I am continuing my review of David Platt’s book Radical. This is part 3 in a 9 part series where I am giving a recap of the chapter and my thoughts on what Dr. Platt relates. One thing that I have begun to notice is that Dr. Platt may have been better served to use the subtitles as the actual titles for each chapter
The Importance of Relying on God’s Power
Dr. Platt begins this chapter by telling two stories of people relying upon the power of God rather than their own power. The first relates to a missionary who was in an unreached area and was called out by a witch doctor. The missionary could have used his physical powers to take care of the witch doctor but instead called upon God to be his defender and the man was struck dead. This may not have been the most radical response ever (to rely upon God) but it sure was a radical display of the power of God in the life of one of His believers. Imagine the witnessing opportunity- Let me tell you about the God who can provide breath for life and take it away as well!
The second example is Jericho from the Book of Joshua. Now if ever there was a case of radical obedience, this was it. Imagine what our reaction might be- “you want me to walk around in circles and blow some horns- then what? Are you serious?” Fortunately for us Joshua had a trust in God that allowed him to be obedient and to rely upon the power of God in this situation.
Chapter 3 is also where we are first introduced to the “American Dream” in the book. Dr. Platt shows how we as a country value our independence and success. He also explains how we can easily build a church that is successful by our standards and totally lacking in desperation for the power of God that was prevalent in the early church. As a nice touch, he also humbly admits how when he first took over the Church at Brook Hills he applied the “American Dream” philosophy to it. He wondered at all that could be accomplished by the power and talent assembled there rather than simply waiting on the Lord to provide the power. He then relates the story of George Muller and how much he accomplished by trusting in God and His power fully.
Dr. Platt then proceeds to talk about the power of prayer and uses the illustration of a father and child. I found this section to be very effective and I often return to the words of Christ telling me that I must have “the faith of a child”. I think many people think this is an innocent faith without knowledge, but I do not think that is what Jesus meant. Instead, when a child asks for something from his father, he trusts that his father will provide for him. To me this embodies the faith of a child. I also like the way that Dr. Platt summarized the gifts that the Father gives us:
This is the great promise of God in prayer. We ask God for gifts in prayer, and He gives us the Giver. We ask God for supply, and He gives us the Source. We ask God for money, and he doesn’t give us cash; instead, so to speak, He gives us the bank!
I thought this chapter did a nice job of showing the disconnect between worldly success and kingdom success. We often think that by being more committed or more diligent we can do more for God. The reality is we can do more for God by relying on Him to do the work and surrendering to His will. Below is an excerpt by Adrian Rogers in his book The Incredible Power of Kingdom Authority of a conversation with Josef T’son that seems to capture the heart of the matter concerning the “American Dream”:
“Josef,” I asked, “What is the difference between commitment and surrender?”
He said, “When you make a commitment, you are still in control, no matter how noble the thing that you commit to. One can commit to pray, to study the Bible, to give his money, or to commit to automobile payments, or to lose weight. Whatever he chooses to do, he commits to. But surrender is different. If someone holds a gun and asks you to lift your hands in the air as a token of surrender, you don’t tell that person what you are committed to. You simply surrender and do as you are told.”
He said. “Americans love commitment because they are still in control. But the key word is surrender. We are to be slaves of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
I would give a cautionary warning that committing to radical obedience is not quite the same thing as surrender.
1 comment:
Thank you. This is good.
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