1. Jesus is your king.

First, you must acknowledge Jesus as King. Look- you cannot be a Christian and still be in charge of your own life. A Christian bows his knee to God and acknowledges that He is sovereign and in control of everything! A Son of God says, God, you made the whole world, and you created me to glorify you; and I’ve rebelled against you and wanted to do things MY way instead of YOUR way. And instead of condemning me to death, you sent your son to to live the life I couldn’t live, and then He died the death I deserved to die; He was in the grave 3 days; then He arose from the grave; appeared to the disciples; and then ascended into heaven, and now we await His return. And if that’s what He did for me, then I’ll do anything He asks me to do. I submit to His will- gladly. I will trust Him; and I will obey Him. He is the King.

2. Overly zealous vs. overly cynical

Second, a Christian isn’t overly cynical or overly zealous. Are you overly zealous? Look how patient the farmer was- he allowed the weeds to be mixed in with the wheat! He was a FARMER! He knew that it takes time for the Kingdom to come in, and He knew there was going to be hard times and suffering… but He was patient! This keeps us from being overly zealous- we don’t pray for something and expect him to always act immediately! And then quit when things don’t work out the way we want them to! And we don’t panic and quit when things get hard, because we KNOW that things are better on the other side! That is why we are patient! Successes in life are temporary, and can be tainted by the enemy! If everything was perfect all the time- no poverty… we would have little need for hope. We are patient, not overly zealous. Tim Keller says, “If you’re either overly zealous, thinking that tomorrow everything will be turned around, ready to condemn anyone or any church or any situation that’s not perfect, certain that utopia can be found now, you don’t understand the kingdom…”

Nor are we overly cynical. We don’t walk around with our heads hanging, fearful and pessimistic about the future. A Christian knows that Jesus wins! A Christian perseveres through hardships and sufferings, with his eyes on Jesus- a Christian knows that in Jesus, there can be found contentment and satisfaction! Even in the midst of horrifying circumstances like abuse- the Christian knows that he doesn’t have to fix the situation; he knows Jesus is Lord, and He will eventually heal him! Tim Keller also says that “ if you are overly cynical, overly pessimistic, given up, bitter- you’re forgetting about the inevitable harvest.” There is no reason to be either overly zealous or overly cynical- Jesus is Lord.

3. Are you growing?

Another way to know is growth. The counterfeit, moral person doesn’t continue to grow. A counterfeit Christian stops at some point. Christians gradually, bit by bit, always have something to sing about. God contents them more and more. A growing stability found in God instead of other things. A key way to mark spiritual growth is by thinking about how often you REPENT. Is your life marked by repentance? Or do you think you’re a great person? Do you see yourself as never wrong? If so, you need to evaluate your need for a savior.

4. Do you have a combination of humility AND joy?