Yesterday, as I sat down to consider my choices for further devotional reading, I picked up the book my sister-in-law gave us for Christmas: Radical by David Platt … and I have to say, I am astounded. I am excited and nervous, and ready to be challenged like never before as I work my way through the pages of this book. Writing about Luke 9, in which Jesus tells a variety of would-be disciples why they won’t find the journey to God particularly comfortable, Platt writes on page 12:
“But we don’t want to believe it. We are afraid of what it might mean for our lives. So we rationalize these passages away. ‘Jesus wouldn’t really tell us not to bury our father or say good-bye to our family. Jesus didn’t literally mean to sell all we have and give it to the poor. What Jesus really meant was …’
And this is where we need to pause. Because we are starting to redefine Christianity … to take the Jesus of the Bible and twist him into a version of Jesus we are more comfortable with.
A nice, middle-class, American Jesus. A Jesus who doesn’t mind materialism and who would never call us to give away everything we have. A Jesus who would not expect us to forsake our closest relationships so that he receives all our affection. A Jesus who is fine with nominal devotion that does not infringe on our comforts, because, after all, he loves us just the way we are. A Jesus who wants us to be balanced, who wants us to avoid dangerous extremes, and who, for that matter, wants us to avoid danger altogether …” (emphasis added)
I have to admit, as I read that I was stunned into convicted silence. So many people I know listen to me rave about living out the Word like we really believe it, and give me a look that says: “Radical 101 – you’re crazy.” And yet, how often do I cling to material stuff, believing the lie that, "Well, at least I don't buy or hoard as much stuff as so-and-so, so I must be all right?" How often do I spend my time with people instead of with God, acting on the lie that God's somehow isn't enough? How much of my life could be categorized as only “nominally devoted” or about serving God my leftovers? I have to admit, though, the part of that page that challenged me the most, that gave me goosebumps of anticipation and thrill, was the last one …about danger ...
If Jesus really didn’t call us to a life of danger, what do we do with 2 Timothy 1:7, in the Knox translation, which says, “The Spirit he has bestowed on us is not one that shrinks from danger; it is a spirit of action, of love, and of discipline?” Or worse yet – what of Daniel 11:33, in the Living Bible, which says, “Those with spiritual understanding will have a wide ministry of teaching in those days. But they will be in constant danger, many of them dying by fire and sword, or being jailed and robbed?” What do we do with the Biblical example of Daniel and his three friends, who, in the face of danger, still chose to follow God – into the lion’s den and the fiery furnace? Or the disciples, most of whom died for their faith in Christ? What do we do with tales of persecuted brothers and sisters around the globe who smuggle the Scriptures into dangerous areas of the world and will not refute Christ even in the face of torture? What of Hebrews 11:33-38, which in the Voice Translation, say:
I could give accounts of people alive with faith who conquered kingdoms, brought justice, obtained promises, and closed the mouths of hungry lions. I could tell you how people of faith doused raging fires, escaped the edge of the sword, made the weak strong, and – stoking great valor among the champions of God – sent opposing armies into panicked flight. I could speak of faith brining women their loved ones back from death and how the faithful accepted torture instead of earthly deliverance because they believed they would obtain a better life in the resurrection. Others suffered mockery and whippings; they were placed in chains and in prisons. The faithful were stoned, sawn in two, killed by the sword, clothed only in sheepskins and goatskins; they were penniless, afflicted, and tormented. The world was not worthy of these saints. They wandered across desserts, crossed mountains, and lived in the caves, cracks, and crevasses of the earth.
How much of that sounds comfortable and “safe” to you? I’m not saying there is anything inherently wrong with being comfortable and being safe – but to believe that God has not called us to any kind of dangerous situation is to believe a lie, to believe that God is here primarily to keep us comfortable, to answer our prayers, and serve us. Think about it. How many of us have thought of great things we’d like to do for the Kingdom of God, but have hesitated because we didn’t have enough money, didn’t have enough saved, or “what if …” a thousand different things happened? How many of us have placidly stated, “I just don’t think it’s God’s timing yet" when the way looked too hard, too rocky, too unsure? That is not God. God thrives in the midst of unsure. I truly believe that if we are overly comfortable in life, we are not in faith; that if I am not being stretched beyond my comfort zone, if there is not at least the danger of failing, I am not in faith. How dare I. How dare I choose to be comfortable and safe instead of actively working to accomplish His Kingdom work. How dare I choose the safe road when His plan requires that we venture into all the dangers of the hedgerows of this world to win disciples for Christ! Have we forgotten the words of the Apostle Paul in Acts 20:24, in the Living Bible, which say:
But life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus – the work of telling others the Good News about God’s mighty kindness and love.
Am I saying that we should purposely put ourselves in harm’s way? No. What I am saying is that it is a sin to make an idol of safety, security and comfort. I am saying that we need to shake ourselves free of such placid emotions and get urgent about fulfilling God’s plans for us, about witnessing to those around us, about seeing God’s Kingdom come to pass on this earth like it is in Heaven, because Jesus is coming back! And we don’t want to be found slacking on the job when He gets here! You know what God has put on your heart – that thing that scares you half to death because it requires more courage, more valor, and more faith than you think you possess. Deep in my heart, I know the things that God is calling me to as well … And my challenge to you, dear readers, and to my own heart, is to spend time meditating on Philippians 3:7-11, in the Contemporary English Version, and to repent of our selfish pursuit of “safety:”
But Christ has shown me that what I once thought was valuable is worthless. Nothing is as wonderful as knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have given up everything else and count it as garbage. All I want is Christ and to know that I belong to him … All I want is to know Christ and the power that raised him to life. I want to suffer and die as he did, so that somehow I will be raised to life …
Quote at top taken from David Platt's book Radical:Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream, copyright 2010.
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