As they were walking along the road, a man said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head”. (Luke 9:57, 58)
In this
scripture Jesus tests the man’s resolve to follow Him. He laid before him the unknown reality of
following the Messiah……not knowing where he would lay his head that night. Following
Him meant a life of extreme faith, not having the predictable, palpable, and comfortable
attributes of life securely in his grasp.
So what does it mean to be ‘extreme’ in following Jesus and
living in His kingdom? The definition of
‘extreme’ is ‘outermost or farthest; being in or attaining the greatest or highest
degree; very intense; extending far beyond the norm’. Notice that extreme is not defined as weird
or deviant, but as greater than……beyond normal…..outermost…….highest degree.
Jesus declared to this man, to you, and to me that following
Him would not be a ‘normal’ life. Following Him would be living at the
outermost edges of culture. Following
Him would be very intense. And following Him would position us to attain
the highest degree of the abundant life
He promised (John 10:10).
Jesus always had a place to lay His head. He always had
financial provision. He always had food and drink (except when fasting by
choice). He always had the assurance and security of His Father’s love. He
always had eternal life.
Following Jesus today is an extreme choice; a choice to
follow an invisible savior in an invisible kingdom, expecting an invisible
heaven, and exerting invisible authority. Yet in so doing we live a very visible life far outside
the norm of culture attaining the greatest degree of security, safety, sanctity
and freedom. We live a life trusting in
the unseen King and Kingdom rather than in the tangible things we have acquired
for ourselves.
The extreme nature of the Kingdom of God becomes visible as
the church lives the life of Christ on earth. We bring heaven to earth. The
church reveals the diverse wisdom and nature of God (Eph. 3:10, 11). The church carries the keys of the invisible kingdom.
We can offer a foggy, opaque view of God’s kingdom or we can present a clear,
transparent window into His Kingdom. If we live like the mainstream no one will
take notice. We can live a life that is normal or far beyond normal. We
can display a level of trust that is extreme or mainstream.
The more extreme we are in our faith and trust in Jesus, the
more clearly we display His kingdom to those around us. We may be labeled as
‘extreme’. Well…..get used to it! In America evangelical Christians are already
labeled as extremists. We already have
the label…why not live the label?
The church in America (and in some other nations) is facing
a choice of blandly blending in to the culture or offering vibrant clarity
beyond the cultural norm. Those that are seeking and desiring truth and authenticity
will take notice! When we say we will ‘follow
Jesus wherever he may go’, we assume a risk…..a risk to live outside the
norm; a risk to be far from mainstream; a risk to live at the highest degree of the
abundant life Jesus promised to those who would follow Him. Take the
risk………live an extreme life in Christ!
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