Not a Fan

1.Idleman describes a scene from John 6 where Jesus delivers a hard teaching and the crowd drops from thousands to a handful of twelve. Why does he say Jesus seems almost to invite this outcome? Does that picture of Jesus surprise you?

1.Idleman walks through three brief encounters in Luke 9:57–62 — the enthusiastic volunteer, the man who wants to bury his father first, and the man who wants to say goodbye to his family. How does Jesus respond to each one, and what does his response reveal about the cost of following him?

1.Idleman points out that in Jesus' day, "follow me" was a literal, physical act — disciples walked behind their rabbi, going where he went. How does recovering that concrete picture change the way you understand what it means to follow Jesus today?

1.Idleman introduces the idea of a "secret follower" — someone who believes in Jesus privately but is unwilling to make that relationship public. What are the most common reasons people give (or that you yourself have given) for keeping faith private?

1.In Matthew 7:21–23, people call Jesus "Lord" and point to their impressive religious résumé — prophecy, exorcism, miracles — and Jesus says, "I never knew you." What is so shocking about that exchange? What does it suggest about the difference between religious activity and real relationship?

1.Idleman argues that fans are willing to give Jesus a place in their lives — perhaps even a prominent place — but they are not willing to give him all the places. What is the difference between Jesus having a place in your life and Jesus having all of your life?

1.Idleman observes that the crowds are always largest around Jesus' miracles, but that genuine followers are the ones who remain when the miracles seem to stop. Have you ever had a season where God felt absent or silent? What did that season reveal about the nature of your faith?

1.Idleman draws a sharp distinction between fans who are hearers of the word and followers who are doers of it (James 1:22). He calls agreeing with Jesus' teaching without obeying it a form of self-deception. Have you ever caught yourself agreeing with a conviction from Scripture for years without it actually changing your behavior? What was that like?

1.Luke 14:33 says "any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple." Idleman argues that this is one of the most ignored verses in the New Testament. Why do you think Christians so consistently overlook or soften it?

1.Idleman argues that fans love humanity in the abstract but struggle to love actual, specific, messy people. Can you relate to that? What kind of person do you find it easiest to love in theory but hardest to love in practice?

1.When you first picked up this book (or started this study), how would you have answered the question "Are you a fan or a follower?" How would you answer that question now? What has changed, and what still needs to change?