Adventure in the Kingdom of God

       William Bradford had a name for his group of pilgrims, men and women who left everything behind in Europe to build a new life in a new world: "adventurers." Big dreams and a big God held the minds of these adventurers captive. I am amazed by the process of decision-making the pilgrims used because it is so normal. They made a list of the reasons for moving, the reasons for staying, and then tried to answer the objections they had uncovered. The decision they came to shaped the history of a continent. What a pedantic way to reach such a climactic decision!
       Here are the reasons for moving that Bradford listed in "Of Plymouth Plantation:"

1.  Their current status in Holland was tenuous. Their training as farmers won them no favor in Leyden and the menial work that was available did not pay what was needed to support their families. The hard work would not attract new families and some who were currently suffering might not persevere.
2.  They had left England in 1608 and their energetic and committed leadership was beginning to age. More than a decade had passed and the window of opportunity was beginning to close. They felt a decision must soon be made if it was going to be made at all. 
3.  Holland was no place to raise a pilgrim. The parents began to notice that their hardship and poverty was beginning to take a toll on their children. The children worked long hours next to them and were beginning to show similar signs of wear. The children were also tempted, when they saw their peers in Leyden live in licentiousness and yet prosperity. It was enough to make a teen envious. 
4.  The pilgrims wanted to make a difference in the new world for the Kingdom of God. They wanted to be an outpost for missions. Others would follow their lead and from their beachhead in the New World travel to even more remote regions for the sake of the gospel cause.   

       These adventurers had the right priorities: Provide for and protect their families and get the gospel to the world. They would risk everything in the service of these ends. Pilgrims yes, but adventurers in the Kingdom of God!