In a unique moment in time and place, U.S. Congressman Trey Gowdy of South Carolina gave a convocational speech at Liberty University in March 2015 advocating for people's belief to mean something in life. Gowdy begins the message after an introduction that describes him as relational, loving, considerate, and humble. Gowdy is not speaking on behalf of the government, but he addresses real life issues from a biblical foundation combined with a government perspective on how American's dependency on the government for life issues has risen because of the steep decline of community and relationships in real life -- family, friendships, neighborhoods, towns, and cities.
Gowdy clearly and narrowly identifies the decline is from the church's hypocrisy and people's lack of love to one another which stems from self-infatuation and thus an unwillingness to sacrifice. Truth becomes relative and unity turns to division in society, showing how society is a mirror reflection of people's hearts and lives. Gowdy's message is meant to persuade listeners with the hope of God to build people up to live with conviction for truth to love God and others instead of the current trend to live hopelessly and complain about life and even about government. The challenge is considering others more important than ourselves, which is a life principle commanded and exemplified in the person and work of Christ. Gowdy challenges the listeners to understand that people don't change because you complain about them and their belief by calling them "idiots" and other descriptions. Rather, he calls for people to be persuasive from the hope we live by -- providing facts, humility, relationship, authenticity, and love.
In Gowdy's closing example, he extracts a tremendous truth for life by a real time example of Arland Williams helping strangers, "And every time ... he's this close to saving his life. And, every single time he passes it to a stranger -- not his wife, daughter -- but a stranger ... I'm not asking you to be [Ronald] Reagan. I'm not asking to be [Abraham] Lincoln. I'm asking you to live a quiet life of conviction and virtue, and actually live out what you actually profess to believe. If you can do that, you will be a leader. You will be persuasive."
Gowdy's message is right in line with Paul's instructions to the Thessalonian believers from the Bible's New Testament passage of 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12:
“Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more,and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.”
(1 Thessalonians 4:9–12 ESV)
