Radical Character

Radicalis

—Becoming radical believers by deepening our roots

Radical Character—What Stems from Deep Roots

Radicalis is an old Latin word, which means "from the root." It's where we get the word "radical" from, which doesn't mean what we typically think. It's not about being "extreme" or "far out"; it's about going to the root, reconnecting with basic, fundamental principles—it's about being rooted.

The reason we misuse the word "radical" so often is that people with strong convictions who are firmly rooted in fundamental ways seem so different from the rest of society that they're the ones who seem out of step or extreme when, in reality, they are rooted. They are radical.

The world isn't rooted. The world isn't anchored. It drifts on the currents of the latest craze. It has come to the point where the world values people with no values and tolerates everyone except those who stand for something.

Our society is constantly shifting. It's like a weather vane—pointing whichever way the wind blows. Those who have faith in Christ, however, should be like a compass, always pointing towards the north, never deviating from the truth. (Even in a wind storm a compass points north.) No matter where we go, we believers have a solid reference point that keeps us connected to the way, the truth, and the life.

With the world going the way it is, we need radical Christianity now more than ever—believers firmly rooted in the truths of the gospel and unwavering in their commitment to live as Christ lived. We need radical believers—believers connected to the root.

In the first century, Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus: "I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love." (3:17, NLT)

Today, in the 21^st century, we still need those kind of believers—believers with roots that go down deep into God's love; who from those roots draw up God's life, grace and spiritual nourishment for their souls.

If the roots of our faith tap deep into God's love and power, it will make a difference in the way we live. Our lives cannot help but be affected by God's life flowing through us.

• Deep roots mean deep changes.
• Deep roots mean better fruit—radical fruit.

"Radical" fruit is fruit from the roots—that is, fruit made possible by roots that provide rich nutrients, life-giving water, and a solid place to grow. So today, we are talking about some of the fruit that comes from a life that is rooted in God's love.

We're talking about radical character—what stems from deep roots; what changes when the life of the Spirit flows through our veins.

I'd like to start by reading something Jesus told his disciples:

¹⁵ "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. ¹⁶ By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Likewise every good <agathós: good> tree bears good <kalós: beautiful, good> fruit, but a bad <saprós: rotten, worthless> tree bears bad <ponērós: toilsome, bad> fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. (Matt 7:15-20)

Jesus identifies two simple measures of a person's identity—who he really is: (1) what he is on the inside and (2) what he does on the outside.

1. Check what you are on the inside. Character is what we are on the inside—but it affects what we do on the outside.

A tree that is good deep inside, Jesus said, cannot help but produce good fruit on the outside. A tree that is bad on the inside, he said, cannot possibly produce good fruit on the outside.

So in talking about radical (Christian) character, we're talking about character connected to deep roots. We're talking about an inner, spiritual life that draws its strength from the character of Jesus.

⁶ And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to live in obedience to him. ⁷ Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all he has done. (Col 2:6-7, NLT)

You might ask: But what about people who pretend to be something they're not? What about those who fake it? Their fruit looks good enough, but deep down, they're rotten at the core. What about them?

That's a great question! In fact, Jesus warns us to be on guard against those kind of people—those who look one way on the outside but on the inside are something else. They come to you in sheep's clothing, he said, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. (v 15)

If what someone does on the outside is one measure of who they really are, then we'd better be sure to...

2. Check the fruit on the outside—if you really want to know the character of a person.

Appearances can be deceiving. At first glance, there are some people who appear to be harmless sheep, people who appear to be part of the flock, people appear to follow the Good Shepherd. But Jesus said to watch out because some who appear on the outside to be sheep are deep down, in reality, wolves.

So we need to test the fruit.

Did you ever pick up a big, beautiful, red apple and bite into it, only to discover the inside was all rotten and mealy? It wasn't juicy and sweet like you thought it was going to be. Appearances can be deceiving.

We need to test the fruit.

It was a hot, lazy summer afternoon one day back when I was in college. I walked into kitchen of our apartment and my roommate was sitting there with a friend drinking tall glasses of apple juice. He said, "Would you like a glass?" I was thirsty and the juice looked very refreshing, so I said, "That'd be great." So he went to the refrigerator and came back with a tall glass of juice. I tipped the glass back and took a great big swig—and that's when I discovered I was the victim of a terrible deception. It looked like apple juice; it had the right color and texture; it was cool and liquid. But it wasn't apple juice! It was pickle juice. Appearances can be deceiving.

We need to test the fruit. We need to go further than first impressions. You can't judge a book by its cover, they say. In the end, you cannot get something good from a rotten source. If it's rotten at the core, then it's not going to produce anything but rottenness.

In the OT, the prophet Isaiah talked about those who have rotten roots, and how they have turned morals and values and truth upside down:

²⁰ Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! ... ²⁴ Therefore...their root will become like rot and their blossom blow away as dust; for they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah 5:20,24 (NASB)

One of the reasons Jesus was so bothered by the religious people in his day was that they were pretending to be good when they were not. They had become hypocrites—hiding their true nature underneath a façade of religious behavior.

The word "hypocrite" comes from the Greek hypocrites, "a stage actor, a pretender."

[pic] [Masks] In Greek theater, the actors—pretending to be something they were not—would hold large masks up in front of their faces. You couldn't see the real person beneath because of the mask he wore.

Jesus said, "You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are still filthy—full of greed and wickedness!" (Luke 11:39, NLT)

This is why we need to check the fruit carefully. Back in Matthew where we read about good and bad trees and good and bad fruit, Jesus makes an alarming prediction.

²¹ Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² Many will say to me on that day, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?" 23 Then I will tell them plainly, "I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!" (Matt 7:21-23)

Now, if we see someone prophesying or casting out demons or performing miracles, we look at the works and say, "What a mighty man of God! What an anointed woman of God."

But Jesus warns us that we have to go deeper than the surface evidence. Appearances can be deceiving. So we had better check the fruit carefully...especially our own fruit! Appearances can be deceiving, so we don't want to deceive ourselves.

3. Check your own fruit very carefully—look deep inside to discover your real character—what you're really made of.

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? (2 Cor 13:5)

Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else. (Gal 6:4)

Is your character radical—roots tapped into Jesus? Is the fruit on the outside consistent with what you see on the inside? There are several ways you can test yourself.

a) Test by reflex. What do you do by automatic reflex—when you don't stop to think about your actions?

You could say, what do you do by instinct? How do you act when you react—without thinking?

Animal migrations are amazing—how do they know where they are going? Salmon, for instance, return to the stream where they were spawned. They hatch and travel miles downstream and out into the ocean. Then several years later (depending on the species) they return to the place where they were spawned. Chinook and sockeye salmon from central Idaho, for example, travel over 900 miles and climb nearly 7,000 feet from the Pacific ocean as they return to spawn. No maps. No compass. No GPS. And considering the size of their tiny fish brains, I'd say no memory either. But instinct means they can't help themselves. They are mysteriously drawn back to the place they started.
In the same way, we are compelled to return to the place we were born—we instinctively return to the sinful human nature we were born with. We can't help ourselves! We continually display selfish, sinful characteristics.
That's what happens if we are born once. But if we are born again, there should be a new nature that gains the upper hand. The old instinct should lose its strength and control over us. Those who are born again should acquire a new instinct—a spiritual instinct that causes us to return to the place where we were born again to display the character of our new nature, the nature of Christ.

So what do you do by reflex? By instinct? Do you see the inner qualities and characteristics of a life rooted deep in Christ?

b) Test by stress. What happens when you go through a difficult, challenging time? What happens when you hit your thumb with a hammer? What happens when the kids spill shoe polish on your new carpeting?

The painful or stressful events of life can reveal what's inside.

When your car hits a lightning bug, he leaves a streak of light on your windshield. His little bug body is smashed and broken, but still he leaves behind what was inside him. He cannot help but leave evidence of what he was made of. His light is still displayed under pressure.

It's the same way with us. When we under pressure, we reveal what we're made of. We cannot help it. When the fruit is squeezed, what kind of juice comes out? What character do you have under stress?

c) Test by consistency. Does our fruit change depending on where we are, depending on whom we're with, or depending on the circumstances?

¹⁰ Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. ¹¹ Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? ¹² My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. (James 3:10-12)

Salty language will not come from a fresh water spring. If our language or our actions are up and down, depending on the circumstances, then we need to develop radical character—a life connected to deep roots in Christ!

If the life of Christ is our supply and source, then we should see more and more of his characteristics produced in our lives. We will become more and more consistent...

• In private—when no one is looking. We should have peace, calm, trust, confidence, strength, self-assurance, joy, self-control.
• In our relationships—in our marriages, with our family, with co-workers on the job. We should be patient, kind, gentle, loyal (faithful), loving, supportive, forgiving, persevering.
• In public—in our community and church. We should show goodness, brotherly love, compassion, generosity as we serve and encourage others.

If "fruit" is what comes out of our lives in ministry and service, "roots" are the inner spiritual source for that fruit. We need deep roots to experience deep change, to develop the characteristics of a godly life. Roots deep in God's love, will produce fruit that tastes like God's love.

Galatians 5:22-23; 2 Peter 1:5-9