JESUS ISN’T LOOKING FOR FANS

And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Luke 9:23

MORE THAN A FAN.

If there’s one thing I’m fairly certain I know about each of you, it’s this…you are a fan of someone, or something. A fan is defined as, “an enthusiastic admirer.” Now, you may be a fan . . . an enthusiastic admirer . . . of an actor, some politician, a singer, a NASCAR driver, a famous athlete or a team. I’m just convinced that everyone is a fan of someone, or something.

I know that college baseball is at it’s peak right now, but I’m a college football fan. To me, college football is the epitome of what being a fan means. The college football season is well under way again. This coming Saturday, all across the nation, 100’s of 1,000’s of fans will pack the stadiums while millions more sit in their living rooms and the sports bars glued to the screens cheering on their teams. The definition “enthusiastic admirer” is a drastic understatement of a fan when it comes to college football.

JESUS ISN’T LOOKING FOR FANS.

I’ve often wished we were as enthusiastic about the Lord as we are our favorite teams. I’ve wondered, at times, how our churches might impact our communities and the lost world around us if we were as motivated about our Lord as we are the Rebels, the Bulldogs, the Tigers, or the Tide. But when you read the Gospels, you can see clearly Jesus was never looking for fans. His call then, as well as today, is to simply follow him!

JESUS IS LOOKING FOR FOLLOWERS.

“I’m afraid being a fan of Jesus” aptly describes many “Christians” today. Most church buildings today are like miniature stadiums where crowds gather each week to cheer on Jesus, but when they leave the church, they don’t follow Him. In our verse for today, Jesus said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Again, Jesus isn’t looking for admiration, but trust and obedience to His call to follow.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Here’s a test to see if you’re just a fan or a true follower of Jesus. Consider these 3 statements that describe a fan:

1. FANS KNOW ALL ABOUT THEIR TEAM, BUT DON’T PERSONALLY KNOW ANY OF THEM.

You can ask a fan anything about their team and they can tell you in a flash. They know the key players, their #’s, the positions they play and their stats; they know who the coach is; and, of course, they know how many wins and losses. Yet, they do not personally know any of them. In the same way, many in the church today know all about God and the Bible, but have never come to know the Lord Jesus and have a personal relationship with Him. How sad! Jesus said, “Many will say to me in that day, (judgment day) ‘Lord, Lord’, …And then will I profess unto them, I NEVER KNEW YOU: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Mat. 7:21-22). Do you know Him or just know about Him?

2. FANS SUPPORT THEIR TEAM AS LONG AS THINGS ARE GOING WELL.

Fans can’t wait for the next game. They watch…they stand…they yell and cheer their team on. When their team is winning, they’re excited. Every time you see them you’ll will hear them bragging about how well their team is doing. But when a game or season turns sour, the enthusiasm quickly fades and they find something else to do on their Saturdays. The same thing has always been true with Jesus. In the Bible, huge multitudes gathered around Jesus as long as He performed miracles. But the crowds quickly dwindled when He spoke about denying themselves, taking up their crosses and following Him. That’s a reminder to us today that Jesus isn’t looking for fair weather “Christians”. He’s not looking for those who only acknowledge Him and live for Him when everything seems to be “going well in life.” When troubles come, fans of Jesus stop praying, stop attending, stop serving in their church, stop giving and stop trusting. Why? That’s what a fan does!

3. FANS ARE ALWAYS HOPEFUL FOR VICTORY BUT NEVER SURE TILL THE GAME IS OVER.

In college football any team can beat any team on any given Saturday. So, for the fan, victory each week depends upon how well their team performs on a particular day. You can hear fans say, “If our quarterback has a good game…if the offense can score…if the defense can hold em’…if we don’t have turnovers…we’ll win!” It’s always, “If…if…if…” Fans can only hope for victory and never be sure. Why? Their hope is in 17-21 year old kids. They’re depending upon human effort. The same is true with those who are only fans of Jesus.  Fans of Jesus try to live the Christian life in their own strength, trusting in their own goodness, but continue to live each day in doubt and defeat and never know for sure “if” they have true spiritual victory. But true followers depend upon His strength, His presence, His guidance and the assured victory that He has already provided through the cross, the empty grave! Amen?!

A RECORDED VICTORY!

I’m an Ole Miss fan and always will be. I remember a specific game when I sat down and watched my Rebels with absolutely no doubt whatsoever they would win. I didn’t bite my nails or get upset when the other team scored. I watched with complete confidence of a “W”! “How?”, You ask. I had recorded the game and already new how it would turn out. And the same is true for every follower of Christ! It’s a recorded in the book of Revelation. We win! We are following a Winner! His name is Jesus! We’re not just going to  be victorious! We’ve already won!

“But  thanks be to God, which giveth us the  victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Cor. 15:57). Jesus is still looking for followers today! You can live each day with the assurance of victory! The secret is deciding today to deny yourself, take up your cross daily and following Him! Will you stop settling for just being a fan, get down on your knees and surrender your all to Him in prayer today? Surrendering to Him is the key to victory now and for eternity!

 Think it over…