GETTING SERIOUS ABOUT THE GOSPEL!

Wow! Just finished a book by David Platt entitled Radical - Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream. I've read some challenging books as of late, some books that have been used by God to convict who I am and what I proclaim to be as a Christian. But this one may be the one that smacked me the most as it pertains to what it means to follow Jesus, especially as an American who professes to be a Christian. Platt contrasts the cultural Christianity that has taken hold in America versus a lifestyle that comes from a truly biblical understanding of "denying self, picking up the cross, and following Jesus". This includes the willingness to leave behind security, money, convenience, even friends and family. In otherwords, abandoning everything for the gospel.

By the time a person gets to the end of the book, Platt challenges you to a one year experiment: 1) Making a commitment to pray for the entire world (he offers methods to do so), 2) Making a commitment to read through the entire Word (all of Scripture) 3) Sacrificing money for specific purposes (caring for the poor, the less fortunate, the sick and needy, etc.) 4) Making a commitment to spend time in another context (cross cultural, a place you've never been before (and not necessarily a safe place), 5) Making a commitment to multiply community - realizing the gobal purpose of Christ was never intended to be accomplished by individuals but by the church (not the building, programs, etc.)

I'm looking to take this challenge, not necessarily Platt's challenge, but the challenge of the gospel and what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. It's time to get serious about the gospel - for our sake and for the sake of others. What say you??