The Radical Experiment

I recently read Radical by David Platt. In terms of motivating me to pursue self-reliance and success as determined by US culture, it was exactly the wrong book to read.

But that was the point.

Platt speaks plainly about how we as a contemporary people have twisted biblical truths and the Gospel message to fit into our comfy lifestyle. Jesus said that to follow Him, we need to be willing to give up everything. Everything. Jesus commanded us to go to the nations, not only give our money, but go and give our time. Christianity is not about me or you, it's about God's goodness and Jesus sacrificing Himself to cover our sin.

It's a very starkly honest book and I recommend it to anyone, especially those who are tired of the "American Dream" and the US's competitive, materialistic culture.

I don't want to rely on myself. Let's face it - while I am a fairly responsible and trustworthy person, I can absolutely be too serious and/or too lazy. Why would I want to rely on that?

I only want to rely on God.

I want to abandon what America says is right and exist entirely in His kingdom. This is a process that will last until the end of my life. However, in an effort to get closer to my goal of complete abandonment of the world, I am embarking on the Radical Experiment. Platt outlines the Radical Experiment as such:

"I commit to a one-year experiment of radical living according to the Gospel and to making myself open to the permanent changes God wants to perform in my life as a result of this experiment. Over the next year...
1. I will pray for the entire world.
2. I will read through the entire Word.
3. I will sacrifice my money for a specific purpose.
4. I will spend time in another context.
5. I will commit my life to a multiplying community."

From August 1, 2010 to July 31, 2011, I will be living radically. I expect it to be hard. I expect to be under spiritual attack and thus distracted and even forget some days. And I expect the results to be awesome.