This episode ties together several New Testament passages, highlighting how saving faith ALWAYS involves repentance. Paul summarized his mission before king Agrippa, "to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins.." (Acts 26:18) The prerequisite to receiving forgiveness of sins is a turning away from sin and Satan. Additionally no one can "follow Christ," if they're "following" themselves. Self-denial, a repudiation of one's self-centered life, is foundational to being a Christian. (Matthew 16:24) The episode anticipates that preaching a gospel that includes repentance will result in fewer "conversions," for sinners naturally balk at "receiving Christ" if it requires a change of mind and lifestyle. Since genuine conversions REQUIRE repentance, and only the Holy Spirit can bring one to repentance, the evangelist should stay in his lane, faithfully preaching the naturally distasteful message of repentance and faith in Christ, while the Holy Spirit overcomes resistance and enables sinners to receive Christ as Lord. The conversion of the soul is a supernatural event where the Holy Spirit does the heavy lifting, convicting and confirming the gospel we preach.
The Folly of Assent without Repentance
Based on 1 Peter 4:1-2, this episode spells out the gospel expectation that "calling Christ Lord" means "living for the will of God." Peter says that Christians "no longer live for the lusts of men but for the will of God." In essence, a Christian is one who repents from living for his own lusts and now follows Christ. So calling Christ Lord presumes repentance. Unfortunately many trust in confessional formulas where assent to the truths of the gospel, devoid of repentance, is sufficient for salvation. But mere assent doesn't address one's attitude towards sin, which is fundamentally not living for the glory of God. The evangelist then should not shy away from preaching repentance, the repudiation of the flesh-centered life that misses the glory of God. Faith in Christ manifests itself in an obvious change of direction: "living for the will of God" replaces living "for the lusts of men."
The Limits of the Classic Diagnostic Question
This episode addresses a common misunderstanding of the gospel that is not immediately evident based on the classic diagnostic question often used by evangelists: "if you were to die today and God asked you why He should let you into heaven, what would you say?" Many of course reveal a faulty grasp of true righteousness, saying something like "I'm basically a good person." Some actually provide a theologically correct answer, articulating that they are depending solely on the imputed righteousness of Christ. That answer however reveals correct propositional knowledge of the gospel but is not necessarily indicative of COMMITMENT or TRUST in the gospel. When people provide the correct answer to the above diagnostic question, I usually follow up with a question designed to distinguish mere "propositional faith" from true saving faith: "Are you living for Christ?" I've encountered many who concede they're not "living for Christ," after correctly stating the Biblical grounds of righteousness. Sadly confusion over Biblical faith, characterized by repentance and commitment to Christ ("living for Christ") and mere "propositional faith," assent to the truths of the gospel, is widespread among professing Christians. The latter only have the "faith" of demons (James 2:19), and the evangelist should try to correct this common misunderstanding of the gospel by pointing to the Biblical evidence of saving faith where believers "no longer live for the lusts of men, but for the will of God." (1 Peter 4:2)
When You Follow Christ, His Power isn’t “Optional”
This episode addresses the tendency among believers to draw on resurrection power only in crises or challenging circumstances. The operating presumption is that believers utilize their own power for routine everyday life but rely on God's power when our own isn't up to the task. Some who are successful in achieving a certain degree of sin-management settle into a mediocre Christian life in which DAILY reliance on Christ becomes optional. One reason is that the bar for Christian life is lowered: being a Christian is primarily about sin-management and strangely "following Christ" is only necessary to manage sin. But this recasting of the purpose of Christian life is fundamentally self-centered and contradicts the Scriptures. "If anyone would be my disciple he must first deny himself, pick up his cross and follow me." (Matthew 16:24) Following Christ and service to Him is the end-goal and it is embodied in love of God and neighbor. In essence "sin-management" is the necessary precondition of following Christ which is principally demonstrated by love of God and neighbor. The recasting of Christian life into sin-management, divorced from following Christ, is arguably the principal reason why many dichotomize routine everyday life from crises moments, only the latter of which requires depending on resurrection power. FOLLOWING Christ and loving God and neighbor requires divine power ALL the time.
Present All of You as a Slave of Righteousness
This episode addresses the cross of self-denial with respect to all of our natural abilities and talents. Identifying with Christ is His death, burial and resurrection doesn't just apply to our sin issues and suffering for Christ: it also refers to holistically submitting to the will of the Father, presenting our natural giftings over to Him to be used at HIS discretion. Paul modeled this kind of self-denial to the Corinthians: to the weak he became weak, "becoming all things to all men that he might win some." (1 Corinthians 9:19-22) The episode cites several examples in which Christians win battles but lose souls when they fail to lay their knowledge and verbal acumen at the Master's feet, only to be used upon His leading.
“Blessed are You When Persecuted..”
This episode applies the death, burial and resurrection of Christ to the cross of persecution. Paul told Timothy that all who wish to live godly shall suffer persecution. (2 Tim. 3:12) Public identification with Christ naturally challenges unbelievers and purely "religious' people to evaluate their commitment to worldly values. Many instinctively react defensively and malign Christians whose gospel is convicting. Persecution reveals the degree that we identify with Christ. The disciples who would fully identify with Christ are told to rejoice when it occurs. (Mt. 5:12) Since persecution arises because of the Word, it naturally reveals where are faith isn't rooted or possibly luke-warm. The answer is, of course, to abide more in Christ to the point where He becomes the identity upon which we rest.
The Multi-Faceted Cross
This episode introduces the second arena in which believers are called to apply the death, burial and resurrection of Christ to their lives, that of self-denial. While Christians use the paradigm of Christ's death and resurrection as a model for dealing with the cross of sin, closely related, but not the same, is our attitude towards everything we have that is NOT sinful. All of our gifts and talents need to placed at the Master's feet and utilized based on HIS leading. The episode also mentions the cross of persecution, the third area in which we apply the death, burial and resurrection of Christ to our lives. The episode affirms that the three crosses carried by Christians (sin, self-denial, and persecution) are inter-related. Our submission to Christ over sin issues naturally affects how we respond to self-denial in other areas and our attitude towards persecution.
Alive from the Dead
This episode describes sanctification as BOTH dying to sin and being alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:11) Self-mortification without living for God is depressing and self-centered. The whole reason behind putting to death the deeds of the flesh is making ourselves more available as servants of God. This episode provides my testimony how God dramatically showed me in a dream that I was wasting my life, since I wasn't really living FOR God. When we unite ourselves to Christ in the likeness of His death (self-mortification), the ultimate intention should be availability for the will of God. "Being alive to God in Christ Jesus" is tantamount to living for the will of God. "Living for" requires resurrection power, which God amply supplies, enabling us to walk in the newness of life.
“Don’t Engage Nonsense”
This episode reiterates and details the principal point of the last episode: don't try to justify yourself and respond to the indictments of unbelievers. Nehemiah provides the model. He refuses to chase the false narrative of Sanballat, that he is a rebel, and instead affirms that "the God of heaven will give us success." When God gives us a vision what He wants to do through us, we shouldn't waste our time justifying why God is using us. "To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but even their minds and consciences are defiled." (Titus 1:15) In application, Christians shouldn't expect unbelievers, and even nominal/carnal Christians, to accurately see God's hand working through us. A defiled conscience and mind naturally projects its own condition, and consequently calls good evil. (Isaiah 5:20) So why waste your time explaining yourself?
If God is for You, Who can be Against?
This episode focuses on Nehemiah's efforts to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and how he successfully dealt with opposition. Building on the last episode, Nehemiah repented for the sins of his people, sought the Lord in prayer, and responded obediently to God's favor. All three laid the foundation of Nehemiah's success and enabled him to remain focused when he encountered opposition, which predictably made personal attacks against Nehemiah, recasting his efforts as rebellion. Nehemiah's response models how believers should respond to opposition, refusing to justify ourselves to naysayers and those who malign us.
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