I Dare You: The Backstory [Todd]

There is a backstory to our current teaching series, I DARE YOU.

In addition to its stated purpose - taking a look at what the Bible says about how we can respond well to those moments in our lives when God says "I Dare You" - there is another. You are getting - basically - a five week course in the sweep of biblical history.

We started out with Abraham, in many ways the foundational biblical figure. Yesterday we checked in with Moses, whom God used to lead the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt. This week we are looking at Gideon, whom God used to lead the Israelites out of yet ANOTHER captivity. Then we'll fast forward to the New Testament and focus on Mary and Peter.

Why did we choose these five historical figures? One reason is that they illustrate the principles of the series itself perfectly - five men and women who faced high-risk, highly charged decisions where they had to trust God and hang on for the ride...just like you and I have to do.

Another reason is that we always want to keep in mind the whole flow of the Bible. We tend to think that the Bible is a bunch of stories put together, kind of like a mash-up on "Glee". (Yes, I did just go there). In fact the Bible is one long continuous story with common themes and threads. The fact that it all hangs together when it was written over thousands of years by such a varied cast of characters is one bit of proof of its authenticity.

We're at our best when we are conscious of the whole Story, because then we are in the best position to shape our own life stories around the central Narrative.

I'll talk later about the themes we are trying to bring out in this series but, for now, pay attention to how these stories - separated by very different historical circumstances and thousands of years - share some very important things in common.

Oh, yeah, and remember this week: "What am I attempting to accomplish right now that can only be done if God shows up?"