The Ripple Effect

Arnell McDonald · Tidal Church Shediac · June 28, 2026 · Elijah series

Arnell McDonald looks at Elijah calling Elisha in 1 Kings 19 and the handing on of the mantle in 2 Kings 2. She shows that a life of steady, surrendered faithfulness sends ripples of influence to generations we may never see.

More from Arnell McDonald · The Elijah series

Topics: Faith, Purpose, Discipleship

Transcript

[0:00] Like Pastor Nathan said, I'm Arnall, and I'm talking about the ripple effect with Elijah. Have you ever realized someone changed your life years after they were gone? Maybe it was a teacher, a pastor, a preacher, same thing, sorry, preacher, a coach, or maybe it was someone whose words still echo in the decisions that you make today. That is the power of a ripple effect. Pastor Pat is one of those people for me. He used to always say at youth group, show me your friends, and I'll show you your future. And that always stuck with me, and that helps make decisions that I choose today.

[0:48] Today we're looking at a powerful transition of leadership between two of the most recognizable people in scriptures, Elijah and Elisha. I'm just going to preface this by saying I am saying two different names. There's Elijah and Elisha. I might get them mixed up, but I do apologize. So there's a simple picture that I want you to hold in your minds today. Imagine, if you need to close your eyes, please do. Imagine that you're standing on a rocky beach shore. You look down. You're looking for the most beautiful, roughest, or softest stone. The wind, there is none. The water, it is calm. You pick up that rock, and you toss it into the water.

[1:37] There's a splash. And that's the moment that everyone notices. But what happens next is what truly matters. The ripples, they move outward farther than the eye can track. Touching places, the stone itself never will. Your life is that stone. The splash, it's your time here on earth. And what remains afterwards is the influence of a life faithfully lived for God. Today, we will look at two prophets, two generations, and one God who continues his work through faithful people.

[2:26] The truth that we will wrestle with today, church, is the lasting impact of your life is determined by your faithfulness to God. First Kings 19, 19 to 21. If you have your Bibles, you can turn there. It says, so Elijah went from there and found Elisha, son of Shaphat. He was plowing with 12 yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the 12th pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. Let me kiss my father and my mother goodbye, he said, and then I will come with you.

[3:13] Go back, Elijah replied. What have I done to you? So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant. Let's pray. God, I thank you for today. God, I thank you for the hearts that are in this room. God, I pray that it be your words, not mine, God, that you would just speak through me. Lord, and I thank you for everyone here in Jesus' name. Amen. So Elijah finds Elisha doing something remarkably ordinary, plowing a field. He was working.

[3:58] He wasn't on a mountain praying. He wasn't preaching. He wasn't holding a revival service. He wasn't performing any miracles. Elisha was just working. When Elijah throws his cloak, this cloak, it represents a mantle over Elisha's shoulders. It represented a calling, a purpose, an identity. When he threw it over him, it was an invitation to a new life. But don't miss this church. God called Elisha while he was in the middle of ordinary life. Excuse me.

[4:47] God often calls people while they're doing something ordinary. Think about it. David was tending sheep. Moses was tending sheep. And Peter, Peter was fishing. God meets people in the ordinary rhythms of life. There was a season where I remember stepping into something that I didn't feel fully ready for. I think all of us have felt that before. I just graduated university, and once you graduate university, you have to find a job. And I did find a job. On paper, it looked like the next step forward in my future. But internally, it felt more like uncertainty than confidence.

[5:35] I remember thinking, God, I know that this is change, but I'm not sure that I feel equipped for it. What made it harder was that the life around me still looked normal and looked very ordinary. Nothing dramatic changed overnight. I was still showing up, still doing the day to day, and still trying to be faithful. But inside, I was wrestling with what was going to be this next step and what it was going to look like. And what I've learned since then is this. God rarely announces transitions the way that we expect.

[6:21] Most of the time, he doesn't pull us out of the field. He calls us while we're still in that. I'm going to repeat that again. God rarely announces transitions the way that we expect. Most of the time, he doesn't pull us out of the field. He calls us while we're still in it. It's in those ordinary moments that he quietly redirects your life. And looking back, I can see it clearly now. What felt like uncertainty was God positioning me for something new. He calls you while you're still in it, church. And at this moment, Elijah places his mantle, his cloak over Elisha's shoulders.

[7:09] It represented calling, purpose and responsibility. And Elisha immediately responds. Elisha wasn't walking away from failure. He was walking away from stability. Twelve yoke of oxen, that meant wealth. That meant security and predictability. But following Elijah, that meant uncertainty. But there is an immediate response. Elisha doesn't hesitate, but he does acknowledge his past. He knew that he had to go back and kiss his parents goodbye. He removed the option of going back.

[7:55] And many of us, we want to follow God while quietly holding on to a backup plan. We want the whole mantle without burning our plow. We say, I'll trust God if this works out. I'll obey if it stays comfortable and I'll surrender, but only part way. Elisha's faithfulness started with a total surrender moment. There was no safety net. There was no just in case and there was no maybe. A lasting legacy, it begins when you decide that following God's call matters more than your own comfort.

[8:46] The question today is simple. What kind of ripples will your life leave behind? The ripple effect of your life starts the moment that you decide that following God, it matters more than comfort. That following God, it matters more than security. And that following God matters more than convenience. And here is a powerful truth, Church. God does not call the prepared. He prepares the called. Wherever you are today, I know you're sitting here, but wherever you are today in your life, whether it's at work, at school, raising children, serving quietly, do not underestimate the significance of faithfulness in ordinary places because God often begins his greatest work there.

[9:43] Second Kings two, one through six. I had a lot of scripture today. When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, stay here. The Lord has sent me to Bethel. But Elisha said, as surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you. So they went down to Bethel. The company of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today? Yes, I know Elisha replied, so be quiet.

[10:30] Then Elijah said to him, stay here, stay here, Elisha. The Lord has sent me to Jericho. And he replied, as surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you. So they went to Jericho. The company of the prophets at Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today? Yes, I know. He replied, so be quiet. Then Elijah said to him, stay here. The Lord has sent me to the Jordan. And he replied once more, as surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you. So the two of them walked on.

[11:19] So between the calling in first Kings 19 and Elijah's departure in second Kings two are years that we know very little about. There were years of serving, years of learning, years of obscurity, and years without recognition. But hidden seasons are often where God builds durable people. Years past, Elisha has been serving Elijah faithfully, but not as a assistant, a servant, a student, and a follower. Then the day comes when Elijah is about to be taken away. As Elijah's time on earth nears its end, he tests Elisha three times, telling him to stay here while Elijah goes to Bethel, Jericho, and Jordan.

[12:15] Each time Elisha responds, as surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you. Elisha knew that to inherit the spirit of his mentor, he had to stay close. Many scholars believe that Elijah was testing Elisha's commitment. There is power of persistence when we are following God and his calling on others. And faithfulness, church, it isn't a one-time yes. It is a thousand I'm-still-here moments. The ripples of your life are strengthened by your consistency when things get difficult or tedious.

[13:04] There's been moments in ministry where the impact wasn't loud or visible. You prepare, you show up, you serve, and sometimes you walk away wondering if anything really landed at all. I remember a season while I was in university working with students where honestly, it felt like I was doing a lot of sewing, but not seeing much harvest. You pour into people, you care deeply. You show up week after week after week, and then life moves on. And it feels like things stay the same. But then something small happens later, maybe months or even years.

[13:51] A student comes back and says, hey, Arnal, I don't think you realize this, but you guys standing with us when our friend had died, that meant something to us that stuck with me and that helped me through the darkest moments of my teenage years. And in that moment, you realize something powerful. Faithfulness, it doesn't always look effective, but church, it is never wasted. The I'm still here moments when you show up without applause, without recognition, and without immediate results. Those are often the exact moments that God uses to shape something in someone that you can't see yet.

[14:44] I'm still here when it's hard. I'm still here when it's inconvenient. And I'm still here when the excitement fades. Elisha stayed close. The mantle, the cloak, it allows the passing of the life lived impact as well. He watched Elijah trust God during drought and danger. He learned not just from Elijah's words, but from his life as well.

[15:29] Sometimes we want the mantle without the mentorship. The people who leave a lasting impact are not always the most gifted. Often they are the most faithful. They keep showing up. They keep serving and they keep believing. Second Kings 2, 7 to 14, it says, 50 men from the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the garden at the Jordan. Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

[16:21] When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you? Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit, Elisha replied. You have asked a difficult thing, Elijah said. Yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours. Otherwise, it will not. As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them. And Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, my father, my father, the chariot's enforcement of Israel, and Elisha saw him no more.

[17:08] Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two. Elisha then picked up Elijah's cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah, he asked. When he struck the water divided to the right and to the left and he crossed over, the climax happens at the Jordan River. Elijah strikes the water with his cloak, his mantle, the water's part, and they cross over. After Elijah is taken up in a whirlwind, Elisha is left standing in that same spot with that same cloak.

[17:58] Remember that bold request? He says, let me inherit a double portion of your spirit. This, it wasn't arrogance, church. It was a language of inheritance. Elisha wasn't asking to carry forward the mission. Elisha was asking to carry forward the mission. With all gone, mentor, leader, and voice, all that remained was the cloak, the mantle. To take up the mantle now, Elisha doesn't just mourn. He picks up the cloak, he goes back to the same river, and he asks, where is the Lord, the God of Elijah? Then he strikes the water and he crosses over.

[18:45] The message is unmistakable. The prophet was gone, but God was not. Then the same God who worked through Elijah would now work through Elisha. The Jordan River, it often represents transitions in Scripture. The Israelites, they crossed the Jordan into the promised land. Elisha crossed before departure, and Elisha crossed into his calling. God's work, it never depends on one person. He continues his mission through faithful people who are willing to step forward. Are you willing to step forward this morning?

[19:33] Life is not a solo race. It's a relay race. Each generation, they receive the baton. They run their leg of the race, and then they pass it forward. At some point, every one of us will stand at a Jordan River moment, holding something that didn't start with us, but the question then becomes, will I pick it up? Living faithfully means that understanding that we are all part of something larger than ourselves. We must live a life in preparation. Like Elisha at the plow, be faithful where you are.

[20:23] We must live a life in persistence. Do not give up when the journey gets long or difficult. And we must live a life in progression. Be willing to pick up the mantle and carry the work forward. When you live only for yourself, your influence, it ends with you. But a life surrendered to God can impact generations that you will never see. Parents, they influence their children. Leaders influence communities. But believers, believers, we influence the world.

[21:12] Sometimes you don't fully understand the significance of something until it is placed in your hands. I lived in North Dakota for two years, and a guy, an older man, handed me keys to this car that he restored over a lot of years. He was an old man, so he restored that for years. There was no ceremony. There was no announcement. Just a quiet transfer of responsibility. Yet I felt like the weight of it. Not because it was complicated, but because it mattered. There was history in it, sacrifice in it, and faithfulness in it.

[22:02] I remember thinking, I don't just want to hold these keys. I want to remember and honor what it represents. That is what it means to pick up your mantle. It's not a trophy. It's not a promotion. It's just a responsibility connected to a legacy. The question is, at some point, every Elisha stands at the Jordan holding something that didn't begin with them. And the question then becomes, will I leave it on the shore? Or will I step forward in faith?

[22:49] Elisha's life reminds us that one person surrendered to God. They can influence generations. Elisha's life reminds us that God's work, it continues through those who are willing to remain faithful. We are all beneficiaries of someone else's obedience. Someone prayed. Someone served. Someone never gave up. And someone carried the mantle before us. I am a beneficiary of someone's obedience, actually a couple people. And there's a lady, she was supposed to be here today, but she couldn't. Her name is Mrs. Seelig.

[23:35] I met her years ago when I was a kid in grade school, many years ago. So every day, she poured into all of us kids. She prayed for us. She showed us who Jesus was. She made Jesus real to us. And I'm so grateful for her ministry. Pastor Pat, he's another one who I am a beneficiary of. Now it's our turn church. One day, our part of the story, it will end. But a life faithfully surrendered to God can continue influencing others long after we are gone.

[24:21] The splash, it is temporary. Your life is that stone in the water of history, but the ripples of faithfulness can reach far beyond what we will ever see. Let's pray. God, I thank you for reminding us today that faithfulness matters. Thank you that every act of obedience, every step of surrender, God, and every moment of trust create ripples that reach farther than we can see. Help us to choose calling over comfort, Lord. Faithfulness over recognition and obedience over fear.

[25:07] God, teach us to keep showing up, trusting us that you are working even when we cannot see the results, Lord. And may our lives create ripples of faith that continue long after we are gone, bringing glory to you. God, we give you our yes in Jesus' name.