1. Cultivating Christian Character

2. ATTRIBUTION/CREDITS
“Essential Virtues – Marks of the Christ-Centered Life”
Written by: Jim Berg
Copyright: by BJU Press

3. Groundwork for Christian Character
Previously...
Groundwork for Christian Character
Cultivating Goodness (Excellence)
Cultivating Knowledge

4. Backbone of Christian Character
Previously...
Backbone of Christian Character
Cultivating Self-control
Cultivating Endurance
Cultivating Godliness

5. Trademark of Christian Character
Previously...
Trademark of Christian Character
Cultivating Brotherly Kindness
Christian’s affection for other Christians
See beyond our differences to our similarities

6. Last Week – Love
The power to love the unlovable
Sacrificial intentionality
A state of mind toward all men that is willing to act in their best interest even if it means personal sacrifice

7. “Best interest” means directed primarily at their spiritual needs
Last Week – Love
“Best interest” means directed primarily at their spiritual needs
Can include material, social, physical needs too

8. God’s mission of love is the mature Christian’s mission
Last Week – Love
God’s mission of love is the mature Christian’s mission
To redeem and restore fallen man to the likeness of His Son to the praise of His glory (ref Gal 2:20)

9. Last Week – Love
Not just doing good deeds
Love means being a disciple of Jesus and a disciple-maker for Jesus
Love is God-imitating, mission minded, and sacrificial

10. Last Week – Love
How do we cultivate this God-imitating, mature sacrificial intentionality?
Continuously cultivating all the previous virtues

11. This Week…
Integrity—Putting it All Together 3 Core Values The Core Value of Commitment to Christ

12. Loving God with my Whole Heart Loving Others as Myself
The Groundwork for Christlike Character (v. 5)
The Backbone of Christlike Character (v. 6)
The Trademark of Christlike Character (v. 7)
Saving
FAITH
SELF-CONTROL
BROTHERLY KINDNESS
Being a "partaker of the divine nature" through the righteousness of Jesus Christ
Cultivating a God-empowered mastery of my internal desires
Cultivating a God-engendered affection for and service to those in the "household of faith"
EXCELLENCE
ENDURANCE
LOVE
ESSENTIAL VIRTUES
Cultivating a God-mandated purpose to develop and display the excellencies (character) of Jesus Christ
Cultivating a God-sustained faithfulness under external pressure
Cultivating a God-imitating mindset that scripturally and sacrificially meets the spiritual needs of others
KNOWLEDGE
GODLINESS
Cultivating a God-taught understanding of the person, the work, and the ways of Jesus Christ
Cultivating a God-honoring devotion to Jesus Christ that promises righteousness and opposes evil
COMMITMENT to Christ
COURAGE for Christ
COMPASSION like Christ
CORE VALUES
These traits produce a whole-hearted disciple who chooses the appeals and ideals of Christ and rejects the appeals and ideals of the world
These traits produce a brave-hearted disciple who advances Christ and His ways and opposes evil in himself and others regardless of risk to himself
These traits produce a tender-hearted disciple-maker who seeks the lost and who by his example and effort disciples others to live a Christ-centered life

13. VIDEO

14. Integrating it All
Looked at 7 essential virtues
So what? To what end?
Cultivating these virtues help us build core values
These core values lead to an integrated Christian character

15. Integrating it All
Values = ?
Something that’s important to us, worth something
From virtues Peter tells us to cultivate we can develop/ lock in on 3 core values

16. Integrating it All Commitment Courage Compassion
Wholeheartedness of a Christian’s life
Courage
Brave-heartedness of a Christian’s life
Compassion
Tenderheartedness of a Christian’s life

17. Integrity – this term threw me…
Integrating it All
Developing these 3 core values (by cultivating the 7 virtues) molds the character of Christian integrity
Integrity – this term threw me…

18. Integrating it All
When I think of integrity, this definition comes first to mind
“Firm adherence to a code of (especially) moral values; incorruptibility”
Well yeah, but there’s more to cultivating Christian character than mere moral values…

19. Integrating it All
Took me half the video and a dictionary to understand what the author’s getting at
Integrity in this case means “the quality or state of being complete or undivided; completeness”

20. Integrating it All Now I get it!
As we cultivate these 7 essential virtues, we apply them to develop our core values of Christian character
When we bring these core Christian values together, when we integrate them, we cultivate/nurture our complete Christian character

21. Integrating it All
To possess true Christian character a believer must have Christian integrity – the complete and whole package (think integration of the whole)
This is the believer Peter describes in 1 Pet 1:8
“For if you possess these qualities (virtues) in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

22. Integrating it All
Core Value – Commitment
Commitment to Christ is the foundation to Christian character
Arête (excellence) and knowledge are the virtues that develop commitment to Christ

23. Putting Jesus Christ at the center of your life
Integrating it All
What is commitment?
Putting Jesus Christ at the center of your life
How you doing on this one?
This is NOT EASY!

24. Integrating it All
Putting Jesus Christ at the center of your life is NOT our natural tendency
We want the world to revolve around us
Our dis-integration began in Eden

25. Integrating it All
But that’s the beauty of the Gospel…
Jesus paid the full price for all of us who chose to put ourselves at the center of our lives
He restored His rightful place as the center of all things

26. Integrating it All
So that’s where we have to begin in developing our core value of commitment…
We must acknowledge the centrality of Jesus in ALL things
(and then live like it!)
Do that by cultivating arête and a deep knowledge of Jesus

27. Integrating it All Big picture? Why are we here?
Cultivate Christian Character
Foundation – Commitment to Christ
He must be the center of your life
Your motivation?
His work on the cross

28. How’s your commitment to Christ?
Integrating it All
How’s your commitment to Christ?
What can you/will you do this week to deepen it?

29. Integrity—Putting it All Together The Core Value of Courage for Christ
Next Week…
Integrity—Putting it All Together The Core Value of Courage for Christ