God Is Not a Christian
By Pastor Enoch F. Phiri
CEO of Taking Dominion
One of the biggest misconceptions Africa inherited and embraced without question is religion.
Religion, by nature, divides people. Religion creates camps, denominations, arguments, and superiority complexes.
Religion puts people in pigeonholes and convinces them that God belongs to their group alone.
And someone might say, “But Pastor, you are a Christian. How can you say this?”
Oh yes I can say it boldly and unapologetically:
God is not a Christian.
1. The God of the Bible Is Not Religious
When I was young, I used to think Jesus was a Christian and that God only loved people who belonged to the Christian faith. I sincerely believed that heaven was reserved for those who carried the Christian label.
But as I grew in Scripture, in prayer, and in understanding, I discovered a powerful truth:
God is not religious. God is Spirit.
(John 4:24)
And a Spirit cannot be confined to human categories.
2. Jesus Did Not Come to Start a Religion
Jesus never introduced Himself as the founder of Christianity. He never asked anyone to “join a religion.” He came to establish something far deeper, far greater, and far more transformative:
A Kingdom. A relationship. A divine order between God and man.
Christianity, as we know it today, is a human framework created after Jesus’ resurrection to describe His followers.
But Jesus Himself was not a Christian.
He was born a Jew, under the religious order of Judaism—yet He constantly challenged that same religious system.
His message was not religion.
His message was the Kingdom.
3. From Religion to Kingdom
I must confess this revelation didn’t come to me easily.
It took years of unlearning and renewing my mind. I had to break out of the box of religion to embrace the mind of the Kingdom.
Religion says:
“God is for us, not for them.”
The Kingdom says:
“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.”
(Psalm 24:1)
Religion says:
“My group is right and yours is wrong.”
The Kingdom says:
“God desires that all men be saved.”
(1 Timothy 2:4)
Religion separates.
The Kingdom reconciles.
4. Jesus Called for True Worshippers, Not Religious Members
In John 4:23, Jesus declared something revolutionary:
“The hour is coming, and now is, when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth.”
Not in religion.
Not in denomination.
Not in tradition.
But in spirit and in truth.
This was Jesus’ way of uprooting the myth that God is owned by any religious group. His Kingdom is bigger than Christianity, bigger than denominational labels, and bigger than the boxes humans create.
5. So What Does This Mean for Us Today?
It means we must go beyond being religious Christians to becoming Kingdom citizens.
It means we must stop defending denominations and start representing Christ.
It means we must stop seeing the world through religious lenses and start seeing it through God’s heart.
Africa does not need more religion.
Africa needs the Kingdom.
Africa needs truth.
Africa needs Christ—not the religion about Him, but the relationship with Him.
Conclusion
God is not a Christian.
He is not confined to labels.
He is not limited to traditions.
He is Spirit—and He seeks a relationship, not a religion.
My prayer is that this generation will break free from religious thinking and embrace the Kingdom that Jesus came to establish.
Because where religion divides,
the Kingdom unites.
Where religion condemns,
the Kingdom restores.
Where religion controls,
the Kingdom liberates.
May we all become true worshippers in spirit and in truth.