Back in May time I was listening to a talk from Erwin McManus, a pastor in California, on a walk into work. From what I remember it was His Easter Sunday message, and as often is the case with Erwin, it was super helpful.

One of the major things that jumped out to me in what he said was a cultural observation he made about what ‘Jesus following’ often becomes in our day and age. He was talking about how as people we are focused on building a good life for ourselves. We have jobs, hobbies, relationships etc. and often our approach to Jesus is to view Him as an add-in to our worlds. If our job is going ok, our hope is that if we add Jesus in the job will get better, the same goes for our relationships.

Jesus isn’t the source that we build all of those things on but He’s the seasoning that helpfully makes them all a little better.

Of course this approach is fraught with challenges. Because happiness or our success is the mark and measure of the relationship we will hold Jesus accountable to that. If it’s going well we might lean into Him more and if it’s not going well we may pull away because ‘it just didn’t work for me.’ Then in an approach similar to other generations we might then add ‘something’ else in to see if that helps us feel happier or turns the situation around. Perhaps we might try meditation, a new hobby, or the latest lifestyle craze to see if they might work better. These things take on the roles of ‘gods’ in our lives.

Ancient civilisations were well known for this approach. They would have many gods that they would worship in order to ensure that their lives went well. When they heard of a new god they would simply add that god in with all of the other gods they had picked up in the hope that things would go well. Some cultures were known to have hundreds if not thousands of gods.

This is what is known as polytheism. The following of many gods. And it’s where many of us are in our culture today in our desire to find happiness and contentment.

This, of course, is opposite from what a true following of Jesus is. He Himself made it clear that He was the way, the truth, and the life. He is supposed to the source and the centre. Even before Jesus came to earth in Human form we see throughout the Old Testament that the followers of Yahweh were monotheistic (following the one and true God) and this was the thing that differentiated them from all other people. Jesus simply continued this theme and according to sociologist Rodney Stark, this was one of the things that caused Christianity’s rapid growth throughout the first century. Here is a quote from Stark.

Where polytheism prevails, people add gods or easily switch their patronage among them, whereas conversion means to make an exclusive commitment to a particular divinity.

Rodney Stark – The triumph of Christianity

Our approach to Jesus can’t be to make some deal with Him. “Jesus, I’ll follow you and in return you’ll make my life better – happy?” That’s not how it works because our happiness and our success is not the goal.

He is. He is the goal, the foundation, the beginning and the end. Jesus isn’t part of the deal that we make, He is the deal.

We have to be very careful we don’t subconsciously slip into becoming a polytheist church which places us at the centre of the relationship. Jesus must be the centre and we must build everything in our lives on Him. Or as it says in a proverbs.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

I’m done, but just to be clear, the proverb doesn’t say that when we submit our ways to Him that our paths will be happy and successful, just that they will be straight! However, He is a good God and He loves us very much!!!