The Wall-Breaking Power of the Gospel

By Allen Allnoch
Communications Director

More than 300 people gathered – converged – in Columbus over the weekend to hear a powerhouse lineup of speakers and have conversations about unity in diversity.
 
The occasion was the Converge 2:14 conference, inspired by the words of Ephesians 2:14 – “For [Jesus] himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.”
 
Dr. John M. Perkins, civil rights pioneer and founder of the John and Vera Mae Perkins Foundation, spoke at the conference’s closing session Saturday night, and again during morning worship services at Christ Community Church Sunday morning.
 
At the latter, Dr. Perkins shared the story of seeing his brother die, shot by a law enforcement officer, and of his own unjust jailing and torture at the hands of police in his native Mississippi. He saw two choices before him: Retribution and hate, or forgiveness and love.
 
“If I had a grenade, I would have pulled the plug and killed us all,” he recalled. “Then I saw that my heart was just as bad. I saw that white people were broken and black people were broken. I said, ‘God, forgive me first. I want to preach a gospel that is about love.’”
 
Simply put, Perkins said, only the redemptive power of Jesus Christ will overcome the sin of racism. He reminded listeners of how Peter was forced to confront his prejudice against Gentiles, as related in Acts chapter 10. No “equal opportunity or affirmative action” program would do; Peter “needed the Gospel,” Perkins said. “The Gospel calls us to a higher standard.”
 
Likewise, Christians today must look to Christ and, in His power, invest in each other’s lives.
 
“We gotta do more than drink coffee together,” Perkins said. “We gotta do more than wash each other's feet. I like to drink coffee and I like foot-washing, but we gotta do more. We need to confess our sins one to another. Instead of looking for somebody to hate, we need to look for somebody to love. Then people will know we are Christians.”
 
Other takeaways from Converge 2:14 speakers included:

• "The Gospel is not just for the oppressed, it's for the oppressor. The Gospel is for Neo-Nazis and the KKK and ISIS ... because God so loved the world.” – Pastor Bryan Loritts
• "There is no greater thing brewing potentially in Columbus, Georgia than what is happening in this room right now. May it become a fire.” – Dr. John Fuder
• “We care more about our American safety than we care about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. … Are we more citizens of the Kingdom of God than we are of this earth? … The question is not will the world change; the question is how will we respond to the change?” – Dr. Soong-Chan Rah on immigration
• "Power does not reside in individuals. Power resides in who we are connected to.” – Dr. Korie L. Edwards
• "Jesus Christ is so much broader than a political party.” – Pastor Bryan Loritts
• “A new normal is the visual representation of the Kingdom of God. ... We need to decide and determine to pursue a new normal.” – Dr. Crawford Loritts

 
And this from a conference attendee, who tweeted, “I was so fired UP from the @Converge214 conference, I skipped the [closing session] to hit the block in my hood with the Gospel.”
 
May we all be so motivated to put our faith in action and seek to break down the dividing wall of hostility.