Naked and Afraid

This is who we are. This is what we are made of.  – Jeff Zausch, “Naked and Afraid”cast member adventure”? Webster defines it as “an unusual and exciting, typically hazardous, activity, such as the exploration of an unknown territory”.  This idea usually revolves around survival, and our culture has become obsessed with the idea of placing strangers in an unknown land and seeing how well they survive against the elements and, let’s be honest, against each other. “Survivor” paved the way for a host of other reality shows, like “The Amazing Race”, “Big Brother”...
and “Man, Woman, Wild”, but the Discovery Channel has taken this reality show genre to another level with “Naked and Afraid”. According to its website, “The ubiquitous survival show theme [goes] to the next level by stripping it to its bare essentials. Two complete strangers — a man and a woman — meet in a very unique way: They’re stranded in a dangerous, desolate location, without food and water, and they’re completely naked. Each episode follows the two as they attempt to survive on their own for 21 days, with nothing but one personal item each, and the knowledge that the only prize is their pride and sense of accomplishment. Because there is no other choice, the couple quickly get to know each other — and their surroundings — and hope that their instincts, survival skills and intestinal fortitude serve them well.”

     Catch that? They do NOT get paid for it. There is no million dollar prize at the end of the 21-day period. A contributor for hitflix.com asked the same question many of us would: Why do people strip naked and suffer for no prize? One of the cast members, Jeff Zausch, says, “This is who we are. This is what we are made of. Some people were made to be race car drivers [or] CEOs of companies. We were made to push the limits of what’s humanly possible. The number one reward of this show was the pride that we got from completing the challenge.” Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? But think about this—what do we all do to suffer for no prize other than our pride? “Winning” an argument with a loved one even though we knew we were in the wrong? Withholding love from someone who needs it because we think they don’t deserve it? Keeping a tight grip on a grudge and refusing to forgive, or even putting our jobs ahead of our family? At the root cause of all those actions, albeit not on camera, is pride.

     Pride is a sin. In fact, it’s the heart of sin. It all goes back to the garden of Eden where Adam and Eve ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, in direct disobedience towards the only thing God told them not to do, and its effects upon the rest of the human race. This weekend, Senior Pastor Lee Powell discussed how sin is putting ourselves in the place of God, essentially telling God “we know better”, and making ourselves the captain on our own ship. Before that, there was perfect harmony between Adam, Eve and God. Adam and Eve knew God intimately, walked with Him and could give Him what no other part of creation could: praise. They were also immortal, and free from all pain.

     So, what went wrong? What caused the world to spiral down into a pitfall of wars, strife and diseases? The world came under the influence of Satan. He then used Adam and Eve as a catalyst for sin. Taking on the form of a snake, his first approach to Eve was to plant a seed of doubt in her mind about what God had told her. He asked, “Did God really tell you not to eat of any tree in the garden?” Once Satan challenged her with something very tempting: “You will not die. You will be like God.”, Eve ate of the fruit; Adam ate of the fruit and sin came into the world.

     During this series, “The Great Adventure: A Journey Through the Bible”, we are going to embark on a journey that will reveal how the events in the Bible are woven together. Tim Keller, respected speaker, writer and pastor of Redeemer Church in New York City, describes it this way: “The Bible is not a disconnected set of stories, each of which has a little moral about how to live life. Primarily, the Bible is a single story telling us what is wrong with the human race, what God is going to do about it, how history is going to end and how it’s all going to turn out. It is a single story.” When you begin to look at the Bible as a complete story instead of individual ones that are disconnected, you will see the beautiful and complete picture of God’s relentless love and amazing grace. We will not only take the journey, but camp out and unpack several points that will help reveal God’s Word and His ultimate victory. Are you ready to take the adventure?

THIS WEEK’S STUDY BEGINS OUR ADVENTURE THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH ADAM AND EVE IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN.