We heard speakers/pastors from all across the nation from Francis Chan and Matt Carter to Matt Chandler. They led us in ideal, authentic community, our rhetoric versus the reality, social justice and even hell.
One talk particularly grabbed me (although it was hard to pick just one). Matt Chandler gave a talk entitled 'Rubbish and Rescue.' He compared the rubbish we tend to hold on to, but the rescue that is awaiting us. Let's take discipleship for instance. He said, "discipleship is often a practice of repression rather than allowing the gospel to conform you." We tend to simply guide people to repress their fears, repress their sins, repress their desires in order to be more Christ-like. But that's not it al all. Our pursuit of righteousness is great, trying to get rid of all of the crap in our lives is great. But repressing it doesn't work because its with the wrong motivation. It's the Gospel, the yearning for Christ to be supreme that rids us of our dirt. Instead of allowing the Holy Spirit to transform us, we try to conform to a pattern of religion which is exhausting and the worst trade off ever. Our righteousness or goodness is nothing compared to the relationship the believer has with Christ. Our sin dies when Christ becomes more desirable than that sin.
"What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ." Philippians 3:8
"All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away." Isaiah 64:6
My prayer is that we strive to know Christ, to be more enthralled by Him, rather than try to make ourselves good enough for Him. My prayer is that we wholly submit to the Holy Spirit to come in and transform us, rather than attempt to become righteous through our own means.
This is the Gospel we preach; this is what brings the nations to Him!
What GREAT INSIGHT! Going beyond just the American Church, what does this principle mean for missionaries working cross culturally inside the 10/40 Window among unreached people groups? This means that it is the job of the missionary to share Christ and the job of the Holy Spirit to transform lives/families/communities/people groups. No missionary working from their own righteousness can bring salvation to anyone, rather it is the power of the Holy Spirit that transforms lives! It will be by the power of the Holy Spirit that 'every nation, tribe and tongue' will praise the Lord!
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