I read once in Dietrich Bonhoeffer's book "The Cost of Discipleship" that 'The only way to follow Jesus was to live in the word.'

It is said like this is not a truth anymore. Bonhoeffer was talking about how this is still an important trait but it takes much more. Therefore he was not discrediting it at all. And therefore neither am I. However...so many people teach that you don't have to do everything by the way of the Lord to call yourself one of His own. But my question is...'if you don't then what in the heck does one of His own look like?' Because I have always thought that a follower of Christ...in its true form was a person that walked as closely to the side of the mountain hugging it rather than seeing how far out on the edge they are capable of going before they fall off.

I am actually sure that this is what the message is, however because so many people warp the message of Grace that it now sounds like a free for all fraternity that allows anybody in regardless of their heart or faith. (And someone attending Church is much different from someone who very activily participates in the church congregation without a preceding declaration of faith. If a person doesn't delcare it how will we ever know if somebody is preaching the wrong message when we aren't looking, and playing it off like that is what we believe also.)