I didn't even get past the first page without finding something deeply impacting. David platt points out how Jesus often spoke words that cut the "large crowds" that were following him down to just a devout few (John 6). Jesus wasn't a people pleaser. His teachings were hard, his call to obedience was radical and his methods were not conventional. Jesus took those few who would follow him and spent the next 3 years investing in them deeply. With these he changed the world. I was challenged to face my tendency to be a people pleaser and reevaluate my discipleship methods (quality over quantity).
What else did you guys get from the chapter? There was a ton! This was just one point for me.
I am super excited to be reading Radical...my brother Alex (Medina) told me to get it...I am being so blessed by this book. Then my brother Richard told me about your group! I am loviing it!!! cant wait to catch up to where everyone else is ;)
ReplyDeleteI know I'm a little late on this but its better late than never. I want to start out by saying the first couple pages almost brought me to tears by just seeing how wrong the American church is today. There are so many "Mega-Churches" in the nation but in all honesty there should be more "mini-churches." The sentences that touched me the most were these: "Give up everything you have, carry a cross, and hate your family. This sounds a lot different than 'Admit, believe, confess, and pray a prayer after me.'" We have done such a poor job with doing what Jesus tells us to do. We have created a Christianity that is easy for us and that is easy to get more people in. I was victim of this when I was younger. I thought all I had to do was admit I was a sinner and then say a prayer after my pastor. I was so wrong though. I'm so thankful that Pastor Platt has written this book and that it was given to me to read. Hopefully someone is still reading this blog because I am excited to take this journey and become radical!
ReplyDeleteI've heard a lot of things about this book so I'm even more excited about reading it. Can't wait to check it out and follow along with this. And, Just like Zane, we late but its better than never!
ReplyDeleteI like how David mentioned about how God's kingdom is like, in my own words, a gold mine. That once we find, we hide it and walk away. Most of us are tempted to just take the gold right there on the spot, and in doing so we leave so MUCH behind us. But for those who find it, hide it, walk away and give away everything they have, not only risk losing all they have, but they KNOW why they're doing so, and as a result they gain so much MORE than what they had before.
ReplyDeleteRadical Abandonment definitely crushed me like hammer on glass. When David starts talking about the requirements needed to follow Jesus. He mentioned it earlier in Talking People Out Of Following Christ when he mentions about a tactic his preaching professor, Dr. Jim Shaddix tried out at New Orleans. He calls it a "sanctified reverse psychology" tactic, and it worked.
First chapter was 'pretty heavy' to digest. But overall I thank God for giving me this stomach-ache. #WordUp #RealTalk