Radical Praying And Preaching

Rad-i-cal: Of or relating to the origin or root. New and different from what is traditional or ordinary. Of change or action, relating to or affecting the fundamental nature of something; far-reaching or thorough. Gone are the days when men walked into church and shook under the convicting power of God's presence. Instead, our dull, dry-eyed preaching tends to comfort the sinner and condone his sin. We need a return to the original New Testament type of praying and preaching. The early Church moved heaven and earth by their prayers; they changed hearts by their preaching. Peter's message on the day of Pentecost pierced his listeners to the heart. This word "pierced" is the same used when the soldier drove his spear into the side of Jesus, on the cross. Following the day of Pentecost, the disciples prayed for confidence and the place where they were gathered was shaken. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God boldly. If you want to find out how, then read RADICAL.

Are you ready to pray a radical prayer?A prayer that will revolutionize your life and leave you amazed at the results?A prayer that God will answer with a definite yes?Discover in these pages the incredibly powerful prayer that enables God to change the world¿through you.

New York Times bestseller What is Jesus worth to you? It's easy for American Christians to forget how Jesus said his followers would actually live, what their new lifestyle would actually look like. They would, he said, leave behind security, money, convenience, even family for him. They would abandon everything for the gospel. They would take up their crosses daily... But who do you know who lives like that? Do you? In Radical, David Platt challenges you to consider with an open heart how we have manipulated the gospel to fit our cultural preferences. He shows what Jesus actually said about being his disciple--then invites you to believe and obey what you have heard. And he tells the dramatic story of what is happening as a "successful" suburban church decides to get serious about the gospel according to Jesus. Finally, he urges you to join in The Radical Experiment -- a one-year journey in authentic discipleship that will transform how you live in a world that desperately needs the Good News Jesus came to bring.

What if we prayed how Jesus taught us to? Many of us pray with little heart. We mutter the usual and leave with little expectation. But is this how Jesus taught us to pray? The Lord’s Prayer is a prayer according to God’s will, a prayer that beckons heaven to crash into earth. Tied to the sure promises of God, it compels us to seek—and expect—His glory in every sphere. When one prays consistently, persistently, and boldly for the hallowing of God’s holy name, big things happen. Radical Prayer gives us a glimpse of the transformative and explosive power of praying in God’s will, a power that takes place internally and manifests externally. Whether your prayer life is strong or in shambles, Radical Prayer will compel you to a life of bold, persistent, transformative, and expectant prayer.

Traditional preaching, along with the mainline churches in which it has been most prevalent over the years, is losing its appeal for growing numbers of people who are caught up in the dangers and confusion of our fragmented world. Many are hungering for a more powerful and challenging message rooted in Jesus' Life and teachings, seeking clues about how to live faithfully amid the destructive social and personal pressures created by our nation's exploitation of its position of global dominance. The sermons in this volume emerge from the conversion story of a Southern white, Presbyterian pastor who was transformed by the civil rights struggle and who has chosen to live on the boundary between mainstream and marginalized people. Rooted in an understanding that Jesus' gospel message is subversive of many of the dominant values and practices of our culture and our world today, they are intended to be "disturbing" sermons. But they disturb for the sake of healing and hope, always pointing to Jesus' good news of the liberating possibility of beloved community, inclusive of us all. "Z Holler's collection of sermons, Jesus Radical Message, are exegetical models, faithful to their texts, but highly disturbing. He has taken familiar stories of Jesus and let them speak to modern readers as they spoke to the disciples of old, threatening their prejudices and challenging their deepest commitments. They grow out of Holler's own experience-as all good sermons should do-are well-written, and to the point."---Charles Consar Columbia Theological Seminary "I share with my friend and elder Z Holler two deep convictions: that the gospels call us to radical discipleship, and that the Beloved Community Center of Greensboro is truly carrying on the work and witness of Martin Luther King. Z's journey of following Jesus and standing in solidarity with the BCC is remarkable for a white southern preacher of his generation, reminiscent of Clarence Jordan and Will Campbell. His memoir and sermons testify to the wound of reacism, and to how gospel faith changes personal and political geographies."---Ched Myers Bartimaeus Cooperative Ministers "Having been associated with Z Holler on a daily basis for many years, I have been impressed by his interest in and compassion for those in our society for whom the social, legal, and economic systems were a burden instead of offering help and deliverance. He worked diligently to understand their life situations and to content those who controlled the systems. His vision of justice for all was always clear and his ability to articulate that vision is a challenge to any one of us who dare preach sermons based on the person and work of Jesus Christ."---William A. Stewart Minister in the Presbyteian Church (USA) "With a heart trained by scripture, Z Holler listens to the pain of the oppressed. Bearing the particular burden of white Southerners, he has painstakingly translated the pain of racial and class injustice into these sermons along with the dangerous memory of Jesus the Radical Messiah and Z's particular rendering of his demanding call to discipleship. Fresh and urgent, here is a wonderful gift to the discipleship movement-inspiration to engage the word in all times and places."---Revs. Murphy Davis and Eduard Loring Open Door Community, Atlanta, CA "Jesus was and is very radical as he proclaimed and gave witness to the in-breaking of God's Kingdom. Z Holler gives witness to the radical nature of Jesus' proclamation in these sermons with the aid of Scripture his own scholarship. For a taste and sample, read sermon number four, "Let us Go Across to the Other Side." You will want more. The sermons are deep and require reflection. Share reflection in a group or meditate on one each morning, You will be challenged and fed."---Rt. Rev. A. C. Marble, Jr. Bishop of Mississippi, retired, 1993-2003 Biship Assisting, Diocese of North Carolina, 2004 Z Holler, a retired Presbyterian pastor, is a co-founder of the Beloved Community Center in Greensboro, North Carolina. He served as co-chair for the Greensboro Truth and Community Reconciliation Project

Explore this stunning quality of God’s grace: It never ends! In this revision of a foundational work, John Piper reveals how grace is not only God’s undeserved gift to us in the past, but also God’s power to make good happen for us today, tomorrow, and forever. True life for the follower of Jesus really is a moment-by-moment trust that God is dependable and fulfills his promises. This is living by faith in future grace, which provides God's mercy, provision, and wisdom—everything we need—to accomplish his good plans for us. In Future Grace, chapter by chapter—one for each day of the month—Piper reveals how cherishing the promises of God helps break the power of persistent sin issues like anxiety, despondency, greed, lust, bitterness, impatience, pride, misplaced shame, and more. Ultimate joy, peace, and hope in life and death are found in a confident, continual awareness of the reality of future grace.

Radical Vessels is an invitation to look inside the box and then break out of it. It is a cry to come closer to the fire, not to be simply warmed but to burn for Jesus.