Jesus says “Believe in me” about five times. But care to guess how many times Jesus said “Follow me”? About twenty times.
Idleman, Kyle (2011-05-24). Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus (pp. 32-33). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
I am not a fan of Jesus. Fans get all excited about their hero. They wear t-shirts exalting his praises. They love the things He does. They can recite numerous facts about their hero. It’s pretty cheap to be a fan. I guess you can go all nuts on fan gear, but you don’t really have to spend a fortune.
But fans don’t really know their hero. They know about Him. They don’t get down on the field and fight next to Him; they just cheer Him on from the sidelines. If He doesn’t do well in a particular situation, they can slip his t-shirt off and not talk about him. In fact, they usually don’t talk about Him in crowds full of fans of other “heroes.”
I want to be more than a fan. Consider this I have folks I love greatly, my wife, children, grand children and great grands. I want them to have fans; but what I really want for them is for them to have someone who would die for them. Someone who would forsake all others and cling to them alone. Too often today our relationships are fan based. When the hero fumbles or gets fat or wrinkled, the fans fade away. I want a much more committed person for the people I love.
It seems to me that the church has gotten into the business of raising fans for Jesus; when we should be raising followers. We are so eager to get people to sign up that we make being a Christian sound so rosy that no one can resist. Did you ever notice that when Jesus drew a big crowd, He would say something that would send all but the most committed away? That must have been a great frustration for the apostles.
I pray that I’m more than a fan. I want to be a follower. I know it’s costly to be a follower, but anything worth while costs something. I want Him to be first. I want Him to be the one I go to when I have something exciting to share as well as when I stub my toe. I want to be known as a Jesus freak not just a fan.
He’s got lots of fans. He needs a lot more followers.
Be blessed.
Nick
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