Friday, August 27, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
The Mid-Week Update
Sorry for the slight delay in getting this up!!
Lesson Recap
This weeks study was on Elijah, and was titled "Purpose Driven". Solomon is dead and Israel is divided with Judah to the south and Israel to the north. Elijah arrives a bit less than 100 years after Solomon died, and he is a prophet to Israel. Elijah comes from a very harsh region...not quite the same as the luxurious lifestyle he will find in central Canaan where God has sent him. Elijah was know more for his deeds, not his words. His story can be found in 1 Kings 17-19 and 2 Kings 1,2.
God's main issue with Israel is their worship of foreign gods, including Baal (who was the god of fertility and water). Elijah informed king Ahab that rain would not come for a given time unless Elijah himself asked for it. This showed that God was greater than Baal. It then stopped raining. A while later there was a widow living in Zarephath that God wanted Elijah to live with. He found the woman gathering sticks to fix her and her sons last meal. Elijah asked for, and was refused, bread. Elijah instructed her to feed him first, and if she did she would never run out of flour or oil until God sent rain. What would you have done in this situation? If you said you would feed the prophet than what things has God asked of you that required less faith...and how did you respond?
A problem cropped up...the woman's son got sick and died. The woman couldn't understand why God would provide for them and then strike down her son. Elijah took the boy upstairs where he asked God to restore the boy's life...and he did! What do you think this did for the woman's faith? How about the boy? Do you think they were silent about this..or did they spread the word?
Sometime later, Elijah (at God's request) met with King Ahab. Elijah tells him to assemble the people and prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel. Here he issues a challenge to them. Both sides were to build an altar, put a sacrifice of meat on it, and pray to their god to consume the meat with fire. The prophets of Baal went first. No matter what they tried, they had no luck. Elijah even made joke about their god having to step out to the restroom, and that was why he wasn't available! Elijah called time, and took his turn. He prayed something like "God in order to prove to everyone that you are the only true God, come and consume this sacrifice. Right after the "Amen" God sent down fire from heaven that consumed not only the sacrifice, but water that had been poured on it...and even the altar. The prophets of Baal saw this and took off. Elijah told the people that these prophets should all be killed, ant it was so. Why do we sometimes doubt that God will answer our prayer? Do you think He loved Elijah more than he loves you? Do you think Elijah had more power than you?
Elijah performed many miracles. By the end of his life he had a servant named Elisha that Go was preparing to take Elijah's place. Elisha saw many of Elijah's miracles. In 2 Kings 2:11 we learn that "As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind." Elijah saw the importance of mentoring-passing on the faith. Even Paul tells us to mentor. How is our role as parent similar to that of being a mentor? How can we see that Elijah was "Purpose "Driven? What does it mean for the parent of a teen to be purpose driven?
Root Beer Float Booth
We are in urgent need of someone who can coordinate our annual Root Beer Float Booth at the Fall Festival on 10/2/10. (I would normally do it, but I have a wedding that day! In addition, watch for the donation envelope for the Root Beer Float Booth in the Sunday folder to support this great ministry!
Board Game Night Postponement
Board Game Night has been postponed (but not forgotten) for a little while!