I have been spending a lot of time lately thinking through this word. "Radical"... the dictionary says that it is "deviating from the usual". One of the great young leaders of this new generation is David Platt. He wrote a book with this as the title. The book is certainly one of the most challenging books on the market today. However this is not a new concept. In fact this concept of being Radical is one that Jesus paves the way for.
This Sunday I will begin a series on "The Radical Jesus"..See the truth is we seem to paint this picture of Jesus as floating on the clouds singing Just as I am with all His angels. However, this is really not the picture of Jesus that the bible paints at all. While we was in fact loving and compassionate, He was also zealous and fierce when it came to the things of God. Jesus came to turn the religious establishment upside down. He took the Fathers business seriously and His life was fully devoted to the cause.
In thinking through these things and seeing the radical statements that Jesus made, it makes me as a believer really examine how much I am risking for the Kingdom. It makes me wonder if I am really teaching my children how to be radical for the King. It makes me wonder if my heart really longs to further God's Kingdom instead of mine.
Let me ask a few questions for you to ponder today?
1) Can anyone see that you are radically following Jesus?
2) Does your life reflect the radical nature of Jesus or of the average church attendee?
3) Would your children be able to recognize what radical for Jesus really is by observing your life?
4) Are you willing to give up everything you own if God asks you to?
5)Are you a radical....or not?
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Radical...
Posted by Nathan at 8:39 AM
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1 comments:
Pastor, your latest series on being radical has been really great. I kinda hate to see it ending. :)
Keeping this in mind, an email hit my inbox from an old friend today. I rarely read "forwarded" emails, but decided to open this one. Here is the text that i thought you would enjoy:
"Always be aware of how others will interpret your actions!"
The light turned yellow, just in front of him. He did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection.
The tailgating woman was furious and honked her horn, screaming in frustration, as she missed her chance to get through the intersection, dropping her cell phone and makeup.
As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a very serious police officer. The officer ordered her to exit her car with her hands up.
He took her to the police station where she was searched, fingerprinted, photographed, and placed in a holding cell.
After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and opened the door. She was escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects.
He said, ''I'm very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping off the guy in front of you and cussing a blue streak at him.
I noticed the 'What Would Jesus Do' bumper sticker, the 'Choose Life' license plate holder, the 'Follow Me to Sunday-School' bumper sticker, and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk, so naturally I assumed you had stolen the car.''
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