This final episode challenges all Christians to implement Biblical imperatives that will substantially reflect God's will for their lives, resulting in revolutionary results by the end of the year. Beginning with apprehending the tailor-made vision of God through prayer, Christians should adopt a purposeful intentional approach to life instead of reacting to circumstances and challenges according to the flesh. Opposition is the expectation of Spirit-filled believers who know they can do all things through Christ who strengthens them. (Phil. 4:13) The episode culminates with the higher promise of the Christian life: in addition to witnessing how God empowers them to do mighty exploits in the name of the Lord, Christians discover the transformative Person and power of Christ. This is indeed the greatest reward.
Who’s Commenting on the Narrative of Your Life?
Informed by Nehemiah 4:1-5, where unbelievers mocked the progress of Nehemiah's men, this episode exhorts believers struggling with sin to surround themselves with spiritual saints who edify, even in their rebuke. Too often, believers, particularly those young in the faith, take the judgmental narrative of unbelieving critics to heart and become discouraged and despondent over their apparent lack of spiritual progress. "If a fox walked on top of their Christian wall, it would immediately crumble." But this assessment contrasts sharply with that of spiritual believers, who come along to gently restore and would never condemn the halting progress of a struggling believer. The episode calls struggling believers (all of us!) to surround themselves with godly saints who embrace God's narrative and speak it back to us as we all run the Christian race.
You wouldn’t Understand..it’s a God Thing
This episode further develops the theme emphasized in the previous program, that addressing the negative narrative of unbelievers is often a fool's errand, particularly when that commentary claims to know the motives behind Christian service. Nehemiah didn't attempt to justify himself when faced with Sanballat's accusation that his rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem was really about Nehemiah's personal ambition to lead a rebellion. Instead, Nehemiah simply asserted that God would give him success. Nehemiah models how Christians should respond to naysayers who project evil motives based on their idolatry. He also models reliance on God's power which is the source of all godly success.
“Work Smart, Get a Vision”
This episode reemphasizes the absolute necessity of spending time with God in prayer and gaining His perspective on how we should invest our lives this year. Col. 3:1-2 tells us to "set our minds on things that are above where Christ is seated, NOT on things below.." Many Christians live reactive and aimless lives because they lack the tailor-made vision for their lives. Prioritizing the divine perspective over the lusts of men, ours and others', is the only way to lead an intentional life that pleases God. The episode closes with Nehemiah as an example of seeking God's will despite having sin issues. So no Christian can legitimately claim that God can't use them.
Take Hold of the Narrative of your Life
This episode, based on last weeks' lessons, sets the stage for living the will of God this year. 1 Pet. 4:1-2 tells us that believers should no live for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. Yet the narrative of reacting to life too often describes our time year after year because we don't gain the clear divine perspective for our lives. When we "seek those things above where Christ is seated" (Col. 3:1), we stop reacting to life's circumstances based on a divine vision. This episode consequently emphasizes the prayerful pursuit of the will of God, with the end of establishing the narrative for our lives.
The evangelical response to oppression must be more than a gospel presentation
This episode challenges evangelical Christians to embrace legitimate social justice concerns so that the dominant narrative will not be dictated by leftist practitioners of identity politics. Since the Scripture has much to say about God's heart for the oppressed, we should incorporate the living gospel, actively combatting oppression as we preach the gospel.
Identity Politics: Making the Secondary Primary
This episodes addresses how identity politics exalts secondary characteristics of identity, like race, class and sex--into fundamental markers of identity. Racial profiling is an obvious application of such an unjust approach. White privilege and white guilt amount to racial profiling applied to whites. Both are unjust and miss the standard of Biblical justice.