'Hillsong – Let Hope Rise' Spotlights Faith of Ordinary People With Extraordinary God (Interview)
CP: In "Let hope Rise" We got to see your family – your wife and children. Can you tell us about balancing family life with life on the road?
Gillies: For me I acknowledge that my wife is half of everything that I do. So if I'm traveling overseas with United then basically we are traveling overseas with United, so she's very much a part of it. If she didn't release me to travel then I couldn't do what I do, so I'm quick to acknowledge that. Also when we are home, I make sure that I am home. When we're not traveling and I'm home I'm trying to make the most of the opportunities with my kids and my wife. I'm just trying to make sure that I'm making the most of that time and be as present as I can be. Also FaceTime helps a lot.
CP: Senior Pastor Brian Houston openly shared about the controversies he has had to face since Hillsong has become a worldwide ministry. How do you guys as a unit get through difficult times like that?
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Gillies: We're a lot like a family to be honest. I've been doing this now for almost 15 years, a lot of the other guys have as well. When you been on the journey for that long you become like a family, so you might have little disagreements here and there but as a whole you are for each other. You want each other to succeed and you don't want anyone to get hurt. You just want the best for everybody, for the bigger picture. I think that's what happens in family and that's what we've become.
CP: As you travel the world and see thousands come to Jesus, what would you say has had the most impact on people's lives?
Gillies: I would just encourage people that Hillsong UNITED is a great picture of the fact that God uses everyday ordinary people to do some pretty significant things. To be honest if you think about what Hillsong UNITED has been a part of so far, no one is more surprised than we are.
My encouragement would be to hang on to the promises of God, believe that God can do something significant with your life no matter how ordinary it is or no matter how disadvantaged you might feel. God's not necessarily looking for the best or the most able or the best speakers or the best worship leaders/best musicians. He's looking for the most available and those who are willing to give Him everything that they've got, including all of the glory!
To do something significant, remember, we are a part of what God is doing not vice versa. When we have a perspective that we're are allowing God to be a part of what we're doing, I think we missed the point. But when we see that this is a privilege to be a part of what God is doing on this Earth, it's a great place to start.
CP: What do you hope to accomplish with this film?
Gillies: I want people who are in the church or building the church to be encouraged to see a little bit of their own thread in the film and be encouraged by it. We are just ordinary people and I pray that they would see that and be encouraged. The other thing is, I pray that people that are not into the church and that don't know God would maybe see the film, and see the church as something way more relevant than they had at first thought, and see a place where they can be safe. A place where they can be encouraged where they can find hope, and hopefully with this film, "Hillsong – Let Hope Rise" we can get some people that are not in the church into the theaters and really help connect them with the God who created them."
"Hillsong – Let Hope Rise" is in theaters now. For more information visit hillsongmovie.com.
