Not a fan, but a follower

"So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.  "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.  For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.  "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.  You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?  So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.  A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.  "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?'  And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'  "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.  And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."  And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.- Matthew 7:12‭-‬29 ESV

Rev. Dwight Yoo

Do not presume that you are a Christian. This is not a question we should gloss over. Even those who have been walking with God for many years should stop and check. Sin so easily misleads and blinds us. It is easy to be a fan of Jesus. To admire the miracles, the theology, the teachings... but this isn't enough to be counted as a disciple. We cannot afford to be wrong about this.

Two paths

The way is narrow and few enter. The narrowness of the Christian life is spoken this way by Jesus: "I am the way, the truth, and the life." There is only one path to salvation. Additionally, "the way is hard" speaks to the difficulties of following Jesus. He spoke truth and not out to win any popularity contest. The first generation of disciples literally died for their faith. We may not be called to lay down our very lives, but we are called to daily lay down our lives for Christ. We need to make sure that we are living out our lives according to what Jesus desires. Following Christ will bring hardship and difficulties in this life.

Two trees

Here are two trees that look very similar. It's hard to tell at first which ones are healthy. False prophets are dressed in sheep's clothing. It is hard to tell at first. But it takes time to tell... We have to look at the fruit. It is more than being doctrinally and theologically sound. It is more than doing miracles in Jesus name. These things cannot be used to verify salvation. Busyness and the level of activity is not enough. The religious leaders of that day were very busy.
Passion and zeal isn't enough either. We can be passionate about social justice but not for Jesus.

So then how do we figure out someone's spiritual state? It is character. Over the course of time, we cannot fake character. The fruits of the Spirit will be found all at once. If someone is patient with no self control, then we have to wonder. Not that all the fruits are big, but they are there in some measure. This is the marks of an authentic disciple. It cannot be faked over time.

Two houses

The two houses look the same. The difference is the foundation. What is the difference? Obedience. Two church goers hear the same sermon. They go to the same Bible study. Then they go home and apply it. This is not sinless obedience but rather a "sin less" obedience. No man enters the kingdom by obedience, but no man enters the kingdom without obedience.

Trials and temptations reveal us like the storms that visit these two houses. Prosperity is a trial. What happens to our Christian walk when we get what we want? The authentic believer follows the words of Jesus not out of fear of judgement, but because of who Jesus is. He is the one who left his heavenly home for us. He hung on a tree for us. He spoke of the hard and narrow way, but those are just words. He walked the hard and narrow way. Believers walk the hard and narrow way because they love Jesus.