Elisha used his blank cheque well. When Elijah asked him to ask for anything before he would be taken to heaven, he asked for a double portion of his spirit. Though Elijah confirmed that he had asked for a hard thing, he went ahead to set the condition under which the request would be granted. If he could see the moment of his master’s translation, his wish would be granted. In effect, Elijah told Elisha to wait for the double portion of his spirit. The symbolic token that his desire was granted was the mantle that fell down from Elijah as he was being taken to heaven, while the physical proof came handy in his ability to do what his master did and even surpassed it.

Our claim to the Holy Spirit must go beyond speaking with other tongues; we should desire to move in the power of God to reproduce what Jesus did.

We can use the story of Elijah and Elisha as a type of what eventually happened between Jesus and His disciples. In His earthly ministry, He spoke on different occasions that after His departure, He would send another Helper just like Him. That Helper was the Holy Spirit. However, he told them to wait for the release of the Holy Spirit. That commandment led to a time of prayer and study of the word for 10 days following the ascension of Jesus. Waiting culminated on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out on all those who waited in the Upper Room. The early believers went on to replicate the works of Jesus and won their world over. This remains the template for modern believers. Our claim to the Holy Spirit must go beyond speaking with other tongues; we should desire to move in the power of God to reproduce what Jesus did.