Confession Time

I'm a football fan, but not really much of a fan. I'm watching some of the playoff games, but I'm not really too concerned who wins. Some fans go absolutely crazy about how their team's doing in a game or for the season. They know all the player's names, most of their stats, their complete history and many other details about the team. They watch every game, sometimes even traveling far to see them in person, and talk often to other fans about their team. In general, they revel in the associations they have with their team. I guess that never really has been who I've wanted to be. I'm somewhat sorry to admit it; nevertheless, it's just who I am, or in this case who I am not.

This does't make me any better, or any worse, than anyone else. Once again, it's just who I am and how it is with me. I'm finding out over the last few days that I don't want to be a fan of Christ either. I have very much been a fan in the past, but I just don't want to be that anymore. Although this may come as somewhat of a shock to at least some of you, it is nonetheless true.

Jesus had throngs of fans when He walked the Earth. They knew the works He had done and much about His history here on Earth. They gathered to listen to Him speak, sometimes traveling days just for the privilege. They talked about him often with their friends and some even reveled in their associations with Him. Jesus had a name for some of these people; He called them hypocrites.

According to Kyle Idleman in his book Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus, hypocrite is a Greek word used for actors in a play. Kyle wrote, "Often, a single actor would play several different characters, and for each character, the actor would use a different mask." They played a part in a play but did not live the role in reality. Kyle went on to write about the parts many fans play today. He then wrote that some, "have worn the mask for so long they have fooled even themselves."

At this point (assuming anyone is still reading this), some of you might say, "Yep. That's why I don't go to church. It's full of hypocrites." Well, in Greek theater hypocrites wore many different masks and acted many different roles. Hypocrites today also wear many different masks and act many different roles. This includes wearing the mask of success or the mask of happiness and acting like they have it all together when they really don't. This occurs both inside and outside church; it is pervasive in much of our everyday lives. This, for far too much of my life, is how I have lived.

I don't want to live this way anymore. I don't want to be a hypocrite. I no longer want to be a fan of Christ. Instead, I want to be "Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus".