These days more so than religion. The second of the three presidential debates was filled with passion and tension. It is funny to me how we want our leaders to be passionate but don’t want the consequences of passion to be on display. Passion elicits action and action can bring conflict, but we don’t want that, no conflict but lots of passion. Passion without action produces a fan. Who wants to be a fan? It’s O.K. to put your hand down now.
Recently two of our ladies have been engaged in a book titled Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus by Kyle Idleman pastor of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY. The book focuses on the differences between followers and fans. In a nutshell a fan knows a lot about their “star” but does not know the star. There is no personal connection and relationship between the fan and their star. A follower on the other hand may know a lot of information but most importantly knows the “star” and conforms’ their life to that of their star. It is the idea found in Jesus’ teaching of dying to self to be transformed to His image. Let me put it another way from another writer.
I am reading Love Does by Bob Goff. At least in my mind he relays the same concept of fan and follower in different terms stalker and doer. He has the ability to store and recall facts and figures easily. Bob Goff IS a lawyer. He found that he went to a lot of Bible studies where he learned a lot of facts and figures about Jesus and the Bible. He knew a lot about Jesus and the Christian life but all of his knowledge had failed to change his life. He realized he was a Jesus stalker. He knew a lot about Jesus but did not really know him, like a “fan” of Pastor Idleman. SO, Bob Goff quit going to Bible studies and joined a Bible Do group. This group of men gathers to read scripture and then makes plans to do that in their lives and lives of others around them.
Consider this, a fan gets to sit and watch, cheer and holler, criticize and arm chair quarter back from the safety of the audience and then go about their lives in the same way they have always done, lots of passion for a moment but no action at any moment. A follower may do all of the cheering and hollering but they jump onto the game. They take the ball and go play the sport. No arm chair quarterbacks, no they are the real thing taking the hits, missing the throws, spitting the blood, spilling the sweat, hearing the boos and ducking the cat calls. However, they also taste the victory and it is made sweeter through the blood, sweat and tears more so than any fan could ever imagine. I ask you who has more passion, the fan or the follower, the stalker or the doer?
What kind of preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ would I be if I didn’t ask the question? Which am I a fan or follower a stalker or a doer? Which are you? I believe Jesus is not after fans, he had many at one point then he asked them to do the hard work to die to self to make sacrifices and they left all but the disciples. He then asked them if they were leaving too. If asked that same question how would you answer? Are you watching from the sidelines God’s kingdom at work wondering what He is doing or are you in the game getting dirty, injured and tired from the fray? Read Paul’s account of his life would you say he was a fan or a follower?
Many people can fain passion, those who have it are the ones doing. True passion motivates us to play the game regardless of the cost. Jesus is passionate about you, he died for you remember. Our passion for politics should pale in comparison to our passion for Christ. How about your level of passion for him and his Kingdom?
In HIS Service and Yours,The Rev
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