LifeGroup Notes
BIG IDEA
The concept of “Preparing for Battle”, brings a few things to mind. How do we prepare? Do we have an appropriate understanding of how to communicate with God through prayer? Are we following his instructions and guidance? Do we know God and his record of provisions? Are we confident in GOD and in his provisions? Today, we will look at all three of these in our study.
OPEN
As you open up today, consider this quote from John Piper; Prayer is a war-time walkie-talkie, not a domestic intercom for ringing up the butler to change the thermostat. It is a war-time walkie-talkie to call in firepower because the enemy is greater than we are. If you try to turn this into a domestic intercom to bring another pillow, it malfunctions, and you wonder why. It’s not made to be an intercom. It’s made to be a war-time walkie-talkie.”
What jumped out at you from the message this week? What led you to really think or even better, to change your actions?
What jumped out at you from the video?
INTRODUCTION
Discuss the concept of prayer as a ‘War-time walkie-talkie’?
Why do you think that Christians often view prayer as a domestic intercom?
READ
Read 1 Kings 18:20-39
20So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. 21And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word. 22Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. 23Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it. 24And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, he is God.” And all the people answered, “It is well spoken.” 25Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many, and call upon the name of your god, but put no fire to it.” 26And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. 27And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” 28And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. 29And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention.
30Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” And all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been thrown down. 31Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, “Israel shall be your name,” 32and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord. And he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two seahs of seed. 33And he put the wood in order and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” 34And he said, “Do it a second time.” And they did it a second time. And he said, “Do it a third time.” And they did it a third time. 35And the water ran around the altar and filled the trench also with water.
36And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. 37Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” 38Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.” 40And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape.” And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon and slaughtered them there.
What are the numbers/odds that Elijah is facing in this battle?
Discuss as a group, Elijah’s prayer in v36-37? Is Elijah praying like a domestic intercom or a “war-time walkie-talkie”?
Despite the high stakes, what can be revealed about Elijah’s confidence in God through this passage?
Do you think having this level of confidence in GOD would prepare you for battle?
Writer’s Note: Faith is similar to a muscle in that it grows stronger when it is used and stretched beyond its normal function. Especially so, faith can be strengthened when we look back to previous times when God has been with us and provided for us. Let’s look at another passage now to help us understand this. We all know the story of David and Goliath well but many of us have probably missed a key part of this story. —JVN
Read 1 Samuel 17:54
54And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.
Why does David take Goliath’s armor?
While we cannot physically kill a Giant-sized adversary and keep his armor in today’s culture–what type of trophies can we keep to help us remember God’s provision?
Read 1 Samuel 17:33-37
33And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” 34But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, 35I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”
David was under-sized and very young, so physically, he was not very ‘prepared for battle’. So, what was it that made him ‘prepared’ for this battle with Goliath?
Discuss the similarities of David keeping Goliath’s armor and Joshua’s people building the 12 stones after crossing the Jordan?
Writer’s note: Joshua 5:1, from Sunday’s passage, said that when Kings of the Amorites and the Canaanites heard that God had dried up the Jordan, “their hearts melted and there was no longer any spirit in them because of the people of Israel.” At this point, the Amorites & Canaanites would not have been a stout adversary. —JVN
Finally, look at 1. Sam. 17:51 and 1 Kings 18:39. What similarities are there between these verses and Joshua 5:1?
How can we use this passage to equip us as followers of Jesus?
LET’S PRAY
Consider the following questions as you pray together as a LifeGroup:
1. How confident are you in God’s provision?
2. Do you keep trophies of past provisions…maybe a prayer Journal?
3. Do you use prayer like a wartime walkie-talkie or like a domestic intercom?
4. Will you commit to practicing these things in your life so that you can become more prepared for battle?
Closing thought: The truth is that often time our greatest sin is not moving forward. We look at the things that have happened in our lives, and we use that as an excuse to sit and ponder for a while. So often, we overthink what God is calling us to do; we say things like ‘lemme pray about it’ when God is calling us to move forward! Just as the Israelites were called to move forward at the Red Sea, they were called to move forward at the River Jordan, and He is calling us to move forward as a body of believers!