Jesus had several kinds of people following him when he was on the earth: There were thousands who came to believe in him, there were 120 who followed him around the countryside during his ministry, and there were twelve apostles who were part of an inner circle, committed to his cause... eventually to the point of martyrdom.
Today these three groups still exist:
- 1. Jesus Fans: There are approximately two billion believers in the world today, people who self-identify as believing in Jesus or who say they are Christians. They don't necessarily go to church or read the Bible or pray. They may have been simply born under a Christian "flag" - into a family or country that is mostly Christian. Or they believe in Jesus but, because of their location in the world, they don't have access to a church or a Bible. They are like the thousands who listened to Jesus' sermons and believed, but did not follow him from town to town.
- 2. Jesus Followers: Perhaps one in ten believers is a follower, someone who is devoted to following the teachings of Christ and testifying to his gospel. They seek to apply his truths to their lives on a daily basis. They often are church-goers, and read the Bible and pray. They are the modern counterparts to the 120 followers.
- 3. Jesus Fanatics: Perhaps one in a hundred could be called a modern day apostle of Christ. These people are full-timers who live and work within the framework of the Christian empire. Pastors and missionaries - those who have made it their life's work - are examples of Fanatics.
- Martyrs are not a separate, more devoted group; they can come from any of the groups above, depending on the circumstances. That is, even a Fan can be martyred if he or she is in the wrong place at the wrong time. (Further, even non-believers can be mistakenly martyred as Christians if they happen to be in a mostly Christian neighborhood that is being persecuted. This has happened many times in the Sudan and other dangerous places where ethnic Christianity is under attack.)
Okay, so if you believe in Jesus, into which of these three groups do you fall? The Fan, the Follower, or the Fanatic? Take a minute to place yourself in the appropriate group. And then I will surprise you with my next paragraph.
My Next Paragraph:
IT DOESN'T MATTER WHICH GROUP YOU ARE IN. You may be more spiritual if you are a Follower than if you are a Fan, but you are essential to God's kingdom, whichever kind of believer you are. And here's the thing: Despite what you have heard all your life at church, you should not necessarily strive to be in a more committed group than you currently are. Not everyone will be a Fanatic. Some will only be Fans.
The Bible says that we (all three kinds of us) are like living stones being built up into a spiritual house.(I Pet. 2:5) Each stone is just as important as the others; together they all make the house strong. Jesus is the Cornerstone, but their is no other ranking of the stones, no hierarchy that makes one stone more important than another. The wall of the house will not necessarily be stronger if all of the stones are Followers or Fanatics.
Remember this the next time someone challenges you to be more spiritual, to read your Bible more or pray more or give more money to the cause. Remember this when your pastor makes you feel that you are not as spiritual if you do not attend that Saturday morning prayer breakfast (at 6:30 am!) or teach that Sunday School class - or vote a certain way in the next political election.
I realize that this is a radical departure from what you have probably heard for most of your life in Christian circles. Every pastor wants to inspire his constituents to move from Fan to Follower or Fanatic in Ten Easy Steps over the next Forty Days... or forty years.
But for the most part, it simply doesn't happen, not two thousand years ago in Jesus' day, and not in our day. And it shouldn't. Because it takes all kinds of stones to build a spiritual house where God can dwell.
You should have confidence in the redeeming work of Christ on the cross for you. We are saved by faith, not by performance, lest anyone boast. (Gal. 2:8) Beyond that, let God's Holy Spirit be the one to prompt you to pick up the Bible and read it or study it - if He wants you to. Let Him invite you to be more spiritual by praying for and loving your unbelieving next door neighbor - if He wants you to. If the Lord wants you to move from one group to the next - and back again - let Him speak to you about it, and obey Him if it seems like the right thing to do. Spiritual growth should be prompted and timed by the Lord, not by your professional Sunday cheerleader.
Don't let anyone heap guilt on you for not being a Follower or a Fanatic. The ratio of Fans to Fanatics is just about the same today as it was back in Jesus' day. I guess that's about the way it should be. I have lived for over 60 years and have never seen the ratio change much.
Now a word to pastors. Spiritual appetite should be the motivator in your church, because it is initiated by God. "No one can come to me unless the Father draws him." (John 6:44). Your Bible classes and prayer meetings should be populated only by those who have a curiosity or a desire to attend. No one should ever feel compelled to attend out of obligation or guilt. People should give to the church if they want to, not because you have compelled them to do so out of some contrived sense of responsibility. Though you yearn for your people to pursue a deeper relationship with the Lord, you cannot force it. They will be ready to move to the next level IF and when God says so. So relax. Let go and let God. There are no real gains that come out of guilt or condemnation anyway, so those are tools you should never implement.
One more thing, pastor. It may be in your job description that you devote a certain number of hours to Bible study and prayer every week - and it's essential for the construction of your next sermon, but you should not expect a Fan or a Follower to do the same. People will seek greater depth as the Lord naturally draws them to himself, and according to His timetable, not yours.
It takes all kinds to build a Kingdom. Or to build a spiritual house. Everybody is important, regardless of spiritual depth or devotion. Whether you are a Fan, a Follower, or a Fanatic you are needed and loved by God. Just the way you are!
Oh, and for the Faithless who don't fit one of these categories, you are loved by God as well, and bring glory to Him simply by existing. Thank you for being!
