WARNING: It makes you uncomfortable, rethink your entire relationship with Christ and makes you want to either preach or move to China and become an underground missionary. And this is just the first chapter.
David Platt is the pastor of a megachurch in Birmingham. His first chapter talks about how those who followed Jesus in the Bible (i.e. the disciples) gave up everything to follow Jesus. They abandoned their jobs, turned their backs on their families and gave up all their wordly possessions to follow Christ. In a culture where we complain about the speed of our Internet connection, our faith is nothing compared to theirs. The only requirement that we had for following Christ was basically "Bow your head, pray this prayer, fill out this index card and Praise be to Jesus, you're saved!!" How many of us would be so-called "Christians" today if we had to "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." (Mark 10:21) I can honestly say probably no one.
Our vision of Jesus is that He is a nice, middle class, American guy. He doesn't mind materialism and doesn't want us to give up everything we have and become the homeless guy on the corner. He doesn't expect us to give up our closest relationships so that He receives all of our love. He doesn't want us to give up our comfortable life because he loves us "just as we are." He wants us to avoid dangerous situations and acheive the American dream. Wait, aren't we molding Christ into who WE want him to be?
What about the Christians across the world who hide in underground churches to worship our Savior who we can barely make it to church for? We can build $20 million church gyms but can't send 20 grand to Sudan for those dying of starvation and dehydration.
Are we serving the same Christ as those in underground churches in China who are risking their jobs, homes, families and lives for? We sit in climate-controlled, well-cushioned church pews and think we can't wait 20 minutes to return a text message. I'm guilty of all of these things and even more that I can't think of. Why am I not doing more discipleship and having more of an impact on the world around me?
"For the sake of more than a billion people today who have yet to even hear the gospel, I want to risk it all. For the sake of 26,000 children who will die today of starvation or a preventable disease, I want to risk it all. For the sake of an increasingly marginalized and relatively ineffective church in our culture, I want to risk it all. For the sake of my life, my family and the people who surround me, I want to risk it all."-David Platt
As I mentioned above, I just finished the first chapter. I'm sure I'll have more to say as I read on.
