1. What Our Prayers Reveal The Kingdom of God

2. So Where Are We Going Today? 1.Study Elijah’s communication with God 1 Kings 17-18 2.Look at a pagan form of praying 3.Learn about Baal and how Baal worship is still happening today. 4.How we communicate with God tells us what we believe about God. 5.Opportunity to ask questions about praying or giving insights that you have learned.

3. Evidence from Prayers How we communicate with God tells us what we believe about God. Baal

4. A Showdown God had warned the Hebrews not to worship Baal the god of the Canaanites. Deuteronomy 6:14-15 Israel replaced true worship with Baal worship. 1 Kings 16:31 Baal worship grew more and more during the reign of Ahab and Jezebel. 1 Kings 16:33 God communicated to Elijah to confront and stop this form of idolatry and Elijah listened.

5. Clash of Two Kingdoms Kingdom of Darkness Kingdom of Light

6. Clash of Two Kingdoms Kingdom of Darkness Kingdom of God How we communicate with God tells us what we believe about God.

7. Clash of Two Kingdoms Clash of Two Kingdoms Kingdom of Darkness Kingdom of God Our Prayer Life How we communicate with God tells us what we believe about God.

8. Two Kingdoms Two Kingdoms Kingdom of Darkness Kingdom of God Our Prayer Life How we communicate with God tells us what we believe about God.

9. Two Kingdoms Two Kingdoms Kingdom of Darkness Kingdom of God Our Prayer Life How we communicate with God tells us what we believe about God.

10. The priests of Baal used loud, ecstatic cries and self-inflicted injury. 1Kings 18:28 Appeasing Baal required human sacrifice Jerimiah 19:5 Baal was the one to produce crops and to produce children Ba ‘al means “Lord, Master or Owner” Baal was exposed by God through Elijah. 1 Kings 17 & 18 Baal was a fertility god Baal was usually depicted holding a lightning bolt Baal was the god of rain, storms and lightening Baal was often represented by the symbol of the bull

11. 1 Kings 18 Main Characters Elijah Elijah: Servant of God Ahab Ahab: wicked King of the Hebrews Obadiah Obadiah: loyal follower of the LORD worked for Ahab. Jezebel Jezebel : daughter of Ethbaal and evil pagan wife of Ahab who wanted to exterminate the Lord’s prophets and had obsessive passion for domineering and controlling others especially spiritually. Baal Baal: false pagan god

12. 1 Kings 18 After many days the word of the L ORD came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth.” 2 So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria. 3 And Ahab called Obadiah, who was in charge of his (Ahab’s) household. Now Obadiah was a very loyal follower of the LORD. 4 When Jezebel massacred the prophets of the L ORD, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave and fed them with bread and water.)

13. 1 Kings 18 5 And Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the valleys. Perhaps we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, and not lose some of the animals.” 6 So they divided the land between them to pass through it. Ahab went in one direction by himself, and Obadiah went in another direction by himself. 7 And as Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah met him. And Obadiah recognized him and fell on his face and said, “Is it you, my lord Elijah?” 8 And he answered him, “It is I. Go, tell your lord, ‘Behold, Elijah is here.’”

14. 1 Kings 18 9 And he said, “How have I sinned, that you would give your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me? 10 As the L ORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent to seek you. And when they would say, ‘He is not here,’ he would take an oath of the kingdom or nation, that they had not found you..

15. 1 Kings 18 11 And now you say, ‘Go, tell your lord, “Behold, Elijah is here.”’ 12 And as soon as I have gone from you, the Spirit of the L ORD will carry you I know not where. And so, when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, although I your servant have been a loyal follower of the LORD from my youth..

16. 1 Kings 18 13 Has it not been told my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the L ORD, how I hid a hundred men of the L ORD 's prophets by fifties in a cave and fed them with bread and water? 14 And now you say, ‘Go, tell your lord, “Behold, Elijah is here”’; and he will kill me.” 15 And Elijah said, “As the L ORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today.” 16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him. And Ahab went to meet Elijah.

17. 1 Kings 18 17 When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is it you, you troubler of Israel?” 18 And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father's house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the L ORD and followed the Baals. 19 Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel, and the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table.”

18. 1 Kings 18 20 So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. 21 And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you falter between two different opinions? If the L ORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word.

19. 1 Kings 18 22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the L ORD, but Baal's prophets are 450 men. 23 Let 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.

20. 1 Kings 18 24 And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the L ORD, and the God who answers by fire, he is God.” And all the people answered, “It is well spoken.” 25 Then 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.” 26 And 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 leaped around the altar that they had made.

21. 1 Kings 18. 27 And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry louder, for he is a god. Either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” 28 And they cried louder and cut themselves after their custom with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them. 29 And as midday passed, they frenzied cries continued on until the time of the offering of the sacrifice, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention.

22. Ashura Ashura, an optional fast day for Muslims, falls on Thursday Oct 15 2015. The word itself, ashura, means 10, and the holiday is the 10th day of the Islamic month of Muharram. The Islamic calendar is lunar, so the date of Ashura can vary depending on sighting of the moon. Shiite Muslims observe Ashura through mourning rituals such as self-flagellation and reenactments of the martyrdom. Many travel to Karbala in Iraq, where Hussein was killed, as a pilgrimage on Ashura. Most observers wear black and march through the streets chanting and hitting themselves in the chest. Some use whips and chains — or cut themselves on the forehead Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, was killed by armies of the caliph Yazid in 680 AD. He was said to be decapitated and his body mutilated in the battle at Karbala, now in Iraq.Muharramself-flagellationKarbala As is custom, the crowds — many of the them hordes of shirtless men — re-enacted the killing of Hussein, hitting their backs with knife-covered chains and cutting their heads with swords, even though the self- flagellation traditions have been banned by some members of the Shiite clergy.

23. Ashura Ashura, an optional fast day for Muslims, falls on Thursday Oct 15 2015. Modern day Baal worship

24. 28 And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them.

28. Two Kingdoms Two Kingdoms Kingdom of Darkness Kingdom of God Our Prayer Life How we communicate with God tells us what we believe about God.

29. 1 Kings 18 30 Then 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 L ORD that had been broken down. 31 Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the L ORD came, saying, “Israel shall be your name,” 32 and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the L ORD. And he made a trench about the altar,

30. 1 Kings 18 33 And 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.” 34 And 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. 35 And the water ran around the altar and filled the trench also with water. 36 And at the time of the offering of the sacrifice, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O L ORD, 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.

31. 1 Kings 18 37 Answer me, O L ORD, answer me, that this people may know that you, O L ORD, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” 38 Then the fire of the L ORD 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.

32. 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The L ORD, he is God; the L ORD, he is God.”

33. 1 Corinthians 10:20-21 I am saying that these sacrifices are offered to demons, not to God. And I don’t want you to participate with demons. You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, too. You cannot eat at the Lord's Table and at the table of demons, too.

34. Two Kingdoms Two Kingdoms Kingdom of Darkness Kingdom of God Our Prayer Life How we communicate with God tells us what we believe about God.

35. Evidence from Prayers In each of the following ways people pray, try to think of what they are really believing about God. Remember praying is talking to God and hearing from God.

36. Never Pray 1.There is no God 2.God doesn’t communicate to us verbally. 3.God has provided me with all I need. 4.God wants me to live basically down here by me making wise decisions and being responsible for my life.

37. Seldom Pray 1.God is seldom responsive, why bother. 2.God is hardly available, too busy. 3.I am not important to God. 4.God doesn't answer prayers today. 5. God doesn’t care about me. 6.I offended God too many times. 7.God doesn’t need me.

38. Pray Rote Prayers 1.God is OK with my repetitions. 2.God knows I can’t communicate like other people 3.God will accept anything 4.Sure Jesus said to not use repetitions when we pray but I am not a pagan. 5.“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.” Matt 6:7

39. Self Punishment before Praying 1.God is more responsive if we inflict some form of punishment on ourselves. 2. We can make God feel sorry for us.

40. Large Gathering 1.God is more responsive if we collectively ask God to do something. 2.God is more likely to answer our prayers if we pray in large numbers.

41. Pray To Saints 1.Jesus is more likely to answer my request if Mary or another saint presents my prayer request. 2.God can be manipulated.

42. Loud Prayers 1.God is more responsive if we yell our prayers

43. Praying with the Help of of Religious Artifacts, Statues 1.God is happy with us when we worship God by using artifacts, images and statues

44. 1 Kings 19:18 "Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him." Romans 11:4 And what was God's answer to him? "I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal."

45. Vending Machine Praying 1.God has to respond to our requests. 2.God can be controlled.

46. Other Types of Praying? Questions about praying? Insights God has given you that you want to share about praying.

47. This Week Teens Group Meet upstairs at 12:00 noon All home groups are running After Celebration service you are invited to join us for light refreshment and to go out for lunch with us! Invite someone next Sunday