Pursue Godliness

Steve Hankins

Description

The heart of biblical leadership among God's people is setting a helpful, humble example of godliness for them. it is certainly not just a means of making a living. And unlike leadership in the world which emphasizes a controlling, overbearing authority over others, spiritual leaders must see leadership primarily as one of example setting while maintaining a meek and gentle approach to those under their care.

In his first letter to Timothy, the pastor of the church at Ephesus and his protégé in Christian life and ministy, the Apostle Paul exhorted him, “Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness” (1 Tim. 4-7). Just two chapters later, the Apostle returned to this idea, encouraging Timothy to flee all sin and to “pursue ... godliness” (1 Tim. 6:11).



Godliness is a recurring theme in Paul’s epistle, urged especially upon men training to become leaders of the church as pastors and evangelists. But the pursuit of godliness is also commanded of all others who hunger and thirst to follow Jesus as His disciple. Attaining godliness looms large in the New Testament as the primary outworking of the greatest command in the Word of God, spoken by Christ himself: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind”

(Matt 22:37).



In Pursue Godliness: A Servant’s First Priority, the author seeks to answer the question, “What does the Bible teach about how a Christian can make major strides forward in his growth in godliness?” Letting Scripture speak for itself through over 1,450 passages, the meaning, priorities, primary qualities, and practices for significant progress in godliness are unfolded in this comprehensive introduction to the subject. While a detailed, in-depth treatment of this Scriptural topic, it is written in clear, easy-to-understand language, not requiring a theologian’s training or vocabulary to understand. Read and grow. This is a book written for your transformation, for His glory!

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Spiritual Growth
• Christian Living
• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: WestBow Press
• Date de parution: 19 novembre 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781664244009
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

PURSUE GODLINESS
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
STEVE HANKINS
 
 
 

 
Copyright © 2021 Steve Hankins.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.
 
 
WestBow Press
A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.westbowpress.com
844-714-3454
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
Unless marked otherwise, all Scripture quotations are taken from The New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
 
Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6642-4399-6 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-4401-6 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-4400-9 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2021918195
 
 
WestBow Press rev. date: 11/16/2022
 
To future servants of the Word
and
the shepherd-teachers who train them.
 
 
 
 

CONTENTS
List of Table
Abbreviations
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part I : Foundational Ideas for Pursuing Godliness
Chapter 1       A Right Frame of Mind for the Great Pursuit
Chapter 2       The Nature and Value of Godliness
Chapter 3       Acquiring Godliness—Our Responsibility, God’s Provision, Christ’s Example
Part II : Spiritual Disciplines Leading to Godliness
Chapter 4       Spiritual Disciplines Leading to Godliness—Resources, Solitude, and Silence
Chapter 5       Spiritual Disciplines Leading to Godliness—Learning the Word of God
Chapter 6       Spiritual Disciplines Leading to Godliness—Essentials for Prayer
Chapter 7       Spiritual Disciplines Leading to Godliness—Kinds of Prayer and the Practice of Fasting
Chapter 8       Spiritual Disciplines Leading to Godliness—Those Practiced with Others (Part 1)
Chapter 9       Spiritual Disciplines Leading to Godliness—Those Practiced with Others (Part 2)
Part III : Primary Biblical Imperatives for Pursuing Godliness
The Case for Primary Biblical Imperatives
Chapter 10     Pursue God Himself
Chapter 11     Pursue Trust in God
Chapter 12     Pursue a Right Heart
Chapter 13     Pursue Good for Others
Chapter 14     Pursue Right Relationships
Part IV : Specific Life Applications for Pursuing Godliness
Chapter 15     Pursue the Ministry Qualifications Listed in 1 Timothy 3:1–7 and Titus 1:6–9
Chapter 16     Knowing the Enemy’s Strategies against Pursuing Godliness
Chapter 17     Pursue Godliness Today
 
Epilogue
Appendix A : The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards
Appendix B : “The Religious Life of a Theological Student,” an address by B.B. Warfield
Bibliography
LIST OF TABLE
Table 1. Uses of the ευσεβ- word family in the New Testament
Table 2. Other words or phrases translated “godly” or “godliness” in the New Testament
Table 3. The spiritual disciplines taught in scripture
Table 4. Example prayers recorded in the Old Testament outside the Psalms
Table 5. Composite list of spiritual gifts in the New Testament
Table 6. Founding-era miraculous gifts listed in the New Testament
Table 7. Permanent edifying gifts listed in the New Testament
Table 8. The primary imperatives for pursuing godliness
Table 9. Descriptors of conscience in the New Testament
Table 10. Christ’s miracles described in the New Testament as motivated by compassion
Table 11. Master chart of Christ’s miracles in the New Testament
Table 12. A harmony of the qualifications for the ministry in 1 Timothy 3:1–7 and Titus 1:6–9
Table 13. Essential elements for pursuing godliness today
ABBREVIATIONS
BDAG
Bauer, Walter. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament . 3 rd ed. Revised and edited by Frederick William Danker. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.
EBD
Meyers, Allen C., ed. The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary . Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1987.
MG
Moulton, William F., and Alfred F. Geden. Concordance of the Greek New Testament . 6 th ed. Edited by I. Howard Marshall. Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark Ltd., 2000.
NBD
Douglas, J. D., ed., and D. R. W. Wood, rev. and ed. New Bible Dictionary . 3 rd ed. Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 2001.
NIDNTTE
Silva, Moisés, rev. and ed. New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis . Vol. 2, E–K. 2 nd ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014.
NTH
Bruce, Frederick Fyvie. New Testament History . New York: Doubleday, 1971.
NTS
Trench, Richard Chenevix. Synonyms of the New Testament . 1880. Reprint. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1976.
OBA
Curtis, Adrian, and Herbert G. May. Oxford Bible Atlas . 4 th ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007.
TWOT
Harris, R. Laird, Gleason L. Archer Jr., and Bruce Waltke, eds. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament . 2 volumes. Chicago: Moody Press, 1981.
PREFACE
“But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24). Paul spoke these words to the Ephesian pastors when he met them briefly at Miletus on his trip back to Jerusalem for Pentecost, after his third missionary journey. Paul’s ministry was far from over. He faced imprisonments for the faith and extensive ministry on into the future. But what he had achieved as a church-planting missionary, apostle to the Gentiles, proclaimer of truth to the Jews, and bold witness before leaders, both religious and political, was nothing short of astonishing. In his own inspired words, he said it could only be credited to “the grace of God which was with [him]” (1 Cor. 15:10).
Among his many remarkable feats for Christ was the training of other men for the ministry of the Word (1 Tim. 2:1–2). Timothy, Titus, Silvanus, and Mark are names well known among the many. In that ministry of training, he set a powerful example and invariably taught that there must be one priority above all others for the those preparing to serve—the pursuit of godliness.
In His gracious providence, the Lord Jesus turned my heart to the ministry of training others for service, when I was just a young man myself, probably too young and inexperienced for the task, certainly so at the beginning. During this forty-five-year journey of training others for the ministry, my uncommon privilege has been to know many young men with great zeal for the work of the God, astonishing gifts from God, and burning love for Him. I have watched with joy as they have glorified Christ through a lifetime of abundant fruitfulness, abiding faithfully in Christ Jesus, the Vine. And all of them share a common quality—a hunger and thirst for oneness in character and behavior with the God they love and serve.
Others, well—not so. They started well, endured for a while, but then lost their way, wandering into other pursuits. Some became weighed down by the routine encumbrances of life. Others struggled with the entanglements of egregious sin. Some have even fallen into complete apostasy. These men trouble me. They make we wonder what I could have done to prevent this when I knew them well, as students under my care. One thing is certain. At some point, the pursuit of godliness ceased to be their priority and was replaced by lesser things, fruitless things, darker things.
So, this book is an apology and confession to Christ and to them. To those I did not help see the true heart of ministry preparation clearly, when I knew them daily, please forgive me. To those I have helped in some way to see the pursuit of God and godliness as the first priority in preparing to serve, hopefully this book will help you continue in that way. And for those beginning on the path of preparation to serve Him, may what you read in these pages give you wings as an eagle to soar to great heights in your pursuit of Him, whom to know is life eternal. The pursuit of God and the pursuit of godliness by grace is everything for those preparing to serve. It is the first priority for all who would serve.
Steve Hankins
Greenville, South Carolina
November 30, 2021
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
When I was a college freshman, my English grammar and composition professor, Linda Hill, sparked an interest in me in writing by her helpful comments on papers I wrote for her course. Later, the editors at the Bob Jones University Press did their diligent work on Bible textbooks I was writing for junior and senior high teachers and students, showing me much of what I did not know about good writing. Alo