1 Kings: Lesson 19 — Feeling Alone

The following are discussion questions from a weekly study I am leading through the book of 1 Kings.  We meet each Wednesday evening at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Starting Strong Isn’t The Same As Finishing Strong

A Study of the Book of 1 Kings

Lesson 19 (Feeling Alone)
1 Kings 19
   November 6, 2013

The Text:

  1. What news does Ahab bring back to Jezebel?  How does Jezebel respond?  Who does she tell?  What does Elijah think of her response?  What does he do?
  2. What does Elijah do in Beersheba?  Where does he go from there?  When he reaches his destination, what does he tell God?
  3. Who wakes Elijah up?  What instruction does he give Elijah?  What does Elijah do?  Who returns to Elijah?  Why?  What is the message given to Elijah?  How long does he travel?  Where does he go?
  4. What question does God have for Elijah?  What is Elijah’s response?  What does God tell Elijah to do?  What events take place that the Lord was not in?  When did Elijah recognize God’s presence?  What does Elijah tell God is the reason for him being where he is?
  5. Where does God tell Elijah to go?  What is he supposed to do when he gets there?  What will Hazael, Jehu, and Elisha do?  How many people does God say have not worshipped Baal?  What did Elijah do when he met Elisha?  How did Elisha respond?  How committed was Elisha to following Elijah?

The Application:

  1. When you don’t like something that happens, who are you most likely to tell?  Why?  Do you tend to respond with rash statements when you are upset or do you like to think things through?  How easily do you become afraid of people?  Where do you usually land on the “fight or flight” spectrum?
  2. Where do you go when you’re afraid?  How often does fear drive you to isolate yourself as much as possible?  How honest are you with God when fear dominates your life?
  3. What things strengthen you when you are mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually worn out?  What might that say about what you ought to be doing for others?
  4. How would you explain your current situation to God if He were to ask you, “What are you doing here?”  Do you believe God’s desire is to reveal Himself to you?  Does where we expect to find God help or hinder our recognizing His presence?
  5. Do you ever feel alone in your walk with God?  Are there people around you that God may have put there to let you know you are not alone?  Who has God put in your life for you to learn from?  Who has He put in your life to learn from you?

Next Week:  If At First You Don’t Succeed . . .
1 Kings 20

 

1 Kings: Lesson 18 — I Am Not Alone

The following are discussion questions from a weekly study I am leading through the book of 1 Kings.  We meet each Wednesday evening at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Starting Strong Isn’t The Same As Finishing Strong

A Study of the Book of 1 Kings

Lesson 18 (I Am Not Alone)
1 Kings 18
   October 30, 2013

The Text:

  1. Chapter 18 opens, “After a long time, in the third year” . . . The third year of what?  What did God want Elijah to do?  How did Elijah respond?
  2. Who was Obadiah?  Who did he work for?  What did he secretly do?  What did Ahab ask him to do?  Why?  Who does he meet while he is following Ahab’s orders?
  3. What does Elijah want Obadiah to do?  Does Obadiah want to?  Why/why not?  How does Elijah respond to Obadiah’s concerns?  How does Obadiah respond?
  4. How does Ahab greet Elijah when they meet?  How does Elijah respond?  What request does he have for Ahab?  What does he ask the people?  What is their response?  What does Elijah propose be done to prove who is really God?  How do the people respond?
  5. What did Elijah have the prophets of Baal do?  How long did they try to get their god to answer them?  What did they do during this time?  What did Elijah do during this time?  When Elijah’s turn came, what did he have done?  What would be strange about this?  What happened?  How did the people respond?  What did Elijah have them do?  What message did Elijah give Ahab?  What finally happened?

The Application:

  1. How long is a “long time” for you?  What things make a period of time seem long or short?  Do you like to deliver good news?  What if it is to someone who doesn’t care for you?  Do these answers impact who you share the gospel with?
  2. How can you use a secular position to serve God’s people?  As you go about your daily tasks, do you expect to meet people who God wants you to interact with?
  3. Are you more concerned about your safety, or that of others?  Are you a person that people trust that you will do what you say?
  4. How do you feel when you are blamed for something that is the fault of the person blaming you?  How confident are you of your relationship with God?  Do you need/want proof of who God really is?  Does He provide it?
  5. Are there things that people do today to try to get God’s attention?  As you serve God, do you do things that others might consider wasteful?  Do you typically want God to act in ways to make you look good or for God to look good?

 

Next Week:  Feeling Alone
1 Kings 19

 

1 Kings: Lesson 17 — A God That Cares

The following are discussion questions from a weekly study I am leading through the book of 1 Kings.  We meet each Wednesday evening at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Starting Strong Isn’t The Same As Finishing Strong

A Study of the Book of 1 Kings

Lesson 17 (A God That Cares)
1 Kings 17
   October 23, 2013

The Text:

  1. What message did Elijah bring to Ahab?  What message did God have for Elijah?  What did Elijah do?  How did he survive?   
  2. What did Elijah do when the brook dried up from lack of rain?  Why?  When he arrived in town, what did he ask the widow?  What was her reply?  
    –  
  3. How did Elijah respond to the widow’s concern?  What did he want her to do before she did as she had planned?  What was God’s promise to her?  What did she do?
  4. What happened “some time later”?  How did the widow speak to Elijah because of this?  What did Elijah do?  How does he address God?   
  5. Did the Lord hear Elijah?  What happened?  What did Elijah do with the boy?  How did the widow respond?

The Application:

  1. Do you like to deliver bad news?  Why/why not?  When the consequences of the sin of others spills over into your life, do you believe God’s promise to take care of you?  How do you expect God’s care for you to look?  Does He not care if it doesn’t look like that?
  2. How does God use people to meet the needs of His children today?  Does God ever present you with the opportunity to help someone at a time when you don’t believe you have the means to do so?  Why would He do that?   
    –    
  3. Which requires more faith, or trust in God, to give help to someone out of your abundance or out of your own scarcity?  Would you be more likely to give if you knew what little you had would never run out?   
  4. Does doing the right thing always keep bad things from happening to you?  Who/what do you blame when bad things happen?  When you can’t explain bad things are  you more concerned about your reputation or God’s?   
    –      
  5. Does God hear the cries of His people today?  How does He respond?  Why are there times when it seems like He doesn’t hear or respond?  What would it take for people to believe that “you are a man/woman of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth”?

 

Next Week:  I Am Not Alone
1 Kings 18