Principles & Practice of Health Evangelism
Chapter 15
A Biblical Model of Health Evangelism
Textbook pages 164-181
Early in my experience with health evangelism I was trying to figure the best way to do things. I was struggling with ways to involve the pastor and church members more in the programs I was conducting. I was trying to determine how much spiritual content to include in programs and what types.
As I was driving in Baltimore, Maryland I had my radio tuned to a local religious station. I happened to catch the last few minutes of a sermon by Theodore H. Epp who was the founding director and speaker of the Back to the Bible broadcasts that were on the air between 1939 and 1985.
His text was 2 Kings 4:1-7. He was spiritualizing this Old Testament story about the widow’s oil. In just a few minutes his application answered several questions I had about health evangelism. He didn’t provide all the details just the application to the last few verses. In his closing remarks he indicated that there was much more to the story and that it should be studied carefully.
This story was my study for several days. It is the most comprehensive picture of health evangelism to be found in scripture. The use of Old Testament stories to learn how to work today is justified by Paul in the following texts:
The following story tells us how to do health evangelism. I have spiritualized the various elements in this story. You will see how God wants us to work for others in our community from the home base of the local church. I am going to analyze this passage verse by verse and word by word.
2 Kings 4:1
A Woman: This story is about a woman. In scripture a woman symbolizes the church. This story is about the church. Support for this is found in Jeremiah and Isaiah.
Certain Woman: This story is about a certain woman which would be a certain local church.
Cried Out: This is an indication of distress. This local church is in trouble. Churches today have numerous problems. Many churches are experiencing falling membership, diminished attendance at services, plummeting offerings, and a general lack of vitality. What is the problem in the local church?
Husband Is Dead: Christ is the husband of the church. This passage indicates that Christ who is the husband of the church has died. Christ did die. Christ’s death has created a problem which is actually a challenge and opportunity for the church.
This passage might also indicate the attitude of some churches today. Christ may no longer be the living, energizing force in the church. Some churches languish in formalism and meaningless rounds of religious activities. To such a church, Christ is still dead.
Creditor: A creditor is someone to whom you owe something. In this case, the death of the husband created a debt for this woman. This means that the death of Christ has created a debt for the church. What debt could this mean?
Paul understood that the death of Christ made him a debtor.
The debt the church owes is to both the Greeks and barbarians, both to the wise and unwise. In other words, the whole world. But in a local sense, your local church owes a debt to your community, your neighbors and friends.
Your community has a right to ask, “What role do you have in the life of the community? Justify yourself. Show us that you are worthy. What are you doing for us? How are you helping us? How are you an asset rather than a liability?”
These are the questions every local church must answer. Your community has a right to know who you are, why you exist and what your business is. You and your local church owe a debt to your community.
Two Sons: The two sons represent church members. The number two indicates that there are two classes of people in the church. The following texts are about two sons and refer to the different experiences of church members.
In this passage the contrast is between talkers and doers. Some in the church talk a good story but do not do much. There are others who quietly go about doing good. Church members are represented by the two sons in the story of the prodigal son. Each son represents a class of church members.
In this story, both boys were lost. One in the church and the other in a far country.
Church members are also symbolized as being the children of Abraham.
Here again two sons represent different types of church members. Some are still in bondage as represented by Ishmael and the others are free because they have been born again. These church members are represented by Isaac.
Slaves: The creditor is coming to make slaves of this woman’s sons. The world is coming to make slaves of church members. The church is daily being converted to the world. We see members drifting into sin. Compromise within the church is rampant. Church members are becoming slaves to fashion. Church members are becoming slaves to appetite. Church members are becoming slaves to alcohol. Church members are becoming slaves to entertainment and ease.
The church might well cry out in distress for her cold experience and loss of her members. The world has come and has stolen the hearts and minds of many church members. This is the condition of the Laodicean church which exactly describes the condition of the church today.
2 Kings 4:2
Look at 2 Kings 4:2 to see the problem develop further.
Elisha: Elisha was the spiritual leader of his day and symbolically represents the authority and leadership of the church. Elisha represents church administration at its various levels. It is natural for a local church to turn to the conference administration for help in times of distress.
What Shall I Do for You? This indicates some limitation on the part of church administration. Just as the Christian experience of one person cannot substitute for another; just so, church administration cannot compensate for any deficits to be found in your congregation. The role of church administrators is primarily advisory. Church leaders may counsel with us, pray with us and study the problem with us but in the end, the local church still has the problem. In the end, the local church must be the institution to take care of the problem.
What do You Have in The House? This is a logical question. It calls for an inventory of resources. It asks, “What assets exist at the local level that can be utilized to help solve the problem?”
Your Maidservant Has Nothing: Now here is a dishonest assessment of the situation. This lady had two sons but didn’t value them as highly as she should. She didn’t mention them. Her sons should have been counted among her assets. So it is today in local churches. The pastor is shouldered with too many of the responsibilities that should be carried by church members. The church members are less and less involved in the life of the church.
A Jar of Oil: I suspect this is a complaint rather than a boast. The lady only had a jar of oil. Oil in scripture represents the Holy Spirit. Anointing with oil was used to symbolize the anointing by the Holy Spirit. It is to be applied in the name of the Lord.
This connection between oil and the Holy Spirit is mentioned in Testimonies to Ministers in the following passage.
Oil Creates Light: Look at the role of oil a bit more. It was used in lamps to create light. What does light represent? Light represents good works.
In this next passage light describes the work of health evangelism.
Helping people stop smoking, eat right, lose weight and exercise are all comprehended in loosening the bonds of wickedness, undoing heavy burdens, and letting the oppressed go free. Isaiah 58 describes health evangelism. Health evangelism is good works, and it results in light.
The lady in this story was low on oil. This means that this local church was low on the presence and influence of the Holy Spirit. It was a cold and lifeless church with members disappearing out the back door. This church was deficient in good works. The members were not involved in any outreach activities. They didn’t have a health evangelism program. Look at the advice Elisha gave in this crisis situation.
2 Kings 4:3
Go: Here is the beginning of the solution to the problem. The word is “GO.” This means get busy. Do something. It represents action. The problem in the local church is a lack of action. The answer to the problem is increased activity. Start to do something. The instruction doesn’t stop here. Very specific instruction is given.
Borrow Vessels: Vessels in scripture represent people.
The vessels are to be borrowed. They are not to be bought, but borrowed. Borrowing is an act of asking. In our work with those whose lives need to be changed by health evangelism we are to invite and ask. We want to borrow them for a few days to introduce them to God who has the power to change their lives. No force is to be used in the work of God.
The word “Go” indicates that action was necessary. The action was to involve people in the community around the church. Next, we learn the scope of the work.
Everywhere, from all your neighbors: The activities of the local church are to involve neighbors. This indicates that the local church is supposed to do a work in its own community. Oh, yes, you need to support global missions and radio and TV ministries, but your most important work and first responsibility is to your neighbors.
All neighbors are included in the instruction. All neighbors are to be the field of labor. But there is a certain restriction which is placed on the selection of a neighbor to be served. There is a form of discrimination and exclusiveness which is to be practiced. The labor is to be confined to empty vessels.
Empty vessels: Empty vessels represent people who feel empty. These are not the proud, egotistical people who are brimming with self-esteem. Proud people think they have a power within themselves that will propel them to success. Empty vessels are those who realize their own weakness. They have tried to succeed on their own but have found their own efforts to be inadequate. These are the ones who are hungering and thirsting after righteousness. Our health evangelism activities should be confined to those who need and want help.
Do not borrow just a few: Here is another reminder of the scope of activity. The local church is not to be content with feeble, intermittent, or spasmodic efforts. The church is to reach every interested and eligible person in the community.
The admonition to do a thorough work is emphasized three times in this one verse with the words, “everywhere,” “all your neighbors” and “do not gather a few.”
2 Kings 4:4
When you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you. Come in where? In the house of this woman. The house is the church building itself. Here is a strong indication that the major emphasis in any Holy Spirit related activity is to be in the local church itself. This is why I do not like to conduct health evangelism in any other setting than the local church. The church is the Christian’s home. The sooner a person gets there the better off he or she will be.
To the extent that you conduct health evangelism in high school auditoriums or other public places, the church doesn’t get the recognition, church members do not help, and people do not get into the church. It is harder to get people to come to your local church for traditional doctrinal presentations. It is easier to get people to come to your local church for health evangelism activities. The church is designated by this scripture as the place for evangelistic activity.
I think this is also indicated by the shutting the door behind you. In this story a very special miracle is about to take place and it only occurs in connection with the church. The church is God’s appointed agency for the salvation of the world. This activity is to take place in the church.
Then pour into all those vessels: Here is where the advice seems illogical. This woman only had a jar of oil. How is she going to pour out into all those vessels? If she put a teaspoon of oil in each vessel, she wouldn’t have enough to go around. If she poured her entire jar of oil into one big vessel, she would only be able to recover a small amount if she tried to get it all back.
In God’s instruction as to how we should work and what we should do, there is always room for doubt, questioning and speculation. The instruction given here seems unrealistic and unreasonable, but it is very specific, and it is clear. Here is where faith is to be exercised.
The pouring out is especially significant and needs some further exploration. The goal here is to fill the vessels with oil which is synonymous with filling people with the Holy Spirit. The miracle is only going to occur when the pouring begins. This lady didn’t want to lose the little bit of oil she did have. She could have placed the jar of oil on a board that stretched across the opening of a 50-gallon drum. She could have prayed for God to cause the jar to overflow with oil so that the little bit she had wouldn’t be risked, wasted, or lost.
In other words, the lady could have asked or prayed for an abundance of the oil to spill over the sides of the jar. She could have asked for oil above and beyond the small amount she had, without risking her own pitifully small supply.
This is a critical principle in spreading the Gospel. The Holy Spirit is dispensed by God in proportion to our efforts to work in God’s cause in spreading the Good News. If we do not give away what we have, we will never get any more. If you have too little of the Holy Spirit in your local church, the key to getting an abundant outpouring from God is not found in praying for more of the Holy Spirit but by doing something with the pitifully small amount you have.
This principle is made perfectly clear in these selected passages.
Church members are like pipes through which the Holy Spirit flows to others. If the faucet is shut off nothing will flow through the pipe. If the spigot is open, there is flow. You may be just a small section of pipe in the plumbing of the church but there is an unlimited amount of the Holy Spirit that can flow through you to bless others.
Set aside the full ones: Is there ever a sense that we set aside those for whom we are working? Certainly! As soon as people become filled with the Holy Spirit it is time to set them beside us so they too can help us work for others. This is not setting aside people to discard them. We set them aside because we no longer need to work over them. They themselves are filled with the Holy Spirit and are enabled to impart the Holy Spirit to others.
As soon as a person has been converted it is time to put them to work. There is something they can do. They should become part of a team so they will not work independently or unwisely.
As I was driving in Baltimore, Maryland I had my radio tuned to a local religious station. I happened to catch the last few minutes of a sermon by Theodore H. Epp who was the founding director and speaker of the Back to the Bible broadcasts that were on the air between 1939 and 1985.
His text was 2 Kings 4:1-7. He was spiritualizing this Old Testament story about the widow’s oil. In just a few minutes his application answered several questions I had about health evangelism. He didn’t provide all the details just the application to the last few verses. In his closing remarks he indicated that there was much more to the story and that it should be studied carefully.
This story was my study for several days. It is the most comprehensive picture of health evangelism to be found in scripture. The use of Old Testament stories to learn how to work today is justified by Paul in the following texts:
- “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come” 1 Corinthians 10:11 (NKJV)
- “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope” Romans 15:4 (NKJV)
The following story tells us how to do health evangelism. I have spiritualized the various elements in this story. You will see how God wants us to work for others in our community from the home base of the local church. I am going to analyze this passage verse by verse and word by word.
2 Kings 4:1
- “A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves” 2 Kings 4:1 (NLJV)
A Woman: This story is about a woman. In scripture a woman symbolizes the church. This story is about the church. Support for this is found in Jeremiah and Isaiah.
- “I have likened the daughter of Zion to a lovely and delicate woman” Jeremiah 6:2. (NKJV)
- “For your Maker is your husband, The Lord of hosts is His name; He is called the God of the whole earth” Isaiah 54:5 (NKJV)
- Matthew 9:15; Mark 2:19-20; Luke 5:34-35; Matthew 25:1-11 (NKJV)
Certain Woman: This story is about a certain woman which would be a certain local church.
Cried Out: This is an indication of distress. This local church is in trouble. Churches today have numerous problems. Many churches are experiencing falling membership, diminished attendance at services, plummeting offerings, and a general lack of vitality. What is the problem in the local church?
Husband Is Dead: Christ is the husband of the church. This passage indicates that Christ who is the husband of the church has died. Christ did die. Christ’s death has created a problem which is actually a challenge and opportunity for the church.
This passage might also indicate the attitude of some churches today. Christ may no longer be the living, energizing force in the church. Some churches languish in formalism and meaningless rounds of religious activities. To such a church, Christ is still dead.
Creditor: A creditor is someone to whom you owe something. In this case, the death of the husband created a debt for this woman. This means that the death of Christ has created a debt for the church. What debt could this mean?
Paul understood that the death of Christ made him a debtor.
- "I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also” Romans 1:14, 15 (NKJV)
The debt the church owes is to both the Greeks and barbarians, both to the wise and unwise. In other words, the whole world. But in a local sense, your local church owes a debt to your community, your neighbors and friends.
Your community has a right to ask, “What role do you have in the life of the community? Justify yourself. Show us that you are worthy. What are you doing for us? How are you helping us? How are you an asset rather than a liability?”
These are the questions every local church must answer. Your community has a right to know who you are, why you exist and what your business is. You and your local church owe a debt to your community.
Two Sons: The two sons represent church members. The number two indicates that there are two classes of people in the church. The following texts are about two sons and refer to the different experiences of church members.
- “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said to Him, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you” Matthew 21:28-31 (NKJV)
In this passage the contrast is between talkers and doers. Some in the church talk a good story but do not do much. There are others who quietly go about doing good. Church members are represented by the two sons in the story of the prodigal son. Each son represents a class of church members.
- “Then He said: ‘A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.
- ‘But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’
- “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
- “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.
- “Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’
- “But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’
- “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found’” Luke 15:11-32 (NKJV)
In this story, both boys were lost. One in the church and the other in a far country.
Church members are also symbolized as being the children of Abraham.
- “For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman” Galatians 4:22 (NKJV)
Here again two sons represent different types of church members. Some are still in bondage as represented by Ishmael and the others are free because they have been born again. These church members are represented by Isaac.
Slaves: The creditor is coming to make slaves of this woman’s sons. The world is coming to make slaves of church members. The church is daily being converted to the world. We see members drifting into sin. Compromise within the church is rampant. Church members are becoming slaves to fashion. Church members are becoming slaves to appetite. Church members are becoming slaves to alcohol. Church members are becoming slaves to entertainment and ease.
The church might well cry out in distress for her cold experience and loss of her members. The world has come and has stolen the hearts and minds of many church members. This is the condition of the Laodicean church which exactly describes the condition of the church today.
2 Kings 4:2
Look at 2 Kings 4:2 to see the problem develop further.
- “So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil” 2 Kings 4:2 (NKJV)
Elisha: Elisha was the spiritual leader of his day and symbolically represents the authority and leadership of the church. Elisha represents church administration at its various levels. It is natural for a local church to turn to the conference administration for help in times of distress.
What Shall I Do for You? This indicates some limitation on the part of church administration. Just as the Christian experience of one person cannot substitute for another; just so, church administration cannot compensate for any deficits to be found in your congregation. The role of church administrators is primarily advisory. Church leaders may counsel with us, pray with us and study the problem with us but in the end, the local church still has the problem. In the end, the local church must be the institution to take care of the problem.
What do You Have in The House? This is a logical question. It calls for an inventory of resources. It asks, “What assets exist at the local level that can be utilized to help solve the problem?”
Your Maidservant Has Nothing: Now here is a dishonest assessment of the situation. This lady had two sons but didn’t value them as highly as she should. She didn’t mention them. Her sons should have been counted among her assets. So it is today in local churches. The pastor is shouldered with too many of the responsibilities that should be carried by church members. The church members are less and less involved in the life of the church.
A Jar of Oil: I suspect this is a complaint rather than a boast. The lady only had a jar of oil. Oil in scripture represents the Holy Spirit. Anointing with oil was used to symbolize the anointing by the Holy Spirit. It is to be applied in the name of the Lord.
- “I have found My servant David; With My holy oil I have anointed him” Psalm 89:20 (NKJV)
- “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord” James 5:14 (NKJV)
This connection between oil and the Holy Spirit is mentioned in Testimonies to Ministers in the following passage.
- “Read and study the fourth chapter of Zechariah. The two olive trees empty the golden oil out of themselves through the golden pipes into the golden bowl from which the lamps of the sanctuary are fed. The golden oil represents the Holy Spirit. With this oil God's ministers are to be constantly supplied, that they, in turn, may impart it to the church. "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers 188
Oil Creates Light: Look at the role of oil a bit more. It was used in lamps to create light. What does light represent? Light represents good works.
- “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 (NKJV)
In this next passage light describes the work of health evangelism.
- “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke?
- Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
- Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
- If you extend your soul to the hungry And satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, And your darkness shall be as the noonday” Isaiah 58:6-8,10 (NKJV)
Helping people stop smoking, eat right, lose weight and exercise are all comprehended in loosening the bonds of wickedness, undoing heavy burdens, and letting the oppressed go free. Isaiah 58 describes health evangelism. Health evangelism is good works, and it results in light.
The lady in this story was low on oil. This means that this local church was low on the presence and influence of the Holy Spirit. It was a cold and lifeless church with members disappearing out the back door. This church was deficient in good works. The members were not involved in any outreach activities. They didn’t have a health evangelism program. Look at the advice Elisha gave in this crisis situation.
2 Kings 4:3
- “Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors -- empty vessels; do not gather just a few.” 2 Kings 4:3 (NKJV)
Go: Here is the beginning of the solution to the problem. The word is “GO.” This means get busy. Do something. It represents action. The problem in the local church is a lack of action. The answer to the problem is increased activity. Start to do something. The instruction doesn’t stop here. Very specific instruction is given.
Borrow Vessels: Vessels in scripture represent people.
- “But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work” 2 Timothy 2:20,21 (NKJV)
- “And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make. . . .O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the Lord. “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel! Jeremiah 18:4, 6 (NKJV)
- “I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind; I am like a broken vessel.” Psalm 31:12 (NKJV).
The vessels are to be borrowed. They are not to be bought, but borrowed. Borrowing is an act of asking. In our work with those whose lives need to be changed by health evangelism we are to invite and ask. We want to borrow them for a few days to introduce them to God who has the power to change their lives. No force is to be used in the work of God.
The word “Go” indicates that action was necessary. The action was to involve people in the community around the church. Next, we learn the scope of the work.
Everywhere, from all your neighbors: The activities of the local church are to involve neighbors. This indicates that the local church is supposed to do a work in its own community. Oh, yes, you need to support global missions and radio and TV ministries, but your most important work and first responsibility is to your neighbors.
All neighbors are included in the instruction. All neighbors are to be the field of labor. But there is a certain restriction which is placed on the selection of a neighbor to be served. There is a form of discrimination and exclusiveness which is to be practiced. The labor is to be confined to empty vessels.
Empty vessels: Empty vessels represent people who feel empty. These are not the proud, egotistical people who are brimming with self-esteem. Proud people think they have a power within themselves that will propel them to success. Empty vessels are those who realize their own weakness. They have tried to succeed on their own but have found their own efforts to be inadequate. These are the ones who are hungering and thirsting after righteousness. Our health evangelism activities should be confined to those who need and want help.
Do not borrow just a few: Here is another reminder of the scope of activity. The local church is not to be content with feeble, intermittent, or spasmodic efforts. The church is to reach every interested and eligible person in the community.
The admonition to do a thorough work is emphasized three times in this one verse with the words, “everywhere,” “all your neighbors” and “do not gather a few.”
2 Kings 4:4
- “And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones” 2 Kings 4:4 (NKJV)
When you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you. Come in where? In the house of this woman. The house is the church building itself. Here is a strong indication that the major emphasis in any Holy Spirit related activity is to be in the local church itself. This is why I do not like to conduct health evangelism in any other setting than the local church. The church is the Christian’s home. The sooner a person gets there the better off he or she will be.
To the extent that you conduct health evangelism in high school auditoriums or other public places, the church doesn’t get the recognition, church members do not help, and people do not get into the church. It is harder to get people to come to your local church for traditional doctrinal presentations. It is easier to get people to come to your local church for health evangelism activities. The church is designated by this scripture as the place for evangelistic activity.
I think this is also indicated by the shutting the door behind you. In this story a very special miracle is about to take place and it only occurs in connection with the church. The church is God’s appointed agency for the salvation of the world. This activity is to take place in the church.
Then pour into all those vessels: Here is where the advice seems illogical. This woman only had a jar of oil. How is she going to pour out into all those vessels? If she put a teaspoon of oil in each vessel, she wouldn’t have enough to go around. If she poured her entire jar of oil into one big vessel, she would only be able to recover a small amount if she tried to get it all back.
In God’s instruction as to how we should work and what we should do, there is always room for doubt, questioning and speculation. The instruction given here seems unrealistic and unreasonable, but it is very specific, and it is clear. Here is where faith is to be exercised.
The pouring out is especially significant and needs some further exploration. The goal here is to fill the vessels with oil which is synonymous with filling people with the Holy Spirit. The miracle is only going to occur when the pouring begins. This lady didn’t want to lose the little bit of oil she did have. She could have placed the jar of oil on a board that stretched across the opening of a 50-gallon drum. She could have prayed for God to cause the jar to overflow with oil so that the little bit she had wouldn’t be risked, wasted, or lost.
In other words, the lady could have asked or prayed for an abundance of the oil to spill over the sides of the jar. She could have asked for oil above and beyond the small amount she had, without risking her own pitifully small supply.
This is a critical principle in spreading the Gospel. The Holy Spirit is dispensed by God in proportion to our efforts to work in God’s cause in spreading the Good News. If we do not give away what we have, we will never get any more. If you have too little of the Holy Spirit in your local church, the key to getting an abundant outpouring from God is not found in praying for more of the Holy Spirit but by doing something with the pitifully small amount you have.
This principle is made perfectly clear in these selected passages.
- “The capacity for receiving the holy oil from the two olive trees which empty themselves, is by the receiver emptying that holy oil out of himself in word and in action to supply the necessities of other souls. Work, precious, satisfying work -- to be constantly receiving and constantly imparting! The capacity for receiving is only kept up by imparting.” S.D.A. Bible Commentary Vol. 4, 1180.
- “Our mission to the world is not to serve or please ourselves; we are to glorify God by co-operating with Him to save sinners. We are to ask blessings from God that we may communicate to others. The capacity for receiving is preserved only by imparting. We cannot continue to receive heavenly treasure without communicating to those around us.” Christ’s Object Lessons 142-143
Church members are like pipes through which the Holy Spirit flows to others. If the faucet is shut off nothing will flow through the pipe. If the spigot is open, there is flow. You may be just a small section of pipe in the plumbing of the church but there is an unlimited amount of the Holy Spirit that can flow through you to bless others.
Set aside the full ones: Is there ever a sense that we set aside those for whom we are working? Certainly! As soon as people become filled with the Holy Spirit it is time to set them beside us so they too can help us work for others. This is not setting aside people to discard them. We set them aside because we no longer need to work over them. They themselves are filled with the Holy Spirit and are enabled to impart the Holy Spirit to others.
As soon as a person has been converted it is time to put them to work. There is something they can do. They should become part of a team so they will not work independently or unwisely.
- “Just as soon as a church is organized, the members should be set to work, taught to go forth in God-given power to find others and tell them of the story of redeeming love. The power of the gospel is to come upon the companies raised up, fitting them for service. Some of the new converts will be so filled with the power of the Lord that they will at once enter the work, imparting that which they have received.” Vol. 5 Manuscript Releases 331
- “I saw that the servants of God should not go over and over the same field of labor, but should be searching out souls in new places. Those who are already established in the truth should not demand so much of their labor; for they ought to be able to stand alone, and strengthen others about them, while the messengers of God visit the dark and lonely places, setting the truth before those who are not now enlightened as to the present truth.” Early Writings 104
Now for the results of this story.
2 Kings 4:5
So she went: This is the correct response. The first advice was, “Go.” So she went. We know from the previous verses that this corrective activity occurred behind closed doors in the church. Notice the next phrase.
Her sons, who brought the vessels to her: Here is a surprise. The work of bringing people into the church is not the work of the pastor. It is the work of church members. This is why health evangelism activities are not designed correctly unless they are designed to create an interface between church members and the public. This one-on-one interaction between the sons of the woman, (church members) and the empty vessels (yearning lost souls) occurs in the setting of the local church.
And she poured out: This represents activity for the lost. For those who have spiritual needs, those who have physical needs, and those who have bad habits and addictions. They can change their behavior once they have a relationship with God and are filled with the Holy Spirit. This occurs in the local church.
2 Kings 4:6
Now it came to pass: There is a lot to understand in these few words. The work of God in the earth takes time. Time, effort, and means are required. We should not become weary in doing good.
“she said to her son”: Perhaps this is a sad part of the story. There were two sons to begin with, but now she appears to be working with just one son. Some like to work in the church. Some like to shirk in the church. Not all are wise virgins. There are foolish virgins. Not all will actually go and work in the vineyard. Perhaps this is a sad reminder that not all who begin the work will finish the work.
“Bring me another vessel”: What a change has taken place in the attitude and experience of this woman! At the beginning of this story, she was crying and worried about the state of her home, and family. Now this woman is excited. She likes the work she is doing. The work is satisfying and effective. It is enjoyable. When the work appears to be done and there are no more vessels to be filled, she urges her remaining son to “Bring me another vessel”.
Working for souls is very exciting and satisfying. The more you do the more you want to do. It is exciting to see lives changed through the wonder-working power of the Holy Spirit. Start doing health evangelism and you will create an excited, vibrant church that loves to reach out to the community.
“There is not another vessel”: This indicates that the sons of this woman did a thorough work. They were busy. They scoured the neighborhood to find empty vessels. The work didn’t cease until everyone who was empty was filled. And so it will be in the last days. The gospel must go to every kindred, tongue, and nation. It will largely be done one community at a time. But there is an end to the work. Once everyone who is going to respond to the call decides to follow God, the work will be finished.
So the oil ceased: How comforting to know that there will be enough oil until every empty vessel is filled. There will be enough converting power of the Holy Spirit until all have decided one way or another. The oil will cease someday. That day is spoken of in Matthew and Revelation.
2 Kings 4:7
Pay your debt: How can anything we do pay our debt? Our debt was paid once and for all on Calvary. The abundance of oil that was produced through this miracle was in no way the property of the widow. It was God’s oil and how could that in any way pay her debt?
The debt mentioned here is not the “eternal debt” we owe our Saviour but the debt we owe our friends and neighbors. In our working for them we do gain reward. Stars in our crowns and a hearty “Well done” from Jesus at his second coming.
And live: The gift of God is eternal life, but we cooperate with Him in working for the betterment and salvation of our neighbors and friends. This is the Biblical model of health evangelism. Church members working out of the local church in the surrounding neighborhood finding people in need and providing whatever services they can and pointing to God as the agent of behavior change in human life.
- “So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out” 2 Kings 4:5 (NKJV)
So she went: This is the correct response. The first advice was, “Go.” So she went. We know from the previous verses that this corrective activity occurred behind closed doors in the church. Notice the next phrase.
Her sons, who brought the vessels to her: Here is a surprise. The work of bringing people into the church is not the work of the pastor. It is the work of church members. This is why health evangelism activities are not designed correctly unless they are designed to create an interface between church members and the public. This one-on-one interaction between the sons of the woman, (church members) and the empty vessels (yearning lost souls) occurs in the setting of the local church.
And she poured out: This represents activity for the lost. For those who have spiritual needs, those who have physical needs, and those who have bad habits and addictions. They can change their behavior once they have a relationship with God and are filled with the Holy Spirit. This occurs in the local church.
2 Kings 4:6
- “Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So the oil ceased. 2 Kings 4:6 (NKJV)
Now it came to pass: There is a lot to understand in these few words. The work of God in the earth takes time. Time, effort, and means are required. We should not become weary in doing good.
“she said to her son”: Perhaps this is a sad part of the story. There were two sons to begin with, but now she appears to be working with just one son. Some like to work in the church. Some like to shirk in the church. Not all are wise virgins. There are foolish virgins. Not all will actually go and work in the vineyard. Perhaps this is a sad reminder that not all who begin the work will finish the work.
“Bring me another vessel”: What a change has taken place in the attitude and experience of this woman! At the beginning of this story, she was crying and worried about the state of her home, and family. Now this woman is excited. She likes the work she is doing. The work is satisfying and effective. It is enjoyable. When the work appears to be done and there are no more vessels to be filled, she urges her remaining son to “Bring me another vessel”.
Working for souls is very exciting and satisfying. The more you do the more you want to do. It is exciting to see lives changed through the wonder-working power of the Holy Spirit. Start doing health evangelism and you will create an excited, vibrant church that loves to reach out to the community.
“There is not another vessel”: This indicates that the sons of this woman did a thorough work. They were busy. They scoured the neighborhood to find empty vessels. The work didn’t cease until everyone who was empty was filled. And so it will be in the last days. The gospel must go to every kindred, tongue, and nation. It will largely be done one community at a time. But there is an end to the work. Once everyone who is going to respond to the call decides to follow God, the work will be finished.
So the oil ceased: How comforting to know that there will be enough oil until every empty vessel is filled. There will be enough converting power of the Holy Spirit until all have decided one way or another. The oil will cease someday. That day is spoken of in Matthew and Revelation.
- “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” Matthew 24:14 (NKJV)
- “He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.” Revelation 22:11 (NKJV)
2 Kings 4:7
- “Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.” 2 Kings 4:7 (NKJV)
Pay your debt: How can anything we do pay our debt? Our debt was paid once and for all on Calvary. The abundance of oil that was produced through this miracle was in no way the property of the widow. It was God’s oil and how could that in any way pay her debt?
The debt mentioned here is not the “eternal debt” we owe our Saviour but the debt we owe our friends and neighbors. In our working for them we do gain reward. Stars in our crowns and a hearty “Well done” from Jesus at his second coming.
- “His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’” Matthew 25:21 (NKJV)
And live: The gift of God is eternal life, but we cooperate with Him in working for the betterment and salvation of our neighbors and friends. This is the Biblical model of health evangelism. Church members working out of the local church in the surrounding neighborhood finding people in need and providing whatever services they can and pointing to God as the agent of behavior change in human life.
- “These are words which Christ addresses to his redeemed people. He invites them to become patient toilers in a field which calls for self-denying labor; but it is a glorious work, and one that Heaven smiles upon. Faithful work is more acceptable to God than the most zealous formal worship. True worship consists in working together with Christ. Prayers, exhortations, and talk are cheap fruits, which are frequently tied on; but fruits that are manifested in good works, in caring for the needy, the fatherless, and widows, are genuine, and grow naturally upon a good tree.” The Signs of the Times 02-17-1887