Tips for Teaching This Week’s Session of The Gospel Project for Adults

Listen to this week’s leader training podcast with Y Bonesteele, team leader for The Gospel Project for Adults, for a summary and guidance in leading your group.

This week’s additional resources for study and preparation:

• Article: “Elijah and the Prophets of Baal” by Ligonier
• Sermon: “Yahweh vs. Baal” by Aubrey Sequeira
• Sermon: “God Don’t Do Open Relationships” by Curtis Dunlap

Transcript of Leader Training Podcast:

Hi, this is Y Bonesteele, team leader of The Gospel Project for Adults, welcome to another Leader Training Podcast. Today, we are in Unit 13, Session 3, A Divided People, with the core passage of 1 Kings 18:20-26, 30-39 and the key concept of: The Lord alone is the true God and worthy of worship.

Last week we learned about Jeroboam being king in the Northern Kingdom. He ruled for 22 years and was followed by his son Nadab who only ruled for 2 years. Then he was killed by Baasha, a commoner who ruled for 24 years. Then his son Elah, for 2 years, then he was assassinated by Zimri, one of the commanders who only ruled for 7 days. Then Omri made a coup against him but then the people were divided between Tibni and Omri (an even more divided kingdom), but eventually Tibni died and Omri was sole king of Israel, the northern kingdom. And he ruled for 12 years. “When Omri died, he was succeeded by his son, Ahab,” all this is seen on page 37 of The Gospel Project Commentary.

Now Ahab’s claim to fame was that he “did what was evil in the Lord’s sight more than all who were before him” seen in 1 Kings 16:30. And it was repeated similarly three verses later, “Ahab did more to anger the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him,” meaning, he was really bad. He married Jezebel and let her establish Baal worship in his kingdom, including other horrible worship rituals to idols and killing God’s prophets as well. More info on Ahab and Jezebel can be seen in the Bonus Digital Content QR code on page 44 of your Leader Guide. God thus sent Elijah, the prophet to speak judgment again Ahab, pronouncing a famine on the land, that even Baal, the god of storms and lighting couldn’t do anything about.

But looking at our passage then, there should be 5 circles around the word “answer”. This reminds us that our God is a God who answers. And even if Elijah was only one prophet, God would answer that one prophet, unlike the false gods who can’t answer 450 prophets.

So what happened? Called by God, Elijah eventually challenged Ahab to a duel, a showdown, between opposing gods, as seen in 1 Kings 18:19. And Ahab agreed. So all of Israel was summoned at Mt. Carmel with Ahab’s 450 prophets of Baal. And Elijah used the opportunity to give the people an ultimatum. “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him. But if Baal, follow him.” Waver here also has the meaning of limping, as stated on page 39 of The Gospel Project Commentary. The Israelites had been “limping along with one leg for Baal and the other leg for the Lord” (39, Commentary). They had been worshiping the Lord God, calling themselves the people of God, yet still also worshiping the false god, Baal. They thought as long as the Lord God was still worshiped, it was okay to worship other gods as well. But Elijah confronted them with that false notion; as if he was saying, if you worship the Lord God, you can only worship Him alone. And the people had no answer: they “didn’t answer him a word” in verse 21.

How might you challenge the false gods of your culture in a way that people will listen? With grace and truth. Knowing when to speak and knowing when to listen. Sometimes people won’t be ready to listen, but you only need to listen to the voice of the Spirit to discern when to challenge those false gods and when to wait on God to move. But there is a need to make yourself and others aware of false gods in your life or the life of the church or the life of the community. There is a time to listen but also a time to speak out.

So Elijah called for two bulls, one for each altar, one for the Lord God and one for Baal, and as they each called on their god to light the fire, which one would answer? The 450 prophets of Baal went first, calling “on the name of Baal from morning until noon,” asking him to answer them. Verse 26: “But there was no sound; no one answered.” False gods won’t answer. They do nothing. They provide nothing for they are nothing.

At that point Elijah in verse 27 (skipped over in the lesson for space limitations) mocked the prophets, telling them to cry louder, maybe their god is away or sleeping, and the prophets cried louder and even cut themselves, trying to get their god to answer. But still no response.

What are some modern-day idols that draw people away from the Lord? Modern day idols are subtle and sneaky. More than just wealth or fame which are still primary idols, sometimes idols are the good life, the sustainable dream, a family, a spouse, a prime job, a Christian nation, personal freedoms, the ability to do whatever we want. All these are idols if we put them above God. We all have idols, things we will fight others for, things we cling to no matter what, even when God says let go; things we worry about above trusting in Christ, our Savior; things that despair us or anger us when taken from us. God will not compete with idols. The Lord is the true God and the only thing worthy of worship.

After the prophets of Baal had their turn, Elijah was up. He asked the people to come near, so they can see close up. He repaired the Lord’s original altar that had been torn down there on Mt. Carmel and took twelve stones, representing the tribes of Jacob, as an object lesson for the people, reminding them that they were called by God to be His people called Israel. And Elijah built the altar “in the name of the Lord” (v. 31). For Elijah, everything was done for the Lord, in His name. Then he dug a trench around the altar to hold 4 gallons of water. And three times, he poured four jars of water over the altar and filling the trench. Clearly, it was drenched with water completely.

Now should we try to make our circumstances more difficult to help point people’s attention to the Lord? Probably not. Repeatedly in the Bible, it tells us not to test the Lord, in Deuteronomy 6:16, Mathew 4:7, and Luke 4:12. Elijah, here, was making a bold point to prove that Yahweh was the only true God and it had to be clear to the people that there was no mistake about it. The people of Israel was at a pivotal point of turning away completely from the Lord and Elijah had to make them aware. As a prophet of God, he was revealing the true Lord to them. We aren’t God’s prophets so should not be testing the Lord in any way.

So Elijah in the evening started his prayer: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel.” Make no mistake, there is only one true God and this is the God I am talking about, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. Then he says, “Today, let it be known that you are God in Israel.” Elijah’s motivation was for all to know who the true God was. “And I am your servant and that at your word I have done all these things.” Elijah was humble enough to know that he was only a messenger, a vessel being used by God. God was the one acting. And his request, “Answer me, Lord! Answer me so that this people will know that you, the Lord, are God and that you have their hearts back.” Elijah’s heart was for God’s heart which was for the people to turn back to Him. God over and over shows His love, care, grace, and patience by revealing Himself to His people. And so God did answer.

“The Lord’s fire fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench.” It wasn’t one little lightning strike; it was fire that fell and consumed everything. Without a doubt, the people finally understood. And they cried out, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, he is God!” as they should have all along.

How had God answered your prayers, and how did you show your gratitude? There will be varying answers here by your group to that question.

We remember, here, that the Lord God is the one true God, worthy of worship, and Jesus, as the third person of the triune God is thus also Lord and worthy of worship.

Onto the Group Experience then, start with an icebreaker game, labeling one side of the room as agree and other side as disagree as you say various “I like” statements. Transition into the Context about the idea that we all have opinions on things and sometimes we waver between two opinions which we will talk about today. Go into the Context connecting the dots from Jeroboam as king of Israel, the northern kingdom, to the various other kings leading to Ahab. Recount Ahab’s wicked deeds like marrying Jezebel and her establishing Baal worship, killing God’s prophets, amongst other wicked acts of idolatry. In the Recap, go through the various questions on page 48. Also ask for any highlights or thoughts your group might have.

Transition into the Group Activity with the thought that when we’re met with two choices that seem good to us, we usually make a pros and cons list. Have your group look at the pros and cons chart on page 40 of their Personal Study Guide. Though the resource might have someone read 1 Kings 18:20-26 and then later verses 30-39, it might be helpful to just have someone read it altogether in the beginning. Then either altogether, or break up into two groups, have people start by identifying potential pros and cons of worshiping Baal and worshiping the Lord. Prompts of questions with answers are listed on page 49 and 50 of the Leader Guide. Ultimately, pros of worshiping Baal may include more cultural and political acceptance, less persecution, possible rain if Baal was real. Cons of worshipping Baal would include following lies, spiritual darkness and death, being removed as God’s people, being removed from God’s protection and provision. Pros of worshiping the Lord would be worshiping Someone who was real, following something true, worshipping someone who is active and answers, being under the protection and provision of the Creator of the universe, knowing He is good, and spiritual life. Cons of worshipping the Lord, in the perspective of the Israelites, might be being the lone wolf, not fitting in with the crowds, possible persecution and physical death from the government of Ahab and Jezebel.

 Debrief with the question, “What are some idols that draw us away from God, in general, or personally?” Note to the group that anything can be an idol. But also one person’s idol may not be the same as another’s. Idols are anything we put above our worship of Jesus. Idols can be blessings God has given to us that we made into idols. We need to be very alert and aware of how we spend our time, money, and resources, and what we value because those things can become idols in our lives. “How can we keep God’s good gifts in perspective so that the Lord alone is the God we worship?” We need to keep open hands and a loose grip on everything we have and see it all as God’s, not ours. He gives and takes away, but His plans are good because He is good. We remain grateful for all God has given us and we seek Him first in all things.

Summarize and head into the Head, Heart, Hands section focusing on the Head question if time is limited. How are you forming your understanding of who God is and who is God? We form our understanding by looking to Scripture and being guided by the Holy Spirit as it helps us understand Scripture more fully and understand God more as we study and experience Him more. Through it, we learn about who God is: the triune Creator of the world, one Lord, in three persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who is all holy, all powerful, all-knowing, all-present, and all-good, among other characteristics. He functions in love, and grace, and justice.

Continue into the Next Steps if time permits, giving your group additional steps of study if desired. Share prayer requests and praises. And close with Psalm 97:9-12 as a closing prayer.

9 For you, Lord, are the Most High over the whole earth; you are exalted above all the gods. 10 You who love the Lord, hate evil! He protects the lives of his faithful ones; he rescues them from the power of the wicked. 11 Light dawns for the righteous, gladness for the upright in heart. 12 Be glad in the Lord, you righteous ones, and give thanks to his holy name. 

Hey, thanks again for joining me on another Leader Training podcast. Reach out at [email protected] and hope you have a great group time!