Radical Part 1

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Radical Part 1

• Luke 9

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Someone worth losing everything for...

• What kind of person would this be for you?

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Was Jesus a Success?

• Only 120 followers despite being heard by tens of
  thousands
• Only 12 hard-core devotees

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What did Jesus do when the crowds got big?

• Talked people out of following Him?

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2 Important Questions

• Am I going to believe Jesus?
• Am I going to obey Jesus?

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Puddles of Tears A woman on the
other side of the room spoke up next. Some of
the members in my church were recently confronted
by government officials. She continued, They
threatened their families, saying that if they
did not stop gathering to study the Bible they
were going to lose everything they had. She
asked for prayer, saying, I need to know how to
lead my church to follow Christ even when it
costs them everything (4-5).
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Puddles of Tears

• As I looked around the room, I saw that everyone
  was now in tears. The struggles expressed by this
  brother and sister were not isolated. They all
  looked at one another and said, We need to pray
  (5).

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Big Question...

• In America, what do we sacrifice to follow Christ?

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Radical Commitment

• Both of the men in the picture with me are
  church planters in India. The pastor on the right
  is pastor Pujenata. He has planted 64 churches
  personally!!! Most Christians don't even witness
  to that many people in a lifetime. Modern day
  Paul!

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Radical Commitment

• Maryam Rostampour and Marzieh Amirizadeh of Iran,
  held in Evin Prison for five months for refusing
  to turn from Christ

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Radical Commitment

• Christian House of Prayer, Central Asia

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Radical Commitment?The American church

• How we get to church

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Radical Commitment?The American church

• Where we meet

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Radical Commitment?The American church

• What we sit on

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Radical Commitment?The American church

• What we need to have a good experience

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Radical Commitment?The American church

• Our reasons for following Christ
• We were settling for a Christianity that
  revolves around catering to ourselves when the
  central message of Christianity is actually about
  abandoning ourselves David Platt (7).

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Talking People out of Following ChristLuke
957-62 Three men came to follow Jesus

• Guy 1 I will follow you wherever you go.
• Jesus response - Luke 958
• Expect homelessness

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Talking People out of Following ChristLuke
957-62

• Guy 2 My Dad died, I need to go bury him
  first.
• Jesus response - Luke 960
• There are more important things to do

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Talking People out of Following ChristLuke
957-62

• Guy 3 I need to say bye to my family first
• Jesus response - Luke 962

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What to expect if you follow me

• Become homeless
• Let someone else bury your dad
• Dont even say good-bye to your family

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Talking people out of it?

• Contrary to what I may have thought about Luke
  9, Jesus was not using a gimmick to get more
  followers. He was simply and boldly making it
  clear from the start that if you follow him, you
  abandon everythingyour needs, your desires, even
  your family David Platt (10).

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More Radicalism

• Luke 1426-33
• Sounds a lot different than Admit, believe,
  confess, and pray this prayer after me.

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The Young, the Popular, and the Searching

• Mark 1021

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Redefining Christianity

• What Jesus REALLY meant was
• Nice, middle-lass, American Jesus

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Dietrich BonhoefferThe Cost of Discipleship

• When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and
  die.

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What is the cost of Non-Discipleship?

• ????? What if we do not take Jesus words
  seriously?

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Christian News Publication (2004)

• Main Headline, First Baptist Church celebrates
  new 23 Million Building
• Smaller Headline, Baptist Relief Helps Sudanese
  Refugees
• ..Baptists have raised 5,000 to send to
  refugees in western Sudan.

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Radical Commitment

• Are you willing to become a radical follower of
  Jesus?
• 1. Commit to believe whatever Jesus says
• 2. Commit to obey what you have heard

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