Swifties and Jesus Followers

“And Agrippa said to Paul, ‘In a short time, would you persuade me to be a Christian?’” — Acts 26:28 In 1964, Beatlemania hit the United States when four British musicians appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. People were crazed by this new sound of rock and roll, and their followers were dubbed Beatlemaniacs. Then, in the 1980s, my high school had devotees who wore tie-dyed shirts and round, colored sunglasses. They were called Deadheads. In more recent years, a global phenomenon fueled mostly by younger generations (though plenty of Millennials and Gen X joined the fray) has packed arenas as fans dragged their chaperone parents along to see Taylor Swift in person. They are nicknamed Swifties. Modern music has always created devoted followers who cry, sing, and spend lavishly to get as close as possible to the artist. Did you notice how each nickname is a derivation of the band or singer they followed? It is a sign of identity, affiliation, and deep-hearted devotion. It is a welcome label declaring, “This is what makes my adrenaline pump.” No one knows exactly who coins these names, but most of the time, they fit. When Jesus ministered, the early crowds took notice. He taught with authority and spoke about the Kingdom of Heaven with clarity. After Jesus died and rose again, there was an explosion of believers who witnessed and believed in the living Christ. They were so convinced that some were stoned, crucified, and beheaded for claiming that Jesus is Lord. These followers were given a nickname: Christians. In Acts 26:28, the term is directed at the apostle Paul. To King Agrippa, Paul was a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ and was willing to die for him. Taking a page from the Swifties and Beatlemaniacs, what if we were known to identify so fully with Jesus that people might say of us, “Those Christians”? What an honor that would be! In our next sermon series, “40 Days with Jesus,” we will walk through the life of Christ in the Gospel according to Luke. In Philippians 3:10, Paul says, “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.” May this be our pursuit as fully devoted followers of the Lord of lords, Jesus. Following Jesus with you, Pastor Jason Ko