Rules For Radicals by The Original Radical

February 6, 2026

1971 guidebook for grassroots organizers, written by community activist Saul Alinsky, aimed at empowering marginalized communities——to gain political, social, and economic power through strategic, nonviolent action. Jesus is the original Radical. Sauls first rule is Power is perception: As soon as you perceive what jesus said is when you walk in POWER

In 1971 Saul Alinsky wrote a guidebook for grassroots organizers called "Rules For Radicals" It was aimed at marginalized communities to gain political, social and economic power through strategic nonviolent action. His first rule in the rules for radicals is that power is perception. I don't know any community that is more marginalized right now than the Christian community; laws declaring the bible hate speech, Christians being arrested for silently praying while Islamists take over cities in their Jihad quest.

Jesus is the original radical - and all through the new testament He tells you of the power and authority you carry. The problem is most don't perceive themselves with power and therefore don't exercise it. I want to speak plainly to you. For too long the message of Jesus put out by the church (religion) has been folded into a neat little religion that keeps you small. Jesus did not come to start a religion, He is God in the Flesh, who came to restore your relationship with Him and to re-reveal your true identity. That is the heart of what I’m saying: you were made in God’s image and likeness. When you understand that, everything changes.

Why perception is everything

Saul Alinsky offered a human handbook for radicals when he wrote, "power is perception." He was right about strategy, but he missed the source. Jesus is the original radical. The first rule of the Kingdom is the same principle, only rooted in truth: when you perceive you have authority, you begin to act like it—and the world responds.

Power is perception.

Belief shifts reality. The moment you truly believe God made you in His image, your posture changes. Demons flee, oppressors hesitate, and people begin to see what you see. This is not self-help bravado. It’s spiritual law: faith plus obedience opens doors for God to move through you.

Identity, not religion

Religion often operates as a control mechanism. It teaches waiting, smallness, and fear. Kingdom life flips that narrative. Jesus modeled what it looks like to live with authority as a human being—he wasn’t creating a club with rules, he was demonstrating who you were made to be.

Understand these two things clearly:

You are a spirit made in God’s image. That identity carries authority and responsibility.
Jesus came to restore that identity. You are deputized to carry His authority into the world.

What it looks like when followers start doing the words in red

Luke 6 and the Sermon on the Mount are not abstract devotional paragraphs. They are a training manual. When disciples do the things they see Jesus do, signs follow them—healing, deliverance, authority over sickness and demonic influence. The promise is repeated: these are the signs that will follow those who believe.

Practical markers to expect as you step into obedient faith:

Opportunities to pray for the sick and see results.
Encounters where spiritual authority displaces oppression.
Relational cost—expect exclusion from people who prefer the old order.

This is a performance of faith, not an exhibition of ego. You obey; God supplies the result.

Radical obedience: the Sermon’s offensive humility

The beatitudes and the teachings about turning the other cheek are not weakness. They are a tactical overthrow of the aggressor’s power. When you respond in a way that refuses humiliation, you unmask the oppressor and reveal your equality before God.

Example: when someone publicly insults you with a backhanded slap—Jesus’ instruction to offer the other cheek forces the aggressor to choose between two things: escalate with domination or expose their own shame by using an open hand, a gesture of equality. That moment changes perception.

Radical generosity, non-retaliation, and love for enemies are not surrender. They are tools of Kingdom warfare that disarm and convert power into witness.

Faith is action; action deepens faith

Too many reduce faith to mere assent. Scripture—and experience—shows faith coupled with works produces spiritual maturity. The first time you act in obedience you might wobble. Keep doing it. Like learning to ride a bike, the training wheels come off gradually. Each obedient step increases your belief muscle and opens the door for God to do greater things through you.

Start small. Speak a clear word of blessing. Pray for the sick. Release mercy where retaliation seems natural.
Repeat often. The more you obey, the more the power moves through you.
Leave results to God. Your job is faithful obedience; He is the one who provides the harvest.

Signs that your belief is growing

You feel a growing boldness to speak and act.
You notice power leaving your presence—healing and deliverance occur more often.
You are less concerned with the crowd and more committed to obedience.

Practical next steps—how to begin deputized living

You are deputized. That’s not a metaphor. Jesus said, I authorize you—go. I use that language in our gatherings: the sheriff’s authority extends to the deputy. You do not need permission to act in love and justice. You simply need conviction and obedience.

Here’s a simple starter plan:

Declare your identity daily: you are made in God’s image and likeness.
Pray specifically for one person in need and then act—visit, call, or pray plainly for them.
Practice non-retaliation in one situation this week—respond in a way that exposes grace, not shame.
Feed your mind—read Scripture and let it renew your thinking on authority and identity.

Why this matters for communities and nations

Change does not only come top-down. The Kingdom advances from the grassroots—people living out the restored identity Jesus purchased. When believers reclaim their authority and act in love, systems shift. The mandate in Acts is repeatable: ordinary, unlearned followers spend time with Jesus, obey him, and the movement grows.

So yes, be strategic like a radical organizer, but rooted in a Kingdom theology that places identity, obedience, and supernatural authority at the center.

Final words

The invitation today is straightforward: stop living small. Embrace the truth that you were made in God’s image. Perceive your authority. Take practical steps of obedience. Let your life be a demonstration that Jesus comes to restore identity, not to invent fresh religion. When you begin to live like this, the devil trembles, the oppressed find freedom, and the world sees the Kingdom.

Blessings,  Howard Olsen
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