Pay Attention

The London Underground is the one of the largest subway systems in the world. Affectionately called “the tube” by the British, it handles up to 3 million passenger journeys a day. If you ever get the chance to ride the London Underground, you will most definitely while standing on the platform, hear the announcement, “Mind the gap!” Now “Mind the gap!” is a warning for you to watch your step so you don’t fall into the space between the platform and the train. It is reported that most daily travelers never seem to pay attention to this admonition, thus becoming conditioned to the warning by either ignoring it or giving it little or no thought. You may think to yourself, why is it so important to “Mind the gap!”

Well, on the surface, it looks as if there is not much to be alarmed about, out of 3 million passenger journeys a day they reported only having 0.003% of accidents in 2003. Wow, what a small number you may say, but let’s dig a little deeper, 0.003% of injuries equals 90 injuries, for 2003 and out of those; 9 were fatal. Well now that 0.003% doesn’t seem so small a number to those who were injured and especially for the families of those who died. It was a very large number to those who paid for their inattention with their lives.

One moment of inattention or carelessness in our life may not only cost us our testimony, our job, our family, but also our lives. Today’s scripture is just one such illustration of what can happen when we fail to pay attention to what is important in life.

I. Meeting Together is an Important Part of the Life of the Church (6-7)

A. They met together on Sunday. (7)

B. They obeyed our Lord and celebrated communion. (7)

C. The preaching of God’s Word is central to the life of the church. (7)

II. Staying Alert and Away from Danger is Important For the Believer (8-10)

A. The dangers of relaxing:

1. Eutychus falls asleep.

B. The consequences of inattention can be serious.

ill. A record-breaking knife thrower shocked Britons on Thursday when one of his daggers sliced into the head of his assistant on live TV. Circus performer Jayde Hanson, 23, was demonstrating his skills when one of his knives hit his assistant and girlfriend, 22-year-old Yana Rodianova.

A spokeswoman for ITV’s "This Morning," one of the country’s most popular daytime programs, said the wound was only "a nick." "She’s absolutely fine and recovering well," the spokeswoman said, before adding ruefully: "You don’t really expect that kind of thing from a world record-holder."

Over one million viewers had been watching as Hanson, who works for the British-based Cottle and Austen Circus, showed off how many knives he could hurl at Yana in 60 seconds.

"He felt confident as he has been throwing his mother’s kitchen knives since the age of 10," the show said on its Web Site before the accident.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Hanson, whose father was an elephant tamer and mother a trapeze artist, is currently having to advertise for a new assistant as Yana, who bears two scars from previously mis-directed knives, wants to concentrate on her hula-hoop act.

His previous assistant reportedly left the job after being hit in the foot, her third injury from a wayward knife.

"In 11 years of performing, I’ve only hit my assistant on five occasions," he told the Daily Mail newspaper recently. "Duh." Wouldn’t once be too many. Just like sin. If we play around with it, invariably someone will get hurt.

C. Be careful which way you leaning.

1. Eutychus fell out rather than in.

III. Restoration is Possible For Those Who Fall Into Sin (11-12)

A. Eutychus restored to life.

B. Immediately he rejoined the life of the church.

1. He didn’t leave the church out of embarrassment or pride.

C. Eutychus’ name means “good fortune” or fortunate.

Pay attention to the things of God, otherwise you may not be as fortunate as Eutychus.