David Zahl at Liberate Conference

David Zahl was first speaker on Saturday morning.

His topic was "All We Need is (One Way) Love"

Website is mbird.com

3 things came across his screen as he was preparing for his message: The Onion-love is unconditional, Depressed man tries to feed himself to tiger but was rejected, & effect of loneliness on 3000 older people-twice as likely to die

Why are we so lonely?

The church is not immune from loneliness.

It has everything to do with the Law. We are focused on self-actualization.

The price we pay for ambition is loneliness.

We are lonely because there is a shortage of love. There is a whole lot of law & not enough gospel.

Sin isolates. It inspires hiding. We block intimacy. Hiding makes us even more lonely.

How do we deal with loneliness?

We distract ourselves from it and keep ourselves busy.

Everyone needs to stop.  The gospel allows us to do that.

Another way we deal with loneliness is to buy people's love. We make it transactional. We work for it.

We deal with our loneliness through the Law.  It is a way to control things.

Love without sacrifice isn't really love.

The edict-you must be transformed-is not creating change.

I am not disputing the hope of transformation. I am disputing the guarantee of transformation.

What is the antidote?

It's a relationship.  It's a person, not a theology. 

It's One Way Love. It's a Relationship-nothing you can do can make God love you less.

Knowledge alone is not the answer.

The problem with human behavior is not a head problem, but a heart problem.

We cannot overdo it with the gospel even if we tried to.

Grace is short hand for what happens when you fall off the rails.  

We are saved not by knowledge, but by a Savior.

There is freedom in the gospel.

Grace says you are loved right now.  It's the freedom to be.

The forgiveness of sin is perpetual and righteousness first is not required.