I just recenly found out about this brother and was encouraged and exhorted. Here is a 5:29 minute video of Platt as a way of introduction in case you want to see that first: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jy9umHzGMI
June 12, 2010 With a pew-rattling call for churches and Christians to give away wealth in the name of Jesus, the Rev. David Platt, senior pastor of the Church at Brook Hills, has hit the New York Times bestseller list. His first book, "Radical," was ranked No. 10 on the paperback advice list on May 28, the only religious book in the top 10. The book launches a head-on attack on "cheap grace," the idea that all Christians have to do is make a one-time decision or intellectual assent to Jesus for a "ticket to heaven," without having to worry about living out Christ's commands.
Platt, 31, is scheduled to speak on Monday at the Southern Baptist Pastors' Conference, giving the final sermon on the last night before the start of the annual Southern Baptist Convention in Orlando on Tuesday and Wednesday. Multnomah Books has ordered a sixth print run of "Radical," bringing the total number of books in print to more than 75,000 since its release May 4. The book sells for $14.99.
Platt advises Christians to live a radical life of devotion and sacrifice according to Christ's commands, as opposed to building up material possessions. He quotes Luke 9, Mark 10 and other passages in which Jesus asked his followers for radical abandonment, telling them to leave their jobs, families and all they had. Americans tend to interpret the Bible to make themselves comfortable, he said. That redefines Christianity, he writes in the book.
"We are giving in to the dangerous temptation to take the Jesus of the Bible and twist him into a version of Jesus we are more comfortable with. A nice, middle-class, American Jesus. A Jesus who doesn't mind materialism and who would never call us to give away everything we have."
Platt challenges theological assumptions about the crucifixion and God's view of sin, as well. He writes that "We are not saved from our sins because Jesus was falsely tried by Jewish and Roman officials and sentenced by Pilate to die. Neither are we saved because Roman persecutors thrust nails into the hands and feet of Christ and hung him on a cross. Do we really think that the false judgment of men heaped upon Christ would pay the debt for all of humankind's sin?" It has little to do with the Romans, and everything to do with God's wrath toward sin being poured out on Jesus for the world, he writes. While it's a common pulpit truism that "God hates sin but loves the sinner," Platt argues that God hates sinners. He knocks the simplification of the gospel message into a "sinner's prayer" that needs to be recited, saying it's "superstitious" and not biblical. A "shrink-wrapped presentation that persuades someone to say or pray the right things back to us no longer seems appropriate," Platt writes.
Platt's book grew out of the "Radical Experiment" he initiated at the Church at Brook Hills. He has encouraged church members to sacrifice resources, cut back on their lifestyles and consider selling their houses to become missionaries. "We're not in charge of our lives," Platt said. "The Lord is in charge of our lives. He can be trusted with that." Some have sold their homes and moved to poor neighborhoods where they can serve as inner-city missionaries. Others plan to move overseas to impoverished countries.
"We've got to change how we live," Platt said. "Why are we saving for potential need when we have so much dire need around the world?" He encouraged the church to take $500,000 out of its budget reserves and use it to sponsor children in India through Compassion International. Platt asked the church to cut $1.5 million in administrative costs from the 2010 budget of more than $8 million. The savings was added to the church's already large mission contribution.
Shortly after he became pastor he instituted a "Secret Church" on Friday nights with six hours of Bible study, modeled on the clandestine Bible studies held in places where Christianity is persecuted and believers meet secretly. The sessions are stripped of entertainment elements common in many worship services and often last until 1 a.m., with up to 3,000 in attendance. "They're hungry for the Word," Platt said.
The well-traveled Platt, who takes frequent trips to India, Indonesia and other impoverished countries, emphasizes giving as much as possible in time and money to feed the needy and share faith with them. American Christianity has taken a sharp turn toward embracing materialism, wealth and selfish motives, Platt said.
"We underline parts of the Bible that fit our lifestyle," he said. "God can become a genie who exists to cater to our every desire." The gospel is not about rewarding Christians with new cars, he said. "We don't come to Jesus to get more stuff in this world," Platt said. "That's not the gospel. The reward of the gospel is God. If I have nothing in this world but God, that's enough."
Platt has five college degrees, including a doctorate and two master's degrees from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and two bachelor's degrees from the University of Georgia. He was hired by the seminary as assistant professor of preaching and apologetics and dean of the chapel after he finished his doctorate. He was also working at Edgewater Baptist Church in New Orleans and living in a parsonage when Hurricane Katrina hit, flooding the parsonage. That sent him and his wife, Heather, packing back to the Atlanta area, where they both grew up.
Platt was invited to do a series of guest sermons at Brook Hills, impressing the congregation so much it voted to hire him as pastor in 2006 when he was only 27. Megachurch researcher John Vaughn, who coined the term megachurch for congregations with weekly attendance over 2,000, at the time called him the youngest pastor of a megachurch ever. The Church at Brook Hills draws attendance of more than 4,200 weekly at three Sunday services in its 2,100-seat theater-style sanctuary.
With a bestselling book, a keynote address at the Southern Baptist Pastors' Conference and a pastorate at one of the largest churches in the South, Platt feels some pressure. "I'm in over my head at every level," he said. "It is humbling, overwhelming." That doesn't curb his boldness. At times, he's even suggested the church should consider selling its multi-million-dollar campus and give the money away to the poor. "Everything's on the table," Platt said. "We have to ask how can we most effectively do what God wants us to do." _________________ Oracio
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