I watched in amusement as my 7-year-old twin girls jumped around screaming like crazy as the Astros won the World Series. To look at them in that moment, you would have thought they were die-hard followers of the Astros. Truth be told, moments earlier they had been upstairs playing and not caring too much about the game. However, when I told them it was time for bed, they suddenly became very interested in the game. If you’re a mom, this might sound familiar. Because I knew it could be the winning game we needed, I gave in and let all the kids stay-up to watch. Their interest in the Astros was definitely circumstantial. They had never watched a whole game before and could not name one player on the team, but the World Series win made them dance around in excitement.
This brought to mind a video series I watched years ago from Kyle Idleman called, “Not a Fan”. In this series, he challenged professing-Christians to check their relationship with Jesus. He wanted them to be honest about whether they were a fair-weather fan of Jesus or if they were a fully committed follower of Jesus.
Many times, we can act like my twin girls did on the night of our team’s World Series win. When Jesus’ name is mentioned in a graduation speech, we cheer. We love when a celebrity or politician gives a nod to the Bible. We give them accolades and we share the post on social media. When the preacher is preaching, we may even nod our heads in agreement and say, “Amen!” However, as Steven Curtis Chapman referenced in his song, “The Change”, we can have all of the Jesus t-shirts, bumper stickers, jewelry, door mats and magnets we want, but what about a true HEART change that results in a true LIFE change?
As Kyle Idleman would suggest, there is a huge difference between a FAN of Jesus and a true FOLLOWER of Jesus.
When someone has truly repented of their sins and put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation, this should result in a LIFE change. This does not equal perfection by any means, but it most certainly should manifest itself in godly works. Though works do not SAVE someone, they should still be present as a result of true salvation.
A follower of Jesus should be faithful to Him whether they are winning at life or whether life is throwing curveballs at them. A follower of Jesus should stay true and faithful through thick or thin. They should get to truly know Jesus by constantly filling their minds with God’s Word. They should take their praise and their problems to Jesus. A follower of Jesus should not be afraid to let others know they love Him. They should want to tell everyone that they are a Christian and that they know a God who loves them, too. They should want to get Jesus’ message out. Jesus should be constantly on their minds. Their faith in Jesus should become a filter for every big decision in life, for every way they act and for everything they do. A true follower of Jesus should daily strive to die to self and to love Him with abandon. Bottom line – true repentance and faith in Christ should change us. He deserves this from us and so much more.
No doubt, followers of Jesus will have ups and downs in their spiritual journeys. You can find that out the minute you crack open your Bible or glance in the mirror. However, there should be a noticeable distinction between the life of a Jesus-follower and the life of a Jesus-fan.
Being a fan of Jesus does not result in a permanent life change. Fans of Jesus are a dime a dozen. This should be a sobering thought. What are you? Are you a fair-weather fan or are you a truly committed, born-again follower of Jesus?
“And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” (Mark 8:34)
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Colossians 2:20)
“Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matthew 7:14
Just a Mom’s View 