Book Club Questions for Not a Fan

1.Idleman opens by describing what he calls a "DTR" — a Define the Relationship conversation. Have you ever had a DTR moment with Jesus, a point where you clearly defined what kind of relationship you actually have with him? Describe it, or describe why it has never happened.

2.The author distinguishes a "fan" as someone who is enthusiastic about Jesus but not committed to him — an admirer rather than a follower. In your own words, what is the sharpest difference between a fan and a follower as Idleman sets it up in the introduction?

3.Idleman suggests that many people sitting in churches every week are fans, not followers — and that they may not know it. How does that claim land with you? Does it feel like an exaggeration, or does it ring true from your own experience of church culture?

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?

2.The author introduces the idea that many people have a "fan-ship" with Jesus — they like what he does for them (healing, feeding, teaching) but are not interested in who he is and what he demands. Think about the crowds in John 6. What were they drawn to about Jesus, and what were they not willing to accept?

3.Idleman asks readers to take what he calls a "fan or follower" self-assessment. As you worked through that assessment (or as you thought about it), what answers surprised you most about yourself?

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?

2.The author describes the first would-be follower as someone who is all enthusiasm but no counting of the cost. Have you ever made a commitment to Jesus in a moment of excitement that you later found yourself unable to sustain? What happened?

3.The second man who says "let me first bury my father" is likely not asking to attend an imminent funeral — scholars suggest he may be asking to wait until his father eventually dies and he receives his inheritance. If that is the case, what is he really saying to Jesus? What "first" in your own life most competes with following Jesus completely?

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?

2.He describes followership as having direction (you are going somewhere), requiring daily decision (not a one-time event), and involving imitation (you are becoming like the one you follow). Which of those three dimensions is weakest in your own walk with Jesus right now?

3.Idleman uses the image of a GPS recalculating when you take a wrong turn. How does that image apply to what repentance and grace look like in the life of a follower? What does it feel like when the GPS of the Holy Spirit recalculates in your life?

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?

2.He draws on Luke 12:8–9, where Jesus says he will acknowledge before the angels those who acknowledge him before others, and disown those who disown him. How do you sit with those words? What is Jesus protecting in that statement?

3.The author tells the story of Nicodemus, who comes to Jesus at night — a fan who is intrigued but not yet willing to be seen with Jesus publicly. Can you identify with Nicodemus? In what area of your life do you meet with Jesus in the dark — privately engaged but publicly hidden?

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?

2.Idleman asks whether we know a lot about Jesus (theological facts, Bible stories, doctrines) while actually knowing him very little in a personal, relational sense. How would you honestly assess your own balance between information about Jesus and intimacy with Jesus?

3.He uses the analogy of being a "stalker" — someone who knows enormous amounts of information about a celebrity or public figure but has no real relationship with them. What does that uncomfortable image expose about how we can engage with the Bible, church, and theology as mere data collection?

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?

2.He walks through several common "competing lords" — comfort, approval, success, romance, family — things that are not bad in themselves but that become rivals to Jesus when we love them more than him. Which of those competitors has the strongest pull on you personally right now?

3.Idleman uses the image of a phone with only one "home screen" — there is a primary screen, and everything else is secondary. If Jesus is not on your home screen, what is? How would you know?

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?

2.He draws attention to the detail in John 11 that when Jesus hears Lazarus is sick, he deliberately stays two more days before going. What does that delay say about how God sometimes works — and how do you personally respond to God's delays in your own life?

3.Idleman points out that both Mary and Martha say the same words to Jesus — "If you had been here, my brother would not have died" — but with very different tones. Martha's seems to be faith holding on; Mary's seems to be grief letting go. Which of those feels more like you when you are suffering?

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?

2.Jesus' parable of the wise and foolish builders (Matthew 7:24–27) is not about people who have never heard his teaching — both builders heard the same words. The difference is obedience. What is the "rock" Jesus is describing, and what does building on it actually look like in practical terms?

3.Idleman argues that fans are selective about which of Jesus' teachings they embrace — they accept the comforting ones and quietly ignore the costly ones. Which of Jesus' teachings do you find most consistently difficult to obey?

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?

2.The rich young ruler comes to Jesus with the right question and a genuinely good moral record, and Jesus loves him (Mark 10:21) — but he asks him to give up the one thing he will not give. What was that thing? What is your "one thing" — the specific possession, position, or security you would find hardest to surrender to Jesus?

3.Idleman uses the image of Jesus as a contractor doing a full renovation — he doesn't just want to redo the kitchen; he wants the whole house. How does that image differ from the "add Jesus to your existing life" model of Christianity many people have been sold?

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?

2.He uses the parable of the Good Samaritan as a picture of the kind of love Jesus demands — inconvenient, costly, and directed at people we would prefer to classify as "not our problem." Who is the person in your neighborhood, workplace, or family who is currently lying in the road in front of you?

3.Idleman points out that both the priest and the Levite in the parable were religious professionals — they had good reasons (by their religious law) to keep their distance. How does religious busyness or religious scrupulosity sometimes function as a cover for failing to love our neighbors?

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?

2.Which chapter or idea in the book landed with the most force for you personally? What specific story, illustration, or phrase from Idleman did God use most pointedly in your life during this study?

3.Look back at the ten dimensions of fan-vs-follower that the book explores: completeness, publicity, knowledge vs. intimacy, competing lords, endurance in hard times, obedience, cost, and love of people. Which of those is your strongest area as a follower? Which is your weakest?