Let’s Be Radical Christians

Today in my prayer time, I had a crazy-radical thought.

I was lamenting to God about the state of the world today. It’s so screwed up beyond belief and I am terrified at what I see happening in our country and around the globe. ISIS is bad enough; but when the president of one of the largest Christian universities encourages violence and bigotry, something is crazy wrong.

And worse, we’re playing right into the hands of ISIS, who seem to be intent on starting World War III.

I call myself a Jesus-freak. A totally sold-out, mad-in-love-with-Jesus kind of freak. And I started thinking: what if I got really, really radical about my faith when it comes to ISIS?

What if, while my brethren are over there shouting, “Kill the Muslims! Ban the refugees! Buy a gun!”, what if — and this is really weird — I prayed?

Like, for ISIS?

Then I got even more insane. Seriously. Aliens must have come down and zapped my tin foil hat or something because I started thinking: what would happen if pastors and Christian thought leaders all over the world stopped arguing and yelling for a minute and PRAYED? Every morning and every evening, all at the same time, and then radomly throughout the day?

What if we flooded the world with our prayers for peace, for love, that ISIS would be healed of the horrible violence that is in their hearts?

What if we radically committed, and all. What if we all commit to do this, at the same time. Every day. To pray for ISIS.

I wonder if we would feel the air vibrate with our millions of prayers? Would the angels leap into action? Gabriel, Michael, and their minions? Would we feel the flutter of their massive wings as God of the Angel Armies commanded them to move?

And here’s the thing: I am not talking about prayers like, “Dear God, please blow ISIS to bits.” I’m not talking about an Old Testament kind of prayer.

I’m talking about a New Testament, Jesus kind of prayer.

I’m saying let’s get super-duper radical here. Let’s pray for their souls. Let’s pray for their healing. Let’s pray for their hearts and minds. Let’s pray for multitudes of God’s blessings to fall down on their heads when they turn away from the evil they are perpetrating and toward the God who — believe it or not — loves them just as much as he loves me, you, and your little three-year-old Joey-boo.

Radical, right? Almost a little sickening? To know that Jesus loves ISIS as much as he loves you? Died for them too? That whole cross and resurrection thing? Yep — there for ISIS to accept any time they want. This Jesus-grace stuff is a messy affair, and it spills over onto all the people you just love to hate.

Does that make you want to throw up a little? Make you angry? Am I going to receive death threats now?

But see, that’s how radical Jesus is. Talk to Him about it if you have a problem.

So I’m going to commit to praying every day, morning and night, that God will change the hearts of ISIS. I’m going to pray that He will turn their hearts toward Him, that they will recognize the evil of their ways, and that their hearts and minds will be healed of the violence and destruction that lives in them now.

I will pray that their efforts to destroy life and peace will be dismantled through mini- and macro-miracles, that every attempt they make in evil be thwarted.

I kind of like that: macro-miracles. If we are Christians, after all, isn’t our God big enough for a world-wide, totally crazy, couldn’t-be-anything-but-God kind of miracle?

I mean, I want to see the news anchors’ jaws drop.

While the rest of the world argues on Facebook, while some leaders encourage guns and violence, accepting the invitation to war that ISIS is dangling infront of them like a carrot-shaped AK-47, I’m going to pray.

It’s going into my phone this morning as a reminder.

If you’d like to join me in getting radical, I invite you to join my mailing list. I don’t actually have a mailing list for this blog, so you don’t have to worry about spam or anything. I’ll just send you a reminder to pray each morning, and maybe a note or something. I dunno.

This is pretty spur of the moment. It’s something God mentioned I might want to try in my chat with Him this morning, and I’m saying yes. I know He’s got the whole thing mapped out, but I’m just kind of making it up as I go along.

But for this to really work, we need LEADERS to spread the word. So show this post to your pastor, share it on social media, tell your friends. This will have to go viral, otherwise it’ll just be me over here, with my thoughts, and my prayers. But this could be so much bigger than just me.

But that means you.

I’m up for a miracle in 2016, and I think if ISIS just kind of faded into a dismantled, ineffective shell the world could begin it’s miraculous healing.

So. Wanna get radical with me? Sign up here, and I’ll send you my morning thoughts.

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