The point during Dave Gibbons talk that I first really sat up to listen was just a couple minutes in when he said, "The world stops and pays attention when it sees us loving someone who is unforgivable to us." I'm always looking for ways to measure whether or not I'm truly living a set apart life, and I love being challenged to think about how the church, too, should function in a way that forces us to think radically, biblically. Gibbons points out that "normal" is when likes attract. People who have everything in common are drawn to one another and ready and willing to help one another. But, Gibbons says, the church is called to be abnormal, we are called to a painful adaptation, to a "mindset and will to love and serve in any culture," especially those that are difficult for us.
Gibbons went on to challenge our "metrics," the way we measure life and success. Our natural inclination is to view success on a graph as "up and to the right." But, Gibbons says, life rarely works that way. Most of us experience set backs and challenges, but we should not consider those failures because he says, "Your pain is your platform to humanity." "Most of the world doesn't understand success, but they do understand suffering."
Gibbons then challenges the way we view people around us. In his opinion the most important thing about a person is their story. His most oft quoted statement of the day was "relationship trumps vision," meaning it's much more important to develop relationships with people and be committed to people rather than to a grand vision without relationships. And, he points out, "you can't have a great vision without a great relationship with God."
Gibbons closed by offering four acts of obedience to help us become more "abnormal."
1. Deeper collaboration. Work together, listen better to each other, receive input from many sources, including those on the fringe.
2. Communal living. Do life deeply with those around you. Live close to others and maintain an open life out of which you minister to those closest to you, starting in your home and moving to your neighborhood and beyond.
3. Prayer. Believe in the power of the Holy Spirit.
4. Radical Sacrifice for the outsider. Offer up the things that cost you something to give and to serve.
No comments:
Post a Comment