Elijah Leader Guide (Teacher’s Guide)

Life is like a rollercoaster. One day it seems that everything in life is good, and the next day it can feel like everything is falling apart. Then there are those in between days when we’re coasting along without much thought to the highs or lows. The prophet Elijah experienced this rollercoaster ride as well. One moment he was hiding out in the wilderness during a famine, being fed by the ravens, and the next he was on the mountaintop where God showed up in a powerful way with fire and then rain. Even Elijah grew weary of all the ups and downs, telling God, “I have had enough” (1 Kings 19:4). He needed spiritual stamina in order to keep on going and fulfill all the plans God had for his life. We do too! In this six-week study grounded in 1 and 2 Kings, we will examine the life of the prophet Elijah, an ordinary man who did extraordinary things for God in the midst of the highs and lows of life. We’ll learn some of the spiritual stamina secrets that helped him to hold on and persevere in faith, including practical habits related to making decisions, caring for the soul, accepting his circumstances, mentoring, and finishing well-which was his ultimate legacy. Whether we’re currently in a mountaintop season where we’re experiencing God’s power and blessing, a valley season where we feel like running away, or somewhere in between, Elijah’s life will inspire us to go the distance in the life of faith. Best of all, his story will challenge us but not shame us, because we’ll discover that Elijah was just as human as we are. He doubted and struggled just as we do, but ultimately, he chose to believe God. As we study his life, we will grow in faith and develop spiritual stamina that will help us not only to survive but actually thrive in every season. The Leader Guide, to be used along with the study’s workbook and DVD, contains six session plan outlines, complete with discussion points and questions, activities, prayers, and more-plus leader helps for facilitating a group. Other components for the Bible study, available separately, include a Participant Workbook, DVD with six 20-25 minute sessions, and boxed Leader Kit (an all-inclusive box containing one copy of each of the Bible study’s components).