A Radical Journey: Common Questions

By Nick Braito

What’s this “Radical” thing that everyone’s talking about?
Starting Sunday, September 11, leaders in our church will begin preaching a 10-week series called “Radical,” in which we look again at Jesus’ teaching in the Bible regarding what it means to be His disciple. Along with that, we’re inviting many of our small groups to study these same passages in their weekly meetings. We’re also recommending that people read the book Radical by David Platt as a supplement to our study.

Why are you doing this?
As a church, we are committed to keeping Jesus and the Gospel central. In every culture, people face the temptation to mold their image of Jesus into one they feel comfortable with. We want to look afresh at Jesus’ teachings and seek to take Him at His Word—for both His great glory and our ultimate joy.

But, why study Radical? Aren’t we supposed to study the Bible?
We’re not studying Radical. We’re studying Scripture. Sermons will be based on Scripture. Each study guide lesson is based on Scripture. We’re recommending Radical as a supplement because we’ve appreciated the author’s insights into various passages and his challenge to believe and obey what Jesus taught.

What if my small group isn’t participating?
Not all groups are able to participate in this study. If that’s true of your group, for these ten weeks you might join an additional group that is participating, or you could work through the study guide and/or read Radical on your own or with your family.

Will just one person preach this series?
No. Brad, Dan, Nick, Ryan and Nat will all be teaching on different Sundays throughout this series.

What do you expect to happen as a result of this study?
We hope that as we reflect on Jesus’ teachings together and reconsider our lives in view of those teachings, that God will bring about change in us individually and as a church. To this end, please pray with us. At the end of both the book and study guide you’ll find mention of The Radical Experiment, a commitment that we’ll be encouraging people to consider undertaking for the upcoming year. We’ll talk more about this as our series concludes.