Episode 6: Are you a Fan of Jesus or Have you Declared Him Lord of Your Life?
The definition of Christian according Focus on the Family -” The term “Christian,” as we understand it, refers to anyone, man, woman, or child, who trusts in Jesus as his or her Savior and Lord and one who strives to follow Him in every aspect of life.”
Kyle Idleman from the book “Not a Fan, “My concern is that many of our churches in America have gone from being sanctuaries to becoming stadiums. And every week all the fans come to the stadium where they cheer for Jesus but have no interest in truly following him. The biggest threat to the church today is fans who call themselves Christians but aren’t actually interested in following Christ. They want to be close enough to Jesus to get all the benefits, but not so close that it requires anything from them.”
Three times the word “Christian” is mentioned in the Bible - Ac 11:26; 26:28; 1Pe 4:16).
In John 3 we look at an encounter between Nicodemus and Jesus. Nicodemus wants to know more about Jesus but falls short in confessing Him as his Savior. He recognizes Jesus as a Good Teacher and in John 3:16, Jesus is identified as the Savior of the World.
In Matthew 19, we also see another man that comes to Jesus, the rich young ruler, but when Jesus tells him to sell everything to follow Him he walks away “sorrowful.”
Not only is Jesus a Good Teacher and Savior of the World but He wants to be Lord of your Life. - John 10:10
We encounter Nicodemus 2 more times in scripture - John 7 and 19.
In John 7:45 - The officers and Pharisees came together condemning Jesus and we see Nicodemus rebuke them with one question in verse 51 - “Doth not our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?” Then they ridicule him by asking if He’s from Galilee too because according to them nothing good would come out of Galilee. The story ends as they all go home.
John 19 - After Jesus died - Joseph of Arimithea goes to Pilate in secret asking for the body of Jesus and Nicodemus goes with him to bury the body. Some scholars believe that this was Nicodemus’s public profession of faith, while others believe he never came to saving faith and the truth of the matter is, we just don’t know…maybe he did, maybe he didn’t.
If you love Jesus as teacher, it’s time to make a decision to declare Him your Savior and if you’ve been saved, it’s time to let go of the reigns of your life, quit being just a fan of Jesus and follow him whole-heartedly…seeking Holiness, sharing the good news and living a life that is a life of abundance as He leads you as Lord of your life.
Resources:
Not a Fan Updated and Expanded: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus https://a.co/d/3rCTYPm
