“From there Elisha went up to Bethel.” ~ 2 Kings 2.23
We look forward to worshiping with you on Sunday, New Life family! Two weeks ago, we started a new teaching series on lessons from the life of Elisha. We focused on Elijah’s impact on Elisha. We highlighted Elisha’s insistence, his focus and commitment, and his willingness to ask ‘difficult things” (2 Kings 2.9-10; 14). Elisha’s story is full of God working in miraculous ways and it reminds us of what G.K. Chesterton remembered in his autobiography, “what was wonderful about childhood is that anything in it was a wonder. It was not merely a world full of miracles; it was a miraculous world.”
This last Sunday, we looked at the healing of water springs that became pure, and once again nourished the land. We observed some different ways Elisha’s ministry clashed with Canaanite religious practices. We also observed how much God loves His creation. This Sunday 8/6, we will look at a moment in Elisha’s life when nature turns on a group of young people that showed no respect for Elisha or the mission that God wanted to fulfill through Elisha’s life in an area of Israel that is corrupt and hurting. We will observe the possible impact of bad religion on younger generations, like a worship/tourism practice. Jesus spoke about the importance of children and young people in the Gospels, and now, we are in the midst of a hurting generation of young people that desperately desires hope and we will focus on how the body of Christ plays an important role in imparting this hope. See you Sunday!
Walking with you,
Tim