God Moving At Maranatha

Not a Fan

I am not a fan of Jesus. If that seems shocking to you, please let me explain.

A fan, of a sport for example, is someone who is devoted to his or her team. They will attend games, hang out with other devotees of the sport, and spend lots of money to buy paraphernalia that symbolizes their team. What they won’t do is actually play the game. They won’t submit themselves to the daily effort and discipline required to grow as a player and make a positive contribution to the team.

Jesus didn’t commission his disciples by saying, “go and make fans from all nations--get people excited about me!” Rather, He said, “go and make disciples,” that is, “people who will follow me.” That is why I am not a fan of Jesus. I hope you aren’t either.

Everything we do at Maranatha has one ultimate aim: to help us grow as followers of Jesus. Nothing we do is done simply to provide a religious outlet or to entertain us.

This is why we are exploring the Psalms in our current series of messages, Conversations with God; Handling Life with Prayer. We are examining how God-loving people from the past prayed through every conceivable situation in relationship with God. This is also why we have created a take-it-home resource to make the messages as practical as possible.

The resource, a booklet containing one exercise for each week, is available online, or in hardcopy at the auditorium exit doors. Each exercise shows you  step by step how you can make that that week’s Psalm your personal prayer. You can do each exercise in as little as 10 minutes.

Don’t be a fan! This booklet will help you follow Jesus. Visit (https://maranatha-church.com/prayer) and click on the Conversations with God: Companion Guide button to access it.

-Pastor Tom