This episode continues the focus on God's lovingkindness that leads to repentance. A balanced preaching of the gospel always includes the demand to repent. Coupled with the convicting work of the Spirit, godly sorrow leads to repentance without regret. (2 Corinthians 7:10) The Holy Spirit also leads people to repent by imparting on the soul a sense of God's unmerited kindnesses. The evangelist ideally follows the Holy Spirit's leading in "wounding the conscience" (Acts 2:38), while bringing out the gracious character of God in His care of us when we deserve the opposite. The episode concludes with an exhortation to be living epistles of God's lovingkindness. The evangelist himself/herself should be the embodiment of the grace extended to all. So just as God is "kind to ungrateful and evil people," so the evangelist should be gracious to ALL, ready to bless.
Both Godly Sorrow and His Many Kindnesses Lead to Repentance
This episode mostly focuses on the kindnesses of God that lead to repentance. The last program emphasized cooperation with the convicting Holy Spirit, as He works godly sorrow leading to repentance without regret. The temptation for some evangelists (and churches) is interrupting or sidestepping the Holy Spirit's work of conviction, resulting in shallow repentance without genuine sorrow. The result at best, is a shallow repentance with regret. The evangelist instead needs to cooperate with the Holy Spirit's "sorrowful" work, while at the same time bringing to mind His more "positive" gracious works. "The kindnesses of God lead you to repentance." (Romans 2:4) Many unbelievers have experienced kindnesses of God that smack of divine intervention: miraculous survival from normally "fatal" accidents, instantaneous answers to prayer, and rescue from dire circumstances. God can't help Himself, for "He is kind to ungrateful and evil people." (Luke 6:35) The evangelist can then hopefully elicit acknowledgment of God's kindnesses while articulating God's call to repent. Godly sorrow coupled with God's kindnesses, embodied in the cross, are the means of repentance.
Omission of the Great Commission Makes a Dull Christian
This episode initially drives home the central point of the previous lesson, that response to the Great Commission mandate is a matter of obedience, not feelings. And it is comparable to growth in many Christian disciplines, in which "feeling" dividends are not immediately realized but nevertheless accumulate with a lifestyle of obedience. This episode paints the stark contrast of an obedient disciple of Christ, making the most of every evangelistic opportunity, with the mediocre Christian life that never responds to the evangelistic call. In the case of the latter, a sub-standard Christian life sets in after prolonged disobedience to the Great Commission. The love of God poured out in the heart of the believer is imprisoned within oneself or family, and the unconditional love of God pleading with the world "be ye reconciled to Christ" withers away in solitary confinement. It is always technically present, but the indwelling Spirit is grieved that the UNCONDITIONAL love that defines Him is at best extended to cellmates. The disciple obedient to the Great Commission, by contrast, experiences greater degrees of the divine zoe life. Disciplined to follow the Spirit's promptings in leading others to Christ, he is constantly being strengthened with power in the inner man, rooting and grounding him in the agape love that he readily extends to unbelievers. (Ephesians 3:16-19) The supernatural mission of Christ IS his mission, and Christ's joy (and the angels) becomes his when he assists in bringing sinners to repentance. The zoe life characterized by obedience in making disciples becomes LIFE itself.
Not FEELING it? Let Your FEELINGS Follow Obedience!
This episode mostly deals with psychological hindrances to evangelism, principally a ministry mindset that is driven more by "feelings" than obedience. Many believers gravitate to serving in areas in which they are gifted, and feelings of fulfillment naturally abound. Sharing the gospel on some level, is however not the sole prerogative of the "gifted" evangelist and apologist, for ALL believers are exhorted to provide a reasoned account for "the hope that lies within them, with gentleness and respect." (1 Peter 3:15) Evangelism then is not a "gifted-restricted" ministry but a universal mandate placed on all believers. Not being a gifted evangelist, I struggled to respond to this universal command because of fear and low self-esteem, resulting in disobedience in this area. The program contains my testimony how I overcame my "feeling" driven mindset and became obedient to the universal command to witness. Positive feelings and a heightened sense of purpose FOLLOWED obedience, highlighting a common Christian growth experience. God commands us to obey, making us initially uncomfortable and dissatisfied, but obedience ultimately brings satisfaction and positive feelings that more than compensate for initial hesitancy and awkwardness.
Get Comfortable Making Sinners Uncomfortable
This episode addresses the role of the evangelist in cooperating with the Spirit when He convicts the world concerning sin. No one calls Jesus Lord apart from the Spirit's convicting work, and the Spirit makes unbelievers uncomfortable with themselves in light of any faithful presentation of the gospel message. Many evangelists desperately want to provide the solution to the problem of sin without adequately spelling out the problem. They interrupt sinners in the PROCESS of grappling with the just judgment due their sin, leading to a very shallow conviction that they NEED Christ. Never genuinely convicted of their sin and desperate state, they abandon Christ when difficulty arises, for they never had "firm root" in themselves. (Matthew 13:21) They were never sufficiently convicted of their sinfulness. Sadly, many such "converts" erroneously conclude they're saved based on a past recitation of the sinners prayer, which now inoculates them against real conviction. And, many will likely be horrified when they are cast into hell, despite their shallow profession. (Matthew 7:22) The above terrifying outcome should motivate the evangelist not to get ahead of the Holy Spirit and allow sinners to "suffer" under His convictions. Deep conviction leading to repentance and faith in Christ produces lasting disciples who KNOW their wretched condition apart from Christ. The episode concludes with this imperative: BE COMFORTABLE WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT MAKES SINNERS UNCOMFORTABLE, for there is no curtailing the process. And curtailing, albeit well-intentioned, is a stumbling block, and we know what Jesus says about that..(Matthew 18:7)
Conviction, Indispensable to Confessing and Calling
This episode summarizes the specific content of the gospel that informs evangelism, emphasizing leaning on the Holy Spirit's leading. Calling Jesus Lord presupposes knowledge of the gospel and personal appropriation of Christ as king, as Lord. The evangelist as co-laborer with the Holy Spirit consequently conveys the "negative" side of the gospel story, that all are judged as sinners for not trusting in Christ. The episode introduces the essential role of the Holy Spirit in convicting the world of "sin, righteousness, and judgment." (John 16:7) These convictions, or Spirit-impressed truths, are the natural consequences of any Spirit-led evangelistic encounter, in which "the good news" is founded on "TERRIBLE NEWS." Ultimately calling Christ Lord then rests on knowledge of one's hopeless desperate state before a holy God, and the wise evangelist simply cooperates with the Holy Spirit in conveying these truths.
Converting People is NOT in your Job Description
This initial episode unpacks the classic "formula" for salvation articulated in Romans 10:9, "if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." This relatively straightforward "easy" confession is predicated on the work of the Holy Spirit, so persuading and even manipulating someone to recite the sinner's prayer, APART from the leading of the Holy Spirit, is a vain useless exercise. The evangelist should see himself/herself as the mouthpiece of the Holy Spirit, following Him as the LEAD player in any evangelistic encounter. The Romans 10:9 "formula" requires renouncing the kingdom of darkness (repentance) and receiving the kingdom of God's beloved Son (faith). No one can convince someone to "believe in their heart," so mere parroting of the formula doesn't make one a son or daughter of the Kingdom. The episode emphasizes that "no man can call Jesus Lord, except by the Holy Spirit," (1 Corinthians 12:3) and ALL successful evangelism proceeds accordingly.
“Mourn the Residing Power of Sin, not the Penalty”
Building off of the last episode, this program contends that "mourning" should be a common occurrence in the life of believers. The same Holy Spirit that convicts us of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:7-11), leading to repentance and faith in Christ--well that same Spirit continues his convicting work in the life of believer. Though eternal destiny is settled for believers (position), seemingly endless adjustments are in order as the Holy Spirit conforms the saint into the image of Christ, as He addresses our condition. James 4:8-9 insists that believers mourn their remaining affinity with worldliness: "Purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep.."
“Godly Sorrow Leads to Repentance”
This initial episode emphasizes that coming to Christ necessarily requires mourning. The gospel of grace is predicated on judgment, the acknowledgement that justice must be satisfied. "The wages of sin is death," so either Christ's pays the debt or the sinner renders the payment. The conditions to receive Christ are repentance and faith. 2 Corinthians 7:10 declares that "godly sorrow leads to repentance." So even though subsequent joy over receiving the grace of God is the experience of the Christian, mourning that leads to repentance opens the door to that joy. The surrounding verses of Matthew 5:4 also highlight the psychological state of anyone who comes into the kingdom. Being "poor in spirit" and hungry and thirsty for righteousness describe those who mourn over sin. Those who receive Christ are subsequently comforted by the Comforter, the Holy Spirit.
“Holistic Salvation: Forgiven to KNOW God”
This episode notes the skewed focus of many Christians who rarely graduate to the higher purpose of the Christian life, the knowledge of God. Salvation, the way it is taught in many evangelical churches, is consumed with the immediate "fix" of mankind's sin issues, which is ultimately faith in the finished work of Christ at Calvary. Focus on the eternal penalty of sin and its remittance in the person of Christ is not a complete view of salvation. "Sin-obsessed salvation" has obscured the endgame of Calvary, which is forgiven saints who grow in the knowledge of God culminating in the beatific vision. The episode revisits John and Paul's roadmap of holistic salvation where intimate knowledge of God is the goal. (Eph. 3:16-19, 1 John 2:12-14)
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