Day 20
1. As you think about the possibility of spending time in a foreign country to represent Christ among people who don’t know him, are you more apprehensive or more excited? Why?
2. If you’re prepared to accept the fourth part of the Radical Experiment…how could you begin to decide what part of the world you will travel to?
Day 19
1. For you, what would it mean to move from just giving away your excess to giving away what hurts—in other words, making a real financial sacrifice?
2. If you’re prepared to accept the third part of the Radical Experiment…what will your next financial gift be and to whom will you give it?
Day 18
1. What’s your current Bible reading practice? How is it working for you?
2. If you’re prepared to accept the second part of the Radical Experiment…how (if at all) will you change your habits to start reading the entire Word?
Day 17
1. In the past, what has been your experience with praying for nations or people groups around the world?
2. If you’re prepared to accept the first part of the Radical Experiment…what approach will you take to start praying for the whole world?
Day 16
1. According to Platt, believing that the world is not your home is the key to taking back your faith from the American dream. Would you say that you really believe, deep in your soul, that this world is not your home? If not, what might it take for you to move toward that kind of belief?
2. For you, what is the most wonderful part of the truth that God himself is your greatest reward?
Chapter 9. The Radical Experiment: One Year to a Life Turned Upside Down
“I dare you over the next year to (1) pray for the entire world; (2) read through the entire Word; (3) sacrifice your money for a specific purpose; (4) spend your time in another context; (5) commit your life to a multiplying community. I believe—no, I know—that if you stick to these challenges for a whole year, you will find yourself coming alive like never before. You will know the incomparable thrill of being a part of what God is up to where you live and around the world. You will be ready to shed forever the unworthy parts of the American dream and hold on to the beautiful and lasting dream that God has designed for you.”
Day 15
1. Do you find it easy or hard to believe that Jesus would call us to go to danger, and maybe even to death, for his sake? Why?
2. Think back over your Christian life. Have you ever been betrayed, hated, or persecuted for following Christ? If so, how? If not, why do you think that is?
Day 14
1. On a scale of from 1 to 10, how much of a sense of urgency do you feel inside right now about bringing the gospel to those who don’t know Christ? If your number is less than 10, why is it not higher?
2. If you want to play a bigger role in taking the gospel to unreached people, where could you start?
Chapter 8. Living When Dying Is Gain: The Risks and Reward of the Radical Life
“This is the great reward of the gospel: God himself. When we risk our lives to run after Christ, we discover the safety that is found only in his sovereignty, the security that is found only in his love, and the satisfaction that is found only in his presence. This is the eternally great reward, and we would be foolish to settle for anything less.”
Day 13
1. Platt says that most Christians lean toward being either intellectual universalists or practical universalists. An intellectual universalist believes that religion is a matter of preference and that religions are fundamentally the same. A practical univeralist, while claiming that Christ is necessary for salvation, lives as if people around him or her will be okay in the end without Christ. Which way do you lean?
2. How do you feel about the biblical argument Platt outlines in chapter 7 for the idea that people who never hear of Jesus are destined for hell after death? What doubts or questions on this subject (if any) remain in your mind?
Day 12
1. How do you feel about the idea of setting a cap on your lifestyle? What might that cap look like for you and your family?
2. In your own war against materialism, what battles are you fighting right now? How is it going? What is your strategy for victory?
Chapter 7. There Is No Plan B: Why Going Is Urgent, Not Optional
“All people know God, and all people reject God. All people are guilty before God, and all people are condemned for rejecting God. God has made a way of salvation for the lost, and people cannot come to God apart from faith in Christ. As a result, Christ commands the church to make the gospel known to all peoples. If this is true, then the implications for our lives are huge. If more than a billion people today are headed to a Christless eternity and have not even heard the gospel, then we don’t have time to waste our lives on an American dream.”
Day 11
1. Would you say that materialism has been a blind spot for you—something whose spiritual danger you have not adequately recognized? Why or why not?
2. If Jesus were to give you the same command he gave to the rich young ruler in Scripture—namely that you are to sell everything and follow him—could you do it? Why or why not?