ARE YOU A RADICAL?

Some time ago, at the conclusion of our book club meeting, a woman began a different conversation with an interesting statement. She had been shopping in downtown Boise and encountered a street preacher. She said, “Why do people do that? I don’t understand these radical Christians.”

We’ve probably all seen or heard people who stand on a box while occupying a street corner and shout above the din of buses, cars, and passersby. They raise their Bibles or wave them in the air and, like preachers of yesteryear, present a hell, fire, and brimstone message. If they’re true to the Word of God, they preach the need to repent from sin and turn to the Lord.

| glanced around the room, wondering what the other women thought. Most wore smiles. Some toyed with book pages, others their bracelets, while a few looked at their watches-perhaps hoping it was time to leave.

Then I heard a voice speaking. And realized it was mine. But the words definitely came from the Holy Spirit. They went something like this:

God sent His son to receive the punishment my sins deserved. Jesus Christ paid a debt He hadn’t earned. And because of His death, resurrection, and ascension, He forever defeated satan’s power. And amazing as it sounds, I have the choice to turn away from Him, or live for Him and have eternal life. That’s radical love. I guess I don’t understand why we would be anything but radical Christians.

Well, our book club meeting became a prayer meeting. I’ve forgotten which book we discussed, but I won’t soon forget what the Lord had to say that day.

So, there’s just one question left to ask: are you a radical Christian?

That doesn’t necessarily mean you need to bring your box and Bible down to 1^st & No Way and address a crowd.

But unlike those that waved palm branches one week and then yelled “Crucify Him” the next, Christians share the gospel (Good News!). Some as missionaries to foreign countries or here in America. Some fill the pulpit of small and mega churches; some foster children; some volunteer in shelters, nursing homes, and church nurseries. Some smile at strangers or pay for their coffee, or give blankets to the homeless. All pray constantly, earnestly, diligently.

Why do Christian people do that? Because of what radical love did for us.  “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, NIV)

By Author eMarie

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