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.
Get a Life
Coming mostly from Romans 6:4-6, this initial episode affirms that Christ is the model for sanctification, and the natural application of the resurrection of Christ to everyday life is the vigilant pursuit of His life. Identification with the death, burial and resurrection of Christ leads to walking "in the newness of life." While the passage mostly addresses the Christian hope of physical resurrection, our future resurrection is foreshadowed by regeneration and subsequent embrace of the life of Christ. Sanctification largely corresponds to the realization that "the flesh profits nothing" (John 6:63) and needs to die--hence we unite ourselves to Christ in the likeness of His death. This self-mortification clears the way for the life of Christ to become more prevalent, as we progressively walk more and more in the newness of life.