Fan or Follower?

As of 10:40 am on April 14, 2009 God has 226,094 fans on Facebook. Now your first thought might be “Wow, that’s awesome. God has fans. Maybe I should become a fan?” Please understand, if you are a member of this group I mean no disrespect to you, but God does’t want fans.

I mean isn’t that why we have the problems we have now-a-days? Because, God just has fans.

I am a fan of IU basketball, the Detroit Red Wings, The Colts, Buffalo wings, Peeps, a good steak, Krispy Kreams, Jeeps, Ford Trucks, Boston Terriers, Talk Radio, Fishing, Hunting, House, Heroes, Hulk Hogan (the “I am a Real American” Hulkster, not the NWO goober), Ronald Reagan, Chris Tomlin, Rich Mullins, TobyMac, and Aaron Shust. I like these things.

I am a diehard supporter and fan of all the above and much more, but I am not willing to sacrifice life and love for the sake of a sports team, car company, T.V. show, hobby, artist, politician, or food. Not even for Krispy Kreams!!!

I am not a Fan of God, I am a follower of God.

I am not a fan of Jesus, I am a follower of Jesus.

There is a difference. When Jesus called the apostle Peter he did not say, “Hey Pete, want to be my fan?” No, Jesus said “Come, Follow me.” When we follow Jesus it is for life. It is putting our faith, trust, hope, and love in the hands of an Eternal God and Savior who will not disappoint us. It is allowing that same God and Savior to change us.

Because, that’s what happens when we stop being fans, and start following Jesus. He changes us. It makes us something totally and radically different. I have never walked away from a ballgame as a radically different person. Why? Because those things we are a fan of do not have the ability to bring a lasting change to our lives.

Every team is going to lose, and every season is going to come to an end.

Every bite eaten and calorie consumed will soon become a memory. (Ok, maybe not as soon as we like but, calories get used eventually.)

Every jeep and truck will all end up as bucket of rust in the scrap heap of time.

Every T.V. show ends it’s run in both new and syndicated re-runs.

Every actor, politician, artist, and singer retires, and the steady flow of inspiration trickles to an end.

The awesome thing is following Jesus never ends. The adventure always continues. The season doesn’t end, the inspiration doesn’t stop, and if you ever feel like it does, chances are about 100% that it is your fault and not His.

From day we submit, to the day that we die, and beyond; following Jesus never results in disappointment.

So I choose to be a follower, not just a fan.

Shalom,
Randy