Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman

Week 7: Chapter 6 — Wiping Out the Competition (No Other Gods Before Me)

Read Chapter 6 of Not a Fan. Key passages: Matthew 22:37; Luke 16:13 ("No one can serve two masters").

Jesus does not ask for a place in your life — he asks for first place, and then all the other places. This chapter examines what it looks like to truly have no other gods before him.

Discussion Questions

7 questions

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?

a.What do you think about most automatically — what occupies your mental home screen when you wake up, when you are anxious, when you dream about the future?

b.What does your answer reveal about what you most deeply trust and treasure?

4.Jesus says in Matthew 22:37 that the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. Idleman points out that the word "all" leaves no compartments. What compartment of your life is most resistant to that kind of total surrender?

5.The author is honest that wiping out the competition is not a single moment but an ongoing battle — idols get rebuilt. How do you maintain vigilance about what is sitting on the throne of your heart? What warning signs do you watch for?

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Closing Prayer

Full guide

Lord, you said no one can serve two masters, and yet we try every day. We confess that we have quietly placed other things on the throne that belongs to you — our need for approval, our pursuit of comfort, our vision for our own future — and called it balance or wisdom. Forgive us. Remind us that you are not a jealous God in a petty sense but in the truest sense: you love us too much to share us with things that cannot save us. Wipe out the competition in our hearts, and take the place that is yours alone. Amen.

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