Today we begin our summer series entitled JOURNEY with the FAITHFUL. Over the next three months we are going to be looking at the lives of a number of men and women in the Bible. Each of them chose to leave their comfort zone to follow God and do what He wanted them to do.
Each person had to GET UP and GO; they had to move from HERE to THERE.

Today's text is found in Genesis 12:1-9 [NLT].
The first "bridge walker" we are looking at is Abram or more commonly known as Abraham. Genesis 12-25 is full of the details of Abraham's life.
Genesis 15:6
Matthew 1:1
Hebrews 11:8-19
Romans 4:11

This morning we are going to look at the beginning of Abraham's Journey of Faith. We'll learn some basic truths that can be applied to our lives and serve as guiding lessons for our own Journey of Faith.

Lesson #1 - The sovereignty of God's CALL.
Genesis 12:1-3
Genesis 13:2
Genesis 14:14
Joshua 24:2
Acts 7:2-4

The word sovereignty means “that someone has the supreme legitimate right to rule and exercise power, to which all others are subject.”

In Genesis 12:1-3 we see that GOD – The Almighty Creator of the universe gave Abram an order.

Five (5) insights about God:
-He knows of us and our life here on earth.
-He desires to have a relationship with each of us.
-He understands that we are separated from Him, sinful, and seeped in idolatry.
-He wants to guide us through life and toward the mission and purpose He has for us.
-He expects us to obey Him, even when we don’t have all of our questions answered.

Acts 17:30-31
James 1:22

Lesson #2 - The evidence of Abram's COMMITMENT.
Genesis 12:4-6
We see Abraham's commitment by his desire to take those who were closest to him, by re-ordering his priorities, and by going in the direction that God was leading - even thought he probably had fears and worries.

The evidence of our commitment isn't in our TALK but in our WALK!

Lesson #3 - The fruit of our CHOICES.
Genesis 12:7-9
God's plan for our life is always bigger than just our life. Our choices produce fruit that will impact others on a much larger scope than we can see or imagine.
Grace Church's key verse: Ephesians 3:20

Application and Discussion Questions:

1. What are some of the interesting bridges in life that you have crossed? What obstacles did they overcome and what opportunities were on the other side?

2. Read Genesis 12:1-9. What insights can you gain from Abraham’s journey of faith?

3. God speaks His will in our mind and heart, through His word, the circumstances of life, and the lives of godly people. How would you articulate God’s mission and purpose for your life?

4. Assess your level of commitment to what you know about God will? Where are you? What do you need to do differently to be more faithful?

5. God always has a bigger picture for your life than just the here and now. What fruit have you seen from your faithful obedience and what legacy do you want to leave for others?

Birthdays and Anniversaries this week:

Monday, June 8 - Logan Kerby, Haylee Denton, Mackenzie Denton, Glen & Sandi Sebastian, Greg & Beverly Bowers
Tuesday, June 9 - Steve Gauss
Wednesday, June 10 - Brennan Sensiba, Heil Byers
Thursday, June 11 - Nichole Hansen
Friday, June 12 - Jason Sears, Val VanDuser