Authority: Who Is Actually in Charge of My Life?

Week 2:  Welcome back to another episode of Applied Christianity.  This is Episode 2 of a 52-week journey towards becoming a true disciple of Christ

Last week, we talked about what a disciple actually is.
Not a label.
Not a belief system.
But a person who is learning to live the way Jesus lived.

Today, we need to talk about something even more foundational — authority.

Because many people believe in Jesus, admire Jesus, even talk about Jesus,
but quietly remain in charge of their own lives.

Discipleship does not begin with effort.
It begins with surrender.

THE AUTHORITY PROBLEM

Most of us were taught to invite Jesus into our lives.
But Jesus consistently invited people to give their lives to Him.

In Luke chapter 6, Jesus asks:
“Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”

Calling Jesus Savior allows me to receive.
Calling Jesus Lord requires me to follow.

Authority feels threatening because it removes our illusion of control.

Most of us don’t resist Jesus because we hate Him.
We resist Him because we’re afraid of what we might lose if we stop managing our own lives.

We tell ourselves we’re being careful, responsible, or wise.
But often, we’re just protecting ourselves from uncertainty.

Control feels safe.
Surrender feels risky.

But Scripture never presents control as a virtue.
It presents trust as one.

After His resurrection, Jesus said:
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.”

You can receive forgiveness without ever surrendering control.
But you cannot follow Jesus that way.

There’s an important reason Scripture consistently calls Jesus Lord before it calls Him Savior.

Jesus does not become Lord because we believe in Him.
He is Lord — whether we submit to Him or not.

What changes is not His authority, but our response to it.

In modern Christianity, it often sounds like Jesus is first offered as Savior,
and then, if we’re ready, He can become Lord later.

But that’s not how Jesus spoke about Himself.

Jesus does not save us so that we can remain in charge.
He saves us by bringing us under His rightful authority.

Salvation is not just rescue from guilt —
it is rescue from self-rule.

When we reverse the order — when we want a Savior without a Lord —
we shouldn’t be surprised when discipleship stalls and fruit never grows.

SELF-RULE VS CHRIST-RULE

When I remain in charge:
I decide what I obey.
I decide what I ignore.
I decide what makes sense.

When Jesus is Lord:
Obedience comes before understanding.
Trust comes before clarity.

There is a cost to remaining in control, even when that control looks reasonable.

When I insist on managing my own life, I may avoid certain risks —
but I also quietly limit transformation.

Control promises safety, but it never delivers peace.

It tells us, “If I stay in charge, I can prevent disappointment.”
But what it really prevents is trust.

This is why many believers feel stalled.
Not rebellious.
Not disobedient in obvious ways.
Just… unmoved.

We obey where it feels safe.
We trust where outcomes seem predictable.
And we hesitate where surrender would require real faith.

Jesus never invited people to manage Him.
He invited them to follow Him.

And following always involves uncertainty.

That uncertainty is not a flaw in discipleship —
it is the space where trust is formed.

As long as I remain in control, my faith stays theoretical.
But when I release control, faith becomes lived.

This is why Jesus repeatedly connects discipleship with words like lose, deny, and take up.
Not because He wants loss,
but because nothing new can grow while the old authority remains intact.

Control preserves what is familiar.
Surrender makes room for transformation.

WHY MANY LONG-TIME CHRISTIANS NEVER SEE LASTING FRUIT

There’s something important we need to name here,
because it explains a lot of quiet frustration —
especially among Christians who’ve been in church for decades.

Many long-time believers genuinely love God.
They’ve believed for years.
They’ve served.
They’ve tried to be faithful.

And yet, when you listen closely,
the fruit of the Spirit — real joy, real peace, patience, gentleness —
often feels temporary.

It comes and goes.
It’s situational.

The reason is not lack of effort.
It’s misplaced authority.

As long as we remain in control,
our sense of security is still tied to the world —
to health, money, approval, comfort, certainty, or control.

And when our security is tied to those things,
fear never really leaves.
It just hides underneath religious language.

Joy becomes an emotion instead of a condition.
Peace lasts only until circumstances change.
Patience disappears when pressure arrives.

You cannot force fruit.

Fruit is not produced by effort —
it is produced by life flowing through the tree.

The moment we stop clinging to false security
and truly allow Jesus to lead,
something begins to change beneath the surface.

Not instantly.
But genuinely.

When Christ is Lord:
Peace no longer depends on circumstances.
Joy no longer depends on outcomes.
Patience no longer depends on people behaving well.

Fruit appears because authority has shifted —
and life is finally flowing from the right source.

INVITATION

This week is not about fixing anything.
It’s about noticing.

Where do I still insist on being in control?
Where do I obey only when it makes sense to me?
What am I still using as my source of security?

You don’t lose yourself when you surrender to Jesus.
You finally come under the care of someone wiser than you.

As a reminder, at the end of each episode, I’ll recommend a few Scripture readings, along with some additional reading for those who want to go deeper. We’ll also end with a few reflection questions.

 

Read slowly. Do not rush.

Luke 6:43–49
Jesus connects obedience, foundation, and fruit. Pay attention to what produces stability.

Matthew 28:16–20
Notice the order: authority is declared before instruction is given.

John 14:15–27
Watch how love, obedience, and the coming of the Holy Spirit are inseparably linked.

Galatians 5:16–25
Pay careful attention to the difference between works of the flesh and fruit of the Spirit. Fruit grows; it is not manufactured.

 

Christian Thinkers

C. S. Lewis

Mere Christianity

Book IV, Chapter 4 — “Counting the Cost”

Book III, Chapter 8 — “The Great Sin”

Why these chapters:
Lewis exposes self-rule as the deepest resistance to Christ’s authority and makes clear that Jesus does not assist our control — He replaces it. Pride, understood as self-sovereignty, prevents surrender and therefore prevents transformation.

“Christ says, ‘Give me all.’ I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want you.”

 

George MacDonald

Unspoken Sermons

“The Will of God”

“Obedience”

Why MacDonald:
MacDonald insists that obedience is not loss but liberation, and that peace is impossible while the human will remains divided. True sonship begins when the will is willingly aligned with the Father.

“The obedience of the child is the only true response to the Father.”

 

Weekly Reflection Questions

Encourage journaling. Do not answer quickly.

Where in my life do I still insist on being in control?

What do I rely on for security when circumstances become uncertain?

What fruit might God be waiting to grow if I surrendered authority rather than managing outcomes?

Take one reading this week. Sit with it. Don’t rush. Discipleship is not about how much you consume — it’s about how much you allow Jesus to reshape you

 

Next week, we’ll begin to look at what Jesus actually meant when He spoke about the Kingdom of God — and why understanding the Kingdom changes everything about how we follow Him.