The word “radical” has been misused and vilified because it is being used to describe terrorists. We are told they become terrorists because they are “radicalized” by certain Muslim clerics to declare jihad (war) against all non-Muslims. But if you look up synonyms for radical, you will find; fundamental, essential, deep-seated, sweeping, thorough, far-reaching, drastic and major. Those words are not negative and certainly not related to violence, terrorist acts or war.
First century Christians were clearly radicals. Their faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit in their changed lives reflected every single one of those synonyms for radical I listed above. Their beliefs and their lives were testaments to God’s unconditional love for them, their all-consuming love for God and the love they showed for their neighbors and even their enemies. They were not afraid or hesitant to share their faith; they couldn’t keep the Good News to themselves even if they tried. Christian wasn’t a religion they had chosen. Christian was who they were.
A recent poll found there are 280 million professing Christians in our country, which is 62% of our population. I wonder how many of those American Christians are radical about their relationship with God. I know it isn’t all or even most of us, because if it was, our country would not be in such a mess. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t my job to judge other Christians; that is God’s job. It is my calling to love them all and encourage them to draw closer to God through His word and His Holy Spirit within them, so that their radically changed lives will have an effect on all of those around them. Like a pebble dropped in a pond, each radical Christian’s life will send out ripples of God’s love in all directions. When all of us act in unity, those ripples will become a tidal wave that will wash over our neighborhoods, cities, states and our nation. That kind of radical influence won’t stop at our borders. We can radically change the entire world by uniting with the other 1.9 billion Christians throughout the rest of the world.
Lord, help us to reignite that radical Christian revival of the first century and let it begin with me.