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Have You Ever Felt Like You’re the Only One?

Have you ever looked around at what is happening in the world—or even in the church—and wondered:

“Am I the only one who still believes this?“

Maybe you’ve watched biblical convictions that once seemed obvious become controversial.

Maybe you’ve found yourself questioning whether standing firmly on God’s Word makes you judgmental, legalistic, or simply out of touch.

And perhaps you’ve wondered whether it’s even worth standing firm when it feels like everyone else is moving in the opposite direction.

Elijah knew that feeling.

After standing before the prophets of Baal and watching God dramatically demonstrate His power, Elijah found himself running for his life.

And when God met him, Elijah essentially said:

“I alone am left.”

But Elijah wasn’t alone.

God had preserved a remnant.

That gives us a completely different way to look at what it means to remain faithful to God.

This should be your hook.

The Church Changes. God’s Word Doesn’t.

The church looks different across cultures and generations.

Some changes are simply cultural.

The way we worship, communicate, dress, meet, and interact with one another can change from one generation to another.

But there are some things that don’t change.

God’s Word doesn’t change.

And neither do the truths and commands God has given us in His Word.

That’s why I’ve found myself thinking about the church I grew up in.

I grew up during a time when many Christians were pushing back against the legalism that had characterized some Pentecostal churches. There was a genuine desire to rediscover the freedom we have in Christ.

And that freedom was desperately needed.

But sometimes, in our rejection of legalism, we’ve swung so far in the opposite direction that biblical obedience itself can begin to look like legalism.

Grace was never meant to make obedience unnecessary.

We live in a Christian culture where the boundaries surrounding biblical obedience have become increasingly blurred.

Practices and beliefs that previous generations of Christians would have questioned are sometimes now defended in the name of grace, freedom, or cultural relevance.

But the answer isn’t to return to legalism.

The answer is to return to God’s Word.

What Does It Mean to Be God’s Remnant?

The overall body of Christ cannot, and will not, enjoy God’s blessings when intentional and purposeful sin is a lifestyle for them, when even some of the sins that they tolerate and accept God calls an abomination in His word!

What Is God’s Remnant?

Throughout Scripture, we see the idea of a remnant—people who remain faithful to God when others have turned away.

A remnant isn’t a group of people who think they’re better than everyone else.

It isn’t a group of perfect Christians.

And it isn’t simply a group that refuses to change with the times.

It is a people who remain faithful to God and His Word.

We see a powerful example of this in 1 Kings 19.

King Solomon led the way for the nation of Israel into a life of purposeful, intentional disobedience and open, blatant idolatry.

Israel Had Turned Away

What followed was not only the kingdom of Israel being ripped out of the house of David – leaving only the Tribe of Judah – but also a series of kings whose debauched and idolatrous lifestyle was worse than the one before.

And we come to King Ahab.

It says in 1 Kings 16:30, “Now Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him.”

And that is saying a lot, given the level of sin and evil the kings before him engaged in!

It was during the reign of King Ahab that the worship of Baal began in the nation of Israel, primarily because he married Jezebel, who was an ardent worshiper of Baal.

The worship of Baal among the Israelites became so prevalent that God sent a drought. 

The interesting thing was that this drought was in response to the worship of Baal, and those who worshiped Baal actually believed that he controlled the rain. 

God’s answer to this was to send a drought – a direct slap in the face of this false and powerless god!

And the way God chose to end the drought was an even more powerful display of His sovereign power, by sending down supernatural fire to consume a sacrifice on a water-soaked altar.

The result was an acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty and a massacre of the prophets of Baal.

But we see something beautiful in 1 Kings 19:18: “Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

Elijah Thought He Was Alone

While it seemed to Elijah that he was the only one in the whole land who hadn’t forsaken God’s covenant, there were actually seven thousand who had remained true to God and His Word.

Elijah said twice in this chapter, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek my life.”

God Had a Remnant Elijah Couldn’t See

This is how it seemed to Elijah, because these faithful men and women, whom God reserved for Himself, were hiding in caves from execution.

Is There Still a Remnant Today?

Paul refers to this event in Romans 11:

“I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, ‘LORD, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life’? But what does the divine response say to him? ‘I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.’ Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.” Romans 11:1-5

And there is a remnant today.

God has reserved for Himself those who refuse to bow the knee to greasy grace, easy-believism, and permissive behavior thinly disguised as freedom.

Faithfulness Doesn’t Mean Legalism

He has reserved for Himself those who have chosen not to give in to the intimidation of those in the church who are the “judaizers“, compromising the firmly established covenant of God’s Word.

These are they who stand for truth amidst the accusations of legalism.

These are they who keep their eyes fixed on Jesus despite the barbs being thrown: homophobe, xenophobe, racist, misogynist, and more.

Being Faithful Isn’t Always Easy

Being part of God’s remnant isn’t easy.

Not only is it fraught with persecution;

Not only do people completely misunderstand or attack us for our stand and belief in God’s Word;

Not only is it often lonely – much like how Elijah felt when God found him,

But it requires a commitment to humility and constant pruning of God in our lives as He lovingly but persistently reveals those things about us that require change.

The Remnant Still Needs to Be Pruned

Faithfulness isn’t about becoming so convinced that we’re right that we stop allowing God to correct us.

Quite the opposite.

The closer we walk with Jesus, the more willing we should be to let Him examine our hearts.

He exposes our pride.

He reveals our selfishness.

He corrects our attitudes.

He shows us where we’ve compromised.

He teaches us to love people even when we disagree with them.

Being faithful to God’s Word requires humility because we aren’t the standard—God is.

Will You Remain Faithful?

You may feel like Elijah today.

You may look around and wonder if you’re the only one still trying to follow God’s Word faithfully.

But remember:

You aren’t responsible for everyone else.

You’re responsible for your own response to God.

So ask yourself:

• Where have I compromised?
• Where am I tempted to follow the crowd?
• Where do I need to obey God even when it’s difficult?
• Have I confused biblical obedience with legalism?
• Am I willing to let God prune the areas of my life that don’t look like Jesus?
• Am I remaining humble enough to be corrected by God’s Word?

God doesn’t need us to be loud. He calls us to be faithful.

We may not see the entire remnant.

We may not know how many others are quietly standing firm.

But God does.

And just as He told Elijah, He has His people.

So keep walking.

Keep obeying.

Keep your heart tender.

Keep your eyes on Jesus.

And when faithfulness feels lonely, remember:

You may not see the remnant—but God does.