The First Retreat | Dr. Conrad Vine

Extracted Verses and Quotes from the Sermon

Biblical Verses

1 Kings 18:41-44

And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.” So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. “Go and look toward the sea,” he told his servant. And he went up and looked. “There is nothing there,” he said. Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.” The seventh time the servant reported, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” So Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’”

James 5:17-18

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

1 Kings 19:5-6

As he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again.

1 Kings 19:11-12

Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

1 Kings 19:15-16

The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet.”

1 Kings 19:18

Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.

Memorable Quotes

“We may be few, but by God’s grace, we are a happy few, and we are indeed a band of brothers and sisters.”

“The story of Henry V and the Battle of Agincourt is that words of encouragement, words of comfort, can inspire a small army to incredible feats.”

“Persecution is not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes persecution is the best possible thing for the message to go forward.”

“God recognizes that depression has a physical dimension. He allows Elijah to rest, sending an angel to give him a meal and a gentle touch.”

“When God asks us a question, it is not because He needs to know the answer. It’s because we need to hear the answer for ourselves.”

“God’s purposes extend beyond our seasons of ministry. God has already prepared colleagues who will stand beside us and encourage us in ministry.”

Other Quotations

“It is not always the most learned presentation of God’s truth that convicts and converts the soul. Not by eloquence or logic are men’s hearts reached, but by the sweet influence of the Holy Spirit, which operates quietly yet surely in transforming and developing character.” — Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings