Are You a Radical Christian?
The Oxford dictionary at lexico.com says the definition of "radical" is "Relating to or affecting the fundamental nature of something; far-reaching or thorough."
The point of being radical is to make a huge impact for your cause. The oxford definition is good in that we want to be radical Christians so we can be far-reaching. We want to reach the far ends of the earth and into the depths of every human's heart. We want everyone to understand who God is so they have the chance to be either hot or cold. We want people to know and understand (thorough) God so much that they either they love Him or hate Him (hot or cold).
Matthew 24:14 says "and this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." Christ's followers are supposed to be so radical that His gospel will be preached in all the earth, then the end shall come.
I also love the other definitions of radical. Looking at the linguistics, mathematics, and botany definition of radical, we can see that it is generally relating to the root of the matter.
Linguistics
Denoting or relating to the roots of a word.
Mathematics
Of the root of a number or quantity.
Botany
Of, or springing direct from, the root or stem base of a plant.
We want to be radical from the core root of our being because Jesus is the root of why we serve. Jesus is our DNA so we should not depart from Him or what He taught. If we stay connected to the vine (Jesus) we will produce a lot of fruit, but without Him, we will produce nothing (John 15:1-11).
If you look at any of the characters that stand out in the Bible, you can see one common theme with them, they are radical. Radical meaning they are close to the root of why they are even living, which is God. They were radical with their relationship to God and the things they did were radical as well.
When you are close to God you automatically become radical because God is far-reaching. He is efficient and effective and capable of anything and everything. When you are close to God and believe, then God will manifest in you. Since God is radical, you will also be radical.
If you call yourself a Christian then you would love God (Matthew 22:36-37). If you love God you will do as He says (John 14:15). If both of these things are true, you would be seeking after Him to develop a relationship with Him. If you do that, you will automatically be radical and will automatically be producing good fruit. You don't have to try or strive, it will come naturally.
If you do call yourself a Christian and you find yourself not following the commandments Jesus gave and producing fruit, then you might find yourself in between the hot and cold type of people described in Revelation 3.
I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Revelation 3:15-16
Living in the in-between area is a dangerous and risky place to be. God doesn't just want you to believe in Him and forget about it. He wants you to pursue Him in a relationship just like you would with a spouse or a close friend. You wouldn't just marry your spouse and then only talk to them one or two times a month or when you were in trouble. He wants fellowship with you. The fellowship brings the rest.
Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you. (Matthew 6:33)
You may think you are doing fine because you are producing fruit. You still may be in a dangerous place. Producing fruit does not necessarily mean that you are okay. You can still do good work for the Lord and not have a relationship with Him/live a sinful life. You see it almost every day on the news. XYZ preacher in trouble for fraud, theft, sexual abuse, affairs, etc.
Matthew 7:21-23 says “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’"
These people may have been radical in the fact that they were doing works for the Lord, but they were most likely doing it while willfully sinning (you who practice lawlessness). You can still cast out demons and do miracles while sinning if you have faith. You can't however be right with God if you are willfully sinning. Jesus said if you love me you will keep my commandments.
Both groups of people should be concerned. If you seek after Christ and develop a relationship with Him, you won't have any problems because everything else will come natural. You will produce good fruit and will be repulsed by willfully sinning.
Getting bored with God is a dangerous thing. This type of boredom can cause you to stray and follow the seeds the enemy has sown for you. It causes you to sin periodically, which then leads to willful sinning.
For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. (Hebrews 10:26-27)
No one is perfect. We all sin. Even after you become born again. What stops us from willfully sinning is our closeness to God. God is anti-sin. The closer we get to Him the further away we are to sin. The further away we get from God the closer we get to sin. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), so the further you are from God, the closer you are to death (hell).
God is the key. If you find Him and keep Him, you will be blessed. Blessed with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, and eternal life (Galatians 5:22-23).
With God you can be radical. Are you radical? Do you want to be? If your answer is yes, then all you have to do is seek after God and develop a relationship with Him by praying, reading the Bible, listening to other Godly teachers, listening to God, and obeying His word.
If your answer is no then you might want to study Matthew 7, Revelation 3, and the rest of the New Testament. God is radical and produces radical fruit. If your answer is no, then maybe you don't truly have God in your heart.
I promise that if you seek Him and get to know Him you won't be disappointed. God is the author of life. He gives good gifts and knows how to be a better father than anyone else throughout all creation. Don't let the fear of man or the cares of this world cause you to miss out on your God-given calling and eternal salvation.
Do you find yourself wanting to get close to God, but are always pulled away to the things of the world? If so, you may be a human! We all feel this way sometimes. The problem comes when we try and it feels like you are supernaturally drawn away from God. Does your mind get flooded with evil or sinful things while trying to pray, read the Bible or go to church? If you answered yes to any of these things you may need some supernatural help from God.
Go to our self-deliverance page and follow the prayers that can help set you free.
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