Two Sticks

Acts 10:1-4 says, ‘At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. 3 One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius”. 4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered, 'Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.’

Cornelius was a faithful man, however he was not a Jew. Cornelius held a high rank in the army and was always generous with others. He had money, power and had immense faith in God and feared the Lord. He prayed often to God in a language he knew, in the way he knew how to. One day he saw the vision of an angel of God coking in and speaking to him. The angel said “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.”. 

In the Bible we see a merchant coming to Jesus to meet him. Many believe that it was in fact Cornelius. My message to you today is, if you can open your hands, there will be open heaven. Cornelius opened his hands and started giving to those in need and this led to the heavens opening and an angel of the Lord visiting him at home. 

A few days back I got a message from a couple, asking me if they could visit me. Both of them were very excited. God told them to give a certain amount of money to the church. When they heard the voice of the Lord they were excited and even saw a breakthrough in their workplace. They met me directly and gave me the money to use for the work of God. In between all this they shared something with me. While they were driving the car, they felt a great presence of God in the vehicle and God showed them a verse.

The verse was 1 Kings 17:8- 12 says, ‘8 Then the word of the Lord came to him: 9 “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” 10 So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” 11 As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.” 12 “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”

The context of this verse was that there was famine in the land and Elijah was fed by crows for his daily bread. This was a miracle. This is our God, he will always take care of us. However, after a while the water from the river close by dried up. After the water dried up Elijah was directed to Zarephath. Another contextual fact here is that, back then, priests and prophets were easily distinguishable. They wore a specific kind of clothing. In this situation the widow must have easily recognised Elijah because of his clothing. If you look at Elijah’s journey, God first commanded the crow to feed Elijah, then the widow to take care of God's man. There is such a big famine in this place that the widow was going to die with her son after their last meal. They barely had enough resources between the two of them to share it with a third. But God commanded and in that commandment there is an impartation and there is a hidden blessing in obeying God’s commands in difficult times.

There is a supernatural miracle in obeying God's word. A very specific revelation came into the couple’s hearts. When the presence of God came upon them they were overjoyed. They shared a revelation with me that I never thought of before. 
1 Kings 17:13- 14 says, ‘13 Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’”

Through the infilling of the Holy Spirit, Elijah was able to foresee the future and see things that are not visible in the material world. The widow obeyed Elijah and God’s commands and she was blessed with prosperity from that day forward. The flour never reduced, oil never ran dry for the widow and her son. If you go back to verse 12 the widow emphasises on collecting a ‘few sticks’ to take home. The widow collected two sticks which are a representation of the Cross. She only collected two because the flour and oil she had would only require two sticks to cook with and with that her repository of resources were over with no hope in sight. 

The supply to our life is linked to the Cross. 2 Corinthians 8:9 says, ‘ For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.’ Our bank accounts should be linked to the Cross. The mighty release and impartation of blessings lie on the Cross.