Welcome back to Restoring Relationships - Transforming Justice.  In this lecture, we begin discussion of God's power and how it changes our possibilities and responding to conflict.  God's power can extinguish the conflict wildfires in our conflict stories.  His power can restore relationships.  It's his power that enables us to transform justice.  Now, before we talk about what God's provision is for extinguishing wildfires, we're going to take two lectures to examine other powers that prevent us from transforming our conflict stories.  


The first is an inferior power, and we call them internal, self-destructive wildfires.  These are conflicts that exist within us underground.  Very few, if any people, can see these fires unless we disclose them.  


Let's consider some examples of internal wildfires.  There are fires from hurt, fires from abuse, fires from neglect, fires from violence, from unmet expectations, from broken promises, fires from hate, fires from jealousy, fires from political or cultural factors, maybe fires from racial profiling, fires from a root of bitterness.  What other internal fires might be burning in you?  


Well, no matter how justified we feel in holding on to past offenses we've suffered, these internal fires continue to burn not because of those wrongs committed against us, but because we give those fires permission to continue burning.  Internal wildfires are self-destructive because they hinder us from seeking God at the Peacefire.  These fires persuade us that it is acceptable to treat people in some way other than how the Lord has treated us.  


Internal wildfires begin to affect our worldview and how we engage with people.  They create division between individuals and groups.  They contribute to shallow conflict stories because they prevent the pursuit of restoring relationships and transforming justice.  Internal wildfires encourage the pursuit of personal or group interest without mention of grace, mercy, or restoration found at the Peacefire.  


So some curious questions for you.  Are there internal wildfires burning in you?  If so, what are they?  And what might happen if you brought those internal wildfires to the Peacefire?  


Let's review the key points from this lecture.  

  • Internal self-destructive wildfires are conflicts that we permit to burn within us.  

  • These internal wildfires convince us that it is acceptable to treat individuals and groups in ways other than how God treats us. 

  • Internal wildfires create external divisions between individuals and groups.  

  • Internal wildfires create shallow conflict stories with no pursuit of restoring relationships or transforming justice.  

  • And the Justice produced by internal fires is shallow, based on self or group interest with no emphasis on grace, no mention of mercy, forgiveness, or restoration.  


Thanks for watching this lecture.  God bless you.  We'll see you next time.



Last modified: Thursday, November 30, 2023, 8:22 AM