People of the Bible: Elisha

Who was Elisha? 2 Kings 2-9

Elisha was the prophet that took over in the nation of Israel after Elijah was taken up into heaven. Elisha helped serve Elijah for about 7-8 years, during this time Elisha saw some amazing things and learned what it meant to know God and to be a prophet. When Elijah was getting ready to be taken into heaven, he asked Elisha what he could do for him. Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit and it was granted to him. Elisha was a great prophet who performed several miracles. We read about these miracles in the book of 2 Kings. Here are just a few:

• Elisha purifies the toxic water

• Elisha multiplies oil for a widow

• A Shunammite woman and husband give Elisha a room to rest; God grants her a son; son suddenly becomes sick in the fields and dies; God uses Elisha to resurrect the boy

• During a famine, men in Gilgal accidentally use poisonous gourds in a soup; Elisha purifies the food for the hungry

• Elisha shared bread and fed 100 men

• Elisha cleans Naaman of Leprosy

• Elisha anoints Jehu as King of Israel, and Jehu ends Joram (current king) and Jezebel Even after Elisha’s death, a dead body was healed after it touched his bones. Elisha was filled with God’s spirit and brought happiness to many people through his miracles of healing and restoration. We see that Elisha brought great happiness to people’s lives but it was temporary. Elisha’s name in Hebrew means “God is salvation”. During the time of his ministry, we see that God did not prevent all bad things from happening but he required people to have faith and put their trust in Him. The same is true today, bad things still happen, but we can put our trust in Jesus who is our once and for all salvation. We also see that Elisha did many great works, but it wasn’t by his works or might but by the power of the Lord. When you obey and surrender as Elisha did in 2 Kings, God too can work in and through you. He can use you to do great things on his earth. Again, not by your might but by the Lord’s power. Say yes to the Lord and have faith that you can do all things with God! (Matthew 19:26).

Parents, 3treesKIDS will also be learning about Elisha this Sunday, both in-person and online.

Be sure to check out their lesson at www.3trees.com/kids. To find service times and locations, visit https://www.3trees.com/planyourvisit.

How We Can Discover What is at the Center of Our Life

Behold, children are a gift of the LORD. The fruit of the womb is a reward. (Psalm 127:3 NASB)

Children are a gift! Parenting is a true gift from God, and He gives us children to enjoy. But it is possible to fall into the trap of enduring a child’s behavior issues rather than genuinely enjoying the child as a gift from Heaven.

It brings us to a fundamental question: How do you raise children you enjoy?

We must start with the heart. The Bible tells us that everything flows from the heart. Think of it this way: Your child's heart is upstream, and anything flowing out of them is downstream, such as characteristics and behaviors.

As Christian parents, it is essential to deposit the correct teachings into our children's hearts so they learn and develop self-control. I have come to believe that one of the most crucial elements of parenting is to embrace this truth:

The purpose of parenting is not to control the child but to teach the child self-control.

This principle becomes increasingly important in present times because whether we choose to realize it or not, every time our child scrolls through social media or launches a playlist on YouTube or Apple Music, the world teaches them lifestyle philosophies. And, unfortunately, most of those philosophies are centered in darkness. It seems we are raising our children in a spiritual Babylon, similar to the culture in the Book of Daniel. As a result, when it comes to any unholy ideology that culture may be using to take our kids captive, our sons and daughters must be raised in such a way that they can respond with uncompromising attitudes like Daniel, Shadrach, Meschach, and Abendago.

What are you teaching and developing in your child? Because the most important disciple you will ever make is your child. And… Making a disciple comes down to helping people get centered.

We as parents must be the ones to sow seeds of godliness into our children and center them in Christ so that anything transpiring around them externally will not affect what is inside of them. Because if our children are centered correctly, that which flows from their hearts will be of God, and they will have the power within them to defeat any attack the enemy forms against them!

What is your family's center? What is your child’s center? How do we evaluate our priorities to make sure we are centered correctly?

These are essential questions to answer as parents. I invite you to watch this crucial message, How to Lead Your Family Well, as I walk through the significance of centering our families in the things that matter most.

It's our responsibility to plant the correct seeds within our children's hearts and keep them centered. We are blessed with the opportunity to make our children into disciples!

“But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15 NKJV)

WATCH IT | DISCUSSION GUIDE | MESSAGE NOTES

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People of the Bible: Elijah

Who was Elijah?

Elijah - 1 & 2 Kings

• He was a prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel

• He lived during the reigns of Kings Ahab and Ahaziah

• He helped save Israel from the worship of Baal

Elijah emerged suddenly on the scene and proclaimed a drought because God’s people had been worshiping the Canaanite god, Baal. Elijah eventually meets up with 450 prophets of Baal and they hold a contest to see which of their gods is the one true God. The prophets of Baal and Elijah made separate altars and piled wood on top of them. They were to pray for their god to consume the altar with fire.

The prophets of Baal went first and they prayed for hours, but nothing happened. Elijah was so confident in God that he poured water over his wood then prayed. After Elijah’s first prayer, God sent fire from heaven and consumed Elijah’s altar. This proved to everyone in Israel that Baal was not God.

Because of this, all the prophets of Baal were killed. After the people accepted God as the only God, he ended the drought that Elijah had proclaimed and it began to rain.

This was an incredible victory for Elijah, but it was short lived. An evil queen named Jezebel ordered to have Elijah killed, which made him flee into hiding. While in hiding God renews Elijah’s faith and he becomes strong once again. He returns and speaks against King Ahab who had been unjustly. Elijah helped Israel see the moral laws of God and that everyone is subject to God, even the king.

Eventually Elijah was called up to heaven on a fiery chariot and he left his ministry to his predecessor, Elisha.

Elijah walked in close fellowship with God and had many experiences with Him. He was a champion for the monotheistic cause (belief in only one God). The name Elijah even meant, “Yahweh is God”. He performed many miracles in his life and is held in high regard all throughout Scripture. He even appears with Moses at Jesus’s transfiguration.

Near the time of Jesus, many people believed that Elijah would return to make a way for the Messiah. We later find out that John the Baptist fulfilled this role for Jesus. John the Baptist preached and lived in a similar way to Elijah. He preached the coming of the kingdom of God which prepared the way for Jesus and his ministry. Elijah, John the Baptist, and many others prepared people so they could experience and accept Jesus’s salvation which is available to all who believe in him.

Key Takeaways:

• God is the only true God

• We can be confident in God & His power

• Salvation is made available to us when we believe in Jesus and confess that He is Lord

Parents, 3treesKIDS will also be learning about Elijah this Sunday, both in-person and online. Be sure to check out their lesson at www.3trees.com/kids.

To find service times and locations, visit https://www.3trees.com/planyourvisit.