~William Paul Young, The Shack~
I remember someone asking me some time ago what part of chirstianity that Jesus belonged to. It may have been a question to trap me into a overly religious answer or perhaps they maybe they were genuinely curious. I had no response. Sure, I struggled with my thoughts as to what the best answer might be in order to convert this person, but the words escaped me. Suppose for just a moment that this person was genuinely interested in the answer to his question. We've been told for thousands of years that those of us who follow Christ Jesus are known worldwide as christians. Indeed, we are all part of the worldwide religion of christianity. We are followers of Christ, following that religion which bears His name. So is it man who created this following or Jesus Himself? Well, truth be told, many of the traditions which we christians follow today were created by man. Yes, we have the old Roman emperor Constantine to thank for much of what is today modern christianity. It was considered that bringing the followers of Jesus under one new religion would ultimately make them easier to control. Remember that the Romans were the ones who persecuted the early church of the followers of Jesus. In fact, those early believers were often forced to meet in secret in fear of this Roman persecution. Obviously, the brainstorm of Constantine was to bring these zealots under government control permanently. For if he couldn't destroy this religious uprising by killing the early followers of Jesus, then why not bring them under the umbrella of his throne? Genius. Thus christianity, in regards to name and tradition, was born.
24“God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25“Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26“And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27“so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28“for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring."
Acts 17: 24 - 28 NKJV
One of my favorite lines from The Shack came as Mack was in the workshop talking with Jesus. Somehow the topic turned to being a christian and Mack is curious. Then Jesus throws him one of the biggest curveballs of the story. His response to Mack is, "I have no desire to make them (His followers) christian." What? Was this the same question my aquaintance had asked me some time ago? Didn't Jesus want more christians, more followers? What happened to all that great commision stuff we've been told about Sunday after Sunday? Wasn't it our very job as christians to recruit new followers for Jesus? Once I became familiar with the history of christianity I realized that the words of Jesus in The Shack were closer to the truth than we care to admit. For why would Jesus desire to create more followers of a man made religion? Instead, His deepest desire would be to see, as He called it, "Transformation into sons and daughters of My Papa." Indeed, Jesus is not interested in making christians, but sons and daughters of His Father in heaven. For these are the TRUE followers of Christ Jesus. Unhindered by traditions and free to live in the love of the Father.
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