Made for adventure

As I think of how best to disciple the young people around me, the word– adventure and all it implies is pressing me towards a definite conclusion.

I looked up adventure in the dictionary and saw the following thesaurus: escapade, exploit, quest, venture, exploration, voyage, undertaking , journey. There’s a thrill I feel in these words, a sense of fun that’s filled with wonder and even danger.

Sweat, tears, laughter, fear, anger, ecstasy, pain all in various measures, and marinating in a big pot, waiting to be cooked and served with joy as we engage the life we are made for.

There’s something about the outdoors that connects quickly to our nature as humans. The Lord Jesus spent much time with His disciples outdoors; using all manner of outdoor activities to communicate His timeless lessons.

What would it be like to leave home for a season and spend time in a different culture, learning a new language, tasting new meals (fortifying one’s digestive capacity thereby), meeting new people, listening to them reason and discuss life issues and of course, make disciples of Christ among them?

As I plan for my return to South Sudan in a few weeks, the outdoors are on my mind. If you’ve experienced this thrill, you’ll agree it’s not only intoxicating but also profitable. You, therefore, owe the same to the young people around you. Seth Barnes said, “To saddle them [young people] with a career before they’ve experienced God’s glory in other cultures is often to have sinned against them.

I imagine that if Jesus were calling out His disciples today, he’d spend more than just a few hours a week with them helping them discover what it means to walk out their faith in a complicated and ruthless world. I’m certain He’d press them to the point where they’ll risk all for His sake.

When Jesus sent out His disciples in Matthew 10, He set before them a life of adventure, pure and simple. He said, “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves… On my account, you will be brought before governors and Kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles… when they arrest you… when you are persecuted in one place, flee to another… don’t be afraid…”

He expected their first short-term mission experience to be packed with action, suspense, divine provision, surprises etc. They returned with amazing testimonies.

Some antonyms for adventure are avoidance, inaction, inactivity, passiveness, and stillness.

I hope these don’t define you in relation to God’s global cause on earth. Sooner or later, we’ll all discover that nothing matters more than what God is consumed within this world.

May you be that disciple for whom Christ’s glory and fame in all Nations has become the integrating and overriding priority, regardless of your profession and possessions. That’s what you are made for.

Author: Uche Izuora

I'm inspired by God’s passion for His name in every generation, which provokes global worship through Jesus Christ. Becoming an emotionally healthy and transformative disciple, I aim to mobilize the Church to engage in cross-cultural missions and raise other like-minded disciples who discover themselves in Christ and seek to present and represent Him as Savior and Lord among the nations northward of Uganda. View all posts by Uche Izuora