Fan or Follower

Preached to: High School Students

Speaker: Pastor Amanda Hahn

At Amplify High this week, we unpacked what it means to move from being a fan of Jesus to becoming a fully committed follower. Fans admire Jesus, enjoying the benefits without making sacrifices. Followers, however, take up their cross daily, aligning their lives with His teachings and priorities.

Colossians 3 provided a powerful framework for this transformation:

1. Focus on Christ: Followers set their minds on eternal priorities, allowing Jesus to shape their decisions.

2. Transformation: Following Jesus means letting go of sinful habits and embracing a renewed, godly lifestyle.

3. Love in Action: True followers reflect Christ’s love, peace, and unity in all areas of life.

Jesus doesn’t want spectators—He wants disciples who reflect His love and purpose in their everyday lives. Are you ready to take the next step and become a follower who lives fully for Him?

Keep up with all that’s going on at Amplify Youth, including dates, times, sign-ups, and forms, on our main page.

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• Dinner Table Discussion Guide

  1. What Does It Mean to Truly Follow Jesus?

  • Ask: What’s the difference between being a fan of Jesus and being His follower?

  • Reflect: How can we make Jesus the focus of our family’s decisions and actions?

  • Action: Share one thing each family member could do this week to grow closer to Christ.

  2. What Old Habits Should We Let Go?

  • Ask: What are some habits or attitudes that keep us from living a Christ-centered life?

  • Reflect: Read Colossians 3:5–10 together. Discuss how we can "put off" old ways and "put on" new, godly qualities.

  • Action: Each person identifies one habit to work on and asks for prayer and support from the family.

  3. How Can We Show God’s Love Daily?

  • Ask: What does it look like to "clothe ourselves with love" in everyday life?

  • Reflect: Talk about ways to show kindness, forgiveness, and gratitude at school, work, or in your community.

  • Action: Challenge each family member to intentionally show God’s love to someone specific this week. Share updates at the next family meal.

• Sermon Outline

  Sermon Summary:

  The message encouraged students to transition from being fans of Jesus to becoming fully committed followers, focusing on Christ, allowing Him to transform their lives, and demonstrating His love in daily actions.

  Key Points:

  1. Focus on Christ: Followers set their minds on heavenly things, making Jesus their priority in all decisions and actions (Colossians 3:1–4).

  2. Transformation through Christ: True followers put off sinful habits and embrace a renewed life that reflects Christ-like qualities (Colossians 3:5–11).

  3. Living a Lifestyle of Love: Followers are marked by love, peace, and unity, demonstrating their faith through consistent, godly behavior (Colossians 3:12–17).

• Scriptures

  Colossians 3:1-17 (NLT)

  Living the New Life
  1 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.
  2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.
  3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.
  4 And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.

  5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.
  6 Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming.
  7 You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world.
  8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language.
  9 Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds.
  10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.
  11 In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.

  12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
  13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
  14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.
  15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body, you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

  16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.
  17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.