is 33 years old, married to Holly with 3 children. He wrote a book that went to number 4 in the NY Times best seller list.
He preached on Elisha’s request: “Let me inherit a double-portion of your spirit.”
With tremendous zeal and energy he pitched successively high and low and weaved in some significant 1990s video games from his own childhood as well as punching out some one memorable one liners . . .
“If the size of your vision isn’t intimidating to you, it might be insulting to God.”
And earlier in his afternoon seminar, he said: “We compare the DVD of the whole of our life with someone else’s highlights reel.”
“Where is the Lord God of Elijah? Well, You don’t want to end up, up the Willow Creek without a paddle!”
Then he moved into a pivotal section about how we are accepted in Christ anyway without having to earn his approval. “’This is my Son, with him I am well pleased.’ God said this before Jesus had done any public miracles!
“We audition for a role that we’ve already got. We are auditioning for people who don’t have a button to push (referring to the blind auditions in The Voice). You don’t have to perform to get approval. I don’t have to live up to anything. I can live out of the calling. The audition has been cancelled. You don’t have to wait for some future point when God can use you.
And then something that can only come out of the Deep South:
“When you know who you are baby, you’ll know what to do
And finally using a hand held mic he hit his bible 3 times to signify the limited blessing and limited victories won by God’s people in the passage he preached from. “If only we were to go for the fifth and the sixth!” And this really spoke to me. “Have I settled for less than God’s best? You’re doing OK, you’re raising your kids, you feel overwhelmed, but if only you’d keep going.”
More pounding, and everyone started clapping and standing. Scenes not usually observed in the Church of England. And, well, it all climaxed in the band coming back on and then a great celebration with some great dancers and the amazing pink T shirted volunteers swamping the stage.
This was one of the most energizing, invigorating conferences I’ve ever been to, and I think at the heart of it, is Nicky Gumbel’s heart to win the lost and that we never graduate from the individual salvation stories on Alpha. The great testimonies shared by newly converted people on stage, were at the heart of everything, and the glory of the church triumphant in the heart of London, and at a venue that has meant so much to me over the years, tonight it was not so much Rule Britannia, but certainly Land of Hope and Glory!