A man shared the following story with Kyle Idleman, author of Not A Fan.
My daughter left for college and left her faith. I’ve realized that I had raised her in the church but didn’t raise her in Christ. In other words, she found church fun and enjoyed her relationships with the people she met there, but never developed a relationship with Christ. So when she moved away to college, and away from her church, she never replaced it. And because her church life was all that was keeping her connected to Jesus, her faith faded.
In addition, the man had raised his daughter to feel guilty for immoral behavior but had missed entirely teaching her the reality of God’s grace. He had taught her to be a fan, but not a follower of Jesus.
You see, fans of Jesus know ABOUT Him, but they don’t know Him. They can tell you His stats, but they don’t experience any of His power. A fan is an admirer who is going to hell.
Fans want to be close enough to Jesus to get the benefits without being so close that any sacrifice is required of them. They may be fine with repeating a prayer, attending church on Sunday, or sticking a HE>I bumper sticker on their car, but they’ve never discovered that Jesus wants an intimate relationship with each of us similar to that of a husband and wife making love (John 17:3).
Jesus stated in John 3:16 that “whoever believes in Him shall not perish but will have eternal life.” Fans don’t know what he meant by the word “believe.” They will cite various facts about Jesus; where he was born, how old he was when he started his ministry, that he was crucified and resurrected three days later, etc. But they don’t know that the word “believe” in John 3:16 is translated to mean “to entrust your life.”
Believing in Jesus means to entrust and devote your life to Him.
Lord, please bring someone alongside those who attend church to help us know Jesus and believe in Him so we can be with You for the remainder of time.
With Christ,
Bill