Pastor's Circle - Steve Blakemore

Steve Blakemore is the Professor of Philosophy at Wesley Biblical Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi, and the pastor of Wesley Chapel He joined the Pastor's Circle to discuss. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview.

How important is the Advent season?

I'm glad you asked, because I think it's a shame that so many Protestant denominations have forgotten about what's called the "liturgical year."

It sounds boring, but it's just the calendar of the church that was established to help us live our lives around the life of Christ.

Advent was established by the church to be a four-Sunday period to have a time of introspection, a time of reflection, and even to some degree, a time of fasting.

Last week I was challenging my congregation about whether we really have taken seriously the idea that Jesus became flesh to redeem all flesh.

We always complain about the secularization of Christmas, and then we don't do anything to establish a greater meaning for that day.

What can families do to create a deeper meaning for Christmas?

One of the things I would suggest they do is to create some family rituals. "Rituals" sounds dead, but they aren't dead, they're just things we do to shape our lives.

Years and years ago for Advent, my wife got a wreath that we stuck four candles in, and each Sunday after church we would light a candle and have a devotional reading.

Another thing families could do is something like what we're doing at Wesley Chapel, which is that we're all fasting one meal a week.

We're setting aside the money that we would spend on that meal, and we'll put that in an offering on Christmas day. It's a way to give of ourselves to remind us that God gave himself for us.

You've talked for years to people about trying to capture and reclaim your family's life by what you do together.

We are a time-enslaved people, enslaved to clocks and calendars. It's so easy to forget to just stop and sing a song together, or read a passage of Scripture. 

What about churches that won't have services on Christmas Sunday?

Those are basically just pagan institutions.  

Pastor's Circle - Sam Shaw

Sam Shaw is the lead pastor of The Orchard Fellowship, located in Memphis, TN. He joined the Pastor's Circle to discuss the book of Jonah. Here are the "CliffsNotes" of his segment.

In your study of this book, what did you find to be the main emphases?

I think I could sum up the entire thing. As I finished it and thought back, it's about how God saves the saved.

God's problem wasn't Nineveh, it was Jonah.

Why was Jonah reticent to go to Nineveh?

Jonah hated the Ninevites; they were corrupt; they were the enemies of his people.

Knowing God's nature, Jonah was afraid that God would hear their prayers and send him, and he absolutely did not want that to happen.

Why are we reticent to evangelize today?

I think today we're fearful. We're fearful of what people will think of us, we won't get it right.

We're afraid of stepping out of our comfort zone.

I think the basic word in the Christian life is not "stop." We hear that a lot. But the basic word in Christianity is "go."

It gives me a lot of hope; if God could use Jonah, he can use me.

God is always working behind the scenes to prepare people's hearts to hear the message.

When we get the nudge in our hearts to say something about the gospel, we can assume that God has been doing work behind the scenes.

What about the last chapter, where Jonah loses patience with God?

If nothing more, it's about the fact that God is patient when we are not.

God makes a plant to give Jonah comfort, but then He sends a worm to eat it down.

I think it shows that we are concerned about different things than God. At the end of the book, Jonah is concerned with his own comfort, but God is concerned about fifty thousand people.

Pastor's Circle - Ed Litton

Ed Litton has served as the the senior pastor of First Baptist North Mobile since 1994. He joined the Pastor's Circle to talk about the mission of his church. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his segment.

Your mission statement talks about "making disciples." What does it mean to make a disciple?

That's a great question that we have been asking ourselves and re-asking ourselves. God's been taking us through a season of inspecting the words we use and the things we say we believe.

To us, discipleship begins when you hear the call and respond to the call to follow Jesus Christ. And then, of course, there are steps that you take.

Martin Luther said that it is the default of the human heart to be "religious". We don't believe that Jesus came to establish a religion.

We've discovered and rediscovered what it means to have our hearts on fire because of what Jesus did for us. That's what fuels my soul.

What is the antidote for a church that is focused internally?

That's right where we're at. It's interesting to me that 95% of southern evangelicals have never led a person to Christ. That tells me that we don't have a passion in our heart that makes us care.

Our church was becoming a social club. Jesus confronted his disciples on a regular basis about their moralism. That's not the place that we're supposed to be.

I noticed as a pastor that I saw the gospel as a diving board that got me into the pool of God's Kingdom. The fact is, the gospel is the pool.

If I was missing it, I knew everyone else was missing it. I think that's why the nation is in the state it's in. It's dark because the light is hidden.

God has also been taking us to the woodshed about idolatry.

What is an idol?

Anything that I love more than God. It could be Alabama, Auburn, Mississippi State; it could be basketball or baseball; it could be hunting; it could even be my wife and family.

What are some of the idols in the pastorate?

There are deep-rooted idols that are very challenging to get out. For me, it's approval. It's the fear of man, it's wanting people's approval.

Which leads us to not being as fruitful. Most people who do what we do are approval junkies.

Pastor's Circle - Chuck Huckaby

Chuck Huckaby, pastor of St. Andrew's Church in Lawrenceburg, TN, joined the Pastor's Circle to talk about  perseverance in prayer. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview.

How did the Church get away from fasting?

I was just thinking about that yesterday. I grew up in Bible-believing evangelical churches, and I don't ever remember any talk about fasting.

Sometimes we can say, "I love the Bible!" but we really never read it much. We fight if the Ten Commandments are going to be taken off the courthouse wall, but no one knows what they are.

We need to stay close to Scripture, and let our hearts and minds be changed by God.

What does it mean to "persevere in prayer"?

In the Gospels it says that Jesus taught this parable to the effect that we should never lose heart. He told the parable about the unjust judge, and said if that's how judges act, how much more will our Father answer us?

Realize also that prayer isn't an instant download. God doesn't have to be convinced, but He is the Sovereign King. He is working out his own plans, and calls us to be persistent in our prayers to Him.

Why does God require perseverance of us?

I think it's to train us. If prayer was something we could fire off and forget, we would forget the Source to whom we pray.

It would all become about us, and prayer would become something to check off our to-do list rather than humbling ourselves and coming before God.

If we could just fire and forget it, we would think that God was working out our purposes.

What are some biblical examples of perseverance?

The one that I keep coming back to is Abraham. Imagine for yourself: you have this direct promise from God, and then nothing seems to happen. 

God delivers you, but the thing He promised is still not coming.

 So you come up with backup plans. We come up with all these plans, that we think are our own answer to prayer, and then God shows us how worthless that is.

Finally, about a generation later, you run out of hope that it's ever going to happen, and then it happens.

It's that way with us a lot of times. When our only hope is in the Living God, when He's purged us of our schemes and self-will, and when He's disciplined us to pray and do what we need to do, something happens.

Pastor's Circle - Gil McKee

Gil McKee, Senior Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Tuscaloosa, joined the Pastor's Circle today to discuss thanksgiving. Here are the "CliffsNotes" of his segment.

What's the hardest thing about being thankful?

I think just getting over the things that are so easy for us to grumble about.

We all know it's easy to pick out the things that aren't going well, but our discipline as Christians is to focus on the things that are going well and be thankful for those things.

In America, does our prosperity work against us?

Absolutely. It makes no sense. But when you live in a land as prosperous as this, you begin to take things for granted.

God has promised to give us everything we need, but not everything we want. In America, we are very very confused over those things.

We've developed the feeling that we are entitled to all of this stuff. Of all people, we in the Church ought to know better than that. But nevertheless, we do it.

We allow the world to move into the Church, rather than the Church marching out into the world.

It's an incredibly powerful force in the life of the believer when we live in the peace of Christ.

How does thanksgiving work relationally?

I think the life of the Christian should be one of edifying those around us. The Scripture teaches often that we're to build up the body of Christ.

Can you think of anything that edifies the body more than just looking in someone's eyes and saying, "I am thankful for you."

I think it's like any other discipline in our life. The more we practice it, the more second-nature it becomes.

In a culture where we're just not interested in accountability, we've forgotten that there's some disciplines that we need to follow. Thanksgiving is certainly one of them.

Pastor's Circle - Jerry Horner

Jerry Horner has been a university professor and administrator since 1962. He currently functions as the Executive Director of New Creation Ministries.

He joined the Pastor's Circle after extended world travel to talk about excitement over the Word of God. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview.

Of any place you've been in the last year, where is God's work most exciting?

I believe it's in parts of Southeast Asia. There is mission work going out like nothing you've ever seen from places like Singapore and Malaysia and Indonesia.

One of the most exciting places is in the Philippines, where there is a revival going on in the police and the military.

It's amazing to see the movement of the Holy Spirit and the power of the gospel. I'm wonderfully excited to see the movement of God in Muslim countries.

Is there a difference between Southeast Asia and America in their love for the Word?

You know, you're exactly right. One of the marks of a Spirit-filled church and a Spirit-filled individual is his submission to the Word of God.

I'm impressed that the very first characteristic of the first church in Jerusalem in Acts 2 is that they submitted themselves to apostolic teaching. 

They had just come from a tremendous spiritual experience, having the Holy Spirit fall upon them, but they knew that they couldn't live by experience alone.

We have bequeathed to us in the pages of the New Testament the very same teaching that they received. The Word of God has the power to transform lives.

I really believe that the agent of the devil could get up and read the scripture and people could get saved, because of the power of the Word of God.

What is your method in your personal devotions?

There are different ways to approach Bible study, and I think there is a variety that is in order here. You might concentrate on characters of the Bible. What can I learn from the life of David? What can I learn from the life of Paul?

Another way is a thematic study. What does the Bible have to say about love, about faith, about courage, about fear? Go through and saturate yourself in the teachings of the Bible on that subject.

I love to go back and read the prayers of the Bible and apply them to myself. I think Paul's prayers are still being answered today. I'll make it contemporary and put my own name in there.

I like what the Apostle Paul said more than once about the history of Israel. He said, "These things were written for our benefit." They were written for us to benefit in history, in doctrine.

You can read it and study it, but unless you apply it in real, contemporary life, it doesn't do you any good.

What happens to a movement that is excited about the Spirit but not the Word?

The early Church recognized that you don't live on experience alone.

I think that the Lord is less interested in how high you can jump when you praise Him than He is in how you walk when you hit the ground.

The Spirit of God is given to change us into the likeness of Jesus Christ. Let's concentrate on knowing Christ, and being like Him.

Pastor's Circle - Johnnie Moore

Rev. Johnnie Moore serves at Liberty University as Vice President and Campus Pastor. He joined the Pastor's Circle do talk about the "healthy soul". Here are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview. 

What is "health" in the Kingdom of God?

We're talking about someone who is living how they were designed to live. We sometimes forget that we were created in the image of God.

When I talk about a healthy soul, I'm talking about getting to that place again with God.

We worry about healthy minds and healthy bodies, and sometimes we forget about our souls.

Why is it hard for us to prioritize like Jesus talks about in Luke 14?

America is the Disney Land of the world. When the Gospel of Jesus Christ comes into a desperate context, you really realize what you have with the gospel. Jesus isn't just your religion, he is everything.

Somehow in America, even if you live in a less Christian part of the country, we're a Christian nation, and we don't value our faith as much. We have a very small view of the Kingdom of God.

We have the most priceless commodity in the universe in the palm of our hand, but it's like we have the Hope Diamond and we treat it as if it were a piece of crystal.

The love you have for Jesus should make all these other loves look like a different word.

Another thing is that we're incredibly distracted. There are spiritual issues that keep us away from the right priorities, but there are also physical ones.

How can we balance being in a Christian environment and being in ministry?

I think it's both/and, not either/or. It's perfectly appropriate to say that for a portion of your life, you're in a Christian community learning the Word of God, and then you are sent out.

Jesus has taught us that you have discipleship moments and environments when you get to explore your faith. But at the same time, Jesus prayed over his disciples that they would not be taken out of the world, but left in it.

That's part of our problem. We don't know how to relate to the world, because we're not even in it. We've kind of become gluttons of grace in our own environment.

"If you make disciples by sitting around and talking, don't be surprised if your disciples sit around and talk." Agree?

Absolutely. And the only way that happens is intentionally. You have to push people out and get them out in new contexts.

From the very beginning at Liberty, one of our core values has been an "action-oriented curriculum."

Everyone is focused on bringing people into churches. It's much more difficult to push them out. And they will never come in if they don't see people outside.

Pastor's Circle - Rick Scarborough

Dr. Rick Scarborough, Founder and President of Vision America, joined the Pastor's Circle today to discuss the upcoming presidential election. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview.

How should we, as Christians, pick a presidential candidate?

The first thing we've gotta remember is that Jesus isn't running for president.

There's always the striving in the church towards perfection. But when it comes to picking a president, we aren't gonna find Jesus on the ballot anywhere. We're going to have to pick a flawed person.

What you have to do is find the person who best respects your beliefs and values. We cannot give up our quest to find a godly man or woman.

I believe if you look carefully and with discernment, you can find the right person.

What about the objection to picking the "lesser of two evils"?

I hear people make much out of this idea, lesser of two evils, and they use it as an excuse to not vote.

Part of our responsibility is to exercise our Christian citizenship. That means we have to vote.

Every single candidate is a sinful candidate, so it's always the lesser of two evils.

What should our position be in a situation like Newt Gingrich's?

In the case of Newt Gingrich, it's not only in the marital difficulties that there are problems. He's taken positions over the years that are counter to the ones he has now.

Yes, God will forgive. But we have to be very careful as Christians to look at the history.

What should we think about Herman Cain's situation?

We have to look carefully, and with great discernment. But none of us have to make a decision right now.

What all of us have to do right now is pray that God would show us who He has selected, and then get on board.

We cannot let the secular press make the decision for us.

How should the pastors respond to this election?

What I'd be focused on right now is getting every church member of voting age registered to vote.

And then I would be exhorting them to pray, listen, and get ready to go vote their values.

Pastor's Circle - Jeffrey Klick

Jeffrey Klick is the Senior Pastor of Hope Family Fellowship in Kansas City. He joined the Pastor's Circle to discuss what a young person should look for in a spouse. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his segment.

What should a young man look for in a bride?

I just had a young man in my church who is publishing a newsletter for young men, and he asked me to write an article on that very topic. It's a very important question.

The first and foremost question for a young man seeking a bride, once he is in agreement with his parents that he's old enough and ready, is does she have a good relationship with the Lord?

She needs to be in love with Jesus. That's what sustains us when the difficulties come.

How do you discern that relationship with Christ?

I think observation is the big thing. Before you get emotionally entangled with someone, observe them in the church service, during worship. Observe how they treat the authorities.

You observe these things. When you start dialoguing with her, what comes out of her mouth? A guy should be looking for things that are going to last. Does the young lady have a proper value for the Scripture? That's something she's going to build upon.

Watch how the young lady treats her family. After you say "I do," you become family. After the courtship, what's going to come out is what she is at home.

Is she a servant? Marriage takes a death to self. Is she other-centered? Is she willing to lay down her life for others? Is she involved in service? Is she kind?

You're looking to see what her character is. Do you have common interests and dreams? If one of you wants to be a missionary in a foreign country, and the other won't leave the state, that's going to be a problem.

You're entering into a lifelong partnership, where two hearts beat as one. If you marry someone who doesn't believe in following what God wants you to do, there's going to be pain. How are you going to build a relationship on that?

Pastor's Circle - Mark Durie

Dr. Mark Durie, theologian, human rights activist and vicar of St. Mary's Anglican church in Caulfield, Victoria, Australia, came on The Matt Friedeman Show to discuss the persecuted Church. Here are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview.


Why should we be concerned about the persecution of the Church?

It's a very biblical concern. Persecution is one of the major focuses of the New Testament.

I've known a lot of Christians who come from countries that experience persecution.

In my church, we strongly encourage prayer for the persecuted Church.

In the 50 countries in the world where persecution is active, about 40 of them are Muslim, so that's a connection for me.

What about Christianity is so troublesome to Muslims?

Islam is based on the example of Muhammad, and when people stood in his way, he didn't do well.

He commanded Muslims to assume a position of dominance with their faith.

It's a case of the faith shaping the way society works. It's a very deep, difficult issue that goes back 1400 years. That's the heart of it.

At its heart, is it really about the difference between Jesus and Muhammad?

Interestingly, both Jesus and Muhammad suffered a lot of rejection, were opposed and vilified and slandered.

Jesus responded to that in a very interesting way, not trying to revenge himself, but praying for his persecutors.

Muhammad responded with bitterness, and a desire for retribution.

The heart of our faith is the cross. We aren't called to use power to face our rejections.

What can we do to help?

Prayer is very important, and many miracles have happened through prayer.

You need to remember, too, that persecution is not a mistake. If you follow Christ, you need to expect persecution. It's part of the Christian life.

Don't be dismayed, discouraged, intimidated by persecution. Don't give up. It might seem very difficult, but hold your ground.

Pastor's Circle - Michael Catt

Michael Catt is the pastor of Sherwood Baptist Church, known for making movies like Facing the Giants, Fireproof, and Courageous. Dr. Catt joined The Matt Friedeman Show to talk about Sherwood Baptist and its life as a church. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview.

How have these movies affected your church?

It's certainly made us busy. It's been amazing.

One of the things that's happened is that before we make the movies and while we're making them, we're very intentional about our prayer and our unity on set.

Do you worry that the focus of your church will shift away from the Great Commission?

We see the movies as part of trying to fulfill our role in the Great Commission

We are unashamed about what we believe. We're very open about presenting the Gospel. We don't want anyone to walk away from the movies wondering what we believe.

We know of thousands of people who have come to know Christ through these movies.

How does your church minister outside its four walls?

For about 12 years, we've been feeding homeless people every week. As a result of that, we probably have about a dozen homeless men in our church on any given Sunday.

It's real easy to stand in the pulpit and talk about how the world is so bad. But until we put light in the darkness, complaining about it isn't going to do any good.

You say your favorite biblical character is Joshua. Why is that?

I think as a leader, Joshua followed one of these greatest leaders in all of human history. You have a young man who was content to be second in command for most of his life, and then he assumes command.

For me, Joshua pictures what a man is supposed to do as the leader of his home. He's not a dictator, but he leads his household in how they're going to live.

Why is that so hard for us today?

I think church discipline is an issue. I think accountability is almost lost in the American church.

I think the fear of man is a real problem in the Church today. Many of us see this with pastors, with leaders, with deacons who are afraid to stand out.

You can't blend in. There is a difference between the life of the Church and someone who is just playing with religion.

Pastor's Circle - Darryl Starnes

Darryl Starnes serves as a bishop for the AME Zion Church. He appeared on The Matt Friedeman Show to address the issue of accountability. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview.

Why is it so hard for us as American Christians to get accountability in our lives?

I think you're right that our culture privacy has risen to almost a godlike status. And because of that, we feel we have the right to keep things to ourselves.

But that is not the Christian perspective. When we surrender our lives to Christ, we become part of a community. We have a responsibility not only to ourselves, but also to those to whom we are attached.

How can we get that kind of accountability??

I think that we must be intentional about asking God to bring into our lives people who genuinely love him, and people who genuinely love us.

Love that speaks the truth and love that is willing to hear the truth. You have to ask God to bring that person into your life.

How hard is it for you, as a bishop, to find someone like that?

I don't think it starts when you're a bishop. It has to start early in the Christian life.

In my college years, God brought into my life some people who are to this day holding me accountable.

You must have that before you get to all these positions. Because they're not talking to the bishop; they're talking to Darryl.

Sometimes the accountability has to be on different levels. It's all about being vulnerable.

What happens spiritually if we don't have accountability?

Much of our healing comes through this intimacy with another Christian brother or sister.

If we don't have that, we don't get healed from many things in our lives. We don't experience victory in many areas of our lives.

What kind of person do you want to hold you accountable?

That's hard, because people present what they want us to see. They show a side of themselves that may look good at face value, and you're going to have to depend on your discernment.

Once the Lord brings someone into your life, you have to trust him to guide you to show you who that person is.

They should be a person of integrity. It doesn't have to be a person who's perfect, but it needs to be someone who is pursuing holiness.

It should be a person who cares more about what God thinks than what people thinks.

Pastor's Circle - Bill Ury

Dr. Bill Ury is Professor of Systematic Theology at Wesley Biblical Seminary and hosts the Hour of Holiness on AFR on Sunday mornings. He joined the Pastor's Circle to discuss the story of Hosea. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview.

How should we be thinking on a deeper level about the Personhood Initiative?

I guess the one thing I've noticed in the church people I've talked to is that we don't want to be confused. We want to be compassionate.

On this issue, Mississippi needs to lead the way in saying that look, we do care. But we have an unshakable belief in the personhood of an unborn child.

What has been the historical position of the Church on this issue?

Until recent generations, there was no possibility of being able to abort like we do, with science covering the horror of what's going on.

But theologically, there's never been anyone who played with the personhood of the child. Once you move away from that, all kinds of issues arise.

All through Church history,this has been the undeniable idea.

Why are pastors shy about this issue?

I hope it's not because of money. I hope it's not because of fear of being called a "Neanderthal."

It's a hard deal. But I know that anybody who speaks the Word of God in public and who allows a barrier to be laid between the baby in the womb and personhood is responsible to God.

The need for pastors to be a moral force in the world has to be met. If the Holy Spirit is able to change a human life, then we can come back to what is right and true and good.

We are advocating a moral truth in the world, and that means that we have to step up to the plate.

Why is the Left so scared about 26 in Mississippi tomorrow?

I think that should tell us what's going on. Anytime you have evil challenged, you have an uproar of outrage.

These are all huge issues, and the Devil doesn't want us to have the victory.

We have to keep speaking the truth in love.

The lie of our culture is that we can separate the living breathing baby and the one in the womb. We have to go back and ask ourselves where the human being begins to be.

Before Jesus did anything in Israel, God said about him, "This is my Son, in whom I am well pleased."

I think that's what God says about every single embryonic being. This is my creation, in whom I am well pleased.

Pastor's Circle - Todd Hudnall

Todd Hudnall is the pastor of Radiant Church in Colorado Springs, CO. He joined the Pastor's Circle to discuss the revitalization of the Church. Here are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview.

What does decline in a church look like?

The thing that strikes  me is it seems churches lose what they're there for. They forget what their purpose is. They forget they're there to fulfill the Great Commission, to make disciples.

Because of that, they lose their fire and their passion because they're not focused on what God wants them to be focused on.

We tend to think more about what we can get out of church, so it becomes a consumer thing. We come to consume, rather than to let God consume us.

When a pastor is going into a church, what needs to happen to revitalize it?

It's not an easy process. And ther'es far more failures than sucesses when a pastor tries to do that.

One of the first things that needs to happen is spiritual renewal in the hearts of the people.

You've got to get people praying. You've got to make them understand the urgency of their need to change.

What other changes need to take place?

I think part of it is understanding what their purpose is, get their eyes focused that way, help them understand the need of the community and the nation, and turn them to repentance. 

But I think alongside that, there needs to be a group of people who catch the vision for this and it begins to spread. 

It starts small initially, but over time, like a snowball, it begins to grow.

What's your advice to laypeople who want their church to take off?

Of course, this is going to sound like a platitude, but it's truly not. That is prayer.

You look in the Bible, and you see what can happen when you pray. And so often in the Bible, what happens is that God sends someone.

I do believe in the efficacy of prayer.

What does that kind of prayer look like?

I think it looks like desperation. It looks like a guy being pushed underwater and trying not to drown.

And unless you have that desperation, it's hard to truly understand prayer.

Pastor's Circle - Daniel Ketchum

In today's Pastor's Circle: Daniel Ketchum, Director of Nazarene Missions International. Dr. Ketchum talked about how God is working locally and internationally.

How is mission giving during this recession?

Most churches are still very committed to give beyond themselves, beyond their own communities and states and counties.

We're seeing mission giving fairly stable; there have been some reductions in various denominations.

Different denominations are experiencing different outcomes. But God is not troubled at all. He is still in control.

What can I do, as a pastor, to excite my congregation about missions?

There are several things.

First, to share stories as much as possible.

Second, to pray for missionaries as much as possible.

Third, to show video clips. This is great for Sunday morning services.

Fourth, to invite missionaries to come in and speak. This is a great way to excite people about God's work.

And lastly, to create partnerships with missionaries beyond shorter trips.

Is there enough money to send the younger generation to send them overseas?

I believe that the denominations will continue to give adequately to be able to continue God's work overseas.

It's not only essential, but we're going to see the sustaining of prayer support and financial support that needs to happen.

Pastor's Circle - Rurel Ausley

 Rurel Ausley, Lead Pastor of Niceville United Methodist Church, joined the Pastor's Circle to talk about becoming radical followers of Christ. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview.

On Sunday at our church we ask our people to spend half as much as you spend on Christmas on missions this year. Thanks for letting me steal an idea!

Well thanks, but I got that idea from someone else as well.  It is a pretty radical idea though.   

We started it here in the teeth of this recession, we figured if we were hurting our missionaries were likely hurting as well.   

It has been a great way to challenge our people to give.

Your church has been reading Radical, by David Platt.  Tell us about it.

We normally don't do this where the whole church studies the same book, but this was a different situation.   

I had read the book and felt that this is what we should do.  We are combining this church-wide reading of the book with an 8-week sermon series.

What are the key points of the book for those who haven't read it yet?

The author calls for a radical experiment.  You must commit to pray for the entire world; commit to read the Bible in a year; minister in another context.   

He pushes everyone to join a small group for disciple growing.  For me it's just basic Christianity.

Shouldn't this emphasis be local as well as it is global?  There are some serious situations in our own communities.

He does make that point.  He states that most of our lives are spent in "our Jerusalem".   

In the book he challenged us to spend just 2% per year in another country.  That's just one week.   

The problem is with most of us is that we aren't going anywhere for Jesus.  It always starts locally, but it shouldn't end there.

For some of us just being involved locally is pretty radical.  I would say 98% of churches don't even do that.

I think that is why so many churches are stagnated or dying.  Compassionate ministries are typically ignored.   

However, when the church is out in the community it gives the gospel a hearing.

What happens in your people once they get out there in the community?

It is really benefits both sides.  You don't want nothing to happen in people who are serving.  I love to see what happens in the fellowship that occurs between our people as they serve in the community. 

Why is it so hard for 98% of churches to get this idea?

If we could get the answer to that we could write a best-selling book.   

I think a big part is that we have become so comfortable, so stagnant in our churches.  As Americans we are now more interested in our own comfort, and what makes us happy.   

People are largely biblical illiterate because they don't read the Bible and thus we don't know what it means to follow Jesus.