Leonard Sweet is well-respected author and student of evangelism in the post-modern culture.  This weekend he spoke at our church and shared a concept that was too good not put in this column.  These words are a paraphrase of his presentation.

We Christians have a lot of names for the non-Christian don’t we? Pagan, Heathen, Lost, Unbeliever, Unsaved and Sinner are just a few names we use to refer to the people who have not had a radical encounter with Jesus.  Yet.  Dr. Sweet offers a new term for us to adopt--- “Normal.”  Normal.  That’s what the vast population of people are.  They are average, ordinary people living their lives, working their jobs, and raising their families. 

We are the ones who are not normal.  If you have an intimate relationship with Jesus you know what I’m talking about.  We’re weird.  We act differently. Think differently.  We hold ourselves to radically ‘out of the mainstream’ standards.  That is not normal.  It is, well… “Crazy.”  Crazy in love with our savior and creator.  That is completely foreign to normal people.  While normal people look for meaning and consider religious things.  We crazy people are running around speaking a different language, worshipping this unseen God, telling others about this guy who was God who lived and died and lived again 2000 years ago and who now reigns in heaven.  What’s worse is we talk about him like we expect him to come back and judge the world and all the people in it.  We look forward to the life that is to come.  We don’t fear death.  We no longer care about other people’s opinions of us. We are freaks. Out there.  Crazy.   In 1st Corinthians, Paul repeatedly refers to the “wisdom of the wise” and the “foolishness of those who believe and trust in God”.  This foolishness is what saves us, not our own cleverness or intellect.  We can’t solve our way out of sin.  We need something, someone bigger than us, smarter than us, and more compassionate than us to clean us up again.  That is called salvation.  If the world calls us fools or crazy...so be it.  I'm not ashamed. In fact,  I'm trying to drive other people crazy too!

Are you afraid of not being normal?  Are you madly in love with Jesus but afraid to be a fool for him?  Are you still worried about fitting in this world and keeping the status quo?  If you fall deeply in love with someone you get stupid for them.  Thousands of love songs are written about how we will swim deep oceans and climb high mountains for the one we love right?  Our poets and song writers speak the common language of radical devotion to other human beings.  Why can we sing songs like that and make movies about that deep level of devotion to flesh and blood and be truly afraid of being known as more crazy for God? 

God is real.  God loves you.  He formed you.  He gave your life purpose and meaning.  He forgives your sins.  He gave his son as a ransom to buy you out of the prison of sin.  He has offered you all things in the name of his Son Jesus.  He gives you  your very life and breath.  He has promised you eternal life in a paradise prepared just for you.  He has made you a joint heir with Jesus and promised that you will reign with him forever.  Doesn’t that get you excited?  Doesn’t that get you blood pumping?  Doesn’t that just drive you…crazy?