The Ordinary Christian Life vs. Radical Christian Life?

I heard the gospel at age 16. A pastor shared and said, “He is more than enough.” I don’t think I knew what he meant at the moment, but I began my journey to grow as a disciple of Christ.

I began to read the bible and pray. I was involved with youth group, church gatherings, bible study, prayer meeting…. etc Then it dawned on me one day, “What am I doing with my life? I don’t want to waste this life that has been entrusted unto me!”

There had to be more to Christianity than, “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life,” and move on. Handing out tracts at the mall just didn’t seem like the fullness of Christian discipleship. The Christian life seemed like everybody else’s life and mine had no difference. It seemed to me more a joyless legalism and lifeless moralism rather than the disciples’ life filled with zeal and passion that I read in the scriptures.

I had no idea what it meant to be a disciple of Christ. People taught me what Christians believe, but no one had told me how a disciple ought to live.

I couldn’t help but think that somewhere along the way we had missed the mark. People are dying and going to hell without ever even knowing there is a gospel. We clearly have no time to waste our lives.

So, I’m coming back to the root of the meaning of the basic root of what it means to be a disciple of Christ, what it means to make disciples. What does the Great Commission mandate have to do with our everyday life? How does the gospel penetrate and change communities?

 

What on earth is an, “Ordinary Radical”?

The word radical itself means “root.” It’s from the Latin word radix, which, just a rad-dish, has to do with getting to the root of things. To be radical is to grasp things by the root.

On the other hand, we’re really not radical in a sense for we are simply ordinary begins. We see during Jesus time with the twelve disciples, they were all men such as ourselves; ordinary men that is quite contrary to our belief. The twelve disciples had many weaknesses. Jesus chose these real “nobodies” – fisherman, tax collectors, political zealots – and turned their weakness into strength, producing greatness from utter uselessness.

The next time you feel unqualified to be used by God, remember this: He tends to recruit from the pit not the pedestal.

However, we are called to live a radical life. I see in the NT, the disciples were, “radical” as they went back to the root of Christ definition what it meant to be a disciple of Christ. Throughout scripture, we see Jesus warns people of the cost of discipleship, that it will cost them everything they have ever hoped and believed in. This is the “cheap grace” that Dietrich Bonhoeffer called “the deadliest enemy of the church.” It seems like no one knows and are able to even define what is a “Disciple” anymore.

 

Where We’ve Missed the Point

I fear that we have missed the point. It is such a shame and gives my heart that it has become a norm to live a nominal, casual christianity. I would even say people who claim to be Christians while their lives look no different from the rest of the world are clearly not Christians.

We missed what it means for the church to be radical about our faith and instead we live a life that is marked by our own selfish glory rather than God’s glory. We will only multiply the gospel only when we allow others to get close enough to us to see the life of Christ in action. All that Jesus wanted was a few men who would live as He did, interact as He did, and model as He did in every way! All He needed was to revolutionize the hearts of a few, and they would impact the world.

We talk so much about being radical Christians. Radical Christians are not people who jump at concerts. Radical Christians are not people who wear Christian T-shirts. Radical Christians are those who hear the Word of Christ says, “Therefore go make disciples….” (Matthew. 28:19-20), and faithfully walk in the footsteps of Jesus. Making disciples by going, baptizing, and teaching people the Word of Christ and then turn around and doing likewise by passing on to the next generation in other people’s lives. This is the master’s plan of disciple-making that impacts nations for the glory of Christ.

To be a disciple of Jesus is to make disciples of Jesus. Disciple making is not a call for others to come to us to hear the gospel but a command for us to go to others to share the gospel. Jesus has not given us an option to be considered. He has given us a command to be obeyed. If we won’t go, who will go?

 

A Costly Commitment, a Call for All

Throughout history, God has done extraordinary things through ordinary people. The ordinary Christian will always fight the status quo of lukewarm Christianity. The ordinary Christian will always fight nominal, passionless Christianity.

Oh, Christ is more than enough! He is worth all things; doesn’t mean it is comfortable and easy. Disciples are not made overnight. Making disciples is not an easy process. It is trying. It is messy It is slow, tedious, even painful at times. It is a costly commitment and a call for all.

I am convinced that the greatest need of the church today is more men, women, young boys and girls who will abandon their dreams, possessions, treasures at the feet of the cross and rise up to be disciples that the scripture point us to and multiply the gospel to the ends of the earth.

I pray this army of believers who will radically and without hesitation will begin this movement such as the reformers did. I pray this movement will sweep this land of ordinary people such as myself will choose the new life in Christ that calls us to live a life of disciple making.

I pray God will sweep our churches with a wind of revival and reformation for the churches in this dark sin stained world that is in desperate need of the gospel. The time has come for a new kind of conversation, new kind of reformation, a new kind of discipleship; a radical discipleship.

My prayer is that people will see that following Jesus costs you everything you are and everything you have. And my prayer is that people will see that Jesus is worth it and he is more than enough.

Why make disciples? Because heaven and hell exist, and the end of the world is coming. We don’t have time to play the same old game in the churches. Let us rise up to this task of radical discipleship for the sake of people around the world who don’t know Christ yet.