Chapter 1 --D.T.R. (Define The Relationship)
One of the most sobering passages of Scripture tells of a day when many who consider themselves to be followers of Jesus will be stunned to find out that he doesn't even recognize them.
Matthew Chapter 7:21-23 reads, 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
I believe that the reason w were put on this earth is to answer this one question. And the trust is, whether or not we do so consciously or intentionally, we all answer this question. ("Are you a follower of Jesus?")
Fans of Jesus know all about Him, but they don't know Him.
My concern is that many of our churches in America have done from being sanctuaries to becoming stadiums.
Many fans mistakenly identify themselves as followers by using cultural comparison. They look at the commitment level of others around them and feel like their relationship with Jesus is solid. If you find yourself measuring your relationship with Jesus by comparing yourself to others, that is likely a self-indictment.
Some (people from the Gospels) are shown to be true followers; others are revealed to be nothing more than enthusiastic admirers. Fans often confuse their admiration for devotion. They mistake their knowledge of Jesus for intimacy with Jesus.
Chapter 2--A Decision or a Commitment
Nicodemus was ready to take his relationship with Jesus to another level, but it wasn't that easy. It never is. There would be much to lose if he went public as a follower of Jesus.
There is no way to follow Jesus without him interfering with your life. Following Jesus will cost you something. Most of us don't mind Jesus making some minor change in our lives, but Jesus wants to turn our lives upside down. Fans don't mind him doing a little touch-up work, but Jesus wants complete renovation.
Biblical belief is more than mental assent or verbal acknowledgment. Many fans have repeated a prayer or raised their hand or walked forward at the end of a sermon and made a decision to believe, but there was never a commitment to follow. When we decide to believe in Jesus without making a commitment to follow him, we become nothing more than fans.
We tend to define belief as the acceptance of something as real or true. But biblical belief is more than just an intellectual acceptance or a heartfelt acknowledgment; it's a commitment to follow. To truly believe is to follow.
Following Jesus isn't something you can do at night where no one notices. It's a twenty-four-hour-a-day commitment that will interfere with your life.
In John Chapter 19, Jesus has been crucified and his body is being prepared for burial. And then we read that Nicodemus brought a "mixture of myrrh and aloes, about 75 pounds." This would have been an extremely expensive and costly gesture. And make no mistake; this gesture cost him more than just money. There was no longer any chance of hiding his affection.
Chapter 3--Knowledge About Him or Intimacy with Him?
This is what often separates the fans from the followers. It's the difference between knowledge and intimacy.
But when Jesus comes to the house of Simon, there is no kiss of greeting. There is no washing of feet. There is no oil for his head. And these were not accidental oversights. This was quite deliberate. Jesus was ignored and insulted. Don't miss the irony of this moment. Simon has spent his life studying the Scriptures. He knew all about Jesus, but didn't know Jesus.
The problem isn't knowledge. The problem is that you can have knowledge without having intimacy. In fact, knowledge can be a false indicator of intimacy. Clearly where there is intimacy, there should be a growing knowledge, but too often, there is knowledge without a growing intimacy.
Like this Pharisee in Luke 7, and like many fans today, I spent a number of years confusing my knowledge about Jesus for intimacy with Jesus.
44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
When is the last time you had a moment with Jesus like this woman in Luke 7 had? When's the last time you've poured yourself out before him? When is the last time the tears streamed down your face as you expressed your love for him? When is the last time you demonstrated your love for him with reckless abandonment?
Chapter 4--One of Many or Your One and Only?
25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.
Instead he tells the people that if they want to follow him, they must hate their family, even their own lives. What the what?
Fans are not willing to follow Jesus if it means disappointing their family. When their relationship with Jesus starts to hurt their relationships with others, that's asking too much.
Key questions:
1. For what do you sacrifice your money?
2. When you're hurt, where do you go for comfort?
3. What disappoints or frustrates you the most?
4. What is it that really gets you excited?
So in Luke 14, Jesus defines the relationship by making it clear that if we follow him, we follow him and him alone. He won't share us--not with money, not with a career, not even with your family. But understand this--when Jesus explains how he will not share your affection or devotion, he isn't just saying how he wants to be loved by you; he is making it clear how he loves you.
On the other hand, maybe the disciples didn't mind so much. They had given up everything to follow Jesus, and I'm sure they had come to realize that this is the only way it could work. Trying to follow Jesus part-time or halfhearted is impossible.
Chapter 5--Following Jesus or Following the Rules?
It's not a question of their effort or desire. They are following hard. Here is the problem; it's not Jesus they are following. Without realizing it, they are aiming at the wrong target. Instead of following Jesus they are following religious rules and rituals. They have confused the targets.
Following the rules kept them focused on the outside, but who they were on the inside is what Jesus paid attention to. And the problem with these religious leaders is that, like many fans, who they are were on the outside didn't match up with what was on the inside. Jesus is going to strongly oppose these religious leaders because he doesn't want people to confuse following the rules with following him.
If you were a Sadducee, it meant you were born into that position. There were, of course, other requirements, but it had to be part of your heritage. But to be a part of the Pharisees it didn't depend on the family you were born into it was your hard work. becoming a Pharisee required an incredible amount of textual study and theological training. And what I've noticed is that many fans fit into one of these two camps.
Some fans are like the Sadducees. Faith has always been more about honoring your heritage than surrendering your heart. On the other hand, some fans are like the Pharisees. They may say the right things and do the right things, but that's not enough for Jesus. He wants all of you.
Jesus doesn't expect followers to be perfect, but he does call them to be authentic. Two types of people new to a church: those who wear a mask because they know the rules, what to say and how to say it, grew up in the church and have learned it all, and those who are new to the church and tell of their weaknesses and failures. Hope nobody tells them that they're supposed to act like they've got it all together. You don't often get to see people without a mask. And it's such a beautiful thing.
That's what Christ wants in a follower--someone who isn't pretending on the outside to have it all together. That's one of the ways the word hypocrisy is defined, as "the act of pretending".
When we learn to truly follow Jesus, we find that obedience to God comes from the inside out. Submission to what God wants for our lives flows naturally out of that relationship. It's not to say that what we do or don't do doesn't matter, but what we do or don't do must come from who we are as followers of Jesus.
When the relationship on the inside is right, the outside will follow.
Fans that follow the rules instead of following Jesus find that they are weighed down with guilt. Every time they come to church they find that the preacher has another weight to add to the bar. They keyword for fear and guilt is "do". We try and do enough to make up for our mistakes and earn God's favor. Fans are all about the "do", but followers celebrate the "done".
(The directions of the test was to read through the test before answering any questions. The last question of the test was to not take the test, put name on test, and receive an automatic A). The girl took the test on principle. If she was going to get an "A", she was going to earn it. And a fan says, "I'm not taking any handouts--I can do this on my own."
We so often are missing what really matters. If Jesus were preaching today, it might look like this:
"Woe to you fans, if you would be as passionate about feeding the poor as you are your church's style of worship, then world hunger would end this week. Woe to you fans, if you sacrificed as much to care for the homeless and hungry in the community as you do for your church building or place of worship, the need would be wiped out. Woe to you fans, if you would be as zealous about caring for the sick as you are about a 'Christmas Tree' being called a 'holiday tree', health insurance wouldn't be a problem.
Not a Fan story--Robert Reschar
"Instead of depending on my own power, I learned to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. Victory is found in his strength not mine. There was no way for me to be free from this through self-
determination or inner strength. It wasn't until I finally admitted defeat and began to humbly walk with God each day that I began to experience freedom."
Chapter 6--Self-Empowered or Spirit-Filled?
Fans who try to follow Jesus without this power will start to show signs. Sooner or later, they will reach a point where they are frustrated by failures. you keep dong what you don't want to do and yo don't do the things you really want to do. When we try to follow Jesus without being filled daily with the Spirit, we find ourselves frustrated by our failures and exhausted by our efforts.
Fans try to play the role of the Holy Spirit, but trying to be God has a tendency to wear you out. It will leave you tired and frustrated. Fans trying to follow without being filled with the power of the Holy Spirit become overwhelmed by life's circumstances. They seem to be following Christ, but then something in life goes wrong and they don't have the power to overcome it. Instead of following Christ and sticking close to him in the storm hey become discouraged and keep their distance.
Eventually something happens and you can't get through it on your own. Followers have discovered that it doesn't work without the power of the Holy Spirit. Fans may try to follow Jesus out of their own strength but followers are empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Asking David what it was like to defeat Goliath, he'd answer Tell me what it was like on earth to have the Holy Spirit living inside of you, giving you strength when you are weak.
In asking Elijah what it was like to call down fire from heaven and raise a boy from the dead, he might answer Yeah, he actually ended up dying again. What was it like to live life on earth with the Holy Spirit giving you joy when you're depressed or giving you the power to overcome that sin in your life?
In asking Moses what it was like to follow the cloud by day and the fire by night, and meet God on a mountain, he might answer I had to climb that mountain to meet with God. You tell me what it was like to have him dwell within you every day. What was it like to have the Holy Spirit giving you directions when you didn't know what to do or where to go?
So it's not a question of whether or not you have access to this power of the Holy Spirit; the question is, have you accessed it? Fans may have received the gift of the Holy Spirit but they aren't being filled with the Holy Spirit.
Paul points out that trying to live the Christan life out of your own power is ridiculous. Why would a person do that? Why would you walk when you can ride? Being filled with the power of the Spirit begins with an honest acknowledgment of our own weakness. The truth is that most of us go to great lengths to disguise our weaknesses. That's what we do most of our lives--we try to reinforce this perception that we really are strong. That we've got our stuff together and we can handle anything that comes our way.
Paul understands that living in the power of the Holy Spirit means shining a light on our weaknesses. This is what fans find so difficult. Most fans have learned to make sure everyone know about their strengths, but that no one finds out about their weaknesses.
The picture is of someone walking, and every step they take, they take in the Spirit. You can't live by the Spirit if you only acknowledge his presence one day a week when you come to church.
The moment you become aware of sin in your life you exhale. So the moment you are prideful, jealous, lustful, harsh, selfish, impatient, you exhale and repent of your sin.
The only way to be filled with the Spirit is to empty myself of me. When I empty me of me, it provides space for the Holy Spirit to fill me. When the Holy Spirit moves in and takes up residence, then you should increasingly find that there isn't much room for you. And slowly you find that your pride, your impatience, your selfishness, your lust, are taken off the walls and carried out the door. And then you inhale. When you inhale you breathe in and pray to be filled with the Spirit and you surrender control over to him. Followers live with a continual awareness of the Spirit's presence and a constant prayer to be filled with his power.
Fans eventually get burned out from trying to live the Christian life out of their own efforts.
Not a fan story--Summer Rines
It was really hard to follow Jesus when I didn't love myself. What I am discovering is that those are the times that I am ignoring God's voice in my life and following something or someone other than Jesus.
Before I tried and tried to find victory, but now instead of just trying, I am trusting the power of the Holy Spirit in my life. Each day start with denying myself, surrendering to him, and living in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Chapter 7--The Relationship Defined
(Prayer offered up by author:)
My prayer is that your eyes would be opened and the Spirit would awaken your soul to the kind of relationship Christ desires to have with you. I am jealous for you to discover that now and not waste another day living with some sort of watered-down and diluted form of Christianity. I want you to experience this, not just so you can experience the life-giving, soul-satisfying existence on this planet that God wants you to have, but because I believe eternity hangs in the balance. Bottom line is this...thee will be a day when we stand before God, and on that day may who thought themselves followers will be identified as nothing more than fans. I am not speculating or predicting; Jesus has already spoken clearly about this in Matthew 7.
Many people take the wrong road and only few find the narrow path. "Sermon on the Mount" is a sermon all about raising the bar of the commitment for those who would follow him. It's a narrow road, but it's a road that leads to life.
Could it be that you have set cruise control, turned up the Christian radio, and are traveling down the road of destruction with a Jesus fish on your bumper?
Donald Whitney once said, "If a person is wrong about being right with God, then ultimately it really doesn't matter what he or she is right about." Is it possible that you are wrong about being right with God?
So many speak words of commitment, but there is no evidence that those words meant anything. (and not just in spiritual matters...)
Here's what fans tend to do: they confuse their feelings for faith. But your feelings aren't faith until they are expressed.
But when the psychiatrist was speaking about his patients with beliefs that had no basis in reality he didn't call them "beliefs". Do you know what he called them? He called them "delusions." A belief, no matter how sincere, if not reflected in reality isn't a belief; it's a delusion.
Those who do lots have their confidence in their righteous acts and their good deeds.
It seems that Jesus intentionally choose the more dramatic and extraordinary spiritual achievements to make one thing clear: No matter how much good you do, no matter what you accomplish for the kingdom, that's not what makes you a true follower. Ultimately the question that will identify you as a fan or follower isn't what you say or what you do. Those things matter, but only to the extent that they reflect the answer to this last question--"Do I know Jesus and does He know me?" But Jesus identifies his true followers based upon an intimate relationship. What we say and what we do overflows out of the relationship we have with him.
More than he wants our acts of piety, more than he wants our adherence to religion, more than he wants our observance of rules and rituals, more than he wants our words of affection, he simply wants to know us and for us to know him. And ultimately, that's how our relationship with him will be defined. And if that isn't there, all the prophesying, exorcisms, and miracles in the world won't matter.
Because a day is coming where many who have said the right things and done the right things will hear Jesus say, "Away from me. I never knew you."
But I also believe the Bible clearly teachers that there will be those who think they are saved but who are not. They will live out their lives with a false assurance of salvation. They will think of themselves as followers, but a day will come when they'll be pronounced as nothing more than fans.
Chapter 8--Anyone--An Open Invitation
It's not that fans don't want a relationship with Jesus; it's just that they want the relationship with him on their terms. What kind of relationship does Jesus want to have with us? That's what matters. What are his terms? What would he say it really means to follow him?
John 3:16 emphasizes believing.
Luke 9:23 emphasizes following.
Jesus doesn't begin with a list of pre-qualifications. His invitation to follow is addressed to Anyone. It was only 2 words, but these 2 words changed everything for Matthew. Jesus said, "Follow me." A Jewish rabbi asking a tax collector for the Roman oppressors to be one of this followers? When Jesus invited Matthew to follow, he was making it clear that this is an invitation extended not solely to the religious elite, the morally upright, and those who have their lives together. But it is an invitation to all of us who are hiding some stains.
Chapter 9--Come After Me--A Passionate Pursuit
When Jesus says, "Come after," he's describing a passionate pursuit of someone you love. So the best way to understand what Jesus is wanting from us as followers is to compare how we pursue him to how we would pursue someone with whom we want to have a romantic relationship.
We are surrounded by messages that emphasize romantic love as the ultimate human experience.
Followers should have some come after Jesus stories that make people say, "That's crazy." Jesus wants us to understand that following him is a pursuit that requires everything we have. Fans will be careful not to get carried away. Followers understand that following Jesus is a pursuit that may cost them everything, but it is the best investment they could ever make.
There is a fear among fans that by going all0in, they're going to miss out. We are afraid to passionately pursue him with our whole hearts because we know that if we make a commitment like that we are putting ourselves on the line. It will require our energy, time, and money.
One of the reasons some fans don't come after Jesus is that they've never been given the opportunity to make their own choice about him. Theses fans never had a chance to pursue because they were always being pushed.
At church, sometimes we talk about how "god wants your time," or "God wants your money," or "God wants your worship." But do you understand why we talk about those things? It's not because God needs your time. He has always been and always will be. It's not because he needs your money. he owns the cattle on a thousand hills. It's not that he needs your worship. If you don't worship, the Bible says that the rocks and trees will cry out. The reason we talk about those things is not because God needs or wants those things; it's because he wants you. He wants your love. He longs for you to passionately pursue him, and all those things are come after indicators. They are outer signs that point to an inner reality that you love Jesus more than anything else.
So what do you do if you're a fan who want to be a follower but your heart just isn't in it? You want to come after Christ with a passionate pursuit, but the truth is you feel apathetic and indifferent. You don't want to feel that way, but you do. A better way to convey what the early church leaders were getting at would be to translate "acedia" as "spiritual apathy". You reach a point where you simply say, "I don't care." God loves you and sent his son to die on the cross to forgive your sins and you shrug your shoulders. That's acedia, and it's and epidemic among fans. The passion is gone. There is no pursuit.
So what do you do if you find yourself in a place of acedia, where you want to passionately pursue Jesus but your heart's not in it? Confess the sin of acedia in your life and then start doing the things you did at first. Even if you don't initially feel like doing some of those things it will begin to stir the fire that has grown dim.
Chapter 10--A Total Surrender
A fan will try and accept the invitation of Christ to follow, but they don't want to say no to themselves.
A follower makes a decision every day to deny himself and choose Jesus....even if it costs everything.
For many Christians the concept of denying themselves was not a part of the deal. They grew up with the message that such a radical decision really isn't necessary. So they signed up to follow Jesus, but if denying themselves was part of the explanation, it was definitely the fine print.
The Bible would describe a follower as a "slave". That is the exact opposite of a consumer. The image of slave provides a picture of what "deny yourself" looks like.
One of the reasons it's so hard for us to deny ourselves is because the whole idea seems to go against our greatest desire in life. Most everyone would say what they want more than anything else to be happy. We're convinced that the path to happiness means saying yes to ourselves. The right to pursue happiness seems to be in direct conflict with the call to deny.
Most of us grew up in homes where we were taught to study hard in school and in college so we could get a good job and makes lots of money and live in a big house, drive a nice car, and enjoy great vacations.
Chapter 11-Take Up Your Cross Daily--An Everyday Death
If we are going to follow him it means humbly taking up a cross and making ourselves nothing.
And here's the question that is keeping me awake these days: Am I really carrying a cross if there is no suffering and sacrifice? If there is no sacrifice involved, if you're not at least a little uncomfortable, then there is a good chance that you aren't carrying a cross.
Before pastors know what has happened they gauge success not by their faithfulness to God's Word, but by the weekend stats. The sermons are often about salvation, but never about surrender. Often about forgiveness, but never about repentance. Often about living, but never about dying. Instead of the uncompromised and unfiltered truths from God's Word, people are given a neutered and more palatable version. In doing so we rob the gospel of its power and the people of the life God has for them.
Jesus didn't come to this earth so that you could be better behaved or to tweak your personality or to fine-tune your manners or smooth out your rough spots. Jesus didn't even come to this earth to change you. The truth of the gospel is that Jesus came so that you could die.
My friend explained to me that when he accepted Christ he knew that when he died he would receive eternal life, but no one told him that when he accepted Christ, he was making a decision to die right then. He got the message that when he died he would go to heaven to be with God, but it was ten years later before he understood that death starts now. The point is that death is the ultimate surrender of yourself and all that you have. When you're dead, you're no longer concerned with your life.
We never choose to make ourselves less. We fight and claw our way to the top. Should we fin ourselves down it's only because we were forced into that position. We never willingly relinquish our title as king.
The word is "daily." "...take up your cross daily..." Every day we make a decision that we will die to ourselves and live for Christ. Dying to ourselves is not a one-time decision. It's a daily decision. That's the most challenging part of dying.
There are many people who get frustrated in their efforts to follow Jesus. They're trying as hard as they can and don't understand why they have such a hard time, or why they're so inconsistent.
Chapter 12--Wherever. What About There?
However, as they process how following Jesus will impact their specific situation, they begin making excuses. As they try to negotiate the terms of their commitment to Jesus, it becomes clear that they were really just fans. But the most obvious and basic definition of following Jesus will mean making some significant life changes. Following Jesus literally means that you go where Jesus goes. When you think of it that way, suddenly those poetic words have some huge implications.
I didn't surrender my pride; I was often motivated more out of a desire to impress people than to glorify God. I didn't surrender my plans; God was welcome to come along, but I kept a firm grasp on the controls. I didn't surrender my entertainment choices; I watched what I wanted to watch and listened to what I wanted to listen to. I didn't surrender my money; God got the leftovers. I didn't surrender my time to God. early on, I didn't surrender my marriage. my wife wouldn't say it, but I was sarcastic and selfish. I didn't surrender it all.
It's not only us, but it's often our families that are pushing us to lead comfortable and safe lives. They may want you to follow Jesus, but they have a hard time accepting that Jesus might lead you to a place that requires risk and sacrifice.
Chapter 13--Whenever. What About Now?
Simply stated the "as now, so then" principle is the idea that current habits are overwhelmingly the most likely predictor of future practices. The vast majority of the time, the decision you made today will be the decision you make tomorrow. If you don't do it now there is no reason to think you will then.
(prayer from a journal of a 17-year old girl who died in car accident): "You hold the only peace that can fill the deepest hole. But how do I get it? You said, "Ask and you shall receive." I am asking and I know that you will give it to me. Every week you bless me so much and teach me lesson after lesson. I know that once again you are showing me your love. I can't fathom how much you feel when one of your children suffers, but I've had a glimpse of your heartache. Please fill me with your wisdom that I won't just watch others suffer, but that I'll be able to say what they need to hear. As a new week approaches, my dangerous prayer is that you'll place broken-hearted people in my path and fill me with You so that I can let your love heal their pain."
Chapter 14--Whatever. What About That?
I was reading about a strange baptism practice that was allowed by the church when the Knights of Templar would be baptized. When the church would baptize one of the knights, they would be baptized with their sword, but they wouldn't take their swords under water with them. Instead they would hold their swords up out of the water while the rest of them would be immersed. It was the knights' way of saying to Jesus, "You can have control of me but you can't have this. Jesus, I'm all yours, but who I am and what I do on the battlefield, how I use this sword, that's not part of the deal." and if that was still the practice today, we might now hold up a sword, but my guess is that many would hold up a wallet. Some would hold up a remote control. Others would hold up a laptop.
Many fans say to Jesus, "I will follow. Anything and everything I have, I give to You." But Jesus points to what you're hiding behind your back and says, "What about that?" A religious reputation. Stuff. Family relationships. They're holding onto some things from the past. Food. Entertainment choices. Kids. Money. He wants you to expel more joy and energy in worshipping him than you do watching the big game.
The reason Jesus is so adamant about followers surrendering everything is because the reality is this: the one thing we are most reluctant to give up is the one thing that has the most potential to become a substitute for him. Really what we're talking about here is idolatry. When we are to be following Jesus, who is ahead of us, but find ourselves looking behind us, we are revealing that we are substituting something or someone for him.
I've discovered that the most common reason people give for not following Jesus is they want to get their lives together first. But when Jesus invites you to follow him, his invitation comes to you right where you are.
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