2 CORINTHIANS 4:6 – For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

THEME OF THE DAY. THE RADICAL CHRISTIAN LIFE. Let’s sit back for a moment and think of the radical things we tell the world because we are Christians. We proclaim that we know God; literally and really. We also make a bold statement that this God has given us a new life; a radically changed life called “born again.” And still more radicalness in our Christian profession is that we tell the world the Bible is God’s Word and the only book that is God’s Word without error. But of all the things associated with Christianity, the most radical of all is we unashamedly and without doubt say that God has come to us in the Person of Jesus Christ and is coming back, literally, to judge the world. That, my friend, is really, really, radical!. And each of us are nodding our heads in agreement, perhaps even whispering an “amen” or two. But before we camp out on “hallelujah hill” over these radical truths of Christianity, let me ask us a probing question that is of the uttermost importance. Is the radicalness of being a Christian impacting and shaping our lives today? And every day of our lives? Please don’t gloss over this question. You must not. I must not. Being a Christian is radical from start to finish and all of life in between. Just read the book of Acts and notice the words said of the early Christians.

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). Would that be said of me? Of you? Do our family members, friends, neighbors, co-workers, even other Christians, see the radicalness in us of being a Christian? Are they astonished because we have been with Jesus? And this cannot be “faked.” It is very easy to tell if a Christian is walking close to the Lord. Their lives are blossoming in the Fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). A good way to determine if this defines us is if people are encouraged and refreshed by our presence in their lives. If we are living the radical Christian life, they will be, but if not, we will be like stale bread or rotting fruit offering no encouragement or refreshment. Here is another word describing the radical Christians in the book of Acts.

“Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also” (Acts 17:1-6). Wow! What a testimony given to these followers of Christ – “they turned the world upside down.” And what about us? Is our Christianity, our walk with Christ turning our world upside down? Do our spouses, children, and family members see the radical difference Jesus Christ is making in our lives? What about our communities and churches? Are the people in those places being influenced for Christ in our speech, attitudes, and conduct? Christians are to be “world changers” not because of who we are but because of who we know and follow.

The radical Christian life. We tell the world it is because, well, it is. The question is, how is the radical nature of Christianity impacting us as people who claim to be Christians? Think about it.

PRAYER: “Father, deepen within me a longing to come face-to-face with Your Son.”

QUOTE: “Think often of having your eyes meet with the eyes of Christ and watch how the world will lose its appeal to us”