“Radical Christianity”
The American Heritage dictionary defines radical as departing markedly from the usual; extreme.
I believe we, as Christians, need to depart from the usual even at the possibility of being called extreme. In what way do I mean this? My answer would be in our responses to this
world system as a whole and how in the Bible God instructs the Christian how to walk. If we all walked in Christianity as God meant us to we could likely drop the word radical; but because of the decline of separated, sold out Christians, it is NOW necessary for us to take a RADICAL step from where we are as a whole in the Body of Christ to where God wants us to be.
A couple of years ago I read an article about a large Christian conference in a large city and a hotel that offered adult movies (i.e., pornography). It reported that the hotel had as many (percentage wise) of those registered for the conference ordering the adult channel as those not registered for the conference. If this is accurate, what does this say about the separation and distinction of the Christian from the world? It says we need a radical change in modern Christianity. I don't believe this is an isolated example, but sadly, is just one example of many.
Please, don't feel I'm finger pointing, as I believe this message is for me too!
My wife and I were talking the other day about the thought of bring up a child in this day and age. We see so many things that we allow in the Christian life that would hinder or even hurt the rearing of a child in the day and age we live in. It gets me thinking about steps we may want to take to become all that
God has meant for us to be.
I'm not talking about a legalistic Christianity of do's and don'ts. I'm talking about watching out for those things that hinder a sweet fellowship with our LORD Jesus Christ.
Be encouraged that today's devotion is an exhortation to all followers of our LORD Jesus Christ to consider areas in their walk with Jesus that need a radical change. And then to know that as you give those areas to Jesus, He will bless your life. For some of you it may be blatant sins, for others it may just be areas that are weighing you down and slowing your forward progress in Jesus (Heb 12:1). In either case, give those areas to Jesus and make radical steps in your Christian walk. Then, in truth, you will find you will be what God always meant for you to be. Don't think this is a one-time thing because as we grow in the LORD there will be other things God will require of you. It's part of the growing process and we never get to the point where no more growth is possible or needed.
In areas that are not totally clear in scripture, yet God has convicted you, please don't judge your brother or sister in Christ if they are not following in your convictions. God may be convicting you in one area and them in another. God will deal with each of us differently depending on what He knows we need to develop in our relationship with Him.
As we close today's devotion let us briefly look at a few scriptures that deal with this:
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. - II Corinthians 6:17
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. - James 4:4
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. - I John 2:15,16
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