TODAY’S READING IN THE ONE YEAR BIBLE
JUNE 17- 1 Kings 18:1-46; Acts 11:1-30; Psalm 135:1-21; Proverbs 17:12-13
Jesus fulfills the predicted role of “prophet like unto Moses”. The Son of God is the Deliverer of His people, accomplishing the Greater Exodus from bondage to sin and death at the Cross. In some regards John the Baptist fulfills the Elijah role in the New Testament, but Jesus is the Greater Elijah.
Jesus is God’s full and final Word. He is the full vindication of the truth. The spirit of prophecy bears witness to Him. He is prophetic authority personified.
There had been prophets before Elijah, but Elijah elevates the office of the prophet to supreme importance in the national life of Israel. From this point onward in the history of God’s people, until the coming of the Messiah, the prophet would be superior to the king. The hearts of the kings that desired reform would have their work directed by the prophets through whom the will of God would be made known.
At a time when the nation had fallen into the deception of believing that “Baal is God”, God raises up a man to be His authoritative statement: ELIJAH- “Eli Jah!”-(literally “The Lord is God (Yahweh)”. This is the theme of Elijah’s ministry.
The nation had been led to believe that Baal was in charge of fertility and the rainfall in particular. Elijah would show that “the Lord is God”. He is God over all creation.
So Elijah declared to Ahab that there would be no dew or rain “except by my word”. Elijah was subject to the authority of the Word of God. As we compare Jesus’ teaching in which he says “the sky was shut up for three years and six months” (Luke 4:25) with the record in I Kings 18, it appears that there had already been six months of famine before Elijah gave this word to the king. This should have prepared Ahab.
1 Now it happened after many days that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, "Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the face of the earth."
The Lord is God of the rainfall and storms. He is the God of heaven and earth. He never complains about the weather. He is in control. Baal is not. Elijah is fearless as he challenges the prophets of Baal to a contest on Mount Carmel. He meets Ahab’s chief steward, Obadiah (a God fearer who had secretly hid 100 prophets in two caves) and demanded that Obadiah announce to Ahab that “Elijah is here!” (lit. The Lord is God is here!)
Obadiah fears that he will lose his life if he announces this. Elijah’s confidence in God’s plan is persuasive. He says, “As the Lord God of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today.” (When you are conscious of your standing before the Lord you will not fear standing before men.)
Elijah challenges the people and the prophets. First he comes close to all the people and declares:
"How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people did not answer him a word. (1 Kings 18:21)
The test on Mt. Carmel is one in which Elijah gives the false prophets of Baal every opportunity to vindicate themselves. They could choose the bull and call upon the name of their God to their heart’s content. Elijah simply declares, “I will call upon the name of the LORD, and the God who answers by fire, He is God.
The prophets of Baal could put no fire to the sacrifice. Elijah challenges their god to answer by fire. In spite of their calling on the name of Baal from morning to noon, pleading their sincerity with self mutilation, there was no answer.
Then Elijah called people near. In their presence he rebuilt the altar of the LORD with twelve stones representing the 12 tribes of Israel. Then he made a trench around the altar and poured four jars of water on the burnt offering and on the wood. He did this three times.
ELIJAH’S PRAYER
Elijah was a man of public and private prayer. He had no special powers. His secret was that he knew that “the Lord is God” and he called upon him earnestly in prayer.
James 5:17 (NASB) 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.
His famous prayer was composed of only 62 words, yet it is one of the most effective prayers in the Old Testament.
1 Kings 18:36-37 (NASB) "O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and I have done all these things at Your word. 37 "Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that You, O LORD, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again."
The Lord answers the prayer dramatically as the fire falls to consume the offering, even though it had been drenched with water.
Notice the response of the people. They start shouting Elijah’s name: “The Lord, He is God; the LORD, He is God.”
Elijah then seizes the 450 false prophets and takes them down to the brook Kishon and slaughters them there.
Elijah who prayed against all odds for rain, sends his servant to follow up to see if there was a storm developing over the Mediterranean. This is a picture of EXPECTANT PRAYER. On the seventh time his servant sees what appears to be only a small cloud in the sky, like a man’s hand rising in the sea. Elijah speaks boldly “Go up, say to Ahab, “Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you.”
45 In a little while the sky grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy shower. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel. 46 Then the hand of the LORD was on Elijah, and he girded up his loins and outran Ahab to Jezreel. (1 Kings 18:45-46 )
Luke 4:25 25 "But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land; 26 and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
NEW TESTAMENT READING
Acts 11:1-30
Peter reports to the church at Jerusalem the remarkable story of how God the Holy Spirit prepared him to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. The Holy Spirit also prepared Cornelius to receive Peter and his message. It was a Divine appointment!
PRAY FOR THE NATIONS
Hungary
(taken from the Prayer Guide, “Operation World”)
Republic of Hungary
Europe
Geography
Area: 93,030 sq km
A landlocked, central European state on the River Danube.
Population: 9,973,141 Annual Growth: -0.21%
Capital: Budapest
Urbanites: 68.3%
HDI Rank: 43 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)
Peoples
Peoples: 23 (9% unreached) All peoples
Unreached Peoples Prayer Card
Unreached Peoples Prayer Card
Official language: Hungarian
Religion
Largest Religion: Christian
| Religion | | Pop % | Ann Gr |
| 8,775,367 | 87.99 | -0.5 | |
| 282,181 | 2.8 | 0.9 |
Answer to Prayer
The small, but historically rich, evangelical movement is growing in size, maturity, diversity and confidence. Many types of ministries are springing up around the nation, and the vision exists to see an evangelical church planted in every city, town and village in Hungary.
Challenge for Prayer
Disillusion, dissatisfaction and upheaval against the government and economy in particular often characterize life in Hungary. The 1956 uprising and widespread demonstrations in 2006 and following demonstrate the desire for a better state of affairs. Political scandal has brought much disappointment and skepticism. Pray for elected officials, that they would look past political point-scoring, root out the widespread corruption and labor toward improving life for the whole nation.
Pastor David
So, naturally, we proclaim Christ! We warn everyone we meet, and we teach everyone we can, all that we know about him, so that, if possible, we may bring every man up to his full maturity in Christ. (Colossians 1:28, J.B. Phillips paraphrase)
New Life Community Church, Concord, MA 10742
Meeting Sundays at 10:30 AM at the Emerson Umbrella for the Arts, 40 Stow Street, Concord MA
Mailing Address: Post Office Box Five, Concord, MA 01742
Church Offices: 35 Bypass Rd. Lincoln, MA 01773 978-369-0061
Home Office: 978-371-3176
New Life Fine Arts
"Theater you can believe in."
