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Reading Radical:Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream by David Platt.? It is really good.? But as Russell Moore, Dean, Southern Baptist Seminary writes in his endorsement…I have wanted to set it down several times–ouch!!
Sometimes people will commend a book by saying, ?You won?t want to put it down.? I can?t say that about this book. You?ll want to put it down, many times. If you?re like me, as you read David Platt?s Radical, you?ll find yourself uncomfortably targeted by the Holy Spirit. You?ll see just how acclimated you are to the American dream. But you?ll find here another Way, one you know to be true, because you?ve heard it before in the words of the Lord Jesus, perhaps most forcefully in the simple call ?Follow me.? Read this book. Put it away for a time, if you need to, while your conscience is invaded by the Spirit driving you to repentance. And then pick it up again. After you?re done reading, I think you?ll know better how to pick up your cross and follow Christ for the advancement of the kingdom and the destruction of false dreams. ?Russell D. Moore, dean, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
David Platt sets up the book to explain the vast difference between what the modern church in America holds dear and what the Jesus of the Bible taught and held dear.? There is a huge difference.? Here is a great example of his wonderful writing style (emphasis mine):
Whenever the crowd got big, he?d say something such as, ?Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.?[John 6:53] Not exactly the sharpest church-growth tactic. I can almost picture the looks on the disciples? faces. ?No, not the drink-my-blood speech! We?ll never get on the list of the fastest-growing movements if you keep asking them to eat you.? By the end of that speech, all the crowds had left, and only twelve men remained.[John 6:66-67] Jesus apparently wasn?t interested in marketing himself to the masses. His invitations to potential followers were clearly more costly than the crowds were ready to accept, and he seemed to be okay with that. He focused instead on the few who believed him when he said radical things. And through their radical obedience to him, he turned the course of history in a new direction.
Soon I realized I was on a collision course with an American church culture where success is defined by bigger crowds, bigger budgets, and bigger buildings. I was now confronted with a startling reality: Jesus actually spurned the things that my church culture said were most important. So what was I to do? I found myself faced with two big questions.
The first was simple. Was I going to believe Jesus? Was I going to embrace Jesus even though he said radical things that drove the crowds away? The second question was more challenging. Was I going to obey Jesus? My biggest fear, even now, is that I will hear Jesus? words and walk away, content to settle for less than radical obedience to him. In other words, my biggest fear is that I will do exactly what most people did when they encountered Jesus in the first century.
That’s why I’ve written this book.
Check out the book’s promotional website here.? You can go and download the first chapter there as well as view promotional videos.? Also, each chapter has several of Platt’s sermons that you can listen to along with the reading of the chapter.? There is also information on the “Radical Experiment” that his church, The Church at Brook Hills is carrying out to practically apply these teachings.
Inside North Point Media just put up a bunch of the videos from Drive ’10.? I feel just like I was there…almost…ok, not at all.? But I really wanted to be there!? Oh well, maybe next year.
This is my favorite video.? It is really funny, but it is scary how true it just might be…
“Sunday’s Coming” Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.
Tonight was our first baseball game for Taylor’s team. I am managing his team this year and it has been a lot of fun. We played really well but came up a bit short tonight. However, one big thing that I know I personally learned was that we all need to learn WHO we should listen to–in baseball…and especially in life. Read more
Really like this list of “lessons from an older pastor.” ?I particularly like numbers 5 and 7 and then “ouch” on number 9. ?Check them out here…
I honestly don’t know that I have any words of wisdom for anyone. ?You know, it’s funny how the older I get, the more ignorant I feel! ?When I was 18, I was really smart. ?When I was 25, I was even more smart–just ask me! ?Now that I have been in ministry almost 20 years and worked on several church staffs, planted a church, and now in a “new & different” situation called Multisite; I really have found out that the only thing I know is that I don’t always know…you know?? (I’m sure that’s not good grammar there!)
I love this passage in John 9 of the healing of the man who was blind from birth. ?Check out his response to the second set of questions from the Pharisees. ?
He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”
What about you? ?What are some lessons that you have learned as you are getting older?
How many conversations have you had in the last month or so about “all of the signs of the times?” ?I have to confess that I have heard my share after the volcano. ?I enjoy reading Jon Acuff’s blog and quite appreciate his sarcasm…takes one to love one, I suppose.
I am particularly fond of #2…
2. Juxtapose it against our ?fancy technology.?
This is always a favorite of mine. Say something like, ?We might have iPads, but all the apps in the world won?t stop a volcano.? What does that even mean? I?m not sure, I think it means that all the advanced technology in the world holds no sway over the eons old might of the Lord. But you kind of sound double relevant by name dropping an Apple product at the same time which is nice.
Check out the full post…definitely a few chuckles.
Icelandic Volcano Christian References ? Stuff Christians Like ? Jon Acuff.
Great video from the folks at Granger Community Church used during a 1st Wednesday Communion service. ?Four different videos that break down four different words in two passages in Matthew…
Matthew 14:18-21 – ?Jesus said, “Bring them here.” Then he had the people sit on the grass. He?took the five loaves and two fish, lifted his face to heaven in prayer, blessed,broke, and?gave the bread to the disciples. The disciples then gave the food to the congregation. They all ate their fill. They gathered twelve baskets of leftovers. About five thousand were fed.
Matthew 26:26-28 ?- ?During the meal, Jesus took and?blessed the bread,?broke it, andgave it to his disciples:?Take, eat.?This is my body.?Taking the cup and thanking God, he gave it to them:?Drink this, all of you.?This is my blood,?God’s new covenant poured out for many people?for the forgiveness of sins.
Four Words from Granger Community on Vimeo.
This day 9 years ago was just like any other Monday after Easter. Jenny was teaching school in Clever and was getting ready for the spring music concert in a couple weeks or so. She was having “a little back pain” when she went to work. She told her coworker about it. The lady said, tell me each time you feel that pain. She had been timing the contractions all morning.
I ran out there to Clever to take something to Jenny and her friend pulled me aside and said, “David, I think she’s having this baby today.” I just had gotten back to the office and Jenny was leaving Clever-after school (overachiever, workaholic!) to “have them check me out.”
She arrived at the hospital with a dead cell phone battery and running her car on fumes. The checked her in and about 20 minutes later we had Taylor via emergency c-section! Crazy day indeed!
It has been so fun growing along with Taylor! He is such a great boy with a tender heart for God and people. He is 10 times the athlete I will ever be already. He is very talented and is a great student (must get that from Jenny!)
Happy Birthday Taylor! We love you!
I came across this this morning on my RSS reader. ?Rolling Hills Baptist Church in Fayetteville, GA is selling their building and property to be able to leverage that money “to meet the needs of people.” ?Pretty bold, interesting idea, however it is not a new idea is it? ?The first century Christians are said to have met “house to house.” ?I am reminded of Dr. Sanchez, a church planting prof. at SWBTS that told about the Church in Cuba. ?Part of the extreme growth that has occurred there is thought of to be because of the the mandate from Castro that the churches can’t own property or buildings. ?Because of that mandate, the Church has had to go back to it’s first century roots. Check out the church website at wheresthesteeple.org.
What do you think? Do you think your church could function without owning a building or property? ?What do you think of this church’s decision to sell it’s building and rent a movie theater so they can give money away?
Does A Church Need A Building To Be A Church? – 11Alive.com | WXIA | Atlanta, GA.
Please be in prayer for the elections that are occurring today in Sudan.? They are the first free elections that they will have had in 24 years.? The presidency is at stake with the current president Omar al-Bashir; having allegations of ties to Osama Ben Laden as well as being charged by the International Crimes Court for crimes against humanity .? The elections are being monitored by international oversight, including former President Jimmy Carter.? There is substantial fear that these elections are not fair, free elections because several of the other opposition party candidates have dropped out of the race.
Rob Wegner, Pastor of Life Mission at Granger Community Church says it better than I can on his post this morning…
Would you take a minute and pray for an upset right now? Elections are occuring as you read this.
This election does concern us. We serve a Global God and that makes us a Global People.? First and foremost, we are citizens of the international Kingdom of God. We do have skin in the game in Sudan. Right now, without leaving your computer, you can exercise a global influence through prayer. From the light of eternity, we will be shocked to discover that some of our most influential moments were the moments spent in secret prayer, unnoticed by the masses, but duly noted by our Maker.. . .
EnterMission has been fueling a grassroots church planting movement in Sudan for the last two years.? Currently,
?we have 125 church planters in training,
?who have personally shared the Good News with more than 34,000 people.
?.Out of that number over 7,500 have joined on-going Bible Studies, which will be transitioned into new churches.
?Over 2,950 men and women have been baptized into the faith and
? already 32 churches are up and running!
This is where the hope for Sudan ultimately lies, not in a government, but a Kingdom, a peaceable Kingdom.
As everything else has fallen apart in Sudan, the Church has not only remained, but thrived. In many communities, our church planters are the ones providing food, shelter, clean water, and even, education.
Let us pray today for our brothers and sisters in Sudan.? That as the words of this young man in the video says, “that we might have peace.”
Amen.? So let it be.
Salam Sudan from World Relief NEXT on Vimeo.