Radical by David Platt presents the differences between the true gospel and modern misrepresentations.
The modern American church has been lulled to sleep with a false understanding of the gospel, and any return to the true teaching of Jesus will require radical change from the status quo.
In Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream, pastor and author David Platt leaves no room for doubt that there is a stark contrast between the ministry of Jesus and modern church culture. Numbers often determine modern church success. What is the budget? How many campuses or buildings do you run? How many members are in your congregation? However, Jesus never led a megachurch. He had 12 disciples and approximately 120 followers at the end of his earthly ministry. That’s because Jesus presented ideas that shocked and startled the crowds of his time. What is more, Jesus knew these concepts would be rejected – yet He taught them anyway!
By contrast, churches of today embrace unbiblical ideas that are in clear opposition to the gospel just to get bodies in the building. In highlighting the competing goals of American churches versus the approach of Jesus, Platt brings us to the point of informed decision. There are consequences to radical abandonment to Jesus: are we ready to follow Him anyway?
In this summary, you will learn:
- that obedience to the gospel is often perilous and seldom comfortable;
- how we are each called to preach to and make disciples from the world; and
- why we have a responsibility to help the poor.
Living for Christ will require you to get uncomfortable.
Imagine for a moment the following scene. People come together, carefully and covertly meeting in a foreign land. They share their struggles and the threats facing those who have given their lives to God. Men, women, and children are risking their lives to study the Bible. They begin to pray. After their time draws to a close and they secretly begin to depart, you see the damp marks on the floor left by their tears.
The author tells us that the specific event pictured above actually happened in Asia because he was there for it, and similar scenes continue to unfold worldwide. People, knowing their very lives could be lost for believing in Jesus, are praying and reading Scripture.
The American contrast to the persecution elsewhere in the world is profound. There are churches in every community in the States. Going to a church service brings no threat upon our lives by our government. We walk into buildings that in some cases look more like theaters than anything else. People arrive for church cleaned-up, wearing nice attire, and generally they drive themselves to service. Though there is nothing wrong with these blessings, what sacrifice has been made to attend?
In Luke 9, Jesus Himself shows the radical element of following Him. He does not share the feel-good message; He tells these would-be followers that they will be homeless, that the mission is more important than burying a loved one or even saying goodbye to loved ones. Jesus says that “no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). That is not exactly the way to promote numbers in the organization. But following Jesus is not about comfort. Is there anything comfortable in the command to take up a cross and follow? The cross represents death, and in the life of a Christian, it represents death to self.
Frequently people want to argue that the demand for radical obedience was only for the time Christ walked the earth, or they question the meaning of what Jesus said. They want a user-friendly gospel that makes people feel good. In so doing, people try to make Jesus look like them instead of striving to be more like Jesus.
But truthfully, there is a great cost associated with being a disciple (and how much greater is the cost if we are not His disciples?). That not only impacts each of us personally, but it impacts our local communities and ripples around the globe. Should the church spend millions on magnificent buildings or focus more on relief efforts in their communities, foreign lands, outreach ministry, and anywhere they see a need? When we put the Kingdom of God first, we may sacrifice everything we have to follow Jesus, but sacrificing does not mean we lose everything.
The radical question today for believers is whether Jesus is worth it. Is He worth it to set aside our American-dream mentality of self-indulgence, individuality, and the idea that bigger is better? Do you believe that Jesus is all you profess Him to be? If yes is your answer, you have two mandates: commit yourself to believe what Jesus says and then obey.
Real hunger for the Word of God leads us to seek the Word even when it is perilous.
Worldwide, covert churches are meeting in tiny rooms with dirt floors and no modern comforts. Yet these rooms are packed with believers of all ages. Practicing their faith could cost their lives, but hungry for the Word of God, they come. The gospel reveals the nature and glory of God along with His redemptive plan. Revelation creates hunger.
The heart of sin is rebellion and disobedience. Even in our human nature, we recognize something flawed and seek to evolve ourselves through self-improvement. The gospel shows God’s greatness and our weakness. The hope of the gospel is that God closed the distance in Christ. We are drawn to the Word because it reveals how to know God and grow closer to Him. Many world religions suggest that we can get to God through our efforts by various paths. It is a different paradigm altogether to have God reach toward us instead of us (unsuccessfully) striving to reach Him in our flawed, sinful nature. Holiness and sin cannot occupy the same space. Only God can make a way for reconciliation.
Picture Jesus in Gethsemane. He prays – literally sweating blood – while He pleads for the Father to take the cup from Him. Jesus referred to the cup of God’s wrath, which was not exactly the same thing as the cross. Many martyrs have faced execution with songs of praise on their lips. The difference between the martyrs and Jesus is this. The martyrs did not have to taste the cup of God’s wrath. To atone for our sins, Jesus had to take that cup willingly…
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