Have you ever stopped to think about what it truly means to be a follower of Christ? Not just someone who wears the label “Christian,” but someone who actually walks in the footsteps of Jesus daily?

It’s a challenging question, and one that deserves our honest reflection.

The Problem with Labels

We live in a world obsessed with labels. We label our food, our clothes, our politics, and yes—our faith. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: slapping a “Christian” label on yourself doesn’t change what’s inside any more than labeling a box of brownie mix as macaroni and cheese changes its contents.

The term “Christian” appears only three times in the entire Bible—twice in Acts and once in Peter. And historically, it wasn’t even a term of endearment. In Roman society, it was actually a derogatory term, a slur hurled at those who dared to follow the radical teacher from Nazareth. Back then, calling yourself a Christian could cost you everything—your reputation, your livelihood, even your life.

Today? We wear crosses as jewelry and display them in our homes. We check “Christian” on surveys and put it in our social media bios. But what does it actually cost us?

The Invitation Jesus Actually Extended

When Jesus walked the dusty roads of Galilee, he didn’t invite people to adopt a religious label. His invitation was far more demanding—and far more beautiful.

Luke 9:23 captures it perfectly: “Then he said to them all, if anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

Notice the key word: anyone. Not the rich, not the educated, not the religiously qualified. Anyone. Red, yellow, black, or white. The prostitutes, the tax collectors, the fishermen, the outcasts. Jesus’ invitation has always been radically inclusive.

But it comes with requirements that go far deeper than surface-level religion.

Three Requirements for Following Jesus

1. Deny Yourself

This is where it gets uncomfortable. Following Jesus means putting your desires, your plans, your preferences on the back burner. It means asking not “What do I want?” but “What does Jesus want?”

Consider alcohol as an example. While the Bible doesn’t forbid all consumption of alcohol, it does call us to deny ourselves if our freedom would cause someone else to stumble. In a culture where alcohol has destroyed families and taken lives, holding a beer while trying to share the gospel sends a confusing message. The question isn’t “Do I have the right?” but “What serves the greater purpose of sharing Christ?”

This principle extends to everything in our lives. Our entertainment choices, how we spend our money, the words we use, how we treat difficult people—it all falls under the umbrella of self-denial.

2. Take Up Your Cross Daily

Notice Jesus didn’t say “take up your cross once.” He said daily. This isn’t a one-time decision made at an altar or during a baptism. It’s a daily crucifixion of our flesh, a constant choice to die to ourselves so Christ can live through us.

The cross wasn’t a piece of jewelry in Jesus’ day. It was an instrument of execution, a symbol of shame and death. When Jesus tells us to take up our cross, he’s calling us to be willing to die—to our pride, our comfort, our reputation, our plans.

That’s hard. Let’s be honest about that. Being a follower of Christ is genuinely difficult. Anyone can be a “Christian” in name, but being a true follower requires daily sacrifice.

3. Follow Him

In the Jewish culture of Jesus’ time, when a rabbi chose students, those students would literally follow behind their teacher, stepping where he stepped, going where he went. They would get so close that the dust from the rabbi’s feet would cover them.

Following Jesus means the same thing. If Jesus ate with sinners, so should we. If Jesus showed compassion to the outcast, so should we. If Jesus spoke truth in love, so should we. If Jesus forgave the unforgivable, so should we.

The Greatest Witness

Here’s a beautiful truth: your life is a book, and people are reading it every day. The most powerful witness you’ll ever have isn’t a theological argument or a perfectly memorized gospel presentation. It’s your story—the transformation that Jesus has worked in your life.

When people see that God can save someone who struggled with addiction, who made terrible mistakes, who was broken and lost—that’s when they begin to believe He might save them too. Your mess becomes your message. Your test becomes your testimony.

What’s God’s Will for Your Life?

People often agonize over God’s will. Should I be a doctor? A teacher? A missionary? Here’s the simple answer: God’s will for your life after salvation is to share the gospel. The career path you choose is just the vehicle—the method doesn’t matter as much as the mission.

And sharing the gospel isn’t limited to verbal presentations. Sometimes the most powerful gospel witness is paying for someone’s meal, giving a bottle of water to a homeless person, or showing up consistently in someone’s life when everyone else has abandoned them.

Stop Voting, Start Praying

When we make decisions based on majority vote rather than unified prayer, we leave room for division. Unless it’s unanimous, someone didn’t get their way, and few people handle that gracefully. But when we deny ourselves, when we follow Jesus, when we die daily, we stop caring about getting our way and start caring about His way.

Imagine a church that operated purely on biblical principles, where every decision was bathed in prayer, where love trumped preference every single time. That’s the church Jesus envisioned.

Your Jerusalem Awaits

You don’t need to change the world. Jesus took twelve ordinary people and turned the world upside down, but they started in Jerusalem—their hometown. Your address is your mission field. The restaurant where you eat lunch, the grocery store where you shop, the neighborhood where you live—that’s where God has placed you.

Stop worrying about the whole world and focus on your circle. Show yourself friendly. Buy someone’s lunch. Strike up a conversation. Let people read the book of your life.

The Challenge

So here’s the question: Are you wearing a label, or are you following Jesus? Are you satisfied with fire insurance, or do you want transformation? Are you content being a fan, or are you ready to be a disciple?

The invitation stands today, just as it did two thousand years ago: “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

Anyone means you.

The question is: will you accept?