Now please, let me stress that I am not denying the value or the role this identification has played in the life or the history of the Christian religion over the past 2000 years. The concern that I have is the restrictive religious connotations that have distracted many people from the original purpose, message and mission of the Kingdom of God. The term Christian tends to mentally lock a person into a religious mold and limits the reality of the truth about the Kingdom.
Please note: The Bible refers to man's relationship to God with these phrases: servants, by the way, (that is another word for "representative minister" as a government minister), saints, ambassadors, sons of God, citizens of heaven, kings, God's workmanship, children of God, and other terms of endearment, but not officially are they referred to as Christians. Christianity was never a term given to us by Jesus Christ nor the apostles. The term Christian was never to be a title nor label that we wore, but a lifestyle that we lived, demonstrating the nature of "Christ-likeness". In essence, Christian was supposed to be a description of the culture of the kingdom being exhibited through our lives. This is why the first believers were called Christians by the early observers of their lifestyle, their power, their boldness and their Christ-like authority.
Right or wrong, most unbelievers have a definite idea of what they think a Christian should be. If we are not careful, we can identify too strongly with their label and fall into the trap of trying to live up to their expectations. We should stop trying so hard to live like Christians and all of the false assumptions associated with that ter, and instead work harder at living like sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters of Christ and citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Finally, God's purpose was to establish relationship, not religion. As I stated earlier, religion is man's search for God and the kingdom he lost. The original plan and purpose of God was to have a family of sons that He could relate to as a father to his children.
Keep in mind, all of His actions throughout history were extensions of Himself to us, as He desired to tabernacle or dwell with man. His ultimate goal was always to restore His original place with mankind. How much more personal can one get?
This is the truth behind Jesus' parable of the prodigal son:
Read Constitutional Scriptures: Luke 15:11-24
This is the way God is too. He wants sons, not servants or subjects; He wants citizens, not Christians; and He wants relationships and not religion.
Please note: The Bible refers to man's relationship to God with these phrases: servants, by the way, (that is another word for "representative minister" as a government minister), saints, ambassadors, sons of God, citizens of heaven, kings, God's workmanship, children of God, and other terms of endearment, but not officially are they referred to as Christians. Christianity was never a term given to us by Jesus Christ nor the apostles. The term Christian was never to be a title nor label that we wore, but a lifestyle that we lived, demonstrating the nature of "Christ-likeness". In essence, Christian was supposed to be a description of the culture of the kingdom being exhibited through our lives. This is why the first believers were called Christians by the early observers of their lifestyle, their power, their boldness and their Christ-like authority.
Right or wrong, most unbelievers have a definite idea of what they think a Christian should be. If we are not careful, we can identify too strongly with their label and fall into the trap of trying to live up to their expectations. We should stop trying so hard to live like Christians and all of the false assumptions associated with that ter, and instead work harder at living like sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters of Christ and citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Finally, God's purpose was to establish relationship, not religion. As I stated earlier, religion is man's search for God and the kingdom he lost. The original plan and purpose of God was to have a family of sons that He could relate to as a father to his children.
Keep in mind, all of His actions throughout history were extensions of Himself to us, as He desired to tabernacle or dwell with man. His ultimate goal was always to restore His original place with mankind. How much more personal can one get?
This is the truth behind Jesus' parable of the prodigal son:
Read Constitutional Scriptures: Luke 15:11-24
This is the way God is too. He wants sons, not servants or subjects; He wants citizens, not Christians; and He wants relationships and not religion.
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