He speaks to millions.
Helping people with finances is his unusual gift1 and after 30 years of repeating basic common-sense advice, he has a following that is comparable to most rock stars.
This financial guy’s methods are based on a step-by- step program which work if followed. Based on the countless testimonies given on and off his show, his words have impacted the multitudes who call for his advice on a daily basis.
I always chuckle when a caller starts off saying they are big fans but still don’t have the results his methods promise to produce – even after listening for multiple years.
A deeper dive often reveals that these ‘fans’ listen to him for entertainment, not instruction and often have the results they have because they have been doing things their own way (which is often antithetical to what he teaches).
Come to think of it, I understand why.
Being a fan is easy. Being a fan is convenient. You can shout with the crowd and blend in with the multitude.
Being a follower is hard. Being a follower requires dedication, humility and commitment to the ideals that you’re following, and it is anything but comfortable.
It happened in the time of Jesus, and it happens today.
Lots of people are fans of Jesus.
Lots of people consider his teachings good ideas, and lots of people cheer his methods
Thing is, Jesus didn’t come for the fans, He came for the followers.
Getting a click on the like button isn’t God’s idea of faithfulness, it’s the heart that He wants
And that, is not fun.
Fans come for the wins. Followers come for the game.
Fans switch allegiance. Followers bleed on their vows.
But followers often see what the fans miss. Followers get the best of our Lord while fans skim the surface – if that.
Christianity isn’t a call to fandom.
Jesus didn’t come to be gushed over; He came to be believed.
And that belief is supposed to spread through our pores to a world that desperately needs Him.
That’s what followers are for.
1 Dave Ramsey