Last Thursday-Saturday I attended the Mighty Waters conference in partnership between International Justice Mission and the Ogilvie Institute (the preaching arm of Fuller Seminary). It was an extraordinary time of passion, wisdom, worship, and encouragement. With only about 150 in attendance (my estimate), it was an intimate event with intentional Q&A sessions. The speakers are dedicated God-lovers who often speak to hundreds and thousands. The following is a compilation of my notes from the various speakers, with the exception of Brenda Salter McNeil because I plan to cover her in a later post. These phrases were scattered throughout the weekend, but I have ordered them to give you an overview of the conference.
The "Sinner's Prayer" is only the leading edge of the wedge. There is so much more to the Gospel! Eric Mextas (check out his conversion story here)
Jesus is Lord. Justice is not external to God but rather an internal part of His character. The incarnation is the primary example of God's justice. Immediately after the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus healed a leper (social outcast, unclean) and the Roman centurion's servant (hated tyrant, unclean Gentile). He lived out His sermon. His actions confronted religiosity. Mark Labberton
Two great sins: idolatry and injustice. They are the inverse of the two greatest commandments: love God and love your neighbor as yourself. You can trace all injustice--even deeply rooted, systematic injustice--back to individuals abusing others. In Matthew 23, Jesus points to the neglect of justice. Bethany Hoang
Why are far away tragedies tolerable? Bethany Hoang quoting a Nobel Prize Winner
Everyone loves the idea of justice until it costs something. How can we ask people to give up things if we're not willing to give? We need to enable avenues for people to give. Eugene Cho
God is calling us not to be safe but to be brave. I say, "Sure God, I'll follow You, but I need You to give me a clear path. And I need You to tell me how much it's going to cost and to guarantee success." [Much identifying laughter] Do we want to be safe or brave? We can't be both. Gary Haugen
I tend to be a reactionary activist. Justin McRoberts
It is the "I have to do something!" attitude versus "What are we called to do?" Mark Labberton
Live simply, give generously, and buy ethically so that the cries of the harvesters do not have to go up to God. Nathan George
Our service should be sustainable and joyful. Joy is the oxygen of our obedience. Guilt makes you hold your breath. It makes you think, "Who am I to enjoy all these things? What about those who are suffering?" And then you do not breathe in the joy of your family, your friends, creation, the second beer. You hold your breath until you suffocate. Gary Haugen paraphrasing Dallas Willard
God longs for human flourishing. Yet, God is extraordinarily patient, even with human suffering. I do not understand this! I am not that patient, but we are not creating a utopia. Rather, God is building His kingdom. Mark Labberton
The end is good, so if it's not good, then it's not the end yet. Justin McRoberts quoting a Kenyan pastor
What does all this Kingdom language mean? It means showing up believing. Mark Labberton
If you don't live what you say you believe, then you don't believe it. Mark Labberton
4 comments:
Was Eric Metaxes at the conference? I've heard him speak many times on the radio, but would like to see him speak in person someday...I'm still making my way through his vary thorough book on Bonhoefer.
Wow, haha this is great! I don't know if I even got all these down! This is a fantastic summary of the conference; kudos to ya!
Yes, he spoke on Bonhoefer. Eric is an interesting person and an articulate speaker. Of course, I'm biased towards 1.) Yale English majors 2.) Pentecostals 3.) men bearing a resemblance to Gregory Peck and 4.) anyone wearing a blue sport coat with gold buttons and horn-rimmed glasses.
Thanks, Trevor.
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