Facing Reality…..

Chuck Summers gave me a book, it looked interesting, it set in my office for months, every time I saw it I thought I should take the book on a trip and read it.  Last week when I came down to New Orleans for the bowl games, it was at my office, in the same place I had laid it when Chuck gave it to me.  On the plane flight home, I sat next to a young Doctor and his wife, and he was reading the same book.  I asked him how he liked it, he said “it’s challenging…”  When I got home I thought I know God wants me to be challenged, maybe it’s time to read the book.

The book is called “Radical – Taking Back Your Faith from the  American Dream.”  Tonight when watching one of the ball games, (I told you I will mindlessly watch any two teams play!),  I turned the sound down and picked up the book, and somewhere in heaven I’m sure I heard a voice say “finally!”  O.K., maybe I didn’t, but after a few pages, I sure felt like I did.

The author, David Platt, shared how he had been one of the youngest pastors of a mega-church in America, he was living the dream, had thousands of members, new buildings going up everywhere, he was rising as a super star in the modern church. But he found himself uneasy. The man he gave his heart to, and pledged to serve didn’t set mega churches as his model.  When Jesus was crucified and resurrected he only had about 120 followers that were doing what He had asked them to do!  Often when thousands showed up, to see Him, Jesus would tell them of the great sacrifices they would have to endure to follow Him.  Obviously, that did not attract a lot of followers.

David was bothered by two questions;

1.  Was he going to believe Jesus?

2.  Was he going to obey Jesus?

His biggest fear is that he would do what most of the Christians in first century did, hear Jesus, and then walk away. He committed  to follow Jesus wherever He led him.   It led to his meeting with groups of Christians in underground churches in Asia.  I’m going to pull the next couple of paragraphs directly from his book;

Imagine all the blinds closed on all the windows of a dimly lit room.  Twenty leaders from different churches in the area sat in a circle on the floor with their Bibles open.  Some of them had sweat on their foreheads after walking for miles to get there.  Others were dirty from the dust in the villages from which they had set out from on bikes early that morning.

They had gathered in secret.  They had intentionally come to this place at different times throughout the morning so as not to draw attention to the meeting that was occurring.   They lived in a country in Asia where it is illegal for them to gather like this.  If caught, they could lose their land, their jobs, their families, or their lives.   He listened as various members share stories of what God was doing in their churches.  They shared about members that had been kidnapped, tortured, and killed.  They shared about being threatened their families and all they had would be taken if they did not stop gathering to study the Bible.   They got on their knees with their faces in the dirt, and prayed prayers like;

“O God, thank you for loving me.”

“O God we need you.”

“Jesus, we give our lives to You and for You.” 

“Jesus, we trust You.”

They wept as they cried out to God.  Even in fear, they knew He would be with them!

At this point I was under deep conviction  From time to time many of you have been so kind, and nice,  to say how much you appreciate my witness,  and sacrifice to share the Good News.  As I read about these courageous Christians, I knew that anything I’ve ever done for Him is truly pitiful by comparison, or as the scripture says, our righteousness is as filthy rags.

The name of the first chapter of the book is;  Someone Worth Losing Everything For    I want to have a radical faith, a faith that sustains me as I offer Him it all.  I believe I have committed my  all to Him before, but reading this wonderful book, I realize that I need to re-make that commitment.  I don’t want to play church, I don’t want to appear to be a quote, “good” Christian.  I want to be the man He is calling me to be.  I know I’m not that man now, I know it will be a long slow climb, but I desire to be enabled by Him, to walk away from anything that stands between Him and my heart!  Pray for me as I start this journey, better yet, join me……….

In Him,

the pilgrim