FAN OR FOLLOWER??

While on facebook last night I came upon Amy's blog http://www.refereeofthree.blogspot.com/  entitled Fan Club (check it out).  She referenced a person who didn't have a problem with God.  It's His fan club he/she didn't like.  You can read Amy's response but it got me to thinking. (Some of you can see the various comments on facebook). 

Are we as Christians merely fans or followers of Jesus?  Now, I guess it depends upon how you define the word fan.  If it is defined as an "enthusiastic admirer" then that could become problematic.  So problematic that Kyle Idelman wrote a book entitled Not A Fan because he sees fans as those who merely want to be close enough to Jesus to get all the benefits, but not so close that it requires sacrifice.  A person can admire another person but never invest one's life into following that person.  There are fans who are like that.  They admire their teams.  They go to the games.  They cheer loudly.  They might even dress crazy and jump up and down and wave their arms.  But when the going gets tough, when the team begins to lose, when it's cold and rainy, when things go south, their support is "fair weather" at best!  I don't think that is what Jesus wants from us, just to be admirers, just to be a part of his "fan club" when all is going well.

Now if fan is defined as an enthusiastic "follower", that is a different story.  It is like the sign that is staked into the ground at the outskirts of the local high school football field.  It says, "No spectators beyond this point".  Exactly what Jesus is saying to us.  "I'm not looking for spectators.  I'm looking for followers - enthusiastic followers".  The difference is when we commit to follow Jesus, we move ourselves from the stands to the playing field.  And when we "play" for Jesus, we find that the playbook includes denying self, picking up the cross, and "following me".  It includes sacrifice and surrender, words we don't often like to hear. 

Like I told Amy, I don't want to get all caught up in semantics - fan or follower, because it depends upon one's definition of a fan.  I've known sports fan who have not missed a game for years, no matter what, to support their team.  And yes, I realize that going to the game and sitting on the sidelines and cheering wildly is not the same as putting on the uniform and "going to battle".  However, it would behoove us as Christians to share the same passion for Jesus as many "fans" have for their teams.  For in reality, when we have a passion for Jesus, we can be nothing less than enthusiastic followers of Him.