Radical Chapter 1
Welcome to the first chapter of “Radical”! I am so excited to study this book with you! My prayer is that as we go through this together it becomes more than just a “study”, it becomes part of who we are for Jesus. Sunday night at our girls group we had some pretty intense discussion. We are being faced with the reality that what we have been taught in Church and living out in our everyday lives may not always line up 100% with what Jesus really said. I encourage you to read this book and the Word of God with fresh eyes. Get ready for chapter one! Get a nice cup of hot tea, a notebook and pen, a comfortable chair, your Bible and let’s look together at what Jesus has to tell us.
Someone worth losing EVERYTHING for. Who is this Jesus anyway? John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Matthew 16:16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Revelation 5:12 In a loud voice they sang: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” That’s OUR JESUS!
David Platt asks us a very important question. If I believe that Jesus is who He says He is and if I believe the Bible is the Word of God…am I willing to obey it? If we are, then that very statement of wanting to obey it will have radical implications for our lives. We will need to pay special attention to what some specific implications for us might be. And we must be ready to look head on at the obstacles that WE WILL experience when we start applying these implications. The enemy of our souls does not want us to make ANY changes to our lives…much less RADICAL ones. In the book David describes his own struggle as being a crisis of faith or a crisis or belief. We may find ourselves in the same place. But, just as we talked Sunday night in a room full of women …women who have young children…older children…bills…houses…jobs…husbands…dreams and questions…please, PLEASE, PLEASE do NOT quit the journey before you ever get started. Don’t think…I can’t do this…the price is too high…I’m afraid to even try…I will never be able to do this, there’s no way God expects THIS. Let’s all try to meet the challenge head on by simply listening to and discovering what God’s Word says about what we believe. Then we can move forward.
There are four points that Jesus makes in Luke 14 and we want to break each of them down to get a better understanding of the text.
Point 1
Luke 14:25-26 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them He said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters - yes, even his own life - he cannot be my disciple
The Greek word for hate in this passage is “miseo”. This is not an absolute but a relative term. It could mean to “love less”. Just because it has this meaning does not give us the right to diminish what He’s saying. Jesus is making a strong statement here. Jesus’ point is that a true disciple’s devotion to Him should make all other relationships APPEAR to be characterized by hate in comparison. He means our love for Him takes priority in our lives. Jesus was simply and boldly making it clear from the start that if we follow Him, we abandon or are willing to abandon everything…including our family. Get a piece of paper and take a minute to make a list of all your relationships…husband…children…sister…name everyone that you can think of. After you have your list, number them according to their importance in your life. (In practice, not theory!) Now, take an honest look as to where Jesus fits in your ranking. Did you even include Him in your list of relationships? He has said that He must be #1!
Point 2
Luke 14:27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
Following Christ means continually sacrificing who we were for who He is. When you think of a cross what comes to mind? Jesus…church…Easter…death…pain. When Jesus says in this verse that we must carry our cross that is exactly the word image He is trying to give us. When someone was crucified during Jesus time on earth, they were given the cross beam to carry through town on the way to their death. In truth they were, dead men walking. Jesus is saying to us that we must be willing daily to die to what we want, so that we can receive what He has for us. Our desires and pursuits in this life are gladly given up SO THAT we can receive and fully embrace what He has desired for us. It seems that most often WE are our own greatest hindrance to us being able to follow where Jesus desires to lead us. We must be willing to get out of the way (die to ourselves) to receive Jesus and His very best for us.
Point 3
Luke 14:28-32 Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still along way off and will ask for terms of peace.
Jesus is very direct here with those that are listening. He says emphatically…following Him requires a cost that should be considered BEFORE we commit. Think for a moment of something that you started and never finished. How did that make you feel? Now…have you ever started something that others knew you started and also knew that you failed to finish? We had several comments on this in our group. One said that she started nursing school and never finished it…another an afghan…me a scrapbook of Rick that was required for a grief class I attended…how about you? Jesus is saying to us that we must count the cost SO THAT we WILL finish what we start.
Think for a moment what the difference is between an aspiration and a goal. An aspiration is something we desire or HOPE will happen at some point in our lives. A goal is a result which a person is ACTIVELY striving toward. Being a disciple of Jesus is not something we sit around and wait to magically happen in our lives. We cannot WISH it, HOPE for it or stand by idly waiting for it to happen. It’s an outcome that we consider the cost involved, make a plan for and actively pursue! There WILL be costs involved…Jesus is telling us this up front. We would be wise to consider the level of persistence and perseverance it will require to follow Jesus. But, as we will learn during our study and during our lives…the costs are nothing compared to the rewards…both now and for eternity.
Point 4
Luke 14:33 In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
Boy, this is a tough one! If we are honest with ourselves, this one could be a deal breaker for us. Please…I’m telling you and myself…let’s don’t quit…let’s hear what He has to say! Following Christ requires radical abandonment of everything we previously sought in life for the freedom to fully pursue Him and His glory. Think for a moment of some wild, crazy dreams you have had in your life. What were some of the hindrances that kept those dreams from becoming reality? We will have hindrances that will strongly try to keep us from following Jesus. But, as we look at our lives, we must realize that THE most radical, crazy, wild and fulfilling dream we could ever have…is full-out, 100 % following Jesus. Jesus uses the words “give up” in this verse. In the Greek this carries the context of relinquishing ALL CONTROL. Jesus is telling us that we must give up control of our lives and give Him control. We are being commanded to accept His total Lordship over everything in our lives…willing to loose it all, even if we do not.
The grand question now is…DO WE BELIEVE HE IS WORTH IT? That has to be settled once and for all in our minds and hearts or we will not be able to…put Him first in our lives…carry our cross and give up our desires for His…count the cost and stay the course…and be willing to abandon EVERYTHING for Him. If He is worth it to us…no cost will be too high.
What a way to start, huh? WOW! I am being stretched to my limits here already…but I know the journey has just begun and I for one am incredibly excited to see what Jesus does with this in my life and in yours! He IS worth everything…He is worthy of so much more than we could ever give Him. May we each this week hold our hands out face down…open our palms…release everything that’s in them and turn them face up…empty toward Jesus…ready to see what HE will place in them.
Read Chapter 2 this week! Please don’t get discouraged…keep reading and praying for insight into what He is trying to teach you. I can see Him…smiling and cheering us on from His throne…wanting us to GET IT! If you have thoughts about the lesson please post them…questions or insights…we all learn from each other! I want to hear what He is teaching you!!!
Sending much love,
Debbie
