Pastor Lon Williams | Followers Not Fans

Devotional

Day 1: The Tension Between Our Expectations and God's Plan

The crowd on Palm Sunday celebrated Jesus because they expected a king who would meet their specific desires and solve their external problems. They had preconceived notions of what the Messiah should be and do. When Jesus did not conform to their expectations, their cheers turned to cries for crucifixion. This reveals a heart that can be more impressed with what God can do for us than with who He truly is. It challenges us to examine whether we are seeking a God of our own design or the true King who calls us to surrender. [02:36]

The crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 21:9 ESV)

Reflection: What is one specific area in your life where you find yourself expecting God to act in a certain way, and how might His plans be different from your own?

Day 2: The Difference Between Being a Fan and a Follower

There is a significant distinction between admiring Jesus from a distance and committing to follow Him wholeheartedly. A fan cheers when things are going well and when God seems to be answering prayers according to their wishes. A follower, however, trusts, obeys, and remains committed even when they do not understand. A fan wants inspiration, but a follower seeks transformation and is willing to bear the cost of obedience. This call is an invitation to move from a position of observation to one of active participation. [03:51]

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23 ESV)

Reflection: When you consider your daily routines and choices, what indicates that you are living more as an admirer of Jesus rather than a committed follower?

Day 3: Answering the Call to Follow and Fish

The same bold and compelling invitation Jesus extended to His first disciples is extended to every believer. This call is not a polite suggestion but a command to leave behind our old identities and priorities to pursue Him. This invitation is inseparable from its purpose: as we follow, He makes us fishers of people. We are not called to simply enjoy the benefits of salvation but to be actively engaged in the mission of pointing others toward the same hope we have found. [07:42]

And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. (Mark 1:17-18 ESV)

Reflection: What is one thing Jesus might be inviting you to leave behind in order to follow Him more completely and join Him in His mission?

Day 4: Living with Compassion, Conviction, and Courage

To effectively share the good news, our lives must be marked by three essential traits. Compassion allows us to see people as Jesus does, not as projects but as lost sheep needing a shepherd. Conviction is a settled belief in the truth of the gospel that inspires others through a life of disciplined focus. Courage is the boldness to speak the truth in love, even when it is met with resistance. These qualities together make our witness compelling and authentic. [24:06]

When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. (Mark 6:34 ESV)

Reflection: Which of these three traits—compassion, conviction, or courage—do you find most challenging to embody, and what is one practical step you can take to grow in that area this week?

Day 5: Sharing Your Story and God's Story

We are all preachers, called to declare the good news in our everyday circles. A powerful way to do this is through three simple stories. Your story is a brief account of what God has done in your life. Their story is created by listening with genuine interest to the people God places in your path. God’s story is the simple, powerful gospel: God created us, we sinned, Jesus saved us, and we must respond. This framework takes the pressure off and allows for natural, relational conversations about faith. [35:32]

But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect. (1 Peter 3:15 ESV)

Reflection: Who is one person in your life that God might be prompting you to engage with, and how could you begin to listen to their story or be ready to share your own?

Sermon Summary

Two thousand years ago, a crowded city erupts in celebration as Jesus enters on a donkey, choosing humility and peace over power. The crowd’s cheers expose a common human posture: eagerness for a savior who fits expectations. That applause quickly sours, revealing a fragile admiration that collapses when the king’s path challenges comfort and control. The scene frames a central contrast: being impressed by Jesus as a fan versus being surrendered to him as a follower.

Jesus issues a direct, demanding invitation: “Come, follow me.” Ordinary fishermen immediately abandon nets, family business, and identity to accept a mission that marries rescue with responsibility. Following Jesus carries both a mission (rescue, grace, healing) and a mandate (being sent to fish for people). The call never separates personal transformation from purposeful sending.

The Great Commission reappears as an unavoidable duty: go into all the world and preach the good news. Spiritual life requires active participation, not passive admiration. Practical formation for that commission rests on three marks: compassion that sees people as sheep without a shepherd, conviction rooted in disciplined faith and clear belief, and courage to speak and live faithfully despite opposition. Those marks produce faithful fruit and draw others toward truth more than mere performance.

Practical evangelism gets simplified into a three-story rhythm: know and tell a brief personal story of before-and-after belief, listen to the other person’s story, and then present God’s story plainly. The gospel reduces to four elements—God, sin, Jesus, response—offering a clear, child-understandable framework that avoids religious complexity. Simple invitations matter: passing out an invitation card and asking someone to come to Easter offers a concrete, high-probability opportunity for people to hear the gospel.

Prayer, preparation, and persistent availability remain essential. The call includes everyday courage: look people in the eye, offer a personal invite, and be willing to risk discomfort for the sake of another’s eternity. The week’s tension—cheers turning to jeers—testifies to the supernatural stakes of the kingdom and presses for an honest spiritual posture: fandom or faithful following.

Key Takeaways

1. From fan to committed follower Faith without surrender becomes admiration that evaporates under pressure. True discipleship costs identity, comfort, and plans; it rearranges priorities around obedience rather than convenience. Walking behind Jesus means choosing the painful reshaping of desires and loyalties so that Christ’s agenda displaces self-interest. [03:34]
2. Called to mission and mandate Conversion always carries sending: rescue leads to responsibility. The call to follow includes a promise to be equipped and reshaped for mission, so the transformed life becomes the means by which others might be reached. Following thus refuses private faith; it embraces shared vocation and active participation in God’s redemptive work. [06:36]
3. Compassion, conviction, and courage Effective witness combines heart, clarity, and boldness rather than gimmicks or moralizing. Compassion opens doors by meeting felt need; conviction gives honest anchors for belief; courage sustains witness when rejection arrives. Together these traits form a posture that attracts inquiry and withstands backlash. [19:38]
4. Three-story evangelism: share the gospel A simple conversational pattern—your story, their story, God’s story—makes evangelism accessible and respectful. The gospel frame (God, sin, Jesus, response) keeps the message clear and avoids theological detours that obscure hope. Short, honest testimony plus attentive listening often invites curiosity more than argument. [33:39]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:25] - Palm Sunday: the city alive
[00:55] - Humility on a donkey
[01:48] - Crowd’s celebration and limits
[02:19] - Misplaced expectations of a king
[03:34] - Fan versus follower distinction
[06:36] - The call: leave nets and follow
[09:58] - All are called to follow
[17:09] - The Great Commission explained
[19:38] - Traits for mission: three marks
[28:58] - Three-story evangelism and gospel
[36:09] - Easter invites and practical next steps

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
Mark 1:16–18 (ESV)
Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, [Jesus] saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him.

Matthew 28:19–20 (ESV)
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

Observation questions

What two things did Jesus promise the fishermen when he said, “Follow me”?
What immediate action did Simon, Andrew, James, and John take when Jesus called them?
What three traits are needed to carry out the mission Jesus gives his followers? [19:38]
What are the four simple elements of the gospel message? [33:39]

Interpretation questions

Why do you think the crowd’s cheers for Jesus turned to jeers within a few days? What does this reveal about the difference between admiration and surrender?
Jesus called ordinary fishermen—not religious leaders—to follow him. What does this say about who God uses for his mission?
The invitation to “follow me” is tied to “fishing for people.” Why can’t these two be separated? [14:24]
How does having compassion, conviction, and courage work together in sharing faith with others? [19:38]

Application questions

When have you found yourself cheering for Jesus when things are good, but struggling to follow when he challenges your comfort or plans? [05:08]
What’s one part of your identity, routine, or security that Jesus might be asking you to leave behind to follow him more closely?
Who in your life right now needs you to see them with compassion—as a sheep without a shepherd—rather than judgment or avoidance?
When was the last time you shared your story of meeting Jesus in twenty seconds or less? [28:12] What keeps you from doing that more often?
This week, who can you look in the eye and personally invite to Easter services? What would it take to follow through? [39:12]
What’s one step you can take this week to move from being a fan of Jesus to a follower? [03:51]

Sermon Clips

33s

#MissionNotOmission

“And so can I tell you today, if you believed on Jesus and you're following him, you, God has missioned you? He's like, you are on a mission with my son Jesus. He's now in heaven. You now have his heart, his mind, and you you are his hands. You're his voice to people, and we're here to plunder hell and populate heaven. We're here to to love people and help them believe on Jesus. So we together, you and Jesus, are on a commission, not omission, not the great omission, the great commission.”

53s

#ShareJesus20Sec

“But here's the question that I have to ask you. I'm sorry I have to ask this, but it's simply this. When is we'll put it up for you. Is the last time I entered someone's Jesus? Like, now I'm not saying, like, when not I'm not asking when's the last time someone I told someone about Jesus. They just fell down. They became the next Billy Graham. No. I'm just saying when's the last time you just shared in twenty seconds the story of Jesus. Like, it's convicting. Now for me, I have to ask myself this question. Lon, when is the last time you shared someone to Jesus, introduced someone to Jesus without the microphone on? Right? Without the microphone. When you're just out hanging out at the grocery store or wherever, when's the last time? And if we're honest, because we are, we can't be content with that answer.”

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Pastor Lon Williams | Followers Not Fans | March 29th, 2026