Growing up in the red state of Alabama, the child of Greek Orthodox parents, but caught up in the “Jesus Movement” of the early 1970s, I began to hear evangelical sermons in Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian churches and Youth for Christ meetings in my high school. It didn’t take much repetition to receive the clear message from these preachers that the key to embracing Christianity was “making Jesus Lord.” Not just lip-service, but seeking in every instance and every moment to make Jesus the “Lord of my life.”

One particular preacher’s appeal put the matter in the starkest of contrasts. He quoted Peter’s response of “Not so, Lord” after a vision of Jesus commanded the Apostle to eat un-Kosher food (Acts 10:14). “Not so, Lord!”, insisted the evangelist of the hour, is a logical contradiction.

If you are going to be a Jesus person, you’re going to have scratch out either “Not so” or the title “Lord.” If one was going to be a true Christian, he implored those whom he invited to come forward in repentance, saying “Not so” to Kyrios Christos was not one of the options.

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“A Memorial Day reminder for the 81 percent”
Opinion: Andrew Manis
May 28, 2018
< https://baptistnews.com/article/a-memorial-day-reminder-for-the-81-percent/ >