WARNING: This book is detrimental to mediocrity!Radical Together is an excellent follow-up book to Radical. In Radical we were challenged by the thought, "...in a world of urgent spiritual and physical need, gospel-believing, God-exalting men and women do not have time to waste their lives pursuing a Christian spin on the American dream." Now in Radical Together David Platt challenges the local church to, as his subheading describes it, "Unleash the People of God for the Purpose of God."
A thorough reading of the book leaves no doubt that Platt loves the church but that his vision of the church is much broader and more focused at the same time. Broader in the sense that the church is much more than the local church. He makes constant references to the Church that is spread out through out the world. More focused in the sense that the local church does not exist simply for the local church; the local church exists to take the Word of God and make disciples of all nations.
While there can be no questioning his love for and commitment to the local church Platt identifies some problems in the "average" local church. "...I am convinced that in the church we can - unknowingly and unintentionally - actually prevent God's people from accomplishing God's purpose. If we are not careful, our activities in the church hinder the advancement of Christ's kingdom."
Platt then develops that thought around 6 ideas to help churches become "unleashing" agents - unleashing people into the world with the Gospel. The 6 ideas include:
1. One of the worst enemies of Christians can be good things in the church.
2. The gospel that saves us from work saves us to work.
3. The Word does the work.
4. Building the right church depends on using all the wrong people.
5. We are living - and longing - for the end of the world.
6. We are selfless followers of a self-centered God.
Each of these ideas pushes the local church and the individual believer to make a life altering choice. "If you and I want our lives to count for God's purpose in the world, we need to begin with a commitment to God's people in the church. God has called us to lock arms with one another in single-minded, death-defying obedience to one objective: the declaration of his gospel for the demonstration of his glory to all nations."
The question that the 21st century North American church must wrestle with is, is this a worthy goal? Is it a goal worth giving our lives to? "It is worth it for billions of people who do not yet know that Jesus is the grave-conquering, life giving, all-satisfying King. And it is worth it for you and me, because we were made to enjoy the great pleasures of God in context of total abandonment to his global purpose."
If the local church can honestly wrestle with the six ideas Platt presents in light of their specific mission and in the context of God's broader mission, we have the potential to call our people to a Radical lifestyle and then unleash them to accomplish God's purposes in our world and in so doing "live radical together in eager anticipation of the day when we will see his face and, as a community encompassing every nation, tribe, tongue, and people, enjoy his beauty for all of eternity."
