IN JOHN ELDRIDGE’s “Journey of Desire” Eldridge is reflecting on a conversation with a friend.
Friend: “John, not everyone longs [to live a "radical life" for Jesus] like you.”
Eldridge: “Maybe not. But everyone should.”
When I saw this video today that quote sprang back to life. Too many of us don’t “long” like we should and it seems like we’ve created a new way to follow Christ, and that new way is really no way at all. As a church planter I’m often wondering if I am “asking too much” of people. While it is true we can burn people out and grind them into the ground with “ministry” burdens, I hope I never back away from calling people to sell-out for Christ. I pray that God gives me the courage to challenge everyone I know to live that “radical” life. Actually, living counter to what popular culture demands might appear radical, but really you are just being the person God created you to be. Radical doesn’t mean picketting or hating people in the name of God. That isn’t radical. It’s ignorant. Radical is loving others more than self…sacrificing…setting your heart on the world to come and not the present world. How do we get there? Certainly not be walking the middle road…watch:
That was AWESOME!! Let’s not just study the Word, let’s be “doers” of the Word!
Wow! Pretty intense…dont know what else to say…
insightful.
feels like many in the church have stopped talking about what jesus did because it’s too hard. I heard this recently, “Sure Jesus( read: God in the flesh) said love your enemies… but in the world today that’s just not realistic…because of this political, religious or social barrier…” I’ve even heard ppl say that jesus knew that the beatitudes were impossible for us and doesn’t really mean for us to internalize that…ruminate…and walk it out somehow. It was just to show us how awesome he is and how incapable we are…? seriously.????
However, I do think that we need to set our hearts towards the world…(read: ‘the people in the world)… in love and not just focus on the promise of heaven in our future…I love the world because I think God does…
I’m sure that you mean the ‘trappings’ of the world and cushy churchianity are the things we need to not focus on though…right?
We can’t be so heavenly minded…that we are disconnected from “thy kingdom come on earth…as it is in heaven.”
joy…if you read my post on the world in a face, i talk a little about what you’ve referred to. in that post, I talked about “loving the world” not in a “i love it to be like it way” but in a “i love it because God loves it” sort of way.
yeah…i don’t want to be so heavenly minded that i’m not earthly good…. but, in my experience, most are so earthly/worldly minded that they aren’t any “kingdom” good.