A Book's Treasures: "Not a Fan" by Kyle Idleman

Copyright © 2011, 2016 by City on a Hill Studio, LLC. Published by Zondervan (Grand Rapids, MI).

I don't think I have much to say to introduce you to this book, except that I had enough time to gather its quotes within a week due to the Circuit Breaker policy in Singapore. My review of the book in Goodreads says it all:

I was initially sceptical of this book, presuming it couldn’t reach the depth I’d usually find in older books. I only started reading it due to my mentor’s very glowing recommendation, which is the highest regard he’s ever given to a book outside of the Bible. Never have I been more grateful to be proven wrong of my initial review of a book. 

Reading “Not a Fan” is like reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s “The Cost of Discipleship” if it had been written in the present time instead of 80 years ago. This book accurately captures the essence of the message that Jesus proclaimed 2,000 years ago: anyone who would come after Him is to deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Him (Luke 9:23). It also offers a fresh perspective that brings the fundamental truth into the context of this era and observes how the truth remains relevant both then and now. Kyle Idleman follows the lines of those who have since reflected on this truth, from apostle Paul to Augustine to William Borden to Dietrich Bonhoeffer to C. S. Lewis, and proclaims it in easily understood way for the benefit of today’s readers without losing a single drop of the Fount that gives life.

Luke 9:23 (and its counterpart Matthew 16:24 and Mark 8:34) is one among the many that I consider pivotal and central in the entire Reality that the Bible proclaims. I very highly recommend this book to those who are not used to read books but would like to know what the calling to become a follower of Jesus really means. I pray that the Holy Spirit would pursue you to the point where you don’t have other choices but decide if you want to stay only a fan of Jesus or become a completely committed follower of Him. Truly there are no other options: either you live with Jesus as your Lord or with any other things and person as your master.

My name is Jefferson, and I am not a fan.

Also, I've realised that the way the quotes are presented in the first "A Book's Treasures" post on John Piper's Coronavirus and Christ is not reader-friendly, hence I've picked and presented only my 22 favourite quotes for this post. You can still check out the complete Google Slides version of the collection here.

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1. [I]t wasn’t the size of the crowd Jesus cared about; it was their level of commitment. (p. 13)

2. Is your relationship with Jesus exclusive? Is it just a casual weekend thing or has it moved past that? How would your relationship with Him be defined? What exactly is your level of commitment? (p. 23)

3. Fans often confuse their admiration for devotion. They mistake their knowledge of Jesus for intimacy with Jesus. …  [O]ne of the core symptoms of “fandom” is that fans almost always consider themselves to be followers. (p. 27)

4. Following Jesus isn’t something you can do at night where no one notices. It’s a twenty- four-a-day commitment that will interfere with your life. (p. 34)

5. I am not asking if you know about Him, I am asking if you know Him. (p. 51)

6. Fans will try and make Jesus one of many. Some fans may even make Jesus the first of many. But when Jesus defines the relationship He makes it clear; He wants to be your one and only. (p. 59)

7. If following Jesus cost you everything, would it still be worth it? (p. 66)

8. Jesus doesn’t expect followers to be perfect, but He does call them to be authentic. … That’s what Christ wants in a follower – someone who isn’t pretending on the outside to have it all together. (p. 74)

9. [I]t’s not a question of whether or not you have access to this power of the Holy Spirit; the question is, Have you accessed it? Fans may have received the gift of the Holy Spirit but they aren’t being filled with the Holy Spirit. (p. 92)

10. Fans foolishly think that with enough hard work they can follow Jesus. (p. 96)

11. Here’s what fans tend to do: they confuse their feelings for faith. But your feelings aren’t faith until they are expressed. … Following requires movement. … A belief, no matter how sincere, if not reflected in reality isn’t a belief; it’s a delusion. (pp. 105–106)

12. In verse 23 He says to the fans, “I never knew you.” So it comes down to a personal relationship with Jesus where you know Him and are known by Him. ... What we say and what we do overflows out of the relationship we have with Him. (p. 107)

13. Jesus doesn’t say, “Everything in moderation”; He says you can’t be His follower if you don’t give up everything. His invitation is an all or nothing invitation. … He wants completely committed followers. (p. 111)

14. It’s important to understand that the grace of God doesn’t simply invite us to follow … it teaches us to follow. Just because Matthew left his past behind and started following didn’t mean he was perfect. Far from it. Even after we decide to follow Jesus, we continue to need His grace for the journey. (p. 125)

15. Followers understand that following Jesus is a pursuit that may cost them everything, but it is the best investment they could ever make. Followers will do some crazy things for love, but fans want to play it safe. (p. 133)

16. You can’t call Jesus “Lord” without declaring yourself his slave. … You are saying, “He’s the master and I’m the slave.” That’s what it means to deny yourself. (p. 151)

17. Each morning by the grace of Jesus, I am invited to take up a cross and die. That’s the only way I will follow Him that day. ... It’s only by dying to ourselves that we truly find life. When we finally let go of our lives we find real life in Christ. (p. 170)

18. Jesus calls [the man in Luke 9:57] to something uncomfortable. If you say yes to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever,” you can be sure that where He points will be out of your comfort zone. “Out of your Comfort Zone” could be defined this way: “The places where saying yes to God means saying no to me … and comfort.” (p. 182)

19. When Jesus calls us to follow, He means right now. He means today. The question is, How long have you been saying tomorrow? (p. 192)

20. [T]he reality is this: the one thing we are most reluctant to give up is the one thing that has the most potential become a substitute for [Jesus]. Really what we’re talking about here is idolatry. When we are to be following Jesus, who is ahead of us, but find ourselves looking behind us, we are revealing that we are substituting something or someone for Him. (p. 205)

21. What is it that is competing for your allegiance to Christ? … Until you have surrendered anything and everything over to Jesus and truly put Him above all else in your life, you will not know the joy and satisfaction that finally comes when you go all-in. (p. 207)

22. When I remind myself every day who I am not (I am not my mistakes, I am not my successes, I am not a fan) and embrace who I am (I am a completely committed follower of Jesus), then I will live out of that identity. (p. 221)

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Lord Jesus blesses you, soli Deo gloria.