Character-Building Values: How to Develop and Maintain a Godly Character.

By Dr. Hendrik J. Vorster

We all aspire to be people of high integrity, with well-balanced personalities, good character, and pleasant to be around. But how can we develop such a noble, Christ-like character?

Nations and households rely on mutually embraced values—they often form a moral and social fiber that makes everyone stronger. These values become a visible demonstration of the beliefs we hold.

As Christians, we base our values on teachings from the Bible. In fact, most cultures build their social fiber on the core values taught by the Bible, such as forgiveness, love, and being kind, gracious, and compassionate. In this book, consider questions such as:

• What are the values of the kingdom of God?

• How can we build values into our life?

• How can we grow and nourish our spiritual roots?

• Where do we put down roots?

Values are the fruit we bear from the decisions we make, influenced by trying to follow the example of Christ. When you bow your knees to the Lord and rely on Him as your rock and foundation, you will enjoy tremendous rewards.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Mar 9, 2023
• ISBN: 9781664271265

Dr. Hendrik J. Vorster

Hendrik Vorster is the missional leader of Cornerstone Ministries International, which oversees thousands of churches and leaders in Australasia, Southeast Asia, India, Pakistan, and Africa. He has served on the Church Growth International Board of Directors of Dr. Yonggi Cho since 1999. He also serves as the international director of training for the Surge Project. He has helped church planters in over seventy countries on six continents since 1987. He is married with five adult children and a growing number of grandchildren.

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.®

Scripture quotations marked AMPC are taken from the Amplified Bible, Classic Edition. Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (AMP) are taken from the Amplified Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987, 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible. Copyright 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-7125-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-7124-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-7126-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022912305

WestBow Press rev. date: 02/21/2023

PREFACE

When I think of Jesus Christ and what I most admire about Him, I think about His incredible example. Beyond His ultimate sacrifice, He left us an incredible example of how to behave and respond to varying life situations. He became the personification of how to act and behave in everyday life.

This book is a pursuit, to have those values we observe, and admire in Christ, characterized in us. One Scripture that prompted me to write this book came from the pastoral letter of First John, chapter 2: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did (1 John 2:6 NIV).

We all want to be known as people who are pleasant to be around. The only way that this is possible is to intentionally work on those values for which we want to be known. The more comprehensively this range of values are represented in us, the more deeply seated they are in our character, the more we will shine the light of Christ through our lives. We will also find people drawn to follow our example, as we earnestly pursue exemplifying the true nature of Christ.

The closer our internal values and intentions match what others perceive of us, the closer we find ourselves characterizing the very values we intentionally pursue. Our value system forms the undercarriage of our moral, emotional, intellectual, social, and spiritual well-being.

What we value has a direct impact on how we carry ourselves at home, at work, in business, and in life in general. Our values impact our relationships, our work ethics, how we learn, and more specifically how we advance in life.

Among the many wonderful blessings of values, one is that they are freely available to all who desire to assimilate them. The intention and diligence we apply to assimilating and applying values to our lives could elevate the lowliest and most despised into someone others aspire to be like.

Values are built into one’s life by intention. For values to become life attributes, rather than seeing them as something we randomly use or display, we need to put them consciously and consistently into practice. An occasional display of good behavior does not indicate that we possess a certain value. Values are seen to be assimilated by virtue of our consistent and frequent use of them. Assimilating the values explored in this book will most certainly build your character, self-esteem, and confidence. By practicing good behavioral patterns consistently, we can make them characteristics we want to live by and be known for.

I trust that this book will become one of those influencers in your life to prompt you toward living a more principled, value-based, and character-strong life. May your pursuit of living in the footsteps of Jesus be characterized by the values we explore in this book. May you live your most wholesome life ever.

In pursuit of Him,

Hendrik J. Vorster

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I thank the Lord Jesus Christ for His incredible entrustment to allow me to write this book. The thoughts and ideas came from Him, and without the constant promptings of the Holy Spirit, none of this would be here. I acknowledge His guidance, prompting, and instruction. Without Him there would be nothing. In writing this book, I have been motivated solely by His example and what I observe of Him.

I also wish to thank my family and friends for their support in seeing this project through to its completion.

COMMENDATIONS FROM GLOBAL LEADERS

"=Dr Hendrik Vorster has a great wealth of the Word of God and leadership strategies. He is on Yonggi Cho’s Church Growth International Board with me and is a partner with Victory Life International; he is also a valuable teacher on church planting to the nations of the world. Character-Building Values is full of golden nuggets to help you build godly character and lead a successful life by applying each of the kingdom values to your daily walk. This is a valuable tool for your life and maturity.

—Rev. Margaret Court, AC, MBE

Senior Pastor, Victory Life International, Perth, Australia

Friends, the fair question to ask if you recommend someone read something you have read is Why? Now, simply said, there’s a massive difference between information and revelation that leads to transformation. As Dr. Hendrik Vorster has journeyed into the heart of God, he has remained disciplined enough to keep notes so that he may share with us truths that will shape our immediate lives and influence the lives of others we will encounter in this lifetime. The book Character-Building Values intrigued me not only because of its authenticity, but also because of the simplicity of its approach and how quickly my team and I reached an understanding of the kingdom values we strive for every day. Friends, I wish I was merely suggesting you read this book, but truth be told I am pleading. Character-Building Values could be key for you to influence nations, and I can vouch for both myself and those around me. I encourage you to open the book again and again, and let’s truly be transformational in this season.

—Gerald Ferreira, Senior Minister, Friend of God

CONTENTS

Introduction

PART I

1. Spiritual Roots

2. Defining Values

3. Maturity comes through obedience

PART II

1. Being Humble

2. Being Penitent

3. Being Meek

4. Being Spiritually Passionate

5. Being Merciful

6. Being Pure

7. Being a Peacemaker

8. Being Patient

9. Being an Example

10. Being a Custodian

11. Being Reconciliatory

12. Being Resolute

13. Being Loving

14. Being Discreet

15. Being Forgiving

16. Being a Kingdom of God Investor

17. Being God-Minded

18. Being a Kingdom of God Prioritizer

19. Being Introspective

20. Being Persistent

21. Being Considerate

22. Being Conservative

23. Being Fruit-Bearing

24. Being a Practitioner

25. Being Accountable

26. Being a Person of Faith

27. Being Childlike

28. Being Agreeable

29. Being a Servant

30. Being Loyal

31. Being Grateful

32. Being a Good Steward

33. Being Obedient

34. Being Careful

35. Being Compassionate

36. Being Caring

37. Being Confident

38. Being Steadfast

39. Being Content

40. Being Teachable

41. Being Deferent

42. Being Diligent

43. Being Trustworthy

44. Being Gentle

45. Being Discerning

46. Being Truthful

47. Being Generous

48. Being Kind

49. Being Watchful

50. Being Persevering

51. Being Honoring

52. Being Submissive

Afterword

Notes

INTRODUCTION

When we look at the teachings of Jesus, we see that the first thing Jesus taught His disciples was the values of the kingdom. We all live in a certain culture. A culture is determined by the shared embracing of values.

43936.png A culture is determined by the shared embracing of predetermined values.

JESUS TAUGHT HIS DISCIPLES VALUES

We all agree that the impact Jesus had on His disciples through the way He discipled them was quite incredible. We would be wise to consider the key essential elements of His teaching of His disciples. The first two things Jesus taught and continued to teach His Disciples, was the Values of the kingdom of God as well as accompanying spiritual disciplines, which would keep those values well rooted and maintained in the believers’ lives.

When we look at the Gospel of Matthew, we see how Jesus called His disciples together to teach them: Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them (Matthew 5:1–2 NIV).

Jesus sat down with His disciples and taught them about the values of the kingdom of God, primarily through the Sermon on the Mount, but then throughout His time of discipling them over a three-and-a-half-year period.

The first phase of discipleship deals with us becoming born again, and the second phase of discipleship deals with us putting down roots in our faith by developing spiritual disciplines as well as establishing and grounding ourselves in the values of the kingdom of God.

Each kingdom has its own culture, built on commonly shared values.

Jesus came to establish the kingdom of God. Each kingdom has its own culture that is built on commonly shared values. When we become children of God, we transition from the kingdom of this world to the kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The kingdom of God has its own values. The first thing we need to learn as followers of Jesus Christ is what the values of the kingdom of God are, and how to affirm them in our lives.

A few years ago, we migrated from South Africa to Australia. It was quite a process, one that I don’t recommend to the faint-hearted, unless following the call of God to do so. Once our qualifications, health checks, and police clearances were accessed and accepted, we were granted residency visas in Australia. However, when we wanted to become citizens, we were first required to learn, adopt, and accept the cultural values of the Australian people.

The kingdom of God operates on a similar principle: we need to accept the values before we can enjoy