Elijah 02: Which Do You Serve?

Is there a famous person (ie. athlete, entertainer, actor, musician, world leader, author, etc.) that you tend to idolize? What about that person do you idolize the most?

When (Ahab) saw Elijah, he said to him, "Is that you, you troubler of Israel?" "I have not made trouble for Israel," Elijah replied. "But you and your father's fam- ily have. You have abandoned the Lord's commands and have followed the Baals .

1 Kings 18:17-18 (NIV) 

• False gods promise what only the one true God can provide. What false gods do you see being worshipped in the culture around you?

• Christians believe there is one true God, but sometimes we unintentionally serve false gods. What are one or two false gods that continue to resurface in your life?

• What do these false gods promise you that only God can provide?

Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table." So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. Elijah went before the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." But the people said nothing.

1 Kings 18:19-21 (NIV)

• What might help you quit wavering between false gods and the one True God?

Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire — he is God." Then all the people said, "What you say is good."

1 Kings 18:24 (NIV)

So they took the bull given them and prepared it. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. "O Baal, answer us!" they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.

1 Kings 18:26 (NIV)

Describe a time when you depended on one of the false gods you mentioned earlier instead of depending on God. What comfort did you think you’d find in that god? Did you find it?

At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: "O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again." Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, "The Lord-he is God! The Lord-he is God!"

1 Kings 18:36-39 (NIV)

God answered Elijah’s prayer and revealed Himself to Elijah and the people of Israel. How has God revealed Himself to you in the past? In what way is God currently revealing Himself in your life that may be new and different?


Final Thought:
False gods promise what only the True God provides. With your group, ask God to help you be aware of any false gods in your life. Ask God for strength and wisdom to leave the false gods behind and put your trust in Him in every area of your life.

For Further Study

Open

• Why do you think people tend to idolize entertainers, musicians and athletes?

Explore

Read 1 Kings 18:1-46

• What did God tell Elijah to do after almost three years of drought? (18:1-2)
• What was Obadiah’s story? (18:3-4)

• What attitude did Obadiah have toward Elijah? (18:7)

• What did Obadiah assume about Elijah’s ability to escape the king? (18:12)
• Whom did Elijah hold accountable for Israel’s troubles? (18:18)


How did the people respond when Elijah confronted them with their double- mindedness? (18:21)

How did the people respond to the confrontation Elijah proposed between Baal and God? (18:22-24)
• What happened to the altar of the Lord when Elijah prayed? (18:38)

• How did the people react when they saw fire burn up Elijah’s offering? (18:39)

Reflect 

What measures did Elijah take to make the lighting of his sacrifice much harder than the sacrifice to Baal?

• What did Elijah perceive that God was doing in Israel through this show- down?

• Despite the drama of the fire consuming the sacrifice, why did Elijah not assume that God would come through with the promised rain?

• To what extent is God obligated to answer our prayers to vindicate His own name?

Apply

• How might God use you this week to confront someone you know that is worshiping a false god?


Here are some suggestions you may want to use for your time with God this week:


Day 1:
Read 1 Kings 18:17-18. Pray and ask God to help you remove any false idols in your life.


Day 2:
Read 1 Kings 18:19-21. Tell God about any idols that you seem to be constantly battling in your life. Ask for His help in defeating that idol.

Day 3:
Read 1 Kings 18:24-26. Seek God’s satisfaction and comfort in prayer.

Day 4:
Read 1 Kings 18:27. Pray for those you know struggling with false idols

Ask God to release them from the hold these idols have on them.

Day 5: Read 1 Kings 18:36-39. Ask God to reveal Himself to you in prayer. Listen for His voice.

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Elijah 01: The Making of a Man of God Followup

Think of someone you consider to be a true Christ follower. What unique attributes of their character would you like to see in your own life? Why?

Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word."

1 Kings 17:1 (NIV)

God had more to do in Elijah before He could do more through Elijah. God is preparing each of us so that He can work through us. How have you seen God prepare you for His
specific purposes throughout your life?

Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: "Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan.

1 Kings 17:2-3 (NIV)

In 1 Kings 17:2-3, God led Elijah to a period of hiding in the Kerith Ravine. Kerith means “cut off or cut down.” Describe a painful experience that God used to shape you into who you are today.

You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there." So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.

1 Kings 17:4-6 (NIV)

• God taught Elijah to depend on Him daily for food and water. What are you daily trusting God for right now?
  
• Describe a time in your life when things felt very desperate but you saw God meet your needs. What did you learn from the experience?
  
  
  
  Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. Then the word of the Lord came to him: "Go at once to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there.
  1 Kings 17:7-9a (NIV)
  
  
  • Describe a time when you decided to step out on faith and obey God even though that decision didn’t seem to make sense to you at the time. Did that experience strengthen your relationship with God? If so, how?
  • After the brook dried up, Elijah trusted God and moved on to Zarephath. Is there a “dry brook” in your life God is using to “motivate” you to move on to what He has next for you?
  
  
  
  Then the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth."
  1 Kings 17:24 (NIV)
  
  
  Final thought: 
  Just like Elijah, pain in our lives, can lead us to a total dependence on God and more intimate relationship with Him. 
  Pray and ask God to help you see Him and depend totally on Him during the good times and the bad.

Christmas Is Not Your Birthday 06

Making Life Different

For most people in Western contexts, shopping is spirituality. It is an attempt to find meaning and happiness in the product... Once again we are back to idolatry: the attempt to establish meaning and purpose on our own terms outside of a relationship with God. -Alan & Deb Hirsch

The holiday season often brings increased stress and even depression due to the dizzying demands and distractions of shopping, work parties, extended family visits, blended family responsibilities, cleaning, baking, entertaining, and –oh yes- did I mention spending? To top it off, burning the candle at both ends makes us more susceptible to colds and other ailments.


Then we start off the New Year with guilt (and inches) from overeating, the debt from overspending, and the emotional low that comes from pursuit of fleeting joy. Meanwhile, the reason for the season -Immanuel, God with us- gets lost in the frantic complexity. But it doesn’t have to.


On January 6, after the holiday vacations are over and the gifts and decorations are put away, we celebrate Epiphany-the arrival of the wise men or “magi” who came from afar to see the new king. The true biblical account of the magi is an inspiring example of persistent life-altering faith. The amount of energy and expense involved in their journey would have been considerable in what appears to have been a two-year quest. And after they arrived they offered Jesus treasures that would have been worthy of a king.

Matthew 2:11-12: On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

What we see here are the marks of true commitment:
1) They bowed down and worshipped him – when we acknowledge Jesus as Lord we humbly submit to his authority.
2) They opened their treasures – the resources of heaven don’t fall from the sky, instead they are released through God’s people.
3) They returned to their country by a different road – Belief is simple, but changing course or life attitudes and practices are often hard commitments to make. 

January is a traditional time to commit to taking a different road. We see the New Year as a time for making resolutions to change something about our lives. Whether it be quitting a bad habit or starting healthier practices, we vow to make this year different. But what if we allow the lessons of Advent and Christmas to shape the way we start the calendar year - and the rest of our lives - by reorienting our priorities to focus not on ourselves but on the radical love Jesus gives to us and asks from us in return.


Jesus continually challenges our life values and priorities by making clear the contrast between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of consumption. Overspending, debt, and attachment to material possessions hinder our ability to fully commit to following Jesus in sacrificial mission. The more we have the harder we have to work to maintain what we have, which means less time to develop relationships with those closest to us and less time to serve Jesus’ mission for the least and the lost. Jesus names the alternative path for his followers:

Matthew 6:31-33: So do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 

1. Do you typically begin each New Year with a big relief, big guilt, big gut, big expectations, big let-down, big debt, big joy and/or big depression? Why do you think this is?

2. Which of the following examples of the three Magi do you most need to put into practice: Submitting to Jesus’ authority over your life, opening up your treasures for God’s purposes or committing to a needed life course change with God’s help? What will you do to begin making this happen?

3. How can you simplify your home to create more room for peace and righteousness, rather than for more stuff? What excess can you get rid of in your home (or your schedule) to reflect more accurately where your priorities lie?

4. What would it mean for you to “seek God’s kingdom first”? What changes would that shift necessitate in your life?

5. Take a moment right now to think of ways you can make first things first by finishing the following sentences: I will spend more time with the people I love by ______________________________.  I will demonstrate my faith in practical service by _____________________________.  I will cultivate my relationship with God by __________________________________.

Challenge: 
Write down what you will do differently this holiday season in order to honour Jesus' birthday and God's desire to bring good news to all people.


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When Fear Creeps In

Who do you turn to when you're afraid?

Psalm 118:5-9

In my distress I prayed to the LORD,
and the LORD answered me and set me free.
The LORD is for me, so I will have no fear.
What can mere people do to me?
Yes, the LORD is for me; he will help me.
I will look in triumph at those who hate me.

If your fear is holding you back, find freedom in God's arms.

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Advent Conspiracy 03: Give More

Living Water International sends over 1,000 people a year on more than 100 mission trips to Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, and Haiti. Every week volunteers are received by indigenous hosts in those countries. We asked one of those hosts, an evangelist and seminary graduate, the following question: “As short-term missionaries, what is the single most valuable thing we can do to advance the gospel in your country? Share my testimony? Show the Jesus film? Drill more wells? Hand out Bibles? Tell Bible stories? Build churches? What?”


This was his answer: “Make friends. Give yourself. Give time. Eat a meal in my house even if all I have is beans. Let me give something to you. Grab a Frisbee and play with our children. It makes us feel important. Laugh. If you don’t speak our language, just smile and make signs with your hands. In our culture, nothing you can say about Jesus makes much sense until you’ve made friends with us. Our perception of gringos comes from television and movies. You could be other things, and we know your time is valuable. Share it with us.”


Is any culture really any different?


DISCUSSION:


• God gave us his son for Christmas. We give stuff. What would a Christmas giving tradition modeled after God’s giving look like?
• Have you ever received a gift you felt was given out of a sense of obligation? How would you describe the “spirit” of such a gift?
• What is the most thoughtful or loving gift you have ever received? How would you describe its “spirit”?
• Life itself is God’s gift of time to you. Is there someone in your life who would prosper from the gift of your time?
• In what specific way will you give yourself in the coming week? 


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Christmas Is Not Your Birthday 05

Session 5: Creating New Traditions Based on Ch. 4: 
9

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. -I John 3:16-18

Do you struggle to come up with the perfect gifts each Christmas for the special people in your life? It can be tough but here’s an even more important question: 


What do you give Jesus on his birthday? 
How can we change the traditional focus of Christmas from materialistic self indulgence to giving Jesus what he desires on his birthday? 
And what can you possibly give the Lord of the universe? 
Fortunately Jesus made his wish list unquestionably clear in his last teaching in the book of Matthew concerning his return and the day of final judgment.

Matthew 25:31-36: When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of

the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”


We serve God when we serve others. We give to Jesus when we sacrifice our time, talents, and resources to meet other’s needs in his name. The church is the body of Christ. We are the only hands, feet, and wallets that Jesus has. Many people ask the question “If God is all-loving and all-powerful then why doesn’t God do something about evil?” The answer to this question is simple: you are the something that God is sending to combat evil in this world.


You are the evidence that the Messiah of God’s Kingdom is among you when everything that is broken around you is being restored, when the oppressed and captive are being set free, and when good news is being preached to the poor. Everyone who recognizes Jesus as Messiah is a servant of his mission and if that includes us, then we need to be committed to live more simply so that others may simply live - because that is what Jesus desires from his followers. 

Can you imagine the birthday celebration if every Christian in every church practiced the commitment of giving an equal amount of what they spend on themselves to a specific Jesus mission somewhere in the world? We can change the world one place at a time, one person at a time, if we are willing to celebrate Jesus’ birthday in a way that honours him. When we acknowledge Jesus as Lord we give him the rights to define our lifestyles, our values, and yes, in the way we celebrate his birth.


At Christmas, we celebrate a messiah, a deliverer who was born to die. So we too are called to give ourselves sacrificially with Christ for the world that God loves. Such sacrifice is paradoxical because the more of ourselves that we give away, the more abundant our faith and our commitment will be with what we have.

1. Who is the hardest person to shop for on your Christmas shopping list? How much time and energy do you have to spend finding a gift for him or her?

2. What would happen if you put as much time and energy into Jesus’ wish list each Christmas as you put into getting everyone the right gift?

3. What are some practical ways we can change the traditional focus of Christmas from materialistic self-indulgence to giving Jesus what he desires?

4. Describe an event where you gave of your time, talent and/or resources and were completely blessed beyond what you expected.

5. Why do you think God uses people to bring restoration and healing to a broken world instead of just stepping in with almighty power? Has God ever used you?

6. What “big buts” are keeping you from giving sacrificially of both time and money? What excuses do you need to overcome this year to truly honor Jesus with your life’s resources?

Challenge:
Get Creative! What is one new tradition or family practice you could start this year to make every Christmas a more authentic celebration of Jesus?


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Advent Conspiracy 02: Spend Less

A group of Living Water International missionaries and Advent Conspiracy visionaries visited an AC well in a Liberian village. The area had been ravaged by theft, so Living Water had installed a lockable protective steel jacket over the new well’s pump to prevent it from being stolen. The village had taken an additional measure—they encased the entire pump in concrete! Only the pump handle and spout stuck out. We asked what they were going to do if we needed to repair the well in a few years. They said they would gladly spend days chipping it out of the concrete with hammers. They said that that was far better than spending days without water to drink. They had seen all the death they could stand. Jesus had given them life for Christmas and that was a gift too precious to lose. When we asked what they wanted next Christmas, they asked for a well for the neighboring village.


Not one of the North Americans there could even remember what gifts we had received the previous Christmas. None of us had ever received a gift we loved so much that our first reaction was to want someone else to have it. Meanwhile, children all around played with little cars they had made out of plastic talcum powder bottles with wire axels and wheels cut from sandal soles, happy as can be, without spending a dime.


DISCUSSION:


• “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matthew 6:26) What does this translate to in terms of practice?


• “Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.” (Ezekiel 16:49) Were you brought up with the same view as Ezekiel regarding the “sin of Sodom”?


• “So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?” (Luke 16:11) What does it mean to be “trustworthy” with wealth? What are “true riches”?


• “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (Matthew 8:20) What is one step you could take in the coming week towards trusting God’s sufficiency.


• Americans spend $450 billion on Christmas. Two percent of that, $10 billion, would provide clean drinking water in Jesus’ name to half the world’s people who need it. Is this doable? Or is it a crazy pipe-dream? 


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