"How to Have It" - Pastor Jonathan Barker - Sunday Morning - 4/12/26

Pastor Jonathan Barker delivers a powerful sermon titled 'How to Have It' based on 2 Kings 2:9, focusing on Elisha's request for a double portion of Elijah's spirit and the spiritual journey that led to his anointing. Drawing from Elisha’s life, Barker emphasizes that true divine empowerment begins not with a dramatic moment of receiving the mantle, but with a prior act of surrender—deserting worldly attachments and priorities. He illustrates this through Elisha’s decision to leave his oxen, slaughter them, and follow Elijah, symbolizing a complete abandonment of self-interest. Barker shares a personal testimony of leaving his comfortable life in a rural farmhouse to accept a call to lead Amazing Grace Baptist Church, highlighting how that act of surrender opened the door to greater ministry. The sermon challenges listeners to examine what they are holding onto—family, career, comfort—that may be blocking their full devotion to God. Ultimately, Barker teaches that to experience God’s power, anointing, and purpose, one must first be willing to let go of everything and say, 'Lord, I want You more than anything.'