The third in our "I Love My Church" series.

Part 2 in our series on what it means to be a part of a Church and service the community.

The first in our new series, titled "I Love My Church.

The most important part of the relay race is the handover. That’s where your team succeeds or fails. It depends on a person being willing to graciously hand off the baton to the next runner. And both parties executing the changeover well. That’s at the heart of discipleship. In today's final message of this series, Elijah passes the baton to his disciple, Elisha.

Many people in our society are miserable because they are repeating King Ahaziah’s mistake: they look for help in the wrong place. They are searching for strength, fulfillment, comfort and answers to life’s deepest questions. But they go looking for answers from the wrong gods.We need to be willing to hear the message God has for us, not go seeking someone to give us the message we want.

Reading from 1 Kings 21:1-29. Ahab was the worst, most evil king of Israel. In the NT Paul describes himself as "the worst of sinners". When we compare ourselves to others, we may seem better or worse by comparison. We are all sinners, deserving of judgement. But, in Christ, we are repentant sinners.

(1 Kings 19:1-21)

The purpose of the church is to: GROW MATURE DISCIPLES. Today we explore Acts 2:38-47 and see how the early church accomplished this. Then we ask ourselves how YBC (in Yokine 2021) can achieve this same goal.

Elijah was a man just like us. It was Elijah’s God that was powerful. And we serve the same God. That’s why our prayers can be just as effective as Elijah’s. All God asks of us is the prayer of faith.

Faith is not just a generic self-belief. Not a vague hope that everything will work out if we believe hard enough. True faith is grounded on the firm foundation of God's Word. God had told Elijah what he would do, and Elijah took him at his word. That’s the definition of faith.