The Radical Study Guide
Chapter 1: Someone Worth Losing Everything For Read John 6:53-58 Jesus focus was not on the masses, but only on the few who believed Him when he said radical things. How does that differ from our focus?
Platt asks himself two questions that we should also be asking ourselves. What are some of your concerns? What thoughts and fears do you have in response to your answers? 1. Was I going to believe Jesus? - Even though He said radical things that drove the crowds away
2. Was I going to obey Jesus? – His fear was that he would walk away content to settle for less than radical obedience to Him.
Page 7. Platt says that we have replaced radical faith with what is comfortable. What ways have we done this?
Read Luke 9:57- 62 Discuss what the cost is for each one. What does this say about how we are to follow Christ. What are some examples you face regarding the cost to follow Him?
Give up everything you have, carry a cross, and hate your family. How is this in contrast to the message being presented today? What does this look like in your own life?
If someone was to ask you the question How do I inherit eternal life, what would be your response?
Page 13. Platt discusses how we rationalize Jesus. “What Jesus really meant was..” How have you finished that sentence before?
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Chapter 1: Someone Worth Losing Everything For Do we follow the middle-class American Jesus in our own church?
Platt said on Page 14 that the cost of discipleship was great, but the cost of non discipleship is greater. How is this true?
Do we really believe that Jesus is so good and so satisfying and so rewarding that we will leave all we have, all we own, and all we are in order to find our fullness in Him?
Do we believe Him enough to obey and follow Him wherever He leads, even when the crowds in our culture, and maybe in our churches turn the other way?
The American dream is dominated by self-advancement, self-esteem, and self sufficiency, by individualism, materialism, and universalism. How does that differ from what Jesus has called us to?
Closing out Chapter 1 Platt said there is a commitment to believe and obey. Believe what Jesus has said, and obey what we have heard. The Gospel requires more than reflection it requires response. What is your response?
Summarize Chapter 1 in your own words
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Chapter 2: Too Hungry For Words What does it look like in your own life to be hungry after God’s Word?
Page 26. Platt says “God’s Word is enough for millions of believers who gather in house churches, African jungles, rain forests, etc. Then he poses a very important question. “Is it enough for you?” What if you took away the music, the chairs, the programs, and the big screens? Would His Word still be enough?
Page 29. Platt mentions how we have distorted the image of God in our culture. How often do we tend to focus on 1 or 2 attributes of God only? Do we minimize His other attributes? Why?
Name or list different attributes of God
Page 31. Platt says that everything in all creation responds in obedience to the Creator, until we get to you and me. He says we have the audacity to look God in the face and say “No”. Why is obedience so hard for us? Have you ever found yourself arguing with God over something He was speaking to you? Maybe praying for a friend, or an apology?
Read through the paragraph on page 32 beginning with ” Note the contrast”. How do you respond?
Page 34. Platt discusses our understanding of who God is. He states that our understanding of God affects our understanding of Christ and why we need him. How do you see God? Is He a loving Father? Forgiving? Angry? Think about your answer. Why do you see Him that way?
Pages 36+37. Quite simply how do you respond to the Gospel?
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The Radical Study Guide
Chapter 3: Beginning At the End of Ourselves Page 45. The Name of Jesus had the power to cause the blind to see, the lame to walk, and the dead to rise. The question is whether we truly trust in His power?
What is the difference between the American dream and the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
Page 46. The Gospel beckons us to die to ourselves and to believe in God and to trust in His power. If you haven’t examined your life at this point, take some time to pray about and decide what it means to die to self. What are some goals that you have set in life? Why are these things important to you? Are these personal goals? Bibilical? Does the end result of acheiving these goals bring people closer to Christ or push them away?
Read Joshua 6:3-6:5. What would your response be? What would be the response of others that you told this to?
When you make a decision how much time have you spent praying about that decision before going ahead with it? Read the middle paragraph on page 50. What does this look like in your own church?
How much of your own resources do you find yourself relying on?
Page 60. Would you say that your life is marked right now by desperation for the Spirit of God? Would you say that the church you are a part of is characterized by this sense of desperation?
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Chapter 4: The Great Why of God Chapter Four starts out with an uncomfortable but necessary question. On Page 64 Platt asks us these questions: How many of us are embracing the comforts of suburban American while we turn a deaf ear to inner cities in need of the Gospel?
How many of us are so settled in the US that we have never once given serious thought to the possibility that God may call us to live in another country?
How often are we willing to write a check to a ministry or to someone else with our motivations being that we don’t want to go there ourselves?
Read Matthew 28:16-20 Do you view this command to be something for ‘radical missionaries’ only?
How have you been living out the command of Christ to “Go therefore, and make disciples”?
Read Daniel 3 Why would God let these 3 Hebrew men be thrown into a fiery furnace? Is this how God’ treats those who reisk everything for Him? How does this make you feel about the next time you are faced with taking a stand for God.
If you were to summarize the message of Christianity what would you say?
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Chapter 4: The Great Why of God Page 70. What version of Christianity do you see?
Page 73. How do you respond to the statement “I am not called”. How do you view your life in light of the Gospel?
Do you often struggle with your “calling”? global purpose?
Do you understand that God has called you and gifted you for a
Page 75. Platt asks a very deep question: “What about the needs here?” Have you ever asked this question before? Statements such as “God has given me a heart for my hometown” What are your thoughts on his statement that most of us aren’t very concerned about the needs around us, sharing the gospel with others, feeding the hungry, helping the sick, strengthening the church, etc. What are some of the things keeping us from this? Have we ever stopped to consider why we don’t do more of these things?
Page 83. What if you were to spend all of your life for the sake of all of God’s glory in all of the world? What might this look like in your life to be radically abandoned to Christ?
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Chapter 5: The Multiplying Community Why not? Platt’s friend asks a question that we don’t usually ask ourselves. “I am going to impact the world.” was his statement. He said “I’m going to make disciples of all nations.” Have you ever talked yourself out of doing something that you knew you were supposed to do? Perhaps something as simple as praying for someone, going to an altar call during service, sharing truth instead of sugar-coating things.
Most of us spend more time making excuses not to do things, instead of asking “Why not?” Ask yourself this question. What are your answers?
Page 87. The Next Step How do we make God’s glory known to all nations? What does this look like in our day to day lives?
Read through the Next step. Discuss how you would have handled the next step in your group discussion time.
Read through Any and Every follower of Christ on Page 90. Think about the people in your church that are currently doing this. What do you see is different about their lives, their focus?
Page 92. In your own words what does it mean to go and make disciples? Do your actions line up with your words?
Discuss the discipleship model in your church. Is it effective? Does it exist? What is the focus of your discipleship? On page 95 Platt discusses the very touchy subject (for many churches) about tracts.
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Chapter 5: The Multiplying Community How do you respond to what he says about the way these situations were handled? How effective has this plan been in your experience? What is the difference in handing out tracts and what Platt mentions here?
Page 98. Being a part of a community of faith involves being exposed to the life of Christ in others. Does the thought of going out into the world scare you? Does it make you uncomfortable?
Just as we are identified with Christ we now share life in Christ with one another. So to whom can you deliberately, intentionally, and sacrifically show the life of Christ in this way?
Discussing discipleship What would be the most effective way for a new follower of Christ to learn to pray?
Would you sign them up for a one hour a week class on prayer? Or invite them personally into your quiet time with God to teach them how to pray? What would be the most effective way to teach a new follower of Christ to learn how to study the Bible? Do you take notes during the sermons on Sunday morning? Have you ever referred back to those notes, or do you just file them away? (or throw them away)
Ask yourself this question and discuss with the group: How can I listen to His Word, so that I am equipped to teach this Word to others?
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Chapter 6: How Much is Enough? Read Hebrews 4:12 Page 108. Platt talks about blind spots. He said that Good intentions, regular worship, and even study of the Bible do not prevent blindness in us. Part of our sinful nature instinctively chooses to see what we want to see and ignore what we want to ignore. Think back to a time when this may have happened to you. How did God reveal to you what you had unknowingly overlooked? How did it affect your life from that point on?
How often do you think about the poor?
Read James 4:17 Page 110. Platt says that “If there is no sign of caring for the poor in our lives, then there is reason to at least question whether Christ is in our hearts.” Platt introduces a scenerio about a main who claims to have Christ in his heart but willfully engages in sexual activity knowing what Scripture says about this sin. “He disobeys Christ persistently with no sign of remorse, contrition or conviction. So is he really a Christian?” How would you answer this question?
Do you know people who are knowingly and willfully engaging in sin, even after they have knowledge of the truth, who claim to be a Christian?
Page 111. Is materialism a blind spot in American Christianity today? Is it your blind spot?
Read Luke 16:19-31 Is caring for the poor a serious matter to God? What was God’s response for those who neglected the poor? Why is the rich man in hell? Who do you identity with more? The rich man or Lazarus? Page 117. Why would obedience to Christ lead to this man losing his possessions? What were the disciples having to learn by this teaching of Jesus? Isn’t the hidden assumption among many Christians in our culture that if we follow God, things will go well for us materially?
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Chapter 6: How Much is Enough? Looking back so far in this study, has there been anything that Platt has brought to light that you have disagreed with? Why?
Page 118. The prosperity Gospel is flourishing right now, especially here in the US. How would you respond to this woman’s question who is stricken in poverty “Does this mean we do not have enough faith?” What message is the church conveying to the world with this type of Gospel of prosperity?
Read page 120. Platt offers 2 views of the scripture interpretation of Mark 10, where Jesus tells the man to sell everything he had and give to the poor. Which argument presented do you see yourself siding with most often?
“That Jesus did not command all His followers to sell all their possessions gives comfort only to the kind of people to whom He would issue that command.” Are you willing to ask God if he wants you to sell everything you have and give the money to the poor? Are you willing to ask and wait for an answer instead of providing one of our own or justifying our ideas of why he would never tell us to do this?
Page 121. Are we looking to Jesus for total leadership in our lives, even if that means going against everything our culture and maybe even our church family might tell us to do?
Page 123. Do you believe that when you have to stand before God, that He will ever tell you “I wish that you had kept more for yourself?”
Page 125. What do you want/seek in life? Is it more stuff? Do you have the basic necessities of your life provided for? Do you want more? Do you want a bigger house or a nicer car or nicer clothes?
Page 127. Have you ever considered operating under the idea that God ha given us excess, not so we could have more, but so that we could give more?
Page 128. Read through Platt’s discussion about a lifestyle cap. Have you ever considered doing something like this? Why or why not? What is your motive or reason?
Page 129. What can we spare or what will it take? What’s your response? What would happen if we stopped asking how much we could spare and starting asking how much it was going to take?
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Chapter 7: There Is No Plan B Universalism. Page 142. Platt says that while some Christians have rejected universalism intellectually, that practically they may end up leading universalistic lives. They claim Christ is necessary for salvation, yet they live their Christianity in silence, as if people around them in the world will indeed be ok in the end without Christ.
Discuss this with your group. What are some of the obstacles the church faces with this task? What are some of the obstacles that you come up against personally? Then discuss ways that you can help overcome those obstacles.
Read Romans 1:18. What are some ways that God has made it plain to them? Starting on Page 144-145 read through Truth: 2. According to scripture, how do you answer the question “They were doing the best they had with the knowledge they had. Isn’t that good enough?” Based on that answer what does this mean for those who might be worshiping a “Sun God” or a “moon goddess?” Page 146. What happens to the innocent guy in the middle of Africa who dies without ever hearing the Gospel? Page 148. “We want people to be ok when they haven’t had the opportunity to hear the gospel” But think about the logic of this conclusion. Based on this knowledge how should that change our focus? Page 151. How would you have responded to Lauren’s question? What would you have said to her?
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Chapter 7: There Is No Plan B Page 152. Platt begins to second-guess himself and even doubt what he believes. Have you ever done this? Have you ever examined why you believe what it is that you believe? What are the reasons behind what you believe? Do you just believe what you were raised to believe? Have you ever considered searching the truth out for yourself?
Page 153. Many people conclude “I don’t know how, but surely God will make a way for these millions of people to get to heaven even if they haven’t heard about Jesus.” How would you respond to explaining to someone that all roads do not lead to heaven?
Have you ever considered that we are one of the ways people will get to hear about Jesus?
Thinking back over the last couple of weeks, how many times outside of church and your friends at church have you mentioned the name Jesus? Page 156. In the diagram where is the breakdown?
Page 159. “The injustice lies in Christians who possess the gospel and refuse to give their lives to making it known among those who haven’t heard. “ Do you think this statement is fair?
How do you answer the question “What is God’s will for my life?”
The question is not Can we find God’s will, but will we obey it
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Chapter 8: Living When Dying Is Gain Page 162. Do we believe the reward found in Jesus is worth the risk of following Him? Page 164. “The safest place to be is in the center of God’s will.” Have you ever thought the following? – If it’s dangerous, God must not be in it. If it’s risky, if it’s unsafe, if it’s costly, it must not be God’s will. What if these factors are actually the criteria by which we determine something is God’s will?
How would that change things in your life?
Page 165. Read the story about the missionary couple. Would you be willing for your family to be that first missionary couple? Would you be willing to be killed and cannibalized so that those who come after you would see people come to Christ?
Page 167. Have you ever thought “If we would all just become like Jesus, the world would love us?” What does the reality of Scripture say about that kind of statement? How hard is it for you to come to the reality of the truth of what Scripture says in regards to this?
Page 170. Discuss with your group the mission and purpose of the SS Church and the SS United States.
Page 172. How is it possible for sheep going into the middle of wolves not to be afraid?
Page 174. God knows every detail of our lives, and when we step out in faith to follow Him, He will show us that our greatest security is not found in the comforts we can manufacture in this world, but in the faithful provision of the only One who knows our needs and the only One who is able to meet our needs in every way. – What comforts have we manufactured? What worldly provisions do we seek?
Discuss with your group starting on page 179 – Life is Radical When Death is Reward. Discuss with the group your concerns and fears about this. Be honest with yourself and your group.
Page 181. When we consider the promises of Christ, risking everything we are and everything we have for His sake is no longer a matter of sacrifice. It’s just common sense. Reflecting back on what God has shown you in this study how can you apply this truth in your life?
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