As hundreds of people stood to their feet lifting their voices in song and praise, I felt a change in the atmosphere. I had never attended an event so full of life, love, passion, and desire. These young men and women were in love with Jesus Christ. They were the living testimony of His good works and the many blessings He had placed on their lives.
The next artist walked on to the stage and greeted the worshipers in the audience. He shared his testimony and introduced their song. The musicians were on point and we were ushered into another praise song. The beats were crazy. Everyone was into the song, but did anyone really hear the lyrics? I wonder if this is a prime example of what happens when the beats pull us in and we neglect to listen closely to the lyrics?
As I listened closely to the lyrics of the song, I was left puzzled. I later turned to my cousin who had the same puzzled expression on his face. We paused and listened closer to the lyrics of the song, which said, “I am a prisoner of Christ?”
What? I am a prisoner of Christ? Does that even make sense? Is that even possible? No, no, and definitely a big NO! The wonderful thing about Jesus Christ and His love for us is that we are given free will. Since the beginning of time, Jesus gave Adam and Eve the freedom to do His will or fulfill their own desires. They had the ability to choose right from wrong. Even after they sinned and until today, we still have free will. We can choose to come to church or stay home. Sadly, many Christians have chosen the latter. Granted, there are many reasons why one has made their personal decision to stay home instead of attending a church service. However, if you have a problem with your church, there are millions of other churches around the world to choose from.
Am I a prisoner of Christ? Well what does the word, “prisoner” mean? According to dictionary.com, a prisoner is a person or thing that is deprived of liberty or kept in restraint. The second definition is a person who is confined in prison or kept in custody, esp. as the result of legal process. So with those definitions in mind, I couldn’t possibly be a prisoner of Christ.
I have the liberty to worship Christ or not. The beauty of that decision is He will love us regardless. I am not confined. Christ would never confine those who follow Him. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for those of the world. With all decisions, there are consequences. To love Christ means that you must be willing to die for your faith. Christians will have a difficult time trying to stay faithful, because we will be forced to conform our ways to that of the world. We know that as Christians we must stand out, because the ways of the world are against the Bible. Times are easy now for some, but life will become quite uncomfortable over time for true believers. To hate Christ means that you will not gain eternal life. Once you know the end result of either path, it’s still your choice to identify which is the best route.
I sense some of my readers may ask, are we prisoners of Satan if not Christ? I would still have to say no. He doesn’t have the ability to imprison us. It boils down to our decision to follow one versus the other. It’s not too late to switch armies. Keep in mind, time is of the essence. For those of you who are still stuck at the fork in the road, choose Christ. Then proudly proclaim that you are a soldier of Christ, not His prisoner. I have!
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