Are You a Fan or a Follower?

If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
(Mathew 16:24, NIV)
How far will you go with this? You may deny yourself, but will you take up your cross and follow Jesus?
The cross is not a pretty thing. It was a torture method used by the Roman government to strike fear in the people so they don't go out of line. Your cross is anything that causes you to sin.
You see, there's two types of Christians.
The first one is a fan of Jesus. A fan of Jesus is someone who does not take up his cross. A fan could be someone who accepted Jesus into his heart, but limits Jesus in parts of his life. They may say, "I'm going to a restaurant to eat with my friends tonight. So Jesus, don't come with me." Or a fan could be someone who is a "devoted" believer of Christ, but won't stand up for what's right, or doesn't stand up for his faith. Now I'm not just talking to you guys, I'm also talking to myself.
Now the second one is being a follower of Jesus Christ. A follower of Christ is someone who will take up his cross daily and follows Jesus. He's also someone who gives Jesus his all and gives him his heart. Not part of his heart, but all of his heart. He's also a person who walks by faith. A follower is someone who lives according to the Bible.
Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.  (Mathew 16:25, NIV)
A fan could be someone who wants to save his life. But the truth is, he'll lose his life. The reason being is, they accept Jesus just as their savior, not their Lord.
A follower is someone who may lose their life for Jesus. He will find his life in Heaven. That's because he accepted Jesus as both his Savior and his Lord. Now I'm not saying followers will be killed but in some countries they could.
The fan and the follower will each get the rewards they deserve. The follower will receive a greater reward than the fan.
Let me say one more thing, a fan is someone who denies Jesus before his friends. The consequences of that is, Jesus will deny that person in front of his father, and he he will not enter the Kingdome of Heaven, unless he becomes a truly devoted follower of Christ.