Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God

David Platt urged Christ-followers to jettison the American dream and opt for a life of service to the glory of God in his first book, Radical. His follow-up work, Radical Together takes his proposal one step further by challenging the Body of Christ to extend God's grace to the world. One central question drives the book: "How can we in the church best unleash the people of God in the Spirit of God with the Word of God for the glory of God in the world?"

Platt shows how six key ideas stoke the fire which results in a world ablaze with the glory of God. Included are some highlights from each chapter to prompt thought, discussion, and action:

1. One of the worst enemies of Christians can be good things in the church

"The last thing you and I want to do is waste our lives on religious activity that is devoid of spiritual productivity - being active in the church but not advancing the kingdom of God."
"We must be willing to sacrifice good things in the church in order to experience the great things of God."
"A church is a community of individuals who have lost their lives to follow Christ. Surely it flows from this that we would be willing to lose our programs and our preferences, to sacrifice our budgets and our buildings, to let go of our most cherished legacies and reputations if there is a better way to make his glory known in the world."

2. The gospel that saves us from work saves us to work

"True faith in Christ inevitably produces great work for Christ, not works fueled by the flesh in an attempt to earn our way to God, but works fueled by faith in a life that is abandoned to God."
"Yes, the gospel saves us to work, but we must be careful to plant every challenge, every declaration, every decision, every action, every question, every confession, and every exhortation solidly in the soil of gospel grace."
"Gospel-driven obedience produces gospel-filled joy."

3. The Word does the work

"In our lives and in the church, we are never without revelation from God. At all times you and I have his message to us in all its power, authority, clarity, and might."
"God has designed us to depend on his Word to lead his people in ways that are utterly disproportionate to who we are."
" ... Members of churches should desire and, in a sense, demand nothing less than continual feasts on God's Word in the church. This alone will satisfy, strengthen, and spread the church in the world."

4. Building the right church depends on using all the wrong people

"God has given every follower of Christ natural avenues to spread the gospel and declare his glory. Which means that the last thing leaders should do is pull people away from those avenues in order to participate in our activities."
" ... Church leaders are intended by God not to plan events but to equip people. Leaders do not exist to provide services; they exist to serve people."

5. We are living - and longing - for the end of the world

"[Jesus] made it clear that his followers are to make disciples among every people group in the world. The end of the age will not come when a certain number of people in one ethnic group come to Christ. The end of the age will come when people from every single ethnic group have come to Christ."
"Any Christian and any church desiring to obey the command of Christ in the world and longing to see the coming of Christ at the end of the world must possess a God-centered, gospel-driven tenacity that is ready to endure an intense spiritual battle."

6. We are selfless followers of a self-centered God

"Let's rise up together as selfless followers of a self-centered God, and let's live - and die - as though we believe our highest prize is his global praise."

Platt argues, "God has called us to lock arms with one another in single-minded, death-defying obedience to one objective: the declaration of his gospel for the demonstration of his glory to all nations." I'm always challenged when I read something by David Platt. Something tells me I'm not alone. But I'm confident that the author is not encouraged by platitudes and well received reviews. What Platt is after is action - action that begins and ends in the church.

4 stars

Last fall I shared some thoughts on David Platt's first book, Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream. In the book, Platt urges readers to consider the ways in which the gospel is at odds with a materialistic, narcissistic American way of life, and to commit to living `radical' lives for Christ.

He has since written a sequel called Radical Together: Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God. If you've read the first one (or if you've read John Piper's Let the Nations be Glad or Don't Waste Your Life, for that matter) it's likely that nothing in Radical Together will come as a surprise. Rather, Platt takes the themes from Radical and explores the implications for congregations rather than individuals. He seeks to show "how a right understanding of the church fuels radical obedience among Christians." Churches, he rightly argues, aren't meant to be consumer-oriented bubbles; instead, each Christian is to be equipped for the work of the church both locally and globally. This is an important affirmation of the historic Christian belief in the "priesthood of all believers," and a critique of what is too often the norm: inward facing churches, full of consumers of religious goods and services, administered by professionals.

Platt writes about the difficulty in letting go of good programs in order to channel a church's resources and attention more purposely based on what we believe to be true about the mission of God in Scripture. In the case of the church he pastors in Birmingham, Alabama, that means a particular focus on northern India. While understandably encouraging Christians and churches to take seriously the great needs overseas, I wish he would have done more to affirm both local and global ministry as equally vital expressions of Christian faith. As it is, one is left with the impression that the further away our neighbors are, the more worthwhile it is to seek to love them. I know from experience that even in churches with vibrant global ministries, local ministry does not happen automatically, and I suspect Platt's readers would be led to replace one kind of lopsided ministry with another. Also, though he affirms the importance of serving the poor, he particularly emphasizes sharing the gospel (verbally) with the "unreached." Again, the influence of Piper is evident, though as a call for holistic ministry, I think it falls a bit short.

On the whole Platt's book is a welcome critique of easy-breezy suburban religion and, not unlike Dietrich Bonhoeffer at a different time and place, it's a new call for Christians to consider the cost of discipleship. And it's a good reminder that "God doesn't involve us in his global plan because he needs us; he involves us because he loves us." It would simply be a shame to miss out.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

"Radical Together" is the follow up to David Platt's first book, "Radical", and I was just as pleased (and convicted!) with the second as I was the first.

He picks up where he left off with his challenge to Christians to live radical lives for Christ, only extending it to include whole church bodies, not just individuals. If a single person can make a large impact on the world through their faith and sacrificially living, then what could a whole church do?

He addresses a few misconceptions the Church has about "church" and the gospel. He makes a bold statement that sometimes the "good" things we're doing are in fact not good. Sometimes (or rather most often) the programs, large facilities and professionals leading these programs in our large facilities are not actually what's best for the furtherance of the gospel. He calls us to stop, step back, and examine the Word to find what God's will for you--for your church--really is.

Platt then answers the common question, "how can we make Scripture relative to us in the 21st century?" If you stop and think about it, anyone asking this question doesn't fully understand the nature and omniscience of God. Only a limited God would write instructions applicable to one generation without taking into consideration the needs and culture of the generations to come. Not only did our God think ahead, He knew ahead. And that's the God we're to entrust our lives with and live for.

One key phrase I loved was, "the gospel that saves us from work saves us to work". How simple, yet profound! But not stopping there, he quickly points out that just as our good works are not our means of salvation, neither are they our means of approval from God. Rather, good works should be the natural outcome of a redeemed soul.

He wraps up his book with a compelling urge for believers to go beyond their homes, their neighborhood, their church, their country, and reach the unreached; specifically, to make disciples, not converts. There are so many needs in third world countries that we are ignorant of--and we're content to remain ignorant. There are so many lost souls in every people group that we are indifferent to--and we're content to remain indifferent. This ought not to be. Followers of Christ are to do just that: take up your cross and follow Him. And radical followers of Christ should form radical communities of faith--not just in America, but all across the world.

I received a free copy from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

"I have completed reading the books "Radical" and "Radical Together." by pastor David Platt. "Radical Together" is the sequel to his best selling book "Radical" and as a result of reading both books I have had areas of sin in my life exposed to me; I have been convinced of righteousness and have been moved to "radical" action and change in my life so that I might be more effective in serving my God and my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the future.

In his book, "Radical Together" David issues a resounding clarion call to members of the church; the body of Christ, to not accept or settle for what can be "the worst enemies of Christians" and the church; that is the "good" in our personal lives or churches, but rather to always strive for "the best." David asks us as readers, "Amid all the good things we are doing and planning, are there better ways to align with God's Word, mobilize God's people, and marshal God's resources for God's glory in a world where millions of people are starving and more than a billion have never heard of Jesus?" He answers his question with an absolute YES...that there are better ways to do the will and work of God than we as his people and the church are doing today. In his book he explains how we can align our lives with God's Word and will and that as God's people we must get to using all of our resources; our time, talents and treasure, to reach a world of starving perishing people - both spiritually and physically.

When you read "Radical Together" you will learn of some of the dangerous misconceptions that many professing believers hold to such as that someone can be a follower of Christ and not manifest works that show forth their salvation. In the chapter of the book "The Gospel Misunderstood" David states that "the gospel that saves us from work saves us to work." He refers his readers to the book of James in God's Word to see and learn that what he has written is Biblically based and theologically sound. Another misconception that David addresses is that the church does not need more professionals, programs, or props to advance the Kingdom of God here on earth that souls might be saved; but rather, the church just needs to follow God in simplicity and holiness, believe his word and let the Word of God and the God of the Word do the work through us. This way of thinking is God-centered rather than man centered and flies in the face of much of how many churches in America today operate. In Chapter six of his book, "The God Who Exalts God" he encourages us as believers to be "selfless followers of a self-centered God." Again, his call to us as believers is to think of and about God as we should and exalt him as God - making him and his priorities our priorities in this life.

If you want to get "Radical" about serving God and enjoying him and his presence and power in your life please read "Radical" and "Radical Together." I can assure you your life will be "radically" changed if you read them and then act upon what you have read and learned. And I personally have made a commitment to participate in the "Radical Experiment" for one year. Visit The Radical Experiment website...[...]. if you decide to participate in the "Radical Experiment" please let me know so we can pray for one another and encourage one another to be faithful in keeping our commitment. Order your copy of the book today. Radical Together: Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God

"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review."

Every now and then, I come across a book that really makes me stop to examine how I live out my faith. So it was recently with David Platt's Radical Together. This is not a book for the faint of heart. This book will challenge you in many ways.

I understood that fact going in. That was actually of the reasons I selected this particular book to review. But I don't know if I was prepared for the daily wrestling it would inspire.

The book was published in April of 2011 as a follow-up to Platt's successful book Radical. Platt is the pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama. While Radical was aimed at individuals, Radical Together is Platt's call to leaders of the church to unite around the call to spread the Gospel to all people groups.

In essence, Platt says we spend too much time, energy, and resources chasing the American Dream while people around the world perish without ever having an opportunity to hear the good news of Christ. He argues this is true not only of individuals, but also of churches.

One of the more intriguing chapters to me was "The Genius of Wrong," in which he argues church leaders too often get lost in developing programs rather than directly discipling their flock. "What this means then," he writes, "is that church leaders are intended by God not to plan events but to equip people. Leaders do not exist to provide services; they exist to serve people." He also warns, "Be careful not to let programs in the church keep you from engaging people in the world with the gospel." I appreciated this recognition that church committees and programs sometimes actually get in the way of ministering to those around us, although there is also danger in taking that perspective too far and neglecting the church.

But the biggest focus of the book is understanding Matthew 24:14:

"This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to all nations. And then the end will come" (HCSB).

Platt calls us to actively embrace and personally participate in spreading the good news to all people groups. I found it a bit easy to quibble with his definitions of people groups here, but that's a minor point. The Scripture is clear that we are to join with God in spreading His good news to all the world. The question Platt poses is whether we take this opportunity seriously. His answer, looking at how casually we often live out our faith, is that we do not take it seriously enough. His goal with this book is to spur church leaders to equip their congregations to join in God's work.

While I am not a minister, I found the book very helpful at a personal level. It is targeted at those in vocational ministry, but the application is broad enough to be meaningful to others like myself. Platt also includes a study guide in the back of the book with helpful discussion for a small group.

There are things I could criticize about the book. Perhaps he doesn't dive deeply enough at times. Maybe some of his Scripture references feel like they could be better fleshed out. Maybe he seems to play on emotion a bit too much at times.

However, in the end, despite any faults, this book challenged me in my faith like few others have in recent years. I highly recommend reading it. I'm looking forward now to reading Radical with a small group of friends.

Disclosure - I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

In July I finally read the highly acclaimed Radical by David Platt. The book was certainly challenging and bold. So when I saw Platt had written a follow up book titled Radical Together I immediately requested a copy.

The short book was very obviously written from the same burden for the poor, un-reached and spiritually dead as Radical. Actually, Platt refers to his first book so often throughout Radical Together that I'm not sure I would have understood as much of this book had I not read the other first.

Radical Together delivers what it promises though, as Platt writes to reveal how so much of what we do in church-world today is more American than Christian. He challenges the notion that a church service is meant to be a performance by professionals and argues for an involvement of all people in the mission of the church; reaching the world.

Platt's messages challenges readers to evaluate the how and why of their ministry while encouraging them to become part of a community for the sake of taking the message of Jesus to those on the other side of the world who have never heard of Him. In doing church in a way Platt sees as closer to the method of Jesus, we would certainly be radical, together.

But because Platt's message is so unique and grassroots compared to what modern Christianity looks like today, he is constantly interrupting his own message to "clarify" what he is not saying. Perhaps he is doing this to protect himself from those who may take his words to an unhealthy extreme, but it hurt the flow of the book and also made his logic seem more cautious than confident.

The back of the book contains thirty pages of small group study text. These sessions are meant to create conversation around the ideas of the book and help the readers have direction on how to apply what they read. I appreciate that Platt is not asking people to buy an additional study guide but rather includes this in his book. I find this appropriate for a book and a message that is all about challenging the reader to movement rather than just giving them more information.

Radical Together, along with Radical, have certainly had a deep impact on me as God is using Platt to point to an entire part of the message of Jesus that has been mostly ignored by many American churches in recent years. The books have challenged my beliefs and caused me to consider what my responsibility and the responsibility of the church is when it comes to giving of our abundance toward a much more worthy calling. Caring for those who are in physical and spiritual need is the most worthy cause for which we could spend our money. Platt challenge to Christians to leave their comfort zone, spend time ministering in a foreign context, give painfully of their resources, and depend on God through intense prayer is causing some major shifts within our Christian culture. I consider this a very good thing and is why I encourage you to pick up both these books and wrestle with these issues yourself.

If Radical was the call for revolution in the lives of individual Christians, then Radical Together must be the call for revolution within churches. In David Platt's newest book, Radical Together, he shifts his focus to how churches can implement the same truths he introduced in his New York Times bestselling debut title, Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream. Rather than simply rehash the same material readers can find in his first book, David Platt expands on those ideas and goes a step further by introducing fresh concepts just for churches. Using the same type of foundation he presented in Radical, the questions Platt asks call for a larger and more thought-provoking experience as readers take a solid look at the way churches currently execute ministries in ways that actually differ from the core biblical teachings Jesus left to the Body.

Without an ounce of condemnation, Platt asks some tough questions. He asks churches and ministry leaders to re-evaluate budgets to see if monetary resources are used in the most effective way possible, he asks leaders and pastors to re-examine modern concepts in preaching of the Word and missions around the world, and he asks the entire body of believers to work together toward the common goal he showed us in Radical--to make the glory of Jesus known to all nations.

For individuals who embraced the teachings Dr. Platt presented in Radical, this book will assuredly offer a spark of hope. I remember after I finished Radical, though I felt enthusiastic about doing what Jesus said, I encountered a great deal of discouragement as I realized I truly couldn't impact the world by myself. In Radical Together, Platt makes it clear that the church is supposed to be comprised of individuals whose lives have been affected and transformed by the radical teachings of Jesus, and thus, those individuals come together to launch a radical movement in a united purpose.

While Radical could some-what be used in group study among churches, Radical Together is, without a doubt, written for that very purpose. If your church considers reading Radical Together, I highly recommend your group undergo some prerequisite reading with Radical before delving into this book. Reading Radical first will help provide a great foundation and sense of unity within churches who wish to study Radical Together.

While any church member can embrace the concepts found in this book, I think Radical Together will prove most beneficial for pastors and church leaders. That being said, once the pastors and leaders have read this book, I see no reason why they can't walk their own congregation through this study! To be honest, as the TeamKID leader at my own church, this book reshaped my view of the responsibility I hold.

Fans of Radical will especially enjoy this book as it could very well open a fresh way for them to recommend it to the staff at their own church. Once more, David Platt offers readers another thought-provoking book in Radical Together!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Waterbrook/Multnomah Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

What happens when we apply the revolutionary commands of Christ to our communities of faith? How can we in the church best unleash the people of God in the Spirit of God with the Word of God for the glory of God in the world? Those are questions which David Platt asks in this book. The author's answers are arranged around six counter-intuitive propositions:

* One of the worst enemies of Christians can be good things in the church.
* The gospel that saves us from work saves us to work.
* The Word does the work.
* Building the right church depends on using all the wrong people.
* We are living and longing for the end of the world.
* We are selfless followers of a self-centred God.

In my opinion the author presents sound arguments in support of the above propositions. The church in the US and other developed countries needs to be far more radical in its obedience to the call of Christ. Over time most churches have become too conservative, continuing to do things which are "good" instead of letting go of them and concentrating on doing the things which are "best".

There are two issues on which I am probably not in full agreement with the author. The first issue relates to buildings and mission trips. The author asks, "Is building soccer fields in Birmingham the best strategy for spreading the gospel to the ends of the earth?" The question intimates that reaching people in far off places is the local church's primary responsibility, and it tends to imply that building facilities is almost always a poor use of finances. In my view, a local church is called to ministry both locally and globally, and facilities are a good investment if they make a significant contribution to the effectiveness of local mission. The author strongly advocates short term missions, and I agree that short term missions trips often have a profound impact on a participant's faith. However, they are also very expensive. If a large church encourages 500 people to go on short term missions each year at a cost of $4000 each, then over 10 years the church will have invested $20 million in travel costs and accommodation. Is that a better or worse investment of funds than buildings? The truth is in my view that the way a church spends money is far less important than how effectively it makes disciples.

The second issue relates to "seeker sensitivity". The author quotes Romans 3:11 ("There is no-one who seeks God")out of context in a manner which suggests that cultural contextualisation is unimportant, stating that God is the one doing the seeking of lost sinners. In fact, a word search in the Bible for "seek" reveals numerous references to God seeking humans and numerous references to humans seeking God. Paul made significant use of cultural contextualisation in his preaching, and Hebrews 6:11 reveals that God "rewards those who earnestly seek him".

Notwithstanding these issues, I found the book to be a very helpful challenge to established church practices, and it should be a good starting point for many lively conversations about ministry priorities and other aspects of church life.

Disclosure: a review copy of the book was provided by the publisher.

After reading Radical by David Platt, I was excited for the chance to review Radical Together as well.

This book is a good book. It has great content and a great heart behind it, but I feel it was severely rushed. I wanted more meat, not a rehashing of things said in Radical, which I think happened a lot in this book. Granted it is a companion to the first book and so overlap is clearly expected, but something struck me as disingenuous. Look, I am a writer, so I am getting to know how the publishing world works. David's first book was a skyrocket success, unexpectedly so.

I fear that he was pushed to write a companion soon so the sales could ride on the coat tails of the previous work. Because, let's face it publishing is a business and in business you ride on the coat tails of your successes and leave the newbies (who may have a great thing or two to say) by the wayside. It becomes more about the bottom line than not.

With all of that said, I did enjoy this book. David speaks with a raw authenticity rarely seen in Pastors of his status. He is honest, forthright and very open about who he sees himself as, as well as how he sees the church he leads. In this book, he takes the main thrust of Radical and puts it into a format the whole church can grasp and follow. In Radical it was more of an individual call, here it is more of a corporate call.

In my mind, if you have read Radical you don't really need this book, but if you haven't read Radical this book has great insights in it that will challenge and call you to a deeper community like way of living within your church body. However, after you read it and you have not read Radical I strongly recommend reading Radical because it is even more profound and even more in depth on how to break the American Mold and be the Christian God has called you to be.

In the front of the book Radical Together is a quick overview of the whole book, which I feel captures the ethos of the entire book. Here it is.

1. Tyranny of the Good
One of the worst enemies of Christians can be the good

2. The Gospel Misunderstood
The gospel that saves us from work saves us to work

3. God is Saying Something
The Word does the work

4. The Genius of Wrong
Building the right church depends on using all the wrong people

5. Our Unmistakable Task
We are living and longing for the end of the world

6. The God Who Exalts God
We are selfless followers of a self-centered God

That is the whole book summed up. Good stuff, but there could have been more. I hope the publisher didn't push for this before David was done gestating over it because if they did, we missed out on more. If not, it is a good little book to spend a couple hours reading and wrestling with.

David Platt's book, "Radical Together," is only about one hundred pages long, but it is clear, concise, and convicting. His primary thesis is that the task of the church is to make sure that all nations, or "people groups" as he calls them, hear the good news of Jesus before his return. The book examines several hindrances American churches often face in accomplishing that task. Those hindrances are:

1) "The Tyranny of the Good," chapter one. American churches are often so focused on programs that they miss the great purpose for which they were created.

2) "The Gospel Misunderstood," chapter two. American churches often stress, and rightly so, not being saved by works, but they forget that we are saved to work for the glory of God.

3) "God is Saying Something." American preachers often base their sermons on the latest recovery, pop-psychology, and self-help books and ignore the Bible, which alone can transform people in every country and every century into the image of Christ.

4) "The Genius of Wrong." God never intended his mission to be accomplished primarily by professionals planning programs and practicing performances but by church leaders equipping ordinary people (often considered the "wrong" people) for the building of the body of Christ.

5) "Our Unmistakable Task." When churches focus on the lost near at hand, they often lose sight of the lost among the nations. Churches must intentionally take the gospel to the nations as well as to their neighbors.

6) "The God who Exalts God," chapter six. Our task is not about seekers finding us. It is not about keeping the seekers with a comfortable environment, dazzling graphics, and terrific music. It is about Jesus seeking the lost so that the nations might come to know the glory of the Father.

The book is filled with relevant illustrations from around the world. I give this book a rating of 5 out of 5, and I would highly recommend it to all church leaders. I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

In 2010 David Platt made significant waves with the release of Radical. Platt's book took aim at the American Dream and the "consumer Christianity" that has bought into it. It landed on the New York Times Bestsellers' list and not without a little controversy within the church. Much of the debate surrounded sacrificial living, poverty, missions, and what a faithful life committed to Christ looks like. While there are respectable and reasonable arguments (and persons) on both sides, I count it a win that this book pushed the conversation to the forefront.

Radical Together promises to do more of the same. At the same time, Platt seems to have taken heed to some of the concerned criticism and clarified his position taken in Radical. This second book revolves around what he calls foundational ideas for churches unleashing people into the world with the gospel:

One of the worst enemies of Christians can be good things in the church.
The gospel that saves us from work saves us to work.
The Word does the work.
Building the right church depends on using all the wrong people.
We are living--and longing--for the end of the world.
We are selfless followers of a self-centered God.

With a cursory read these ideas sound counter-intuitive (and, to some, even offensive). Yet with compelling biblical arguments and examples from real life practitioners, Platt brings these challenging ideas down to ground level.

In many ways, Radical Together is the proper partner to Radical, bringing balance and clarification where needed. While at the heart of the book still lies a near-impossible challenge, I kind of think that's the idea.

Pastor David Platt has published a follow-up book "Radical Together" to his previous bestseller book "Radical". In this second book Platt's purpose in this work is to take the principles in his first book "Radical" and demonstrate how they should function and flesh themselves out within a group of people in the context of a community of faith. His main theme which is wrapped around the main question posed throughout the book is "How can we in the church best unleash the people of God in the Spirit of God with the Word of God for the glory of God in the world?" When this is accomplished in the church by Christ followers living surrendered to God then the churches powerful resourced are harnessed and used for God's global purposes.

This challenge is echoed in Matthew's Gospel in 24:14: "The gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come". Platt teaches that, "God does not involve us in his grand, global purpose because he needs us. He involves us in his grand, global purpose because he loves us".

The writing style of the book is very easy while the content is convicting and rattling at times to one's comfort zone. As in the first book he calls Christians to live radically in this sequel he calls upon the churches to be radical.

Even though I'm fond of Platt, ministry and his message one critic I find in Radical Together is that in Platt's teaching he narrowing interprets the taking of the gospel to the world as meaning somewhere outside the scope of the United States. As in his previous book he devotes and mentions hardly anything having to do with the mission field you find yourself in now at work, school, family, the guy across the room or the neighbor next door.

For example when in I Corinthians 7:17-24, I read Paul teaching that at times you are saved by God and should remain in the social, ethnic, even geographical context that God saved you because that is where God wants to use to live radically in the social, ethnic, or geographical environment where he found you and saved you.

What I found most pleasurable though was that Radical Together includes a discussion guide for small groups and encourages his readers to go through the study together. Reviewing it Platt has done an excellent job with the study guide questions as they will make you think and ponder. I would recommend this book as it is engaging but the reader would benefit from the reading of his original book Radical.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers, and am not required to give a positive review all opinions our my own do not represent Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers.

I just got through reading, Radical Together, by David Platt which takes off where his earlier book, Radical, leaves off by moving the emphasis from the individual to the church. The book is short compared to Radical, but it makes some good points and gives plenty of examples of how the Church as a whole can be radical for the Gospel.

In his first book, Radical, David challenges the individual to lay everything on the table. In Radical Together, he challenges the church to lay everything on the table.

He writes, "We have to put everything, even good things in the church, up for reconsideration before God, releasing them wholly to Him and asking Him to show us His priorities and purposes for each," he goes on to write, "The ways we minister to children, youth, and college students; how we serve women, men, singles, marrieds, and seniors; how we do music and mission; how we approach and implement finances and budgets, administration and communication; all our policies, priorities, and procedures; all the buildings and land we own or rent -all these things (and more) belong on the table. The gospel compels the church to go to God with everything we have and everything we do and then as, "What needs to go? What needs to change? What needs to stay the same? And then wait for God to answer." (p. 9 of Radical Together)

Wow... what a RADICAL, thought! Thinking about it left me spell bound for a moment thinking what if the church took those words seriously. It was both scary and refreshing though at the same time. As a pastor, I get tired of watching churches and pastors playing it safe. I love the way David Platt challenges us with the same kind of radical spirit Jesus uses.

Radical together is a very practical and relevant book. David Platt does an excellent job leading the reader to feel the tension that pastor's often deal with in the church between choosing what is best from what is good for us to be doing as a church. That's the rub every pastor feels: Choosing what is best from what is good. David Platt leads the reader through a process of discovering the very best things that God has for us to do as a church.

The book includes small group discussion questions in the back. I read the book individually and it was a good read, but it is geared toward group study.

I received this book free of charge in exchange of a honest bias free review of it's contents.

In "Radical Together," David Platt follows up on his book "Radical" by focusing on how followers of Jesus need to rethink the purpose of the church.

Throughout the book, David continually challenges the age-old paradigms of "church," and he calls on Christians to return to a more biblical approach to living out their faith. Some of my favorite wake-up calls come in these quotes:
* "So we decided to stop planning, creating and managing outreach programs and to start unleashing people to maximize the ministry opportunities God had already planned and created for them."
* "Be careful not to let programs in the church keep you from engaging people in the world with the Gospel."
* "Discussions in the church more often revolve around what we want than what [God] wills. Almost unknowingly, the church becomes a means of self-entertainment and a monument to self-sufficiency."

And he also addresses pastors specifically in the way they lead their churches. One quote from David really caused me to pause --
"The Bible is not in a church leader's hands so he or she can give people answers to every question they have and guidance for every situation they face. Instead, the Bible is in a church leader's hands to transform people into the image of Christ and to get people in touch with the Holy Spirit of God, who will not only give them counsel for every situation they face but will also walk with them through those situations. And when church leaders use God's Word for this purpose, then church members develop a healthy dependence on God's Spirit and a healthy admiration of God's glory."

Although "Radical Together" was really written as a sequel to "Radical," I didn't read the first book. With that being said, I didn't feel like I was only getting part of the story, as "Radical Together" clearly stands alone.

If you are tired of same-old-same-old church, "Radical Together" just might be the wake-up call that you need.

If you want to keep going to church, comfortable remaining unchallenged and concerned primarily with your preferences, don't read this book. If you want remain ignorant--and blissfully so--about the plight of fellow Christians around world struggling with persecution and poverty, don't read this book. If you want to keep seeing the Bible as a lifeless, unread book instead of the key ingredient for a transformed and Spirit-led, don't read this book.

If you want to feel the gut-wrenching pull of the Spirit to do something different--something, well, radical--then you must read this book. In fact, every American Christian should read this book, along with its companion piece, Radical.

Yes, Radical Together has many peers: The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns and Crazy Love by Francis Chan are a couple also-awesome examples. What makes David Platt's offering a cut above in many ways is the way it focuses on the power of the local church walking in step with Jesus, by the power of the Spirit, directed by the Word of God. His examples from his own church are both powerful and humble.

I think the key idea of the book is our willingness as faith communities and individuals to lay everything down before God and let Him determine what should be done, what should be given up, what should be stopped, and what should be added. Are we willing? I know I am much closer as a result of reading Radical Together. I pray the same for you.

After my husband read "Radical" by David Platt, he was excited to learn of his new book "Radical Together." Radical Together is a short read (approximately 150 pages including a section of small group questions at the end) that focuses on a gospel-centered vision within the church. Platt helps to challenge the church to be more engaging within the body of Christ and with the people God places around them with this question: ""How can we in the church best unleash the people of God in the Spirit of God with the Word of God for the glory of God in the world?"

The 6 chapters are:
1. Tyranny of God - One of the worst enemies of Christians can be good things in the church
2. The Gospel Misunderstood - the gospel that saves us from works saves us to work
3. God is Saying Something - The Word that does not work
4. The Genius of Wrong - Building the right church depends on using all of the wrong people
5. Our Unmistakable Task - We are living - and longing - for the end of the world
6. The God Who Exalts God - We are selfless followers of a self-centered God.

At the end of the book, there are small group discussions that would be perfect for Sunday Schools or Home Groups.

My husband and I have really enjoyed reading David Platts books and look forward to reading "A Radical idea." If you would like to be challenged to grow in your relationship with Christ, I would recommend this reading to you. It is time for us as a church to stop focusing on what is "good" and focus on what is "best."

I'm pretty blown away by some of David Platt's teachings. He really is radical and he calls others to be radical Christians too. His book Radical Together calls churches to pursue a calling to actually do what Jesus taught, even though it goes against the mainstream. It might be uncomfortable. It might make churches lose followers.

David Platt refers again and again to James 2 and how it changed the way he lived and thought of church.

The theme of Radical Together seems to be that the "gospel that saves us from work also saves us to work." Platt exemplifies two kinds of people: those who strive and work to get to Heaven and never can do enough for God or church and those who live however they wish and trust in faith alone without ever experiencing a desire to do God's will.

Platt models his own church in Alabama after Jesus' commandment to go and make disciples. This is not optional.

This book isn't just for pastors or ministry leaders. I think everyone can benefit from the teachings and really think about living radically for God and changing the way church is approached.

Live intentionally for God.

Platt challenges churches to evaluate every minute and every dollar spent and consider if vital resources are truly being used to expand the kingdom. Platt warns that it is too easy for the American church to get complacent and distracted. "Radical Together" is a wake-up call for churches to refocus on the task of The Great Commission.

Ok, good idea... what's next? Some of Platt's instructions aren't very clear. We learn that churches are not to be about programs and professionals but are to be about equipping the saints for the work of the ministry. But what if staff is organized to equip the saints? Is that bad? Also we are instructed to avoid focusing on buildings and budgets in order to make disciples. But what if the buildings and budgets are helpful tools in making disciples? Is that OK? I liked the challenge, but Platt offered more enthusiasm than practical advice.

In "Radical Together", Platt challenges the church to continually evaluate its practices and traditions to make sure they have not lost their purposes in the kingdom. While this could generate excitement, it isn't "radical". The book is a quick read and offers encouragement and passion with a little practical insight.

As someone from a Fundamentalist/separatist background for a long time, I was not interested in these David Platt books, and was not willing to give them an honest read. I have been trained to "separate" from contemporary evangelicals, and so I thought Radical was another of the many evangelical fad's that have come & gone over the years, some of which have been "The Prayer of Jabez" & "The Purpose Driven Life." In September of 2011, I was given the Radical Question booklet for my birthday, but it stayed on the shelf collecting dust for 8 months.

Recently I was given the book Radical Together and decided for whatever reason to give it an honest unbiased read. I found the writing to be very simple & non-technical, yet convicting about the emptiness of the counterfeit gods of the American dream, greed, materialism, and selfishness. A great book on counterfeit gods by Keller is one I would recommend people whom have read Radical to also read. So many churches want to build extra buildings to cater to their creature comforts, and at the same time do little to feed the homeless, do street evangelism, and help poor churches, & even poor people in their own church. This book has been so convicting and powerful I have even ordered the original book on half.com and await its arrival.

David Platt's new book, Radical Together, picks up where his last book left off. He examines what happens when the entire of church begins a journey of abandonment to God. Platt states that he wants "to consider what happens - or can happen - when we apply the revolutionary claims and commands of Christ to our communities of faith."

In doing this, Platt examines six key thoughts that deal with the church and then expounds upon each one. These thoughts include the idea that one of the worst enemies of Christians are the good things in the church, the Gospel that saves us from works saves us to work, the Word of God is essential in the work of the Gospel, it is not necessary to have the "right people" in order to build the "right church", we can hasten the end of the world by sharing the Gospel with all peoples of the world, and Christians are to be selfless followers of a self-centered God.

This is a book that will challenge the reader to live a deeper life for Christ. It will challenge the reader to want to share his faith with those around him. It will challenge the reader to spend more time in prayer for unbelievers in his community and for unreached people groups around the world. It is a book that would be best read in a group where individuals can discuss the ideas and dreams that are certain to result for reading it.

My only concern with the book is the overt emphasis placed by Platt on the need for world missions. I am a strong believer in world missions, but it seemed that Platt was suggesting that world missions should take precedence over local missions. It is my belief that there needs to be a balance. We do not need to simply see those around us as a means to reaching the world. Our friends and neighbors are a mission field that must be reached, just as much as those across the world.

Author's note: I was provided with a free copy of Radical Together from the publisher for the purpose of this review.

The term "radical" has officially made it's way from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and into Christianity circles. But don't be confused; David Platt is not calling Christians to swing nun-chucks and eat pizza but instead into action of living out the gospel. As I judged the book by its cover, I thought, "I bet this will be a simple, clean read. And it might just push me to move my faith forward." The fancy "Author of the New York Times Bestseller Radical" banner at the top also raised expectations for the book. For the record, I have not read Platt's first installment, Radical, but after reading Radical Together I will probably go searching for the prequel.)

My judgement of the book's cover was wrong. From the standpoint of 150 pages, yea it was a simple, clean read. But the weight of this book is more than its 150 pages. The weight of this book is knowing that there is a spiritual revolution happening and YOU are on the front lines of it. As Platt shares, "The only reason I have heard the gospel of God is because of the grace of God. Meanwhile, nearly two billion people still do not have access to the gospel. For generations they and their ancestors have been born, have lived, and have died without even hearing the name of Jesus."

Why have we heard the message of the gospel when others have not? As Platt writes, "I do not presume to know all of God's motives, but I will propose this: God has called, commissioned, and commanded each of us as Christians to give ourselves to the spread of his gospel in every part of the earth."

What makes this book worth the read? Stories. The stories shared are incredible insights into what living out the gospel can look like in our communities and across the globe. Many stories gave me goosebumps, others I felt as if I'd been living in them. I could relate. Mix the stories with Platt's knowledge of the Bible and it is an eye-opening experience to read.

I would totally recommend reading this book. But only if you are willing to open up a dialogue and re-think some of the ways that we have been "doing church" in America. I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review, but that didn't persuade me in my thoughts of the book. I have no problem giving you the green light to buy it.

This is a book I would have never picked up if it hadn't been for the fact that I received it through the Blogging for Books program of Waterbrook Multnomah publishing. I had heard little things about the book Radical. Nothing bad, but nothing amazing either. I mean if you look at a book and its cover is modern looking and it has a one word title, its probably going to be marketing toward a crowd that I'm not a part of. Right? Wrong. I just finished reading Radical Together by David Platt about unleashing the church to do the will of God, and Wow...that's all I really have to say. This book isn't just about unleashing Gods people to do Gods work in their corner of the world. Its about equiping people to do the work of God all over the world. If you have ever had the pulling in your stomach for missions, this book will make you be on the field right now. At least it did for me. I was encouraged to look around me and see the natural ministries that God has blessed me with. The book really makes you want to open your eyes to the opportunities that you have where you are right now.

As I was reading this book, I was expectantly waiting to turn the page and find something that made this author one of "those guys." Except he taught to sacrifice church growth if that's not God's will for your church. He instructed to evaluate if your amazing programs were the best choice for furthering the gospel. He talked about how we don't always have to find "just the right person" for this or that ministry and reminded his readers that God can use the weak things of this world.

Most times, when I read a book for Into the Book, I'll give it a rating of `good.' Sometimes, I'll go so far as to call a book `great.' A few times I've probably used the label `bad' or even `terrible.' But I don't think that I have ever used the label `life-changing' - that is, not until now. Radical Together, but David Platt, is quite possibly the best book I have read all year, and maybe even in the past five years. Radical Together calls us, as the Church, to return to the Gospel and the ultimate goal given to us by Christ: proclaim that Gospel to the ends of the earth.

This is not an easy book to read. What I mean is, though it's quite short, and easy to follow, its message is disturbingly clear. In Radical Together David Platt calls us to an emphasis in today's churches on the Gospel, more specifically, on reaching people around the world with the Gospel. What this book does is that it shakes us out of our complacency, our focus on `us,' and redirects us to the areas we need to be focusing on.

Platt doesn't try to cover everything in this book; instead, he drills down on six specific topics, each of which make up a chapter in the book. In Chapter 1, dubbed Tyranny of the Good, Platt examines truly good things in the church that are, nevertheless, distracting us from more important works elsewhere, like fulfilling the Great Commission. Chapter 2 is the straight gospel: Platt's message in this chapter is that the Gospel which saves us from works saves us to work. In a world where the gospel is not politically correct and more and more churches are abandoning it, hearing this straight proclamation of Jesus Christ who died on the cross was amazingly encouraging.

Platt also touches on other subjects. In chapter 4 he explains how building the church is not dependent on a few superstars, but rather every single member of the church. He writes that according to today's church leaders, Jesus builds a church with all the `wrong' people - yet these ordinary people are the ones impacting Christ's kingdom. In the last two chapters Platt draws our attention to the fact that our life is geared towards the end of the world; and not the things on this earth which will pass away. He also reminds us Who exactly we are following.

Overall, I found almost nothing wrong with Radical Together (My one nitpick would be what seems to be a trend in today's books, namely, `unleashing' the people of God. Platt explains this term and I think uses it appropriately, but the idea of `unleashing' people still smacks a little bit too much of self-sufficiency for my liking). I highly recommend it for you to read. So read it, give it to your pastor, give it to your family, your friends, the cashier at McDonalds - pass this book and its message along, because it is one that desperately needs to be heard.

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I read David Platt's Radical last fall and thoroughly learned from it and was convicted through it. There were a few concerns I had (and Kevin DeYoung voiced them perfectly -[...]) but overall I was very satisfied with Platt's work, which made me very excited to read his sequel, Radical Together. I received this book last night, read about half of it before going to bed, and finished the book this morning before work. Yeah, it's that good. So let me tell you what the book's all about, then why I like it so much.

Radical Together is broken into 6 chapters, each focusing on a different aspect of being a member of a radical church. Chapter 1 focus on how good things can be the enemies of Christians. This was an extremely helpful look at what the Church is to be, contextualization, and priorities of ministries. Chapter 2 than clarifies the gospel - it saves us from work but also saves us to work. Platt was accused of not being "gospely" enough in Radical, this accusation can not be made of his sequel. Chapter 3 talks about the importance of the Word of God instead of showmanship. 4 says that mission is for the average joe in church, not the "professional." Chapter 5, my favorite, puts our small lives in perspective with the end of the world - talking about how all the nations must be reached before Christ returns and some of the pitfalls of missional churches we need to avoid. Finally, Chapter 6 speaks to the glory of God in missions. Also, there are small group questions that I will probably use one day for a core group in a church plant.

There are several reasons I liked this book. First, I felt it was a little more mature than Radical, while keeping the same radical attitudes. You don't get the If you sent the money you spent on biggie-sizing your lunch, you could have saved a life type vibes I got from his first book. Second, Platt does an awesome job of balancing. Far to many books about the nations discredit reaching your community. Far to many books about reaching your community discredit the nations. Platt has a "both/and" attitude that is needed. Third, everything is motivated by the gospel. Often Platt says he is not trying to guilt people into anyone into anything - he motivates by grace. Finally, I think he's right. I felt convicted about my apathy in reading this book. Especially by a quote from page 75:

Is it really possible to have all the trappings of the church and yet miss the heart of Christ? Is it possible for church people to be so focused on personal comforts and so fearful of the potential cost that they virtually forget the purposes of God among all the peoples of the world?

Do yourself a favor, buy this book, read it, meditate on it, and see what God says to your heart through it. I'm not one of those people who say "This book will change your life, you will never be the same," but it will be a good reminder of what God has done for you and what He has called you to do for others and for Him.

Sometimes you know something, but you need to hear it said anyway. David Platt does that for me in "Radical Together." He reminds me of the serious goal of the church.

He asks, "How can we in the church best unleash the people of God in the Spirit of God with the Word of God for the glory of God in the world?"

He offers six chapters to help answer that question.

1. One of the worst enemies of Christians can be good things in the church.
2. The gospel that saves us from work saves us to work.
3. The Word does the work.
4. Building the right church depends on using all the wrong people.
5. We are living--and longing--for the end of the world.
6. We are selfless followers of a self-centered God.

"The last thing you and I want to do is waste our lives on religious activity that is devoid of spiritual productivity--being active in the church but not advancing the kingdom of God."

David Platt points that out consistently and with proof. He gives examples in the book of how his church is living radically. For the glory of God. It's a testimony to the power of God when his people decide to live radically--together.

There are many books which have been written recently about what it means to live the Gospel life. All of these books challenge us to live what we believe in every aspect of life. This book, Radical Together by David Platt, takes the next step of looking at what it means to live this life of "Radical" belief within the church community. I have read many books on the subject of living out the faith we profess in all aspects of life, but most of these books do not address what it means to live out this life in community. For this reason I was intrigued by this book. From the moment I picked it up, I was hardly able to put it down. From the first page I was hooked.

In the introduction, the author issues an "invitation to engage God's Word and God's world with a fresh, honest, and open perspective so that together we might answer one question: How can we in the church best unleash the people of God in the Spirit of God with the Word of God for the glory of God in the world?" He goes on to say that he is convinced that "in the church we can - unknowingly and unintentionally - actually prevent God's people from accomplishing God's purpose." A number of books have recently been published looking at the current state of the Christian Church in North America. They often characterize the Church as being "a mile wide and an inch deep". Whether you agree with this characterization or not, this book is a thought provoking read. The author calls for us to be willing to lay everything that we do on the table in light of our mission: reaching a world in need. It is only in doing this that we can determine the ways that we may be, unknowingly and unintentionally, hindering God's work.

The author shares six foundational ideas that help us to develop the healthy Christian community that can have great effect in the world today. #1 - The Tyranny of Good: how the "good" things we do keep us from our true mission by using resources, both money and people, in ways that do not achieve our true mission. #2 - The Gospel Misunderstood: the importance of seeing that "the Gospel that saves us from work saves us to work." #3 - God is Saying Something: recognizing the importance of being in God's Word and trusting the Word that God has given us to accomplish the work of God among the people of God. #4 - The Genius of Wrong: recognizing that God uses the "wrong" people, not the professionals to build His Church. #5 - Our Unmistakable Task: the importance of recognizing that "the ultimate goal of the church is to take the gospel to all people groups." Everything that we do as a church should be with this goal in mind. #6 - The God who Exalts God: we are to be "selfless followers of a self-centered God."

This book does not tell us what we have to do but leads us to understand these foundational principles. It helps us to ask the right questions to more fully define our mission and priorities as a Christian community. It also helps us to determine if what we are doing is actually meeting our goals. The book includes a 6 session study guide, covering each of the foundational principles. This book is a must read for Church and Ministry leaders. The study guide questions would make it great for use in a leadership retreat setting or leader bible study.

The book is relatively short. It engages quickly and is filled with stories that illustrate the foundational ideas. It is very readable even for those who do not see themselves as "readers". Don't be fooled by this though, the book packs a punch. It challenges us to really think about everything that we do and the motivation behind what we do.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I found that it helped put some of the unsettledness that I have been feeling into words at the same time providing a way to move forward in Christian community with a greater sense of unity and purpose. David Platt manages to challenge deeply without coming across as being judgmental. I eagerly recommend this book to all Christians. Part of living out a "Radical" faith is learning to be "Radical Together". I believe it is especially important for those in leadership positions.

I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group in exchange for my honest review.

I'm back from a long summer non-break. I started reading Radical Together by David Platt before the break started and it got lost in the summer activity. I was able to finish it this week and am fulfilling an obligation since I was given a copy of this book free of charge by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review.

It really isn't a difficult book to read. It was my misfortune to read it when the summer got busy. This is a companion to Radical by the same author. I have not read that book, yet.

The sentence that really stuck out to me in the entire book was, "individually and together, we are to selflessly serve a self-centered God." It was a powerful reminder to me to that God does expect us to put God's interests before our own as individuals and as churches. Platt focuses on the corporate in this book more than the individual (thus Radical Together). And I felt he was challenging contemporary churches to pause and reflect on their current focus. Program and building, spending/stewardship and mission really do get called into question in this book.

I did feel that throughout the book I was required to have read the first work. There were many comments referring back to it. In some cases the connection was required to understand the comment. Context was enough to carry the conversation forward but something was lost.

I would use this as a great conversation starter in my churches. It reads easy enough for the average reader but offers challenges for conversation.

Radical Together, Unleashing the People of God For the Purpose of God by David Platt expands on the Radical movement in his first book. Platt exposes us the life of Christians around the world, so we might see the sacrifices others make just to read the bible. He reminds us of a freedom we take for granted, and then encourages us to rise up beyond our comfort zones. Platt opens our eyes to spreading the gospel outside ourselves and into starving countries. You don't need to be a missionary to read this, you simply need to have a heart for Jesus and a passion to learn. Expose yourself to other cultures and the challenges they have in knowing Jesus. Platt reminds us "regardless of your place in the church, you are not meant to be sidelined in the kingdom of God." Read the book and be inspired to unleash what God has done in your own life. Share your faith with others, locally and globally.

I received a complimentary copy of Radical Together via the book review program at Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers and I purchased the first book Radical, from the store.

My first exposure to David Platt was at the Desiring God 2011 conference Finish the Mission. He delivered on a phenomenal message and I was most impressed by how well he knew the Scripture. I was eager to read his book Radical Together and was not disappointed. I should note that I have not read his first book, Radical.

In this book he desires to "consider what happens--or can happen--when we apply the revolutionary claims and commands of Christ to our communities of faith. I want to contemplate the force of a people who come together to enjoy God's grace in the church will they extend God's glory in the world."

The book is organized around six central, essential ideas under which I have dispersed my comments.

1. One of the worst enemies of Christians can be good things in the church.
This is poignant coming from a pastor of a megachurch...but Platt has a story to tell. He's not someone simply telling how he thinks things ought to be done. He is speaking the Word and tells the story of Brook Hills church in the process. It's amazing to learn the intense and significant changes that church went through in becoming more "radical" - that is to say, being far less obsessed with doing good things in the church (programs, events, volunteer activities, etc. etc.) and more obsessed with spreading the Gospel of Jesus in the local community and around the world.

The last thing you and I want to do is waste our lives on religious activity that is devoid of spiritual productivity-being active in the church but not advancing the kingdom of God.

2. The gospel that saves us from work saves us to work.
On the premise that confusion abounds in the church today regarding what the gospel is, he tells two hypothetical stories of individuals who both have an opposite and wrong view of the Gospel - 1) I need to keep doing more; give, sell possessions, or make a pledge to be right before God, and 2) I believe in salvation by grace alone yet there is no fruit in my life. Platt's message is simple: You will never be radical enough for God. We were saved to be radical, we don't try to be radical to please God.

We live sacrificially, not because we feel guilty, but because we have been loved greatly and now find satisfaction in sacrificial love for others. We live radically, not because we have to, but because we want to.

3. The Word does the work.
This was a well needed message. Many in our day seem to seek a word from God, something they feel, hear, a message from another, when in reality we have God's word. God has given us everything in the Bible we need to have! It is not as if we have now arrived in the 21st century with new or novel situations not previously addressed by God. Further, it's not up to us to come up with a plan and then ask his blessing. God already has a plan for blessing the nations and accomplishing that plan. Will we be a part of it or not?

At all times you and I have his message to us in all its power, authority, clarity, and might. We don't have to work to come up with a word from God...the Word of God will accomplish the work of God among the people of God.

4. Building the right church depends on using all the wrong people.
God has not called places, performances, programs, and professionals to accomplish the Great Commission. He has called people. No need for intricate church programs, or a well-known and polished speaker. He has given all in the body gifts to help accomplish his global purposes.

If eleven disciples on a mountain in Galilee were enough to launch the gospel to the ends of the earth, then a church with a handful of members can spread the gospel in and beyond a community, regardless of the amount of material resources it has...The plan of God is for every person among the people of God to count for the advancement of the kingdom of God.

5. We are living- and longing -for the end of the world.
This was the only portion of the book I had a problem with. Platt seems to think we can immanatize the eschaton, that is to say, depending on what we as Christians do we can bring about the end of the world.

If we were wiling to take some risks, if we were willing to alter our lifestyles, and if we were willing to organize our churches around taking the gospel to people who have never heard of Christ, we could see every people group on the planet reached with the gospel. And in the process, we could be a part of the end of the world.

Here, I believe he is wrong because God has set the end of time and we cannot move that. Also, I don't believe it's a good motivation for missions. The primary motive for missions ought to be our pure enjoyment of God and the desire for others to enjoy Him as well, knowing there is no other ultimate satisfaction for us on earth. He does make some good points in the chapter such as the importance of short-term missions because, "until someone actually goes and sees the nations in person, he or she is likely to underestimate the urgency of God's global purpose in our lives."

6. We are selfless followers of a self-centered God.

God exalts God. If this rubs us wrong in any way, we should ask "who else would we have him exalt?" For at the very moment God exalts anyone or anythign else, he is no longer the God who is worthy of all exaltation. Everything God does, even the salvation of his people, ultimately centers around God, for he is worthy of all praise from all peoples.

Amen. I heartily recommend this book to thosewho sense a low level of commitment in their own lives or in the life of their church. It will get you thinking, praying and likely stir you to action. It's a quick an easy read. Confronting the ideas themselves though, are not quick and easy.

What I liked the most was that Radical Together includes a discussion guide for small groups and encourages his readers to go through the study together. Reviewing it Platt has done an excellent job with the study guide questions as they will make you think and ponder. I would recommend this book as it is engaging but the reader would benefit from the reading of his original book Radical.

Again I think Radical as a concept is great, the book ruffles feathers, it does call out the superficiality of most American Christianity and Christians for that matter. What I don't care for and would caution a new believer or someone without an established and well thought out biblically informed theology of mission and vocation would be all fired up to do something based on a little over 100 pages of hyperactive calls to action to do something.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers, and am not required to give a positive review all opinions our my own do not represent Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers.

This book is powerful. It is dangerous. It kept me awake at night. Chapter 5, Our Unmistakable Task, was one of the most significant sections of any book that I have read, save the Scriptures themselves, at least in the last year, if not the last decade. And the kicker is that Platt isn't really saying anything new. He's just being brutally honest about his journey - and his church's journey - in understanding Jesus and being an obedient follower. Everything he lays out was already laid out for us in the Bible, but we have forgotten it or been blinded to it.

But, God forgive us, we have forgotten it. Being a Christian is simple: go tell the nations about Jesus. Done. When is the last time you told anyone about Jesus, let alone someone in another nation? When is the last time you were made even remotely uncomfortable because of your faith in Jesus Christ? What do you actually know about who Jesus is and what he said during his time on earth?

I'll leave it there, dangling a little uncomfortably with a few rhetorical questions. I feel a little like LeVar Burton here, but I can't encourage you strongly enough to read this book. If you are an American Christian, you need allow yourself to be challenged with this look at the Church. To those of you who do not believe in the Jesus that the American church has shown you, I would ask this of you: start by reading the Bible and see who Jesus was from those who walked with him. And then perhaps read a book like Radical Together: Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God to see what could - and what should - be.

I received a copy of Radical Together: Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God for review. I am not required to give a positive review but to only post my honest thoughts.

What's the Book About?
"Writing to everyone who desires to make an impact for God's glory--whether you are an involved member, a leader, or a pastor--Dr. Platt shares six foundational ideas that fuel radical obedience among Christians in the church. With compelling Bible teaching and inspiring stories from around the world, he will help you apply the revolutionary claims and commands of Christ in fresh, practical ways to your community of faith." (From the Publisher).

Who is David Platt?
"Dr. David Platt, 32, is deeply devoted to Christ and His Word. David's first love in ministry is disciple-making--the simple biblical model of teaching God's Word, mentoring others and sharing faith. He has traveled extensively to teach the Bible and church leaders throughout the United States and around the world. Atlanta natives, he and his wife, Heather, made their home in New Orleans until they were displaced by flooding following Hurricane Katrina in 2005 (more) ..."

What I Liked
I love that David Platt is a Southern Baptist mega-church pastor who is completely opposite of to that caricature. For my north-eastern friends, I'm not sure we can possibly understand this but from my own limited experience (which includes getting married by a man affectionally called Brother Bob in a southern Baptist church ... and then taking my new bride across the Mason Dixon line like I was in the General Lee being chased by Roscoe P Coltrane. Anyway, I digress ... I love what Platt is saying in light of his context.

I never reviewed his first book, Radical because I felt that it was dated in light of the Ron Siders, Shane Claibornes, Will Samsons, the Emergents, the Missionals and many others. But I did agree with the idea of abandoning the pursuit of the American Dream in light of pursuing the hope of the Kingdom of Jesus. These are excellent books for entry points to the missional church conversation.

This book may be even easier than Richard Stearn's The Hole In Our Gospel because it's only a third the size and very reader-friendly. I feel Multnomah said, "David, write a book for busy church people that never read but are interested in seeking God's purpose in the world."

I like how Radical Together confronts entitlement and encourages the reader to seek mission and community in Christ.

As with a few books I review, this too, would be an excellent small group resource (There's a discussion guide already included).

What I Wasn't Crazy About
I don't have much critical to say here. Though I would prefer something a bit more challenging, if I am being honest with myself, in my personal application, there's enough to be challenged by here. I think the Radical series is fulfilling its objective. As mentioned, it's a great entry point to the missional church conversation.

If you are looking to understand what some of the more progressive and younger evangelicals are talking about when it comes to social justice and Kingdom-living, this is a good place to start.

Radical Together by David Platt follows his prior book Radical. To really get the most out of this book I would suggest that you read Radical first. This will provide a back drop for the flow and purpose of his second installment. In Radical Together, David presents six chapters that will pave the way for disciples of Christ to become all that Jesus intended us to be as disciple makers. He points out issues that are hindering individuals and churches, and then biblically constructs the antidote to the problem. His book is bold to say the least, but it is theologically sound and challenging.

David's writing style is easy to read and is filled with real life stories of what happens when God's people are unleashed for the purposes of God. This book reinforced many different areas of my own call that God has placed on my life. Yet I was challenged to become even more radical in laying everything on the table for the sake of the call. It is so easy get wrapped up in ministry that we end up missing the very substance of the relationship that Jesus desire with each of us. Radical Together is a book that challenges us to keep Jesus and his Word at the forefront of all we do as believers.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

The follow-up to his widly successful book, Radical, pastor and author David Platt continue to explore the subject of leading radical lives for Christ, but doing so together, hence the clever name of this book, Radical Together. Through this book, Platt looks at the purpose of the church in fulfilling the mission of reaching others and how often, the typical American church has given in to the culture in which we are trying to reach with the gospel.

As one that was not much of a fan of Radical, this new book Radical Together, was a better read for me. The writing style is one that is easy to read and comprehend as we look at seek into how God would have us shape our church to be the most effective tool in reaching others.

One of the ideas that still sticks with me is how church leaders allocate money for the ministry budget. Why do churches have certain programming? Is that programming effective in sharing the gospel? A negative to me is the slant to overlook the local and focus on the global. I understand from a perspective that the poorest in the United States has more than other countries but how can we turn our back on those that are local? That is my main problem with Radical and Radical Together.

Would I recommend this book to others- absolutely. It is a great book and presents several thinking points for churches, both leaders and attendees.

I received this book from WaterBrook Publishing in exchange for a review. In no way was I obligated to write a positive review.

Reading Radical Together has challenged me enormously. It is a book that I hope to return to time and time again to awaken my soul to the great commission for the discipleship of the nations. The premise of David Platt's book is to spur on communities of faith to apply the revolutionary claims of Christ and his Gospel. Platt compels his readers to consider the idea that "as men and women who are surrendered to the person of Christ join together in churches that are committed to the purpose of Christ, then nothing can stop the spread of the Gospel to the ends of the earth." It is a biblical and grand vision, one worth meditating on with your congregation. It is a vision that I confess to have forgotten in my sinfulness and in my lack of God-inspired ambition.

The book has six chapters - six ideas that Platt believes are vital for Christians who desire to be a part of churches that are unleashing people into the world with the gospel:
1. The Tyranny of the Good: One of the worst enemies of Christians can be good things in the church.
2. The Gospel Misunderstood: The gospel that saves us from work saves us to work.
3. God is saying something: The Word does the work.
4. The Genius of Wrong: Building the right church depends on using all the wrong people.
5. Our Unmistakable Task: We are living - and longing - for the end of the world.
6. The God Who Exalts God: We are selfless followers of a self-centered God.

Platt's book is lighter on biblical exposition but heavier on stories. The stories are incredibly challenging, vivid, and moving. They come from historical accounts, from Platt's church (Brook Hills Church), and even from Platt's own life. They do nothing less than inspire. This is not to say that Platt ignores Scripture or considers it unworthy to discuss. Actually it is quite the contrary. The focus of this book is not to prove to you the authority of the Word. Instead, it assumes it, reiterates it, and commands you to act accordingly.

To reiterate though, if you want a book that purposefully exegetes passages on missions, services, and global evangelism and discipleship, please understand that Radical Together is not that book. This is not a negative critique, this is just an observation - Platt does not set out to prove to us about any interpretations about the bible. While Platt's book is biblically saturated, its main purpose is to enflame our hearts to truths and commands that we already know in our heads but we have forgotten in our actions.

This is a simple book, but powerful, true, and necessary in present American culture. If you pick up this book (and I recommend that you do!), read, repent, and respond. Apply the message of the gospel to your heart with the rest of your small group or church community for the glory of God and for the salvation of the nations around the world.

Note: In the interest of full disclosure, WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group sent me this book for free for this review.

This is a sequel of sorts to David Platt's first book "Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream". Whereas "Radical" was addressed to individuals in their personal walks of faith, "Radical Together" is addressed to the local church. I wish that I could say that the book's contents were not all that radical...I saw nothing in it that was outside of Biblical teaching. However, the subtitle, "Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God" is exactly what the church needs most, but to find it is all too rare. There are six chapters, each based on a guiding principle for the church to live radically. 1) One of the worst enemies of Christians can be good things in the church. 2) The gospel that saves us from work saves us to work. 3) The Word does the work. 4) Building the right church depends on using all the wrong people. 5) We are living--and longing--for the end of the world. 6) We are selfless followers of a self-centered God. If these principles sound like something that you would like to read more about, then you would really enjoy this book. Even greater, the book would be great for small group study, with a discussion guide at the end with questions and brainstorming ideas to unleash your own local body for the purpose of God!

I recently read David Platt's book "Radical Together". He is able to make a convincing argument "that the gospel that saves us from work also saves us to work" (28). It is able to brings that gap between the assurance of being justified by faith alone and the notion that Christians are still called to work for the Kingdom of Heaven while on earth. "Real faith always creates fruit" (29).

Platt tells of his own experiences of being called to pastor a large church. However, his own lens seems to be the main focus of the book. He doesn't quite bridge the gap between a mega-church and the smaller churches. I did like his emphasis on the priesthood of all believers. That the people of his church were taught to understand that they were in ministry 7 days a week and not just on Sunday. He does give some advice for equipping the saints.

He totally lost me at the end of the book. When he goes from making a difference in the world to a message about heaven and salvation. It kind of falls apart at the end, in my opinion. It goes from talking about making a difference in the world to our role for evangelizing the world.

"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review".

If reading Dr. David Platt's first book "Radical" was like getting a punch in the stomach, then reading "Radical Together" was like getting your teeth knocked in. Dr. Platt uses a simple and direct way of communicating the heart motivation that believers should have. And every time I read something that was not present in my life my heart was pricked by conviction. The Gospel is radically good news. It should change us and leave us wanting for more, but this is not always the case.

In "Radical Together" Dr. Platt moves the focus from the individual Christian to the corporate fellowship of believers. How should radically transformed believers live out their lives together? This is a powerful question that we have to take seriously. There are six areas that are covered in the book:

1. The tendency to be satisfied to easily
2. Misunderstanding what the Gospel is and does
3. A failure to trust the Word of God
4. The arrogance of favoritism
5. Our fear of what's to come
6. Our prideful sense of our own worth

These are my takeaway's from reading the book. It is difficult at times to come face-to-face with what you are doing, or not doing for that matter. What makes "Radical Together" helpful is the way that you are confronted, comforted, and challenged to make the changes that need to be made. It is not that you are doing these things on your own. I think that this really is the point. The combination of the church's power and presence to facilitate these changes is invaluable and incalculable.

I would say that the book is worth the price of three pages found at the end of the book. As I read them I was so convicted that I had to re-read them as they spoke to my heart. Dr. Platt shares a personal story about sharing tracts to an unreached people group and thinking to himself that "God must be really glad to have me on his team." He then quotes several paragraphs from A. W. Tozer`s book The Knowledge of the Holy. As Dr. Platt puts it, he just so happened to be holding the book. This particular passage captures the essence of whole.

"An effective speaker can easily excite pity in his hearers, not only for the heathen but for the God who has tried so hard and so long to save them and has failed for want of support. I fear that thousands of younger persons enter Christian service from no higher motive than to help deliver God from the embarrassing situation His love has gotten Him into and His limited abilities seem unable to get Him out of." (A. W. Tozer, quoted in Radical Together, p. 122)

This section alone is worth the price of the book! I am thankful for Dr. Platt's faithfulness in sharing these insights and encouragements. I pray that the universal church would take to heart what God has called her to. I also pray that I would live a life worthy of the God who saves in such a radical way.

In Radical Together Platt continues his thoughts which started in Radical. Every Christian should examine what Platt offers up in this book and see where he/she is personally. The great challenge for me is "Have I laid everything on the table before God? Even the good things?" So often we can get in a rut of good Christians works and not examine if God would have us change anything. This can easily happen in churches where there is great unity and love. Platt offers his solution much like Jesus saying deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow me. Not everyone will be called to follow to other parts of the world or to poorer areas in this country, but I can't help but think that many Christians never even examine if this call is for them. Good read to compliment Radical. I received a free copy from Waterbrook Publishing but was not influenced to provide a positive review.

This is a challenging book which calls Christians to unite around a gospel centered vision in our churches. Building on his earlier book, Radical, Dr. David Platt challenges believers to reshape priorities in the Body of Christ. If a church is successful it does not necessarily mean the church is doing the will of God. Dr Platt challenges other preconcieved notions of what is successful and doing the will of God. He shares 6 foundational ideas that ignite radical obedience among Christians in the Church. The 6 chapters discuss each idea and there is a helpful study guide with discussion questions at the end of the book.

This is a book for those who want to radically live out their Christian faith. It is not for those who want to remain complacent in their faith. I received this book free of charge from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

If reading Dr. David Platt's first book "Radical" was like getting a punch in the stomach, then reading "Radical Together" was like getting your teeth knocked in. Dr. Platt uses a simple and direct way of communicating the heart motivation that believers should have. And every time I read something that was not present in my life my heart was pricked by conviction. The Gospel is radically good news. It should change us and leave us wanting for more, but this is not always the case.

In "Radical Together" Dr. Platt moves the focus from the individual Christian to the corporate fellowship of believers. How should radically transformed believers live out their lives together? This is a powerful question that we have to take seriously. There are six areas that are covered in the book:

1. The tendency to be satisfied to easily
2. Misunderstanding what the Gospel is and does
3. A failure to trust the Word of God
4. The arrogance of favoritism
5. Our fear of what's to come
6. Our prideful sense of our own worth

These are my takeaway's from reading the book. It is difficult at times to come face-to-face with what you are doing, or not doing for that matter. What makes "Radical Together" helpful is the way that you are confronted, comforted, and challenged to make the changes that need to be made. It is not that you are doing these things on your own. I think that this really is the point. The combination of the church's power and presence to facilitate these changes is invaluable and incalculable.

I would say that the book is worth the price of three pages found at the end of the book. As I read them I was so convicted that I had to re-read them as they spoke to my heart. Dr. Platt shares a personal story about sharing tracts to an unreached people group and thinking to himself that "God must be really glad to have me on his team." He then quotes several paragraphs from A. W. Tozer`s book The Knowledge of the Holy. As Dr. Platt puts it, he just so happened to be holding the book. This particular passage captures the essence of whole.

"An effective speaker can easily excite pity in his hearers, not only for the heathen but for the God who has tried so hard and so long to save them and has failed for want of support. I fear that thousands of younger persons enter Christian service from no higher motive than to help deliver God from the embarrassing situation His love has gotten Him into and His limited abilities seem unable to get Him out of." (A. W. Tozer, quoted in Radical Together, p. 122)

This section alone is worth the price of the book! I am thankful for Dr. Platt's faithfulness in sharing these insights and encouragements. I pray that the universal church would take to heart what God has called her to. I also pray that I would live a life worthy of the God who saves in such a radical way.

In Radical Together Platt continues his thoughts which started in Radical. Every Christian should examine what Platt offers up in this book and see where he/she is personally. The great challenge for me is "Have I laid everything on the table before God? Even the good things?" So often we can get in a rut of good Christians works and not examine if God would have us change anything. This can easily happen in churches where there is great unity and love. Platt offers his solution much like Jesus saying deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow me. Not everyone will be called to follow to other parts of the world or to poorer areas in this country, but I can't help but think that many Christians never even examine if this call is for them. Good read to compliment Radical. I received a free copy from Waterbrook Publishing but was not influenced to provide a positive review.

This is a challenging book which calls Christians to unite around a gospel centered vision in our churches. Building on his earlier book, Radical, Dr. David Platt challenges believers to reshape priorities in the Body of Christ. If a church is successful it does not necessarily mean the church is doing the will of God. Dr Platt challenges other preconcieved notions of what is successful and doing the will of God. He shares 6 foundational ideas that ignite radical obedience among Christians in the Church. The 6 chapters discuss each idea and there is a helpful study guide with discussion questions at the end of the book.

This is a book for those who want to radically live out their Christian faith. It is not for those who want to remain complacent in their faith. I received this book free of charge from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

There's nothing more to add to the many fine reviews here; I merely want to add another 5 star rating, and would give it more stars if I could. I finally bought Radical recently but my daughter immediately took it and tells me how great it is so far. Then I had an airport layover and stumbled upon both Radical and Radical Together in the bookstore. I picked up Radical Together and read it on the plane. WOW! On the drive home from the airport I stopped at another bookstore and picked up four more copies of each book for distribution--if Radical Together is this good, Radical can't be bad. And this fall I'll lead a church group through it. If you haven't done so already, just read it! It's easily the most important book I've read in a long time, and I read a lot of books.

Radical Together: Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God, by David Platt, was a good book. I would describe the this book as more of the "how-to," compared to the first of the series as the "ought-to."
To be honest, It started well, but then began to drag a bit. This is when I put it down, and didn't get back to it for a while.

I started to lose interest because I felt as though it was beginning to be redundant, repeating ideas covered in the first book (Radical), and retelling stories that might as well have been the same ones, even if they weren't. I felt as though it was beginning to be redundant, repeating ideas covered in the first book (Radical), and retelling stories that might as well have been the same ones, even if they weren't.

I hope I didn't lose you there... but I think I made my point.

Fortunately, I was determined to finish.

This was a review copy provided by WaterBrook Multnomah, after-all, and I wanted to be honest, as well as finally get a new book (as if I don't already have plenty others to read)...
I am glad that I chose to finish it!

Once I got back into the book, it began to improve.

Platt finishes really strong with some great chapters on the church, prayer, seeker-sensitivity, and God himself.
I would recommend this as a good read to follow-up the first book with, but just a heads-up that there is some repetition there is some repetition.

Onward toward the "radical" call...

I don't know if you've read David Platt's book Radical yet, but you should. Radical Together is the follow-up to Radical.

And while Radical is a personal book, Radical Together takes the principles of Radical and talks about them on a corporate, Church, community level.

I believe that Radical Together should be required reading for all church leaders. I have it sitting on my desk because it's one of those books that's going to require a second reading. I'm still thinking about and processing much of what I read. And flipping back through the book I see why I used an entire Highlighter as I read.

It's a short book, but it's not a quick read. There's too much to think about. The subtitle is Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God. What Radical Together does is give us a framework for doing what the subtitle says by bringing things back to the basics. I think that is the greatest value of this book. It takes away the fluff (and let's be honest, most American churches have a lot of fluff) and gets back to basic stuff.

In his New York Times bestseller, "Radical", David Platt issues a call for Christians to take back their faith from the American dream and instead follow after God's "radical" call upon our lives.

Now, Platt carries the Radical challenge on to the church in America by revisiting Jesus' well-know and often ignored challenges. This book is a call for Christians to realize what answering that "radical" call will mean for our churches. Platt shares openly and honestly from personal experience about how he and the Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, AL have sought to re-evaluate their programs and activities, budgets and plans, all for the sake of carrying the Gospel around the world.

As a pastor, I enjoyed Radical. I found it thought-provoking and convicting as I realized how often I chose to "play it safe" rather than be radically devoted to God's call on my life. But as I read "Radical Togther", I was encouraged and energized. As Platt retells the story of how he came to be at Brook Hills, I found comfort, knowing that I'm not the only one who doesn't always know what he's doing. I found great wisdom and encouragement in Platt's retelling of the struggles that he and the Church at Brook Hills have had to work through. This is an excellent book for anyone who, after reading "Radical" is left thinking "Now what...?" Likewise, this book is tremendously practical and helpful for any leader who is contemplating what "radical change" would mean for their church.

****I recieved this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.****

Radical Together
In Radical, David Platt called for Christians to take their faith back from the American Dream. This widely resonated with readers and the book quickly became a best seller on the New York Times best seller list. Now in Radical Together, Platt is once again calling Christians to focus their faith around the Gospel, and live out a Gospel-centered life.

At first this book looks like an easy, light read, being only about 150 pages long. However the content is extremely heavy as Platt is showing us how there is a spiritual revolution happening right now, and WE can be on the front lines. Platt shares, "the only reason I have heard the Gospel of God is because of the grace of God. Meanwhile, nearly two billion people still do not have access to the Gospel. For generations they and their ancestors have been born, have lived, and have died without even hearing the name of Jesus."

While Platt's challenge to us all is a good enough reason to read this book, many of the stories he shares make this book absolutely spectacular. Platt shows us how the staff at Brook Hills (the church he pastors) competed with each other to cut major portions of their budgets so they could use that money to spread the Gospel around the world. We learn of Darren and Julia who are able to see Christ transforming lives as they "serve in a residential facility that provides shelter and rehabilitation for women." We learn of Dominic who has a passion to not only lead people to Christ, but to disciple and help them grow in Christ. We also learn of Jacob and Stephanie, who instead of buying a bigger house, decided to adopt a child with Down syndrome and buy a smaller home, which would allow them to free up resources for God's purposes. This book is full of stories such as these mixed with Platt's knowledge of the Bible. It is truly an eye-opening experience.

I would definitely recommend this book for you to read. Just be ready to rethink the way we "do" church here in America. I, received a free copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers to review, however this did not persuade me in way I read this book.

A loved book by many and controversial for others, Radical Together is a follow up to Radical. Platt challenges the church to put first things first. The first chapter is a challege to consider essentially on what the resources of the church are used. Platt is challenging the kingdom building of some and calls for the - not so radical - idea that we should be pursuing The Kingdom.

Platts message is challenging to all. Is he calling for anything less than the call of Jesus to lay down all to follow him? But "when is enough enough?" That is a question that I have heard by some and it seems like the wrong question. However, Platt addresses this with the story of Ashley who can't do enough and always feels burdened by the call.

So Platt turns to and calls for a devotion to the Word and the Gospel. He seeks to exalt what should be exalted - God.

The other week I received the book "Radical Together: Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God" by David Platt, which is the follow up book to "Radical". His question that led to writing this book was "How can we in the church best unleash the people of God in the Spirit of God with the Word of God for the glory of God." He then spends the rest of the book wrestling with how a community of followers of Jesus (and not just individuals) live out a radical Jesus life together.

He organizes the book around six ideas that he believes (in his words) are foundational for Christians who desire to be a part of churches that are unleashing people in the world with the gospel. The six ideas are:

1. One of the worst enemies of Christians can be good things in the church.
2. The gospel that saves us from works saves us to work.
3. The Word does the work.
4. Building the right church depends on using all the wrong people.
5. We are living- and longing- for the end of the world.
6. We are selfless followers of a self-centered God.

Overall I appreciated the book and it gave me some concrete thoughts and things to apply within Veritas, albeit on a much smaller scale that the authors church. (For instance, really getting serious about tithing our giving each week to some missions/ministries outside ourselves like Living Water International or Blood Water Mission or North Star Initiative or Heads Up both here in Lancaster.)

Some quotes that stood out to me include:

"Are you and I personally willing to put everything in our lives on the table for Christ to determine what needs to stay and what needs to go?"

"The Gospel is the reason for radical living"

(Love this prayer) "Lord, let me make a difference for you that is utterly disproportionate to who I am."

"What if growing the church was never intended to depend on creating a good performance with all the right people on the stage?"

"Make disciples who will make disciples who will make disciples, and together multiply this gospel to all peoples."

"What if each of us were actually making disciples who were making disciples who were making disciples?"

"We are exhorted to see ourselves as missionaries in our cities, and we are encouraged to engage our cultures with the gospel." (The quote goes on to say that you need to be more than just living out the kingdom locally but also seeking to live out the kingdom globally as well.)

And lastly...
"We said to God, `Wherever you want us to go, whatever you want us to do, however you want us to live, we give our lives and our family for you to spend in making the gospel and your glory known to the ends of the earth, particularly among those who have never heard the gospel." A prayer that my wife and I need to be praying together and separately.

One last thing is that there is a study guide in the back of the book for groups that might want to use the book as a small group resource or a call that might want to use it for a sermon series type small group. This might come in handy for future discussions within Veritas.

Just so you know.... "I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review"

"Radical Together" by David Platt

The Church in America has been seduced by the American dream and we have been unfaithful to the Gospel. We have turned inward and think only about our lives and our local churches and we forget about the calling God has given us. This book and its predecessor, Radical, are concerned with correcting this.

The one big flaw in both this book and the previous one is that, if taken at face value, they induce guilt in the reader. Not everyone can be a missionary to a far away place or start some type of "radical" apostolate here at home. Quite a few Christians are leading Christ centered lives and use their talents to fulfill a vocation close to home.

While it is not necessary to have read Radical before taking on Radical Together, it will be an immense help if you do. This book is a continuation of the topic found in Radical and makes much more sense when taken in the context of its' predecessor. I highly recommend purchasing and reading both books back to back.

Taken together these books will benefit anyone involved in ministry or wanting to live a Christo-centric, Radical life.

In Radical Together, David Platt has once again written a book that excites, convicts, and sends one well outside of one's comfort zone. In his first book, Radical, Platt focused on how individuals should live as committed Christians. In this new book, he takes similar concepts and applies them to the local church.

There are six chapters in the book. The first chapter delves into the issue of how churches do ministry. In short, Platt argues that local church ministries often slide into a mode of doing many good things that actually detract from the best thing, which is disciple making.

In chapter two, Platt clears up some possible misapplications of the call to be radical with respect to the gospel. Platt suggests that on the one hand a believer is saved from work, meaning justification is all about what Christ has done for us and nothing about what we do to earn God's favor. On the other hand, the believer is saved to do good works. Good works should be the natural result of becoming a Christian. Platt writes that the proper stance of the Christian with respect to the gospel and work is: "In the Gospel I am free to follow [Christ's] commands" (p. 30).

In chapter three, the focus is on the Word of God as the centerpiece of what it means to be a disciple making church. Platt argues that there needs to be a dependence upon the sufficient Word for both what the church is to be doing and the method for doing it. Chapter four addresses what Platt sees as the wrong method for doing local church ministry. For Platt, it is a strategic misstep for a church to subordinate the equipping of individual saints for ministry to the creating of cutting edge worship performances and environments, excessive programming and the reliance on "professionals" to do the work of the ministry.

Chapter five is a plea for foreign missions. Platt exhorts churches to have a burden not only for the lost in their immediate communities, but also the lost within the many unreached peoples around the world. In chapter six, Platt provides several examples of what it means to live more selflessly to advance God's agenda.

There are many positive things to mention in this sequel. First, Platt's tone is to be commended. While he has much to criticize about the contemporary American Evangelical church, he avoids what sometimes comes across in others with similar critiques as bitterness against the "establishment." There are many examples where Platt shows modesty and humility. He acknowledges, for instance, "I have so much to learn" (p. 3), and later in the book reflects that as a rookie pastor "I had no clue how to be a part of, much less to lead, such a large church" (p. 42).

Second, Platt's discussion of ministry planning is right on the mark. He highlights a very real proclivity among churches to stray from the main focus of the church, namely, the evangelizing the lost and discipling the saved. Anecdotally, he shares of one man in his congregation that confessed, "despite all the good things he had done in the church, he could not name one person outside his family who he had led to Christ and who was now walking with Christ and leading others to Christ." I have no doubt this reality is widespread in Evangelicalism today. Platt is concerned about this, and we should be also. If the purpose Christ established the church to fulfill has been largely lost in the busy activities of the church there is a very serious problem.

I believe his critique of the contemporary formula for church growth is accurate. There is a tendency to create metrics of success in churches around the most visible and tangible elements which may have very little to do with achieving real spiritual growth. As performance, places, programs and professionals become the focus, the development of individuals into Christ-like maturity is left to a less-than-effective "system."

As a corrective for this state of affairs, Platt exhorts churches to put everything but the theological non-negotiables "on the table." We cannot simply ask "what's wrong with certain programs and activities?" because that is not the issue. There are many good things that churches find themselves doing. The more productive and relevant question is whether current "programs and activities [are] the best way to spend our time, money, and energy for the spread of the gospel in our neighborhood and in all nations?"

Fortunately, Platt is not alone in his prescription. Others are thinking the same way. For example, Matthias Media, the publisher that recently released and popular book, The Trellis and the Vine, is an Evangelical Australian-based resource producer that has been publishing resources for several decades that are designed to aid churches in focusing on evangelism and edification as the main course of church life. They have also produced an excellent resource called Mission Minded to help churches strategically plan with the right priorities. Also, Kevin DeYoung's and Greg Gilbert's book released this year called What is the Mission of the Church? echoes many of the same ideas that Platt addresses with respect to focusing the churches resources around the mission/Great Commission of the church.

A third positive feature of the book worthy of highlighting is Platt's reminder that while the recent popularity of missional living and local church planting is to be commended, we should not lose sight of our duty to reach the lost around the world. Human nature is the swinging of pendulums, and I think Platt has given us a helpful reminder to keep proper balance.

As for negative critique, there is a question I have about Platt's move from the individual Christian to the collection of Christians as the local church. A social theorist might say Platt falls on more of the individualist rather than collectivist side of the scale. There is a sense that Platt perhaps makes a jump from what individual Christians ought to do (Radical) to what the church as a group of individuals ought to do (Radical Together). In other words, the mission of the whole can tend to sound identical to the mission of individuals. The places in the book where this seems to be most prominent is where he discusses what is today often referred to as "social justice." It is completely appropriate to expect that individual Christians should be all about serving and giving to the physical needs of their fellow man around the world (p. 18). However, I think we need to be careful here. In What is the Mission of the Church?, DeYoung and Gilbert rightly speak of an important distinction between the "the church organic" and "the church institutional." They suggest that "there is a difference between the individual Christian and the local church, and therefore we can't just say that whatever we see commanded of the individual Christian is also commanded of the local church. For DeYoung and Gilbert, "the mission of the church...seems to be something narrower than the set of all commands given to individual Christians - it's proclamation, witness, and disciple making."

I suspect that Platt may not take real issue with this, however, I think Radical Together does not clearly articulate the distinction and may lead unintentionally to undermining the narrowing of ministry focus advocated in chapter one. Perhaps it would have been helpful for Platt to insert a few lines in chapter one addressing the need to see the church's mission as a bit narrower than the duties of individual Christians.

In conclusion, Radical Together is a book that should be read widely. This would be a great book to study for a church leadership team who wants an introduction to what they need to be thinking about to assess their ministry. Other books with a complementary philosophy of ministry, like The Trellis and the Vine, Mission Minded, and What is the Mission of the Church?, would be helpful books to read along side this one.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

David Platt follows up his book Radical with Radical Together. Together is a short book (130 pages not counting the study guide) that basically is an expansion and continuation of the ideas presented in Radical. Together focuses in on the church as a whole. Platt basically uses the book to challenge the church to get back to work! The work that he describes is the work of getting out of the walls of your local church and into the community and world with the Gospel.

The book is filled with stories and examples of how God has used the principles found in the first book to dramatically impact the lives of people in the church Platt leads. Stories of mass adoptions, families selling houses and moving into the inner city, and people travelling to countries around the world to share the Gospel. He encourages churches to take long hard looks at budgets, buildings, and programs. He challenges Christians and churches to ask the question if the things they are spending money on really do much to advance the Gospel.

I actually read this book the day after reading Radical so I found much of the information to be pretty much the same as what was presented in the first book. That said, the book does present a different perspective in that it is focused less on the individual and more on the church as a whole. You should definitely read Radical first and then pick up Radical Together. Together they form a challenging pair of books that are practical, convicting, and will challenge you to do more for the Gospel.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.

If you've heard of David Platt, you most likely have heard of his book Radical. And if you've read Radical, you might also know that Platt has written a follow-up: Radical Together. What you might not know, though, is this: if you've read the first, you've read them both.

As I went to read Radical Together, I realized that I had never read Platt's first book, so I figured it necessary. Turns out that I could've read Radical twice and benefitted just as much reading both of these books.

Radical Together doesn't tell you anything you wouldn't have learned in Radical. However, it serves a purpose. Radical was a book intended for the individual; Radical Together is intended for the congregation, or at least for the leader of one.

Sadly, this does not describe me.

So, although Radical Together was a decent book, it wasn't terribly informing to me. I could have read Radical again and learned just as much. However, for the right person, this might be a good read. If you're in a position to transform the community of believers you regularly interact with, this is for you. Otherwise, you might benefit yourself (and others) more by simply rereading Radical.

(I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.)

David Platt's follow up to *Radical* is well worth the little bit of time that is needed to read it. The best part is the discussion guide in the back. There was nothing new in the text that one didn't find in *Radical*.

Overall I think that it is well written. It is accessible for any Christian at any point in their walk with God. I think that it's strength lies in the stories and illustrations.

The danger of this text is that of legalism. Platt does a good job of trying to combat this temptation. However, I think that this book in the hands of a young believer could lead to some assumptions about the Christian faith that are not necessarily true. There can also be the temptation to the development of a two-tiered Christianity. Those who live "radical" and those who "don't". Again, I think that Platt tries to hedge this but, as with any writing that calls one to action this is a potential danger.

I would highly recommend this book for a small group or discipleship group discussion.

Following his best-selling book The Radical Question: What Is Jesus Worth to You? David Platt needs no introduction. Platt has become the voice of the next generation of Evangelicals who remain conservative and orthodox in their doctrine and yet tired of playing "Christian." Platt's passion is to see the world changed with the gospel and with him is a growing number of younger believers who want to change the world with him. Younger evangelicals want to see real change, not just the same old church politics, useless, endless fights, intimacy with all things political, or wasting money on purposeless projects. We want to see people come to Christ and our world changed and Platt is the one with the bull horn.

No wonder his first book was so successful.

Now, Platt is out continuing to sound the same alarm in his new book Radical Together: Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God. As the title suggests, this book is similar to the first with a slight difference. The urgency remains and the message is still the same: we Christians need to abandon the American dream and live out the gospel. In his first book, Platt called us to repentance and to reshape our priorities. In this book, Platt is more practical and warns us how well-intentioned Christians can actually stand in the way of changing the world with the gospel.

This is what I loved about the book. This book is a warning to Christians who think they are serving in the Kingdom, but really aren't. The first chapter makes this argument. It begins with the story of one church member who was spending all of his time serving the church exhausting himself thinking he was changing the world. Though a faithful servant of the church serving on countless committees, the man realized that Jesus had called him to make disciples - something, in spite of all of his hard work, he had never done. Platt is right, sometimes we are our own worse enemy especially when we deceive ourselves into thinking we are doing something when we're not.

Platt calls on churches to rethink everything other than theological and gospel truths. We need to rethink youth ministry, children's ministry, etc and I think he's right. Looking at how we're doing ministry now, I think it is time for us to rethink what we're doing. Is youth and children ministry yielding the sort of results we thought it would? Have we neglected the gospel in all of this. Platt is forcing us to ask the sort of questions we don't want to ask in fear that we may need to change. And change may be what we need.

Perhaps my favorite chapter regarded the power of Scripture. This is so simple and yet we have missed it. It is Scripture and its revelation of the gospel that changes lives and is the power by which we will change the world. Therefore, we need to preach the cross as revealed in Scripture. We need to be shaped by the gospel spoken of in Scripture. Therein lies real change, not in programs, statistics, entertainment, technology, or "relevancy."

Overall, this is as good as I thought it would have been. If you loved the first book, you will love this one. The message is the same, but that does not mean that the book is. My concern when reading the book was that this was the publishers attempt to make money off of the same book. So I joked that next would come Radical for Women, Radical for Men, etc. But this is no such attempt. Platt wants the gospel to change the world and is mobilizing Christians to stop playing Church and get out and fulfill the Great Commission. This books continues that call.

It is critical that Christians embrace this message and pastors start preaching it. As a pastor I know how easy it can be to keep playing the game of ministry. So long as you don't rock the boat, you can have a career. But Jesus' entire life was rock boating pointing people to the gospel. Shouldn't we care more about the gospel than our careers? Platt shows us why we should and how to do it.

"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

I have enjoyed reading Radical Together by David Platt. I have mixed feelings about it, but I've enjoyed it for the most part.

Radical Together is a sequel to David's bestseller Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream. While I would distinguish Radical as a personal wake-up call, I would characterize Radical Together directed toward a group mentality. This seems rather obvious by the titles of the books, but there seemed to be a lot of overlap from my perspective and this made my reading experience seem redundant or déjà vu-ish at times.

I absolutely agree with the heart of both books, at least as I understand it, which I think is exposing the "me-centric" and consumer-driven approach to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the American church. Perhaps that might be somewhat of a broad generalization, but that seems to be the bolded message that I get coming from the Radicals.

The point where I begin to not fully buy-in to the message of the books (in this case, Radical Together) is in determination of mission and means for the purpose of God. I don't think the entirety of the message and purpose of God is necessarily missionary evangelism. I do believe it is important, but I don't think that it is the sum goal of becoming a disciple of Christ. Before I continue I need to clarify that I am in agreement that it is part of the mandate given by Jesus to his followers, but it seems to me the hand is overplayed in this book. Having read both books and listening to some of the teachings of David Platt, I believe his universal message of Jesus' gospel is more balanced, but this latest book did not seem to include the balance. In fairness, my interpretation and opinion might be influenced by my aversion to performance metric-based sanctification that is indirectly propagated by the evangelical movement (of which I am part). Also, I don't think that is the belief system motivating Radical Together, it just seems to me that is the boldest point of the book... that the ultimate expression of the corporate Church community is international missional evangelism.

I believe the Bible teaches the Kingdom of God begins in you and this is the ultimate expression of the Gospel. The fruit of this Kingdom seed (in you) might be manifest in thousands and millions of ways and not necessarily culminating with international missions. All of the earth and every aspect of it is ripe for redemption; this is realized when people decide to fully and radically lay aside their lives to follow Jesus. While I believe that David Platt teaches this message, it seemed lost or hidden in Radical Together... perhaps "upstaged" is a better way to put it.

All in all, I think the book is okay. In my opinion, it would have been better to have packaged it together with Radical. I think the message of Radical Together might not have seemed so one-sided had that been the case. It is for this reason that I am rating the book a three (based on one to five ranking). In summary, I don't believe global evangelism is the only expression of the church being radical together, regardless of how important an expression it is and I don't think Radical Together can stand alone without being taken out of context, but this is only one man's opinion.

A year ago, David Platt's Radical came onto the scene and took pretty much everyone by surprise by becoming a New York Times bestseller with its urgent message for Christians to take back their lives and faith from the American Dream. Now, in Radical Together: Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God, Platt expands on the message of his first book as he calls Christians to unite around the mission of the church: Making disciples.

After reading Radical, I was left feeling inspired and challenged. But the longer I sat with it, the more questions I had. I kept thinking about how Platt's message would play out within the Church, not just in the life of the individual believer. In many ways, Radical Together answers those questions as he focuses on six ideas:

1. The worst enemy of Christians is good things in the church. We can become so focused on good--even great--things in our churches that we can actually miss out on what God might have for us. The big idea here is being willing to put everything on the table--anything that might hinder us in our mission to spread the gospel in our communities and among the nations. In other words, it's a call to examine our hearts collectively to see if any of our programs, activities, or even facilities plans risk becoming idols (if they haven't already). "We must be willing to sacrifice good things in the church in order to experience the great things of God," Platt writes (p. 3).

2. The gospel that saves us from work saves us to work. We are not saved by our works; "you will never be radical enough" to merit salvation in God's eyes (p. 23). Yet the Scriptures are clear that in Christ, we were created "for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:10). Put simply, Platt is reminding us that genuine saving faith always produces fruit. "It is our call, not only to preach a gospel of radical grace, but also to portray a life of radical goodness" (p. 36).

3. The Word does the work. Platt relates a disturbing experience of being a part of a worship service where the preacher started off saying "I forgot my Bible." After explaining how he prayed and wrestled with what God might have to say and nothing came to mind. Therefore, he concluded that, "God simply doesn't have anything to say to us tonight." Then he left (see pp. 39-40). What Platt addresses here is our lack of confidence in God's Word. "God has designed us to depend on his Word to lead his people in ways that are utterly disproportionate to who we are" (p. 44). Yet, because we for some reason lack confidence in it in favor of other means of "attracting" people to church, "we are assuming that God has not given us enough in his Word, and we are acting like he needs us to supplement his communication to his people with our own talks and thoughts every week" (p. 49).

Esteeming God's Word highly doesn't mean that you'll have favor with the world or with other churches, or that there will be instant, explosive results. Instead, it's a question of trust. Is God's Word sufficient? Do we believe that God's Word always accomplishes that which He purposes (Isa. 55:11), and that it "forms and fulfills, motivates and mobilizes, equips and empowers, leads and directs the people of God in the church for the plan of God in the world"?

This was, perhaps the most encouraging chapter for me to read as I'm a part of a church that is often derided as "bibliolaters" simply because we give the Bible proper esteem and preach the Word. But I've seen firsthand what can happen from years of faithful preaching, years of careful stewardship of the Word in the example of our pastor. And God is bringing much fruit to bear in our church. It's a glorious thing!

4. Building the right church depends on using all the wrong people. Simply, people matter. The role of the church is to make disciples, men, women and children who are equipped for gospel and mercy ministry. Programs are good, but they can take people's attention from their role as Ambassadors for Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 5:20). "We must not become consumed with ministry activity that neglects making disciples," Platt writes (p. 80).

5. We are living--and longing--for the end of the world. Platt notes that Matt. 24:14 tells us, "The gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." In other words, Jesus says, "Once every people group has heard the gospel, then I will return." "Indeed," Platt writes, " he is not coming back until all of them have heard" (p. 90). That is a powerful motivator for missions if there ever was one.

One of the things I greatly appreciated in this chapter was Platt addressing a concern I had about his previous book, which seemed to stress global missions at the expense of local (indeed, his language came across rather derisive of the latter). Here he offers a helpful corrective writing, "We and our churches never have to choose between impacting people with the gospel locally or impacting them globally. . . . As we lay down our lives to multiply the gospel in the context of intentional relationships where we live, we are always doing it ultimately for the spread of the gospel way beyond where we live" (p. 100).

6. We are selfless followers of a self-centered God. Finally, Platt reminds us that all of our efforts--everything we do to spread the gospel--is about one thing, and one thing only: the glory of God. Everything we do must center around displaying God's glory, just as all He does is centered around displaying God's glory.

This is a much-needed reminder for all of us as it's a vision we've sadly lost in our culture. We've tried desperately to make God's work in creation about us, instead of about Him. And because of it, what we are left with is deeply unsatisfying. "God exalts God. if this rubs us wrong in any way, we should ask the follow-up question: 'Who else would we have him exalt?' For at the very moment God exalts anyone or anything else, he is no longer the God who is worthy of all exaltation. Everything God does, even the salvation of his people, ultimately centers around God, for he is worthy of all praise from all peoples" (p. 114).

In the weeks since reading Radical Together I've found myself more encouraged than ever in our church's ministry (and its network), and having a greater desire to pray for the churches of our city. There are a number of good churches here and, I believe, many have the potential to be explosive in their impact for the gospel. So I've been praying that they'll be mindful to rightly exalt the Word, to set aside good programs that are getting in the way of gospel ministry, for a greater sense of longing for the return of Christ to fuel all of our efforts and to see all of us bear much fruit to the glory of God. Read the book and be encouraged to do likewise.

There's been such a buzz about David Platt's book Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream. I bought it for my husband for Christmas (one of those partly self-centered gifts, you know?). But, I've yet to read it. When I was given the opportunity to review Radical Together, David Platt's new book taking the principles of Radical and applying them to communities of faith, I had to take it.

So, I started reading ready to find out what I could do to live more radically for God, what I could do to engage my church to live radically for God. And, I was pretty excited about it.

Having just finished the book, this is the part that stuck with me the most -

Almighty God, just because He is almighty, needs no support. . . .So lofty is our opinion of ourselves that we find it quite easy, not to say enjoyable, to believe that we are necessary to God. . . .

Probably the hardest thought of all for our natural egotism to entertain is that God does not need our help. We commonly represent Him as a busy, eager, somewhat frustrated Father hurrying about seeking help to carry out His benevolent plan to bring peace and salvation to the world. . . .

Too many missionary appeals are based upon this fancied frustration of Almighty God. An effective speaker can easily excite pity in his hearers, not only for the heathen but for the God who has tried so hard and so long to save them and has failed for want of support. I fear that thousands of younger persons enter Christian service from no higher motive than to help deliver God from the embarrassing situation His love has gotten Him into and His limited abilities seem unable to get Him out of. Add to this a certain degree of commendable idealism and a fair amount of compassion for the underprivileged and you have the true drive behind much Christian activity today. (A. W. Tozer, as cited in Platt, 2011, p. 121-122)

God does not need me. He doesn't need my church. He doesn't need our conferences, our programs, our nonprofits, our orphan summits, our fundraising campaigns. As Platt (2011) put it, "All the structures we have constructed and all the stuff we have created could turn to dust, and God could still make a great name for himself among the nations" (p. 122).

As I set out to learn what I could do radically to be more a part of God's work around the world, I was left instead with this - "God does not involve us in his grand, global purpose because he needs us. He involves us in his grand, global purpose because he loves us" (p. 122-123).

And, I am humbled. It's really not about what I do, how much I do, if I do it well, etc. It's simply about following Him, living for Him everyday, and looking to see what He's already doing that I can jump in on simply because He loves me and wants me to have the privilege, pleasure, and blessing of joining Him in His work.

As I recognize my own inadequacy, my sinfulness, my laziness, my failures, I am encouraged that my ability to be a part of something significant for His glory doesn't depend on me at all. Platt shared a prayer he lifts up that he learned from the faithful missionary David Brainerd: "Lord, let me make a difference for you that is utterly disproportionate to who I am" (Platt, 2011, p. 43).

I'm claiming this prayer now and praying that I can see where God is doing something radical and inviting me to come join Him in that, despite my frailty, just because He loves me. May He move in me to go beyond myself (in fact, die to myself) and move toward Him so that when I fail, I'm failing forward, failing with Him rather than failing without Him. And, I'm praying that He will let me make a difference, a difference utterly disproportionate to who I am.

Now, I think I'm ready to read the first book.

[I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing for this review. I was under no obligation to write a positive review. These opinions are my own.]

David Platt's first book, Radical, became a New York Times Bestseller. This month, the followup, Radical Together, released to similar acclaim. In it, Platt takes the ideas that he presented for believers in Radical, and adapts them to explore the potential impact if entire churches were to latch onto the same principles.

Another blogger recently identified the major difference.

"Radical confronted the American Dream; Radical Together confronts the MegaChurch Dream."

The book as a whole is built around several very key and powerful thoughts

Churches can easily become distracted by doing good things that they miss out on God's intended purposes. While these things are good in-and-of-themselves, they inhibit us from asking the question, "Is this the best use of time, money, and people? Is a new program, class, Bible Study, or Education Wing what the world needs most? Or is there another route we can take which enables us to best steward what God has given us that makes a greater global impact?"

We must be clear on the Gospel. One of the greatest critiques of Radical was the perception that Christians need to live incredibly sacrificial, generous lives to truly be Christians. I felt Platt did a good job clarifying that crucial point (salvation is by faith NOT by works), while still holding to a strong position that your works will testify to a changed heart.

The Word of God is sufficient. I felt that his critique of the modern church was a little harsh, though I'm learning that I agree with him on more counts than I'd like to admit. It's the Word of God that changes hearts and lives and leads them to make disciples of the nations.

Nowhere in Scripture has God promised to bless my plans or anyone else's in the church, no matter how innovative or creative they may be. Neither has God promised to bless us based solely on our motives. Sure, we are supposed to do everything for the glory of God, but that doesn't mean everything we do for his glory is assured of his blessing.
There is only one thing God has promised to bless, and that is his plan. He has given us his plan in his Word, and if we want the blessing of God, then we don't need to come up with something else. Instead, we need to align with the plan he has already promised to bless.

Every Believer is called to ministry. The plan that God has already promised to bless, according to Platt, is that ministry is not limited to the most gifted and educated, but is to be the work of every believer in response to God. He believes that "The goal of the church is never for one person to be equipped and empowered to lead as many people as possible to Christ. The goal is always for all of God's people to be equipped and empowered to lead as many people as possible to Christ."

These are not new ideas at all, but they are realities that we constantly need to be reminded of. If every believer needs to read Radical, then every pastor and church leader needs to read Radical Together. Without being overly dramatic (and pun-ny), the results would be... well, radical.

I received this book for no charge from Waterbrook Multomah's Blogging for Books program.

David Platt is a powerfully fresh voice within the evangelical community. His unassuming manner forces older pastors (such as myself) to re-evaluate our entire approach to ministry, making certain that we are working to truly further the spread of the Gospel and thus hasten the return of our Lord. The success of his first book, "Radical," which summoned Christians from their comfortable pursuits of the American Dream, is compellingly followed up by "Radical Together," a similar call to the church corporately. Platt writes in a manner that is read easily but applied with greater difficulty. The reason is that he takes dead aim at the complacency of western believers who have sacrificed the Great Commission on the altar of "ministry programs," "meeting places," "worship performances," and "paid professionalism." Platt challenges us to re-examine "church" within the context of the New Testament, as well as in the manner believers in other parts of the world worship and serve the Lord. His thesis is that pastors and other local church leaders begin "unleashing the people of God for the purpose of God," as his subtitle suggests. I received my copy by responding to a promotional offer by Mission Frontiers (missionfrontiers.org), an organization whose ministry I both support and recommend. I intend to purchase additional copies for my church board and other leaders. What a wonderful privilege to be able to play a role in the grand climax of history and welcome the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The final push will require sacrifice on the part of believers, but the promised reward of seeing God eternally glorified by every people group far outweighs any risk. May the Lord raise up an army of visionary leaders like David Platt who refuse to allow us to simply "play church" while the challenge of making the Lord's name known to all nations remains.

Title: Radical Together
Author: David Platt
Publisher: Multnomah Books

The overall message of this book is a clarion call to gather the local church around a gospel-centered vision. Platt challenges local churches to shape a vision and to develop priorities that center on Jesus Christ. Platt's singular goal in this book is to motivate churches to develop strategies that "unleash the people of God in the Spirit of God with the Word of God for the glory of God." His challenge is to identify and remove what may be a hinderance to the kingdom of God. Platt believes that each church may have some things that are done unintentionally or intentionally that keep a church from completing its God-given task.

I found this book to be a very riveting read. I could not put it down. This book is a very easy read and can be read in two or three settings. Platt writes with clarity and holds your attention very well. However, to receive the maximum benefit of this book I suggest that one should read it slow and savor the various truths and opportunities that are presented. This book was challenging and inspirational. It caused me to rethink how I want to shape the church that I desire to plant in the future. This book forces the reader to think through each issue that the church faces today and calls for deep thought on how to find greater ways to accomplish the great commission without attempting to "reinvent the wheel."

Platt backed his points with Scripture in an accurate and stimulating fashion. I would highly recommend this book to every Elder and church leader at the very least. Although every believer would benefit by this book.

I have been very interested in finding out what all the buzz surrounding David Platt's best-seller "Radical" is all about. After hearing him teach some unconventional ideas at the Catalyst Conference in Dallas this year, I approached his newest offering "Radical Together" with some skepticism.

However, I found many concepts to applaud in the book. After all, it's not enough to just get personally radical for Christ, we are called to follow Christ with others in the context of the local church. Each chapter is built around an apparent non sequitur or shocking statement in order to illicit a response from the reader. Noting the abundance of churches and resources in the US, he challenges us to give sacrificially to foreign missions. He calls us to think globally beyond our own borders. He asks how often do we settle for the good, instead of choosing God's best? Platt skillfully describes the tightrope walk of faith and works and adds to our understanding of the meaning of grace. He emphasizes the centrality of prayer and the importance of adoption. He reminds us of the truth that God does not need us to further His kingdom, but He lovingly chooses to use us for His glory.

However, when Platt sets up a straw man through the stereotypical modern church, he veers off course. It seems Platt inherited all the trappings that go along with pastoring a wealthy mega-church. And it's within this setting that he feels confident in criticizing the excess that has become a part of those churches. He imagines scores of pastors who've decided they would rather not use the Bible as the basis for their teaching. It's just that those pastors aren't in the churches I know of.

The extent of the vision that he says today's leaders are calling us to is to dream about bigger buildings or how many people will attend in the future. Again, I can't imagine the context that just dreaming of great music and a killer light show would go over in.

He really misses the mark when he tells of a talk with a mega-church pastor friend who is apparently sharp enough to pastor such a church, but is too ignorant to imagine doing things in the more traditional way that Platt espouses. Instead of trying to equip the people of the church for ministry, this pastor thinks the staff should do all the ministry. However, I've never heard one serious leader teach or demonstrate that ministry is to be done only by the "pros." So, in the end, I am in complete agreement with Platt that building a healthy church depends on equipping the people for service. It's just that it's not as controversial of an idea as he seems to believe.

Overall, the book is a much-needed call to take big risks to do whatever we can to reach our world for Christ together, but it is marred by his need to set himself against other churches and pastors that he doesn't think measure up to his radical call. In the interest of full disclosure, WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group sent me this book for free for this review.

"How can we in the church best unleash the people of God in the Spirit of God with the Word of God for the Glory of God in the world?" This is the question that David Platt sets out to answer in his second book, Radical Together: Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God. Throughout these 130 pages Platt reminds the audience of core teachings he laid out in his first book, Radical: Taking You're your Faith From the American Dream, and he gives guidance on how the "radical" lifestyle can be implemented in the local church body as a whole. From the outset I want to recommend this book. It will definitely put your lifestyle into perspective and give you much food for thought and leave you in tears and prayers of repentance on more than one occasion. I would say that all the way through, Radical Together is a better book than Radical. I believe this is due to the fact that Platt is able to build upon, refine, and correct teachings he presented in Radical. Radical Together is a great read, it does have some spots that are worth noting.

Radical Together is more balanced than Radical, but it is still given to extremes. One of my major issues with Radical was that, at times, Platt was given to extremes. Oftentimes he left the readers feeling like if they supersized their meal then they were personally responsible for the starvation of an entire third-world country. Okay, maybe it wasn't that bad, but guilt did seem to be a motivator oftentimes where the Gospel should have been. To be fair, it was definitely implicit. Platt never came out and said anything close to this and, based on his preaching, does not even believe anything close to this. I commend Platt for addressing this head on in Radical Together. In chapter 2 Platt gives a hypothetical situation with a girl named Ashley. He explains that, for her, the challenges as they were laid out in Radical would be too much. She has a soft heart and would swing to the extreme end and be plagued with guilt and worry because she could never be "radical" enough. I praise God for Platt's pastoral heart. Here, and other places in the book, Platt simultaneously exhorts, in a prophetic way, those who have no desire to be "radical", he edifies and comforts, in a pastoral way, those whose hearts are already tender and hurting for those in need.

While Platt made great efforts to help his readers avoid those extremes, at times we find him going there himself. At one point he even claims that "Satan, in a sense, is just fine with missional churches in the West spending the overwhelming majority of our time, energy, and money on trying to reach people right around us." While there is truth to the concept that Platt is trying to get across, that it is not faithful to Scripture to be focused entirely on our immediate surroundings, his concept gets lost in this exaggeration. This mentality, which is a major theme in the book, ignores the fact that those who have been saturated with a false Gospel are, in a real sense, as much "unreached" as those who have never been exposed to a Christian or the Christian message. Both types of people need the Gospel and Satan does not rejoice in either group being presented the true Gospel message. To some degree this feels like showing partiality to the impoverished at the expense of the wealthy, which is not a biblical attitude.

One of my main complaints with Radical was an issue of semantics. It may seem like nitpicking, but from a pastoral sense it is crucial. Terminology like "live the Gospel" and "be the Gospel" is confusing and misleading. The Gospel cannot be lived. It was lived by Jesus. The Gospel is the historical truth of Christ's life, death and resurrection. We cannot live that. We can live a life in response to the Gospel, changed by the Gospel, but we cannot "live the Gospel". The most troubling usage of this language is on page 28, in a section called "Saved from Work". Platt gives a beautiful presentation of the Biblical Gospel. He plainly goes through the sinful condition of man and God's plan to save all who will call upon the Lord through the perfect life and finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ, concluding with His victorious resurrection. He concludes that, even though many would desire him to end right there, "The Gospel says something else". He then shows us, Scripturally that we are saved to work. This is 100% true. The only problem, and it is a big problem, is that this is not part of the Gospel. It is our response to the Gospel. Our response is not part of the Gospel. Any deviation here leads to much confusion and much heartache. We do not add to the Gospel (even if what we are adding is a good thing). We do not take away from the Gospel (even if the edges we dull would make it more palatable for the hearer). The Gospel is the death, burial and resurrection of Christ and it is the power unto salvation. Platt knows this and if the issue is brought up I am certain he, like many who use the terminology, would say it is just shorthand for "living in light of the Gospel". The problem, again, is that this shorthand can be misleading and confusing and I feel it would be best to write as clearly on this subject as possible. I will say this. This type of language is not nearly as present as it was in Radical and by no means would it be considered pervasive or even prevalent.

For a while through the book I was beginning to worry. I felt like there was not much Scripture being used. As I read chapter 3, which is about the primacy of Scripture in the life of the church, I thought, "Hey, Platt. What's the deal? You say Scripture is important and I barely see any. I hear a lot of vague, Scripture like references, but no real Scripture citations." So I flipped back through the preceding chapters and was shocked. This book is saturated with Scripture. David Platt has a sneaky way of getting Scripture into the conversation...sneaky in a good way. His covert use of Scripture, here and in Radical, allows these books to be read and received by some who would be turned off by blatant Scripture references. Like Radical, this book has the ability to be embraced by those who do not share the Christian worldview, even when there are pages devoted to pure Gospel presentation and absolute Christian truth claims.

Radical Together is a great challenge to live a life not consumed by the "American Dream" or the "American Evangelical Dream", but to live a life powered by the Gospel to fulfill the Commission of God to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Platt passionately and consistently calls the reader to live a life of sacrifice, not to earn favor from God, but to adorn the Gospel message well and send it to the ends of the earth. I appreciate this book greatly and would recommend it to any who desire to be stirred and challenged and pressed on to good works and a life faithful to the Word of God.

Note: Through Multinomah's Blogging for Books program, I received a complimentary copy of this book simply for providing a review.

Platt, David. 2011. Radical Together: Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God. Multnomah: Colorado Springs, CO.

I want to first thank the good folks at Multnomah for sending this review copy of Platt's latest book.

I must admit that I have not read Platt's first work, "Radical", which he often references in this volume, "Radical Together". The sequel hits enough clear notes to alert me to what was likely covered in the first work, so I don't feel at a total loss. All that to say that if one is interested in this book but has not read the first, you will likely be fine. I was first introduced to Platt in a Christianity Today article on his all-night services which serve as a reenactment of sorts of what the underground church is like in many countries. I was amazed that the church was packed out for hours and hours of sermon material. I liked Platt right away after reading that and suspected that his people are blessed to have such a passionate Gospel-centered pastor. Well, reading this book only confirmed to me everything I suspected about this young Evangelical pastor.

Here's a breakdown of the content:

Chapter 1 - "Tyranny of the Good"

- Platt has a no holds bar approach to everything in the church and whether the acquisition of property, the hiring of new staff, VBS, and all other ministries are best propagating the mission of the church to spread the Gospel to all peoples. He shares about his gutsy leadership when assuming the pastorate and having the leaders reassess EVERYTHING. You got to respect a guy who is willing to shake the boat out of a deep conviction for the unadulterated mission of the church as given by Christ.

Chapter 2 - "The Gospel Misunderstood"

- Platt doesn't assume the Gospel and devotes an entire chapter to the radical nature of God's grace. I suspect he does this because the book would make no sense apart from the Gospel. Platt is aware that Biblical piety may seem radical and actually undermine assurance of salvation for some who struggle in various areas, so he makes himself clear in asserting that the Gospel is rooted in a grace that does not look at our works in any meritorious fashion. Platt contends that once one understands the radical nature of grace in the Gospel, such a person will have a radical devotion to Christ as a result of it and not as the cause of it.

Chapter 3 - "God is Saying Something"

- After explaining the radical nature of the Gospel and how we are saved by grace to be liberated to do good works for His glory in chapter 2, he proceeds to spend all of chapter 3 by contending for the absolute necessity of Biblical exposition to the life of the local church. Platt is not innovative for someone advocating being "radical". Platt is pretty much a back to the basics type of guy who is passionate about the things that many contemporary Evangelicals simply find boring.

Chapter 4 - "The Genius of Wrong"

- Platt believes that the church really is the body of Christ and that every member should contribute for the edification of the whole. It may sound like Platt questions the idea of professional clergy, which he is careful to clarify as not doing, but is really wanting to give a kick in the butt of every ministry paradigm that depends upon the coolest, hippest, most gifted person. Platt believes in equipping the believers and not simply hiring the equipped. This paradigm is very demanding upon the local membership of the church and runs counter to the idea of passive participation in the church.

Chapter 5 - "Our Unmistakable Task"

- Platt is unashamedly committed to the "great commission" and involving his church in the task of bringing the Gospel to the ends of the world. This is not optional. For all of the modern talk about being missional, Platt subscribes to the same evangelistic zeal than accompanied the Fundamentalists from a previous generation. For all the grief Fundamentalists get, I would dare say that their missional zeal far surpasses the shallow contextualized efforts to reach a small niche of the demographic in urban settings that we see today.

Chapter 6 - "The God Who Exalts God"

- This chapter is essentially a microcosm of John Piper's, "The Pleasures of God". It is fitting that Platt ends his book with a chapter that essentially resounds loudly with "Soli Deo Gloria". The book culminates in the glory of God. The Gospel, the Scriptures, evangelism, and everything else has to do with the glory of God. It is refreshing to see yet another young Evangelical who does not think that the self-centerdness ofGod is something to apologize for, but rather something to glory in.

There are many great quotes in this little book as well as a helpful study guide for use in personal reflection or a small group study. I'm grateful for the influence of Platt and trust that many will benefit from his passion for the Church, the Gospel, the Bible, evangelization, and the glory of God. I give this book 4.5/5 stars.

I recommend that you read the book "Radical" as a prerequisite to reading "Radical Together" to make it more meaningful. For me, there was a concern that "Radical Together" would be the same book as "Radical" revamped with the word "together." I'm happy to say I was wrong. It is a rather small book (165 pages including a 6-week discussion guide - which is quite helpful in a group setting).

Personally, I think the delay of a year or more from printing "Radical" to "Radical Together" was good, as author David Platt refers back to people who took his first book "Radical" and applied it to their lives. It also gave him time to explain how his church is doing this "together." I was very pleased to have David relate how they are applying "Radical Together" in their church. He took this from "theory" to "practical reality." This book has helped to make it clear and real on how we can be radical together as the church.

In review, I would like to briefly give some quotes from each chapter, that I feel encapsulate the chapter. This is just to give you an idea how good this book really is! I hope this helps in your deciding to read this book.

Chapter One: This chapter hit on how we are settling for those things which are "good," and thus, missing out on God's BEST.

Chapter Two: Here we see a balance of "...a gospel that saves us FROM work and saves us TO work." We were "...created in Christ Jesus to do good works." And, "We live radically, not because we have to, but because we want to."

Chapter Three: Here we see the importance of the Word of God (Bible) in our lives. As the author states, "...if we want to make God's glory known in the world, then we must make the teaching of God's Word central in the church."

Chapter Four: He gets our focus off the "superstars" and "super churches" that we see in many church organizations and, as he puts it, "...I want people in the church to be able to fulfill the purpose for which they were created without being dependent on gifted preachers, nice buildings, and great programs to do it for them."

Chapter Five: Regarding our desire for the longing of Christ (end of the world as we know it), I like how the author puts it, "...The reality is that Jesus could come back as I write (or as you read) this sentence, and not one of us knows the time when He will come. But we do know this: Jesus hasn't come back yet, which means there is still work to be done." *Reviewers note: Whatever your eschatological views are (even if different from the author), don't let them stop you from reading this book or you will miss out on reading a very life-changing book.

Chapter Six: In this chapter we see we need to get our eyes off of self and centered on God. As the author corrects the problem, he says, "...We organize our churches as if God exists to meet our needs, cater to our comforts, and appeal to our preferences." Later, he goes on to say, "...I know of no greater motivational tool for the church than a glimpse of the sovereign, holy, majestic God who is worthy of all worship, who is high and lifted up."

My prayer is that through the instrument of these two books, "Radical" and "Radical Together," that the Lord will raise up a people sold out to Him!

"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review."

An inherent danger lurks within the culture of the American church. The danger is for churches to become comfortable, sitting back, and resting in the grace that has been given to us through Christ's death and resurrection. While God's grace and our redemption are life-changing, the desire of God's heart is for more than our comfort and isolation in a community of faith. Many churches in America gather in extravagant buildings with all the trappings of comfort every Sunday morning, while the world around them is falling apart and without hope. The thought of it might produce guilt, but that's not the point. Comfort isn't necessarily a bad thing. In Christ we've been given incredible freedom. But the danger lurks when our comfort and freedom cause us to become complacent about the desire of God's heart for the redemption of people all over the world.

In answer to this danger David Platt presents his new book "Radical Together." Like "Radical" before it, it is a challenge to our preconceptions about what being a follower of Jesus should be like, especially in America. In the midst of my comfort, I found the message of Platt's book to cause a deep discomfort about my life and a discontent with how I have pursued the desire of God's heart--making disciples of all nations.

Platt challenges the good things in our lives that keep us from the best things. We often assume that Christ rescued us here and now so that we could experience an easier life here and now, but the easier, painless life awaits after we've done all that God has rescued us to do here. God's heart is for people to come to know him, to be satisfied in him, to find a radically loving Father in him. And God, in what seems to be the riskiest move in history, put flawed human beings in charge of making his dream a reality. To us he said "go and make disciples of all nations." Of course, it's God who does the rescuing, but he's chosen to work through us. That is both a humbling and exhilarating task. In the heart of every human being burns a desire to make a difference in the world. In Christ we get that opportunity.

Platt challenges us to reevaluate our priorities and to abandon ourselves to the gospel-centered mission of God in the world. He calls us to trust in God who does the work through the Bible and to follow God's leading wherever it may take us, even if it's in another context on the other side of the world where our lives may be threatened. But even if we lose our lives, the beauty of our God will be made known and people will be redeemed.

In his previous book, Radical, David Platt presented a challenge to live a radical Christian life (is that redundant?) for a year. I wrote about Radical in a previous review. The five components of this challenge are both comprehensive and achievable.

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.

But Platt understands the vital role of community in individual spiritual transformation. He knows that people are more likely to succeed with this radical challenge if they are in a radical community. Radical Together provides a road map for radical communities to achieve the Radial Challenge together.

`Together' is written for either individual or small group study (hence the `Together" part!) and it's written in such a way with enough content that one can pretty much catch the main themes of `Radical' by just reading `Together'. But for a deeper and fuller understanding of Platt's challenge to live a radical life you should still read `Radical.' The real strength and power of `Together' is the opportunity to study these themes in a group setting - maybe even with your church staff or leaders - over six sessions.

I appreciate that Platt takes the `together' part of `Together' even further than just your immediate small group. Several of the questions for consideration in the group study portion at the end of the book are about our church communities. `Together' goes beyond the miopic me-and-my-little-world syndrome that most of us suffer from and asks us to look around in our faith community to explore how we might be `Radical Together.' It would make a great church-wide group study curriculum, a personal study, or a study with a handful of others. Just make sure that you enter into the radical challenge together and do it sooner rather than later.

The potential impact on your church is huge! Imagine a church full of people who are moving toward those five radical characteristics listed above! Imagine a church that embraces those elements as the normal way Christ-followers live rather than something reserved for those radical Christ-followers. Imagine your own life if these were your personal core values! `Together' can help you get there.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers as part of their Blogging for Books program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Back in December I had the privilege to read and review David Platt's first book, Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream, so when I heard he had come out with his second book Radical Together: Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God, I couldn't wait to read and review it also. If you've read Radical, you will be very familiar with the topic of this book. David Platt challenges believers to return to a gospel-centered vision; a vision that is radical compared to the Christian life we've been accustomed to lately. In Radical, Platt makes the challenge to the individual believer, but Radical Together takes in one step forward; a challenge to the fellowship of believers, the church, to carry out the purpose of God in the world. Platt says this in the opening chapter, "In Radical Together, I want to consider what happens, or can happen, when we apply the revolutionary claims and commands of Christ to our communities of faith. I want to contemplate the force of a people who come together to enjoy God's grace in the church while they extend God's glory in the world. And I want to propose that a movement of such people in such churches has the potential to permeate nations with the praise of God." The way that we as believers will begin to live radically personally and corporately is if we return to the Word and the Gospel that saved us. God and His Word is the power behind this whole idea and the only way that it will happen. What I love about Platt's insight is that he's making a call for the church because he's in the midst of this himself with his church. The motivation behind this book is for sure the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but it's also from his own personal experience. This book is going to cause you to re-evaluate your life and your life together with the community of believers in your church. He's not asking us to do something that hasn't affected him. This isn't going to be easy and he shares that it's not. You may have to possibly change something that is good because it's not allowing for the best to happen through the church. Be prepared to do a lot of thinking. This isn't the easy post to write because there's so much that I'm working through personally to re-evaluate how I'm living my life according to God's purpose. Then that being put into practice, spilling out into the life of the church, and then the church being unleashed for the purpose of God.

Special thanks to WaterBrook Multnomah and Blogging for Books for providing this complimentary book to read and review.

In Radical Together, the follow up to David Platt's extremely successful Radical, Platt seeks to look at the underlying foundation of the message in Radical--the gospel. In some ways, this book looks at the foundation of what makes the church, the church. I believe, with complete honesty, that Radical Together has the potential of transforming the way churches do church.

In six brief chapters, Platt outlines some pretty radical (no pun intended) suggestions that, if understood and applied, would make a huge difference for the church in America. In chapter one, entitled "Tyranny of the Good", Platt suggests that the greatest enemy of the church are actually good things. In chapter two, entitled, "The Gospel Misunderstood", Platt suggests that "the gospel that saves us from work saves us to work." In chapter three, entitled "God is Saying Something", the primary focus is given to God's Word and its effectiveness in ministry. In chapter four, entitled "The Genius of Wrong", the author proposes that "building the right church depends on using all the wrong people. In chapter five, entitled "Our Unmistakable Task," Platt reminds us that Christians are living and longing for the end of the world. Finally, in chapter six, entitled "The God who Exalts God", we are reminded that "we are selfless followers of a self-centered God."

For readers of John Piper or John MacArthur, there is really nothing revolutionary here. However, I believe the effectiveness of this book lies in Platt's plain, forceful writing style. He has a way of communicating truths we are familiar with in new and powerful ways. My personal favorite chapter was chapter four as it reminded me yet again of the power of preaching God's Word clearly. It is a chapter that should be meditated upon by all in ministry.

In conclusion, Radical Together provides an excellent "kick-in-the-pants" for the church in America by reminding us what the gospel is. In some ways, however, this book is also a needed balance to Radical for this book is less focused on what YOU need to do and is more focused on what GOD has already done and is doing. As a result, this book is more focused on orthodoxy (right belief) than orthopraxy (right practice) whereas it seemed Radical was the other way around. This is a great book and one that will surely benefit all who read it.

*Thanks to Multnomah Publishing for providing me a free review copy of this book in exchange for a fair review*

It is refreshing to read a book about what a church can do if it becomes serious about following Christ. Far too many books on the church today present magic formulas for growth, emphasize charismatic leadership and advocate innovate programs which cater to people's wants and preferences. But few books tell of what the church can accomplish if it dies to self and follows Christ wholeheartedly.

David Platt's newest book follows up on Radical, where he calls Christians to take back their faith from the American dream. In Radical Together, he looks at the same theme, but from a corporate viewpoint. He seeks to answer the question, "How can we in the church best unleash the people of God in the Spirit of God with the Word of God for the glory of God in the world?"

He answers the question by describing six characteristics of a radical church:
* One of the worst enemies of Christians can be good things in the church. We need to put everything in our lives on the table for Christ, and ask him if there is a better way to use our time, energy, and money for his glory.
* The gospel that saves us from work saves us to work. While we don't work to earn God's approval, we do work to demonstrate the reality of our faith.
* The Word does the work. God's Word should be the foundation for teaching and preaching in the church, not pop-psychology or the latest bestselling book.
* Building the right church depends on using all the wrong people. God's plan is not dependent on performances, places, programs, and professionals. His plan is for every person among the people of God to count for the advancement of the kingdom of God.
* We are living--and longing--for the end of the world. God's desire is for people from every tribe, language, and people group to come to know him. Only then will the end come.
* We are selfless followers of a self-centered God. We exist for the glory of God, and God exists for the glory of God.

A short, but challenging book. It made me think about my own church and how we might need to change if we took God and his plan seriously.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

The Gospel's story is about the Basic truth of God intertwined in the human struggle to proclaim it. David Platt in "Radical Together" offers us a place to take that struggle beyond the individual and into the local church. "Radical Together" is an energized look at the personal mission Through this book he takes the notion of mission to its proper scriptural end, forming a growing community of faith.

Those of us who came to faith in the "church growth" or the "seeker" movements might see this as a rant. Rather I see it as a corrective to the many ways that the ark of faith has become a cruise ship. The writer dissects the many ways that we have aggrandized our buildings and programs and taken our eye off of our Biblical mission to,"transform people into the image of Christ and to get people in touch with the Holy Spirit of God,.." (49) This is more of a motivational book than one of theology. The desired outcome is to form small groups in the home church to proclaim and act on this mission, not to merely talk about it.

"Radical Together" is a compact, very readable 165 pages. Platt ends it with a simple and usable group study guide. He does a good job of balancing personal stories, theology and motivating the reader to do-ing by taking some of the common misrepresentations of God and surrounding them with the loss of the dependenceon God that many our local Christian communities have. Where the above mentioned "movements" have failed is in thinking that we can succeed by merely organizing, scheduling or speaking of Christ in the correct manner. Platt proclaims "Constant Dependence" as the foundation of a satisfying life for a person and a genuine mission as a people. He also gives some hands on ways to recognize and reclaim that dependence

This is a good and solid book for individual motivation that leads to group proclamation. Pastors, small group leaders, and Sunday School teachers will find it a rich resource. Read it and "Give God no rest". Thanks to Mulnomah press for giving me this book for free in exchange for this review and thank you for reading it. -Alan at the thoughtful pastor blog.

David Platt has done it again - another challenging book reflecting the heart of God for the nations. The dominant theme throughout the book is the answer to this question, "How can we in the church best unleash the people of God in the Spirit of God with the Word of God for the glory of God in the world?" (p. 3).

Platt addresses that question as he points out that good is often the enemy of the best - we can become sidetracked doing good things in the church but miss the heart of the Great Commission - to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth. He points out that the Gospel saves us from working for our salvation so that we can realize God's grace and work toward helping others experience His grace.

He demonstrates the power of God's word to bring about transformational change. He succinctly states, "the Word of God accomplishes the work of God" (p. 45). Platt describes the emphasis of too many churches, "There it is a performance at a place filled with programs run by professionals. The problem, though, is the one p we have left out of the equation: the people of God" (p. 58).

"Radical Together" challenges the reader to take seriously the truth of Matthew 24:14, "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come." He challenges the reader, "If we were willing to take some risks, if we were willing to alter our lifestyles, and if we were willing to organize our churches around taking the gospel to people who have never heard of Christ, we could see every people group on the planet reached with the gospel" (p. 80). What a great statement - if we really believe that is true are we willing to make the lifestyle changes to make that statement a reality? The sad reality is "As long as church consists of normal routines and Christianity consists of nominal devotion with little risk, little sacrifice, and little abandonment, then we can do this on our own" (p. 117).

Platt closes by emphasizing the sufficiency of God, "God does not involve us in his grand, global purpose because he needs us. He involves us in his grand, global purpose because he loves us" (p. 123). If you appreciated Platt's first book "Radical" then you will definitely want to read "Radical Together" - I highly recommend this book if you want to play a role in fulfilling the Great Commission! (I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review).

On the heels of Radical, a call for individual Christians to reconsider what it means to be a disciple of Christ, comes Radical Together, David Platt's extension of the same principles to the church.

On the whole, the material is excellent-- he considers matters of the tyranny of the good over the best, how believers are expected to work, how God's Word is the Source and how it does the work, how people who may not feel qualified can serve God's purposes well, working toward evangelizing the world, and glorifying God and working toward His glory as opposed to being continually selfish.

Platt takes aim at the practices of American churches in Radical Together just as he took aim at Christian practices in Radical. He is a needed breath of fresh air, focusing back on the Word and not programs and glitz, getting people to think about using resources to serve God in His Kingdom more effectively than for building projects and unnecessary social 'benefits' for believers, and the general attitude that says that God should serve us rather than us serving God.

As usual, I'm not too terribly fond of some of the more Evangelical comments; I fear that his use of Matthew 24 out of the context of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE undermines one of the main supports of his chapter on world evangelization. The world ought to be evangelized but never at the neglect of the local area; Platt tries to reassure readers of as much but I still feel that he undermines it by focusing on "Brook Hills Baruti" more than "Brook Hills Bob." I can understand his point when he declares that God is "self-centered" but wonder if we are wise to project such a condition upon the God whose "self awareness" or "self understanding" are never in doubt and Who Is, in reality, Three Persons expressing relational unity.

These concerns should not overshadow the powerful import of the book and its value for the Christian community. On the whole the book is a welcome reminder of what is really important regarding the church and how so much has been missed because the church's mission was expanded beyond the intentions of its Author and Lord.

*-- book received as part of early review program

Radical Together by David Platt, is an excellent call to real Christianity for the everyday believer. As a pastor for about 30 years, I can and do hardily recommend this short book. In its pages rest the truth lost in our modern activity oriented church model. It seems to me that many pastors and churches are guilty of a proliferation of events and gatherings simply to justify large salaries and buildings.

Being radical for Christ is simply returning to a Biblical model of saint-driven ministry and abandoning the top down model in place in most churches today. The apostle Paul challenged the pastors to equip the saints and the ones being equipped should be challenged to use their equipping! Platt accurately and succinctly challenges pastors and churches to rethink the current model and release the saints to minister. Good for him!

It is strange to me that something so Biblical must be sold as being radical, however, that is where we are today in our understanding of the church life. Platt constantly challenges the current conventional thinking of how to "do church," with a much more basic call - obey Jesus in whatever He calls you to do. That sort of thinking is radical in our day and it is truly a shame. Jesus commanded His followers to deny themselves, take up their cross and to follow Him wherever He may lead. Platt has the unabashed gall to actually attempt to implement this in the modern church! Again, good for him!

The book is full of actual stories from real people that have accepted the call to be radical, or as I like to say, obey the Scripture. While this could come across as self-serving, Platt is quick to point out his shortcomings and failures and to divert the glory to God for anything good that is being accomplished. Again, good for him!
Overall an excellent book and quick read that would certainly change the way church is run in America if pastors would seriously consider the author's challenge to rethink what they are doing. As a pastor that has been walking in this model since 1993, I could not agree more with Platt on his call and I hope his words are read far and wide.

That's my humble but deadly accurate opinion anyway...

Dr. Jeff

Radical Together - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Author David Platt struggles with church budgets and gets nauseated with all the vision talk. This is my kind of author. It's my kind of book. Except for the bad and the ugly.

The Good:
With its excellent content, engaging writing style, wonderfully short length, and in-your-face application, this is a good book. It made me crave a radical church - and realize the main thing holding it back is me.

David writes about doing church where we ask ourselves, "Is this the best way to make disciples?" He wants to pour every decision, every dollar spent through that grid. Maybe the best way to make disciples, he thinks, isn't with convenient parking spots and greeters with lattes. Maybe we should "put the wonders of God's glory, holiness, wrath, justice, kindness, jealousy, grace and character on display." And "show people the most biblical, holistic, clear, and captivating vision of God that we possibly can and then trust Him to take care of the seeking." Hmmm.

The Bad:
This book is downright convicting. David gives real-life examples. One was of a couple evaluating if they really needed a larger house. Instead they used their house savings to adopt children with Down syndrome. Others sold themselves into slavery in order to witness to slaves. And I was proud of my Jesus belt-buckle. What this book is talking about is radical. If you don't like conviction, this book is bad.

The Ugly:
Those who read this book will want to use it. In order to use it, we need to know what scriptures are being quoted. But some irrational editor decided to use endnotes instead of references in the text. Say what? I'm not lazy; I just want close parking when I order my latte and sit down to read Radical Together with the references IN THE TEXT. Endnotes are ugly.

For church leaders this book is a must read. It will change the way we do church - it's already changed me. But David, if you want another star, give us references in the text next time.

You can watch a short video on it at [...]

I received this book free from Multnomah Books for review. If they had offered me a Ferrari I might have lied. But they didn't. Therefore the opinions I have expressed are my own. Check out more reviews at DanielCooley.com

Radical Together is the follow-up book by David Platt to his bestselling book Radical. In this book, he takes the principles of his first book and tries to show they function best when they are sought together with a group of people in a faith community.

His main question throughout the book is "How can we in the church best unleash the people of God in the Spirit of God with the Word of God for the glory of God in the world" (3). The book is very easy to read. What I mean is the style of writing, not the content. The content is not easy to read because Platt calls us as Christians to be, well, radical. And he calls our churches to be radical. But radical for a purpose, for our calling is not this world or the physical possessions it offers, but to live for Jesus & the eternal. If that means we have less here so more people can hear the good news of Jesus, so be it. If it means I have to downsize my house so people can be taken care of physically, so be it. Or if that means our church needs to get rid of that program I just absolutely love so money can be freed up to take the gospel to some foreign tribe that has never heard of Jesus, so be it. That's the radical lifestyle.

This book is about how we do church. Are we going to give up those good things in our church that we really do not need in order to free up money to spread the name of Jesus, as a church. He says that a church "is a community of individuals who have lost their lives to follow Christ" (10). I don't think many Christians think about losing their life. I agree with Platt, but it is radical! He is asking churches (and particularly church leaders) to ask the question of what needs to stay and what needs to go. What programs or activities need to be eliminated, even if they are good ones, in order to spread the good news of Jesus further into this world.

In chapter five, he asks the church to think not about who they are going to reach in their local community, but in the world. Many churches target certain audiences. He calls them "Brook Hills Bob" (the name of his church is Brook Hills). Brook Hills Bob is the average person that will come to his church, and the thinking by many church growth experts is if you can figure out how to reach them, you will know how to reach your community. But Platt says they want to reach Brook Hills Baruti. Baruti is someone in some foreign culture who has never heard the name of Jesus. They want to reach him. The strategize and organize and work so that Baruti hears the gospel. Having this mindset changes everything. Listen to his words:

"This changes everything about how we do ministry at Brook Hills. If our goal is all nations, then our strategy cannot be defined by what will best reach people within ten miles of our church building. If our goal is all nations, then our strategy must always revolve around what will best reach people who are ten thousand miles from our church building. This does not mean we neglect Brook Hills Bob . . . we are going to reach Bob and all kinds of other people in our community. But as they come to Christ, we are going to encourage them to spend their lives spreading the gospel to Baruti" (89).

One last thing, this book could be used for small groups in a church. He has done a great job of putting study guide questions at the end of the book that will make you think. There are things that I am wrestling through with this book, but I am not sure if it is because it is wrong or I just don't like what that might mean for my life. Time will tell!

I received a copy of the book: Radical Together by David Platt from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group for review.

David Platt's book Radical truly got me to thinking about what church was supposed to look like. This book has propelled me into even deeper thinking. It seems that we have been duped into theatrical worship and none of us are authentically living out the gospel. What if we all lived out the religion that God accepts?
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
-James 1:27

When we left our church last year, I asked my husband to not make me go back into that type of environment again. Everything seemed manufactured and we were all emotionally manipulated. As we are planting a church, reading this and being challenged by the words of Jesus, I want to know what God desires. He wants something all together different. According to His word, God wants us to spend our resources of care of others and taking the gospel to the nations. How can we do that if our money is tied up in multimillion dollar sanctuaries that are form fitted to make us comfortable?

Here is an excerpt about seeker churches that spoke to me:
"But let me remind you of a startling reality that the Bible makes clear: "There is no one who seeks God." So if the church is sensitive to seekers, and if no one is seeking God, then that means the church is sensitive to no one. . . Jesus tells us that the Father is the one seeking worshippers for His praise. He is the one doing the seeking."
Have we confused ourselves with God?

I was amazed by how his congregation cut their budgets and decided against greater facilities that they had the money to build in order to share the gospel with the nations. What will we do?

I highly recommend this book. It was graciously given for review by Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers.

I admit up front that I am a huge admirer of David Platt and his love for the Word of God and his love for the Church and for Evangelism and living out the Christian faith. His book Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Church was convicting and eye opening and life changing.

Radical Together: Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God follows up with a look at how to live the "radical" life out as a church. Radical looked at the individual Christian life, Radical Together looks at how a church living out as radical individuals will function.

Just like his previous book, Platt tells personal stories about what this looks like. It is biblically based and once again, convicting and encouraging to live differently as a body of believers.

My only quip is that the book is too short. I could have read several more chapters or at least deeper chapters from Platt, not because the chapters were shallow or lacking, but because they were so good I wanted more. This is a book my church members need to read together and dream about what we could do when we live radically together.

Platt is spot on once again and I look forward to what he has to write in the future! Definitely worth reading and passing along.

I received this book from Waterbrook Multnomah as a review copy. I was not required or persuaded to write a positive review of this book, but have done so of my personal choice.

So did you have a chance to read Radical? If so and you enjoyed it, you do not want to miss Radical Together. It is even better! David Platt has done a phenomenal job with this book.

So why write another book so quickly about the idea of being radical? Easy, because Platt was not finished getting you a little uncomfortable by challenging you to do what the scripture really says. The difference between the two books is simple. Radical was about the personal charge God has given us to be radical. Radical Together is all about the corporate charge God has given us as the church to be radical together.

The thing I love most about this book is that Platt does not put the church in a box. He gives the charge to the people of God - not a building called the church - but to the people who love Jesus and want to obediently and wholeheartedly follow Him. Also, he is terribly practical with this second book. The text does not leave you wondering what you are supposed to do - you can respond now.

While the review copy I read did not have a discussion guide in it, I was told the release copy did. Therefore, what I would encourage you to do is to go through this book as a small group and ask God what He is saying for your group to do in response to the discussion questions - and you know what's next? Do it! Have some accountability and accomplish the radical things God is calling you to. If everyone did, we might just change the world.

Overall I have nothing bad to say about the book. Great job David! We can be confident we are going to be able to look forward to hearing of many more great works from him and his church, The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, AL. Enjoy this title and don't miss a chance to hear him speak at the D6 Conference if you are in the Dallas/Fort Worth area this September.

You can download the first chapter of this book for free by going to Waterbrook's site - and, you can see a promotional video by going to YouTube and searching Radical Together.

I admit up front that I am a huge admirer of David Platt and his love for the Word of God and his love for the Church and for Evangelism and living out the Christian faith. His book Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Church was convicting and eye opening and life changing.

Radical Together: Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God follows up with a look at how to live the "radical" life out as a church. Radical looked at the individual Christian life, Radical Together looks at how a church living out as radical individuals will function.

Just like his previous book, Platt tells personal stories about what this looks like. It is biblically based and once again, convicting and encouraging to live differently as a body of believers.

My only quip is that the book is too short. I could have read several more chapters or at least deeper chapters from Platt, not because the chapters were shallow or lacking, but because they were so good I wanted more. This is a book my church members need to read together and dream about what we could do when we live radically together.

Platt is spot on once again and I look forward to what he has to write in the future! Definitely worth reading and passing along.

I received this book from Waterbrook Multnomah as a review copy. I was not required or persuaded to write a positive review of this book, but have done so of my personal choice.

So did you have a chance to read Radical? If so and you enjoyed it, you do not want to miss Radical Together. It is even better! David Platt has done a phenomenal job with this book.

So why write another book so quickly about the idea of being radical? Easy, because Platt was not finished getting you a little uncomfortable by challenging you to do what the scripture really says. The difference between the two books is simple. Radical was about the personal charge God has given us to be radical. Radical Together is all about the corporate charge God has given us as the church to be radical together.

The thing I love most about this book is that Platt does not put the church in a box. He gives the charge to the people of God - not a building called the church - but to the people who love Jesus and want to obediently and wholeheartedly follow Him. Also, he is terribly practical with this second book. The text does not leave you wondering what you are supposed to do - you can respond now.

While the review copy I read did not have a discussion guide in it, I was told the release copy did. Therefore, what I would encourage you to do is to go through this book as a small group and ask God what He is saying for your group to do in response to the discussion questions - and you know what's next? Do it! Have some accountability and accomplish the radical things God is calling you to. If everyone did, we might just change the world.

Overall I have nothing bad to say about the book. Great job David! We can be confident we are going to be able to look forward to hearing of many more great works from him and his church, The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, AL. Enjoy this title and don't miss a chance to hear him speak at the D6 Conference if you are in the Dallas/Fort Worth area this September.

You can download the first chapter of this book for free by going to Waterbrook's site - and, you can see a promotional video by going to YouTube and searching Radical Together.

Even smaller than his first book (this one is just under 150 pages without the study guide), Platt's sequel is no less thought-provoking even if it repeats several of the themes of his earlier book. Where "Radical" focused on the problems with American culture, "Radical Together" focuses on the problems within the American church. His purpose in this book is to unite the church, meaning the lay people, around a gospel-centered vision.

The six short chapters, each with a sub-heading, are as follows:

1.Tyranny of the Good: the worst enemy of Christians is good things in the church
2.The Gospel Misunderstood: the gospel that saves us from work save us to work
3.God is saying something: the Word does the work
4.The Genius of Wrong: building the right church depends on using all the wrong people
5.Our Unmistakeable Task: we are living -- and longing -- for the end of the world
6.The God who exalts God: we are selfless followers of a self-centered God

Like his earlier book, Pastor Platt weaves together compelling stories from his own life and that of his faith-community at Brooks Hill in Birmingham, Alabama, to craft an easy read. And like "Radical" the speed and slimness of the book belies the challenge within its pages.

Two chapters stood out for me. The first focuses on cutting the good to emphasize the greater. He tells of how his church slashed their budget, not because of tough times, but to spend their savings on spiritual needs around the globe instead of staffing needs within their church. Downsizing for the betterment of the world. How often we hear of budget cuts to line the pockets of corporate shareholders. Here Platt tells of budget cuts (of over $1.5 million) to serve impoverished churches in India and elsewhere around the world. These are not shareholders; these are sinners in need of grace, expressed in this case through the generosity of a gospel-driven church in North America.

The other chapter that stood out, chapter four, is centered on the people within the church, the wrong people. Platt argues that we should focus on building our people, not the places, or the programs, or the performances; not even the professionals, who seem to be the right people. Rather, we must "unleash people to maximize the ministry opportunities God has already planned and created for them," refering to Eph. 2:10 ("For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do"). He underscores this idea: "the key in all of this is an intense desire and intentional effort to make every one of our lives count for the multiplication of the gospel in the world." We who sit in the pews are the wrong people according to church marketeers, but as we depend on God's power we can be the right people to bring Jesus to our next-door neighbors, our coworkers or the unwitnessed people groups around the world. Are we ready to be radical together with the other members of our church?

Note: I received a free copy from Waterbrook Publishing but was not influenced to provide a positive review.

Radical Together, by David Platt is the follow up to Radical. The successor to this book spent a fair amount of time on the New York Times Bestseller list. It was also known for presenting a contrasted point of view of the state of American Christianity and calling believers to obey the scriptures in service and mission. You can read my review of that book here.

To be quite frank, I am not sure there is much new material here in this sequel to Platt's previous book. The content is a little more directive but it rehashes the need for change in the traditional church system. The problem that I observed while reading is not that the motive is wrong, it is that I feel the catalyst suggested for change will continue to be stifled by remaining within the traditional institution known as 'the church'.

David Platt does attempt to cover some ground that is seldom tread upon in evangelical literature. He makes his charge by defining six points the book is based upon,

One of the worst enemies of Christians can be good things in the church.
The gospel that saves us from work saves us to work.
The Word does the work.
Building the right church depends on using all the wrong people.
We are living--and longing--for the end of the world.
We are selfless followers of a self-centered God.

Platt goes on to target the tendency of Christians to get lazy or comfortable because they are consumed with programs and church activity. He also highlights the propensity of the other extreme, to do so much of this and that, it equates to works based salvation. With reliance upon the word, the fulfillment of the great commission, and looking forward to Christs return, David Platt poignantly emphasizes scriptural mandates for the life of a disciple.

I did like that David brings attention to forgotten aspects of what seems to be biblically obvious characteristics of the Christian life. While I was not enthralled with this particular attempt at clarifying why Christians need to behave differently than the status American Evangelical quo, I am glad that someone is at least attempting to address it in some facet.

You can read the first chapter of Radical Together online for free.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Radical Together is not a book for the faint of heart. If you are content to do church as usual, this book is definitely not for you. David Platt knocks one out of the park with this book! I found myself challenged throughout this book with the hands on, get your hands dirty Christianity demonstrated throughout its pages.

A couple of the concepts mentioned by Platt include letting go of the good things to do the best things. According to Platt, anything commanded in the word of God has to be included in our best list. Anything not mentioned in the Bible that doesn't contradict any biblical principles belongs in our good list. Too many of us are filling up our time with 'good' things when church leadership should be constantly asking wether we are filling up our schedule with good things and not the best things,

The second concept I appreciated was Platt's focus on unreached people groups. He mentions that there are over 6,000 people groups in the world. An unreached people group is defined as less than 2% of the population is evangelical Christian. In the book he outlines the steps his church has taken to do their part to reach the world for Christ. He points to Matthew 24:14 as his motivation since Jesus himself promised that when all people groups are reached for the gospel, Christ will come back.

Overall, I highly recommend this book. It will challenge you to step up your commitment to God. It will challenge your church leadership to stop being inwardly focused and become strongly community and missions focused. The six small group lessons at the back of the book will also help you lead your church leadership through some serious heart searching. As a pastor myself, I will definitely be using this book with my two churches...

I received a free Digital copy of this book from Multnomah books in return for this review.

When I picked up "Radical Together" by David Platt, the first thing I noticed was the paper. Before I read the content, I saw that the book was printed on pages of inexpensive quality. Don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with the book's product excellence but usually publishers spend a lot of money to make the book high quality paper for that "draw factor." If that were the case, all the content inside would be hypocritically dismantled. Why?

The book hits the heart with a "in your face" impact. If you want a book to challenge you, buy it. If you want to stay the same type of person or Christian, don't read it. I have read literally hundreds, probably thousands of book in my years of study as a minister. This is in the top 25 in power, profundity, and persuasion.

Honestly? I am not sure I can apply it. Yes, I know I am a pastor and ought to be selfless and dedicated to the cause of Christ but this confrontation really makes me consider if I can decide to be radical with my church in the same way as the early church. If I do, it will cause me to change not only my life but also The Fountain of Grace.

Like the paper, it is simple and noteworthy. Don't miss this soul stretcher and pray that your heart will be willing to be new paper for Christ. Give up the expensive lifestyle, the usual, and the profuse. In the end, all of us will rejoice for the sacrifice in being radical together.

First we as individuals are called to be radical in our faith and make make new disciples. What is next? We as a church need to come together and make disciples of all nations. David Platt has a humbling way of telling us the hard truth (we are not living how we were originally intended to live as Christians), but also showing there is still grace involved in all of this. He is very Bible based (very important) and admits that he himself is always growing and isn't perfect. I underlined much of this book (a sign its good for me) and would definitely recommend it

...as others have stated so eloquently already, this book from Pastor Platt is ideally suited for other pastors and church administration/staff. However, that is somewhat broad and over-simplified, for when you dive into the six principles outlined in this short treatise, you discover that, while the applicability of these principles to the church is irrefutable, they can also be applied to our own lives. As Christians we long for, or at least, we should strive for, serving God, glorifying His name and helping to lead others to accept Christ as their Lord and Saviour. This should be true whether we are members of a church or whether we are leading a church. Pastor Platt's treatise is an excellent guide to illustrating the importance of not only what we should be doing, but how we should be doing it; especially by providing us with an analysis as to whether what we are doing is truly the best use of our God-given assets/talents and whether we are best serving Him. Pastor Platt makes it clear - God truly is not dependent upon us (for example, in the sense that an infant is dependent upon its parents or a pet needs its master) to bring His plan to pass. But there are methods of serving Him that are good and there are methods which are great. Pastor Platt's book allows you to focus on what you are doing and shift your efforts to those which are great.

This is a short treatise and I was able to finish the book in two sittings. If you are at all on the fence as to whether to read this book, definitely "err" on the side of reading it; it demands little of your time and the reward for finishing it will likely be tremendous for you.

Highly recommended.

I’m a pastor for the next generation (junior high, high school, and college) at my church. I am always looking for new authors and new books to read to help me grow in my relationship with God. I had heard about David Platt from multiple people at my church and many of them heard him speak at a conference we attended a few years ago. Everything I had heard about him was very good. I saw that this was one of the options for the Blogging for Books program and I selected it immediately. However, I didn’t read it for awhile since I hadn’t read the book that was released previous to this one (entitled “Radical”). Although I enjoyed “Radical” more, “Radical Together” was still very good and I’m grateful I read it.

I read both of these books while on a plane to Haiti. I was co-leading a short-term mission trip of college students and I brought some books that I had wanted to read for awhile. I first read “Radical” and greatly enjoyed it. I was very challenged by it and it was an incredible read as I was entering into such a challenging environment. Shortly after I finished “Radical,” I began this book. Although “Radical Together” was still very good, I have to admit that it seemed a bit repetitive from the first one. Platt still discusses the idea of a radical faith in God in this second book, but his emphasis is no longer on individual faith. Instead, he focuses on what it would look like if communities of believers had the kind of radical faith that was mentioned in his first book. There were some great examples of communities who are pursuing God radically and experiencing the kind of faith we were created to have.

Platt is a good author. He has some incredible anecdotes that serve as real life examples of communities living lives that are “Radical Together.” However, more than the good stories he shares, I am very impressed by the thought-provoking content in his books. He has a great Biblical knowledge and explains what he has learned in a way that is easy to understand and challenging to believers of all faith stages. He is an author I would gladly recommend to anybody. However, if anybody were to ask me which Platt book I would recommend, I would definitely say “Radical” is the stronger option instead of “Radical Together.” But if somebody enjoyed “Radical” and wanted a good follow-up book with a focus on communities, “Radical Together” is still good.

As a Pastor, you are always looking for a book that can challenge you and push you to live out Biblical Truths more fully, Radical Together is just that book. I must admit, I was skeptical before I began this book because I had read Radical and it had deeply impacted me.

One of the first points that David makes in his book is that we need to get back to actually preaching the Bible. While this may seem far fetched to some, the deeper you get into some churches you will see that some pastors have begun neglecting the word of God because it all too often makes some members of our churches run away. He also speaks to the fact that so many pastors are not allowing for quiet time and for God to deal with them on what to preach in their life, they no longer search the word of God, and they tend to look to other places for insight on how to lead their people closer to God.

One of the most impacting statements in the whole book however comes when a man says that a people group had all the makings of church, but lacked the heart of Christ. It is scary to believe we can live in a world where we can have all the things that we consider church to be, but still not have the heart of Jesus. Seems to me that it almost as if some of the churches may have become much like the Pharisetical.

[I received this book for Free as Part of Blogging For Books by Waterbrook Multnomah but was not encouraged to leave a positive review/]

Radical Together is the second recent offering from pastor David Platt, who gained recent notice for his very challenging first book Radical. While one might assume that Radical Together is a sequel of sorts to Radical this is not the case. Radical calls the readers to individual personal change. Radical Together is about discipleship. It's about Christ-followers, making Christ-followers. It's about Christ-followers coming along side each other to help one another grow in Christ.

Essentially Radical Together picks up where Radical leaves off. Platt realizes that the challenges put forth in Radical are... well radical. It requires and entire shift of our person and mindset to move forward with it. Radical Together realizes that and shows us how to come together to live a radical life for Christ in community.

Early in the book Platt uses an example of a single drop of water falling from a cloud that runs down a mountain, into a river, which flows into the ocean. The ocean is a large massive body of water, made up of individual drops. In the same way "the church" is a large massive body of Christ followers, made of of individuals following Jesus personally.

I highly recommend Radical Together for anyone wanting to learn more about discipleship, mentoring, and community - or to anyone who read Radical. It's an excellent follow up and gives some great places to start as we found in Radical.

After having read Radical (and making some changes in my own life), I wondered if reading Radical Together would be beneficial to me, or if it would simply be a repeat of what I had already read.

Radical Together was a very short book (129 pages of reading before the discussion guide), and some of the illustrations were repeats of what I read in the previous book. What I found to be different was that this book is targeted toward the church as a whole rather that toward individuals. The benefit to me personally was that Radical Together gave me material to begin thinking about the areas in which our church may be dysfunctional. Have we matched our church up against what the Bible says about the ways we spend our money? Am I focusing too much on what the room decorations and objects for the object lessons will look like for a toddler VBS room?

The author, David Platt, gave many examples of what his own church is doing regarding adoption, downsizing and visiting other countries with the good news of the gospel. Some of these examples I had read previously in Radical.

This is a good book. However, I do not feel that it added to the information I acquired in Radical, so if you are busy and can only choose one book of the two, you might want to purchase Radical instead.

I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review

I enjoyed Radical, so I thought I would give Radical Together a shot. Platt does not disappoint in his latest offering to the church.

In Radical, Platt calls on Christians to recover their faith from the American dream. In Radical Together, Platt pushes us further out of our comfort zone and takes the next logical step in looking at the church.

"In my first book, Radical, I explored how the biblical gospel affects individual Christian lives. Simply put, in a world of urgent spiritual and physical need, gospel-believing, God-exalting men and women do not have time to waste their lives pursuing a Christian spin on the American dream...In Radical Together, I want to consider what happens - or can happen - when we apply revolutionary claims and commands of Christ to our communities of faith." (1,2)

The challenge for me in reading Platt is making sense of his theological stance and interpretation of the Bible (both of which is vastly different than mine) and integrating what he is saying into my theology and biblical interpretation. This isn't something that happens consistently, but it does happen on occasion. It those instances where this does happen, Platt challenges my theological stances and biblical interpretation and forces me to look at my preconceived notions. This is not necessarily a bad thing. I feel that I have matured as a Christian after reading Platt (I felt this way after reading Radical and after reflecting on Radical Together, I feel the same way).

I particularly like that the study guide in found in the back of the book (there was no study guide in Radical). It just made sense to me to include it in the book, since this was written for the community of faith.

Overall, I found this to be a well written book. Platt has a way of calling the church to account in a loving way and without being judgmental (in the derogatory sense of the word). The book itself is a relatively quick read, something that is aided by Platt's writing style (I read the book in less than a day). While not written for every church (I think different churches are in different places in their spiritual life), this book is an excellent tool for those churches who want to take the next step in spiritual growth to lead the body of Christ to the next level of radical obedience.

Disclaimer:

I received this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah as part of their Blogging for Books Review program. Providing me a free copy in no way guarantees a favorable review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

After reading and being thoroughly challenged by Radical, I had high expectations for Radical Together. David Platt delivered everything I had hoped for in this followup book! Radical Together explores what happens when whole communities of faith "get radical" together. Platt uses stories from his own church and from readers of Radical to illustrate and inspire. When the people of God get serious about following Jesus and living lives of surrender and sacrifice for the gospel, resources are released and harnessed for global ministry! The poor are reached, orphans are cared for, hungry are fed, new people groups hear about Jesus for the first time, ministry becomes de-centralized and grass roots, and the Kingdom of God spreads!

I appreciate that David Platt writes persuasively yet humbly. He clearly states that he is not lifting his own church's experience up as a model for everyone to follow, nor does he have answers for how specific churches should follow God's call. Instead, he presents probing questions and facts that are important for communities of believes to wrestle with. He is not afraid to question the status quo. Both tradition and innovation are challenged. He strips the church of its trappings down to the core of what God has called her to be: and that is to be the messenger of His gospel. I am now even more motivated to recruit others to get "radical together" and live God's adventure!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers, and am not required to give a postitive review. 5 out of 5 stars.

Reader Beware - reading Radical Together by David Platt could be hazardous to your way of living and "doing church!"

I certainly cannot speak for everyone. But for me, this book was captivating, evidenced by the fact that I read the final 80 percent of it last night between 11pm and 1am. I simply could not put it down. At times I was grieved. At other times, I was encouraged. At all times, as a church leader, I was greatly challenged to consider and apply the message.

Simply stated, Platt's purpose was to "consider what happens - or can happen - when we apply the revolutionary claims and commands of Christ to our communities of faith" (2). He identifies his audience as "believers who are ready to lead, influence, or simply be a part of such a movement in their local church" (2). Platt uses a single question to foster evaluation within local communities of the Body of Christ: "How can we in the church best unleash the people of God in the Spirit of God with the Word of God for the glory of God in the world?" (3)

One of the most refreshing elements of this book is that Platt does not attempt to answer this evaluation question with a specific, practical, one-size-fits-all prescription. In a day where many books relating to local church ministry take the "this specific thing worked in my church, you should do it in yours" approach, Platt is faithful to follow his own counsel. He sets the standard as nothing less than the biblical mandate to glorify God by making disciples of all nations. He then, however, leaves the specific applications of that standard to individual churches in their own contexts, as they seek to obey the Word of God and follow the leadership of the Spirit of God. Platt frequently utilizes examples and testimonies from his particular church context. He is quick to point out, however, that every church need not look the same in its application and implementation of the principles outlined in the book.

The one thing this book will not permit is continuing along your current life and ministry trajectory without critically evaluating that trajectory in light of the purpose and plan of God. Platt forces believers in general and church leaders in particular to take a hard look within. He does this by exposing some overlooked, perhaps even counter-intuitive, principles that, if left unaddressed, will enable churches to continue providing "good" ministry, while, at the same time, failing to have the eternal impact God desires them to have for the building of His kingdom and the demonstration of His glory.

In Chapter 1, Platt demonstrates how "good" ministries in the church can actually hinder the spiritual advancement of both individuals and the church as a whole. Chapter 2 addresses the age-old issue of the relationship between faith and works, but does so in a fresh, contemporary, Gospel-centered manner. Chapter 3 clearly demonstrates the sufficiency of the Word of God for the people of God. As Platt states, "We don't have to come up with a word from God; we simply have to trust the Word He has already given us. When we do, the Word of God will accomplish the work of God among the people of God" (40).

In Chapter 4, "The Genius of Wrong," Platt calls church leaders to stop seeing themselves primarily as "ministry" providers and to start seeing themselves as people-equippers, preparing the people of God for, and releasing them out into, Kingdom service for the glory of God. As he puts it, "The plan of God is for every person among the people of God to count for the advancement of the kingdom of God" (75). Chapter 5, based on Matthew 24:14, encourages believers to live for the end of the world. In other words, in light of Jesus' promise to return after the Gospel has been preached in the whole world, believers today should focus their efforts on proclaiming the Gospel in the areas of the world where the message of Christ has not yet been shared. In Chapter 6, the final chapter, Platt concludes by calling Christ-followers to be "selfless followers of a self-centered God" (123), motivated by a passionate love for the God who loved us first.

After a brief concluding summary, the reader finds a discussion guide in the back of the book that provides the opportunity both for further personal contemplation and for small-group discussion of the book as well.

I would strongly encourage all believers to read this book, carefully and prayerfully. After having done so, read it again. All the while, ask the Spirit of God to provide specific, personal direction for ways in which He wants to make adjustments in your life to align your life with His will and purpose. For church leaders, I would also recommend prayerfully reading this book multiple times, listening to the Spirit's direction and guidance as you read. I would, however, strongly caution against making broad, sweeping church-wide paradigm shifts too quickly in seeking to apply these truths in your specific ministry context. Read. Pray. Seek the Spirit's guidance and direction. Then, share these principles from the Word of God with the people of God, asking the Spirit of God to challenge them to make adjustments toward living out the purpose of God for the glory of God.

In conclusion, I would agree with Platt's heart's cry: "I want my life and the church I am a part of to count for the mobilization of God's people and the completion of God's purpose" (125). I pray that God will use the biblical principles outlined in this book toward accomplishing that end.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

A Sequel to Radical, David Platt's Radical Together hit another home run. Through out Radical Together, Platt expounds on how to live the radical concepts he talked about in his first book. Contrary to popular opinion, the church doesn't need to be either evangelistic in nature or discipleship focused, it doesn't need to be missions/outreach based or home focused. David makes a compelling case that we don't need to be either/or, but both/and in our focus, both as individuals and the body of Christ.

This is the best book I've read so far on how to marry both concepts - they are joined through taking a hard look at the gospel and following Christ's command to `go and make disciples of all nations'. Discipleship happens through intentional relationships, which builds community and spreads (evangelism - together). The idea of discipleship is a radical concept for American churches filled with programs - hence we get Radical Together.

`Platt says: "We and our churches never have to choose between impacting people with the gospel locally and impacting them globally. Disciple making frees us from having to make that choice. As we lay down our lives to multiply the gospel in the context of intentional relationships where we live, we are always doing it unilaterally for the spread of the gospel far beyond where we will live." (p. 91)
Personally, I have become very involved in discipleship and am seeing firsthand the power of how this works. It works because we "Make disciples who will make disciples who will make disciples, and together multiply this gospel to all peoples." (p.73)
As a youth leader, I've seen and done my fair share of great programs (and yes they have their place!) to reach the masses, but for the first time I am seeing long lasting life change in my teenagers through intensive one -on - one radical, time consuming, selfless discipleship. Programs are a lot easier, but the investment of discipleship is worth it. One of my Sr high teens is already discipling others and she spends her summers in Ethiopia with orphans. The Gospel is spreading by disciples making disciples.

I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah's Blogging for Books program to read and review it for them, and I highly recommend it!

I had several concerns when I read the first book. It had so many merits, but I felt that it was heavy on external motivations to radical living rather than internal appeals to loving obedience to a radical God. With that said, Radical Together, on the whole, is a great read and resource for churches and small groups.

Platt writes to church members, collectively, to urge them to savor God's Word, appreciate God's leaders, work for God's glory, pray for the nations and to progressively enjoy the exaltation of God.

I think this book was necessary for Platt's total message to be understood. We cannot be radical without considering what it means to be radical together. Full review at [..]

Many have written and talked about how there is a shallowness within the Church today. Too many settle for a shallowness rather than the depth associated with a call to "be different". David Platt does an amazing job of challenging people, and now the Church, to be different...to be Radical.

I could not wait to receive a preview copy of Radical Together from Blogging for Books since I had already read Radical. In fact, our church had begun to have a couple of our community grous study 'Radical'. The challenge was being heard ad the discussions were great. I even remember showing a video about the Radical study in worship and it grabbed people.

Radical Together does the same thing...just at a deeper, more 'communal' level within the church. Platt's call is one the majority of our churches need to at least hear today. In a day of 'bigger is better' or 'my church is bigge than yours', we lose sight of the greater mission and vision that God has for the Church today.

Platt challenges us where we need to be challenged and makes us take a heard look at our own vision vs. God's vision for our church and ministry. It is already leading me to think differently of my leadership for the next few years as to 'where we go from here'.

Grab a copy (or a few copies) and accept the challenge!

I just finished reading Radical Together by David Platt. This book definitely ranks among one of the top books that I have ever read. It's short read, but definitely packed with a punch.

Although Radical Together is not a sequel to Platt's first book Radical, the former dives into the practical issues of what it means to live a radical life for Christ. He addresses many questions and issues raised from responses to Radical. In Radical Together Platt talks about what it would look for a community of believers to follow the teachings of Christ. How does the church make disciples? How do we maximize all of our resources for the Gospel? He challenges every believer to look at their life and ask the question if it's having an impact for the Gospel.

I'll admit that I all to often get stuck in routine. It's comfortable to keep doing things they way they've been done in the past. Platt humbly offers the struggles in his own life and those of the church he shepherds as examples to better understand how to wrestle with God's mandate for the church. Through their stories of struggle, joy, heartache, discovery, and growth I was personally challenged and encouraged. We serve a God who has a plan for this world, He doesn't need us, and yet He has chosen to use us.

Through reading this book I have been challenged to look at my life- everything I am doing, saying, seeking after- and bring it before the Lord. It is easy to get caught up in doing good, and not realize we are missing out on the best. God has a purpose for His church- and it's not that we would have the best presentation, in the best building, with the coolest attractions. Platt goes back to the New Testament- to Jesus ministry on earth and the things He taught the disciples.

I would highly, highly recommend this book- although I would suggest reading Radical first. This book changed me and is continuing to change me.

I received this book free of charge from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for the purpose of this review as a part of the Blogging for Books program.

Radical Together, by David Platt, is a continuation of his previous work titled Radical. The message of both books is very similar with the difference being in to whom the message is intended. Radical was intended to shake up the faith of the individual in light of what the gospel says to the American Dream. Radical Together is intended to shake up the faith of the church and to encourage them to live out this radical faith in community together. I believe that the strength of Platt's message is found in the stories of those from his church who are living this out. Platt is not just talking in ideas and dreams but in how real lives have embodied these ideas and dreams. I believe that this is a very inspirational book that also asks very important questions to the church in America today. I admire the courage that it takes to go against the flow of American Christianity and be a "voice in the wilderness," but there is a certain level of credibility that comes from pastoring a large church that is faithfully living out this message.

I would definitely recommend this book for everyone. The writing is very engaging and the message is one that needs to be pondered by all Christians. I would encourage everyone to read Radical first in order to fully grasp the totality of the message. There are six sessions of small group discussion questions at the end of the book that would prove to be very helpful for such a group to talk through the message of the book. I pray that the church in America could become radical together for the gospel in the world.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

I blogged about David Platt's first book, Radical, a about a year ago. You can read it here.

In Radical Together, Platt takes the same thoughts from the first book and moves them from the individual to the corporate. Like the first book, this one is very blunt in its challenges. Platt writes: "One of the worst enemies of Christians can be good things in the church."

There are no sacred cows left unharmed in this book. Platt basically questions most of the assumptions as to how church and ministry are lived out. I'm always up for challenging discussion. Honestly, I still think there is a gap between his questioning the use of million dollar church facilities while meeting in a million dollar facility. I'm not hating or judging and he does address this issue several times in the book. It's just hard for me to get my head around the irony. There are also several other examples of how David Platt and his church are living out a radical faith. This book is not for lovers of the status quo. You will be challenged and hopefully changed if you read this book. Pick up a copy here.

(The folks at Waterbrook Multnomah gave me a copy of this book for review)

I have been asked by Mission Frontier to write a review in response to receiving this book. Mission Frontier has been an incredible resource for me in my journey to keeping a passion for God's global mission alive in my heart. Go to Missionfrontier.org for many resources.
I have read David Platt's book, "Radical" and i was challenged in many ways. I found that "Radical Together"is just as challenging. "Radical Together" is thought provoking as there are a lot of stories that help to put Biblical truths into practice. His stories mostly come from his church and i am assuming that most were sparked due to the radical challenge. I trust that these stories will get your creative juices flowing.
Though i believe this book would be good for anyone to read, i do think it is bent more towards leaders of the church. It would be a good book to see your pastor or elders read, with David's goal being "to build upon Biblical foundations in order to consider practical implications for how a right understanding of the church fuels radical obedience among Christians". It is also good for small groups who will be able to put into practice some of these "right understandings of the church".
Many times i like to look in the bibliography to see who the author is reading and who is influencing his or her thoughts. David's bibliography is very short with mostly scripture as main sources of ideas. This may be a good thing but it can be difficult to find resources to give different or substance to the topic. Here is where i want to share some resources that the Holy Spirit has used in my life to encourage me to be on a mission with God. If you liked "Radical" or "Radical Together" then you might like these resources as well. Perspectives.org is a course that would benefit any christian, uscwm.org, and Advancethechurch.com. David actually speaks about "Radical Together" on a podcast at the latter web site . Check it out and read this book and then read it with your pastor and leadership! If you found this helpful please click the "help" button.

Some quotes that i liked from the book were:

"A prayer that he prayed day by day "Lord let me make a difference for you that is utterly disproportionate to who i am" page 44

"We can't do enough. We can, though, trust in Christ, who has done enough." Page 28

"Let's show in the church a gospel that saves us from work and saves us to work.: Page 37

Thanks and may Jesus be glorified in all the earth.

Radical Together by David Platt (Multnomah Books, 2011) is a stand-alone sequel to his first book Radical which created tidal waves with the call to each Christian to take back his or her faith from the American Dream. It met with mixed reaction from the Christian world. The sequel, Radical Together, shows how individuals can unite together as God intended them to do in order to create maximum gospel impact. This second book will likely meet the same reception from American Christianity. Those whom are comfortably chasing the American dream while reinventing the gospel to suit their individual situations will likely dislike this book as much as the first. Those whom understand that God's mission is global in scope will welcome this book as a much needed revival wind.

When I started the book, in all honesty, I did not expect much. Radical was awesome and I expected this to be more of the same information rehashed and repackaged in a new cover with a new target--focused on the group as opposed to the individual. I was wrong. David Platt immediately grabs the reader's attention with his well written, easy to understand style and solid biblical exegesis. Once again he leads the open-minded person to wonder, "How did I miss that simple point in all the times I've read that passage."

Radical Together focuses more on the church as a group entity and brings to light many of the issues which cause us to stumble over our own feet and inadvertently prevent God's people from accomplishing God's purpose. Platt organizes the book around six of these premises. One of the worst enemies of Christians can be good things in the church. The gospel that saves us from work saves us to work. The Word does the work. Building the right church depends on using all the wrong people. We are living--and longing--for the end of the world. We are selfless followers of a self-centered God.

Throughout the book, the author takes each principle and expounds it with real life examples, colorful illustrations, and supporting Scripture references. The style is easy to read and understand yet at the same time somber and challenging. Each principle brings the reader face-to-face with a very real decision: Do I agree that the church belongs to Christ and exists for a global purpose? Or, will I continue to assert that the church belongs to us exists to serve me?
Radical Together is a must read that will challenge every Christian's view of the church body in some form or another. Leaders will be forced to examine the direction they are taking the church body in which God has entrusted to their stewardship. Members will be forced to examine the idols of church life in which they hold dear and determine whether or not they will smash these idols in order to allow the church to focus on God's plan.

After reading 'Radical Together' I would like to go back and read Platt's first book. I'm always a little leary of reading 'how to book' and this is the sort of book I thought this one would be - 'how to reform the church', but as I read through this book it was obvious that what Platt was saying was 'just get back to the basics'. What does the Bible itself say about radical change in the church and among its people.

I could see though how this book could lead to a 'works' sort of change, i.e., if I do what Platt says I must do, then it must work. If it doesn't there is something wrong with what was 'done' - there is something wrong with the doer.

The subtitle is "Unleashing the people of God for the purposes of God." Rather than try to motivate people to fulfill the purposes of God, it seems that it would be more effective to first, understand the purposes of God - which Platt does do in a limited sort of way. This naturally (or supernaturally) leads to God's people becoming effective to fulfill His purposes in and through those very same people as they reach into the world becoming 'Radical Together.'

Wow. What a great little book. It's 52 little pages long and it contains content that deserves a whole library. I can't wait to read David Platt's Radical and Radical Together. There are some eye opening truths in this little book. Lots of these things have been on my heart for a while now. I am so glad that I can share this book with others now. We all need to take a look at ourselves and see if we are really a New Testament Church or not and we need to learn how to use the wrong people in our ministries. Five gold stars for Platt. This is a must read for pastors and ministry leaders all over the globe.

In Radical Together, David Platt oute on the Apostle Paul's shoes (1 & 2 Thessalonians) and clarifies a few of his thoughts for Radical and then puts forth the challenge to live a radically seperate life to the church. This is not one man thinking that he is better than others based on how he lives. In fact, he emphasizes the fact that it is not what we do, but rather for Whom we do it. This book will bother some. That, I believe is the point. This book calls the weak and selfish church goers (or even those who view themselves as too good for church) and plops the Gospel in their laps and challenges, well, everything. Then he pulls some wisdom from James - show me your faith by your sitting around and doing nothing, I'll show you mine based on how I'm living. Challenging? Yep! Needed today? Absolutely!
A great read that takes the first book a strp further while reminding us that we live radically not to earn anything - but because God deserves it.

"Radical Together" by David Platt is a well-written plea for the people of God to rise up and live out the purpose for which God has created us. This book was written as a follow-up to Platt's popular book, "Radical," which I have not read, but this book clearly stands on its own, with just a few references to the previous work. In a clear and simple manner, he cuts through the confusion that today's churches have become and focuses our attention on the "one thing" that is most needed. This is a book that should be read by people in every church and the study guide in the back is a great way for small groups to study it together, so they can apply the principles to their lives and their church. The book itself is only 129 pages and it can be read rather quickly. If only the way of living suggested in those pages could be applied quickly as well, the Church would dramatically increase its impact in the world. I highly recommend this book to anyone who seeks to live as a follower of Jesus.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

The sequel to Radical, this book was about what we should be doing together as a church to fulfill God's commands and purposes. Is it having as many people attend our church or going out to reach those who have yet to hear the gospel at all? This was something that I loved. I wish more people thought with deep conviction like David Platt does. It really makes me hope for a huge improvement for my own church, as I know members of my church have been reading his books. It encourages me more to see people where they are and go to them.

I just completed the second book by David Platt entitled "Radical Together." I was eager to read this book because of how impactful "Radical" was. This book also challenges the reader to think hard about his or her faith, but is geared toward use in small group studies. In other words, it is an encouragement for groups of believers to engage the world together for Jesus Christ.

The book was good, challenging, and enlightening. Although I did not find it to be on par with his first book, it was a logical next step to move from personal application to church application. Were a church to apply the principles found in the pages of "Radical Together," that church would need to make hard decisions about it's programming and budgeting. But even small steps in this direction would enhance the local church's abilities to reach their community and world with the transforming Gospel of Christ.

My suggestion is to read "Radical" first. Pray for God's wisdom. Read it again. Share it with a few friends. When they have read it and have become excited about it, it is then time to pick up "Radical Together," read it with the group, and use it for a small group study. In truth, that may be the best feature of the book - the study guide at the end.

FTC Disclaimer: "I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review"

David Platt, author of Radical, writes this follow up addressing the purposes of God's people in carring out God's purposes in the world.

A call to obedience to the Word of God concerning the lost across the GLOBE.

The book is laid out in 6 categories, which are easiest to see in the "follow up" small group sessions at the back of the book.

1.Prioritizing Kingdom Productivy - While our resources may be put into "good" use, we have been challenged to find and use them in the BEST way possible in obedience to God.

2.Understanding Grace and Work - While our salvation in Christ does no depend on our deeds or actions, our salvation by grace through faith calls us to obedience in the world - living out the purposes of God in all we do.

3.Basing Everything on the Bible - While the work we are commanded to do in the scriptures in obvious, essentially it is the Word itself that carries it out through us. We are merely vessels of the Holy Spirit to be instruments in the purpose of God.

4.Making Disciples - The purpose of God is for all peoples to bring him praise. Matthew 28 : "make disciples of all nations..." As followers of Christ saved by, not our works, but God's Grace, we are not fit for service. God chooses to us each follower out of love for them. The body of Christ in the world is comprised of all the "wrong" people.

5.Reaching the Unreached - It is quite simple. There are over 6000 people groups around the world who have no access or have never been receptive to the Gospel of Jesus. Some great perspective on God's command and promises in His Word about his ultimate purpose.

6.Desiring God's Glory - It is not God seeking to assist us in comfortable living, but a self-centered God demanding His people to take His Son Jesus to all the World that he may recieve GLORY.

This book is outstanding. While he mentioned opposition to the Radical idea of his books, it is quite difficult to develop opposition to these words (grounded in scripture) without finding yourself in disobedience to God.
A must read for the sick and tired of repetitive christianity Christian. A must read for all who claim to be a follower of Jesus, but find themselves going nowhere that He has.

I recieved this book from Waterbrook Multnomah in return for this review.

As I read David Platt's new book Radical Together, the follow-up to the highly successful Radical, I couldn't help but think of the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his seminal work on community, Life Together.

"God hates visionary dreaming; it makes the dreamer proud and pretentious. The man who fashions a visionary ideal of community demands that it be realized by God, by others, and by himself. He enters the community of Christians with his demands, sets up his own law, and judges the brethren and God Himself accordingly."

Now, I certainly don't know enough about David Platt, having only read his two books, to say that he is a tyrannical visionary like Bonhoeffer describes. In fact, one of the things I appreciated most about Radical Together is how it seemed to balance some of the exhortations in Radical. Chapter two, that compares 3 ways of living the Christian life- legalism, antinomianism, and grace-motivated obedience- was terribly needed in the midst of all of these strong challenges to take up your cross and sell your possessions.

However, I do greatly tire of evangelicalism's need to re-challenge us with a new campaign or a new book or DVD series every few months. It reminds me of Christian camps I've been to where the speaker builds the emotions high with rhetoric and emotional stories and challenges everyone to either re-commit their lives to Christ or surrender to the call to missions. I know of pastors who are always on the lookout for the next challenging (gimmicky?) book or prayer campaign to motivate their flock rather than just relying on the systematic preaching of the Word to accomplish the Spirit's purposes.

This "re-dedication challenge" approach does not move my heart; what moves my heart is being reminded of all that Christ has done for me, how He has accomplished all righteousness and now sits at the right hand of the Father while the Father makes His enemies a footstool for the Son (Psalm 110). As Keving DeYoung says, "The secret of the gospel is that we actually do more when we hear less about all we need to do for God and hear more about all that God has already done for us."

I can't really blame Platt for this mindset, but he will be used, knowingly or unknowingly, by many to challenge Christians to radical changes, wisely or unwisely. And maybe that's ok; giving up everything to follow Jesus is always radical, and the other side of that, Paul's exhortation to "think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned" (Romans 12:3) sometimes comes after radical obedience and spectacular crashes.

I appreciate the author's focus on the glory of God, he certainly agrees with the ideas in John Piper's excellent book on God-centered missions, Let the Nations Be Glad. I also appreciate his being careful to nuance this material with the truth that God is almighty and self-sufficient and therefore does not need any of us (but He delights to work through us). Perhaps the biggest takeaway from this book for me is the idea that my church exists to take the gospel to the nations first and as we do that we will be positioned well to disciple and work in our own country and community. That is a different philosophy of ministry and one that I need to ponder and maybe eventually adopt.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Disclaimer #1) I have not yet read Platt's first book, Radical, so I approached this book without a bias pro or con from the first one.

Disclaimer #2) I honestly didn't expect much from this book when I chose it to review, I've read and seen so many "hot" new things in the Christian realm the last several years that I admit to having grown a little jaded.

That said, let's get to the book.

Let me begin by saying that I was not only pleasantly surprised by the theme of Radical Together (Multnomah 2011), but also by the author's unabashed zeal for his material - it's quite obvious that Platt is driven by the message he is promoting, not by the possibility of big sales numbers; that alone is refreshing, that he is so compelled to do so with a message that will not sit well with much of what passes for American Christianity today is commendable.

I'm struggling for the words to explain how I felt in reading a book that seemed page after page to be speaking from the recesses of my own heart, using so many terms and verses that have come from my own lips so many times...it stunts my ability to describe it. Seldom am I at such a loss for words about how I think or feel about anything (ask anyone who's ever even met me).

Nowhere in this book will you find the Gospel being shied away from, sugar-coated, or only half-delivered as is so often the case today. Nowhere will you find the author usurping the Great Commission for the sake of the planet. Nowhere will you find a call to reinvent Christianity in order to draw in the disillusioned, or to repackage it in such a way that it is attractive to "sensitive seekers". In fact, nowhere in this book will you find anything except a bold, honest, unflinching Biblical narrative that is certain to convict anyone who yet has a heart.

Hearts, yours and mine, are what Platt is aggressively trying to awaken, to remind us what having the heart of Christ truly should look like in and among Christians. Hearts that are driven to see people saved, the world over; and what do we need to strip away from our lives in order to fulfill that one true desire of Jesus: to see people redeemed, drawn back from the brink of eternal death into the light of God.

This book is a brash and very needed call to the church to live out what we claim to be about - not ourselves, not our homes and cars, not our jobs or stations, not our fame or wealth, but about Jesus Christ - the Redeemer, the Lord of Glory, King of Kings, the one and only way to salvation.

Radical Together is a fast read at a little over a hundred pages, and I believe Multnomah would do well to bind it together with the first book as a combined reissue (though I'll be certain of that only after I go back and read Radical).

I not only cannot recommend this book highly enough, I encourage you as strongly as I can in a space like this one to buy a copy for your pastor and everyone in leadership at your church or organization. If you have the means, buy it for the entire congregation as well. At the very least, read it, and then place it in as many hands as you can manage and prod them into reading it.

It's not often that I promote any book to more than a few people, and I am very slow to promote any book (outside the Bible itself) to the church as a whole; but this book is not your typical Christianized self-help nonsense, this book is not Christianity for fun and profit, this book is not bed-hair and coffee chic for Christian hipsters, and this book is not simplistic watered down milk for the church-going masses. It is strong meat - lean, wild, and very chewy.

(I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review)

Jesus Christ was radical. He said things like, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven" and "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Two thousand years later, it's ironic that an author that simply compels us to do what Jesus said to do titles his books "Radical" and "Radical Together." In David Platt's first book - "Radical" - he encouraged Christian believers to do radical things like use their resources for Christian causes and to take mission trips. In his second book - "Radical Together" - Platt encourages churches to do radical things like budget more money for missions, make the teaching of God's Word central, and equip members to lead lost people to Christ. Families are encouraged to adopt children and be foster parents. There's really nothing incredibly revolutionary about Platt's advice or challenges. And really, that's the point. To be radical is to hear and do the Word of God. Included in the book is a discussion great guide for small group Bible study.

With Radical Together, David Platt revisits the message of his New York Times Bestseller Radical, aiming to clarify the implications of God's gospel of grace for the corporate life of the church. His stated desire is to answer one question: "How can we in the church best unleash the people of God in the Spirit of God with the Word of God for the glory of God in the world?" [1]

Platt attempts to do this by examining how the Christian gospel equips God's people for a kind of living that pushes against the entrenched cultural values of American consumerism and organizes his argument around 6 seemingly paradoxical formulations:

Good things often make the worst idols
The gospel saves us from our works so that we can freely and joyfully work for the glory of God
God's word accomplishes God's work in his church
A healthy church is made up of broken people
Christians live in the present in light of the end
Christians humbly exult in a self-exalting God

Throughout the book, Platt explores these basic tensions of the Christian life, demonstrating how a solid grasp of the biblical gospel leads to previously unexpected manifestations of the church's hope in Christ. Platt has developed quite the platform, especially in Southern Baptist circles, to deliver a much needed message about how the centrality of gospel and biblical faithfulness should shape the structure, priorities, and mission of the church. His role as pastor in a prominent megachurch with a multi-million dollar budget permits him to candidly speak of the frequent weaknesses of this model in shaping effective disciples, and his numerous anecdotes help clarify some of the practical outworkings of his exhortations.

At points, Radical Together runs the risk of becoming cliche, leaving the reader longing for a not-quite-so-trendy vocabulary that could provide even more substance to the ideas presented. This book would also have benefited from more engagement with the biblical text. This is not to say that any of Platt's assertions were unbiblical, but if it is good to exhort with the gospel, then it is even better to show how Scripture exhorts with the gospel; if it is good to identify and discuss the tensions of the Christian life, it is even better to show how these tensions are gloriously held together in God's word. Platt also focuses largely on the appropriate gospel-driven actions of the church while offering much less attention to the communal context of action. Here, further exploration of the necessity of intimate, grace- and gospel-saturated community for Christian growth, vitality, and mission would have strengthened his assertion that radical Christians must be radical together. And with the remarkable popularity of Platt's work, Christians should be reminded that success in life and ministry is not based upon our label as "radical" or our alignment with a prominent voice, but upon our simple faithfulness to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who redeems us by grace, welcomes us into his kingdom, and sends us on mission as his people in the world. I am confident Platt would agree.

Radical Together is a helpful reassessment of the way many Americans "do church" and can serve as an accessible and beneficial introduction to the oft surprising ways that the love of the Father, the grace of the Son, and the fellowship of the Spirit at work in and through the gospel can transform our desires, motivations, and purpose as the church of God.

1. David Platt, Radical Together: Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God (Colorado Springs: Multnomah, 2011), 11.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Multnomah "Blogging for Books" book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

I had not heard of the book, Radical, much less, Radical Together, by David Platt until I received the book for review. I must say that I have been very, very impressed. It has been a long time since I have read a book that I want everyone in the church I serve to read.
Yes, I am a conservative pastor (understanding that term, conservative, is a very subjective term) and that David Platt hits all the right buttons and uses the right words to get someone like my self's attention, but there is more, much more than just conservative rhetoric to this book. I has the ring of experiential truth and devotional integrity to it.
Dr. Platt has rediscovered a reality many of us in the ministry hoped was there; the reality that God is still pleased by a people who are zealously committed to him. Not a blind, programed response human created dogma, but a zeal which comes from a discovered desire to please God that is rewarded by seeing God actually working through people in a real and hands on manner.
I can remember the impact of the program, MasterLife. I also remember Experiencing God and The Purpose-Driven life. David Platt's book, Radical Together, I predict with have the same (if not greater) impact that these books and programs have had. I can also remember the conviction and desire that came the first time I read books by E. M. Bounds and Leonard Ravenhill. I felt this conviction and desire once again as I read, Radical Together. I will use this book. I will buy more copies of this book. I will recommend this book. I believe this book has the power to re-energize much of what I believe the Scripture calls the church to do. It certainly addresses many of the concerns (materialism, self-centeredness, mission-by-proxy, and the entertainment mindset in the church) I believe pastors who still have a high view of Scripture are faced with today.
I was given this book to review through the Blogging for Books program of Multnomah Press, however, I will buy Radical myself and read it. If it is anything like, Radical Together, I will be pleased and blessed.

"...Unleashing the people of God for the purpose of God..."

This book is summed up in those ten words... but what is it that we are being unleashed from -- and what is the purpose of God???

Platt takes the basic principles from his bestseller Radical & illustrates what that looks like when we, the church, collectively aspire to approach life radically. He provides great insight to mobilizing the local church to accomplish the global mission of spreading the gospel & making disciples. In doing so, we are challenged to take inventory of our lives, ministries, and resources to better further the reach of the gospel unto the ends of the earth.

Radical Together is the real deal & Platt speaks from experience. There isn't anything in this book that Platt asks you, the reader, to do that he hasn't already tackled in his own life. From the beginning, he looks at us in the eye & states that we, the church, are those that have willingly lost our lives to follow Christ. We are faced with the idea that if we truly want to be unleashed to ultimately glorify God, then we must let go of `good things' to pursue GREAT things. All that begs us to ask, "are we willing to put everything in our lives on the table for Christ to determine what needs to stay and what needs to go?"

He speaks directly to church leaders and exhorts them to raise up people who are captivated by the glory of God that they will `gladly lose their lattes - and their lives - to make His greatness known in the world'. He reminds us that prayer is critically essential, not just something we add into the mix.

If you want to make your life count for the global purpose of God and His life-changing gospel, then I recommend you read this book. As someone that has served on the mission-field in a 3rd world country, I found myself re-evaluating my priorities & re-defining my purpose while reading Radical Together. The book provides a great resource for small-group studies and/or home fellowships within a church.

*** Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Multnomah "Blogging for Books" book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Radical Together by David Platt is a 176 pg. treatise that champions its readers to follow the clear teachings of the Word of God to care for the poor and reach the lost. It is a clarion call for churches across the world to take back their faith from the American Dream.

The product description says, "Dr. Platt shares six foundational ideas that fuel radical obedience among Christians in the church. With compelling Bible teaching and inspiring stories from around the world, he will help you apply the revolutionary claims and commands of Christ to your community of faith in fresh, practical ways."

Radical Together is an excellent road map that leads its readers back to the understanding the Word of God and doing what Jesus really called us to do.

David Platt hits us again with Radical Together as a follow up book for his freshman title Radical. The focus has shifted from personal life to corporate life as we examine the move of God in the local church. No one can do it alone and God intends to use His church as an instrument of change. Platt examines six ideas to help the church accomplish the purpose of God.
Platt zeros in on the dysfunction of church culture. He highlights some common misconceptions about the "good" church and the function of a pastoral staff. We must be willing to make sacrifices for those things which are most important and equip the lay person to fulfill the purpose of God. Platt shares the idea of being saved from work to work. This is to say that the grace of God has given us the freedom to do good works in His name. There is also a strong belief in the power of the word of God. Platt believes that the church can overlook the inherit message of Christ in search of personal revelation. The fifth chapter of Radical Together focuses on the idea of making sacrifices to reach the world for Christ. David Platt describes unreached groups of people who have never had a chance to receive the message of Christ and how each church may be uniquely gifted to take the gospel in places that it has never been before.
If you liked Radical then I would recommend picking up Radical Together. Platt has published a second book that could have easily been included in the first. It is short and sweet and as personal as ever. At times it feels like a collection of random ideas associated with a broader church culture. If you are looking for a specific strategy for mobilizing your church in the name of Radical then this is not your book. Platt says as much in the opening chapter. However, if you are looking to be motivated to do something as a part of a church then have a go at Radical Together.
You can grab a paperback copy of Radica Together today (or download for your kindle).

I received this book free of charge from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for the purpose of this review as a part of the Blogging for Books program.

What if the good things in our life are really keeping us from the great? Is it possible that as leaders, Christians, parents, spouses, friends, etc... we have missed what is really important? We look at the word church, and it often brings to our mind images of a building, lights, bands, services, standing, sitting, programs and expectations of excellence. While these things are good, is it possible that at times they cause our focus to be taken off of the Great, the very things that bring glory to God? Maybe what we are missing is people.

Our programs, buildings and equipment could be destroyed tomorrow. It wouldn't change God. He doesn't need your programs. In reality, he doesn't even need you. He is self-sufficient. However, in his grace he offers us an avenue to know him and to experience his greatness. Does your budget, time and life reflect the greatness of God?

Written from the perspective of an individual who is actually living out what he writes, Radical Together is a refreshing challenge to the church that the God we serve doesn't need us, but rather we need each other to live this life as a radical movement.

David Platt's `Radical Together' is the follow up book to his release of Radical. From the very beginning of the book you are hit with a reevaluation of your life. How much do I really need? Am I holding on to certain objects, opinions, life choices because they are `good enough' or should I be letting go in order to see something great happen in my life, for the glory of God?

In many ways David Platt reminds me of Francis Chan. They write very similar, and both are living out a mandate of re-examining the purpose of the church. I love reading books like this because they cause me to realign my life to what I believe is the true heart of God. I don't mind the "extra" stuff we add into church and life, but at the point that it detracts from the greatness of my God, I have introduced an idol, a lesser god that is inadequate.

I strongly encourage you to read this book, after reading Radical, and take some time to look at your life and your priorities. Perhaps God is ready to do something GREAT in your life!!

Last year when I read David Platt's "Radical" one thing jumped into my mind at the end of the book... this isn't Radical, this is what a Christian is supposed to look like, that is according to what scripture has to say. However, the American Church has turned what the New Testament calls "Christian" into something that is unheard of, or radical. The book was fantastic and eye opening in many ways. I love his passion for missions and the push for global evangelism. I have listened to his sermons and have found that his love for God's word is deep and passionate.

Platt's second book, "Radical Together," is a lot like the first. While it's very good, it nothing really that different from Radical. I found myself thinking, "nothing new here."

The first chapter, "Tyranny of the Good" is a chapter that every church leader should read. I believe most churches struggle because of this. I'm a firm believer that you have to choose the best over the good and just because something is good doesn't mean that you have to do it. The third chapter, "God is Saying Something" is full of great insight into the importance of scripture and how God's word makes the difference, rather than our best efforts.

The rest of his book seemed rushed. To his on the popularity of his last book, you need to move fast. Unfortunately, Radical Together overall is a bit of a let down. I am a huge fan of David Platt and have been challenged by his insight into scripture both personally and professionally.

*I receive a free review copy of this book.

I finished out 2010 by reading David Platt's wonderful book Radical. It literally rocked my world, and left me reminded that, as a Christian dance studio owner, I have a huge mission field to serve. But, it also re-stirred my heart for foreign missions, something I believe God doesn't want me to give up on yet. (When I was younger, I wanted to be a missionary teacher to the wilds of Africa. I thrived on reading books about David Brainerd, William Carey, Amy Carmichael, and other modern day missionaries.) Needless to say, and Seth can attest, I was very somber after reading it. I was convicted. I was astounded. I was changed. And, I made some changes in my personal life.

When the opportunity to review this book came up, I jumped on it with trepidation. What was God going to convict me of THIS time around? After all, the tagline on the book is: "Unleasing the people of God for the purpose of God." It sounds like my world was going to get rocked again.

Chapter 1 is titled "The Tyranny of the Good," and talks about how good things in the church might be the church's worst enemy, and one of the first paragraphs in Chapter 1 says this:

"'The last thing you and I want to do is waste our lives on religious activity that is devoid of spiritual productivity--being active in the church but not advancing the kingdom of God. We don't want to come to the end of our days on earth only to realize that we have had little impact on more people going to heaven. Yet if we are not careful, we will spend our lives doing good things in the church while we ultimately miss out on the great purpose for which we were created."

This book is an awesome book for pastors, church leaders, or any person who wants to see the church united for good. I highly recommend it!

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Radical Together by David Platt:

I found Radical Together an extremely worthwhile read. Previously I had read Radical by David and had since looked forward to reading Radical Together. After letting the book lay fallow for several weeks, I cracked it open, and ended up finishing it in two sittings! I found it to be a stimulating read full of helpful anecdotes as well as sobering facts. If you read Radical Together thoughtfully, without at least being prompted to take inventory of your life, I submit you did not truly read it. It's size was minorly less than Radical, only weighing in at 176 pages versus Radical's 240. Radical Together dealt with the topic matter concisely and even perhaps, inspirationally. All in all, I recommend Radical Together without any reservations whatsoever. Will it be the best book you've ever read? Maybe, though probably not. But is it's topic a worthy one and does the book cover it well? Absolutely.

"Radical Together," by David Platt of the Church at Brook Hills is the follow-up to the book simply entitled "Radical." Whereas the first book was a call to individual Christians to live sacrificially devoted to the call of Jesus Christ, the second book takes the principles of "Radical" to the local church. Obviously Christians do not live in isolation from one another, but in a loving local body of believers, and "Radical Together" puts these sacrificial principles within the church context.

I greatly enjoyed this book. I have to admit that prior to reading it, I was a bit skeptical - thinking that perhaps Dr. Platt was starting to simply build a brand for himself, but my skepticism was quickly swept aside as I read the book. The book is theologically convicting, and yet extremely practical. Platt challenges churches to look beyond what is "good" and instead look for what is "best" - to go beyond the normal way of doing American ministry, and truly seek out how God may want to use us for His glory in a truly amazing way.

I'd highly recommend the book for anyone involved in ministry - it is well worth your time.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Waterbrook/Multnomah book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

"Are my church and yours willing to ask God if there is a better way to use the time, energy, and money he has given us for his glory in the world?" Radical Together challenges churches to give up doing good for doing the best -- to put every program, project, position, building, idea and activity `on the table' before God. It stirs churches to ask hard questions about their ministries. It beckons God's people to press in to God and ask Him to reveal what to pursue, what to leave behind, and how to best make His glory known throughout the world.

Radical Together is not a book for the faint-hearted. It will not resonate with Lone Ranger Christians. Radical Together stresses the need for radical communities of faith to carry out God's purposes in our world. It stirs us to live transformed lives together in community.

Radical Together will best be received by those who fully desire to abandon themselves to God's plans and purposes. It provides a starting point for those eager for biblical community with a group or church whose hearts are set on making disciples who make disciples.

I received my copy of this book from Mission Frontiers in exchange for my commitment to write this review, with no pressure or encouragement to make the review positive.

David Platt wastes no time laying out the weighty task of this short book. "I want to contemplate the force of a people who come together to enjoy God's grace in the church while they extend God's glory in the world. And I want to propose that a movement of such people in such churches has the potential to permeate nations with the praise of God." (p. 2)

In "Radical", David Platt casted the vision for Christians to abandon the American dream in favor of a call to take the gospel to all nations. In his followup "Radical Together", he challenges the church to rally around six basic ideas that free Christians to do just that. If "Radical" was an individual call to a new trajectory in being involved in taking the gospel to the nations, "Radical Together" is a corporate call for the church to unite to make it possible.

Well-written and highly readable, "Radical Together" is not an intimidating book from a literary standpoint. In terms of conviction and how the book challenges the reader though, it may be a different story. Working through these "foundational ideas" that seem almost contradictory at first (like chapter 4 "The Genius of Wrong"), Platt does an excellent job of unpacking his claims and proving his points. Although this book shares much with its predecessor, it stands as the next step to building a corporate and more holistic picture of what Christians can accomplish by changing our thinking and making the nations a priority. With good biblical teaching supporting the weight of his claims, it's hard not to come away blessed but also challenged.

*I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Having read David Platt's first book Radical and having found it both convicting and challenging, I was intrigued to see how Radical Together would take the principles of living a radical life as an individual and apply them to the church. I found myself just as convicted and challenged (if not more so) by the time I finished the 129 pages of Platt's second book.

The purpose of Radical Together in Platt's own words is to try to answer one question.

How can we in the church best unleash the people of god in the Spirit of God with the Word of God for the glory of God in the world?

The book is focused on six ideas (which Platt is quick to point out is not an exhaustive list) that David believes are crucial for the church to consider. The ideas are:

1. One of the worst enemies of Christians can be good things in the church.
2. The gospel that saves us from work saves us to work.
3. The Word does the work.
4. Building the right church depends on using all the wrong people.
5. We are living - and longing - for the end of the world.
6. We are selfless followers of a self-centered God.

Through the course of examining these 6 ideas, Radical Together touches on topics such as the tendency to try to attract people to our churches through entertainment, the need for clear teaching of the Word, our all too common dependence on "professionals" to do most of the ministry, and the central truth that our God is consumed with the glory of His name. Over the next couple of weeks, I plan to dig deeper into each of these ideas at my blog ([...]).

If you haven't read Radical Together, I highly recommend it to you. Just be prepared to have your ideas of how to do church radically challenged.

Can established churches really leave the path they are on and chart a new course in order to further the Kingdom of God here on earth? In his book **Radical Together**, David Platt offers insight for churches and ministry leaders who want to re-think their best laid plans.

Inside the first few pages of the book Platt presents his goal, for the entire book, "I want to be clear that my goal here is not to present a comprehensive overview of the church. Instead, it is to build upon biblical foundations in order to consider practical implications for how a right understanding of the church fuels radical obedience among Christians." Overall Platt succeeds in reaching his goal.

**Radical Together** is a refined version of **Radical** and possibly more helpful to churches and individuals seeking to make changes in their ministries andlives. Platt has divided the book into 6 different sections aimed at different areas that are of concern for the church and its members. Among these topics are the necessity of scripture being taught in the church, assessment of current programs and goals, and the need for the church to maintain a global vision in all its work.

Much like **Radical**, Platt's heart for missions and care of the disadvantaged and marginalized shine through the text. Some people have interpreted his passion in this area as a mandate for Christian living; if Christians aren't living in extreme poverty or hardship then they are not really serving God. However, the broader context of Platt's ideology shows that he is advocating for living life in accordance with the Great Commission. Platt writes, "And if we are faithful to Jesus' command in the Great Commission, we will always be living and longing for the spread of the gospel to all people groups."

Platt lays out a ideas for churches to consider their current programs, budgets, visions, and overall focus. These issues can be difficult to work through; in light of this Platt has provided a study guide at the end of the book for leadership teams to go through together. The guide includes tough questions the author presented throughout the book.

Bottomline: Radical Together is a worthwhile read for leaders seeking to get back to the heart of the church: creating disciples of Jesus Christ.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

I just finished reading the new book by David Platt (author of Radical) entitled Radical Together. It carries on the message of his first book by challenging faith communities to follow the commands of Christ together. It strives to answer the basic question, "How can we in the church best unleash the people of God in the Spirit of God with the Word of God for the glory of God in the world?"

Platt's book is challenging throughout and will create difficulties for churches as they are forced to either reexamine how we are fulfilling our true purpose or choose to ignore the calling of Christ for His Church. Platt continually backs up his statements with Scriptural truth and leaves no doubt as to the direction our communities of faith should be moving. The call to radical obedience from a personal perspective as well as for the church as a whole seems difficult and even somewhat disturbing, but Platt is able to lay out the rewards and fulfillment that will be found as a result. He also does a compelling job of bringing the principles to life through powerful stories of this faith in action.

He has several tough statements that will give all church leaders (and fellow Christians) a reason to carefully examine their motives and results:

Real faith always creates fruit.
The gospel saves us to work.
Only people who are resting constantly in the righteousness of Christ will be able to risk it all wholeheartedly for the glory of Christ.
Those who espouse sound doctrine in the church should embody selfless devotion in the world.
When we unchain the power of God's Word in the church, it will unleash the potential of God's people in the world.
...the Spirit of God has empowered every follower of Christ to accomplish the purpose of God for the glory of God in the world.
Be careful no to let programs in the church keep you from engaging people in the world with the gospel.
Leaders do not exist to provide services; they exist to serve people.
...prayer was fundamental, not supplemental.

I would highly recommend this book to any leader who is serious about fulfilling God's true purpose through their church. It may require a re-culturing of an organization, but it will result in a radical church that is actually what God intended it to be in the first place.

I am writing this review from Lusaka, Zambia, where my wife and I are anxiously awaiting to have our daughter placed with us for adoption. This process is full of ups and downs, highs and lows. But those are the hurdles of pursuing our daughter.

I start my review of Radical Together by David Platt with that precursor for this reason. Even the good, honorable and God-honoring task of caring for the orphan - one in particular in this case - is just one small action that flows from our adoption as sons of Holy God.

Picking up where his wildly popular and bestselling Radical left off, Platt calls us not to just nice, good little tasks, but to individually, and as a church, trade in our lives for the sake of the gospel among the nations.
Filled with stories from his own experience, from that of members of his congregation and from others who have taken the Radical Experiment, Platt paints a picture of the church unleashed to fulfill God's purposes in the world by the renewing work of the Spirit in the world as the God's Word goes forth into the world - and all for the glory of God.

At this point, let me offer a word of caution. I am afraid that the idea of trading our lives for the sake of the gospel will be appealing to us all - just so long as it remains talk and not practice. Radical Together, like Radical before it, will probably be a bestseller. But to be sure, that is neither the purpose of the content of the book nor of the author, David Platt. My challenge for you, if you dare to read it (and I mean this - I put off reading Radical for months and months because I wasn't sure I wanted to deal with the implications personally), is to read it slowly and purposefully. Don't rush through it. Read one chapter a day and give yourself time and space to reflect on the words. And then go before Holy God and ask him to make your life a radical testimony of God's redeeming and sending grace to the nations.
_____
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group as part of their Blogging for Books Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

I have enjoyed reading the straight-forward and "to the point" writings of David Platt. In fact, in light of moving to a new ministry, I have just re-read, "Radical Together". In this follow-up to his book "Radical", that was directed at individuals, he takes aim at the place where these individuals gather, the local church.

He seeks to answer this one question, "How can we in the church best unleash the people of God in the Spirit of God with the Word of God for the glory of God in the world?" He acknowledges that the local church can "actually prevent God's people from accomplishing God's purpose." From there he looks at six big ideas that are essential for us, as a local church, if we are to really accomplish what God intends for us to do.

The six ideas are these:
1. The worst enemy of Christians is good things in the church.
2. The gospel that saves us from work saves us to work.
3. The Word does the work.
4. Building the right church depends on using all the wrong people.
5. We are living - and longing - for the end of the world.
6. We are selfless followers of a self-centered God.

Through personal stories from his own life and his church, he sheds light on all that would distract us from being the people of God in this world. He reminds us of very familiar sections of the Scriptures that clearly call us to a seemingly radical lifestyle in our present-day American culture. Therein is a challenge to much of what you and I have been doing in our churches. This book is one that should be read and reflected on often by those in church leadership positions. I believe that God intended us to impact this world for Him and that demands that we be "Radical Together".

Note - for full disclosure - I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review as a part of their Blogging for Books program.

When I read David Platt's first book, "Radical" I told people that the book was a reminder for Christians what it means to be a Christian. And I said that if everyone who read the book would behave in the manner it called them to (which was backed by biblical authority), then those individuals who make up the church would cause the church to function as it was intended. (The BODY of Christ.)
In "Radical Together" Platt examines what it means for a faith community to live radically. It is a simple book, with clear, undeniable biblical principals as the foundation. Yet it challenges much of what the American church has come to take for granted and even regard as sacred including church budget, staff, and buildings. As a church staff person the book could very easily have put me on the defensive, thinking that my future "job" could be at stake. Instead I came away with a list of questions that I will ask any future church during a hiring process. Any church that can at least have a vision along the lines of Radical would be a church worth serving at or attending. Platt is quick to admit his own faults and those of his own church, but their intended outcomes are certainly something to take notice of.
I recommend "Radical Together" for church staff and leadership. I recommend Platt's first book, "Radical" for all Christians, and even non-Christians. Both are sound biblically. Both are simple, yet not easy to live perfectly. They call Christians to a higher standard and specifically, "Radical Together" points the church to it's God-given purpose of glorifying God and taking the gospel to all the nations of the earth.
"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review"

In one sense, I hated this book. However, undoubtedly it will be one of my top books in 2011. I agree with Pastor Mark Deverfs endorsement of the book glike the right medicine, it may be more helpful than comfortableh. Radical, Plattfs previous book was a convicting, clarion call for Christians to leave the pursuit of the American dream behind and become radically abandoned followers of Christ in order to reach the world with the gospel message and care for those in need. Radical Together calls the local church to be radical followers of Christ with the priorities to reach their local communities and the world with the gospel message. The book seeks to answer the question how can we in the church best unleash the people of God in the Spirit of God with the Word of God for the glory of God in the world? The question is answered succinctly through six key ideas:

*One of the worst enemies of Christians can be good things in the church
*The gospel that saves us from work saves us to work
*The Word does the work
*Building the right church depends on using all the wrong people
*We are living- and longing- for the end of the world
*We are selfless followers of a self-centered God

Each well written and thought-provoking chapter directly and honestly addresses these core ideas, while providing examples of how individuals and churches are living it out.

I finished the book in one sitting with a restless now what? sense in my heart. This book is very convicting and requires action (the reason why I ghatedh the book). As a church leader, I know that my responsibility is great, considering these gradicalh (but biblical) concepts. I believe that one of my first action steps is to reread Plattfs Radical and consider what must be better implemented in my own life and lead by example as the church moves forward together- seeking to live radically abandoned lives for Christ and the advancement of the gospel. I highly recommend this book, but with a warning: Radical Together (and Radical) will require action- one cannot read either of these books, place it back on the shelf, and go back to glife as normalh.

David Platt's Radical Together, is a follow up book to his book, Radical: Taking Back Your Faith for the American Dream. I read Radical in the late winter and found it extremely thought provoking and convicting, yet wondered what it really would look like to live radically in the American church. Radical Together, answers that questions and continues Platt's piercing analysis and blunt admonishing to Christians in the US. Are we too comfortable, to set in our ways, have we made our lifestyle and our church our god?
The book is full of great examples of what Platt calls radical obedience - there are no sacred areas apart from the Bible and the Truth it speaks to Jesus' followers. What does fancy buildings to do the furthering of the Gospel? How many people are hearing the Good News through ambitious programs held inside the walls of large churches? Are committees and church activities where busy people should invest precious hours, resources and energy? Platt is careful to not criticize the programs, the buildings, the committees, the activities, he is simply asking: Are you sacrificing the Great for the Good?
It is not always comfortable to take a deep hard look at `what I have always done' or even contemplating a possible change of the familiar in a world so full of chaos and trouble - church is at least one place where I am feeling `at home' or can trust to be and behave in a certain manner. Yet, one cannot read Platt without the promptings to look at the external trappings that in many ways have encumbered the true message of the Good News.
Jesus has promised to come back but not until everyone has heard the Good News. So if I desire for Jesus to return, I cannot sit around in my comfortable pew, filling my days and evenings with fun and entertaining programs and church activities, and staying safely in the confounds of familiarity. No, I need to reach out, take discipleship seriously. One cannot win the prize sitting on the side lines, one must be in the game.
Once again, Platt has challenged my status quo, pushed me out of my comfort zone and propelled me to take a hard look at all aspects on my life. As I said in the head line, this is not a book for the faint of heart, or for those wanting to be comfortable. A great read, but hopefully an even greater effect on how I live out my life in Christ here on earth.

~I received this book free for review from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

My rating: 4/5
Summary: A deeply challenging book that should be read by all church leaders

"Radical Together" should carry a warning label: "Explicit: sure to challenge the way your church does church!" In his follow up to "Radical", David Platt sets about challenging church leaders to rethink where their church's time, money and other resources are focused.

"We realise how prone we are to exalt our work over God's work, our dreams over God's desires, and our plans over God's priorities."

It's an uncomfortable book to read, because it makes us realise how far our church visions have strayed from the Great Commission. We are supposed to be making disciples of all nations, but there are still so many people groups around the world who have never even heard of Jesus.

I particularly enjoyed Platt's balance between our response to poverty and our response to the unreached. He doesn't place one as more important than the other, but challenges us to consider whether our church budgets are addressing these two issues. He also is careful to not create a sense of a works-based salvation:

"It's not that acts of mercy are a means to salvation, but they are clear evidence of salvation."

But the high point for me was his understanding of what Jesus says in John 14:12 "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." (NIV). Platt suggests the following:

"We will do greater things, not because of the quality of the Spirit in select ones among us, but because of the quality of the Spirit spread throughout all of us"

Jesus did amazing things, but He put us in charge of taking His work to the ends of the earth. It is time for us to revisit where we as the Church are headed. Platt gives us a blueprint of how to go about this. And best of all, he is putting this theory into practice in his own church. This is a must read for all church leaders.

I only have two criticisms of the book. Firstly it looses steam near the end, the first few chapters where punchy and challenging, but the last few were a bit repetitive. And the Kindle version I was given to review was very poorly formatted, though still readable. Hopefully this will be resolved in the final version (I suggest you first check out the sample from the store if this is an issue for you).

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

In David Platt's follow-up to his book, Radical, Platt has continued along this theme of moving people outward in Radical Together where the emphasis now is not just on individuals to reach people outwardly, but for entire groups of people of God to be sent to fulfill the purpose of God. Platt addresses the issues that plague many churches, big or small, when it comes to looking inwardly to maintain traditions that are "good". Good things are not necessarily bad, but when they are a hindrance or barrier of great things happen for God, then they need to be addressed and/or removed. Platt says, "if we are not careful, we will spend our lives doing good things in the church while we ultimately miss out on the great purpose for which we were created" (8). Good things are not inherently bad, however, they are not necessarily great in reaching people for God.

After reading this book I feel confronted with the fact that the church is busy doing all kinds of nice things while there are two million people unreached people in the world, 500 million people in the world starving to death and 150 million children are orphans. Are we really following what Jesus taught us that His church should look like in the Bible? David Platt in this book Radical Together would say we are often missing the whole concept of the gospel.

I would probably even go so far as to say it would be alright to do away with the local congregation if believers were ministering to their own neighbors, leading community outreaches, or serving as missionaries elsewhere. I believe Platt is saying that the role of the local church is to train up and send out.

This book appears to be aimed at church leaders and Pastors. I tend to disagree with this specific target audience and instead think that all believers should read and process this book.

One of the more radical concepts that Platt believes is that churches do not need to focus their energies on being 'seeker friendly'. Platt would say that the Word of God is enough on its own without it being dressed up, watered down, set to drama, or served up with lattes. In Chapter 3 Platt says the Word of God is sufficient. I personally think that many churches are so concerned about offending the visiting non-believers that they miss the opportunity of letting God do His work in each heart through the Holy Spirit. I also believe that many of our Pastors and church leaders are afraid of teaching radical discipleship because it's doesn't feel good on the ears to hear messages about giving up everything, taking your cross and following Jesus, no matter the cost. I'd love to see churches get back to preaching the basics in faith and then expecting the followers to use that information to teach others. One of my favorite sections in the book (page 81) describes Platt asking church new members actually writing out their own goals for how they plan to be involved in making disciples of all nations.

The weakest section of the books falls in Chapter 5 but deals with short term missions. I would like to propose that there is more to short term missions that just evangelism and to be successful one does not always have to work alongside a resident in-country missionary. Still, if Platt is successful in motivating more people to give 2% of their time to minister outside their culture, I am pleased. We must agree that Jesus has called, commissioned and commanded (page 109) each of us to be involved spreading the gospel to the world.

This is a short book but a lot to process and try to apply to your life. Just like when I hear a sermon that is short, I always ask myself if I understood the materially so fully that I am not able to re-teach it to someone else. This book is one of those that you will find yourself thinking about as you go about your day doing other activities as well. The best recommendation is to read this with a small group study, a good friend or your family with whom you can share ideas and reactions. Hopefully your life with make a radical turn after reading this book.

Disclaimer: I received my copy of this book from Mission Frontiers in exchange for my commitment to write this review, with no pressure or encouragement to make the review positive. I wrote of my own opinions and personal feelings on this book.

I have been waiting for David Platt for a long time. He wrote two books, Radical and Radical Together. I received a copy of Radical Together from Mission Frontiers in exchange for my commitment to write up a book review for Radical Together. I was not required to write a positive review for this book. I was simply asked to write what I thought about this particular book. Please forgive me for a long review, since I feel like I can't do justice with 75 - 300 words.

Positive things about the book: Hearing how an ordinary American church in Alabama caught fire of Jesus and His simple command to finish preaching the Good News to all the people groups made me relieved and happy that even Americans, like me, drugged in this toxic culture of materialism, consumerism, self-gratification, complacency, drudgery, etc., still hunger to read the Bible and take radical steps to live it out. Platt gave many examples of little things that ordinary people did to show his readers what it took to be radical together and exemplify New Testament Christianity. Instead of getting a building and pouring money into it, folks pointed across the street and asked why not use the covered parking deck that is free and available on Sundays to meet together (p. 62). The author simply asks questions of what's the best method of glorifying God through the use of our money, our time, and our resources. For example, asking the simple question, "Does this plan best align with the plan of God?" helped people determine whether to expand the lobby for their church or to use the "money to start planting other churches. Instead of constructing more classrooms where we could listen to more lectures, we would become more intentional about gathering in our homes, where we could better share our lives. And instead of building more soccer fields in our community, we would use that money to serve spiritually and physically impoverished peoples around the world" (pp. 52-53).

Negative things about the book: I am not yet engaged in world missions as I would like to be, so the book overwhelmed me as well as inspired me to get more aligned with God's overall plan for humanity. I've heard about the Great Commission before (sharing Jesus to the unreached people groups here and abroad), but it seemed out of my reach and league, because I find my life in America pretty busy with work, church, friends, and family. Foreign missions, in particular, excites me, but unfortunately, it just seems like I'm one of the few interested in foreign missions at my church and with my friends. So many of them that I talk to are overwhelmed with their own daily lives and involvement in church. Sure, we're helping donate food to the local food bank and sponsoring a movie in the park, caroling around the neighborhood, among many other local activities, but I'm not convinced that these things in themselves help fulfill the Great Commission. Reading Radical Together helped confirm my convictions. To me, these activities don't seem to align with God's overall plan for mankind. Almost everyone here in America, the longer they've been here, has heard at least one version of the Christian message, and most of them have access to a Bible-based church within a mile radius and have instant access to insurmountable Biblical literature. God's overall plan is that all of mankind will hear. Most of the folks who haven't heard live abroad in remote villages up on mountains. Platt talks more about this in his first book, Radical. I know what is right, but I get discouraged with my complacency and in the atmosphere of my sleepy church, so I haven't had courage to recently extend myself into different cultures and spiritual attitudes. There is a spiritual battle going on, mostly in my mind. I have been inundated with confusion and restlessness since reading this book. My heart has yearned for helping accomplish the Great Commission. I feel like I haven't yet found my niche in life, even though it's been six years since college graduation. I've talked to some of my friends about this book and I've shared Platt's appeal of finding ways of reaching unreached people groups for Jesus, but my friends have unintentionally discouraged me and say that they feel like their mission field is here, providing for the needs of people right in their backyard. There is nothing wrong with this approach, but I feel restless and unproductive hanging out with these friends, because we don't hold the same ideals and theology regarding outreach activities and missions. But I'm still involved in church activities and helping some of my friends, because I know I have to start somewhere if I want to continue helping others. I certainly don't want to isolate myself and eventually find myself not doing anything, out of apathy and discouragement, because that's what has happened before.

Most interesting about the book: I found it very fascinating that Platt said that he's convinced that Satan may actually delight in Americans spending their time, energy, and resources helping the people right in front of them, while there are unreached people groups in the world who literally remain in the dark (p. 87). Platt reminds Christians that this life is a spiritual battle and that more than six thousand people groups have never heard that Jesus died for their sins and that He loves them. Half of the battle is stepping back, looking at our motives, and finding out and asking what plans we have that best align with God's plan for humanity.

What Now?: Since reading this book, I've sensed a desire and need to help form a like-minded group who are interested in reading this book together and discuss the questions in the back and start something regarding foreign missions. I can't stop thinking that we are so close to fulfilling the Great Commission and having Christ come back. I lean more towards the character that Platt writes about, Ashley, who seems to be driven by performance to receive approval from God. But Ashley can never do enough to please God, and guilt and shame of not doing enough will take over, which it has for me. Platt basically says to stop and realize that God doesn't need us to do things for Him, since He is an all-efficient, sustaining God. Even though He doesn't need us, God loves us and wants to include us in His overall plan to glorify Him and tell others about Him. The over-arching work of Jesus and His Holy Spirit that dwells in us should be the driving force behind our work, because we love Him, and because we want to glorify Him. But it's so hard to rest when there is so much work to be done! Finding that common ground is very necessary, and forming a group would help establish that common ground. Forming a group would be very helpful in holding each other accountable and moderately tempered in our attitudes, and it will allow us to speak our minds and release our pressures, our frustrations, our lack of knowledge, and shortcomings. Talking things out and learning how to work together in reaching out to people groups will hopefully moderate us, especially those who feel isolated, from turning too radical and desperate, or just turning in and becoming frustrated and apathetic. After reading this book, I was handed another book weeks later, Nice Girls Don't Change the World by Lynne Hybels, that put me at ease, since I felt so overwhelmed in not knowing how to fulfill the Great Commission - or even starting a group, for that matter. The reason I feel desperate is that I don't know where to start, since I lack resources, knowledge, and a small group of like-minded people regarding this issue. But I feel like God is going to do something amazing soon, and things will fall into place in due time. What Hybels shares is that sometimes, even in ministry, we can do too much and feel like God is a tyrant and that we can never do enough to please Him and appease other people's demands and expectations. This is what Platt mentioned in his book with the Ashley character. Hybels went further and shared that it's necessary to rest in God's peace and quiet. God never wants us to work ourselves into a frazzle to the point of us hating life year after year. God wants us to find our niche in life and work within our context that will bless and grow us. It is okay to reevaluate our lives and get rid of activities that we don't like or that we are not good at or actually detest doing. God is not a mean God. He wants the best for us, and He can always figure out ways of working through us within our context during our seasons of life. I sensed that Hybels was very gentle and understanding in her approach of activating women into action, and Platt seemed to lack that gentle and understanding approach of activating people for the Great Commission. I felt guilty, overwhelmed, and confused after reading his book, and it took Hybels' book to ease and reassure me to continue following God's gentle tuggings in my heart in finding ways of helping fulfill the Great Commission. No doubt though, Platt gave me ample reason and passion to disregard my American dreams and entitlements for a bigger, global cause of helping finish the Great Commission.

How I have been influenced by the book: Having read both books this year, Radical and Radical Together, I feel like my spiritual nervous system has been shocked. While reading Radical, I was also in the process of reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan, and I had to stop reading Chan's book for a while until I finished Radical, because both books were just too much for me to digest. After I finished Radical, I finished reading Crazy Love. Now that some months have passed and now that I've finished reading Radical Together, I know I can't reach an unreached people group on my sheer determination and strength. I used to think I could do a lot of things on my own, but with this endeavor, I see a need to partner with like-minded people to discuss and form ways of sharing the life of Jesus to people who have never heard of Him, here and abroad. Platt gives very helpful and practical questions and ideas (the small group discussion guide in the back of this book) to helping a group reach common ground and taking action in reaching people groups in their community and abroad. I think the thing that inspired and appealed to me was when Platt reported that there's more than six thousand people groups equaling nearly two billion people who still don't have access to the gospel. I haven't heard of this statistic before, and it thrilled me to see how easy it could be to finish the Great Commission, especially if the 2% + figure helps to moderately establish when a people group would be considered reached with the gospel. I bet if every American church adopts an unreached people group for Jesus and pours their hearts, energy, and resources into reaching their specified groups for Jesus, no matter how much it takes, then the Great Commission would be completed within a few years! I think the neat thing about Platt is he simply asks those wise and practical questions about how to best please and further God's glory and His ultimate plan for humanity. Platt gives ample examples of stories and illustrations to get his point across. It was even more helpful when I google searched Platt's church, Church at Brook Hills, surfed their website, and listened to a snapshot of one of his sermons. It reassured me that he was a real person with a real and passionate heart.

What audiences will find this book most valuable: People who would find this book most valuable are those itching for a new life, a life of meaning and purpose, particularly Christians in need of revival. Even youth groups in church, I think, would be spared boredom and complete misery of complacency and constant dead-end entertainment if they adopt an unreached people group for Jesus and spent most of their efforts and time pouring their lives into an unreached people group, knowing that they are helping Jesus come back. It starts with people hungry and serious in following the teachings of their Savior to abandon their American dream and entitlements, and to live a life that Jesus called for his followers. Platt challenges the readers to live a Christ-centered life that honors Him daily. When we shift our focus from ourselves to God and wanting to exalt Him in all His glory, our priorities begin to change (p. 107). The author does not say anything new contrary to Jesus' teachings...the author purely reminds Christians what the purpose of our lives is...to go into all the nations and disciple them...then the end will come. Who doesn't want the end to come and have Jesus make everything right? Read this book if you want a deeper relationship with Jesus and get a group started! Get radical for Jesus! But before you do, it's important to know a little about the character of God. As Hybels shared in her book, Nice Girls Don't Change the World, and what put me at ease was that she decided to turn away from a demanding and unloving God and restart her relationship with a God that truly loved and wanted the best for her. Get serious about your feelings and frustrations that you're dealing in your life and ask God to teach you how to bless people, here and abroad. God is not a hard taskmaster. He wants us to rest when we feel like we are going too fast for too long. It is never in His nature to talk to us in a condescending way (that's Satan), and it's never in God's nature and intention to work us to a frazzle where we are completely disheveled physically, emotionally, and spiritually and hating our lives for years on end. He wants us to find ourselves and reveal our desires, strengths, dreams, and hopes. He wants us to work within our context, and when He stretches us, it's always loving and gentle. He is always proud of us when we succeed, and He is always there when we fall, and He will hold us and wash our wounds when we get in a mess. He wants us to grow, and if it means taking a season off to reprioritize our values and get rejuvenated and restored, He will gently lead us beside still waters. But He also wants us to grow and feel His heartbeat for His hurting and forgotten people, especially those abroad. He will always reveal His plan to us in a gentle and loving way, never in a way that makes us feel confused, overwhelmed, and guilty. God doesn't need us. At the snap of a finger, He can reach those two billion peoples to Himself. He doesn't need us, but He loves us, and He wants to use us to complete His work. We can't complete His work very efficiently, though, unless we get to a turning point where we desire and hunger to spend time with God developing our relationship with Him. He doesn't force anything on us - whether a task or just spending time with Him. We are saved regardless of what we do or don't do. It is up to us to seek our Creator's face and seek His will for our lives. It takes a progressive and heartfelt effort to seek Him on an intimate level and understand His will for our lives. He will always be faithful to give us unique turning-point encounters that will speak to us and strengthen and solidify our faith to trust Him for the next great thing He has planned for us individually and corporately. When we fall in love with our Creator, because He loves us and will continuously show His good nature to us, we'll naturally want to leave our comfort zone and follow God's promptings in our lives to reveal His glory and goodness to others, here and abroad. God's intention, though, is not for us to work alone, because He created humans to work best by working together. The Great Commission is a huge undertaking. We can't do it all on our own strength. God wants us to work together, because we can be strong and radical together with the power and inspiration of God's Holy Spirit.

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I read Radical Together by David Platt this morning. Pretty quick and insightful read.

I never read Radical, but Radical Together is about communities of faith being radical. Taking the committment to being disciplers of all nations seriously in a community of faith. I really enjoyed his style and his sense of conviction over the biblical truths he was sharing and had shared with his own faith community.

Platt's writing was lined up with a lot of other things that have been going on in my walk with God. He talks about killing the American Dream (see Dick Brogden) and that the gospel is about more than just salvation ( see Scot McKnight and N.T. Wright).

David breaks this idea down into six different categories. I'll list them and give a brief thought on them.

1. Tyranny of Good. The biggest enemy of the church is doing good things and not doing great things. Nothing revolutionary here from the leadership standpoint. This is a leadership axiom shared by many people. But what is revolutionary ist he questions they were asking. Is this the best thing for the Kingdom worldwide? How can we be the best stewards of our finances? Great questions that can be answered many different wasys.

2. The Gospel Misunderstood. For this one you can see my last review of Scot McKnight's book. Pretty much the same idea just not worked out as much because it's just a chapter in a shorter book.

3. God is Saying Something. I really appreciated this chapter. He talked about letting the Word preach itself. And always coming back to the Word. Spoken Word is not something that is dying in our day, it's something people are craving and we should continue to go to it.

4. The Genius of Wrong. Building the Right Church depends on using the wrong people. Here, his point is that the people of the church should be doing the discipling. Pastors are on staff to shepherd the flock and teach them to train others. Not to put on the whole show so people can bring their friends and say, "just listen to the pastor."

5. Our Unmistakable Task. Live for the end of the world. Evangelize the world so that Jesus will come back. Share the good news, even in the hard places.

6. God Who Exalts God. We are to live selfless lives. We should give up our lives, not sip our lattes.

I found Radical Together to be a great book, very encouraging though it was hard hitting. I hope that the church can continue on the path that the gospel has set out for us.

I will say one of the things I'm taking away from the book is to try and spread our charitable giving more around the world and the idea of foster care is continuing to grow in my mind.

Also, I received this book free to review.

Since this book has been out for a while, there's no need for me to provide the kind of summary that many others have already written in their reviews. After doing a partial reading several months ago, I finally picked up Radical Together again to start it again and read the whole thing. If it had not stuck with me the first time, I wouldn't have bothered picking it up again. So, that in and of itself shows tips my hand.

What I appreciate about Radical Together is that David is not giving a blueprint for a new church program. Rather, as in his first book, Radical, he's asking us to press the REFRESH button on our thinking about living "Christianly" (Biblically!) in today's world. David doesn't claim to be revolutionary in his thinking and yet, the kinds of "Gospel" conversations he's asking us to have once again will always be radical in today's American culture.

I know the book will create some great conversations with a number of small groups and classes in our church. I'm excited to get it in their hands and see where it leads!

Disclosure: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

After reading Radical by Platt, I was overwhelmingly excited to read Radical Together. As I began reading though, the tone felt darker than Radical -- almost depressing at times. I would say this book is quite convicting, especially in terms of becoming the kind of church that God desires us to be, but it didn't exactly inspire me to change. The main point of the book is that we shouldn't stop proclaiming the message of Jesus until everyone has heard it -- but it felt more like a harsh critique of the church than an inspiring call to action. All in all, the content is completely worth the read. I refuse to believe that Platt had anything less than a genuine motive to see the gospel proclaimed to all nations and for the American church to take on the call to live out the great commission. The truth inside is hard to swallow, especially in light of our comfortable, sometimes self absorbed, lives. But the truth must be implemented in order to become the church God has commanded us to become. My recommendation: you should definitely read it!

I've been waiting for Radical Together for months, and It has been worth the wait! I loved and hated Radical when I read it last year. It challenged me personally and exposed selfishness and idolatry in my own life. It showed me to be a hypocrite, in many ways more committed to the pursuit of comfort and happiness than to spread of Jesus's kingdom on earth. Though I've dedicated my life to the building of disciples and the Church, Radical showed that I am really living my life mostly for myself.

In Radical Together, David Platt takes his challenge to the next level, calling church leaders and churches to collectively loose their lives for the sake of mission that Jesus had given us. This book is encouraging and challenging, upsetting and inspiring, easy to read and hard to own. Thankfully, he does not provide a ready made plan for fixing the church. Rather, he calls us to seek our Heavenly Father's plan for us and radically obey what He says.

I highly recommend this book and Radical. If you're going to read only one, it should be Radical.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

"...you and I are not intended to plunge down the mountain of radical obedience alone."

On page one of the book's introduction, I had a sneaking suspicion that I was going to like this book. I come from a 'group life' perspective and believe that very little about following Christ is a individual activity. It only makes sense that being 'radical' in our faith is best lived out in the context of biblical community!

I haven't (yet) read Radical, Platt's preceding text in which he challenges believers to 'take back their faith from the American dream.' However, it is now on my reading list. In Radical Together, Platt challenges the local church to adopt a radical focus on the lost. Two chapters in particular were of interest to me.

In the first chapter, Platt starts off hitting straight on with a challenge for local church leaders to to put everything on the table. To sacrifice the GOOD for the so that the church can accomplish the GREAT commission. He makes a great argument regarding church programming and how the very things we do in the church can impede the church members from actually living out the mission of the church! There is, of course, nothing wrong with church programs and ministries. However, often, churches can get so busy with internally focused progamming we fail at making a significant impact in the lives of those who do not yet know Christ.

The fifth chapter, Our Unmistakable Task, also struck a cord with me. Platt's call to affect world missions, not just local missions resonated with me. Probably because I grew up in a missionary home as a young child. (David: I can actually remember seeing both black and green mamba's while living in Kenya and share your dislike for snakes - you'll have to read chapter six for that story.) Platt doesn't present world missions as the priority over local missions, it isn't a case of either/or but rather both/and.

One of the bonus pieces in this book is an included Small Group Discussion Guide. It isn't just a time to rehash a chapter of the book but instead a time to talk about what it would look like in your life if you were living radically.

- - -

NB: I received a free copy of Radical Together from Multnomah Publishing for the purpose of this review.

Be ready to be challenged. It is not an easy book to read because in the end we have a choice to make. Are we ready to give up our comfort to become selfless followers of Christ? Or are we still holding tightly our plan and possession because God's agenda is too risky? While Platt is intentional in his challenge to us, he is honest with his own struggle. It is not easy to be a selfless follower of Christ because our ego is often in the way. The realization comes after his encounter with Tozer's book, "The Knowledge of the Holy." There, he understood that God does not need us to bring him glory. However, God's love invites us to work together to proclaim his glory so that all nations come to know him.

For pastors or church leaders familiar with church growth methodology, they would find the book unappealing because Platt has no concern for how many crowds a church can attract. In fact, Platt politely criticizes "seeker sensitive" methodology. He has no concerns over relevant programs or preaching. For Platt, one element always missing in church growth methodology is the maturity of the people of God. Therefore, he exhorts church leaders to focus on growing disciples than managing relevant programs to attract seekers. The function of the church is to teach the Word so that the people are transformed and inspired to live for Christ. Let the Word of God move people to follow Christ's agenda: make disciples of all nations.

I gave the book five stars because of its simple yet profound message. That is to live intentionally as the people of God for the glory of Christ. We are called to always examine our life whether our agenda, our plan, and our possession are in alignment with God's purpose to proclaim his gospel to all nations?

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Waterbrook Multnomah book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

I actually never got around to reading Radical, and I think I am okay with it. This book is more of an application and that's good for me. I really appreciated the fact that it's a quick read. I'm beginning to believe Seth Godin nailed it - I don't have time to put many 300+ pages on my platter. Radical Together was a one night affair and I've been able to read it again just a few weeks later.

It's a great look at the application of living a radical lifestyle. Clear and easy to read, and with plenty of Bible backing for the claims, this is a must for anyone looking at the way he needs to live as a Jesus-follower.

I had no complaints at all.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

To be quite honest I have been something of a David Platt agnostic. A peculiar aspect of my personality dictates that I must approach anything which comes down the pike of Christendom as the last must-read/see/hear with more than a generous helping of skepticism. Platt's Radical was of course just the sort of sensation that would trigger my ambivalence mechanism and it did just that. In fact I might just be the only person I know who hasn't read Radical. My justification for this is two fold: one, my wife did read the book and a large part of last summer was spent discussing the book over meals, during walks, on car rides, etc. Two, Radical was such a sensation that it seemed every where I turned someone was telling me about how the book impacted them or was asking me about so-and-so's review of the book. Platt became pervasive and I genuinely felt like I could absorb the content of the the book from the zeitgeist.

When I saw that Platt's newest book, Radical Together, was going to be offered through Waterbrook Multinomah's early screening program I signed up, hoping to get out in front of the consensus opinion that would surely form on the heels of the title's release and take a crack at thinking through Platt's assertions before I was again deluged by everyone else's response to the book.

What I found, for what it's worth, is that Platt remains the sort of author who will get people thinking about the responsibility of the Church to God in terms of the missionary endeavor. Big surprise, huh? Radical Together is ostensibly about being passionate about fulfilling the Great Commission in the context of the local church and it certainly is that. However, the book also serves to address the prevailing criticisms of Radical.

The opening chapter, The Tyranny of the Good, asks the reader to evaluate the efforts of their local congregation to fulfill God's mission as effectively as possible. Platt makes use of the old cliché' that the greatest enemy of the great is that which is merely good. Applying this principle to the local church leads Platt to conclude the local church should be before the Lord asking "What needs to go? What needs to change? What needs to stay the same." A hearty amen to that, at least insofar as it encourages churches not to persist in a course simply because it's the road they have been on for some time. There is, of course, a danger here - continual evaluation, re-evaluation, and further examination can exhaust the church's energy on analysis. There is also something to be said for developing a plan and sticking with it long enough to learn how to do it well (which applies to congregations seeking to have a hand in international missions as much as it does anywhere else). If these pitfalls can be avoided this chapter should provoke (at the least) some very helpful conversations within local churches.

Platt's second chapter addresses one of the potential problems created by Radical - the despondency arising from the believer who reads Platt's initial offering and begins to feel that they can never be radical enough, never do enough, to respond seriously to the mission God calls His people to. Platt represents this believer with the name Ashley and to her he offers the right solution: the gospel. Being radical, according to Platt, can never be the ground of a believer's relationship to the Lord. As a matter of fact Platt says "the beauty of the gospel" is that no one has to be radical "enough" to gain the Lord's favor. Rather, God give His favor and this prompts his people to passionate and obedient action. Again, amen.

Platt has a vision for the activities of the church that I find particularly helpful: he suggests that rather than focusing on programs and productions the church should invest herself in a stripped down ministry model focused on loving God, loving one another, and serving those around them. I'm not sure if we are quite past the mega-church age in Christian history or not but this admonition from Platt is a healthy counter to the kind of mentality that evaluates a church on the basis of how many activities take place under the church's roof in a given week. This also provides a way forward for the small congregation that might not be able to offer phenomenal choir productions but can indeed worship the Lord well, practice healthy body life, and serve the community they find themselves in.

The reader of Radical Together will come away, in my evaluation, with a better understanding of God and how He would have His people pursue His mandate for the nations. This book will also serve to challenge individual believers to take an active role in leading their church to be streamlined in how they do what they do and to pursue efficiency as a component of a broader missions strategy. Finally, and this is no surprise, I anticipate Radical Together will prompt an enormous volume of conversation - both personal and public - on how this generation of believers can best pursue the Great Commission in our day. To this I say a final amen.

Disclaimer: I received this book free from WaterBrook Multinomah Publishing Group. WaterBrook Multinomah in no way compelled me to offer a positive evaluation of the title.

I want to say first of all that I loved this book and felt immensely challenged by it. I also think that in every area that he challenged us in that he is right about how we have fallen short. The Church in America has been seduced by the American dream and we have been unfaithful. We have turned inward and tend to think about our lives and our local churches and we forget about the calling God has given us for the nations. This book and its predecessor, Radical, are powerful (though not flawless) correctives.

There are six chapters in this book and each deals with how we as the people of God can be unleashed for His purposes.

* How settling for good things keeps us from the best thing

* The Gospel that saves us from work saves us to work

* The word of God does the work, not our clever programs

* All the people of God are to do the work not just professionals

* Our calling is to take the Gospel to every people group

* We are selfless followers of a self-centered God (this one takes some explaining, but basically God shares our calling and committment to bring Him glory)

The only negative I would through in is that these books can be heavily guilt inducing. There seems to be little room left for people who don't go to frontier missions or who start radical ministries. I think radical lives don't always look so radical. I think the stay at home mom who is investing in her kids and teaching them the Gospel and trying to reach her neighbors is radical. The man providing for his family, trying to reach his coworkers, who serves in his church, and who gives sacrificially is living a radical life. There might be a way to include such perspectives but we need the challenge, and I'll take a flawed challenge this good.

I've talked to a lot of people who mention that they were really touched by David Platt's book Radical. Many churches and small groups did sermon series or book studies together and it seems lots of people walked away feeling like they had much more to give. I've heard testimony of several families that have started giving to particular missions causes or families that are trying to get out of debt so that they can serve overseas. There is a lot of individual response, but we really aren't seeing many churches carry the Radical lifestyle out like we have Platt's own church Brookhills in Birmingham. These individual responses to the first book are fantastic, but responding to it as a community would, obviously, yield more impact.

Enter Radical Together. In the second book, Platt answers the questions "How do we move forward with this as a church or a community of believers?". I am so thankful for this book! I hope the churches and small groups who read or talked about Radical follow up with this sequel. The heart of this book sets to take the Biblical concepts in Radical and apply it to our churches. What does that mean? For a lot of communities, that is going to mean getting rid of some good activity and trading it for what God is asking them to do. As a pastor's wife, I get so excited about this book. We aren't seeing this book being embraced like we did the first, we all know personal change is hard but changing a community can be really painful if our hearts are not alligned. I hope and pray church leaders, deacons, Sunday school teachers and congregation will get excited as well. Too often we see people clinging to ministries that are ineffective, or even ones that are good, but are keeping resources away from a higher purpose. We need individuals to respond to this book, but more so, we need entire communities of Faith come together and introspect. Platt doesn't lie, this isn't always pretty, but when you come to the point where you put everything on the table regardless of the outcome, and let God be the head of the church, the end is going to be beautiful! In a word this book is about reform. Constant reform is so important to the Christian faith, both individually and corporately. My prayer is that all of our churches will take a hard look at "what needs to go, and what needs to change" for the glory of God. Beyond reform, the other introspective thoughts are worth your time as well. Chapter 4 is especially challenging, pointing out the fact that God uses imperfect people to build his church, and a lot of imperfect people are being pushed out of ministry. I loved his quote, "the key in all of this is an intense desire and intentional effort to make every one of our lives count for the multiplication of the gospel in the world." Amen! If you haven't read this book, consider it, and then pass it on! We are all in this together, so let's all do it Radically Together!

In 2010 pastor David Platt's book Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream made a splash in the evangelical Christian world. He boldly addressed several issues which have long contributed to the self-centeredness, apathy, and powerlessness of the American church. It was a loving but firm challenge for individual Christians to throw off the affluence and entitlements of our society and re-embrace the radical call of discipleship.
Now in this follow up, Platt broadens his perspective to encompass the entire church. In six chapters he addresses several components of church life that can help shape and revitalize the people of God. The first of these is how many churches settle for good things when God has great things for us. Platt encourages church leaders to sacrificially put every ministry, worship service, committee, staff position, facility, and resource on the table and allow God to decide which ones need to be kept and which ones--even though they are good--do not really fulfill the purpose of making God known in the world.
Successive chapters focus on the necessity of churches basing themselves firmly in the Word of God; how the good news of Jesus Christ liberates people to give their best to God; how churches are best when they rely on all the "wrong" people (rather than glitzy performances, snazzy programs, and professional leaders); how churches should be focused on spreading the gospel to every people group on the planet; and how we are to surrender anything and everything in our lives in order for God to be glorified. As with Radical, the book is very likable and peppered with different stories and illustrations from Platt's own experiences.
As a pastor myself, I thoroughly approve of what Platt has attempted to do in both of his books. He is seeking to show the self-centered, affluent, overly inclusive, powerless American church that there is more to faith in Jesus Christ than bigger buildings, balanced budgets, and state-of-the-art worship services. He has made this accessible to every person who is willing to read the books, pray, listen for the Holy Spirit, and act upon what they hear.
However, I would be extremely interested in hearing how Platt has navigated the complainers, nay-sayers, dream killers, controllers, and congregational bullies as he has implemented these concepts in The Church at Brook Hills (Birmingham, Alabama). And what might pastors, church leaders, and lay people--who desire to follow a radical Christ into the world--do to unleash these things in their churches? This is a good, manageable book--like Radical--that lends itself to small group study and discussion. But where's the rough stuff from the trenches? What battles did Platt have to fight to bring his church to this point? How were membership, attendance, and giving impacted by the shift to a more gospel-oriented community? How did he overcome the negativity, venom, and outright sabotage from those in his church who would not accept such a future?
When we consider that the majority of churches in the United States are considered medium-size or small (150 people or less in worship each week); that they do not have the financial resources like a mega-church does; and most critically, they are often "family owned and operated," what advice or suggestions does Platt have to help move from a selfish church to a selfless church? I do recommend this latest work, but would encourage the author to devote his next work to addressing the leadership issues and challenges that come from being Radical Together.
I received this book free from Waterbrook-Multnomah and was under no directions to provide a positive review.

This book is small, in almost all regards to the word. Small in size (7.9 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches), small in length (129 pages), and small in message. There was a lot of recycling going on, stories Platt has told verbatim in sermons, examples lifted from other books (one in particular about a missionary writing a letter to his prospective father in law, found in Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper), and a lot of overlap from his first publication Radical.

Speaking of Radical, he must have mentioned it over twenty times in this book, whether he was clarifying or re-emphasizing a point he made, or sharing feedback from readers on how his book reshaped their lives. Even some of the endorsements in the front cover of Radical Together were actually about Radical!

There were many bold statements made in this book concerning evangelism, facilities, and programs, backed by a semi-adequate quantity of biblical texts, yet very little application. Howard Hendricks once said in a lecture, "Interpretation without application is abortion."

One example: Platt made a statement on facilities by begging the question, "why would we spend an inordinate amount of our resources on something that is never prescribed or even encouraged in the New Testament?" He proceeded to share a story about a church who stopped leasing out their building and met in a covered parking lot across the street so they could send the money they were spending overseas. As inspiring as that story is, it leaves me discouraged by how many questions I have: How do you meet outside in the winter time? Where do you do nursery? Where do you keep your chairs?

For the duration of this read I found myself being frustrated with Platt. I respect his leadership and I want to follow him, but I don't feel like he is practicing what he is preaching (to the extent that it's being preached); this isn't a stab, it's a plea. If anyone could lead their church to sell their facility (I understand that they would only likely get 10% of what the value of the building is) and use those resources on that which is explicitly promoted in the New Testament, it's David Platt. The follow-up, if the Church at Brook Hills could successfully minister and reach out to their local community while reaching the ends of the earth with the Gospel of Jesus Christ without a building, then anyone can do it. We just need to see how!

All in all, I would label this book a disappointing pass. It's a regurgitation of his first book topped with anecdotes and stories from his sermons.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. I have not received any compensation for writing this post. Also, some of the links in the post above are "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

David Platt's previous book Radical is a book that, since reading it, I find myself recommending to just about every Christian I share casual conversation with. It was challenging and edifying which made it all the more exciting when I saw Radical Together was coming out. In all honesty I was slightly nervous this Radical thing would become the next Every Man's Battle with 100 different versions and would end up being over done and be the new "fad". Considering the author, I don't see that happening and after reading Radical Together it looks like I have nothing to worry about. This book is a perfect follow up to Radical and will hopefully open a lot of eyes to how we are called to live radically not just individually, but as a church that strives to impact the world in service to Jesus Christ.

The book is broken down into six chapters that follow six ideas proposed by the author:

1. One of the worst enemies of Christians can be good things in the church
2. The gospel that saves us from work saves us to work.
3. The Word does the work.
4. Building the right church depends on using all the wrong people.
5. We are living - and longing - for the end of the world.
6. We are selfless followers of a self centered God

Each chapter follows a similar style as Radical. There are personal stories from the author, church members, as well as letters from people that changed their lifestyle after reading the first book. None of these stories are included to make Radical seem like the answer to our problems but rather as a testimony to God's grace in changing lives to better serve His purposes. These stories usually act a springboard to help us see his points more clearly.

So why read this book? Is it more of the same? Yes and no. The stories are similar to the first book, and the tone is the same, but the focus is different. Everything written in Radical Together is aimed at the local and universal church. The individual application is present but the goal is to drive the Christian community to a more biblical understanding of what it means to work together for the sake of the gospel. What should our vision be? Should we have a vision? Should we spend our efforts locally or think globally? All of these questions are answered in a helpful way that is persuasive and challenging. As a church leader I found some of the points the author made to be so challenging that I actually rebelled against them in my mind and in my heart. It was a struggle thinking through what was in this book and what my life and our life as a church would look like if we lived this way. The world would look very different, that's for sure.

As I read the book I really didn't find too much about it that was negative. If there was anything I was bothered by it was my own heart and unwillingness to want to pursue what the Bible clearly teaches in regards to living as a church.

Buy this book and read through it slowly and carefully. Take notes and ask yourself the questions the author is asking. I bet you will not come away the same person. Highly recommended for anyone from Pastors to churchgoers. Also, there are discussion questions in the back of the book that could be used in various group settings.

(I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.)

In Radical Together, author David Platt continues to challenge everyone who takes on the name Christian. Radical is a challenge to Christian's as individual's to make the mission of Jesus the supreme driving force of life. The sequel, Radical Together, expands that challenge to groups of Christians working together in a unit commonly known as a church.

The book opens with an illustration of how drops of water, melting from peaks in the snowy Andes Mountains, join together to form first trickles, then streams, then rivers, and finally the mightiest river in the world, the the store. In the same way, individual Christians, reacting in radical obedience to the mercy of God, can affect a bigger difference in the world when united with like-minded believers.

Radical Together is a short book based on 6 foundational ideas of what that can change to the commitment of a body of believers. These include: the good things of the church can hinder members from doing what is best; the free gift of the gospel calls us to work for God; and the fact that we are looking forward to the end of the world (that will come when the gospel goes to the world).

While not as powerful as the first book, Radical Together is a great book that challenges Christians to change the world. I would encourage everyone to read this book (but only after you read Radical).

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Unleasing the People of God for the Purpose of God." That's the sub-title for David Platt's powerful little book, Radical Together.

This is the follow up volume to his best-seller, Radical, and I believe it's even better -- though that seems impossible.

Reading Platt reminds me of paying Battleship with my kids, when they're on a winning streak. Every salvo is a direct hit.

For instance, consider this powerful point: "One of the worst enemies of Christians can be good things in the church."

Operating from the call to radical discipleship issued in his first book, Platt describes what this commitment looks like in a congregation that has bought into the compelling vision.

I highly recommend it to church leadership teams and boards who want to get serious about the Great Commission.

(The publisher provided a complimentary copy of the book to me for blog review.)

I recommend Platt's first book Radical, and this one may be even better. Platt is a young pastor at 32 and hopefully has many years ahead of him as a prolific writer, because I love what he has to write. Radical Together avoids many of the sins of typical Christian books and has many strengths. In this review I'll hit a few of the things that stuck out to me.

The book is short - coming in at 120 pages from Introduction to Conclusion. The end has a lot of great discussion material and questions for small groups based on each of the six chapters. The book is very readable. I read it this afternoon between taking care of kids and straightening the house. Don't mistake its easy readability for a lack of depth; in fact I believe that's one of this book's strengths.
Depth and great delivery

This book has theological and biblical depth. It's not shallow and is clearly informed by a broad understanding and application of Scripture. Whereas some books take one verse and twist and torture it until they get a book's worth of their vapid thoughts down flimsily masquerading as Biblical truth, it's clear Platt's reflections are the result of much study, prayer, and living as a Christ-follower. He isn't interested in easy answers or asking questions just to sound profound. Platt is on the journey of trying to follow Jesus for real in America. That carries some questions and difficulties with it - and he addresses them not with a simple sense of guilt or emotional volunteerism. He understands that the gospel is at the core of what it means to be a Christian - and that needs to show up in all we do. Radical focused on the lives of individuals, and Radical Together explores how the gospel can and should impact the life of the local church.
Questions every church should be asking

Platt's purpose for this book is to get every church asking "How can we in the church best unleash the people of God in the Spirit of God with the Word of God for the glory of God in the world?" (p.3) In working through this question Platt offers six ideas - the topics of each chapter. They are:

One of the worst enemies of Christians can be good things in the church.
The gospel that saves us from work saves us to work.
The Word does the work.
Building the right church depends on using all the wrong people.
We are living - and longing - for the end of the world.
We are selfless followers of a self-centered God.

Some of those ideas are worded provocatively but I assure you there's actual meaning to them. As he explores these ideas Platt builds a biblical case for challenging the church and he does it with equal measures of irenic grace and brutal honesty.

A simple church, focused on the right thing

Platt questions many of the things that are taken for granted in American Evangelicalism. He doesn't do it in a pot-stirring, rabble-rousing, I'm-just-asking-questions-and-being-contrary-but-don't-really-have-anything-to-offer kind of way. Instead Platt shares his own journey as someone asked by a rich megachurch to be the pastor:

"To be honest, I hate budget season. As a pastor, I believe that is when the church comes face to face with how prone we are to give our resources to good things while ignoring great need. Christians in North America give, on average, 2.5 percent of their income to their church. Out of that 2.5 percent, churches in North America will give 2 percent of their budgeted monies to needs overseas. In other words, for every hundred dollars a North American Christian earns, he will give five cents through the church to a world with urgent spiritual and physical needs. This does not make sense." (p.16)

As a result of that process, Platt's church actually downsized its ministry budgets, cancelled some planned property improvements, and drained a large savings account to provide money for ministries around the world. This isn't shared in a self-aggrandizing way - Platt is simply sharing how this journey has played out at his church.

As I read this book I was reminded of a book I read a few years ago, Simple Church. The general idea was that for churches to really build disciples they need to focus on disciple-making and cut out a lot of programs that may be "good" but ultimately distract from the main purpose of the church. Platt takes the idea a bit farther, though, and I think in the right direction.
Spend less time at church

Platt states gracefully, biblically, and effectively what I amateurishly fumbled at in an old blog post. Many churches would be better off if more of their people spent less time attending and maintaining church programs, and more time bring the gospel into their contexts. One thing they did was outsource their VBS to individual homes, so instead of inviting lots of people from the community to come to the church campus for a gigantic program, the church equipped families to host VBS-like programs in their communities. These allowed them to build real relationships with the people in their neighborhoods, gave these individuals the responsibility and privilege of making disciples and spreading the gospel - and did it more effectively than yet another program at the church would have. That's not to say a VBS at the church would be bad per se - but Platt is happy his church "decided to stop planning, creating, and managing outreach programs and [started] unleashing people to maximize the ministry opportunities God had already planned and created for them" (p. 66).

You've got to read this book

As with Radical, I can't recommend this book enough to anybody who considers themselves a follower of Christ. It is a fantastic addendum to Radical and the logical followup I am excited for my wife Janelle to read this so the two of us can discuss the implications for our own lives. In it are many of the ideas she and I have spent so long talking about. This book lays out clearly some of the very things that led me to leave a career in ministry.

You owe it to yourself to read this book. But be warned; it will force you to face some of the questions and doubts you try to avoid when you feel them bubbling up. It will give a loud voice to that quiet one inside you that wonders if there's something more to being a Christian than going to a great church, being a part of a Bible study, tithing, and sponsoring a Compassion Child. And it may be the voice that takes your Christianity from a frustrating hobby to a radical lifestyle.

Just as in Radical, David's first book, Radical Together (RT) is 6 chapters that will drive every pastor, church leader, and even church-goer to consider the Christian journey, and in this case the collective journey of the church, as the Bible designed it instead of how the American dream has reshaped it.
Chapter 1: "Tyranny of the Good" - Platt combats the present-Church philosophy that busyness equals godliness by recognizing that within the organization of the church there are a plethora of "good" options to keep oneself busy but very few that lead a person to embrace why the church exists - to make disciples. Therefore, it is essential to put everything up for sacrifice in order to achieve the God-ordained mission of the church.
Chapter 2: "The Gospel Misunderstood" - Many faithful church attendees live out their Christian life attached to the church pew under the guise that they are entering heaven on the wings of grace of which works plays no part. Platt reaffirms the God's sole plan of grace, but drives the principle that the way grace is completely embraced is when it is lived out in works that accomplish the will of God. RT gives numerous examples of how the Church of Brook Hills, the church Platt Pastors in Birmingham, is living out what they learn from scripture.
Chapter 3: "God is Saying Something" - In this chapter Platt elevates the role of the Bible within the church due to recent trends within evangelicalism to promote other forms of connecting with God under the belief that scripture has a challenge to connect with present culture. But RT practically leads you to "trust the word" and in so doing it will "unleash the potential of God's people in the world." And when this occurs the church relies on the infinite power of scripture instead of the abilities of the church leadership.
Chapter 4: "The Genius of Wrong" - This chapter puts the frequent used model of "just get'em here and the pastor will do the rest" on its head by pointing out the exponential affect the church can have when people are trained to engage their community and disciple those who are around them. Platt (as does scripture) places the responsibility of discipleship upon all Christians and not just those who are deemed professional.
Chapter 5: "Our Unmistakable Task" - The world is the focus. Responding from his first assignment as Pastor of Brook Hills to identify the target in to community, Platt shows how the focus must be the world (while not ignoring the community). To this end the church must participate in all forms of reaching the world's people groups
Chapter 6: "The God Who Exalts God" - "We are to be selfless followers of a self-centered God. But the problem is that we often reverse this in the church. We become self-centered followers of a selfless God." (that about says it all.)
I intend to use the Small-Group Discussion Guide located in the back of the book to guide my church and others to evaluate how well we are aligned to the biblical principles Platt puts forth in Radical Together.
"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review"

'Radical Together' has been a hard book to put down. Though is it not a book about the church David Platt pastors in Birmingham, AL, he uses many examples from what he calls his faith family to illustrate what he means when he talks about being radical together. Throughout the book I found myself wanting to be part of such a church.

At the same time I have been thinking about the need for culture change in the church in America today and it is so encouraging to hear that some are getting the picture. What comes across to me from 'Radical Together' is that we do not just need to be radically different from the world, but radically different from what we are as the church today.

Platt challenges us to take a hard look at our focus as a church family and evaluate several things in the process:

1) Are we letting our commitment to doing good, Christian things and programs keep us from doing the best things ... those things that Christ clearly called us to in Scripture such as evangelism, disciple-making, and spreading the gospel to all nations? The enemy of the best things in life are not the worst things (they are easy to recognize and avoid if we want to), but the good things that distract us from the best.

2) Are we preaching such a grace-filled gospel that we are missing the fact that we are saved to do good works? God does indeed save us by grace through faith without regard for works, but that does not mean that He has no expectations of us to serve Him once saved (Ephesians 2: 8-10)

3) Are we so caught up with having culturally-relevant presentations that we forget that God's Word is what He has promised to bless and use to accomplish His purposes (Isaiah 55: 8-11), which is to change people's lives?

4) Are we too focused on getting the absolutely best presenters so that we can bring in the masses for them to woo into the kingdom and not allowing God to use the 'wrong' people among us to reach the people around them? We have gotten so professional in our thinking that we often do not prepare the lay people to do the things that God has called them to do.

5) Are we focused on the big picture of reaching the world for Christ? He said that He would not return until the gospel had been preached to every nation or people group, many of whom still have never heard the name of Christ. We must keep the world in view as we disciple those in our communities.

6) Are we laying down our lives for the sake of Him who deserves our all? Jesus said that we cannot be His disciple unless we give up everything (Luke 14: 33). Pretty radical!

I wish every Christ-follower could read 'Radical Together' and be as challenged and encouraged as I have been ... and I pray that reading it radically changes my life.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

David Platt came basically out of nowhere with his first book, the New York Times Best-Selling Radical. His themes of abandonment to Christ and calls for serving God is any ways possible connected with people across most demarcations we could use to describe them. As many people's "American Dream" crumbled around them, the call to a larger purpose that rejected living for those things seemed to resonate with many.

Platt has followed up that book with Radical Together, intended to help people live out the vision cast in Radical within the context of the church. What does it look like for a congregation to really be "radical"? How can church leaders guide their people in serving others? What does it really look like to live a life of all-out relinquishment of self and submission to God's call on our lives?

I hadn't heard of Platt before his first book, but his first book (Radical) motivated me to re-examine my life, values, and goals for what I wanted my life to look like. I enjoyed the book.I know that I'm saved by faith alone by grace alone by the work of Christ alone and that nothing I do for God earns me anything. I filtered everything said in the book through that lens. In his first book (Radical) it could leave some to believe that activism was the main goal, and that if one owned anything, or didnt minister to orphans in a baren land, they were not as close to God as those who did. I could seem burdensome to people. It can sound like works-righteousness, like you can never measure up, be "radical" enough, and that God is continually disappointed by your life and your ability to live a blessed life while others perish from lack.

Platt doesn't believe that. But I do think he assumed others knew that when writing Radical at times. I assumed that. I think lots of churches assume the gospel a lot. The result is sermons that provide numerous practical ways to serve God and/or live moral lives, but never mention the imputed righteousness of Christ the enables us to serve. People might feel motivated to obey, but when they fail (as we will), they feel guilty. That's not the gospel.But this book addresses some of those thoughts and implies that activism or serving God should never replace God himself. Our first calling is not to do great things but to an intimate and personal relationship with God himself.

With this in mind, I was so happy to see Platt give a full chapter of this new book to "The Gospel Misunderstood" where he explicitly writes to people who read Radical and came away with a low-level guilt that condemned and paralyzed them. He makes it clear that Christ saves us from work and to work. As he states, only Jesus was "radical enough." He gets the indicatives and the imperatives right and explicit here. We serve in response to grace and salvation, not to earn it. This is vital and without it, everything else said in the book would just be more weight around weary sinners' necks. With it, we can be empowered to live lives that glorify God and serve others in response to the grace of Christ.

Like Radical, Radical Together is full of stories from Platt's church (and others who have shared stories in response to the first book) of people responding to the gospel by doing amazing things for God. He lays the groundwork for discussions within churches by simply asking questions about budgets, programs, missions trips, etc. He doesn't condemn many things churches do, he just points out that we need to be willing to ask the questions. Is that program really the best use of the resources God has provided? It might be, but are you willing to seek God's answer?

In many ways, Radical Together is very similar to the first book, just taking a more macro view. I think Platt learned from the feedback he received and didn't assume the gospel this time around. This book is a great resource for church leaders looking to glorify God with their churches, and it's a must read for anyone who came away from Radical feeling condemned and not inspired.It also continues others to examine their lives and helps us to realize that while we our individuals it should be a group effort in glorifying God and leading others to Him. We should not be trying to out do each other, or be in competition, but should be united in our efforts. Platt is a fantastic, humble, gospel-driven, young pastor who is still learning and is a much needed voice in American evangelicalism today.

Radical Together by David Platt is probably one of the most brutal books I've ever read, but I absolutely loved it. It was better than Radical, in my opinion, because Platt clears up some of the things he said in Radical. For example, he talks about how we will never be radical enough or obedient enough or make enough disciples to be accepted and loved by God. Therefore, we must rest in Christ's obedience and sufficiency. Also, rather than making blanket statements about how all Christians should live, Platt simply talks about what The Church at Brook Hills does: their obedience, their failures, their plans. He emphasizes the need not only for local "missional living," but also for international missions and he explains how the 2 go hand-in-hand.

I thoroughly enjoyed Radical Together. It glimmers of certain other theologies, such as that of John Piper. It encourages simplifying our lives for the Glory of God. The book deals with six pillars towards transforming the Church as a body. I have not read Radical, but from Radical Together, it appears Radical deals with the individual transformation.

I love the idea behind Radical/Radical Together. David Platt writes with clarity, passion and an ear for good storytelling. Over all however, I was less impressed with this title than I had hoped. I don't know exactly what caused my disconnect- it may have been as much about me as it was about the book. It was good, there were some "ah ha" moments, but either because I had heard such good things and had my expectations too high or simply because the book was flawed, I didn't find it as a book I was telling people, "you've got to read this!" It wasn't bad, I just felt like it didn't do anything to stand out dramatically from the slew of other "Christians need to really commit and get over themselves" titles that hit in the last couple years.

David Platt once again does an excellent job of writing a book that will benefit church leaders everywhere. In Radical Together: Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God, Platt challenges church leaders to evaluate the vision and focus of their ministries based upon that of Scripture. Through stories from around the world, and personal experience, this book is an enjoyable read.

Much of what Platt writes in this book is also captured in Radical, however, I found this book to be more to the point and definitely directed to the individual in church leadership. The small group discussion questions at the end of the book will also be helpful for ministry teams.

I'm glad I read it and have benefited greatly!

Pastor David Platt pens another book about the radical call to which Christ calls his disciples. Platt vaults off of his previous book (*Radical*) and applies many of his thoughts to the congregation of believers as a whole. Though his chapters seem a little bit more disjointed, Platt capably challenges his readers to think about how we 'do church.' He calls churches to utilize the Spirit-giftedness of every believer (not just the clergy), he places an emphasis on the Gospel as the root of our works (a corrective to some criticisms of his last book), he emphasizes the centrality of the Word to all of ministry, he draws out the implications of Jesus words' on the nations and His return, and he gives his views on the God-centered theology of John Piper. In summary, Platt calls churches to think deeply and biblically about their programs and whether Jesus would have us spend our time and money on the nations.
Platt also includes a helpful discussion guide for small groups.

David Platt has started many folks thinking and (hopefully) acting with his earlier book, Radical, and this followup volume applies the same ideas to the local church. I will spare the synopsis, which others here have done well. I came to this book having not read the earlier volume, and I think the author assumes that his readers have done so already. I found myself wanting more background on some of his ideas that were quickly presented, and I'm figuring that I would get this by reading the earlier volume, although it isn't exactly touted as a sequel. All this is to say, get this book and read it, but read Radical first. And then prepare to be transformed.

I thought this was a good follow up to Radical. Platt pressed forward with what he sees as the calling of the church and Christians, taking the Gospel to every tribe and nation on earth.

Through out the book, Platt lays out what it could look like if our churches to began to live radically. It is rather hard not to get swept up in the optimism as I read story after story of regular people putting it all on the line for the Kingdom. It is the Kingdom of God after all, shouldn't we be optimistic?

I think Platt's thoughts and views are more effectively communicated in this book than in Radical.
It would be quite easy to walk away from Radical, feeling as if you were the worst person to ever live. This of course wasn't Platt's intention, and he says as much. But when faced with the realities of poverty and persecution that we in America do not face, for the most part, it's hard not to feel spoiled. However in Radical Together, there's more of a practical approach to the concepts he laid out in the first book. If you read and enjoyed Radical, you should get this. If you were frustrated or angered or whatever by Radical, I'm going to guess you'll leave with the same opinion if you read this.

Received this book free for a review from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. Opinions are mine.

In the beginning of the book David Platt says: "A church is a community of individuals who have lost their lives to follow Christ. Surely it flows from this that we would be willing to lose our programs and our preferences, to sacrifice our budgets and our buildings, to let go of our most cherished legacies and reputations if there is a better way to make His glory know in the world."

That would be the theme of this book - how can a church, a community of believers lose things they may hold dear for the Glory of God? David Platt takes the themes he presents in his book Radical and applies them to a community of believers. This is a great book - be ready to be challenged with making decisions for the Glory of God.

After reading David Platt's Radical, I have deepened my understanding of Platt's call to Christians to make a difference to people in non-Christian cultures. He calls for Churches to focus less on local Church issues, buildings and programs and focus more on foreign missions. Platt seems to be living out this vision as a pastor of a large Church. As did his earlier book Radical it challenged me and my ministry. But Radical Together did not break any new ground from the book Radical. If you appreciated Radical you will go deeper with Radical Together.

Radical together was one of the best books I have read in a long time.

In his book Radical Together David Platt shares that Christians need to stop claiming to be a Christian and start being a Christian, in a much less blunt way of saying it, and shows us where he gets this information from in scripture. Along with this he gives the motivation to do this as well. The last two years I have been a program called Masters Commission and in this program we are encouraged to do everything that is shared in this book, so being obedient to the authorities placed over me I have done it. After reading this book the motivation to do the things told to me is much greater because of Radical Together and the impact it has made on my life. I now reach out to the people around me with a since of purpose and because I want to now, not just because I have to for the program that I am in. Even if you think that this book is for those that are leading the church you should check out this book because it is a great read for any level of Christian. And this book will help bring you to a completely new level in your walk with God.

I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

If you read Radical you were most likely in high anticipation for this book to come out. This book further expounded upon many of the views found in Radical. This book was much easier to read however than Radical. Radical took me many days of rereading to get everything I wanted out of the text and cross them with Biblical text. I love this book and I would highly recommend it! There are only 6 short chapters and it takes the average reader about 1-2 days to finish.

I am in agreement with David Platt's encouragements for the church in Radical Together. I am challenged by the call to do whatever it takes to make disciples of all the nations. I disagree with his premise that the work of "preaching the gospel to the whole world" (Matthew 24:14) must be completed by the church before Jesus will return. Revelation 14:6 indicates angelic involvement in this task before the end comes. Dr. Platt wants us to be motivated to finish the work so Jesus will return. The higher motive, and certainly a Biblical one, is a desire for God to receive more glory from more people, from more nations, and from more tribes. Radical Together pushes the church in this direction.

David platt expresed what should be on all of our hearts here of late. Why are we as a people not asking more of these questions that David asks in Radical Together. Do we lack the zeal for God and His Kingdom? The author challenges us as children of a Holy God to start moving forward getting out of our comfort zone and take God at His Word. For a deeper relationship with God we first have to get to know Him and who He is by being in His word. Then as David states apply the truth to our lives. I highly recomend this book to anyone who has been wondering is there more to life or is there more to God than what they have experinced. David brings to the forefront some of God's many truths in his word, And God's word through the Holy Spirit brings the desire to act in faith to what His word says.
I recieved this book for free from waterbrook multnomah in exchange for my review.

This needs to be on your next-to-read, read-it-right-now list! David reaches into the heart of the American church with a message that needs to be heard by every Christian and community of believers who are looking for purpose and meaning. The thoughtful challenges combined with serious examples are very much within the reach of those who truly seek to find significance in their spiritual formation and heartfelt devotion and obedience. Sit and soak in the real-life examples and powerful illustrations of a fellow pilgrim and the many others who have let the message of scripture invade their lives in a meaningful way! Life will never be the same...

What "Radical" was for the individual Christian's walk as a believer, "Radical Together" is for the church body. Platt looks at the stewardship of the church (how the church uses it's resources, etc.) and calls for churches to start using what they have been given more wisely.

Platt then talks about how churches have gone astray by funding all the flashy programs, and other pointless attractions, when in reality, the church needs to get back to the Word of God and rely on God's Spirit to work. Churches have gone from Spirit reliance to programs reliance to bring people to Christ.

Of course, Platt wouldn't write a book without talking about evangelism. Platt again calls the church to go, whether on small-term missions, or even in a local context.

This is a great book and a wonderful compliment to Platt's first book, "Radical." While this is not a sequel to the first book, Platt does touch on similar topics and the two books work well together at addressing both the individual and the corporate church body.

*I received this book for review from Waterbrook Multnomah*

Radical Together is yet again another amazing read from David Platt. Daves focus on living in light of the unreached in the context of churches, groups, and families helps us refocus our Christian walk to look more like that of Christ. This book is written to help Christian communities learn to take up there cross and radically reach the world with the Gospel through word and deed.

This is a great book filled with a lot of counter-cultural concepts that seem to me to be quite biblical. Platt really drives home the radical life to which Jesus calls the body of Christ. In one place he says, "The blessing of God does not mean acceptance by the world." Why is it that we (myself included) somehow forget that being successful in God's eyes is often times not supposed to look glorious to the rest of the world? Platt drives this point well. Another part I liked compared a more attractional church model to one that is more missional in discipling and empowering every believer to reach their friends. He says, "We will never have enough resources, staff, buildings, events, or activities to reach all the people in our community, much less all the peoples in the world. But we will always have enough people." This book challenged and encouraged me.

I read Radical Together: Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God and thought what a great tool to equip church leaders with. David Platt is calling us to truly be more God-centered in the body of Christ and less self-centered. He believes that when we operate from a God-centered place then only then will be able to do all that God has called us to do to further His kingdom. There aren't many pages in my book that haven't been 'dog-eared' or notes written on, as I kept coming back to re-read some concepts that if truly implemented would have a profound impact on the Kingdom of God. This is a great book if you are looking to have an impact and to do God's work in your church, Radical, may be the resource you need to help you get started.

WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group provided this book to me for free in exchange for this honest review as part of their Blogging for Books program.

David Platt's sophomore release aimed at Radical Christians in the Church is incredibly relevant to the American church in 2012. He speaks to me as the pastor as if he knows the people that I am preaching to. I am so appreciative of Platt for his raw honestly, his helpful and practical suggestions, and his dedication to remaining Biblical.

Are We Really Living for the Kingdom?
I just finished reading another book! I know, I know...Mrs. LaFever would be proud (my High School English teacher). Waterbrook Multnomah sent me another book to read called "Radical Together" by David Platt.

I would love to see this book in the hands of all ministry leaders all over the world.

This book was a real challenge about what we do vs. what we are instructed to do. We really correct our children about not following instructions, but how can they when we read the Bible and clearly we do not follow those instructions.

If you can, get your hands on a copy of this book and read it. Hopefully it will change the world, One Christian at a time

Many times we try to do it all by ourselves, we need to remember that we were designed to work together! One of the main things I picked up from the book is just that we may have to "work" together. For us to be the church we can't just rely on our buildings and programs, but we need our people to step and be the church to people. This book encourages us to do just that so if you aren't ready to change move on to the next book as you won't like what what this book is going to prompt you to begin.

For those who are content with their padded pews, accomplished orator and programmed approach to "doing church"
leave this book on the shelf.
For those who know they are missing something in their walk with Christ, who need some practical guidance and
examples to living out their spirituality and who are no longer content with just Sunday morning attendance...
You'll find Radical Together full of stimulating ideas, poignant examples and life altering stimulation for you
and your local congregation.

David Platt makes some radical statements to push the normal "attend church" Christian to a deeper realization of God's call to surrender. The biggest highlight of the book is the ending of the chapter "The God who exalts God" where he says that God does not "need" us to work to share the Gospel to the ends of the world. He is self-sufficient and complete. However, He allows us to work with Him because He loves us. RIGHT ON!

Mr. Platt has some great questions to ask church leaders about their priorities and spending. May we all seek God's face and be obedient to the ends of the earth. For His Glory Alone.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Having pastored for 16 years and involved in mission and the training of those going into ministry for 25 additional years I found this work quite refreshing. The author hits the nail on the head in a number of places, but I especially gleaned much from chapters 1-4. Any one new in ministry and anyone 'bummed out' by the grind of doing things the traditional (religious) way needs to read and receive from those chapters.
THANK YOU BROTHER PLATT FOR GIVING THE CHURCH SUCH AND IMPORTANT BOOK!

I love David Platt. His writings have challenged me to reassess and recenter my focus on the Lord, and on the true basics of Christianity. Radical together is yet another volume that brings the reader back to the basics. Fantastic!!!

After hearing over and over again from friends that I needed to read Radical by David Platt - that it would change my life and all that - I finally sacrificed a portion of my Barnes & Noble gift card and downloaded it to my Nook. Having the opportunity to read its sequel, Radical Together, I decided to do that as well.

These books really cannot be read independent of each other. You must read the first in order to truly appreciate the second, because Platt references the first quite a bit. That would be my first critique.

While I love the concept of separating the gospel from the American dream, and David Platt makes a lot of great points [such as, "good things" are not always the best things for a church - how many of us are willing to give up our special events and programs for the sake of allocating more of our money toward helping the poor and sharing Jesus' love with others?], I felt, as I did when I read Radical, uninspired.

David Platt is the pastor of a megachurch. He has authority and money to work with. By switching around a few things in his budget and passionately inspiring his board and staff to buy into his vision, he can easily make a difference. He tries to acknowledge this by saying that groups and individuals with not as much of a budget can still switch their priorities around. He cites examples of people who have sold their cars or their homes for a less expensive model and given the money to missions. He extols the virtue of taking regular, short-term mission trips. He is really big on going overseas.

So...in this grand scheme, where does this leave me? We live paycheck to paycheck. This week I had to turn down lunch with a friend because we needed to buy fuel oil to heat our house. No one wants a 1999 Malibu with a big rust spot on the side (We have named our car "Drusilla" after a tv vampire, only instead of sucking blood, it sucks money from our budget ). I don't have cable. I buy most of my clothes from thrift stores, and gave homemade goodies to friends for Christmas this year.

Don't get me wrong - I am not complaining about my life at all. I rather enjoy it, and my husband and I are looking to simplify our lives even more, for the sake of paying down the rest of our debt, helping the environment, and serving our community.

I guess that I am just not the demographic that Radical Together is aimed at. I have no authority and no money. While this book may be challenging and convicting to those who are currently living the "American dream," it is a bit frustrating for those of us who want to make a difference but lack the funds to do so according to the examples that Platt gives. A million kudos to those who have the means to make a difference with their wallet - to give their hard-earned money to help others rather than buying another gadget.

I just wish that he had taken some time to address and encourage those of us with more limited funds.

Or maybe I'm already "radical."

Disclaimer: I was given this book free of charge by Waterbrook Multnomah for the purpose of writing this review.

David Platt makes you really view your Christian walk in a biblical perspective. This is an excellent book. It will make you look at your giftings and resources and how they can be better used for the kingdom of God. David Platt has a voice that needs to be heard in our generation.

I have been asked by Mission Frontier to write a review in response to receiving this book. Mission Frontier has been an incredible resource for me in my journey to keeping a passion for God's global mission alive in my heart. Go to Missionfrontier.org for many resources.
I have read David Platt's book, "Radical" and i was challenged in many ways. I found that "Radical Together"is just as challenging. "Radical Together" is thought provoking as there are a lot of stories that help to put Biblical truths into practice. His stories mostly come from his church and i am assuming that most were sparked due to the radical challenge. I trust that these stories will get your creative juices flowing.
Though i believe this book would be good for anyone to read, i do think it is bent more towards leaders of the church. It would be a good book to see your pastor or elders read, with David's goal being "to build upon Biblical foundations in order to consider practical implications for how a right understanding of the church fuels radical obedience among Christians". It is also good for small groups who will be able to put into practice some of these "right understandings of the church".
Many times i like to look in the bibliography to see who the author is reading and who is influencing his or her thoughts. David's bibliography is very short with mostly scripture as main sources of ideas. This may be a good thing but it can be difficult to find resources to give different or substance to the topic. Here is where i want to share some resources that the Holy Spirit has used in my life to encourage me to be on a mission with God. If you liked "Radical" or "Radical Together" then you might like these resources as well. Perspectives.org is a course that would benefit any christian, uscwm.org, and Advancethechurch.com. David actually speaks about "Radical Together" on a podcast at the latter web site . Check it out and read this book and then read it with your pastor and leadership! If you found this helpful please click the "help" button.

Some quotes that i liked from the book were:

"A prayer that he prayed day by day "Lord let me make a difference for you that is utterly disproportionate to who i am" page 44

"We can't do enough. We can, though, trust in Christ, who has done enough." Page 28

"Let's show in the church a gospel that saves us from work and saves us to work.: Page 37

Thanks and may Jesus be glorified in all the earth.

I've been contemplating the thought that the church should be more than how it's been perceived and been acting. Radical Together brings to light just that issue and highly recommend this book to all. Empowering book!!!

David Platt, author of Radical, writes this follow up addressing the purposes of God's people in carring out God's purposes in the world.

A call to obedience to the Word of God concerning the lost across the GLOBE.

The book is laid out in 6 categories, which are easiest to see in the "follow up" small group sessions at the back of the book.

1.Prioritizing Kingdom Productivy - While our resources may be put into "good" use, we have been challenged to find and use them in the BEST way possible in obedience to God.

2.Understanding Grace and Work - While our salvation in Christ does no depend on our deeds or actions, our salvation by grace through faith calls us to obedience in the world - living out the purposes of God in all we do.

3.Basing Everything on the Bible - While the work we are commanded to do in the scriptures in obvious, essentially it is the Word itself that carries it out through us. We are merely vessels of the Holy Spirit to be instruments in the purpose of God.

4.Making Disciples - The purpose of God is for all peoples to bring him praise. Matthew 28 : "make disciples of all nations..." As followers of Christ saved by, not our works, but God's Grace, we are not fit for service. God chooses to us each follower out of love for them. The body of Christ in the world is comprised of all the "wrong" people.

5.Reaching the Unreached - It is quite simple. There are over 6000 people groups around the world who have no access or have never been receptive to the Gospel of Jesus. Some great perspective on God's command and promises in His Word about his ultimate purpose.

6.Desiring God's Glory - It is not God seeking to assist us in comfortable living, but a self-centered God demanding His people to take His Son Jesus to all the World that he may recieve GLORY.

This book is outstanding. While he mentioned opposition to the Radical idea of his books, it is quite difficult to develop opposition to these words (grounded in scripture) without finding yourself in disobedience to God.
A must read for the sick and tired of repetitive christianity Christian. A must read for all who claim to be a follower of Jesus, but find themselves going nowhere that He has.

I recieved this book from Waterbrook Multnomah in return for this review.

Hard to know where to begin, but this book doubles-down on Platt's socialism. Pastor Platt is sincere, but the foundation for his beliefs is not scripture but the dogma of socialism. Proof of that is no more clear than the first page of his prior book in the eighth chapter where he juxtaposes Adams with the righteous prophet of our country FDR, "While James Adams was coining the phrase 'American Dream,' Franklin Roosevelt was emphasizing how Americans will postpone immediate gratification..." Read it for yourself, this is the foundation from which Platt writes this pamphlet and which permeates his theology. James Adams and capitalism are vilified and FDR is hailed as preaching something akin to the Gospel message. But there is more.

Why James Adams' definition of the American Dream? Platt in his second chapter warns us of the inherent danger in Adams' thesis that we will worship our own ability. Those unfamiliar with Adams' book, from which the phrase was taken, will assume that "ability" was the focus of Adams' quote. It is not; rather, it sounds strangely like a more modern speech in which in which a great preacher called for measuring people by the content of their character. This is the conclusion of the quote that Platt annotated from Adams, "It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order...regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position." Using Platt's logic we should also warn everyone against the potential pitfalls of seeking equality based on the character of a person in the words of Martin Luther King.

Freedom to be who you want to be regardless of birth or social position is what Adams was talking about, not wealth per se. But this flies in the face of socialism's ideology. You have no such freedom in this world, because the haves do not share it and the only way for you to get up, or as Paul the Apostle would say, "Get up and work so that the heathens have no room to slander you," is for someone else to do it for you.

See my review of his first book for more, but suffice it to say that his thesis appears Christian, and I have no doubt he is, but his ideology is socialism which will inevitably lead him away from the Gospel. This is why people are confused about whether he is making missions and works the criteria for salvation. Pastor Platt's socialism and not the Bible is what determines if you are truly saved, and he will discard scripture to suit that ideology. Read the transcript of his sermon at the SBC Convention to see his attempt at removing the validity of Romans 10:13 for an example. He is not "clueless" he knows exactly what he is doing. BEWARE!

Radical Together is meant to explain how to take what David wrote in his first book, Radical, and live them out. To do that David uses a lot of examples by way of illustration, mostly from his mega-church, Brook Hills.

David begins by telling how he and his family ended up at Brook Hills following the devastation wrought by hurricane Katrina. David uses this incident to introduce us to the notion that God sometimes does radical things to get our attention. Like flooding an entire city, destroying lives and property and displacing millions.

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For us the flood depicts the radical call of Christ to Christians and the [local] church. When Jesus calls us to abandon everything we have and everything we are, it's almost as if he is daring us to put ourselves in the flood plain. To put all our lives and all our [local] churches, all our property and all our possessions, all our plans and all our strategies, all our hopes and all our dreams in front of the levee and then ask God to break it. To ask God to sweep away whatever he wants, to leave standing whatever he desires, and to remake our lives and [local] churches according to his will.
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David then talks about how he reluctantly came to be the pastor of Brook Hills. He was asked to preach one Sunday and the people there liked him. But he didn't want to go because he didn't think he was qualified. David uses this story to express a concept from Henry Blackaby's Experiencing God bible study, that God operates on a mystical plane and that we should expect to find God in whatever it is we don't want and are (or think we are) wholly unqualified to do.
All of this is in the first chapter where David is describing a problem found in most churches where people are busy but their business is not necessarily geared towards productive ends.

I mostly agree with David's assessment but he seems to equivocate a lot between church as the body of Christ and church as a particular 501c3 non-profit organization.

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At the same time we were studying James, we were going through our church budgeting process. To be honest, I hate budget season. As a pastor, I believe this is when the church comes face to face with hoe prone we are to give our resources to good things while ignoring great need. Christians in North America give, on average, 2.5 percent of their income to their [local] church. Out of that 2.5 percent, churches in North America will give 2 percent of their budgeted monies to needs overseas. In other words, for every hundred dollars a North American Christian earns, he will give five cents through the church to a world with urgent spiritual and physical needs. This does not make sense.
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From this David draws the conclusion, which appears to have formed a large part of his previous book, that American Christians are greedy and materialistic.

Never mind the fact that Americans out-give all other nations on earth. Unfortunately David seems to think that Christians are required to tithe (exactly how does a charity "earn" anything?) and that local church businesses are the best, if not only, means of giving aid and comfort to the poor. Oh, and we are also told that the people we should be primarily concerned with are the poor in nations other than our own.

From here David begins building his case for what he considers a radical Christian life. Put simply, that life is spent asking the same question Charles Sheldon asked in his book In His Steps, "What Would Jesus Do?"
Throughout Radical Together what struck me the most was how ordinary the message was. While I respect David's desire to call people to live lives that are more consistent with their stated Christian beliefs, what I kept thinking was how neurotic a person who actually takes David's (or Sheldon's for that matter) message seriously.

Through Radical Together it seems like the overall message is to go out and make big changes. That thinking about the problem and are fully planning and, as Jesus said, counting the cost are something we should avoid in favor of, basically, living in the moment.

The only bright part of David's book was where he brought up and championed the home/small church model. It was refreshing, though somewhat perplexing considering the context, to read a mega-church pastor advocating the employment of all believers equally in the body of Christ and that meeting in a small intimate context is more conducive to the discipleship we are called to practice among the body of Christ.

In the end I wouldn't recommend Radical Together to anyone to read. If you want to read a "get busy for Jesus" book you would do better to read Sheldon's classic, In His Steps. Or better yet, throw off the existentialism inherent in the notion that in order to truly follow Christ one needs to be "radical".

One might have hoped after extensive feedback on his first book, from a wide spectrum of the evangelic community, that David Platt might have smartened up a bit on this second effort. But, alas, not so... he is apparently not teachable, nor is he humble.

Kevin DeYoung is one of those reviewers. De Young reviewed Platt's first book on his web site. He sounded certain warning bells by airing five points of "concern". DeYoung's criticisms were presented in a cordial manner and Platt even validated those concerns by responding in kind with a lengthy response. All in all, it was a nice friendly exchange, on the surface at least... But, if you read between the lines, DeYoung's criticisms were not just polite objections! Every single point that DeYoung brought up was not only valid but rather serious as well! In my opinion, if just one objection out of the many that were aired were true then that would be reason enough to get off a Platt bandwagon.

Below is a recap on just a few of the many areas where Platt's rather leaky ship seems to be taking on water; these are well known points of concern that have been brought to light by many evangelicals across a broad spectrum that even Platt's most ardent supporters will often grudgingly agree should be addressed:

(1) Platt vastly overstates his positions. Not just in terms of defining "problems", but also in terms of his remedies for these supposed problems. Gray areas are forced into into black and white choices through the overuse of false dilemmas. Platt is unable to deal with nuance - too complicated for his slogan-driven "message". He writes as if his audience is only educated at a grade school level. Platt World only has room for "black or white", "in or out", "with me or against me". Perhaps salvation works that way, but sanctification (which is what is in view here) most certainly does not - Christians are on a walk with God, but not all are at the same point on the road, nor do they need to be. Platt seems entirely too eager to just throw anything and anybody not one hundred percent in lockstep with his rather narrow vision under the bus. Platt assumes upfront that whatever you are already doing for Christ is simply not enough. It is as if nobody at all in the vast landscape of American Christianity even had a clue until our boy Platt showed up with his paperback book. But, by using very broad brush strokes that diminish the efforts of others, Platt reveals himself as someone who mainly traffics in stereotypes... not a good sign. Platt's message stopped being about the Gospel a long time ago... Platt is all about "marketing" and slogans these days and it's all directed to those with deep pockets.

(2) Platt presents evangelism and utilitarianism as if those are the only tools required for spiritual advancement. A plane ticket to Asia and a healthy cash donation are apparently all you need to get your spiritual life back in order.... Platt does not even remotely touch on sanctification nor is he concerned about stewardship - both appear to be alien and foreign concepts to Platt. Instead, giving away lots of money and doing with "less" is presented as a one-size-fits-all answer to achieving spiritual growth. As a result, Platt's theology becomes a gross distortion of gospel basics which in turn promotes divisiveness as opposed to unity within the church. Couple that with a heavy guilt factor and you have a real mess - Platt is known for portraying anyone who is NOT bringing in a steady stream of converts as a second-class Christian... only active and productive evangelical activity counts for anything in Platt's tally (more on that below).

(3) An inadequate view of poverty and wealth. "Give away" is pushed instead of "stewardship", and that is stating it mildly. The embarrassing truth is that Platt simply does not comprehend the basics of economics. But it gets worse, there is no recognition even of common sense; for example, it never enters Platt's mind that that the poor are often far more materialistic than the rich. Instead, Platt targets only the rich, and one strongly suspects that is only because they have the deep pockets. Money for Jesus! Who can argue with that? So much for putting spiritual needs ahead of the potential donations of big dollars from big pockets...

(4) Platt advocates unsustainable solutions that lead to burnout. He places a heavy psychological burden on his readership. If you read Platt's specific response to DeYoung's criticisms you will see Platt "defending" his overuse of guilt not once or twice, but three different times in a half page! What does that tell you? For Platt, the gospel is reduced to "give more away" and evangelize overseas. But what happens in the long run if you are unable to deliver on that? Platt justifies the use of "low-level guilt" as an attempt to shock and push people on the fence into action... but, that can never be a wise strategy as it ignores the role of the Holy Spirit in such matters - to use guilt or "competition" as a primary motivation will always backfire because it starts the "slippery slope" syndrome where an "ends justifies the means" methodology initially employed in good faith eventually translates itself into a works-oriented gospel.

(5) Platt's gospel strongly resembles a works theology. As a result, the gospel is reduced to just another burden in believer's life. There is no sense that the "the old things have passed away..." - no sense of being reborn with freedom from guilt (Galations 5:1). The motivation for change is more about performance than about gratefulness for God's grace. Platt's Christianity then becomes reduced to being just like all the other "religions" - it becomes difficult to differentiate Platt's "social gospel" from any other secular-based good deeds approach that is offered by any number of alterative spiritual paths.

(6) Faulty biblical exegesis, particularly in terms of pushing one-verse theologies. Platt quotes several "give it all away" verses (Mark 10:17-31, Luke 9:57-62, etc.) and then implies that Jesus commanded all believers to sell all they own, etc. Correct? Well, not exactly.... Consider how Platt misuses and misapplies the story about the young ruler (Mark 10:17-31). In context, the story is clearly a call to faith directed towards one single NON-BELIEVER - this is not a poof text to support Platt's give it all away program. Besides, common sense would tell us that even if wealth is a problem for some people, for many others it clearly is NOT. Platt makes this same sort mistake over and over again. Platt presents those verses as a litmus test based on a false dilemma that is intended to create an sense of uncertainty in believers - i.e. either you are living frugally, giving away money to strangers and traveling regularly to foreign countries or you are not... etc. and if you don't measure up to that standard then you are not a Christian, or at least not a very good one.

Look at some actual biblical applications - look for instance at the story of the Gentile man who was freed from the legion of demons (Mark 5:18-20):

"... the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, "Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." "

Jesus specifically told him to be a witness where he was at the time of his conversion and in his current circumstances. Humm... that doesn't quite line up with Platt's program, does it? No foreign missions here, no selling all your possessions, etc.

(7) Platt frowns upon the so-called American self-actualization model of success, yet he is himself clearly a product of the American Dream. He has apparently never looked at himself in a mirror. People immediately pick up on this sort of disconnect between words and actions. Didn't David Platt achieve all the same goals that any other career-minded person would seek? He got his academic credentials and academic achievements taken care of which led to a well-paid job with benefits at the top of the pyramid of success in his chosen field of endeavor - right? So, how then is this any different from any other secular route to achievement of the American Dream? - David Platt just has "pastor" in front of his name instead of "doctor" or "lawyer". There seems to be some obvious conflicts here between what Platt advocates to others compared to what he actually does. For example, Platt complains about mega-churches, yet still draws a paycheck from one. He whines about the America Dream, yet he has achieved it. He discourages retirement plans, yet he surely has one in place and is set for future retirement, etc. etc. While his defenders will surely argue up and down that Platt is not a hypocrite, he has certainly left himself wide open to that charge. As a result, his overall message loses credibility.

-------------------------------------------------

Well... on to the new book. Reading the first chapter of "Radical Together" is certainly going to be discouraging to anyone looking for Platt to change course. It employs the same shallow logic and blunderbuss conclusions that plagued the first book. Why am I not surprised?

Simply put, in the new book Platt remains Platt. His inability to address ANY of the concerns previously voiced by Kevin DeYoung and others in the evangelical community reveals that David Platt is simply not teachable. But, didn't we strongly suspect that already? The un-teachable typically become stubborn and further entrenched when confronted with valid criticism and then they eventually just drift into arrogance; the first steps in that direction are clearly evident in Platt's latest book.

Consider the first few paragraphs of David Platt's "Radical Together";

We are introduced to a Christian named Mark. Mark has served tirelessly, in many varied roles, within the church itself - he has done this his entire life - in accordance with Romans 12:7. Platt, however, dismisses this example to others of a lifetime of dedicated service and is interested in only one thing - Mark has not notched his gun yet - he has no converts to Christ to his credit. Platt makes the following statements:

"The story of Mark's life as a Christian should frighten us. The last thing you and I want to do is waste our lives on religious activity that is devoid of spiritual productivity--being active in the church but not advancing the kingdom of God" (pg. 8).

Platt obviously sees his friend Mark as a poster boy for a church gone wrong. So, our friend Mark here is apparently "...not advancing the kingdom of God".

Let's stop right here... does anybody see a problem brewing? Is something already amiss here? How exactly did Platt get from point A to point B?

Consider the following sanctification principles as outlined by The Apostle Paul. Paul was extremely pastoral in his ministry and provided valuable perspectives on how to be kingdom-oriented and how to grow in the faith:

(1) "For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function..." (Romans 12:4)

(2) "But in fact, God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be" (I Cor. 12:18).

(3) "...for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
" (Phil 4:11-13).

(4) "Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. Now if the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? (I Cor. 12 14-17).

(5) "Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; IF SERVICE, IN OUR SERVING; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness." (Romans 12:5-8)

(6) "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28).

I am not going to waste a lot of time here; either a person understands the Apostle Paul's words and the implications of these particular verses in terms of sanctification and living a kingdom-oriented life or they don't. It is clear that the Apostle Paul is saying that where God has already placed you is important... and learning to be content with your role in that context is also important. But, it is also clear that there is nothing here in the Apostle Paul's words that would support Platt's contention that his friend Mark is "wasting his life and...not advancing the kingdom of God". That would be an unwarranted observation based on the information Platt provided. If one follows Platt's reasoning and conclusions then it would seem that only the charismatic evangelists are worthy of brownie points in heaven... the poor guy in the backroom who takes out the trash is out of luck... and the guy serving on "do nothing" church committees is probably even worse off! Platt presents a very one-sided and ultimately dishonest picture of what it means to be kingdom-oriented.

David Platt is too busy redefining Christianity under his own terms to bother with the Apostle Paul's words. In other words, if you don't follow David Platt's version of Christianity in lockstep fashion then you are probably not really a Christian! He already made that abundantly clear in his first book, but goes even further in this new book.

Platt misconstrues the Bible to come up with the following statement;

"James makes it clear that people who claim to be Christians but who fail to help poverty stricken fellow believers are in fact not saved" (pg. 16).

But, nowhere does James ever say or even imply that works are a litmus test for salvation! There is nothing in the entire bible to support such a contention. David Platt is absolutely wrong here. It is not that Platt does not say some things that are correct from the Epistle of James; it's rather that Platt says a lot of wrong things as well. Yes, works are evidence of faith, but works are clearly not evidence of salvation! While for some this might appear to be just a nuance, in reality this is an important distinction and it probably explains why all roads for Platt end up with a works-oriented redistribution of wealth and or travel to foreign countries to "evangelize". That is ALWAYS his solution, ALWAYS his end-game and this is no exception. It seems he filters everything through that narrow lens. It's never about God's grace, never about building up the body of Christ, never about the role of the Holy Spirit, never about Jesus' real intent. It is always about money and getting converts. Platt's mind always guides his words back to money, wealth redistribution and headcounts. And in this example on page 16, true to form, Platt says you are not a Christian if you do not give money away... that is always the bottom line for him.

I have noted that Platt loves to trot out his typical false dichotomy and false dilemma vehicle whenever he can. But, in this book in particular, he has clearly overused it. Check out chapter two (pages 25-26, etc.). Here we see Platt using comic book type caricatures of Christians named "Andy" and "Ashley".... is this for real? That whole discussion seemed pitched at a grade school reading level... Platt simply reinforces silly stereotypes that appear to be designed to diminish those who might differ with him. "Oh, you must be an "Andy", or "You must be an "Ashley", etc. therefore we don't have to listen to you now...." I suppose this is also Platt's backhanded way of finally addressing the guilt issue that he himself introduced on just about every page in his first book. Now in this book it appears that the motivation for chapter two appears to be Platt's attempt to back peddle his well deserved reputation for overuse of guilt. Why doesn't he just own up to it and admit that he is guilty of "guilt"? Even his supporters agree he is too heavy handed in that department. Gee, if the readers don't see through these ploys by now... I don't know what. Platt is so predictable... and remains unconvincing.

And as if that was not enough, in chapter four (pages 55-56, etc.), we see yet another stereotyped straw man. This time it's the "old school" pastor who is the dumbbell and our hero Platt comes to the rescue with "the solution". Is this starting to sound familiar? Turn to page 88 for more... you can learn about "Brook Hills Bob" and "Brook Hills Baruti"! Wow! Here is even more ill advised trafficking in harmful stereotypes. Obviously there is no longer any need for a serious discussion of the actual issues by Platt since all of his potential opponents have been properly labeled as dumbbells and dismissed as irrelevant. I can hear it now - "Are you a "Brook Hills Bob"? Better change your ways! You might not even really be a Christian...." I could continue to provide more examples, but by now I am sure you get the idea.

Not convinced yet that Platt is out in left field?

O.k. then let's move on to a different example.

Platt comes up with the percentages of income that Christians donate to churches (pg.16). Platt focuses on a supposed 2% figure and milks this for all it's worth to promote his usual rhetoric; American Christians have the wrong priorities, are cheap and are stingy when it comes to sharing money with others, etc. etc. It all sounds so convicting and humbling doesn't it?... until one considers what Platt leaves out. Platt doesn't bother to mention that it is the government that ultimately steps up to take care of the poor in this country, not the churches... and where does he think that money comes from? What percentage of American income is supporting the poor through tax dollars?

Here is the reality that Platt sidesteps; Americans are already spending HUGE amounts of money on the needy through secular means... and it's not just 2% - no, it's far more than that! From welfare and unemployment insurance to housing for the homeless, the secular government steps in and does what the church doesn't do. If Platt thinks we need to expend even more money on those things he should consider that the State of California spends more money on welfare than any other state in the Union and it is currently bankrupt as a result... yes, the State is literally bankrupt largely because the people of California are supporting the needy.

The truth is that Americans are already giving, not just the 2% that Platt comes up with, but perhaps much closer to 20% of their income and perhaps half of all taxes collected in this country are used to support programs specifically designed to aid the needy. And remember that the Federal government also supports emergency programs to aid foreign countries in times of crisis due to earthquakes, famine, medical disease, etc. Your tax dollars are already paying for enormous amounts of aid to foreign countries... regardless of whether Platt is willing to acknowledge those facts or not. I challenge you to go back and reread page 16 of Platt's book with those facts in mind and see if you still think Platt is being honest here by only mentioning 2%... a lot more is going on than that! Does it really matter to God if a Christian gives money to the poor through government taxes instead of through a church? The point here is that when you add it all up ALL Christians in this country are already giving in excess of 20% to the poor... far more than just a "tithe" - rather than being "stingy", American Christians are very generous in giving to the poor... that is the reality, especially in California. Platt is way off base here.

Unfortunately Platt's supporters seem far too willing to rationalize these sorts of half-truths that continually pop up throughout Platt's presentation. Perhaps they purposefully avoid reading between the lines because a closer look might just burst their "crazy and radical for Jesus" bubble? I suppose Platt supporters will say that the two examples I provided are just nitpicking about "small potatoes" in the larger scheme of things. But consider Jesus' own words:

""Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much" (Luke 16:10).

For a thinking person it becomes problematic to continue reading Platt's book. One has to continually shelve ever growing and unresolved objections to a mental parking lot - it is no wonder that many people can only get halfway through one of Platt's books. Some only read one chapter, get totally pumped up and crazy for Christ and just go off from there... they have no real interest in getting biblically grounded at all - it's all just self-actualization to them. Regardless, in page after page, warning bells like the ones outlined above are always going off. I am not sure how an intelligent, grounded Christian can even justify spending time reading these types of books. Why not just read the Apostle Paul's Epistles directly? How can one unpack Christianity without knowing something about it... from the bible? Ironically, the larger issue for Christianity is NOT the American Dream, rather it is that too many baby Christians are reading books like this one without being sufficiently equipped to realistically evaluate the contents.

What should be troubling to the mature segment of the Christian community is that most of the five star reviewers are saying this sort of book is changing their lives... o.k., that is fine, but shouldn't the Holy Spirit be changing your life instead? If a person comes away from reading this book and thinks that a personalized self-actualization check-off list is the way to holiness then there is a bigger problem here than just Platt's lame book. Namely, how exactly are Christians learning about sanctification these days? It seems like far too many are approaching this process in a folklore fashion by reading popular paperback books like this one. It seems that most bible reading is devoid of any solid systematic study process... sorry, but again, I have to emphasize that simply reading popular best seller books like this one without being sufficiently equipped to realistically evaluate the contents is a problem.

How does Platt's hyperbole in his books look to non-Christians? What kind of face does Platt put on Christianity for outsiders? Well, it would seem difficult for a non-Christian to differentiate Platt's "social gospel" from the exact same approach offered by any number of alternative religious groups, the JWs or the Mormons, etc. Platt's program borders on a works theology primarily fueled by guilt through some obviously faulty twisting of the scriptures. And, as I noted above, Platt also comes off as divisive or even repulsive within the Christian community itself by promoting a sort of "my way or the highway" attitude. Instead of bringing people together under Christ Platt creates divisions and alienates thinking Christians.

My advice to anyone interested in learning God's word is to get grounded in classic theology first. And if you start hearing currently popular terms like "emerging church" or "missional church" or "world view" or "consumerism" or "seeker-sensitive", run like heck for cover - those are just code words for "mega-church" tangents that seem to take on a life of their own - the "correct technique" is not going to help you with sanctification! Even the concept of "discipleship" has been misused and twisted by many churches into a sort of psychological slavery. Start off instead by reading full length 300 plus page commentaries on individual books of the bible - and if they were written more than forty years ago that is probably even better. Remember, we have over two-thousand years of Christian community scholarship for you to draw from and what's old and has stood the test of time is generally going to be preferred to something that has just popped up in the last five years - right? Whatever you do, do not ever try to just read the bible without any sort of guidance - you need a commentary to ensure that you do not simply find what you expected to find - do you understand what I am saying?

Large, boring commentaries are generally safe because the popular writers are simply not interested in spending the time it takes to write something that detailed. They filter themselves out immediately out of the running and this is a good thing! I could have written any one of David Platt's books over a three day weekend, but a 300 page commentary complete with footnotes, bibliography and historical perspectives dedicated to just one of Paul's Epistles? Some well respected Christian scholars would spend an entire decade producing such a book. You get the idea... you want to be reading "real" theology, not this popular best seller fluff that has a very limited shelf life. If the author has a PhD in theology, that would be a good thing - right? On the other hand, Platt has that PhD, yet he still is off base, so you will need to learn to critically evaluate what any author writes - a tough skill to acquire. Become an expert in understanding who the bible's audience was and what the writer was saying to them. Resist the temptation of overlaying your 21st century sensibilities onto a two-thousand year old document. Once you get comfortable with what the bible really says, it will be easy for you to see through the nonsense that these "popular" books typically offer up. It's a lot of work, but at least then you will be on solid ground that will lead to true spirituality instead of a one-verse theology approach wrapped up in guilt and comingled with unrealistic applications.

One final observation. If you have read this far then I would like to point out that a lot of reviewers say that Platt's books are "best sellers". But then I noticed that just about every other 5 star review on the store says something like this at the bottom; "I received a free copy of the book: Radical Together by David Platt from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group for review." It would seem the publisher is just mailing out free copies to thousands of people if they will in turn agree to review the book! Is anybody is actually paying cash money for one of Platt's books.... This all seems like a marketing ploy intended to make Platt's readership seem larger than it really is. It's like buying votes in an election...

Wow, it's so scary that with the way the world is today, there are people out there that believe this stuff! What's scarier is that they want to pounce on you and make you believe it too! Haven't we come far enough to see that all people are entitled to their beliefs, whatever they are, and don't need to be "missioned"? I for one will run far and fast from any person who subscribes to this nonsense.

Shortly after reading David Platt's book "Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream" earlier this year, I was given the opportunity to read and review Platt's follow up book, "Radical Together: Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God." Amplifying what he laid out in his first book, in "Radical Together," Platt goes even deeper in urging the Body of Christ to follow God's call "to lock arms with one another in single-minded, death-defying obedience to one objective: the declaration of his gospel for the demonstration of his glory to all nations" (p. xi). The author makes the claim that this kind of obedience is worth any cost in order to see people from every nation glorify God. He challenges us as a Body, asking us what we are willing to change in our churches in order to work toward this goal.

This little book is a fast read that is power-packed. Personally, while I enjoy learning through books, reading has always been a chore I am willing to endure for the benefits that I gain. I was surprised when I rapidly read through "Radical Together" in two days. I was impressed, inspired and impacted by this little book. As I cruised along reading, I found my heart echoing "amen" and "that's right" with the points that Platt was making. "Radical Together" has an important message for the church today.

This book is best read as a sequel to "Radical." Although it can stand alone, in "Radical Together," Platt builds on the basic premise presented in "Radical," rather than reconstructing it. This second book is for those interested in challenging their community of faith to lay all the cards on the table and to ask God to show them what needs to stay and what needs to go in order to make His glory known to the people around them, at any cost. Although there are many good programs in many good churches, Platt challenges us to ask ourselves if these good programs and the money spent to keep them running are truly the best way to spend our time, money and energies in order to reach the people around us and the nations.

One thing that I appreciated in "Radical Together" is that rather than just focusing on how to reach out to those living in the communities around our churches, Platt encourages us to follow a higher Biblical mandate to make disciples of all nations. He presses us as a body to have the mindset to work together to take the gospel message to every culture at all costs; examining what some of those costs will be. However, this is not at the expense of neglecting those around us but as we reach those in our communities, they too can become united with us in taking the gospel to the unreached peoples of the world.

Some may feel that Platt uses guilt manipulation in his challenges for us to re-think the way we have always done things, but the author makes the point that radical obedience is not about responding to feelings of guilt, but rather it is about responding to the gospel. He says, "Any low-grade sense of guilt gets conquered by a high-grade sense of gospel that compels in us a willing, urgent, joyful, uncompromising, grace-saturated, God-glorifying obedience. We live sacrificially, not because we feel guilty, but because we have been loved greatly, and we now find satisfaction in our lives through sacrificial love for others" (p. 28).

"Radical Together" has also been criticized that it does not have enough practical application for how a community of faith can be radical together. I would like to applaud David Platt for not giving us another "how to" template which will just require our churches to fill in the correct blanks. Instead, Platt urges us to seek God together as a Body for how He would have us apply these ideas in our groups. The main thought that Platt tries to impress upon us is that we need to lay everything before God in obedience, allowing Him to show us what stays and what goes in the way we have always done church, so that our time and resources are freed up to spread the gospel message to the entire world.

While "Radical Together" is not for the faint at heart, I urge you not to avoid reading this book for fear of feeling guilty or convicted. I ask you, is there any better place to be than where the Holy Spirit nudges you to make changes in your life and in your church so that people from every nation may one day rejoice with you as they call Jesus their Lord? I know that I want to be radical together with David Platt and others so that people from every nation will see the glory of God.

DISCLAIMER: Although I received a free gift of "Radical Together" from Mission Frontiers, a mission strategy magazine, I was encouraged to write an honest review with no pressure to make that review positive. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.