Raising the Bar on Radical

Raising the Bar on Radical



Radical Together: Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God is the follow up to David Platt’s recent book Radical: Taking back Your Faith from the American Dream. I received this pre release review copy which doesn’t include the study guide that will be included when the book releases next month (April 2011).

Platt sets out to challenge the Church, and especially the local church, to become all that Jesus had in mind for His church. It’s not about mega churches, multi-sites and the best worship team; it’s about reaching the world for Christ: being the hands, feet and heart of Christ throughout the world.

He challenges assumptions, and gives practical examples and in doing so asks the members of the local church to consider whether the good that is being done is really what Jesus would do. As I read I kept thinking of examples of the good being the enemy of the best, and wondering what the world would look like if every Christian church now in existence would dare to be as radical as ‘The Church At Brook Hills’. They’ve eliminated much of the 'good' to have resources to do the best. Adoptions, short term and long term missions, church plants and discipling all seem to be skyrocketing, and not because of programs but because the church looked at where it was heading and dared to ask if those plans were really going to help them fulfill the great commission.

As ‘The Church At Brook Hills’ re-evaluated what they had done and what they were planning on doing, they decided to get Radical, and do as Jesus had commanded: start here in Jerusalem and go to the ends of the earth, baptizing, teaching and making disciples. They started in Birmingham and are reaching out to their Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

‘The Church At Brook Hills’ is not my church and it’s not your church. The specifics things that worked for Dr Platt and the congregation that he serves may not work for me or for you. But the principles are the same, and maybe it’s time to evaluate what we’re doing and how we’re serving Christ in our local churches. Is it the best we can do, or are we just settling for 'really good'?

My prayer is that every local church in the world would dare to get ‘Radical Together’ so that every existing people group would come to know the gospel message that Jesus left for us to spread.

The book releases in April and can be pre-ordered now at many on-line booksellers

I received a copy of this book free from Waterbrook/Multnomah in exchange for reviewing this book.