A Christian’s Motivation for Living a Moral Lifestyle

Whether you are a professing Christian or not; I believe we can all agree that there are valid reasons for all mankind to set personal moral standards and strive to live by them.  However, the big question is: “Are there important motivating factors that are unique to Christianity?”

This article will hopefully help answer that question and also clarify for the reader:  1) the temporary benefits of morality for all mankind while living on this earth; 2) the motivating factors that both Christians and non-Christians have in common; and; 3) why it is so important that we understand these differences.

Let us begin by examining the outcome of living by moral standards that would be true for all peoples.  I don’t believe anyone can bring forth a good argument against the benefits of a life lived avoiding: lying, cheating, stealing, excessive drinking, promiscuity, self-centeredness, rage, gossip, and the like.  We all can admit that breaking certain rules can have negative effects.  Even violating the vehicle code section of the law, like breaking the speed limit or running a red light has the potential for profound negative consequences, i.e. receiving a hefty ticket or even being the cause of a head on collision which kills another person or ends one’s own life.  With that in mind, let us look at the list below.

Some Positive Outcomes of Living by Moral Standards which are true for ALL peoples:

• ·               You are more likely to avoid negative consequences
• ·               You will hurt less people
• ·               You will make the world a safer place to live and raise children
• ·               You will leave an honorable legacy to your children
• ·               You will live with less regrets for bad choices
• ·               You will have deeper and more meaningful relationships
• ·               You will need to apologize less
• ·              You may even save money by avoiding monetary penalties for violating the law of the land.

Pretty compelling reasons for a person to desire to set moral standards and to live by them, right? 

Now really examine the list.  What are the common threads running through it?  Well, there are two that we need to take special note of.  The first is that the good and positive outcomes are temporal in nature.  That is that they are of or relating to time as opposed to eternity.  In other words, they are related to life on earth.  The second thread is that they are all focused upon “You”.  Therefore, they are truths that can be used to promote and motivate both Christians and non-Christians to desire to live more morally upright lives so that they can experience the benefits for themselves, their families and their culture.

However, are they, in and of themselves, the primary factors that should help motivate a Christian to do so?  Why is this such an important question?

First, many people are confused about what true Christianity is.  Many people outside the church (and some inside the church) think that Christianity is a religion of do’s and don’ts.  They have no real concept that becoming a Christian is the result of a super natural act accomplished by God in the heart, soul and mind of a person that radically transforms everything about the person.  A true Christian, although still living in the world, is governed by a total different reality—a super natural reality, if you will.

And what does that mean.  It means that a true Christian’s reality is of or relating to an order of existence which is beyond the visible observable universe.  They are no longer strictly motivated by temporal things but they live with an eternal perspective and they have been given a higher reason for living a moral lifestyle—a reason that transcends the temporal benefits of doing so.

Therefore, a true Christian’s understanding of life is radically different from the world and the reasons they do, or do not do, certain things is radically different, as well.  This is where I feel much of the church is lacking in the attempts to promote morality to those inside the Church.

What should motivate a Christian to live by moral standards?

As followers of Christ, our motivation and desire for living and teaching other Christians to live moral lives should look very different from the world’s. The emphasis should not be what we have in common with the world, but those things that are unique to the reality of true Christianity. So, what are some of the Christian reasons or motivational truths for doing so?

Perhaps this table will help illustrate the motivating factors that we as Christians have in common with the world and those things that are unique to the Christians reality. This is, by no means, an exhaustive list—but I hope it helps us to think things through.

Motivation for a Moral Life	Non-Christians	Christian
The desire to bring honor to the family name.	X	X
Loyalty to self and family	X	X
The better good of Self, Family, and Culture.	X	X
The desire to not suffer the negative consequences associated with immoral behavior	X	X
To please self and others by making wise and good choices	X	X
Have less regrets	X	X
The reality that Christ is present at all times.		X
Higher Loyalty to Christ than to family or self.		X
Does not want to bring dishonor to the name of Christ by the way they live		X
Belief that they are not living for themselves, but are representatives and ambassadors of Christ		X
The desire that Christ’s honor, power and reality be magnified by the way in which they live and the choices they make.		X
To personally experience the joy, happiness, and peace that comes with avoiding the things that would go against God’s moral standards for all of His creatures		X
The desire to please God.  Not out of fear of punishment or out of desire for personal temporal rewards but out love.		X
Understands the difference between temporal good and eternal value.		X

In the above, note the things that we have in common and the things that are unique to a Christian reality.  If you are a professing Christian, how many factors can you identify with as highly motivating factors for living a moral lifestyle?

The following came to mind as I was pondering this topic and I will share the results of that pondering with the reader..

First, I want to examine an often-used quote (which, by the way, is very similar to Bill Hybels book entitled, “Who You are When No One’s Looking”). The quote I am referring to is: “The true test of a man's character is what he does when no one is watching.” Here is the problem I see with this statement.

The truth is that there is not a single moment in our life where there is no one watching. Yes, I am aware that in that statement the term “no one” means no human being. However, when it is used inside the church as an attempt to promote and motivate Christians, it tends to eclipse what should be emphasized and that is that for the Christian we are never alone. A less confusing and a more motivating statement would be, “The true test of a Christian man is that whether he is being observed by people or in the privacy of his own room, he is always intimately aware of the presence of Christ.” Living in that reality should be all the motivation we need to adhere to a moral standard of living. My fear is that most professing Christians do not live in that reality and that is why they struggle so.

Secondly, as Christian’s (Followers of Christ) we represent Him. We are to be His ambassadors to a lost and dying world. We are not living for ourselves. We are living for Him. Our motivation for living by moral standards and principals should be born out of an overwhelming desire that our lives do not in any way bring dis-honor to His name. Christian, ask yourself—Do you care about that? Do you care about that more than you care about avoiding negative consequences or thinking of yourself as a man of character because you are moral even when “no-one” is watching?

Thirdly, loyalty is a powerful motivating factor which can even make people willing to die for their country. For Christians, loyalty (which is interwoven with love) for and towards our Savior and King should be one of the highest motivating factors for living a life of obedience to the moral standards outlined for us by Him.

In conclusion, if you are a professing Christian and are not motivated by the following:

· A deep, intimate, abiding relationship with Christ
· An unswerving loyalty and love for Him above everything else
· A desire to live a life that will NOT bring dis-honor to His name;
· An uncompromising preoccupation with His Glory;
· A genuine love for others, both inside and outside the church;
· and, an awareness of the reality of His presence every moment of your life;

Then, my friend, I believe that you have a much bigger issue to wrestle with than setting personal moral standards and living by them.


__________________________________________________________________________

Old Adam put in a better dress

(Thomas Watson, "A New Creature")

"I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom
 of God unless he is born again." John 3:3

Natural honesty, moral virtue, prudence, justice, liberality,
temperance--these are not the new birth. These make a
glorious show in the eye of the world—but differ as much
from the new birth, as a stick differs from a star! Morality
indeed is commendable, and it would be well if there were
more of it. Yet morality is but nature at its best; it does not
amount to saving grace. There is nothing of Christ in morality.
That fruit is sour--which does not grow on the root of Christ!

Heat water to the highest degree--and you still cannot
make wine out of it; it is water still. Just so, let morality
be raised to the highest, it is nature still; it is but old
Adam put in a better dress.

Moral virtue may exist with the hatred of godliness.
A moral man hates holiness--as much as he does vice!
"You must be born again." John 3:7

Ritual Observances, External Morality, Emotional Experiences...

So many people (both inside the visible church and outside) are confused about what Christianity is.  This is so helpful in clarifying things for so many:

What does the Lord require of you?
 To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8

Simplicity and comprehensiveness mark the requirements of my God. He can abbreviate His demands into the fewest words; but they are words which embrace . . .
  the inward and outward,
  the present and future,
  the earthly and the heavenly.

I may fall into serious error regarding His will for me:

It is not a religion of ritual observances which He requires. How easily I attach an undue importance to ceremonies and forms, rites and penances and fasts!

Nor does He solicit primarily a religion of external moralities. God looks on my heart.

Nor is it a religion of emotions of which He is in quest. I must not put excitement and tears, in the place of saving grace and childlike obedience.

But see, my soul, God asks us to act justly. I cannot be His, unless I do justly. Everything that takes an improper advantage of another, and all that departs from the straightest line of absolute rectitude--I must hate and abjure. It is a demand which pierces deeper than it seems. For the integrity of conduct He desires--is the outcome only of a conscience He has quickened, and a will He has bent into submission to His law. The ethics of the Gospel are preceded and rendered possible, by the redemption and regeneration of the Gospel.

And God asks tenderness. He counsels me to love mercy. The world is full of sorrow, and I am to move through it as a good physician, befriending and uplifting those in need.

It is what He does Himself. Every glorious quality has its fountain in Him--but pre-eminently the quality of mercy. He is the great Forgiver and the great Helper--no earthly father loves like Him, and no mother is half so mild. So my feeble torch is but kindled at His altar. My charities and philanthropies must be learned in His school, who pardons my ten thousand transgressions!

And God asks humility. He commands me to lay my hand in His, and to walk humbly in His company. 

Nothing is so essential as poverty of spirit. It is the source and spring from which alone runs the fertilizing river of a holy life. The humble heart is where the flowers of Heaven find their congenial soil, and grow into beauty and fragrance.

 I only begin to be a disciple, when my proud heart is brought low--and my Savior is lifted high.

Now, my Father, if these are to be the features of my soul--then it is manifest that none but You can create them, and can nurture them, and can lead them to their perfection. Do the work Lord, and have the glory!

   ~  ~  ~  ~ 

(Alexander Smellie, "On the Secret Place" 1907)

A Purely Didactic Ministry

des·ic·cate
1. To dry out thoroughly.
2. To preserve (foods) by removing the moisture.
3. To make dry, dull, or lifeless.

di·dac·tic
1. Intended to instruct.
2. Morally instructive.
3. Inclined to teach or moralize excessively.

Do you have a "purely didactic" ministry?  

"To win a soul it is necessary, not only to instruct our hearer and make him know the truth, but to impress him so that he may feel it. A purely didactic ministry, which should always appeal to the understanding and should leave the emotions untouched, would certainly be a limping ministry. “The legs of the lame are not equal,” says Solomon, and the unequal legs of some ministries cripple them. We have seen such an one limping about with a long doctrinal leg, but a very short emotional leg. It is a horrible thing for a man to be so doctrinal that he can speak coolly of the doom of the wicked, so that if he does not actually praise God for it, it costs him no anguish of heart to think of the ruin of millions of our race. This is horrible! I hate to hear the terrors of the Lord proclaimed by men whose hard visages, harsh tones, and unfeeling spirit betray a sort of doctrinal desiccation: all the milk of human kindness is dried out of them

Having no feeling himself, such a preacher creates none, and the people sit and listen while he keeps to dry, lifeless statements, until they come to value him for being “sound,” and they themselves come to be sound too, and I need not add sound asleep also, or what life they have is spent in sniffing out heresy, and making earnest men offenders for a word.

 Into this spirit may we never be baptized."

Are we Christians?

"Woe to those who are at ease in Zion!" Amos 6:1

What do we say to . . .

our self-indulgence,
our spiritual sloth,
our love of ease,
our avoidance of hardship,
our luxury,
our pampering of the body,
our costly feasts,
our silken couches,
our brilliant furniture,
our gay attire,
our jeweled fingers,
our idle mirth,
our voluptuous music,
our jovial tables, loaded with every variety of rich viands?

Are we Christians? Or are we worldlings?

Where is the self-denial of the New Testament days?

Where is the separation from a self-pleasing luxurious world? Where is the cross, the true badge of discipleship, to be seen--except in useless religious ornaments for the body, or worse than useless decorations for the sanctuary?

"Woe to those who are at ease in Zion!" Is not this the description of multitudes who name the name of Christ? They may not be "living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry." But even where these are absent, there is 'high living'--luxury of the table or the wardrobe--in conformity to 'this present evil world.'

"At ease in Zion!" Yes! there is the shrinking . . .

from hard service; from 'spending and being spent;' from toil and burden-bearing and conflict; from self-sacrifice and noble service;for the Master's sake.

There is conformity to the world, instead of conformity to Christ!
There is a laying down, instead of a taking up of the cross.
Or there is a lining of the cross with velvet, lest it should gall our shoulders as we carry it!
Or there is an adorning of the cross, that it may suite the taste and the manners of our refined and intellectual age.

Anything but the bare, rugged and simple cross!

We think that we can make the strait gate wider, and the narrow way broader, so as to be able to walk more comfortably to the heavenly kingdom. We try to prove that 'modern enlightenment' has so refined 'the world and its pleasures', that we may safely drink the poisoned cup, and give ourselves up to the inebriation of the Siren song.

"At ease in Zion!" Even when the walls of our city are besieged, and the citadel is being stormed!

Instead of grasping our weapons, we lie down upon our couches!
Instead of the armor, we put on the silken robe!
We are cowards, when we should be brave!
We are faint-hearted, when we should be bold!
We are lukewarm, when we should be fervent!
We are cold, when we should be full of zeal!

We compromise and shuffle and make excuses, when we should lift up our voice like a trumpet! We pare down truth, or palliate error, or extenuate sin--in order to placate the world, or suit the spirit of the age, or 'unify' the Church.

Learn self-denying Christianity. Not the form or name, but the living thing. Let us renounce the lazy, luxurious, self-pleasing, fashionable religion of the present day!

A self-indulgent religion has nothing in common with the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ; or with that cross of ours which He has commanded us to take up and carry after Him--renouncing ease and denying self.

Our time,
our abilities,
our money,
our strength--
are all to be laid upon the altar.

"Woe to those who are at ease in Zion!" Amos 6:1

(Horatius Bonar, "Self-Denial Christianity")
(19 December, 1808 – 31 May, 1889) He was a Scottish churchman and poet.

It's Not About You!

This is how I am justified and forgiven.

Not by the hopeless endeavor to win and fight my way to the favor of God and the Celestial City--but by looking to Jesus only, and by leaning on Him absolutely.
"Nothing in my hands I bring,
Simply to Your cross I cling!"

This is how I find assurance.

I am tossed with tempest, overcast with doubt, haunted with fear--while I scrutinize my own frames and feelings. But when I fix my gaze steadfastly on Him, so all-sufficient, so perfect--the morning awakens and the shadows decay; behold, the winter is past, and the flowers appear! For my own comfort, I would see Him as a glorious Sun filling my sky.

This is how I grow holy.

While indeed I am bidden work out my own salvation with fear and trembling, it must not be as if everything depended on me. It must rather be by a perpetual faith in Him, and a perpetual prayer to Him, who works in me to will and to do according to His good purpose! The battle is not mine, but His. He sows the seed, and He ripens the harvest. He lays the foundation, and He puts the top-stone in its fitting place.

This is how I shall be glorified in the end

Self will have vanished in the better country, and Christ will be ALL! I shall follow the Lamb wherever He goes. I shall find my safety, my peace, my victory--in keeping very close to Him. He will be familiar, and yet He will be new every morning. And I shall discover in Him a subject of study, and wonder, and worship, and love--which is illimitable and unfathomable!

"Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith!" Hebrews 12:2

(Alexander Smellie, "The Hour of Silence" 1899)

God's Glory as our Chief End (Part three)

If you have not read the previous two posts, I would encourage you to do so.  It is about understanding why we do what we do and the effect of what we do when we do it.  It's about the overarching motivation behind all of our activities including a Women's Ministry.

God's word is "Christ-Centered" and yet the churches and many of the activities have become "man-centered" or "self-centered".  Ask yourself, "Why do I go to church?"  "Why do I serve in a ministry?", Why do I sing praises?"  "Why do I read the Bible?"   Why do I strive to live a moral life?"  "Why do I share Christ with others?"    

Ponder those questions before reading on...

Q. What is it to live to God?

A. When we live to his service, and lay ourselves out wholly for God.

The Lord has sent us into the world, as a merchant sends his agent beyond the seas to trade for him. We live to God when we trade for his interest, and propagate his gospel. God has given every man a talent; and when a man does not hide it in a napkin, but improves it for God, he lives to God. When a master in a family, by counsel and good example, labours to bring his servants to Christ; when a minister spends himself, and is spent, that he may win souls to Christ, and make the crown flourish upon Christ's head; when the magistrate does not wear the sword in vain, but labours to cut down sin, and to suppress vice; this is to live to God, and this is glorifying God. Phil. 1:20. "That Christ might be magnified, whether by life or by death." Three wishes Paul had, and they were all about Christ; that he might be found in Christ, be with Christ, and magnify Christ.

1. We glorify God by walking cheerfully. It brings glory to God, when the world sees a Christian has that within him that which can make him cheerful in the worst times; that can enable him, with the nightingale, to sing with a thorn at his breast. The people of God have ground for cheerfulness. They are justified and adopted, and this creates inward peace; it makes music within, whatever storms are without, 2 Cor. 1:4. I Thess. 1:6. If we consider what Christ has wrought for us by his blood, and wrought in us by his Spirit, it is a ground of great cheerfulness, and this cheerfulness glorifies God. It reflects upon a master when the servant is always drooping and sad; sure he is kept to hard commons, his master does not give him what is fitting; so, when God's people hang their heads, it looks as if they did not serve a good master, or repented of their choice, which reflects dishonour on God. As the gross sins of the wicked bring a scandal on the gospel, so do the uncheerful lives of the godly. Psalm 100:2, "Serve the Lord with gladness." Your serving him does not glorify him, unless it be with gladness. A Christian's cheerful looks glorify God; religion does not take away our joy, but refines it; it does not break our viol, but tunes it, and makes the music sweeter.

2. We glorify God by standing up for his truths. Much of God's glory lies in his truth. God has entrusted us with his truth, as a master entrusts his servant with his purse to keep. We have not a richer jewel to trust God with than our souls, nor has God a richer jewel to trust us with than his truth. Truth is a beam that shines from God. Much of his glory lies in his truth. When we are advocates for truth we glorify God. Jude 3, "That ye should contend earnestly for the truth." The Greek word to contend signifies great contending, as one would contend for his land, and not suffer his right to be taken from him, so we should contend for the truth. Were there more of this holy contention God would have more glory. Some contend earnestly for trifles and ceremonies, but not for the truth. We should Count him indiscreet that would contend more for a picture than for his inheritance; for a box of toys than for his box of title deeds.

3. We glorify God by praising him. Doxology, or praise, is a God-exalting work. Psalm 50:23, "Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me." The Hebrew word Bara, to create, and Barak, to praise, are little different, because the end of creation is to praise God. David was called the sweet singer of Israel, and his praising God was called glorifying God. Psalm 96:12. "I will praise thee, O Lord my God, and I will glorify thy name." Though nothing can add to God's essential glory, yet praise exalts him in the eyes of others. When we praise God, we spread his fame and renown, we display the trophies of his excellency. In this manner the angels glorify him; they are the choristers of heaven, and do trumpet forth his praise. Praising God is one of the highest and purest acts of religion. In prayer we act like men; in praise we act like angels. Believers are called "temples of God." I Cor. 3:16. When our tongues praise, then the organs in God's spiritual temple are sounding.

How sad it is that God has no more glory from us in this way! Many are full of murmuring and discontent, but seldom bring glory to God, by giving him the praise due to his name. We read of the saints having harps in their hands, the emblems of praise. Many have tears in their eyes, and complaints in their mouths, but few have harps in their hands, blessing and glorifying God. Let us honour God this way. Praise is the quit-rent we pay to God: as long as God renews our lease, we must renew our rent.

4. We glorify God, by being zealous for his name. Num. 25:11, "Phineas hath turned my wrath away, while he was zealous for my sake." Zeal is a mixed affection, a compound of love and anger; it carries forth our love to God, and our anger against sin in an intense degree. Zeal is impatient of God's dishonour; a Christian fired with zeal takes a dishonour done to God worse than an injury done to himself. Rev. 2:2, "Thou canst not bear them that are evil." Our Saviour Christ thus glorified his Father; he, being baptized with a spirit of zeal, drove the money-changers out of the temple, John 2:14-17. "The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up."

5. We glorify God, when we have an eye to God in our natural and in our civil actions. In our natural actions; in eating and drinking. 1 Cor. 10:31 "Whether therefore ye eat or drink, do all to the glory of God." A gracious person holds the golden bridle of temperance; he takes his meat as a medicine to heal the decays of nature, that he may be the fitter, by the strength he receives, for the service of God; he makes his food, not fuel for lust, but help to duty. In buying and selling, we do all to the glory of God. The wicked live upon unjust gain, by falsifying the balances, as in Hosea 12:7, "The balances of deceit are in his hands;" and thus while men make their weights lighter, they make their sins heavier, when by exacting more than the commodity is worth, they do not for eighty write down fifty, but for fifty eighty; when they exact double the price that a thing is worth. We buy and sell to the glory of God, when we observe that golden maxim, "To do to others as we would have them do to us;" so that when we sell our commodities, we do not sell our consciences also. Acts 24:16. "Herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence towards God, and towards men." We glorify God, when we have an eye to God in all our civil and natural actions, and do nothing that may reflect any blemish on religion.

6. We glorify God by labouring to draw others to God; by seeking to convert others, and so make them instruments of glorifying God. We should be both diamonds and loadstones (magnetic rocks); diamonds for the lustre of grace and loadstones for attractive virtue in drawing others to Christ. Gal. 4:19, "My little children, of whom I travail," etc. It is a great way of glorifying God, when we break open the devil's prison, and turn men from the power of Satan to God.

7. We glorify God in a high degree when we suffer for God, and seal the gospel with our blood. John 21:18,19, "When thou shalt be old, another shall gird thee, and carry thee, whither thou wouldest not: this spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God." God's glory shines in the ashes of his martyrs. Isa. 24:15, "wherefore glorify the Lord in the fires." Micah was in the prison, Isaiah was sawn asunder, Paul beheaded, Luke hanged on an olive tree; thus did they, by their death, glorify God. The sufferings of the primitive saints did honour to God, and made the gospel famous in the world. What would others say? See what a good master they serve, and how they love him, that they will venture the loss of all in his service. The glory of Christ's kingdom does not stand in worldly pomp and grandeur, as other kings; but it is seen in the cheerful sufferings of his people. The saints of old "loved not their lives to the death." Rev. 12:11. They embraced torments as so many crowns. God grant we may thus glorify him, if he calls us to it. Many pray, "Let this cup pass away," but few, "Thy will be done."

8. We glorify God, when we give God the glory of all that we do. When Herod had made an oration, and the people gave a shout, saying, "It is the voice of a God, and not of a man," he took the glory to himself; the text says, immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory, and he was eaten of worms." Acts 12:23. We glorify God, when we sacrifice the praise and glory of all to God. 1 Cor. 15:10, "I laboured more abundantly than they all," a speech, one would think, savoured of pride; but the apostle pulls the crown from his own head, and sets it upon the head of free grace: "yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." As Joab, when he fought against Rabbah, sent for King David, that he might carry away the crown of the victory, 2 Sam. 12:28, so a Christian, when he has gotten power over any corruption or temptation sends for Christ, that he may carry away the crown of the victory. As the silkworm, when she weaves her curious work, hides herself under the silk, and is not seen; so when we have done anything praiseworthy, we must hide ourselves under the veil of humility, and transfer the glory of all we have done to God. As Constantine used to write the name of Christ over his door, so should we write the name of Christ over our duties. Let him wear the garland of praise.

9. We glorify God by a holy life. A bad life dishonours God. 1 Pet. 2:8, "Ye are an holy nation, that ye should shew forth the praises of him that hath called you." Rom. 2:24, "The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you." Epiphanus says," That the looseness of some Christians in his time made many of the heathens shun their company, and would not be drawn to hear their sermons." By our exact Bible-conversation we glorify God. Though the main work of religion lies in the heart, yet our light must so shine that others may behold it. The safety of a building is the foundation, but the glory of it is in the frontispiece; so the beauty of faith is in the conversation. When the saints, who are called jewels, cast a sparkling lustre of holiness in the eyes of the world, then they "walk as Christ walked." 1 John 2:6. When they live as if they had seen the Lord with bodily eyes, and been with him upon the mount, they adorn religion, and bring revenues of glory to the crown of heaven.

Now - the next question to ponder is "Do you care about God's Glory?"

Sharing Your Gifts

In ways you least suspect, God answers prayers.  I have been praying for a couple of years that the Lord would bring someone into our lives with a heart for music.  My husband, who neither reads nor can write music, has been given over 70 songs (both the words and melodies).  His only way to capture those songs is to record them acapella.  He can hear orchestra's playing them, congregations and choirs singing them; but, that is impossible without sheet music for them.

We met Celeste and her husband Mike last December when members of our church and others came to Atria, where my husband ministers, to share a Christmas Program with the residents.  Celeste accompanied the group on piano and Mike sung in the choir.  At that time we had no idea how gifted this young lady was.

As we got to know Celeste and Mike we discovered that they both love the Lord and are both gifted in many ways.  As a side note:  They will be leaving for the mission field and will be gone sometime before the end of this year. Mike is a doctor and will be joining a medical missionary team in Africa.  Celeste will be working with women trapped in the sex trafficking industry with the desire to win them to Christ.

Through our relationship with them, we discovered that Celeste has been singing since she was a tiny little girl and also plays the piano--even composing her own musical arrangements.  Michael shared a few of his songs with Celeste and she was able to write the piano chords for them.  Three of Michael's songs became part of a one woman, outreach concert,  that we hosted at Atria on April 19th.

As we sat listening to this gifted young woman sing praises to the Lord, our eyes filled with tears.  As we heard Michael's songs being played and sung by someone who we have both grown to love, we were overwhelmed with thanksgiving to the Lord.

Little did we know, another sweet Christian sister, India Curry, who is a gifted artist as well, video taped Celeste practicing for the concert in her home and posted that video on Youtube.  You can watch it here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcXn5x26Alo

This is the body of Christ working together to build up and edify believers, bring glory to God, and reach the lost.

What God has taught me through this is that He has everything and everyone under His sovereign control and overcomes all obstacles that we may think are present in our lives.  He will bring those members of His body together who will glorify Him with their gifts in the most unexpected ways--even if it's only for a season!

Rejoicing in Christ - The Center of Our Joy!

MYSTERIOUS VISITS

(O' Lord, thank you for Spurgeon and for all the other godly men who have long sense left this earth.  Without their teaching and encouragement, I would, more often then not, be left all alone to wonder if I were actually crazy and had silly notions about you)

I do remember well when God first visited me; and assuredly it was the night of nature, of ignorance, of sin. His visit had the same effect upon me that it had upon Saul of Tarsus when the Lord spake to him out of heaven. He brought me down from the high horse, and caused me to fall to the ground; by the brightness of the light of His Spirit He made me grope in conscious blindness; and in the brokenness of my heart I cried, "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" I felt that I had been rebelling against the Lord, kicking against the pricks, and doing evil even as I could; and my soul was filled with anguish at the discovery. Very searching was the glance of the eye of Jesus, for it revealed my sin, and caused me to go out and weep bitterly. As when the Lord visited Adam, and called him to stand naked before Him, so was I stripped of all my righteousness before the face of the Most High. Yet the visit ended not there; for as the Lord God clothed our first parents in coats of skins, so did He cover me with the righteousness of the great sacrifice, and He gave me songs in the night It was night, but the visit was no dream: in fact, I there and then ceased to dream, and began to deal with the reality of things.

Believe me, there are such things as personal visits from Jesus to His people. He has not left us utterly. Though He be not seen with the bodily eye by bush or brook, nor on the mount, nor by the sea, yet doth He come and go, observed only by the spirit, felt only by the heart. Still he standeth behind our wall, He showeth Himself through the lattices.

Do you ask me to describe these manifestations of the Lord? It were hard to tell you in words: you must know them for yourselves. If you had never tasted sweetness, no man living could give you an idea of honey. Yet if the honey be there, you can "taste and see." To a man born blind, sight must be a thing past imagination; and to one who has never known the Lord, His visits are quite as much beyond conception.

For our Lord to visit us is something more than for us to have the assurance of our salvation, though that is very delightful, and none of us should rest satisfied unless we possess it. To know that Jesus loves me, is one thing; but to be visited by Him in love, is more.

Nor is it simply a close contemplation of Christ; for we can picture Him as exceedingly fair and majestic, and yet not have Him consciously near us. Delightful and instructive as it is to behold the likeness of Christ by meditation, yet the enjoyment of His actual presence is something more. I may wear my friend's portrait about my person, and yet may not be able to say, "Thou hast visited me."

At such a time a flood of great joy will fill our minds. We shall half wish that the morning may never break again, for fear its light should banish the superior light of Christ's presence. We shall wish that we could glide away with our Beloved to the place where He feedeth among the lilies. We long to hear the voices of the white-robed armies, that we may follow their glorious Leader whithersoever He goeth. I am persuaded that there is no great actual distance between earth and heaven: the distance lies in our dull minds. When the Beloved visits us in the night, He makes our chambers to be the vestibule of His palace-halls. Earth rises to heaven when heaven comes down to earth.
C.H. Spurgeon
(exceprts from - MYSTERIOUS VISITS)
AN ADDRESS TO A LITTLE COMPANY AT THE
COMMUNION TABLE AT MENTONE.
"Thou hast visited me in the night."—Psalm 18:3.

He is NOT only found in the Bible!

"Abide with us!" Luke 24:29

So said the disciples when Jesus was about to leave them--and so shall we say, if we know the sweetness of His presence. When Jesus comes and manifests Himself, when He draws out our souls into sweet communion with Himself--then . . .
  we enjoy a Heaven on earth,
  our hearts glow with gratitude and burn with love,
  we are filled with joy, and
  dread nothing so much as His leaving us!
Then we cry, "Abide with us!"

Precious Lord Jesus . . .
  come and visit my soul,
  reveal Your glory,
  shed abroad Your love in my heart, and
  draw me into the closest, sweetest communion with Yourself!

Do you know what the above author means when he says, "When Jesus comes and manifests Himself, when He draws out our souls into sweet communion with Himself?"

It has been my observation, that the modern reformed church goer flatters himself to be growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, simply because he attends worship service and midweek prayer group and spends regular time reading the bible.

The way we pray reveals a great deal about what we truly believe.  Have you heard a prayer like the one in the short closing paragraph above, lately?  "Precious Lord Jesus, come and visit my soul"  Would you even know what that meant?  How does He visit our Soul?  What does that even look like, feel like?

I ask you, do we serve a living Christ or not?  One would think not when you hear prayers like, "Lord we know the only place we can find you is in the Bible--make us people of the book."  Or "Lord be with us"  Is He not Omnipresent?

I am not the only one who has sensed this heart breaking epidemic in the modern church.    It is a cold, impersonal, academic, detached knowledge of Christ--not a real and personal experience with our Risen Lord.  Dr. Joel Beeke observed this long ago.  Here is just a snippet of an article outlining the problem.  I would strongly recommend reading the entire article.

(excerpt)
One hindrance to growth among Christians today is our failure to cultivate spiritual knowledge. We fail to give enough time to prayer and Bible-reading, and we have abandoned the practice of meditation. How tragic that the very word “meditation,” once regarded as a core discipline of Christianity and “a crucial preparation for and adjunct to the work of prayer,” is now associated with unbiblical “New Age” spirituality. We rightly criticize those who engage in transcendental meditation and other mind-relaxing exercises because these practices are connected with false religions, such as Buddhism and Hinduism, and have nothing to do with Scripture. Such forms of meditation focus on emptying the mind to become detached from the world, and to merge with the so-called “Cosmic Mind.” There is no living, personal God to attach to, to listen to, and to be active for. Yet we can learn from such people the importance of quiet reflection and prolonged meditation.

 At one time the Christian church was deeply engaged in biblical meditation, which involved detachment from sin, and attachment to God and one’s neighbor. In the Puritan age, numerous ministers preached and wrote on how to meditate. Few studies have been done on Puritan meditation.

 In this article, we will look at the Puritan art of meditation, considering the nature, duty, manner, subjects, benefits, obstacles, and self-examination of meditation (see the bibliography at the end of this article). With the Puritans as mentors, perhaps we can recover the biblical practice of meditation for our time.

 The Definition, Nature, and Kinds of Meditation

 The word “meditate” or “muse” means to “think upon” or “reflect.” David said, “While I was musing the fire burned” (Psalm 39:3). It also means “to murmur, to mutter, to make sound with the mouth.” It implies what we express by one talking to himself.î[1] Such meditation involved reciting aloud to oneself in a low undertone passages of Scripture one had committed to memory.

http://www.grace4u.org/puritan/free_beeke.html

AFFLICTION

"I have refined you in the furnace of suffering." Isaiah 48:10

One of the reasons why God uses afflictions, is to prevent Christians from backsliding. In times of prosperity . . .
  pride is apt to rise and swell;
  carnal security blinds their eyes;
  the love of riches increases;
  spiritual affections are feeble;
  eternal things are viewed as far off, and concealed by a thick mist.
These circumstances are, indeed, the common precursors of backsliding.

But to prevent this evil, and to stir up the benumbed feelings of piety--the believer is put into the furnace! At first he finds it hard to submit, and is like a wild bull in a net. His pride and his love of carnal ease, resist the hand that smites him; but severe pain awakes him from his spiritual sleep. He then finds himself in the hands of his heavenly Father--and sees that nothing can be gained by murmuring or rebelling. His sins rise up to view, and he is convinced of the justice of the divine dispensations. His hard heart begins to yield, and he is stirred up to cry mightily to God for helping grace. Although he wishes and prays for deliverance from the pressure of affliction--yet he is more solicitous that the affliction should be rendered effectual . . .
  to subdue his pride,
  to wean him from the love of the world, and
  to give perfect exercise to patience and resignation
--than that it should be removed. He knows that the furnace is the place for purification. He hopes and prays that his dross may be consumed, and that he may come forth as gold which has passed seven times through the refiner's fire!
(Archibald Alexander, "Thoughts on Religious Experience" 1844)

From where does your refreshment come?

"The tragedy is that many of us are living a desperate Christian life. Sunday comes and we get some strength, and then we lose some on Monday; a good deal is gone by Tuesday and we wonder whether we have anything left. On Wednesday it has all gone and then we exist. Or perhaps refreshment comes in some other way, some meeting we attend, some friends we meet.

Now that is the old order of things, that is not the new.  He puts a well within us. We are not always drawing from somewhere outside.  The well, the spring, goes on springing up from within into everlasting life."

Lloyd-Jones

True Religion vs. Churchianity

People who have a problem with God's wrath and the judgement to come are those who do not truly believe that they deserve to be condemned.  It is those who (at the very core of their being), do not really believe that all men (including themselves), deserve to suffer in hell for eternity, who struggle with God's judgement.  Most (including professing Christians) think too highly of themselves and that is really why they find these truths hard to embrace.  They don't really know God.

There must be a knowledge of God. And, mark you, if you know God you will think very little of yourself. He who knows not God thinks man a noble being; he who has seen God thinks man to be dust and ashes. He who knows not God’s holiness thinks himself to be a good creature, but when he sees a thrice-holy God he says, “I abhor myself.” He who knows not God thinks man to be a wonderful being, able to accomplish whatsoever he wills, but in the sight of God human strength is burned up, and man becomes lighter than vanity.

Do you know God? O my dear hearer, do you know God in the majesty of his justice as condemning your sin, and you for sin? Do you know God in the splendor of his love, as giving Jesus Christ to die for sinners, blending that love with justice — for love gave Jesus, and justice slew him? Do you know God in the fullness of his power to save, renewing the heart, changing the mind, subduing the will? Do you know him even in this, which is, comparatively, a slender branch of knowledge? If you do, you have begun to know him, and you have begun to know yourself too, for he knows not himself who does not know something of God. Oh, to know the Father as my Father, who hath kissed me, and put the best robe upon me! Oh, to know the Son as my brother, in whose garments I am accepted, and stand comely in the sight of God! Oh, to know the Spirit as the quickener and the divine indweller and illuminator, by whose light alone we see, and in whose life we live!

To know the Lord — that is true religion, and I say again, any religion, whatever it is — Churchianity or Nonconformity, or what you like — if it does not lead you to know God, is of no use whatever.
From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "The Blessings Of Following On."

What Pleases You More?

It more pleaseth the saints that they enjoy God, than that they enjoy salvation. False and carnal spirits will express a great deal of desire after salvation, for they like salvation, heaven, and glory well; but they never express any longing desire after God and Jesus Christ. They love salvation, but they care not for a Saviour. Now that which faith pitches most upon is God himself; he shall be my salvation, let me have him, and that is salvation enough; he is my life, he is my comfort, he is my riches, he is my honour, and he is my all.

Ponder the above and ask yourself, "Is this true about me?"  Does it please me more to enjoy God or am I more pleased knowing that I am saved from the wrath to come?   That would be like living with a husband whose company you do not enjoy; but you hang in there because he has a great life insurance policy that one day will pay you for all the misery you had to endure.

I have found that most professing Christians struggle with assurance because their focus is more on their own salvation then on the One who is our Salvation.  Always striving to obtain assurance of their salvation; rather than desiring to know and delight in the Savior.

Above quote by Joseph Caryl

"Pre" - Pre-Marital Counseling

I want to suggest a new and different approach for all who are responsible for pre-marital counseling.  Let me share with you an approach which cuts to the chase and truly exposes a man's readiness for marriage by sharing this dialogue (which has been repeated so many times that I have lost count with the same result each time).  Here we go:

Young man:  "I really think she is the one for me."

Counselor:  "And why is that?  What is it about her that you love so much?"

Young man: "Well, she loves the Lord.  She is really easy to talk to.  In fact, we can talk for hours and hours.  I think she really understands me.  She has a good personality and my family seems to like her, as well.  We have a lot in common in terms of theology, music, etc."

Counselor:  "Let me ask you this.  Do you think she is pretty?"

Young man:  "Of course.  Isn't it important that we find each other physically attractive.  Isn't that important?"

Counselor:  "Ponder this:  If six month after you are married, your wife  is involved in a serious car accident where the car is engulfed in flames and she survives but is grossly disfigured by the accident to the point that she is actually hideous to look at (hideous!), would you still feel good about taking her out in public and introducing her as your wife?"  In other words, would you still feel the same as you do right now and still marry this woman if that happened to her tomorrow?

Young man: "WOW!  I don't think I am there yet."

In almost 100% of my encounters with young professing Christian men who think that they are "in love", this line of questioning has always ended with that same remark, "I don't think I'm there yet".  At least they are being honest.  But, let me be honest.  If you are not there yet, you are not ready to marry.

I can honestly tell you, and those who truly love their spouses can tell you, that no matter what might happen to my husbands outward appearance, I am "in love" with his soul.   My love is not based, one single iota, on how he looks.  He could be the most hideous looking man on earth and I would marry him all over again.

I would counsel young people, that if they cannot truly answer that question in the affirmative before they marry someone, they will make horrible spouses and will be ill-equipped to deal with the natural consequences of living in a fallen world.

Are my standards too high?

"I Know Your Works"

Sin is strengthened by the illusion of secrecy. The wicked justifies his iniquity by saying “in his heart, ‘God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it’” (Psalm 10:11).


Believing that his thoughts are known only to himself, he covets. Convinced that his fantasies are private affairs, he lusts. Persuaded that no one has access to his heart, he hates and blasphemes and revels in the passions of his flesh. Confident that God is either unable or unwilling to take note of his deeds, he steals, fornicates, and lies.

But Jesus shatters the fantasy, both for Christian and non-Christian, by declaring: “I know your works!” Indeed, this riveting claim appears at the beginning of each of the seven letters to the churches in the chapter two of the book of Revelation. In six of those instances the same refrain is found: “I know your works”. In the seventh (Rev. 2:9), he proclaims, “I know your tribulation and your poverty.”

How does your knowledge of God’s knowledge of you change your life? If it doesn’t, it should. Consider these affirmations of the knowledge that God has of your soul. It is both pervasive and perfect.

Let’s think for a moment about how God thinks! The first thing to remember is that whereas we learn by observation and reason (we employ induction and deduction), God simply knows! His knowledge is intuitive, innate, and immediate. He neither discovers nor forgets.

More than that, he knows everything at once! With God the act of knowing is complete and instantaneous. He thinks about all things at the same time, and is never not thinking about them (forgive the double negative!). As Wayne Grudem said, If God “should wish to tell us the number of grains of sand on the seashore or the number of stars in the sky, he would not have to count them all quickly like some kind of giant computer, nor would he have to call the number to mind because it was something he had not thought about for a time. Rather, he knows all things at once. All of these facts and all other things that he knows are always fully present in his consciousness".

God's knowledge of you and me is both exhaustive and infallible. He knows everything and he knows it perfectly. He holds no false beliefs about us and makes no errors of judgment. God knows exhaustively all his own deeds and plans (Acts 15:18) as well as ours. No secret of the human heart, no thought of the mind or feeling of the soul escapes his gaze.

This is explicitly affirmed in Psalm 139 – O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether” (vv. 1-4).

Every emotion, feeling, idea, thought, conception, resolve, aim, doubt, motive, perplexity, and anxious moment lies before God like an open book. And God knows all this "from afar"! The distance between heaven and earth by which men vainly imagine God's knowledge to be circumscribed (limited, bounded) offers no obstacle.

God knows "all my ways", which is to say that every step, every move, every journey, is under his gaze. What possible hope of concealment is there when God knows what we will say before we do?

So, if sin is strengthened by the illusion of secrecy, what better way to destroy its power than by meditating on the exhaustive and gloriously infallible knowledge that God has of us! Here again is the declaration of Jesus: “I know your works!”
Artcle Excerpt by Sam Storms

Scripture references for those who wish to go directly to God's Word and study these passages in context:

“And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought” (1 Chronicles 28:9a).

“O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you” (Psalm 29:5). "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good" (Proverbs 15:3).

“Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the Lord, how much more the hearts of the children of man!” (Proverbs 15:11).

“Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God’? Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable” (Isaiah 40:27-28).

“O Lord of hosts, who tests the righteous, who sees the heart and the mind, . . .” (Jeremiah 20:12).

"The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick; who can understand it? 'I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds’” (Jeremiah 17:9-10; cf. also Jer. 16:17; 18:23; 1 Kings 8:39).

“And the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and he said to me, ‘Say, Thus says the Lord: So you think, O house of Israel. For I know the things that come into your mind’” (Ezekiel 11:5).

"For your Father knows what you need before you ask him" (Matthew 6:8).

“And they prayed and said, ‘You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen’” (Acts 1:24).

“And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13).

“God is greater than our heart, and knows everything” (1 John 3:20).

God's knowledge of the inner man is also affirmed in Deuteronomy 31:21; 1 Samuel 16:7; Psalm 94:9-11; Isaiah 66:18; Jeremiah 11:20; 32:19; Luke 16:15 (“God knows your hearts”)

Acts 15:8; Rom. 8:27 (“he who searches hearts”);

1 Corinthians 3:20; 1 Thessalonians 2:4; and Revelation 2:23;. For his awareness of all our activities and ways, see also 1 Samuel 2:3; Job 23:10; 24:23; 31:4; Psalms 1:6; 33:13-15; 37:18; 119:168; Isaiah 29:15; Matthew 10:30.

All The Accountability One Should Need

"But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord my refuge, that I may tell of all your works" (Psalm 73:28).

Acknowledging God's Presence

These might be the most important words to have constantly ringing in the ears of your heart: "it is good to be near God." "Near God" is something you could never have earned, deserved, or personally achieved. "Near God" is the exact opposite of where sin takes you. "Near God" brought Jesus to earth and required him to die. "Near God" restores to you what sin destroyed and what only grace can restore. "Near God" is where you were designed to live.

Grace has brought you close to God once again. Grace means he is in you and you are in him. Grace has made it impossible for you to be alone. God's greatest gift to you is himself! But you and I don't always acknowledge his presence. There are moments in life when we get it wrong, where we live as if he doesn't exist. When we act as if he is distant, we panic in the face of the normal difficulties of life in this fallen world and in the face of the perplexities of God's sovereign plan. Or else we fall into trying to do God's job, and in so doing, complicate our lives all the more.

Excerpt from: 

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2012/01/16/getting-it-right/

Paul Tripp

Pondering Passages and Asking Questions

Pondering the following passages:

Acts 9:17-19
So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”   And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; ¹⁹ and taking food, he was strengthened.

Acts 2:37-41
³⁷ Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” ³⁸ And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” ⁴⁰ And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” ⁴¹ So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

Acts 10:44-48
 ⁴⁴ While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. ⁴⁵ And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. ⁴⁶ For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, ⁴⁷ “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” ⁴⁸ And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.

Acts 8:35-38
³⁵ Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. ³⁶ And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?”^{[e] 38} And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.

There was never a delay between a profession of faith and baptism.  Question:  Why do we delay baptising someone until there is "evidence" of their conversion?  Do we think that we have the ability to stamp "saved" on their foreheads?  I know all the arguments, and yet I cannot find warrant in scripture to support any of the arguments for delaying baptism.

Now let us look at how seriously Paul took baptism.  Did he have a lapse of memory?

1 Corinthians 1:14-17
¹⁴ I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, ¹⁵ so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. ¹⁶ (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) ¹⁷ For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

Here is what I think has happened over the years.

In the early church, one could loose their family, their livelihood; and, even their life for professing Christ as their Lord and Savior.  Therefore, questioning the legitimacy of someones conversion (when they were willing to risk everything to follow Christ), was not something the early church had to deal with.  Therefore, anyone making a profession of faith was baptized and considered a "member" of the church.

Making a profession of faith in the United States of America in the twenty first century, is more like signing up for a membership at a Health Club.  With all the false profession's, faithful men of God want to see evidence before they baptize anyone or allow them to partake of the Lord's Supper  or view them as actual members of the Church.  It makes sense.  However, just because it makes sense; does not mean it's biblical.  We can find many ways to justify unbiblical practices that sound honorable like "I'm trying to protect people from eating and drinking condemnation upon themselves".

I submit to you that, as honorable as that sounds, it is not our job and it is not biblical.  We are responsible for preaching the gospel truthfully; teaching professing Christians what the Bible says about partaking of the Lord's supper and baptism and then trusting God.  It is not our responsibility to try to determine who is "qualified" and who is not.  When we think that we can do that; we will admit those who are not and deny those who are.  Not one of us is an infallible "fruit inspector" and fruit comes after baptism and as a result of partaking in all of the means of grace that the Lord has given His Church, including the Lord's Supper.

I believe that many of us are guilty of attempting to do what our Lord specifically prohibited us from doing  in Matthew 13.  Christ knows that we cannot know the wheat from the tares with any certainty and therefore specifically instructs us to not even attempt such things, as in so doing, we will harm the wheat in the process.

 ²⁶ So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. ²⁷ And the servants^[d] of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ ²⁸ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ ²⁹ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’” .