Podcast Summary: Elijah’s Legacy — Faithfulness, Fruitfulness & Finishing Well

Deepen with Pastor Joby Martin, S22E8 | September 8, 2025
Host: Pastor Joby Martin
Guests: Pastors Brett, Britt, and Chris

Overview

In this episode, Pastor Joby Martin and his team of pastors (Brett, Britt, and Chris) engage in a heartfelt and theologically rich conversation to conclude their series on Elijah. They explore Elijah's enduring legacy through themes of faithfulness, fruitfulness, gospel-centered goodbyes, leadership succession, and the importance of finishing well. The discussion weaves together biblical insights, personal anecdotes, and practical applications for church leaders and believers alike.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Saturated Week and Obedience to God's Word

• The episode opens with light-hearted banter around "Saturated Week," a church event focused on immersing in God's Word and presence (01:17–01:55).
• Pastor Chris: "Get saturated in his presence and his word with his people. That's just it...the Lord is on the move around here, so don't miss it." (01:25)

2. Gospel Goodbyes — The Pain and Power of Healthy Farewells

• Exploring the concept of “gospel goodbyes,” the pastors discuss the bittersweet necessity of sending out leaders for kingdom expansion, drawing on Elijah and Elisha’s separation as a model (02:00–08:55).
• Pastor Britt: "Very few things in life are forever. And so I've had a lot of really great seasons that have been good gospel ministry, good gospel friendship, gospel brotherhood...that season came to an end, and we moved on to the next thing and praise God for it." (04:51)

3. Multiplication Versus Comfort in Church Life

• Discussion shifts to why many churches resist multiplication and prefer “holy huddles,” often rooted in a cultural pursuit of comfort instead of kingdom risk (08:00–09:22).
• Pastor Chris: "We are obsessed with comfort...And the gospel is the opposite of that. The gospel is going." (08:17)

4. Hearing God's Voice — Lessons from Elijah

• Drawing from James's description of Elijah as “a man like us,” the team tackles the modern challenge of “hearing God” amidst life's noise (09:22–11:54).
• Pastor Chris: "If you aren't hearing God, do you think it's because he's not speaking, or is it because your life's too loud to hear him?...We need to consistently put ourselves in the kind of environments where God's voice is the loudest." (09:22)

5. Legacy and Remembrance — The Power of Looking Back

• Elijah’s final journey with Elisha to key historic sites is seen as a model for cultivating remembrance and trust in God’s faithfulness (13:25–16:09).
• Pastor Chris: "He just takes him to place after place...where the faithfulness of God was just on the big screen. Like, remember this, remember this...because in just a minute I'm going to be gone. And I need you to remember God is faithful." (14:02)

6. Personal Legacy — The Story of Gretchen’s Granddad

• Pastor Joby tells a moving story of his wife's grandfather, a first-generation Christian and church planter, whose faithfulness has had multigenerational kingdom impact (16:22–22:11).
• Pastor Chris: "The reason you know Jesus is because that man taught me about Jesus...that's what I want with my life when I die." (18:31)

7. Faithfulness AND Fruitfulness — Untangling a Theological Tension

• Robust discussion resolves the misconception that God values faithfulness at the expense of fruitfulness; rather, the two are deeply intertwined (23:40–29:15).
• Pastor Chris: "So God, God wants fruitfulness. It's just up to him. Faithfulness, like our obedience is up to us, you know, and so the, the well done part is good and faithful." (24:49)
• Pastor Britt: "How do you separate faithful and fruitful? ...If you are unfaithful, it will not be fruitful." (25:02, 26:03)

8. The Role of Humility and Submission in Leadership Succession

• Drawing parallels between Elijah/Elisha and real-life pastoral succession, the team emphasizes humility, submitting to authority, and the dangers of self-promotion (33:03–38:37).
• Pastor Chris: "If you find yourself in the second seat of what God's doing and you're trying to nudge out the first, you're working against the Lord...God will not bless disobedience." (33:03)
• Pastor Britt: "You just got to be willing to go all in with someone...somebody else has got to be the loudest voice in my life in regards to important decisions." (36:48)

9. Anointing and the Holy Spirit’s Uniqueness

• The difference between God’s specific anointing and general gifting is discussed, noting that obedience leads to the Spirit’s empowerment for exponential impact (47:27–48:31).
• Pastor Britt: "Anointing is the power the Holy Spirit gives for a gift to function with ease, for exponential impact." (47:42)

10. Perspective — The Key to Enduring Hardship and Staying Faithful

• The pastors reflect on the importance of seeing life's challenges through a God-centered perspective (51:07–53:51).
• Pastor Chris: "If you could see this from my perspective, you wouldn't be worried...sheep get worried because they can't see far. And the shepherd is up above and can be like, no, we're good." (51:34)

11. Finishing Well — The Ultimate Testimony

• A central motif in the episode: finishing the race faithfully, drawing inspiration from Elijah, Paul, and personal mentors (61:27–64:57).
• Pastor Chris: "I just figured out how to be the greatest pastor in America...We just gotta finish. That's it, dude. That is it. And to God be the glory, whatever the results are." (63:26)
• Pastor Britt: "I think Elijah legitimately saw God as worth it...If that cost him his life. Worth it. And he lived that his life that way." (60:41)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote/Highlight | |-----------|------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:25 | Pastor Chris | "Get saturated in his presence and his word with his people. That's just it." | | 14:02 | Pastor Chris | "Remember this, remember this...because in just a minute I'm going to be gone. And I need you to remember God is faithful." | | 18:31 | Pastor Chris | "The reason you know Jesus is because that man taught me about Jesus...that's what I want with my life when I die." | | 25:02 | Pastor Britt | "How do you separate faithful and fruitful?...If you are unfaithful, it will not be fruitful." | | 33:03 | Pastor Chris | "If you find yourself in the second seat...and you're trying to nudge out the first, you are...working against the Lord." | | 47:42 | Pastor Britt | "Anointing is the power the Holy Spirit gives for a gift to function with ease, for exponential impact." | | 51:34 | Pastor Chris | "A lot of Jesus's teaching on worry could be summed up like, if you could see this from my perspective, you wouldn't be worried." | | 63:26 | Pastor Chris | "We just gotta finish. That's it, dude. That is it. And to God be the glory, whatever the results are." |

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Saturated Week & Church Culture: 01:17–01:55
• Gospel Goodbyes: 02:00–08:55
• Comfort vs. Multiplication: 08:00–09:22
• Hearing God Amidst the Noise: 09:22–11:54
• Elijah’s Legacy Journey: 13:25–16:09
• Gretchen’s Granddad Story: 16:22–22:11
• Faithfulness & Fruitfulness: 23:40–29:15
• Leadership, Authority & Succession: 33:03–38:37
• Anointing & Gifting: 47:27–48:31
• Walking, Pace, and Perspective: 51:07–53:51
• Finishing Well: 61:27–64:57

Takeaways and Practical Application

• Pursue faithfulness and trust God for fruit: Faithfulness to the assignment precedes visible fruit, which is ultimately God’s responsibility (24:49).
• Don’t fear gospel goodbyes: Healthy sending is integral to kingdom multiplication, even if it’s painful (06:10).
• Submit to godly authority: Leadership rises from humility and willingness, not self-promotion (33:03, 36:48).
• Legacy is built on everyday faithfulness: The unseen acts of devotion have incalculable impact on future generations (18:31).
• Aim to finish well: No matter your past, perseverance is what matters most (63:26).

Final Reflection

The episode closes with a challenge to embrace the example of Elijah: Do the next faithful thing, invest in others, resist comparison, seek the Lord’s voice above the world’s noise, and finish the race for God’s glory. Listeners are reminded that legacy is not measured in immediate results but in decades of faithfulness, often seen only in retrospect.

For church leaders and believers seeking encouragement, practical wisdom, and a reminder of the high calling of gospel ministry, this conversation delivers both depth and heart. Elijah’s story is echoed in everyday choices—just do what the Lord says, leave the fruit to Him, and persevere to the end.