Lanterna Rally

Author: Stephen H. Berkey

Publisher:

Published: 2020-05-05

Total Pages: 124

ISBN-13: 9781952359163

Book Description Book 7 contrasts the stories of biblical characters who rebelled against God with those who trusted, believed, and had great faith. The first lesson is about Korah, a dissatisfied Levite, who rebelled against Moses and Aaron during the forty years the Israelites wandered in the wilderness. Korah thought he and his friends deserved better leaders. Rebellion is an ugly business, particularly when the adversary is the Lord God! The second lesson features another character with an evil disposition: Haman, Queen Esther's antagonist. Haman wanted to totally destroy the Jewish people. This story describes the origins of the Feast of Purim that celebrates the salvation of the Jews from the wicked Haman.The Gospel of John describes only eight miracles of Jesus and one of them is the healing of a blind man near the Pool of Siloam. Giving sight to the blind was to be a power possessed by the future Messiah and this miracle was additional proof that Jesus was the Messiah. The Pharisees, however, wanted to prove that the blind man was not really blind so that Jesus could be discredited and ultimately eliminated from public ministry. In Acts 9 we find another similar miracle when Aeneas was raised from the dead by Peter at Lydda, a small community 25 miles northwest of Jerusalem. Interestingly the text says nothing about Aeneas asking to be healed, the extent of his faith, or what he did after he was raised from the dead. But, "all the residents . . . saw him, and they turned to the Lord!"Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednigo demonstrated an amazing trust in God, and their journey through the fiery furnace provides us with an example of those who are totally committed to their God, no matter what the consequences. Where did the foundation of their complete trust and commitment come from? Faith and trust are not generated on their own. Trust is only possible as we know God, know His Word, and become convinced of His faithfulness.Alexander, the coppersmith, is another lesson about a rebellious character who created problems for Paul. He along with Hymenaeus, whom we studied in Book 2 of this series, were accused of blasphemy, and Paul said they were "handed over to Satan." In Paul's second letter to Timothy he warned Timothy about problems that would endanger the church and repeated his warning about Alexander who strongly opposed the Gospel.Next we investigate the circumstances around Paul commanding a spirit to come out of a slave girl who was telling fortunes for her owners. The owners were not very happy with Paul and Silas and caused them to be thrown into prison. We learn some very interesting things by examining what the demon spirit said and knew. Lastly, Paul healed a crippled man at Lystra and the local people thought Paul and Barnabas were Greek gods. The text says that the crippled man "had faith to be made well." What does that mean in the context of this story and our faith? The celebration of a healing didn't last long because some unhappy and unbelieving Jews created a firestorm of protest against Paul and Barnabas, and outsiders came from Antioch and Iconium, stoned Paul, and dragged him out of the city.