“Radical” Chapter 9 The Final Chapter
It’s hard for me to believe that we have finished the study of Radical. This book is unlike any other book I have read for quite some time. I have repeatedly told our Sunday night group of girls that we do not want to approach this book as if it has a finishing point. Just because we have finished the study does not mean what we gleaned from it has to come to an end. It should be just the opposite. It should be just the beginning of what God will do in our lives as we transition from living the American Dream to becoming a living sacrifice for the glory of God. I believe that if we take an honest look at ourselves and how we live out our faith in comparison to what God says in His word…it will bring us to repentance and change.
The ONE thing that God is after is our heart…not what we DO. If our heart is not right before Him, what we are about to talk about in this lesson will be absolutely worthless. I Samuel 16:7 says, “But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’” This is our highest goal, to keep our heart soft and pure before Him. He is the only One that can do that for us. When we come to Jesus, we exchange a hard heart for one that becomes soft and pliable. Praise Him!
In this last chapter of Radical, David asks us to make a one year commitment to do five things. We will address each one individually and talk about how to do each. The reason for a one year commitment is simple. There are things we can do for a year that we may not be able to sustain for multiple years. And there are some things we can postpone for one year that we may not be able to postpone for longer. So the challenge here is not forever. But, if you make this commitment, you will discover, as we all will, that it will change us for many years past the one year mark. There is no doubt that we will be changed.
Commitment # 1 Pray For the Entire World
This commitment requires something very basic of us…we must already have a prayer life. We must be praying. To pray for the entire world sounds like a HUGE endeavor, but when broken down into a daily commitment, it suddenly becomes very do-able. David says that this is the step you and I are most likely to overlook and yet it is the one that is most dangerous for us to ignore! In the gospel we have seen the depth of our inadequacy and the extent of our inability to accomplish anything of eternal value apart from the power of God. We MUST invite HIM into the saving of the world and be active in asking Him to send workers into the fields that are ready for harvest.
There are several things here that will help you to pray for the entire world in a year. First, go buy a world map for your wall. I bought mine at Target and it was $4.00. Not a costly investment. The only wall big enough and with nothing on it in my house was in my bathroom. So that’s where I hung it. It is a constant reminder to me that I need to pray for those nations.
To help put some order to your praying go to www.operationworld.org or www.joshuaproject.org Both of these web sites are excellent. You can sign up for emails that will be sent daily to remind you to pray for a specific people group or country. By doing this you will have prayed for the entire world in a year. I am finding that by praying for things I will most likely NEVER know the outcome of, gives me a sense of freedom. I will most likely never know what God does with my prayer…I will never have to worry about trying to take credit for something or trying to make something happen in my time and not His. I pray for the nations, those people groups who have never heard…and then believe that God is answering…what freedom!
Commitment # 2 Read Through the Entire Word
This is a commitment we really should already be doing, but sadly is one that most of us have never done. We seem to think that reading a daily devotional or listening to a 20 minute sermon is enough to get us through. Until we come to a place in our lives where we need more. God says that His Word is the ONLY Word we will ever read that has LIFE in it. It has the power the change us, heal us and connect us with the ONLY One Who can save us. Today would be a great day to make the commitment to read it through in the next year! I have signed up at OneYearBibleOnline.com and receive daily emails with the scripture references listed to read for that day. There are many other similar websites, but this one has several different options to choose from. It is a DAILY reminder to be in the Word!
Commitment # 3 Sacrifice Your Money For a Specific Purpose
The word here is not “give”, but “SACRIFICE”. All we have to do is open our Bible and start reading and we will find this principle over and over again. God is all about our giving…and sacrificing. Romans 12:1 says that we are to be “living sacrifices”. As much as we have in our homes as citizens of the United States, we are still tempted to give our “seconds.” Those things that really cost us nothing. Things that we no longer have need of…used things…old things…things that don’t interest us any longer. How sad. This principle will most likely be one that will require much effort on our part. We like to satisfy our WANTS. The thought of doing without something we want, or especially giving until it hurts is not something that sounds very appealing. But, to the LORD, I am sure it is a sweet smelling sacrifice. Sacrifice is giving away what it hurts to give. Sacrifice is not giving according to our ability; it’s giving beyond our ability.
Concentrate on spending your money on something that is gospel centered. Go ask your pastor if there is an immediate need…a family in need…a missionary in need. And then determine what you are willing to do without to meet that need. Most everyone will be getting some sort of tax refund…you may have already gotten yours. And you may already have a list of things to spend that money on. Things that you “want”. Why not look past your own “wants” and into someone else’s need?
This is not about sacrificing just one time. This is a commitment for the coming year…to give sacrificially…intentionally for the next year. Our money tends to rule us in our society…knowing this about us…Jesus commands us to lay up treasures in heaven, not treasures on earth. You and I will discover that this will change us as the year progresses and we see just how God is using our sacrifice for His glory.
Commitment # 4 Spend Your Time in Another Context
As important as it is for us to be radical in our giving, it is even more important for us to be radical in our going. Here’s where our heart will be touched, possibly in a way that it never has before.
If you have ever been on a mission trip in any capacity, I know I would hear from your lips that you were more blessed than anyone you were suppose to be ministering to. That is God’s way. He is a much more than God…always doing more than we can think or imagine. If we are going to accomplish the global purpose of God, it will not be primarily through giving our money, as important as that is. It will happen primarily through giving ourselves. This is what the gospel represents, and it’s what the gospel requires.
So, how will be go? For every one of us, this clearly begins at home. Wherever you and I live, we are commanded to go and make disciples there. Jesus didn’t travel to EVERY place in the world while He was here on earth. And He didn’t go to all the multitudes. He poured His life into a few men for the sake of the multitudes in places He would never go. Because of this example, our homes, communities and cities are the primary places and contain the primary people we will impact for the glory of Christ.
Going does start where we live…but it doesn’t stop there. We are called and commanded to take the gospel to the nations. That cannot happen unless we GO. What is a matter of calling is where we will go and how long we will stay. All we have to do is read the gospels to KNOW that it clearly is the will of God for us to take the gospel to the nations.
There are so many places to go…and so many things to be done when we go. Why not take a look at your gifts and talents? God has gifted you for a purpose. He has set you in this time and place for a purpose. Look at your gifts, your vocation, your profession and your area of expertise. These things can be used not only as a means to an income, but as platforms for proclaiming the gospel in those same contexts around the world. You may have a real love for orphans or widows…look at missionary organizations that minister to those groups. You may be a nurse, an accountant, plumber, electrician, teacher, mom, or grandmother. Take the plunge and plan a trip. Don’t let fear stop you…it will forever change you…in the best way possible. After going to Mexico, Haiti and Ukraine, I can say that those trips have shaped my walk with the Lord in so many positive ways. May it continue to be so as we go for Him….
Commitment # 5 Commit Your Life To a Multiplying Community
The goal is not just for us as individuals to follow after Christ but to join together in communities of faith, denying ourselves, taking up our crosses, and following hard after Him. If the radical, simple living we see Jesus talking about were more common in the church, it would be much easier for us to live simply as well. But we look around and everyone else has nice homes, and cars, lifestyles characterized by luxuries, so we accept that this must be the norm for Christians. We may get convicted about our way of living when we look at the Bible, but then when we look at one another, we assume it must be okay because everyone else lives this way. As WE change and live radically for the cause of Christ, this will impact those we worship with.
The global purpose of Christ was never intended to be done by individuals. We are called to do it in community with one another…this is called the CHURCH. Find a church that you can be committed to…join a band of disciples that you can join with for the next year to multiply the gospel. If where you are attending is not in the business of making disciples…it may be time to take a hard look. Why? Can you help change that? This is what Jesus calls us to do. Acts 2 tells us emphatically that these first believers met together daily, breaking bread, worshiping, studying together and selling their possessions to help those that needed it more. This is the essence of the Gospel…we should be part of the same.
So what happens when radical obedience to Christ becomes the new normal? Are you willing to see? We each have a choice. We can cling to short-term treasures that we cannot keep, or we can live for long-term treasures that we cannot lose. (Matthew 6:19-21) People coming to know the Savior Who came to give them life. And the all-consuming satisfaction of knowing and experiencing Jesus as the treasure above all others!
So here we have it. Five things to commit to for the coming year. Don’t let the task seem overwhelming…that is exactly what the enemy wants. Us to think we can never do it…it is too much…too hard…too confusing…above our ability. And in the enemy’s twisted way…that is the truth and a lie all wrapped up together. It IS too much for us to do on our own…but it isn’t too much for Jesus to do in and through us. What the enemy intends to bring confusion and a sense of inadequacy…our loving Father uses to show us that those same things draw us to Him…allowing Him to be ALL that we need.
May we accept the challenge…take the plunge…and watch our lives and others change as we…pray…read…sacrifice…spend our time…commit our lives.…all for HIS GLORY!
Committing and sending much love,
Debbie
