Serving Jesus With Integrity

The word “ethics” carries an aura of countervailing views, overlapping claims, uncertain footing, and seductive attractions. Some issues are as clear as the horizontal versus vertical axes in Sawai Chinnawong’s striking painting, Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife, that graces the cover of this book. At the same time—because we are involved, because our interests, our inclinations, our plans and relationships are at stake—the issues that engage missionary practitioners can be frustratingly labyrinthine, curling endlessly back on themselves. Evangelical missionaries and mission agencies are concerned about personal morality—and rightly so. But as the chapters in this volume attest, evangelical mission’s ethical engagement extends far beyond simply avoiding compromising sexual situations and not absconding with the finances. How should we talk about others’ beliefs and practices to ourselves? To them? How should we represent ourselves to others? What role does tolerance for ambiguity play in missionaries’ mental preparation? How should accountability be structured in intercultural partnerships? Are there ways to enable organizational justice to flourish in mission institutions? What might integrity in short-term mission outreach look like? How does care for creation relate to mission? What role can a code of ethics for missionary practice play? Limited and fallible and marred by the fall, we need both guidance and admonition—and deep reflection on the conduct of evangelical mission such as is provided in this volume—so that we may serve Jesus with true integrity.

Serving with Honor is a book about ministry, but more importantly it’s a book about a form of integrity sorely lacking in today’s “me-centered” church. While the focal point of Serving with Honor is discovering and reaching one’s personal calling and destiny, the how-to part will provide eye-opening revelation regarding several principles that modern-day Christians seem totally ignorant about. At times this book will hit nerves and touch many sensitive issues, but at all times the Scriptures form the foundation of this sorely-needed guidebook on serving God’s Kingdom with honor and reaching one’s personal destiny in the process. “Many people today are flight risks in their local churches. Quick to find greener grass, they forfeit their destinies for a feel-good, temporary solution to the pressure of balancing family life with ministry duties. In his book, Serving with Honor, Pastor Andrew Robbins calls the church to accountability for her actions. Andrew challenges us to not forsake the process that God is taking us through by aborting God’s overall plan for our lives. This book is challenging, convicting, and a great comfort to those of us who still believe in the local church.” -Pastor Randall Burton, Northview Church, Columbus, IN, Founder and President of Zebulun INC, and author of the book, River Rising

The Apostle Paul declares his own need for ongoing discipline and diligence, lest after preaching to others he would become disqualified (1 Corinthians 9:27). If one can be disqualified from effective ministry, it stands to reason that there is also a process of becoming qualified. What is involved in becoming (and staying) a...vessel for...

Today it is often considered rude to speak of right and wrong. In such a culture of relativism, we desperately need to be reminded of the biblical value of integrity. In this ten-session LifeGuide® Bible Study invite us to find contentment in who are and how we follow God as we grow to be people of real integrity.

We live in a society that has largely abandoned moral standards and Christian principles. Unkept campaign promises, false advertising, exaggerated tax exemptions, employee theft—compromise has become a way of life. Such moral concession has even invaded the church. Faced with an opportunity to proclaim Christ to unbelievers, we feel intimidated and keep silent. Or we water down God's Word on ethical issues at work or in our community to avoid rejection. Too often we prefer hypocrisy to integrity. But God longs for His people to be different—to maintain a commitment to His standards, no matter what the cost. Is consistent obedience to God—integrity—attainable in this world of sin and self? By the grace and power of God, yes! One of the nation's most respected pastors points the way to persevering character in Christ. Drawing from scriptural examples of godly men who modeled integrity during severe testing, MacArthur makes a compelling case for the impact a man or woman of integrity can have in our world. A helpful study guide for individuals or groups is included.

This unique compilation features the messages that helped launch the Promise Keepers movement and raise the standard for men across our nation. Contributing authors are Chuck Colson, Gary Smalley, Jack Hayford, Bill Bright, Luis Palau, Ron Blue, Joe Stowell, Dennis Rainey, Bruce Wilkinson, Ravi Zacharias, John Maxwell, and Howard Hendricks. These are the messages that caused men to cheer and applaud...then fall to their knees and weep. These are the messages that inspired countless numbers of men to dedicate their lives to God and to serve Him with all their hearts.

Integrity touches all of life, including every thought, act, and word we speak. It comes to us from our Creator, for it reflects his character in us. Due to our fallen nature, we do not comprehend its full capacity to transform us into Christ’s likeness, but this is God’s will ultimately. Integrity and God’s Man is an in-depth Bible study on integrity for men, and author John Tucker invites men to cultivate their integrity in creative, challenging ways. Christian men can answer a number of questions: What is integrity in our personal walk with Christ? How is it formed? What circumstances ensure its presence in us? And what attitudes and lifestyles must we show for others to see Christ portrayed through us? Guided study through the Bible will help you answer these questions as you learn to build your Christian integrity. Everyone claims to have integrity, but it’s more than just honesty and commitment. Biblical integrity links a man to the heart of God and to the souls of others. This truth is revealed in the passages of the Bible, so we must learn how to read, study, and live them as we open our hearts wider to God’s plan for our understanding and growth in integrity.

For religious communities to have integrity and credibility they must flourish as places of love and respect. Every aspect of church life is defined and protected by essential boundaries: boundaries around space, time, thought, speech, will, emotion, and behavior--both for clergy and church members. Lack of awareness and attention to boundary keeping diminishes the integrity of the church and harms its mission, whereas insight and vigilance about best practices lend freedom and energy to the calling of the church to care for others and to reach out to the world. In a flourishing Christian community, a wide array of boundaries must be recognized, celebrated, and navigated--from the boundaries that define and protect us as individual persons to role boundaries and the boundaries that define essential communal functions, such as worship. This book is no conventional account of boundaries. It takes a comprehensive approach to the challenge of understanding and creating healthy boundaries. It applies the lessons from the emerging field of behavioral ethics to the rich and rewarding complexity of boundaries in church life, helping us to be more loving and responsible in how we think, speak, and act, so that the church can be true to its identity and mission.