Who Is Lord?

You know, it’s interesting. There have been many martyrs throughout the ages – from Rome, to the Covenanters in Scotland, to the modern day martyrs of communist China and the Islamic Middle East. The saying is that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.

What is interesting, is that martyrs weren’t typically killed for being Christians. They were killed (or imprisoned, or tortured) for being a danger to the state.

A danger to the state?

The thing is, Christians call Christ Lord. Jesus is our Lord – our ONLY Lord. He rules over our state. He rules over our rulers. He rules over our countries. He rules over everything.

And for that they are killed.

Because Caesar would not let there be another Lord. He wanted to be the ruler. Christians who were imprisoned were often offered the “opportunity” to put a pinch of incense in the fire for Caesar. If they did, they were usually freed. They had accepted Caesar as their Lord over Christ.

Likewise for believers in Scotland during the killing time. If you acknowledged that the king was head of the church then all was well and good. You might have a few difficulties for not following the Anglican liturgy, but as long as the king was King, then all was fine. It was the Covenanters, who acknowledged Christ as King of the church who were persecuted.

In communist China, those who participate in the state-run churches typically receive far more leniency from the government than those in home-churches. Those in home-churches are much more likely to be arrested, imprisoned, tortured or martyred for their faith. But they won’t submit to the state rules about how the church is to be governed. They choose to follow Christ instead.

In the West we almost don’t see the point of all this. We don’t see why people need to stick at such a “small” point. What we don’t see is that this point is not small, it is everything.

Jesus is either Lord of all, or He is not Lord at all. And that goes for your life.
If Jesus is not Lord over your life, then he’s not really part of it. And that should scare you.

Jesus needs to be our King; our King of Kings and Lord of Lords. For He does indeed rule over all things, all powers, all principalities. Just make sure that He is ruling over Your heart.