Dr. Howard Hendricks - A Life of Integrity: 13 Outstanding Leaders Raise the Standard for Todays Christian Men

A LIFE OF INTEGRITY
published by Multnomah Publishers, Inc.

1997 by Howard G. Hendricks

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from:
The Holy Bible, New International Version
1973, 1984 by International Bible Society,
used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House
Other Scripture quotations are from:
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
1960, 1977 by the Lockman Foundation
The Holy Bible, New King James Version ( NKJV )
1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
The Holy Bible, King James Version ( KJV )
The Living Bible (TLB)
1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
All rights reserved.
New Revised Standard Version Bible (NRSV)
1989 by the Division of Christian Education
of the National Council of the Churches of Christ
in the United States of America
The New Testament in Modern English, Revised Edition (Phillips)
1958, 1960, 1972 by J. B. Phillips

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

A life of integrity : 12 outstanding leaders raise the standard for todays Christian men / [edited] by Howard Hendricks.
p. cm.
eISBN: 978-0-307-77963-2
1. Christian men--Religious life. I. Hendricks, Howard G.
BV4528.2.L54 2003
248.842dc22

2003018282

v3.1

This book was the brainchild of my good friend John Van Diest, who pushed and prodded and made sure we got all the right people on all the right topics. Without him, this project would have never gotten off the ground.

I would also like to thank the Promise Keeper speakers who participated in creating this text. Theyve all written books, and no doubt will write more, so Im glad they agreed to share their best stuff within these pages.

Finally, while I am proud to serve as General Editor of this tome, the real credit belongs to the very gifted Chip MacGregor, who seems to keep stepping in to help me at just the right time. Thanks, Chip!

Y ears ago I knew an elderly lady who really loved the Lord and was always challenging me to love Him more. We used to run into each other at conferences, and she would ask me something like Well, Hendricks, whats the best book youve read in the last year? or What answer to prayer have you experienced lately? One of my fondest memories is seeing her on a tour of the Holy Land with a bunch of big NFL playersshe was out in front of them, yelling, Come on, men! Lets get with it!

I love that sort of spirit, and, to be honest, there are times I need someone like that spurring me on. An encouraging word (or even a kick in the pants) can be remarkably invigorating. I think youll find this book does the same thing. There are words here from men who ought to be in the hall of fame for Christians. Men like Bill Bright, who started the worlds second-largest Christian organization, and Luis Palau, who has probably spoken to more people about Christ than anybody except Billy Graham. Youll find words here from some experts: Dennis Rainey on marriage, and Ron Blue on money. Youll also find encouragement and practical suggestions from guys like John Maxwell and Bruce Wilkinson. Every one an expert in his field, and every one sharing from the heart on how we can become men of integrity.

So dont just buy this book and let it sit on your coffee table. Pick it up and read a chapter. Talk through the study questions with a friend. Decide to take one of the principles and apply it to your life, and ask a friend to hold you accountable to do so. Weve had enough pie in the sky material. Here youll find practical lessons from Promise Keeper speakers on how to develop integrity in your life, your marriage, your family, and your world. As my friend would say, Come on, man! Get with it!

G od is accomplishing a great work in America today. You can see His presence everywhere. Theres the mens movement. There are the marches for Jesus. There are the concerts of prayer. Christian radio and television are more popular than ever. Churches and entire denominations are beginning to work together, rather than remain apart. There is an excitement about standing for the Lord. God is at work in our society.

One of the greatest evidences of that is the pull back toward biblical manhood, fostered by Promise Keepers and other Christian mens organizations. We are not a bunch of angry males, getting together to exclude others. We are for biblical manhood. We support racial oneness in Jesus Christ. We are for servant leadership. We love our wives, we love our daughters, and we love our daughters-in-law. We are part of this movement because we are for the gospel and Jesus Christ, wanting to live holy lives for His cause. The only thing we are against is sin in our personal lives. Thats what we want to change. If were going to make an impact on our world, the first thing we must consider is how we can strengthen our commitment to Christ.

In the days of the Roman Empire, Caesar had people go ahead of him and bow before him, burning incense and saying, Caesar is lord. Caesar is lord. Refusing to say it was considered treason and could lead to death. But the Christians came along, and they said, No. Caesar is not lord. Jesus is Lord. Those words brought revolution to the Roman Empire. Imagine what impact a million godly men could have in America if we were to stand up and say, Jesus is Lord.

You see, God is the King of kings. He is the Lord who reigns over us. Youve probably been in a service and sung the words, Blessed be the Lord God Almighty, who reigns forevermore. But does Jesus Christ reign over your life? Does He control your life? I believe thats the big question in America today.

Luke 19 tells the story of people who knew of the king but wouldnt acknowledge him. Luke tells us that the people in Jesus time thought the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. So the Lord said to them, A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. Put this money to work, he said, until I come back. But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, We dont want this man to be our king. He was made king, however, and returned home (vv. 1215). Jesus Christ is King, whether we want to admit it or not. A strong commitment to the King is essential if were going to be part of changing our world.

I have four sons. Three of them have walked with the Lord since they were little kids. The twins, who are the oldest, were converted when they were little boys, were baptized, and went on in their commitment to Jesus Christ. They both attended a Christian college and married good Christian girls, and theyre doing great. It was the same with my fourth boy.