Our attention was drawn to this book when it was promoted in the Nov-Dec 2010 issue of Mission Frontiers (http://www.missionfrontiers.org/issue/archive/going-radical). Millions of people are dying and going to hell without the opportunity to hear of God's love for them shown through His Son Jesus dying in their place. The church is very slow to respond to the command given by Jesus to His disciples, and to us, in each of the Gospels and in Acts 1:8 to go and make disciples in every ethnic group in the world. Something radical must happen if there is to be a change.
To help enthuse you, watch the brief video at http://www.radicalthebook.com/home.html. After logging on, choose Radical the Book and move cursor down to video on the left. You can also read the first chapter of the book for free! If you want, you can listen to the series of 8 sermons given on this topic in the church where the author is the lead pastor (http://www.brookhills.org/media/series/radical/).
Better yet, read and pray through this book. The members of the faith family at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, have been challenged through this teaching, and many are responding so they can make an impact on the world. May each of us reading this book also be challenged and encouraged to make radical changes in our lives. May our church also be changed so that the world may be blessed.
Some may wish to make comments on what they have read, or on what others have written. This Blog is available for our good, and for the glory of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.
Wishing you radical blessings,
Noel
Chapter 1
ReplyDeleteThe illustration I liked best in this chapter was the one about buying the field containing the pear of great price. It looks like you're waisting your life's savings but actually you are gaining far more.
The chapter made some good points. We're surrounded by a rich, comfortable, self obsessed culture and it is easy to be caught up in its values. Actually this is really a problem which has confronted every Christian of every age and culture. Of course each culture has its own set of temptations to be drawn into. We all want acceptance and comfort and these are gifts which our Father may or may not give. The important thing is to see these as secondary priorities and Jesus and his priorities as primary. I suspect that is the reason Jesus told the rich young man to sell everything, but did not tell Zacheas to do the same, was because the rich man's central idol in his heart was his wealth and it was the central issue blocking him from coming to Jesus.
Stephen