By Anule Emmanuel, New York
Dr. William Shalders of Love Legacy Chapel International on Sunday urged worshippers to welcome change rather than resist it, arguing that time, technology and personal growth move forward regardless of human discomfort.
In a sermon themed “Welcome Change,” Apostle Shalders said people cannot prevent the passage of time or the transformations that accompany it.
Their responsibility, he said, is to prepare themselves for what is coming.
“Time and change are two things that will happen with or without us. Today is Sunday. Tomorrow is going to be Monday. Nobody can hold back Monday from unfolding. Monday is going to come. It is you who has to adjust to Monday and prepare that Monday is coming,” Dr. Shalders whose church is located in the town of WallKill- Orange County in New York, often combine Bible teachings with regular outreach programmes for people in need of social support, told the congregation.
The pastor said the same principle applies to sweeping changes in society, particularly the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other technologies that are reshaping the workplace.
“Whether we like it or not, those changes are going to come. Instead of being afraid, ask yourself: What can I learn to adapt to the changing trend of my profession? he noted.
Dr. Shalders said some Christians have viewed AI with suspicion, even describing it as evil, but he argued that change itself should not be feared or demonised.
“The devil has no power to bring this kind of change. It is God who placed change in His creation, and our place is to make sure that we are well positioned to embrace the change.”
Change, he added, is not necessarily destructive. Properly understood and navigated, it can make people “a better version” of themselves.
The sermon addressed what Dr. Shalders described as a natural human resistance to change – whether personal, institutional or social.
People often cling to familiar routines, he said, invoking the common refrain: “This is the way we have always been doing it.”
NewsQuest reports that the Apostle also urged the congregation to recognize that such thinking can become only a barrier to growth.
“Change is a mark of growth. God created change. He put change in His creation,” he noted.
Using ageing as an everyday illustration, Dr. Shalders noted that physical changes, including grey hair and hair loss – are part of life’s natural progression.
The more important question, he said, is how people respond to inevitable developments around them.
That response is especially urgent in the labour market, where workers who do not update their skills risk becoming irrelevant, he said.
“If I don’t re-educate myself, re-equip myself and prepare myself for the change, then I am going to be kicked out of my job because I am not going to be relevant,” Dr. Shalders said.
“Anybody that fails to adapt to change becomes obsolete, and when you are obsolete, nobody is going to use you.”
The message also turned to spiritual transformation, with Dr. Shalders warning against a public faith that masks flawed conduct in private.
“God does not care about your reputation, the way you want people to see you. God is interested in your character: what you are when you are alone,” he stressed.
He said some people project virtue in public but behave harshly toward relatives, employees or others in private.
“Many pretend when they are in public, but are tigers at home or in their dealings with individuals,” he said.
Citing Romans 12:1, Dr. Shalders called on believers to pursue inward renewal, beginning with the mind, will and emotions.
“God wants us to be transformed from the inside,” he said. “Your soul is your mind, your will, your emotions and your thinking faculty.”
The central challenge, he said, was not merely to survive change but to respond to it deliberately: through learning, spiritual discipline and a willingness to become more capable than before.
Appstle Shalders is a transformational spiritual leader, is the founder of Love Legacy Chapel.
