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Into Thy Word Ministries Presents:
Understanding and Applying Biblical Character
© 1986, 2002-2005 Rev. Richard J. Krejcir Ph.D. Pasadena Ca, Into Thy Word
Learning and developing Christian Character, its understanding andimplementation is the essential quintessential call from our Lord for you tobe an effective Pastor, church leader and a growing Christian! This willhelp equip you to be a mature Christian who leads others into the depths of our Lord’s precepts!
This curriculum is designed to help you personally grow in your spiritualformation and maturity. You will discover one of the most important calls thatChrist gave us, to grow in our relationship with Him so we can produce His Fruitthat imparts His truth by using our words and example to impact others for theKingdom. You will also discover the opposites of these characters, such as prideand animosity that distracts others from Christ and creates a diseased churchand a dysfunctional family. This curriculum is designed to help you personallygrow and in turn teach these precepts to others in your church. It is our Prayer that you and your church get the most out of our Lord’s most precious Word soyou can be the best pastor or church leader as you can be. By being filled withthe Holy Spirit, being people of prayer and trained to know and teach the Bibleeffectively. By learning and applying Godly Christian Character to your life andothers will be a powerful synergistic combination to grow a healthy vibrantChurch that glorifies Christ as Lord!!!First is an article introducing them, then over 50 studies in ChristianCharacter. They can also be easily converted into a sermon series (giving you afull years worth of sermon material!), thus you can use them for your Bible study,sermons, in personal devotions, and general church and small group use (Seeour online resources for more Bible studies, curriculums and articles.).These Bible studies are designed so that you can role out of bed andteach yourself or other pastors and church leaders! All the hard exegetical workis done for you! To use the curriculums, first read over the study, and look up theScriptural passages and be in prayer. Then you can preach, teach it as is, or putit in your own words, add to it by the Scriptural examples, you can also addillustrations for better understanding. The best illustrations are always from your personal experiences where you are not being prideful with them pointing toyourself; rather pointing to Christ! Your goal is helping others conform to Christ;being what God has called you to be so you can model and teach what theyneed to be. We do this by example, encouraging and good teaching (Rom. 12; 1Thess. 5:12-28)!
 
Are you a Character?
This article also serves as the introduction to the Bible Study series on,character!
Character is the springboard from which all we do and say in life comes.Developing Biblical character in the face of our daily life and even in adversity isessential and the proof text that we have a growing relationship with Christ!Character is not just having integrity or honesty or doing the right thing, it is notone aspect or even a few, it is a living, growing relationship in Christ whichproduces a synergistic combination of the fruits of the Spirit.It has been said that Character is the proudest through our hard times!“
Character is what you are in the dark 
.” D.L. MoodySome time ago, searching the market to buy a house with a very limitedbudget, one was found that seemed a real good deal for half the normal price. InSouthern California this is a rare and rich find! The reason for the great price wasbecause its foundation was cracked. It did not seem to be a big deal; after all, itcould just be filled in with some kind of cement, I thought. But, a builder friend of mine explained to me how essential it was to have the foundation completelyintact. So, reluctantly, with a lot of pouting and moping, I had to pass up thisgreat deal. I then realized how this is like character. We desire to go and find theeasy way out of the hard and time-consuming things of life to get to the point of our day or quest. This happens even in ministry. Even if it cuts the corners off Character, we strive to shortcut our way though spiritual growth and serving God.A few months later, I drove by that house and talked to the new owner who was quite beside himself in frustration. It seems he was having a lot of problems with water leaking into his house all of the time, even when it was notraining. It will cost him more to fix the house’s foundation then it would be to tear it down and rebuild. He ended up with a very raw deal that I almost got my familyinto. I realized through this that skipping character for convenience may seemOK at the time, but it will catch up with you. So, let us look at God’s Word andfind out what character really is and why it is important.In 1 Samuel 25, there is a story of a little known OT personality with greatcharacter; a woman named Abigail. This was during the time that David wasrunning from Saul. Passionate jealousy and paranoia drove Saul to pursue andkill David, while popularity and integrity followed David who, although he hadmany opportunities to kill Saul, chose out of character and respect to let him go.Saul lived in a palace of stone and pride, and David in a cave of dampness andhumility, hanging out with the outcasts of the land and his mighty men. Duringthis time, David and his men were doing a security service to the sheep ranchers,
 
saving others sheep from poachers and rustlers. David fulfilled way beyond hisduty by protecting what was not his. Then, one of the ranchers who was very richand had power and authority over the others convinced the ranchers not to payDavid and his men. His name was Nabal, which means “a fool!”What parent would give their child such a name? It probably did not meanthat then, but over the years, the meaning changed due to Nabal’s actions. Whata legacy to leave behind to be so self-willed and prideful that the meaning of your name changes to describe whom you are--in this case, a fool. How sad andironic that he came from the house of Caleb who was one of the great men of integrity of the Bible, one of two people to survive the Exodus and venture intothe Promise land due to his honor and trustworthiness. Nabal came from thishouse and family lineage, which was founded upon this great integrity andcharacter, faith and strength, which somehow escaped Nabal.When Nabal decided to cheat David, he ventured upon a dark path of greed that he thought could be lit from his pride. He thought,
what could David do
, and then decided to cheat him. David, who had just about had it with Nabal’sdeceit, saddled up his men and all drew their swords to kill him. Maybe Davidwas not being what he should be, but Nabal “dug his own grave.” David wasconsumed with anger and was about to kill him (and justly so in the eyes of hisculture and times,) when Abigail intervened. She was a woman who had greatcharacter and discernment. She was the wife of Nabal, who owed David financialcompensation for saving his sheep and servants from harm. She was able to turnthe payback of the evil of her husband into good. Abigail was the completeopposite of her husband!David was going to repay Nabal’s evil for more evil, even though David letSaul go in the previous chapter for a much more grievous sin. Yet, Nabal, for some reason, really pushed David’s buttons and exasperated his anger. Abigail’sintervention soothed that anger. Thus, David was able to grow stronger in hischaracter development by doing good, even in his anger, and even though hewas wronged and cheated. David could have murdered Nabal, sufferedconsequence for it, and perhaps even forsaking his future kingship. Thelevelheaded action of Abigail saved the day for him and provided a primeexample for David, as well as for us today.We have a choice to act in evil or goodness; to act with our sinful motivesor with what God calls us to, which is far better that we can see in the moment.Let us choose being even better. Who we are will determine what we do. Theresult will be character. Our growth in Him will make us who we are, which will bethe character we present to God and others.This action of Abigail is a prime example for us that character from theWord and the example of our living Lord is the ultimate force we have for good
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