What's the Elijah complex? Glad you asked.
In I Kings 19, God finds Elijah in a cave and asks why he's there. Elijah goes into this whole sob story about how everyone has turned their back on God, and that Elijah was the only one left. Sound familiar? Does to me. When I was coming out of the legalistic bondage, I felt like I was the only one in my circle of influence that understood the Gospel. Woe is me! However, in the story of Elijah, God informs him that He has reserved seven thousand people who have not bowed down to Baal. Seven thousand. Far cry from being the only one, wouldn't you think?
It might be a safe bet to think that most all of us go through the Elijah complex during their search for Truth. I remember being immersed into the Gospel message. When it hit, it hit hard! So washed anew was I, that I wanted to shout it from the rooftops! Against the advice of my.... mentor? I ran and told all my pastors, my music ministers, and a couple of Sunday school teachers to boot. Surely they would be as excited as I was to learn of this freedom! This rest! This assurance!!
Nope. Didn't happen.
If anything, my dear friends all shrank back from me, convinced I had been deceived by some cult. To make matters worse, I got called into the principal's---errrr preacher's office for a little heart to heart. When all was said and done, he made it abundantly clear that we are still under the Law... the Ten Commandments..Jesus only took care of the ceremonial law. We don't have to bring sacrifices and food offerings, but we do need to follow the Ten Commandments. Nothing I said, made any difference. I left the church. Alone, dejected, totally void of any and all fellowship. Can you hear the violin music playing? I'll wait while you go get a hankie...
Just like with Elijah, I was the only one that understood in my area. Nobody else was out there--they had their own fellowships, or maybe their families understood the Gospel.. something. Just poor me had nobody to fellowship with.
Looking back, I have to laugh. The day I decided to pull the plug on anything online; God sends a brother in Christ to contact me, saying that he too, listened to our preacher on Sunday morning, and that he too, was without fellowship. We decided to listen together, and told a few friends, who told a few friends, and so on, and so on.
So, how about it? To date, I don't have a home fellowship face to face, but God has sent a boatload of friends and family in Christ that are latching on to the Gospel that saves, and are learning of the freedom we have in Christ. Alone? Not a chance. God knows what we need, and in what form we need it.
Are you seemingly alone in your walk with Christ? Are you learning that Christians are no longer under the Ten Commandments, and feel that no one will listen? Don't worry, I promise you, you are NOT alone! God has a plan in place. He'll know just when to send you some fellowship--but be careful, His ways are not our ways, and He might not send the people in the traditional Sunday morning ways... His ways are far better than ours..
Happy Fellowshipping!
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