There are many cries in Christian circles, especially in places involving youth, college, contemporary, post-modern, or emerging; that the terms radical or extreme are being used. The problem with such terms is that Christianity is by its very nature radical and extreme. Have you heard those things that Jesus said: Love you enemies (MT 5:44; LK 6:27), Pray for those who persecute you (MT 5:44), you will do greater things than these (JN 14:12), you will receive power (Acts 1:8)?
Look at Jesus actions: He stood up for a women caught in adultery and told her go and sin no more (JN 8:1-11). He was a single man found talking to a woman at a well, and the woman was a Samaritan (known by Jews as an unclean half-breed (JN 4:1-26)). Even in the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus told us we can find our neighbor in what we would call unlikely places, they too are invited into the Kingdom of God (LK 10:25-37). All of this is extreme. All of this is radical.
The fact that God became man and dwelt among us, the word made flesh, this is extreme (JN 1:1-14). The life that Jesus lived, the way he died, and then rose; this is radical. The basics of Christianity are what we call radical and extreme. The problem is we are using these labels to try to sound new, hip, interesting; but we do not need to do this because the gospel itself is not only interesting, it is life-changing, life-altering, and life-giving.
The next time you are in church, just take a moment to observe what is going on. Watch. Listen. Observe. As the people of God worship God, as they are united into fellowship with the Trinity, into community with the Trinity and one another. There is a power there. There is a love there. There is life there.
We seem to miss it, even in the midst of being present, even in the midst of doing; we become desensitized, to the greatness and beauty of God. We trade the greatness of our own faith for the distraction of another, more mediocre faith, one that has required nothing of us. One that allows us to live how we desire then find it acceptable to let us into its doors once or twice a week and call ourselves saved, call ourselves followers of Christ, name our self Christian.
Sometimes in reading scripture I get the feeling all the things we seem to call radical and extreme about Christianity and Christian-living, are simply things we should have been doing all along. We don't want to accept the fact that many of us have been constantly living a mediocre faith. The only person to really blame for this is our self.
~ Daniel
