The Great Adventure

The Great Adventure

Acts 13:4-52

Sometimes people are of the impression that the Christian life is really a life

• Of peace and simplicity.

• A life of rest and tranquility.

And truthfully, that is what some people are looking for.

Peter Beck story from Baptist Press News. He told of an old country boy in his church who told him one day “Preacher my faith is simple and that’s the way that I want it.”

You know, people who feel that way are really missing out on a great adventure.

• They are missing out on the excitement that God has in store for his children.

As we continue to examine the N.T. Church and the expansion of the gospel message.

• We encounter a story line that is full of excitement.

• It is a real spellbinder that we can’t seem to put down.

We are mesmerized by the miracles, the lives changed and the movement of God among not only his people

• But also the different people groups.

• And we wonder why God does not seem to moving that way today.

However, the truth of the matter is that God is moving that way.

• It may not be evident among believers in North America

• But He is certainly moving among people in the world who are not afraid of being stretched.

• Who are not afraid of being considered odd.

• Who are not afraid of change.

• Who are not afraid of A Great Adventure.

The truth is we should not be afraid of the Adventure that God has for us.

• He desires to move among us and use us to transform a culture.

• Nor through political means, but rather by lives that are challenged by His Word, and Conformed to His Image

• and who are not afraid model His image to the world around them.

In this Chapter we discover three reasons why we should not be afraid of the Adventure.

• Three reasons why we should actively embrace the Adventure that God has laid out before

• We Will be more adventurous whenever we stayed Focused

I. We must Stay Focused on our Guide (4)

Focus is everything.

• I certainly understand the difficulties of staying focused.

• And sometimes because I am not focused I don’t follow directions very well.

Just this week as Bethany and I went to Liberty University I ran into some difficulties. I am one of these guys who likes to know where I am going, but I am also one guy that will take time to ask for directions. On Monday morning Bethany and I decided to head over to Campus and go to Chapel. So at the front desk of the hotel I stopped and asked for directions and they assured me that it was easy to find. So we pull out and start heading over to the campus. On our way, my cell phone rang and it was a friend of mine from seminary. I was so distracted that I made a couple of wrong turns and got so frustrated that I said…Man I am turned around and I need to get off here so I can find my way to the campus.

You know, one of the reason’s I believe we often get so frustrated in our walk

• Is because we allow distractions to take our focus off our guide.

• And when our focus is not on God we end up not following His directions.

Isn’t it fascinating that throughout this great and accurate record of the early church.

• How many times we read how the Holy Spirit provided direction.

• We certainly see it here in verse 4,

• The ancient account say’s that they “were sent their way by the Holy Spirit.”

You know, you can certainly approach your adventure with comfort.

• Whenever you have a guide.

Bill Risher and I in Los Angeles. We were on I-10 because we wanted to attend a service at Saddleback. Let me ask you a question. How many of you get frustrated in traffic. I can’t stand to sit in traffic. Well if you are like me then let me tell you that LA is no place for you to live. Well, when I get in traffic that way I want to blaze a new trail. I would rather burn through 3 tanks of gas then sit there in traffic. Our rental car had one of these guidance systems. So we decided that we would try to find another way to go about 20 miles so that we could get to the church. But because we had confidence in that system…we weren’t afraid to try a new adventure through Los Angeles. And finally after 10 hours of driving and additional 300 miles we made it.