What are you risking for Christ?

Okay...So it may seem like a cliche title and you you might be sitting there thinking I'm about to start some diatribe whereby I'm going to guilt everyone into changing there lifestyle and convincing you to give up all your prized possessions and move to the jungles of South America...well that's just not the case. My Christianity is not about guilt and it's not about not enjoying the fruits of one's labor, but rather, my Christianity is about humility. So, I humbly come before you tonight because I want to share with you something very powerful I read and challenge you to be a better you and challenge you to be a better reflection of Christ.

And let me start by saying this, there are many of you who might read this and are not Christ followers and that is okay (I'm just happy that you've read this far). I am not trying to shove religion down your throats (never have, and never will), but rather I want to share with you how loved you are by a man who lived 2,000 years ago and gave His life, so that you may live for ALL eternity.

I am not a religious person, but rather a deeply, deeply spiritual person. No religion, NONE, will ever save a single soul from the fiery pits of hell. Only one single relationship will save you. That's it....simple as that...a relationship. And who doesn't want to be in a relationship of epic proportion. A relationship of endless love, perfect communication, full of mercy, full of grace, and full of forgiveness. It's better than a Hollywood love affair!

Well, for those of you who are still with me, thank you...Let me add quickly, I have started reading (tonight) a book entitled "Radical: Taking back Faith from the American Dream" by David Platt. I only made it to page 3 before I had to put it down and start blogging.

David Platt, known as "the youngest megachurch pastor in history," is a pastor in Birmingham at the Church of Brook Hills. He immediately starts his book by offsetting the quote above, by saying, in jest, "Jesus Christ-the youngest minichruch pastor in history." His point, Jesus left this earth and had roughly 120 people who actually believed his radical claim and of those 120, there were only 12 that followed and trusted and watched Christ day by day. They witnessed the miracles, they saw the unthinkable, and touched the flesh of the master.

David Platt tells a story, which promoted me to close the book and turn to the keyboard, about a trip he took to Asia. Now, as we are all aware, it is VERY difficult to practice religion of ANY kind in Asia, especially China. Punishment for church or reading the bible is often death. I must say, even though the American culture is slowly removing elements of God from the Nation's currency, the pledge, our courts, I know I will never be killed for going to church on Sunday. Well, during David's trip to an undisclosed location in Asia, he was able to attend an underground church service. Imagine blacked out windows, bibles disguised with book covers from secular novels, and with every noise outside you tremble with fear. You're mind is racing, is that someone outside who wants to join in the bible study or has someone found us and ready kill us? BUT...even with death as a very possible option EVERY time these groups meet, they still feel the need to be obedient to Christ.

That is where I stopped reading and was challenged by this one short sentence. David writes,

"Men and women are risking everything to follow Christ."

I immediately closed the book and thought to myself, what am I risking to follow Christ? Then I thought what does it really mean to risk...so here some definitions I found...
Risk: "expose to a chance of loss or damage"; "a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune"; "potential harm that may arise from a future event"

As Christians, I feel like we are too afraid to risk...but what is there to lose? What are we afraid to lose if we risk our lives for Christ?

I leave you with this...Inspired by the writings of David Platt:

We can choose to continue with business as usual in the Christian life and in the church as a whole, enjoying the success based on the standards defined by the culture around us. Or we can take an honest look at Jesus of the Bible and dare to ask what the consequences might be if we really believed him and really obeyed him. I invite you to join the journey in being risky with me. I do not claim to have all the answers. But, if Jesus is who he says he is, and if his promises are as rewarding as the Bible claims they are, then we may discover that satisfaction in our lives are not found in what our culture deems most important but in

radical abandonment to Jesus.

Live radical lives!