Genesis 12:4-13:4
Why is “fear not” the most constant refrain in all of Scripture? Because fear prevents us from trusting God and going deeper with him. We learned last week that for Abram and Sarai to be blessed and become a blessing, they must throw their entire weight upon the living God in trust. This week, we see their first crisis. Will they trust God and become a blessing, or fear and miss out on going deeper with him?
Genesis 11:27 – 12:3
This Sunday, I will invite you into an adventure, an adventure of trust, as we begin a study in the lives of Abraham and Sarah, the two most significant people of the ancient world. Corrie Ten Boom’s line is appropriate for this story: “Faith is the fantastic adventure in trusting God.” Over and over again in this adventure, we will be presented with the question, what does it look like to trust God with our lives? In Romans, Paul says to watch Abraham, for Abraham is the father of all those who trust God (Rom 4:11-12). Join us this week as we seek to follow in Abraham’s tracks of trust, blessed to be a blessing.
Acts 28:1-31 This week we come to the conclusion of Dr. Luke’s two-volume work Luke/Acts. It has been a long, adventuresome journey, especially following Paul’s relentless energy and patient endurance, as he spread the gospel over 10,000 miles, visiting 29 cities, 8 provinces and 2 continents. With great skill, Luke has captured our imagination and held us in suspense through Paul’s countless trials and shipwrecks, wondering how will it all end. Will Paul make it to Rome? Will he get his day in court? Will Paul be vindicated or martyred? On the surface, Luke’s ending seems inconclusive, leaving our questions unanswered. But on closer examination, it fits his purposes perfectly, pulling us into the drama in ways we couldn’t have imagined. Acts 28:1-31
