Radical Renewal

Radical Renewal—Reviving the Roots

What does the word "radical" mean to you? Most assume it means "extreme," "far out," or "fanatical."
But the word "radical" comes from a Latin word, "radicalis," which actually means "from the root."

In botany, radical means "of or arising from the root or the base of the stem."
If you talk about radical surgery, you're talking about "cutting out the root of the disease."
In math, radical pertains to "a root [number]."
And in grammar, radical pertains "to a root [word]."

So radical primarily means "of or going to the root or origin; fundamental." If we say "a radical difference," we mean it's a fundamental difference.

Some also use the term as a political label, referring to someone "who holds or follows strong convictions or extreme principles...a person who advocates fundamental reforms by direct and often uncompromising methods."
So if someone is a radical, he wants to shake society down to its roots.

Of all the radical ideas out there, more than any other, the world needs to see radical Christianity.
The world needs radical Christians—those radically different from the world by being firmly rooted in God. Radical Christians resolve to hold firm when others have no place to stand, no solid ground, no fixed foundation. In a world that is spiritually and morally adrift, Christians need to be anchored.

Radical believers are rooted believers—they put their roots down deep into Christ.
They stand firm in a rootless society, rooted in God's Word and his love.
They tap the life of God for their strong convictions and draw on his strength, empowered to make fundamental change.

We need to be radical believers—rooted and grounded in Christ! Radicalis means drawing up God's dynamic and supernatural life from the roots of our faith.
Only when our roots are healthy will our fruit will be good—productive, effective, abundant.

Jesus said, "Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5, NLT)

If this is true, why do we try to do so many things on our own? Why do we try to produce fruit apart from that firm connection to deep roots in Christ?

Radicalis, then, means staying firmly attached to the vine, connected to the root, vitally connected to the life of Christ. Only a deep connection to God's love and grace will produce the fruit and help so desperately needed by an uprooted world.

To be a true radical believer, we first must recognize our need to be rooted and grounded in the faith.
That's what radicalis is about for believers—returning to the basics, going deep to the roots of an uncompromising, total commitment to God.

Radicalis means sacrificial service for God. Taking up a cross or laying down your life is a radical thing to do. To be radical for Christ, we must hold strong convictions and remain unwavering in our dedication to him.

Radicalis points the way to change! To achieve radical change in our lives, we need to go back to the basics of our faith, rooted in Christ by returning to a place of absolute surrender—willing to change, allowing him to be Lord, following him completely.

Only then will we progress on this journey of becoming more like Christ, growing in his nature—unconditional love, forgiveness, grace, and relentless compassion. Only with deep roots can we hope to experience authentic Christianity.

In any major task or objective, the way forward often begins by stepping back. You may have to regroup before you press forward. To push ahead, you sometimes must start by pulling back. To mount an attack, we may first need to retreat.

This past week I was on a road trip to Iowa City, Iowa. While returning home, I got distracted by our conversation in the car and missed the turn off 380 to 218 North. Now, I was making good progress, mind you—it was just progress in the wrong direction! And I'm not sure you can call that progress. I was making good time too—but I was going 60 mph the wrong way! There was nothing to do except get off the freeway, make a quick turn around in Cedar Falls, Iowa (they have a beautiful little Main Street there, by the way), and turn back the way I had come. Before I could move forward, I had to turn back.

We often talk about the need to take the next step on our spiritual journey with Christ. And usually we're thinking that this means moving in the same general direction. But some of you may need to step back first before you can continue on the right way! You've been chasing the wrong things. You've frivolously been spending your time and energy and money on unimportant matters. And you need to stop all that so you can start over.

Being radical, therefore, does not mean being extreme or pushing it to the limits! Being radical means getting back to basics, going to the core of what really matters.

It would be a radical thing for you to return to your roots before you try to push ahead. It would be radical to dig deeper and grow closer to Jesus instead of simply trying to serve Jesus. It would be radical for you to stop doing good stuff so you could start being like Jesus. Someone has said, "You're a human being first before you can be a human doing."

Unless you're connected in a vital relationship with Christ, the good works you do are nothing but imitation fruit: like plastic fruit on display in a centerpiece—it looks nice, but it can't satisfy your hunger. Good works manufactured outside of a life rooted in Christ are like little kids playing house with pretend food. It's not real. It has no nutritional value.

It's easy to "play" the game—to act as though we're following Christ; to act as though we're doing God's will. The Bible says there will be people in the last days who "will act as if they serve God but [they] will not have his power." (2 Tim 3:5, NCV)—"having a form of godliness but denying its power" (NIV).

Radicalis has more to do with our hearts and our relationship with God through Jesus than it has to do with our good works, our church programs, or our religious studies and learning. Radicalis is about a root connection—a deep relationship—with the One who alone can give us life.

Eph 3:17 (NLT) - "And 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."

Over the next few weeks we're going to look at the difference—the radical difference—we can expect in our lives and ministries if we nurture our spiritual roots. As we start a new year, it can be a good time to evaluate how we're doing with our roots.

We're going to consider several matters concerning our roots—radical faith—our basic, fundamental Christian life in Christ. We're going to talk about steps to growing healthy roots—a stronger inner life. We'll see how strong roots help us survive dry seasons. We'll discuss the kind of fruit we can expect when we have healthy roots.

Today, though, I want to wrap this up with a quick look at a story Jesus told.

Luke 13:6-9
⁶ ...A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. ⁷ So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, "For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?" ⁸ "Sir," the man replied, "leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. ⁹ If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down."

Jesus taught many of his most important lessons in story form—in parables. So obviously, this is not just a story about a man who owned a fig tree. It has a deeper meaning. It is a word picture of a spiritual truth.

Many Bible scholars and commentators will tell you that the lesson of this story was directed to the Jewish people. Their religion was "unfruitful" because they rejected God's plan of salvation through Jesus, so this story was a warning to them.

Maybe they're right, but I think there's more to it than that. This story speaks personally to me because it addresses issues that I deal with as a believer. And I'm betting that you can see yourself in this story as well.
Jesus teaches us several things here in this story:

We are planted in God's vineyard. A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard.

We were growing in the "wild"—out in the world. But God "uproots" us from the world and "transplants" us in his vineyard.

We must remember that God's grace and provision give us life. We're planted in his vineyard, receiving his nourishment, drinking everlasting water, strengthened by his Spirit.

He expects us to produce fruit. He went to look for fruit on it.

We don't expect much from those who grow in the "wild." They can't produce spiritual fruit. But for those who receive God's blessings and resources, there should be something to show for it. His life in us—if it's real—must lead to his results in us.

Why should it use up the soil? "It's taking up space we can use for something else" (NLT). In other words, if you're not producing fruit, then you're wasting God's resources.

John the Baptist said, "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance" (Luke 3:8); "Prove by the way you live that you have really turned from your sins and turned to God" (NLT).

His patience has limits. For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit... Cut it down!

God cuts us some slack. He gives us room to develop and grow. He allows us to heal and recover from our time in the "wild." But God expects eventually that we will mature enough so we can contribute to his kingdom.

There is a reason for us to be here! We are blessed to be a blessing. And if we lock into a self-centered existence that never reaches out to others, if we receive from him but never give to others, then God is going to hold us accountable.

A lack of fruit suggests poor roots [or, good fruit comes from healthy roots]. I'll dig around it and fertilize it.

What can change an unproductive Christian into a fruitful one? Manure! That's what the original word in the Greek was: manure. KJV: "I shall dig about it and dung it." The modern translations have sanitized it, I suppose because so many live in the city. They may understand the concept of chemical fertilizer, but they overlook the value of manure.

This could be a whole different sermon: "How a crappy experience can strengthen your spiritual roots."

God allows certain things in our lives to make us more productive. If there is no fruit in our lives, God doesn't focus on developing fruit; he looks at the roots. He doesn't prop up our branches or shelter us in some hot house; he starts messing with us, digging down deep into our lives. He doesn't just drench us with warm sunshine and refreshing water; he covers our roots with manure.

We need revival from the roots! Radical renewal! Be sure to be here next week when we talk about the radical character that stems from roots that are revived and go deeper into Christ.