If you’re seeking a community that genuinely follows the Holy Spirit and the teachings of Jesus—rather than merely worshiping his image—you have more options than you might think. The reason you may not be aware of them is due to the overwhelming influence of mainstream Christian denominations, which have dominated the narrative for centuries.
Jesus never instructed his followers to worship him. He was a man devoted to fulfilling divine will through the guidance of the Holy Spirit—something each of us is also capable of doing. Yet, most mainstream churches have centered their doctrines around worshiping Jesus himself, often in direct contradiction to the foundational Judeo-Christian commandment: You shall have no other gods before me. Jesus reaffirmed this when he taught that we are to love the Father with all our heart, mind, and soul.
As stated in my previous writings here, any suggestion that Jesus demanded worship would have been strikingly egotistical—something he clearly was not. Instead, he served as a living example of what it means to surrender entirely to the Holy Spirit, teaching others how to access that same divine guidance. His life was meant to demonstrate what is possible for all of us.
While many Christians place Jesus on a pedestal—which is understandable given his profound teachings and tragic sacrifice—it is a misunderstanding to believe he held exclusive access to God. On the contrary, he taught that we, too, could connect directly with the Source through the Holy Spirit. What some call enlightenment, nirvana, ego transcendence, etc is the very state of transcendent awareness that Jesus reached, and encouraged others to reach as well. He never said, “Look what I got that you don’t.” This state of awakening is not exclusive to any religion, as the universe is not partial to any religious group. This needs to be especially emphasized to Christians who always appear to be in denial that Jesus was teaching concepts and ideas that predated Buddhism by hundreds of years. No religion owns the path to spiritual awakening/enlightenment.
What made Jesus extraordinary was not his uniqueness in accessing the Holy Spirit, but the magnitude of his role in humanity’s spiritual evolution. And when his teachings are fully embodied, we come to understand that none of us are truly “special”—we are all one with God, as Jesus himself declared. It is only our egos that create the illusion of separation—from one another and from the Divine.
To those Christians who find this notion sacrilegious, consider whether your resistance comes from true loyalty to Jesus’ words, or simply from discomfort at having long-held beliefs challenged. Jesus’ actual teachings often stand in stark contrast to the traditions and dogmas built up around him.
In truth, Christianity could have inspired far more spiritual transformation if believers had focused on living as Jesus instructed, rather than idolizing his image and name. Ironically, the churches that elevated him into an object of worship may have done more to sabotage his message than even the crucifixion itself. Imagine how many more people might be spiritually awakened today if the emphasis had been on embodying his teachings instead of performing empty rituals in his name.
We are left with two paths: one that leads to transcendence and higher consciousness, and another that traps us in performative religion, where gold crosses and church attendance substitute for true spiritual practice. The latter path often leads to hypocrisy and division—ironically under the banner of Christ.
If we truly want to honor Jesus, it’s not through worship, but through transformation—by living all his teachings, worshiping and loving our father, and explicitly declaring the Holy Spirit to guide our lives in our consciousness, just as he did.
Please don’t get me wrong this isn’t to say we shouldn’t have reverence or deep respect for Jesus. We absolutely should, in light of his sacrifice and the divine messianic mission he fulfilled, as assigned by God the Father and guided by the Holy Spirit. But it’s also important to remember that our greatest honor to him is not just admiration, but living by the teachings he shared.
Here are a few options although I implore you to resist the temptation to adopt any labels to serve your identity:
- The Quakers
- ACIM
- Assemblies of God
- Vineyard churches
- some independent charismatic fellowships,
- Centering Prayer communities, Christian Mystics
- Unity Church
- Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship,
- Centers for Spiritual Living, Richard Rohr’s Center for Action and Contemplation
Other Readings
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