Red Letter Revolution

Colin Mccartney

Description

The Red Letter Revolution is about a global movement of Christians who are taking the actions of Jesus and his exact words—the “red letters” in some versions of the Bible—seriously. Colin challenges his readers to join this movement by responding to the poverty, racism, economic disparity, violence, classism, sexism and all other forms of injustice and oppression all around us like Jesus did. Through biblical exposition, rousing stories and practical application, Colin demonstrates that we can follow the radical words of Jesus only with the love of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. This book draws our allegiance to the mission of Christ to the poor and oppressed and calls for us to act. It will truly challenge the way we view others and how we should respond to the oppression and injustice present in our world.

Informations

• Publié par: Castle Quay Books
• Date de parution: 15 avril 2008
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781894860680
• Langue: English

Extrait

Red Letter Revolution: If We Did Revolution Jesus’ Way

Copyright ©2009 Colin McCartney
All rights reserved
Printed in Canada
International Standard Book Number: 978-1-894860-41-3 (paperback edition)
International Standard Book Number: 978-1-894860-68-0 (electronic edition)

Published by:
Castle Quay Books
1-1295 Wharf Street, Pickering, Ontario, L1W 1A2
Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]
www.castlequaybooks.com

Copy editing by Marina H. Hofman
Printed at Essence Printing, Belleville, Ontario

This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form without prior written permission of the publishers.

Scriptures are from The Holy Bible, New International Version unless otherwise marked. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. • Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible , copyright © The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973. All rights reserved. • Scripture taken from The Message , copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson, 1993, 1994, 1995. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
McCartney, Colin, 1964-
Red letter revolution / Colin McCartney; foreword, Larry N. Willard.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-1-894860-41-3
1. Jesus Christ--Teachings. I. Title.
BS2415.M33 2009 232 C2009-901602-8
Acknowledgements

Attempting to live out Jesus’ Red Letter Revolution is no easy task. This is why I am so thankful for the following people who walk with me along the revolutionary path of Jesus.
First and foremost, I thank my wife for her incredible support, love and wisdom. Your prayers, encouragement and generous spirit are the wind beneath my wings. You are my biggest blessing and best comrade in arms. To my children, C.J. and Victoria, you make the world I live in more like the kingdom of God because of your presence in my life. To my mother and father: Dad, you are enjoying the fruits of the revolution with our heavenly Father. Mom, thanks for your support and forgive me for what I wrote about the Irish (though it is all true)!
Thanks to Brett and Stephanie McBride and your team of crazy revolutionaries at UrbanPromise Toronto. You are all precious to me, and I wish I could mention all of you by name. Know that I love and appreciate every one of you. To Bill and Gail Masson, Joe and Lois Tullo, the D.E. boys and your families, Victor and Stacy Abuharoon, the Jungs and my good Irish troublemaker friend, John McAuley all of you have a special place in my heart. To the Horwoods your cottage was a special oasis for me to write this book. To Tony Campolo and the rest of our Red Letter gang let us keep the fire burning. To all my other brothers and sisters in arms at UrbanPromise International, Youth Unlimited, Yonge Street Mission and World Vision Canada you are all a great inspiration!
To the Castle Quay Books family and especially the ever patient Larry Willard and Marina H. Hofman: we are done! No more late nights and early mornings. This book could not have happened without you.
Finally, to all those who suffer injustice in our world today: forgive me for my part in your sufferings. You are not forgotten. Jesus walks with you and is raising up a movement of Red Letter Christians who will speak for the voiceless and act on behalf of the weak. Your resurrection is coming. Blessed are they who come in the name of the Lord!
Foreword

Colin McCartney writes like a man with a divine mission and a fire to see it accomplished. It is understandable, since he has worked with the broken souls of our city for years and sees a need so deep and vast that he understands only God himself can fill it.
But he also knows that God almost exclusively works through his “called” people. In Red Letter Revolution , Colin reminds us that as followers of Christ we have been commissioned to deny ourselves and focus on completing the work of Jesus as our top priority. Colin senses that the service of too many Christians is divided and lacks luster. He knows there are ways we could really impact our city, if only we would all pull together, totally dedicated to Christ and focused on his work. Thus, Colin’s frustration and excitement are equally displayed here.
In this book, Colin beckons us to become part of a new movement that is already taking shape in nations around the world. It’s an army of like-minded women and men resolving to shake the practices of “normal” Christianity. The individuals in this movement are called Red Letter Christians, persons dedicated to model their lives and actions on the words of Jesus as found in many red letter editions of the New Testament. This group of radical believers is not satisfied with the way Christ’s church is responding to the Lord’s commission, seemingly content to standby as a lost and broken people suffer, helplessly marching into a dark eternity.
Whatever the personal cost, Red Letter Christians want to make an eternal difference in our world. They take their action plan from every recorded word that Jesus spoke and they do exactly what Jesus asks of them. They acknowledge that apart from him they can do nothing. But they know that Christ waits for them to act on his commands so that he can empower them to do something significant for God’s glory.
Colin is not an idealist living in an academic cocoon and writing about lofty early church concepts that should be modernized for us. His passion and call to action is energized by what he sees every day in the streets and back alleys of our city; scenes that invade the streets of every other city in our nation. With an eye on the mountain of personal needs of the down-trodden, he is motivated by the words of Jesus to become a hand and voice for the helpless.
He implores you to make a difference in this time of increasing tribulation and trial, where everywhere, everyday, there are hurting people whose hearts are failing them for fear of what is coming upon the whole earth. This group of hurting men and women feel like abandoned souls and need the light and the love of Christ that only you and I can bring.
Colin believes that it is in this present darkness that God’s light shines brightest and the true model of Jesus’ love works the mightiest. He knows there are people out there at this very moment that are ready to give up all hope. They bear the chains of failure and oppression like an anchor. And he believes you and I are all that separates them from their present darkness and a new life and beginning. But he asks: Will we respond to the call?
In this work, Colin includes a set of historically tried and tested disciplines that he believes will equip the follower of Jesus to respond to these serious demands placed on us. We cannot undertake this role in our own ineffective power. So, Colin presents a formula that includes personal discipline and action and a high dependence on the love and the power of the Spirit that can flow through us to do great things for God. Colin reminds us that in history, these same simple dynamics and principles have fueled everything from the Reformation, great revivals and mission movements to every major spiritual renewal.
The core elements are trust in God, selfless willingness to be obedient to the words of Jesus exactly as they are found in the red letter editions of the scriptures, a command to be filled with the love of God and a heart fully submitted to the Holy Spirit. The principles are faultless and timeless. Like a perfect recipe, when these ingredients are brought together, a supernatural meal results.
As I read Colin’s book, I am reminded of stories I have read during seminary training of godly servants who earnestly sought to do the work of Jesus and who regularly followed these principles. The results were amazing. I think of the Haystack movement that started when Samuel J. Mills (1783-1818) and several students at Williams College took refuge from a rainstorm under a haystack one afternoon. While they were waiting for the rain to stop, another rain arrived. The Holy Spirit showed up and led them to start praying for the needs of the lost throughout the world. The were deeply moved and committed themselves at that very prayer meeting to bring the pure gospel overseas to every people the Lord would allow them to reach. That day, a major movement started that grew to become a missions movement powerhouse.
I think of the work of Count Zinzendorf (1700-1760), a simple man who led a group of Moravians to the most significant missions movement of his day. He stated that his primary life motive was to unite fellow believers in Christ’s love and bring the compassion of Jesus to the whole lost world. Apart from his many personal successes, he strongly influenced Charles and John Wesley, who followed his model and went on to be credited with endless social improvements during their time in England, helping millions. Some historians have even credited their movement with saving England from a bloody French-style revolution. Because of their love and compassion for the poor, the people of England came to emulate them and a movement of compassion swept that whole empire. As a result, God blessed the entire country.
I could write endlessly about William and Catherine Booth, who practiced the same principals and whose work led to a refocus on sharing the immense wealth generated in the new industrial cities of Europe. The hearts of many were opened, and wealth spread to meet the needs of the poor, resulting in a great spiritual revival. Nearly every importa