Fandom

I had been looking for a good book to read- you know one that would benefit my spiritual walk. What I came across on that Barnes and Noble bookshelf was "Not A Fan" by Kyle Idleman. I would suggest this book to anyone who has ever experienced a 'Luke-warm' period. He discusses the essential differences between being a fan of Christ and being a follower. 

I... had been living my life as a fan. I knew my stuff, bible verses, bands, I knew the right things to say. But I had been living my faith only on the exterior. My interior was in some desperate need of a renovation. Deep down I think I knew that a drastic change needed to happen- but I wasn't willing to take that imaginary shovel and uncover all the fake actions that I had been hiding behind in order to find what faith is all about. It is not knowing about Christ- take out the about and you will get it right... Knowing Christ is what faith is about. Don't get me wrong, knowing about Christ is one way to discover His attributes such as love and forgiveness. But anyone can read a few books and know about something. The amazing thing about our God is that He is as real today as He was back in the Bible times. He is never changing, never fading! 

What are ways to go from being a fan to becoming a hard core follower? They are actually pretty simple steps but they involve constant commitment and hard work. Pray, read the word, pray, surrender your life daily, pray, and did I mention pray? These are all extremely important but the reason why I became repetitive in that last sentence was because you can never truly know someone if you don't put in the time to communicate and spend time with them.

I know that the honest truth is that we all suffer from the "fandom" syndrome. I think that is why having people that can keep you accountable are so important. They can easily see when you are struggling, when you start to "fake" it, when you need a little encouragement- even a small push in the right direction. So many of us want to do this on our own- I think it is part of our culture to always feel as though in order to be successful you need to be independent and do things solo. 

Our faith however is not supposed to be lived out alone. True we each have a special relationship with our Savior but we need those believers to come along side us and keep us company on this journey. Verse after verse in the Bible tells us of the importance of both fellowshiping with Christ and with fellow believers. (1 John 1:7, 1 Chor. 12:27, Matt. 18:20, 1 John 4:12, 1 Chor. 1:9, Phil 2:1, and 2Chor 13:14 to name a few) 

We have so many tools at our disposal today- smart phones, facebook, blogs, emails... etc. if we could use these as positive ways to further God's Kingdom and even a helpful way to fellowship with one another I believe that the impact would be HUGE. This is just some food for thought. 

What I realize now though is...

I am a fan of the Nebraska Cornhuskers- 

But I am a follower of Jesus Christ! This is my choice! What's yours? 

God Bless :) 

Amy Jo