Mosiah 18:8-10

8  And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another's burdens, that they may be light;
9  Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—
10  Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?

Mosiah 18:8-10

What does it take to be a true follower of Christ?  Mosiah 18:8-10 is one of the best lists of what it takes.

First, a little background.  Alma(1) is our speaker.  Alma(1) was a priest for the wicked King Noah.  I have no doubt he was living the so-called "good" life;  however, the preaching of Abinadai touched his heart and changed him.  Because of his conversion, Alma(1) fled with a group of followers (he had been privately preaching).

They came to a place called the Waters of Mormon.  Here, the people were "...desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people.. (verse 8)"  Alma(1)'s response was this list.  I want to look at each item listed by Alma(1).

• Be "willing to bear one another's burdens, that they may be light (verse 8)."  We can no longer be concerned only about self.  We are required to go beyond self and help those around us.  Others are important to the point we must be "willing" to help  them as best we can.  It is easier to face life's challenges when our "burdens" are "light."
• Be "willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort (verse 9)..."  My father-in-law recently died.  He was 92 and had lived a long, good life.  I loved and admired him.  His death was not a surprise, but it was still very painful.  We called our Bishop and he offered any help we needed.  At first, my wife and I thought we could handle things alone.  (My wife's an only-child.) That afternoon, we realized we needed help and called him back.  I will always be moved by the love and support we received from those around us.  We received comfort from the support and help  we received.  The best way I know of to show my full appreciation and gratitude is to be willing to be there when others need it.  
• "(T)o stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places... (verse 10)" I am convinced that this is the key to Alma(1)'s sermon.  It's one thing to say "I believe."  It doesn't take much effort and commitment.  The true follower is willing to always  "stand as witness...at all times and in all things, and in all places..."  That is our true challenge.  It's not always an easy and comfortable thing to do; nevertheless, this is what is expected of us.  No one ever said it would be easy.  No one ever said you'd be comfortable.  No ever said it would be popular.  But those considerations don't matter.  When you covenant "to come into the fold of God," you agree to "witness" regardless of the situation.
• Like everything else we receive from the Lord, there is a great promise attached.  If you do these things, you "ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—"  The promises don't get better than this.  It takes faith and belief; commitment and courage.  The Lord understands this and gives you this great promise.  The Lord has to be the best "employer" I know of.  He "pays" us better than we deserve.  He just expects you to keep your part of the covenant. 

After this, Alma(1) asks "what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord"?  Good question!  And I am convinced that there can only be one possible response:   "And now when the people had heard these words, they clapped their hands for joy, and exclaimed: This is the desire of our hearts.(verse 11).