What does Platt mean by “the cost of nondiscipleship”? What is the cost for us (as opposed to non-Christians)?
The cost of nondiscipleship is that others are missing the gospel and are suffering because we are no giving everything to God. As an example, Platt uses a newspaper article with two headings. The fist talks about how Baptists just bought a 35 million dollar building, and the second, how baptists raised $5,000 for people starving in another country. Because we are no willing to sacrifice our pleasures, others are starving both physically and spiritually.
How does your reception of the Gospel and your hunger for God’s Word compare to what Platt describes?
I will admit that it is not as intense as what he describes. However, as of about a month ago, God opened my eyes to something I had not seen before and gave me an understanding that I can no longer live without. Even before this, I have valued truth for a long time. When Platt began describing how others apparently viewed the cross, I was hurt to see how little they think of it. They must forget who God is. They must forget that God stepped out of heaven and experienced mortality to save us. I am hungry, and while I have not developed the walk I wish I had, every time I read scripture, such Truth, no matter which part of the Bible, strikes a cord with me. I am not as devoted as I should.
How does the American Dream conflict with the message of the gospel?
The American Dream says you become who you want to be. Your destiny is in your own hands. The Gospel says that your future is in His hands, and you become what He wishes. However, with this understanding, we need not fear acceptance because we are God's people. If we are rejected, it is not our lives that is turned away, it is God's life that is turned away, but only if we submit as he has demanded.
Think of a way you’ve seen the American Dream played out in yourself, your desires, or in those around you.
God has blessed me with a highly active mind. For most of my life, and even to some extent today, I always planned on spending that as I wish. For example, becoming a video game designer, writer, psychologist, lawyer, engineer, or even something like a theoretical physicist. All of these are things I could see myself become, but I have not asked God if that is his will in my life.
Do you agree with what Platt says about the American church today? If yes, how have you experienced what he is talking about? If no, what has your experience been?
I have mixed feelings about this. I truly believe that it depends on the individual. I have seen any people who are not serious about God, especially in my generation. I go to a smaller church filled mostly with people who truly seek God, and talking about Scripture, Truth, and God are things we enjoy doing. We talk about personal experiences and all have been blessed by God beyond count. However, I went back to my old church in Texas this summer and attended a morning service on Sunday. I went to youth and found that most of them were checked out. The teacher would ask a question and I was the only one answering them. Also, we were talking about Jonah, which is alright, as long as it does not remain a Bible story. I felt like the youth did not care much about God or truth, and the material they were covering I had covered when I was eight. There was no growth in understanding or depth in conversation. The entire meet lacked so much compared to what I find within each by looking out of my window. However, then about a month later, I went to NAYC, and with 34,000 people (mainly youth) in one place worshiping God, I saw the move of God so strongly those three days, but what I saw more was a hunger and yearning in my generation for something to live for.
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