The Gospel Effect

Luke 9:23...can we deny the true nature of Jesus' call to follow Him? He tells us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. Doesn't this sound radically different than "Say this prayer after me"? It does. And that is the point.

The good news of Jesus Christ is meant to bring salvation into our lives. However, salvation never stops short of abandoning ourselves to God. The effect of the gospel upon our lives is that we would become a people that would follow after the Lord. His mission would become ours. His priority would become our priority. His Word would become our plans for life. God did not save us so we could live a saved version of our former lives. His salvation was to create a group of radical people who would live for His glory.

David Platt, RADICAL (p.133), "We are discovering the joy of a radical gospel inside of us that produces radical fruit outside of us...The point is not simply to meet a temporary need or change a startling statistic; the point is to exalt the glory of Christ as we express the gospel of Christ through the radical generosity of our lives." Is this where you find yourself in your relationship with Jesus? Is there radical fruit coming out of your life because of the radical change that God has made on the inside? Or are we expending our energy and our time simply living a cleaner version of the lives we have lived before?

Platt shares a letter in his book from a friend overseas that causes us to ask not "what can we spare?" but rather to ask "what will it take?" What will it take to change the world? What will it take to reach the lost? What will it take to impact the poverty around us? What will it take to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and house the homeless? As long as we only give what we can spare then we will see limited results.

Here's what I am discovering in my life:
There is more that I can give!
There is more that I can do!
There is more that is deserved!

Can we join the Apostle Paul in saying "forgetting those things which are behind and reaching for those things which are ahead..."? Will we begin to ask the questions that will keep us from continually building our own kingdom to establish God's Kingdom? This is the life of blessing! This is the life of true reward! While we may not enjoy some of the comforts of this life, we can begin to enjoy the peace, joy, and power of the kingdom of God.

May we live our lives for His glory.