Desperate Men are Radical!

The sword made a screeching, scratchy sound as it was drawn across the floor. The one hundred and forty, battle weary, men looked on in silence, wondering what was the meaning of this exhibition? Why had they been called from their posts? There were no sentries on guard, and everyone had been called to this meeting. Why?

Finally, a line had been drawn across the length of the great room. Colonel William Travis stepped across the line that was made by his sword. He turned and looked at the 141 men that were before him and said, "Men, there is a chance that those desiring to do so, could slip through enemy lines tonight and escape to safety. There is also the chance that if some of us will stay here and fight, the rest of the Army fo Texas could regroup and go on to win the war. If you want to remain and give them this chance, just step across the line."

The rest is history. One hundred and thirty-nine men stepped across the line. The one hundred and fortieth man had his bed carried across the line. And yes each of them died in the Alamo on March 6, 1836.

Why did they do it? They were desperate men, desperate to have freedom from tyranny! Their desperation made them radical in their actions. Their actions did keep General Santa Anna and his army of 6,000 to 7,000 men occupied for twelve days. They did kill or mortally wound 1,500 enemy soldiers. They did give the army of Texas time to regroup. Because of their extreme, on April 12, 1836, some thirty-seven days later, General Santa Anna and his army met defeat at the hands of the Army of Texas screaming "Remember the Alamo!"

Let’s take a moment to look at a couple of words. The first is Desperate, which has the following words as synonyms: Extreme, Bold, Excessive, Heroic, Drastic, Frantic, Reckless, Rash. The second word is Radical, which has the following words as synonyms: Revolutionary, Excessive, Extravagant, Extreme, Fanatical, Violent, Nonconformist, Fundamental, Essential.

A desperate person will go to any means necessary to accomplish what has to be done. Paul is on his way to Jerusalem and people are begging him not to go. One even prophesied that if he goes he will end up in prison. However, Paul is a desperate man thus making him radical in his actions. He asked them to stop breaking his heart. He feels he has to go to Jerusalem to preach of the grace of the Lord Jesus. He says to them he is not only willing to be bound but also willing to die for the Gospel. (Acts 20:22-24 & Acts 21:11-13)

There is no reasoning with a man who is desperate. Desperation is extreme, bold and excessive. It leads to drastic measures. It breeds recklessness and frantic actions. Oh yeah, the desperate man will be radical. He will become revolutionary in his thinking. There is no excess with an excessive man! He will not conform but will be extravagant in his course of action fueled by the desperation that resides inside of him.

We are living in a day when the Church world has become complacent in its relationship with Jesus Christ. I am reminded of two of the Churches of Asia found in the Book of Revelations. The Church of Ephesus had left their first love. They weren’t sinning like several of the other Churches that were written to. They had just lost that deep burning love for God they once had. Their relationship had lost it zip. They had become more interested in other things than they were in God. They had begun to take God for granted.

The second Church I am reminded of is the Church of Laodicea. They were a complacent Church. God called them "lukewarm" and said it made Him sick enough to puke. They weren’t hot! They weren’t cold! They thought they had arrived and didn’t need anything else. They were wrapped up in what they had and what they had accomplished and no longer were hungry for more of God.

Both of these Churches are warned by God they are on the verge of rejection from Him. Ephesus is about to have their candlestick removed and Laodicea is about to be spit out. Church of the 21st century it is time we woke up and realized we need to get desperate for more of God. We need to become extremist in our relationship with God. It doesn’t matter what I experienced yesterday, what does God have for me today.

The Psalmist was hungry for God. He asked God to show him His ways, to lead him in His paths. He had a relationship with God. God had moved mightily in his life. Yet there was a hunger in his soul to know more about God. His cry was, Show me your divine ways. Show me how you live! Show me what you consider to be right! Teach me the path that you follow. I have got to know how to please you.

Teach me your truth, lead me to live it. It will bring my salvation. When was the last time I prayed that kind of a prayer? But a man who is desperate and hungry for more of God will cry out, "Show me! Lead me! Teach me!"

Paul wrote to the Phillippian Church that he wanted to know God. I have often by struck by the fact that Paul, who had accomplished so much for God, felt lacking in this area. However it is then I realize that he was a desperate man, reckless and radical. He was a man willing to be extreme in order to have the relationship with God that God wanted him to have.

This evening I received a phone call from a pastor who shared with me that for the past several months, about nine months, the church he pastors have been seeking God and desiring the Spiritual things of God in their lives. During this time, as people have sought God they have been directed by God to make changes in their lives and families. Satellite tv’s have been disconnected. Percentage of giving has been increased in some families. More time has been focused on prayer and Bible reading. These are desperate people and so they are radical.

Last night a seven-year-old girl was in the altar seeking God to give her the Holy Ghost. She was touched in a mighty way by God during that time. This afternoon her father came home and she was engaged in a conversation with her mother. As the father joined in she began to ask him questions like, "Daddy why don’t we do different things?" (These things included dancing, wearing make-up, smoking and many other things.) His reply to each of the things she mentioned was, "We don’t feel that Jesus likes those things." To this she replied, "Why do we watch movies where they do all of these things that you say Jesus doesn’t like?"

The pastor told me that the father had called him and said he had just gotten rid of more than twelve hundred movies because when he asked himself what was being portrayed in each of them it was something that Jesus would not be happy with! He had already disconnected his satellite tv several months ago. I am talking about desperate men being radical! Going to the extreme! Becoming reckless in their desire to have a greater relationship with God.

What would happen if we fell on our faces before God and asked Him to show us what stood between Him and us? What would happen if we asked God to show us what had interfered with our first love? I am talking about being desperate! Desperate men are radical! What would happen if we asked God to show us how to become on fire for Him? What would God have us to do? Where would this take us in our relationship with Him?

Are we to the point of desperation? Are we willing to become radical for Jesus? Are we willing to change our lives to the point of making sacrifices that hurt and cost? Are we willing to become different?

Desperate men walk to the beat of a different drum. It was a man desperate for liberty from tyranny that stood in the meeting house one day and cried, "If this be tyranny make the best of it! Give me liberty or give me death!"

It was a man who walked to a different drum beat that stood and said if you want to serve the gods of your fathers in Egypt you go ahead, but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord! Desperate men are radical . . . give me more of God!

Remember, it’s just a thought!