Radical

In the last week, I have been reading the book Radical Together by David Platt. This is a sequel to the book of a similar title he penned a year or so ago entitled Radical: Taking back your faith from the American Dream. Let me say that both these books have made me squirm—a lot!

Both books seek to apply simple, biblical truths to 21^st century Christianity asking the question, individually and corporately, whether our pursuits in life and in the church actually line up with what the scriptures teach clearly and unequivocally.

It is sad, however, that we have become so removed from obedience to the simple and clear teaching of scripture that we call many of the things Jesus said “radical” when in reality, the things he said should automatically be our natural (supernatural) way of life.

For example, think with me just a moment about Luke 9:23-26. It reads, “And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”

This passage clearly teaches that the “normal” response and way of life for a disciple of Jesus is to deny oneself, take up a cross (which means death to oneself), and follow (emulate, imitate) Jesus. This is not a requirement for those who are “really serious” about being Christian; this is for everyone.

I mean, is this really radical teaching by Jesus? I believe that it only seems radical to us today, especially those in church, because we have become so infatuated with ourselves and our dreams and comfort and our security and our version of Christianity that we have relegated these instructions from Jesus for those who are “radicals” or “missionaries”. Yet, the reality of Jesus’ teaching here is that these instructions are the requirements for and evidence of being a true Christian.

Maybe the reason this seems so radical to so many in our churches today is that many are not true Christians, but only playing a game hoping they have their “get out of hell free card.”

Blog News for July 6, 2011

Challenges in Contemporary Christianity - slowing down to look

Discipleship - good reminder about the permeation of a disciple-making lifestyle

Obituary of the American Church (very good article & warning)

Authority in Preaching (good, humbling article--especially for me)

The Casey Anthony Case (interesting take)

"I'm sorry. I was wrong. Please forgive me" (good article)

Reforming Church Architecture (thought this was interesting)

Is Church Membership Biblical (interesting take on this issue)

God and Man on the Scales (re-post)

This is from Justin Taylor's blog:

J. I. Packer:
“I think of the two pans of an old fashioned pair of scales. If one goes up, the other goes down.
Once upon a time folks new that God was great and that man by comparison was small. Each individual carried around a sense of his own smallness in the greatness of God’s world.

However, the scale pans are in a different relation today. Man has risen in his own estimation. He thinks of himself as great, grand and marvelously resourceful. This means inevitably that our thoughts about God have shrunk. As God goes down in our estimation, He gets smaller. He also exists now only for our pleasure, our convenience and our health, rather than we existing for His glory.

Now, I’m an old fashioned Christian and I believe that we exist for the glory of God. So the first thing I always want to do in any teaching of Christianity is to attempt to try and get those scale pans reversed. I want to try and show folks that God is the one of central importance. We exist for His praise, to worship Him, and find our joy and fulfillment in Him; therefore He must have all the glory. God is great and He must be acknowledged as great. I think there is a tremendous difference between the view that God saves us and the idea that we save ourselves with God’s help. Formula number two fits the modern idea, while formula number one, as I read my Bible, is scriptural. We do not see salvation straight until we recognize that from first to last it is God’s work. He didn’t need to save us. He owed us nothing but damnation after we sinned. What he does, though, is to move in mercy.

He sends us a Savior and His Holy Spirit into our hearts to bring us to faith in that Savior. Then He keeps us in that faith and brings us to His glory. It is His work from beginning to end. God saves sinners. It does, of course, put us down very low. It is that aspect of the gospel that presents the biggest challenge to the modern viewpoint.

But we must not forget that it also sets God up very high. It reveals to us a God who is very great, very gracious and very glorious. A God who is certainly worthy of our worship.”

Blog News for July 5, 2011

Does your church pass the blink test?

Should we play music behind people praying? (interesting)

Before Pentecost, where did the OT Israelites' Faith Originate? (good article)

Dirty Words in Counseling

Let us glorify God for the greater thing (we are so prone to this in our Christian sub-culture)

Blog News for July 2, 2011

Healthy Church

Patriotism and the Church (interesting article about patriotism)

Spiritual Growth

Patriotism and Preaching (interesting)