The Radical Series

I've started listening to "The Radical Series" online in the past few weeks. It's a series of sermons done by The Church at Brook Hills. I discovered them after Katie (a young missionary in Uganda - read her stuff, it's amazing) talked about them in one of her posts not too long ago.

Oh, man, this stuff is good. Please, check it out some time.

The preacher talks about what the gospel demands of us - radical giving, radical love, etc. (based on Luke 14:25-35). And that when Jesus called people to follow him, he warned them of the extreme cost. To be a disciple of Jesus is much more than reciting the so-called "sinner's prayer", but is actually a very costly way of life. I don't really think a lot of us live that way. I know that I don't.

A while back, I started planning a BIble study about what the Scriptures say about money. I tried to find some commentaries on the passage with the rich young man, to whom Jesus commanded to "Go, sell everything you have and give it to the poor..." (Mark 10:21). It was the craziest thing - EVERY one of the commentaries I could find said that Jesus' command was not literal. That it was symbolic. Or merely a suggestion. Or just a calling to be mindful to the poor. And I often hear believers (myself included) that "it's not like we have to live in poverty". Really?!

But the preacher in the Radical Series says that, just like most (ALL!) things that ever came out of Jesus' mouth, he meant it. When and where did we ever decide that he didn't?

All of which has some really scary implications.

Well, I'm certainly convicted. And scared. And still trying to convince myself that I don't really have to be prepared to give everything up. But knowing, deep down, that I know the Truth...