Radical- Intro and Abandonment Notes

“For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.” James 1:11 The American Dream.   Throughout my seventeen years of growing up in the number one suburb in America this term has become an increasingly heartbreaking term to me.  I have watched my family, my friends, and myself get caught up in comforts, materialism, and self-advancement and thus completely deceived by Satan to be useless to God and led blindly down a hell bound race.  We are so caught up in getting to the next step in life that we seem to miss it all.  When Mr. Caldwell suggested I read this book I honestly thought: “oh I already have such a passion for this I don’t need anymore fuel.” But as a have begun to read this book I have realized just how much I still have to learn and so excited to finish this book and live a life in more complete abandonment to Christ.

Abandonment: “I could not help but think that somewhere along the way we had missed what is radical about our faith and replaced it with what is comfortable.  We were settling for a Christianity that revolves around catering to ourselves when the central message of Christianity is actually about abandoning ourselves.”  Jesus makes it clear in the Bible that to follow him means the complete abandonment of everything- our needs, our desires/dreams, and our families.  When we choose to believe in Jesus we are then faced with the next question- will we obey Jesus?  Will we be too lazy, timid, complacent or whatever else it is that might prevent us from following Jesus or will we simply listen and submissively and faithfully obey the words of Jesus: “follow me?”  When we start to really think about Jesus’ radical words they sound very crazy and would have taken a lot of faith to follow.  I say ‘would have’ considering when He first said them, but when we actually begin to meditate on his word’s meanings I think that we as Christians will find it actually very hard to follow also.  We have numbed everything down and made excuses to things Jesus told people to do, (‘what he really meant here was...”) and thus live lives of disobedience.  We are starting to redefine Christianity and are giving into the dangerous temptation of taking the Jesus of the Bible and twisting him into a version of Jesus we are more comfortable with.  We are trying to mold Jesus into our image and thus when we worship we may be instead worshipping ourselves.  How did we get to this place where it is actually tolerable to spend so much time and money on comforts for ourselves when so many are dying destined to a Christless eternity.  When we actually begin to live out the words of Christ for an eternal treasure the world will think we are crazy.  But we know that we are actually not giving up anything but gaining in the end.  Because we have found something worth losing it all for- we abandon it all with joy!!! I want to be proof that people who are naturally drawn to the comforts of the American dream can be converted to a radical faith in a radical Savior.     

Update!

Here’s a little update on what I am doing! I just finished teaching the third grade classes about Asia and it was so interesting to learn about and teach about the 2.48 billion people living in un-reached people groups.  I am preparing for the next continent being Australia.  I am going to have my Australian friend skype in to the class and I am so excited! Over the next week, I will be preparing questions and getting skype on an ancient OCS elementary computer.  Technology has been a huge challenge this year! Haha I am still trying to make more contacts and am about to start the book Radical by David Platt.  I need to start looking into Asian history and religion to better minister to Asians.  Before I go on a mission trip I always study culture and history and such to be able to understand them better.  I am trying to minister to a variety of different nationalities and religions and need to catch up.  Last week I did a thanksgiving dinner for about 20 internationals and almost had a brawl between a Taiwanese and a Chinese.  Jesus brought supernatural peace and all was good.  He is so sovereign! But I need to learn about all the racial and political issues of Asia before trying to throw a bunch together.  

God is so faithful!

This week I have been preparing for teaching the third graders about Asia.  I have made tons of contacts and found so much information and websites that are the heart beat of my passion.  I am going to primarily talk about the unreached people groups and a little about the restricted nations.  Two out of three people in the world are Asia and 70% of Asians have never heard of Jesus Christ.  The harvest is so plentiful! I made a Buddhist Thai friend this week- it was a total God thing and I am so excited to get to pour into her life! I prayed that I would get to minister to the nations and God has been faithful and keeps bringing more people into my life- even in Edmond!  All I had to do was open my heart to his call and he opened my eyes to the harvest! I have loved getting to know this girl and am honored to give her, her first Bible, take her to church for her first times, and even just watch her eat her first taco! Haha I find soo much joy being Christ’s worker and am praying he will use me in any way he wishes! I am his daughter.  I want to start studying Buddhism more so I can better minister to this girl.  

Blessed Are Thos Who Are Persecuted Because Of Righteousness, For Theirs Is The Kingdom Of Heaven:

“Blesses are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.  Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”  This is how the beatitudes ends and I think it is a beautiful ending of God’s recipe for revival.  What an honor it is to suffer as Christ suffered for the sake the gospel! Blessed is the persecuted church! 

Blessed Are The Peace Makers, For They Will Be Called Sons Of God:

What is a peacemaker?  Peacemakers are the mercy of God to a sinful world.  They embody His very kindness.  A peacemaker is not simple a peacekeeper.  Our God is a God of peace thus if Christ in us then the peace of Christ should rule in us richly.  

Blessed Are The Pure In Heart, For They Will See God:

Sometimes we make things too complicated when we really need to remember that the kingdom belongs to the children- the simple and pure.  Being purified or sanctified in the heart is a process that only God can take us through and I pray he would purify my heart more and more everyday.  As we are purified, we will see God more clearly.  We must learn to stay hidden in God’s heart and to be fully possessed by His sweet presence.  I want to be utterly taken over- to do this I must be bold and courageous enough to focus on His face and lock my gaze with Him- then He will be faithful to purify my deepest hidden motive. We must learn to have our identities in Christ and to not have spirits of orphans but as adopted- we are CHOOSEN by God!! 

Blessed Are the Merciful, For They Will Be Shown Mercy:

I was extremely humbled by this chapter because of two reasons.  One, Heidi gave so many examples of people that had, had awful, horrible lives because of people, but had still learned to show them mercy because the mercy and love of Jesus.  Two and most importantly I really realized more how God saw me in my sin and took me in and showed me mercy.  What humbled me was in the light of these things, how small are the things that people do to me that I struggle with showing mercy towards?  It is so nothing and I want to show them the love of Christ through them seeing my never-ending mercy that can only come from such a merciful God.  Now I just have to develop this never-ending mercyJ Jesus will help me always!!