On Friday, April 10, 2026, day three of the 2026 Loud Cry International Convocation began with a message from Dave Fiedler on how God unfolds truth to His people. Centered on Proverbs 4:18—“the path of the righteous … shineth more and more unto the perfect day”—his message emphasized spiritual growth and walking in increasing light. Fiedler highlighted that God’s people are not meant to remain stagnant but to continually advance in truth, holiness, and preparation for the final crisis and the kingdom of Christ. The Christian life, he explained, is an experience in which God reveals clearer light as His people remain faithful and continue to follow Him. [1]
Dr. Conrad Vine delivered the evening message, preaching from 2 Kings 2:9–10. He drew attention to Elisha’s request for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit and highlighted Elijah’s startling reply: “Thou hast asked a hard thing.” Dr. Vine emphasized that Elisha was not just asking for a greater spiritual blessing—he was asking for the burden, sacrifice, and suffering that accompany the reception of God’s Spirit and power. [2] According to Dr. Vine, to seek the fullness of the Holy Spirit is to ask for a difficult and hard request, not because God is unwilling or unable to pour out His Spirit, but because those who receive Heaven’s power are inevitably called into deeper commitment, greater responsibility, and more intense spiritual conflict. To ask for a double portion of the Spirit is to ask for a ministry marked by misunderstanding, criticism, rejection, and persecution.
Elijah stood alone as one solitary prophet against Israel’s 850 false prophets who were supported by the royal court (1 Kings 18:19). The prophets of Baal were so much more dignified! The false prophets were in demand, well-fed, best-dressed, and occupied the best seats in the nation. Their messages were very popular, culturally relevant, and socially acceptable. Their preaching was positive, ecumenical, inclusive and made everyone happy. No negativity, no controversy, and nothing discouraging was ever said. These false prophets told the people what they wanted to hear.
In contrast, Elijah was never given a preaching schedule in Israel, and his social calendar was always empty. He wasn’t offered a church to pastor by the leading elders in his local conference. There were no invitations to speak at the national camp meetings, and no calls to join the leadership retreats. Such is often the experience of those whom God calls to proclaim His prophetic word. This was the lot of the Old Testament prophets who confronted apostasy in their generation. They were not popular, nor were they surrounded by many friends. Their work was not easy, glamorous, or celebrated. These faithful watchmen were rejected in their own day, only to be vindicated later by history.
Unfortunately, we live in a world that rejects this straight testimony. This modern lukewarm society shares the same sentiment of ancient Israel that characterized the spirit and power of Elijah as too severe, too austere, too earnest, too divisive, too negative, and too unsociable. Elijah was dismissed as irrelevant and a bearer of bad news. His words were considered harsh, and his messages about judgment and his calls for repentance were not well received.
Dr. Vine pointed to the soon-coming final crisis and warned that when the mark of the beast is enforced and the Holy Spirit is poured out upon God’s remnant, the faithful will be called to stand against the united powers of the earth. He asked whether believers are truly prepared to stand alone against governments, corporations, employers, institutions, and every force of society arrayed against the truth. The question, he pressed, is not whether we want the Latter Rain but whether we are ready for what comes with it.
In closing, Dr. Vine reminded listeners that throughout biblical history, every individual who was filled with the Holy Spirit also passed through trials, persecution, and suffering. Yet it is in those darkest moments that God’s power is most clearly manifested through His people. His message was a solemn appeal for the church to count the cost of discipleship and to sincerely make Elisha’s prayer their own: “I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.”
It is so easy to blend in with the crowd. It’s always more difficult to stand up against the prevailing wickedness. Yet this is the challenge we must face today. We must call this generation to repent and turn to the living God. The Spirit and Power of Elijah will be given to a faithful company of believers who are committed to preparing a people for the coming of the Lord:
“Those ministers who are men pleasers, who cry, Peace, peace, when God has not spoken peace, might well humble their hearts before God, asking pardon for their insincerity and their lack of moral courage. It is not from love for their neighbor that they smooth down the message entrusted to them, but because they are self-indulgent and ease-loving. True love seeks first the honor of God and the salvation of souls. Those who have this love will not evade the truth to save themselves from the unpleasant results of plain speaking. When souls are in peril, God’s ministers will not consider self, but will speak the word given them to speak, refusing to excuse or palliate evil” (Prophets and Kings, p. 141).
Sources
[1] https://www.youtube.com/live/ZFbXGOABzNQ?si=mM708RoyyTw8DEVk
[2] https://www.youtube.com/live/KcnLeB4w0zc?si=aH8bMnPBgf8MPm4k
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