What Does it Mean to be a Follower of Jesus Christ?

Summoning the crowd along with His disciples, He said to them, "If anyone wants to be My follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me and the gospel, will save it. For what does it benefit a man to gain the whole world yet lose his life? What can man give in exchange for his life? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with His holy angels. Mark 8:34-38

In the great debate as to whether to address homosexuality in the church, we are faced with the above scripture. If we do not speak the truth, in love, what are we saying to Christ? We are saying His sacrifice and purity are to no avail because sin reigns.

If we fail to confront we say, "Anything goes!" And anything will go and our churches will be made of no effect by the pollution we allow. Already God's people are turning away from connfronting, calling it love, yet they are being deceived. Their services are full of holes and the grace is leaking out.

Why did Jesus speak about the churches in the Book of Revelation? What did He say? To the church is Ephesus He told them they had abandoned their first love; the church in Pergamum they had to,erased the teaching of Baalam; to the church in Thyatira they tolerated a Jezebel in the church; the church in Sardis He says, "You have the reputation for being alive, but you are dead,"; the church in Laodicea are lukewarm and He is going to spew them out of His mouth, they say they are rich and need nothing but Jesus sees them as poor, blind and naked.

We need to repent, turn to our Lord and seek His face and allow Him to lead. He never failed to confront sin in the church and this is where we must start.