David Platt, New York Times best selling author and pastor of Birmingham’s Church at Brook Hills, will be broadcasting a live 90 minute online simulcast on Aug. 21 at 5 p.m. from an undisclosed location in the Middle East where he is currently on mission.
Platt’s resource ministry, Radical, recently discussed on their blog what viewers can expect from tonight’s event:
During the simulcast, Pastor and author David Platt will take us through Scripture to answer the question, “What does it mean for us to biblically follow Jesus”? The call to follow Christ is costly, but it also comes with great reward. As we gather on August 14 in the Middle East, we’ll talk with people who have answered that call. We’ll be able to hear from some of our brothers and sisters in this region as they share their stories about the cost and reward of following Christ in their culture. As we hear and learn from their stories, we’ll look at Scripture and explore how the call to follow Christ impacts our lives, our families, and our churches. The intent of this night is to fuel small groups and churches to dive into what it means to be a disciple and make disciples of all nations.
LifeWay, the simulcast’s host, say they expect thousands of people from all over the world to participate in the free event. More than 50,000 people in over 50 countries watched Platt’s most recent simulcast on Good Friday earlier this year.
Platt, 34, is the author of several books including Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream, which has sold over a million copies. His most recent book, Follow Me: A call to die. A call to live., released earlier this year, also debuted on the New York Times bestseller list. Platt personally receives none of the money from his book sales, choosing instead to devote all of the proceeds to furthering the spread of the gospel around the world.
“The early Christians were giving up everything, abandoning possessions,” Platt told The Birmingham News in an interview last year. “We look at casual, comfortable Christianity in the 21st Century and it doesn’t seem to add up. If we are really following Jesus, we would be doing something to meet urgent physical needs. We realize there should not be more than a billion people on earth who are desperately hungry. If we really believe in the Bible, we’d be doing something, giving something. Many Christians have fallen into a spectator mentality that lends itself to sitting back, not doing anything extreme to help the poor or even to share the gospel. There’s no question following Christ requires active risk-taking and obedience. The cost of following is high. To follow Jesus means an attachment to him, that means being willing to let go of everything else.”
To register for tonight’s simulcast, click here.
Editor’s note: The simulcast was originally scheduled for Aug. 14, but was rescheduled due to technological difficulties. This article has been updated to reflect the change.
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