Book Review: Reckless Abandon by David Sitton

David Sitton entered the mission field as a 21 year old surfer from California who was head over heels in love with Jesus.  He started out in Papua New Guinea, and through this book he details much of the work he did there with indigenous tribes.  By completely abandoning The American Dream, and giving his life fully to the work of God in the nations, he was able to bring the Gospel to thousands of people who would have otherwise never heard the name of Jesus.

Christians have to have a mindset of reckless abandon for Christ if we are to overcome the typical fear of reaching out in the name of God.  We need an eternal perspective in order to see the lostness of man, and our desperate need for a savior.  Following Jesus is not without suffering and persecution, and David illustrates many instances where he and his teammates were beaten, and threatened.  But, he says, Jesus is worth it!

The book begins with a challenge to comfortable Christian American.  Sitton writes, "Whey is it presumed that American missionaries have the "right" to require safe living conditions?  By the way, this is almost completely a Western concept.  Believers in the rest of the world assume that following Christ is naturally hazardous to their health!  They live as lambs among wolves, expecting to be mistreated, because wolves eat lambs!  Why do we think we should be exempt from what Jesus said would be the normal experience of His followers?"  Wow, talk about a convicting statement!  It's true that Americans tend to have this sense of self-entitlement to comfort and safety, but this isn't the message that Jesus brought.  Philippians 1:20 says, "For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him."  Christ followers are guaranteed suffering, so shouldn't we make the most of it and give everything we have to bring as many unsaved souls to Christ as we can?  When you stop trying to save your own life, but are willing to lose everything you have for Jesus, that is a life lived in reckless abandon for the only one who is worth it!

This book has been a wonderful encouragement to me as Patrick and I plan for our future work in the mission field.  Whether or not you are considering full time missions, I would recommend checking out this book!