I rarely blog more than once a week. I am not one to think that my blog is all that important. I felt the need to share this with you. The reason is that it has changed me in ways I never thought. I have been thinking about writing this blog all day. I wanted to give this message tonight because I hope that it speaks to all of you.
I don’t read many Christian books . I love Ted Dekker and have read many of his books. I guess you would say that I am not really into Christian “self-help” books. It’s not that I don’t need the help I am just not really all that into it. That being said I read the book “Not a Fan” by Kyle Idleman. The reason that I even started reading this book is because my husband did. Yep, my husband made me do it….Okay not really. My husband and I are part of a life group. It’s also called small group, city group, or whatever your church calls it. It’s a group of people that get together once a week and do a study and form a community within a church. So our life group is going to do the study of “Not a Fan”. My husband being the over achiever that he is went and bought the book this study is based off of.
I am telling you from the beginning I DID NOT WANT TO READ THIS BOOK! But finally I decided to read it before the study. First the book looks at what a Fan of Jesus is. A fan is defined as “an enthusiastic admirer.” I know what you are all saying “Well, I am a fan of Jesus! We love Jesus.” To be frank Jesus did NOT want FANS he wanted FOLLOWERS! By the first ten pages of this book I was definitely a fan of Jesus. I can talk the talk but when it comes to walking it I ran into a problem.
I truly thought I was a follower of Jesus but after reading this book I realized that I was lukewarm. In Revelation 3:15-16 it says “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.”
When things were going bad I would call on Jesus but when things were good I would put him on the sidelines again. I am all about the “good works” thing of Christianity. I really do enjoy helping people that is why I am a nurse. But what I have a problem with is the relationship with Jesus that I need to have. Jesus will spit me out of his mouth because I am lukewarm. That is pretty powerful stuff.
The book also talks about what following means. If Jesus would come up to you today and ask say “drop everything and follow me?” Would you? This really got to me. I don’t know if I would. Well, first I might pass out if Jesus came up to me and talked. I am sure that he would wait for me to wake up. In Luke 9: 57-62 it says:
“As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
He said to another man, “Follow me.”
But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”
62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
Jesus asked these peeps to come and follow him. The problem is they had the “But” factor going on. I follow you “ But….” I have had the same problem in my own life. I often think to myself “ I will follow you Jesus faithfully but let me…..” You can fill in the blanks.
Here is the thing, I am tired of being a “ fan” . I no longer happy with cheering Jesus on like some cheerleader. I want to be more than a groupie of Jesus. I want him to know me and I want him to know you. I want you to all go out and buy this book. This has changed my life forever. I will reread this book again to remind me that I want to be more than a fan. I want to be a follower.
This Blog is only a small glimpse into this book. I am going to tell you that it is hard to read because you might have a hard time with the message. It took me a while to read it.
The last thing I am going to say is this in Luke 9:23 it says “ If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Jesus is asking us to die for him daily. We need to come and die for Jesus. Are you willing to do that?
My name is Dawn and I am not a Fan!
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