K.C. Wahe - Follower of Jesus, Husband, Father, Pastor, Student, Blogger

A final reflection regarding Erwin McManus’s book, "The Barbarian Way. The book is really a charge to the church to become an unstoppable force…

"But when members of the barbarian tribe line up across the battlefield, side by side, something amazing begins to happen. Dark kingdoms tremble; the dungeons and prisons that hold men, women, and children captive crumble; prison doors open; chains unlock; and multitudes come to freedom. Whenever the barbarians of Christ pass through civilization, the oppressed and forgotten are soon found dancing in the streets." (Pg. 134).

What an honor as a follower of Christ to be apart of such a great calling to move about as a community of faith unashamed and unafraid to be people of transformation.

I just finished Erwin McManus’ book, "The Barbarian Way." (I realized I had to actually buy the book in order to finish it) His book challenges the civilized and the domesticated Christian to step out into a life of untamed faith. A life that calls for us to go against the normalcy of the church and to be led by God, not by the rules of organized religion. Unafraid and unashamed. I can’t help but remember my youth in how my faith was one of wild abandon (Something Mike Yaconelli had referred to often) I wanted to change the world. I wasn’t afraid to raise my hands in worship, to profess and claim that Christ was and will always be the Lord of my life. To shout aloud that I was truly in love with my Lord. I wasn’t afraid of anything. Something happened over the years. I became a domesticated and civilized evangelical protestant Princetonicated Christian who forgot what it truly meant to live life as Christ lived. The barbaric way. What I appreciate most about McManus’s book is that it’s a call for the Christian to step out of the naivete of Christianity and to live life as Christ lived his life. Not bound by rules or by rulers. Here’s an excerpt that spoke volumes to me…

"If you are a follower of Christ and you have allowed yourself to be domesticated, you have lost the power of who you are and who God intends for you to be.You were not created to be normal. God’s desire for you is not compliance and conformity. You have been baptized by Spirit and fire. Asleep within you is a barbarian, a savage to all who love the prim and proper. You must go to the primal place and enter the presence of the most High God, for there you will be changed by his presence. Let him unleash the untamed faith within you." Pg. 82

May the Lord of the universe release us to become people who choose a life that is not afraid to be who Christ has called us to be. A life that is not meant to be caged and where the Spirit of God roams freely. (Pg. 66) For this is where God will use us to truly transform the kingdom and to bring hope to those who are looking for more then just a civilized faith locked up in the four walls of the church. May it be so.