“Some Christians believe in the teaching that they can enjoy the benefits of salvation through Christ without having to accept the ‘inconvenient’ challenge of His lordship over their lives. Many Christians today are comfortable with Jesus in a manger and Jesus crucified on the cross but not how we may share in his suffering; this is erroneous.”
This was a statement made by Apostle Dr. Emmanuel Anim, the Director of the School of Theology, Missions and Leadership at Pentecost University, on Thursday, January 28, 2021, while speaking at the Ministers and Wives’ Conference (MWC’21- Greater Accra Region), at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), Gomoa Fetteh.
Delivering a sermon on Day 4 of the conference on the topic, “The Christian and The Lordship of Christ,” based on Romans 12:1 and Galatians 2:20, Apostle Dr. Anim explained that “living an obedient and victorious Christian life calls for a life of commitment and submission to the Lordship of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
He revealed that many of the early believers and disciples had to choose between their lives and accepting Jesus as their Lord.
He noted that “in those days, only Caesar, who was the Emperor of Rome could be addressed with the title ‘Lord,’ as a result, when the early believers referred to Jesus as their Lord, most of them were killed and some thrown into prison. That was the price they had to pay for accepting the Lordship of Jesus Christ, can we do the same in our time?”
Apostle Dr. Anim further expounded that “the name Lord is what led to the crucifixion of Christ because the Jewish religious leaders referred to it as blasphemy, but Jesus’ resurrection proved otherwise and established Jesus as Lord and the true Son of God.”
Reading from Romans 12:1, he charged that “since we have been delivered by the death and resurrection of Christ, our lives are not our own, we must, therefore, present ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto our Lord.”
He, therefore, posited that “many of the challenges we face in the church today are because we acknowledge the salvation of Christ, but we have not accepted Him as our Lord,” adding that “most Christians want to make Christ an administrative secretary, always stamping and approving everything we wish and desire to accomplish.”
He reiterated that “the Lordship of Christ is not a one-time action or confession; it is a constant obedience to every command and desire that is not only acceptable but pleasing to our Lord Jesus Christ.”
“The early believers had to face death and prison just to profess Christ as Lord, we are privileged not to be faced by the same challenge, therefore, let nothing hinder us from giving ourselves wholly to the will and command of God,” he stressed.
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