Living Out our Love of Jesus like a Fan

Something that you need to know about me is that I am a huge NFL fan!

Perhaps the NFL is not your thing, and that is okay. Maybe you are a huge fan of a certain band, movie, TV show, series of books, collection of some sorts, hobby, celebrity, etc. The bottom line is we are all huge fans of one thing or another.

Another thing I do know about all fans, regardless of the object of our “fanhood” is that we love, if given the opportunity, to tell others why we are fans! There is also a part of us that hopes, that if our explanation of “why” is compelling enough, it might convince the person we are telling to also become a fan of the thing we love too.

For example, I was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio. Most people would assume that since I am a huge NFL fan, this would automatically make me a Cleveland Browns fan. But I am a Miami Dolphins fan. I cannot wait for people to ask me why or how I became a Dolphins fan because the eager fan in me wants to talk about and share the many reasons why!

Not only that, but as a Dolphins fan, I have spent more time than I care to admit, preparing my answer for why I became such a fan. If you would like to know why I would love to grab a cup of coffee someday and discuss it in much more detail with you!

My point though is that as a fan, I have prepared and am always ready to answer why I am a fan to those willing to ask the question. Even if after I present my well thought out and heartfelt reasoning for why I am a fan, the person listening calls me crazy for liking such a bad team or chooses to insult my reasons for being a beloved Dolphins fan, but it never changes my feelings or heart towards the Dolphins.

I remain a loyal fan.

Do not get me wrong, it is not always easy being a Dolphins fan because for most of my life, unlike the Steelers, the Dolphins have not been a good football team.

But when it comes to matters of faith, for those who would call themselves a “fan” of Jesus, aka a Christian, the same prepared eagerness and excited willingness to answer as to why we believe or are such huge fans of God, does not always come so easy.

I know for some Christians, this is simply not true, and it is a gifted blessing, but I think for most believers, it is more times than it is not.

Listen to these words from 1 Peter.

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” - 1 Peter 3:15-16 (NIV)

When I read 1 Peter 3:15, the two words that stick out to me the most are “be prepared.” These words create in me a sense of insecurity or doubt that leads to a hesitation to share my why or my “fanhood.”

I begin to become my own worst critic and highlight all my failures, shortcomings, hypocrisies, and sinful nature that makes me think to myself, “well who am I to talk about God when I am such a sinful person?”

If this mindset does not stop me, my mind then races to all the different types of questions, concerns, doubts, insults, and inquiries the person I begin sharing with might ask me, and then I question how prepared I am to give my reason for faith. It is not that I do not believe this to be true in my heart, but sometimes coming up with how to communicate it does not come as easy.

The point I am trying to make and the hope I am trying to tell all those who have put their faith in Jesus is that when it comes to being prepared to give a reason or explain why you are a Christian, the answer is not found in or about you!

The good news of the Gospel is not about you or what you have or have not done.

The Gospel is about Jesus Christ and what he has already done for us. If you are ever given the opportunity to share with someone the why or reason for your faith, take the pressure off yourself by simply not talking about yourself. Talk about and share with others about the person of Jesus Christ!

You do not need to have the answers to all the questions they might have. You do not need to have certain boxes checked in your own life before you can tell others about Jesus. You also do not need to prove to the other person that your faith is real. All these reasons, and more, are God’s responsibility, and He is the one who does the work in the hearts of men and women that we cannot do.

So, take the pressure and focus off yourself when it comes to sharing and telling others why you are a fan of Jesus.

It was never about you anyway.

Share what you simply know to be true in your heart about who Jesus Christ is and what He has done for you and them. Then, invite or encourage them to explore God’s word for themselves. Tell them that the two of you can even begin reading God’s word together if that might help. I mean let’s be honest, God is much better at talking about himself than we are about Him anyway!

Continue to spend time with God in both His word and prayer in your own life. Ask God to continue to reveal his mysteries about some of the questions, doubts, and answers you might be having as a follower. Give God time and space to work on your heart so that your heart becomes more and more captivated by the grace, mercy, and love of Jesus.

And let your reason, or why, simply come from the changed heart of a person, just like we read in Acts 4:13, as “unschooled, ordinary” people who because they spent time with Jesus, became huge fans and it forever changed their lives!