A Compelling Testimony: Maintaining a Disciplined Walk, Christlike Character, and Godly Relationships as God's Servant

Session 1 Introduction

Maintaining a Compelling Testimony: The Call to Excellence

Wisdom touches every area of life and conduct, but primarily it is displayed in a person’s character. This is the fundamental biblical perspective on excellence, since character is the source of actions. The excellence of a life is seen primarily in what a man is, and is, in turn, expressed in every role, relationship, or responsibility a person sustains. A wise person has mastered life because [their] life is lived in fellowship with the Master. A life of excellence is not so much the ability to do things well as it is the ability to live life well, in fellow ship with God Himself. . . . God’s desire is that every Christian should walk in a manner worthy of the Lord Jesus. The term worthy is a picture word, conveying the idea of balancing the other beam of the scales. In other words, what is worthy is what measures up to a standard. For the believer, the standard of measurement is never people-centered, but always Christ centered. We are not to measure our lives by what others have done, but by what the Lord has done. We are to walk worthy of our heavenly calling (Eph. 4.21); to live worthy of the Gospel of Christ (Phil. 1.27); to walk worthy of God (1 Thess. 2.12). All of this is a response of gratitude to the grace and goodness of God. ~ Gary Inrig. A Call to Excellence . Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985. pp. 16-17.

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I. Setting the Right Foundation

A. The need for prophetic servant leadership in the city today

We are constantly on a stretch, if not on a strain, to devise new methods, new plans, new organizations to advance the Church and secure enlargement and efficiency for the gospel. The trend of the day has a tendency to lose sight of the man [sic] or sink the man in the plan or organization. God’s plan is to make much of the man, far more of him than of anything else. Men are God’s method. The church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men. ~ E. M. Bounds. Power through Prayer . rev. ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1982. p. 11.

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