God Is A Fan Of You

During a podcast with Nathan Webb of Checkpoint Church, this idea was just heavy on my heart. People need to know that God actually likes them. That they aren’t just tolerated or generically loved, but that God sees them as something beautiful. After praying through Psalm 139 the “God is a fan of you” was really what echoed. 

What's Your Biggest Fandom? 

 Like the thing that when you think about it, when you see it, it automatically makes you smile? The thing that makes you light up?  

People are passionate about so many random things and it spreads so far. I asked this question to people in a Geek Church service at Galaxycon and got answers from everything to Star Trek, Halo, Star Wars, Resident Evil, Ghostbusters, Musical Theatre, Overwatch, One Piece, My Hero Academia, Adventure Time, Yugioh, and so many others. People’s passion doesn’t always make sense to others.  

A couple years ago at a Galaxycon I was doing Nerd Slam (A nerdy trivia experience I'm part of) and a 14 year old had the category of Godzilla. His final question to win the entire event, was “How many Godzilla movies are there?” 

This kid just put his fingers together like a prayer emoji, lowered his head like he was doing a jitsu, and he, in order, named the movie and the release year for the American and Japanese films. The entire overfilled room held their breath. Then when he was done listing them, gave the correct number answer. The whole place erupted. Godzilla was HIS fandom. It’s what he was passionate about. He didn’t need to defend that or justify it. But he showed the entire room how much he loved it.  

Why Is It Your Biggest Fandom? 

It's easy for us to have stuff that we're passionate about. It's easy for us to have fandoms that excite us. The things we’re excited about usually show us something deeper about our hearts. A character may inspire us. A story may feel cathartic. It may play out adventures we’ve longed for and give us glimpses of relationships we’ve hoped for. Elements that make us feel seen and express things we’ve never truly had words for. Asking ourselves why certain fandoms are important to us is important, not just for association, but also for better understanding of yourself.  

Parent/Child relationships were always something that drew me to stories, even when I didn't realize it. When I was a kid my favorite cartoons were a Goof Troop, Tailspin, Darkwing Duck, Ninja Turtles, Batman, and similar stories. It wasn't until I was like a super grown-ish adult that I realized all of those stories connected with me because I didn't have a father in my life. All those were father stories or father figure stories. I had a need, and the stories I was passionate about were stories that filled those needs. At one con I met I met the gentleman who voices Goofy. I spoke to him and he did the voice, and I just instantly started crying. It was like every childhood sadness unlocked right then. When we ask why we’re fans of things, it usually reveals something deep within ourselves.  

Kyle Idleman wrote a book called “Not a Fan: Becoming A Committed Follower of Christ.” The focus of the book was essentially to say we're not supposed to be fans of God, but rather followers. That’s a solid concept; I'm not disagreeing with that.  I would however interject the concept of the spiritual concept of fandom in terms of our relationship with God isn’t something we should reject, but rather reverse. God doesn’t need us to be fans of Him, but in its own miraculous turn, He is a fan of us.  

Many of us have doubts when people just state that they love us. Many of us have people we believed when they told us they loved us, but then their actions proved otherwise. Love is a hard thing for people to truly accept without hesitation. Because honestly, people suck at loving each other sometimes. If we can’t love each other well, and we make love hard to accept between the people we interact with face to face. Imagine how much harder it is for people to accept that a God they don’t see or hear from directly loves them.  

I made a shirt and some stickers recently that says “God is a fan of you.” I made these because I firmly believe people need to know that God doesn't just deal with you out of omniscient obligation. He loves you because of how good He is, but He also actually likes you. He's a fan of you.  

That can be a statement that makes people wanna push back. Like “Why would God be a fan of you or me?” Someone might want to self-righteously sling the verse of “God is no respecter of persons” from Acts 10 or Romans 2 (which are verses about favoritism). 

He’s a fan of you, not because of anything you’ve done, but because He made you. You are a reflection of the beauty of His creativity.  

David makes this plea in Psalm 139 as He offers up praise to God.  

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:13-14. 

David makes the case that the things God makes are beautiful, majestic, masterpieces. And you are one of them. He is a fan of you, because you are His. 

David knew God made him. David knew God made him skillfully. David knew God made him with intention. David knew God made him purposefully. And He knew that because God makes amazing things, that God delights in them. And I know (from what I see in scripture) He feels the same about you. 

“Did you love me cause you have to? Or cause you want me and my scars too?” - Rend Collective 

Do you have any creators or artists you just automatically follow? Like if they put it out, you know it’s going to be quality. You can just invest in it with confidence because you trust that creator. For me, with comic books, it’s Tom King. I know that I've never read something badly written by Tom King, and some of the best things I’ve ever read came from Tom King. If his name is on it, I'll buy it. Now I haven’t always loved what I’ve read, but it’s never been poorly made. That also holds true for Gail Simone for me. There are writers, I just know the quality of their work and know it will have value.  

The Star Wars fan base can be one of the most divisive fanbases on the planet, but most Star Wars fans who have gone through the bigger catalog of material trust the little man in the cowboy hat, Dave Filoni. For me personally, no one handles Star Wars better (other than George Lucas) than Dave Filoni. If Dave’s name is on it, I trust it.  

We trust them as creators because we know the quality of their work. If we can trust that God makes beautiful things, then we need to trust the quality of His work, and that extends to us as well. God’s name is attached to us as a creator, and that means something. 

Sometimes we can accept that maybe we were created well, but feel like we’ve ruined it, and our value, along the way.  

Continuing a little deeper in the Psalm passage from earlier; 

“My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” - Psalm 139:15-16.  

God literally knows all the parts of us. He is surprised by none of it. I know we’ve all been let down by a property or fandom that started out good and then fell apart. Maybe it’s a storyline with a bad arc, a terrible ending, a failed plot twist, or that faced unwanted rewrites. The story you started with and invested in, isn’t what you hoped it would be. God doesn’t see you that way. He knew your whole story and still treasures you.  

We tend to hide portions of ourselves from people we don’t necessarily feel safe with. Maybe not that we are in danger, but we don’t have confidence that people will accept us in as the whole version of who we are. We fear people won’t love us if they see who we truly are. Like we have to run ourselves through a filter before we present ourselves. That’s exhausting. It’s divisive. It creates a pattern within us to hide, and anytime you have to hide parts of who you are, it leaves you divided internally. God isn’t like the people we interact with. He sees all of our brokenness and still loves us. Him loving us doesn’t mean He doesn’t want us to move and grow beyond the destructive and dark things in our lives, but it does mean He is strong enough to love us even with our full brokenness.  

“You’re the only one who knows me yet still loves completely.” - Relient K 

It’s a hard concept to truly embrace that someone can know all of you and still fully love you. I don’t believe there’s anyone reading these words that would love me completely if they knew all that’s in me, so I get it. I believe there are people who think they would, but our hearts can surprise people. But God can’t be surprised. He’s seen literally every bit of you at your worst and still loves you in full force. God saw every darkest part of who you are before you drew a breath, and He still said you were worth everything He could give.  

One of the passages that always hammers this home for me is Romans 5:8;

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 

He saw your worst, didn’t wait for you to do or change a thing, and still died for you. You light up His heart. A minister friend of mine had a warm and fuzzy way of saying this. He would always tell his students “If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it.”  

This is the reality, He doesn't just tolerate you, you aren't just begrudgingly accepted, He loves you where you're at, He loved you before you got here, He's gonna love you through all the days you live from this point.  

I know it can still be hard to believe, but let’s examine this.  

How many people do you know have things they are fans of, but still don’t love everything about that fandom? 

Star Wars fans can be some of the most divisive and negative fans on the planet, or in a galaxy far far away. So many fans will hate huge chunks of it but still love the whole. I’ve met people who hate the prequels. I’ve met people who hate the sequels. I recently did a podcast with someone who loves, 1,2, 4, 5, and 6, but hates 3? There are people who will refuse to ever watch the cartoons, and people who only like The Mandalorian.  

It’s not just Star Wars either. There are people who only like certain Doctors in Doctor Who, or certain writers. People may love Batman, but not like certain writers or actor portrayals. People like certain bands, but not certain albums or when musicians change out.  

One of the things in fandom life and spiritual life is the concept that if you point out something you don’t like, or something that is wrong, means that you automatically hate it all, and that’s just not the case. You can recognize and acknowledge when things are wrong or broken, without it being a condemnation.  

In our spiritual lives, we’ve come to a point where no one wants to hear anything is labeled as a “sin.” That calling something sin, or saying someone is sinning, must mean that you hate them, God hates them, and they aren’t loved, which isn’t the case.  

One of the most quoted verses in regards to addressing the concept that we are all sinners is Romans 3:23. 

“23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

In my decades of a fulltime ministry, I’ve heard so many messages at camps and church services and bible studies where this verse is brought out just like that. I also don’t deny that phrase to be true. I do believe we are all sinners, and I don’t believe that causes us to be any less loved, valued, or accepted by God. Go back up to that Romans 3:23 passage. You see what it ends with? A comma. Not a period. Not an exclamation point. A comma, meaning more is coming. Meaning Romans 3:23 is half a sentence. If you only preach Romans 3:23, you are leaving out half the truth. Because Romans 3:24 is the other half of the sentence.  

“24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” 

Versre 24, the other half of that sentence, changes everything. It goes from being a cold analytical judgement of 23 alone, to being a declaration of hope for everyone. Putting them together shows so much of a bigger picture.  

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” - Romans 3:23-24   

Putting it together the apostle Paul is stating that yes, we are all sinners, but yes, we are also justified and redeemed through Jesus.” 

We can acknowledge when things are wrong but still love them completely. If we as geeks and fans can love a piece of pop culture when it’s not perfect, acknowledge what’s wrong and still love it wholeheartedly, then imagine what a perfect loving God can do.  

He can see us at our worst, still love us, still like us, still see the beauty and value He created in us. He can see us not just for what we are and what we’ve done, but for who will be at our absolute best.  

Admitting flaws doesn’t negate love, it shows the strength of love.  

Even though Romans 3:24 was the end of the sentence, Paul goes further in the chapter to show God’s heart for us.  

"God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.” - Romans 3:25-26 

If you think God addressing our attitudes or actions as sins means He loves us less or sees us as failures, you’re missing His heart. His whole heart is to overcome the things that divide us, not just to hold them against us. In many of the ways that the “Snyder Cut” redeemed the “Josstice League,” God is in the process of redeeming all of us, including the parts that are in the wrong. All because He loves us.  

We have to make sure we aren’t making things harder for people than God does.

Are There Toxic Fans In Your Fandom? 

Some fandoms come built in with fanbases that can be very off putting. I've had friends that wanted to try JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, but said the fan base was more intimidating than the anime. I have people that would rather make bold political statements than share their honest feelings about Star Wars. I have two friends right now, both Christians, who aren’t speaking right now because of a beef over Star Wars. Stuff like this can make it hard for people to take interest in the things we are passionate about. Whether it be through gatekeeping, aggressive superiority, toxic criticism, or tribal behavior and drawing division, these elements hinder fandoms. They also equally hinder faith.  

I believe God is a fan of you, but if you base that just on how some believers treat others, you might not be so sure. Christians can be the biggest obstacle to Christianity when they represent God poorly. Scripture warns and rebukes these kinds of attitudes and actions.   

“As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” - Romans 2:24 

“They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues;” - Matthew 23:4-6 

“I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.” - Romans 16:17-19 

Paul & Jesus both warned against people who get in the way of coming to God. That God’s name gets trashed because of people representing Him poorly. That they intentionally make it harder to get to Him while trying to spotlight how great they are. We are warned to watch out for them, for our safety and the safety of others. Toxic fans can ruin anything, including opportunities we have to get closer to God, and for others to do the same. So be on guard to not be one, and to respond accordingly when you encounter one. 

Fandom Adds Value 

Firefly was over 23 years ago. Serenity was 20 years ago. Firefly was canceled within the first season, and Serenity was technically a box office failure. There’s technically no reason Browncoats (Firefly fans), should still be burning with passion over this property. Except, they (and me) are. People are still passionate about it, and that adds value. Being fans of something keeps things vibrant and alive. There are still Firefly comics being made. I still say the word “Shiny” far too often. Shepherd Book is still ministry goals in my eyes. When people love things, it shows they are worthwhile, even when none of the other metrics add up. Your love and fandom of things becomes a declaration of saying “This is worth your time.”  

There have been shows saved from cancelation or brought back from the dead because of people’s love for them. At Wrestlemania 40, the entire stream of direction was changed because people loved Cody Rhodes. The Rock, arguably one of the most influential people in the entertainment world, announced he was going to have a title match against Roman Reigns, and the people rejected it to the point that they had to backtrack and change course. Your fandom adds value because it shows how important things are to you.  

So, process this; if your fandom adds enough value to keep something relevant 20 years after death, and to change to course of billion-dollar corporations, then imagine how much value God being a fan of you adds to your identity.  

God saying you are loved, valued, worthwhile, and beautiful means that you are. God looks at you and says you are valuable. He loves you. You have His heart. You have advantage because there's nobody that's loved you better than God's going to love you. There's nobody that's going to have more patience with you. No one who sees you as completely yet loves you so fully. His fandom of you, knowing who you are, loving you are caring for you adds value to who you are. This can also add to how you see yourself.  

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” - Ephesians 2:4-10. 

When you see how God sees you, it should change how you see you. Embrace that. Celebrate it. The creator and redeemer of the universe looks at you with love and adoration. The next time you are passionate about something or completely geeking out over something, take a moment to remember and cherish the fact God feels the same way thinking about you.