

Non-negotiables
Basics to live by
Besides the personalized nudges God gives to his campaign team members at specific moments, there are non-negotiables that apply to all team members equally and always. God expects us all to trust him enough to let him lead, and he expects us to obey his directives with or without getting an explanation from him.
As we use the "Power Verses" or the Daily Bible Reading List for Power Season, it is always good to be looking for the non-negotiables, the things God is telling us to obey. After all, he is the Owner and the Mastermind of his campaign to heal, bless, and connect the world. He gets to decide how his team is going to go about it. And when his strategy looks upside-down to us, it is obviously best to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Otherwise we may repeat that first sin of Adam and Eve. They were given a command, told what the penalty would be for breaking it, but not told everything about the rationale for it. Under those circumstances, they doubted the goodness of God's motives for the command, and they chose not to obey it. Let's learn from history--obey God first and ask questions later. The wisdom of his strategy will become clear later.
However, God does expect us to use the brains he gave us. That's why it is so important to SYNC (see ourselves in Christ). If we see ourselves properly, we won't have to be taught a lot of other things. They will be obvious.
For example, if we see ourselves as walking evidence of God's power for good, spreading the news of Jesus's "Power Promise" (Acts 1.8), we will care about people who are just getting by in life, trying to do the best they can but never really satisfied that they are doing well enough. They could become empowered with the Spirit of Jesus and discover life on a whole new level. If we are supposed to be the evidence that tips them off about this new level of living, why would we not tell them what we have discovered so far? To keep quiet would be out of SYNC with our self-understanding.
Bottom line: being in SYNC with Christ is the one non-negotiable above all the others. We have zero tolerance for anything that gets us out of SYNC with him.
FAQs on non-negotiables and obedience
1. Don't non-negotiables mean bigotry? Isn't it better to be open-minded?