Integrity

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A session on integrity – honesty, open-ness, being real

First up – some words – people have to put them into order according to what they think are the qualities of a Christian – from top to bottom. Please add your own words, not necessarily ‘Christian’ words..

INTEGRITYRESPECTTRUSTWORTHY
LOYALTYHONESTHAPPY
HUMOROUSLISTENERSPONTANEOUS
GOOD LOOKINGPATIENTSERVING
OUTGOINGTALENTEDHOLY
COOLCREATIVEPURITY
KINDLOVINGSIGNIFICANT
RELIGIOUSRICHOLD
HUMBLEUNIMPORTANTYOUNG

Now some scenarios – what would people do in these situations?

1. One of your girl friends in a relationship has got off with another lad at a party. They tell you and ask you to keep it a secret. Later, the lad in asks you if their girlfriend got off with someone. What do you say?

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2. Your parent/carer says you have to be in on Friday night by 11.30pm latest. You come home at 1am without having contacted anyone. What do you think should happen to you? What if you are the parent/carer?

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3. You get a job at a big company answering phones. Because other people take pens, you take a pen, then a pencil. Is this is OK?

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4. You go to Sainsburys and the food costs £6. You pay cash and give £10 to the assistant. They accidentally give you back £14. What do you do?

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5. Someone is getting bullied with the popular people doing the bullying, calling someone ‘stupid’ because they aren’t very clever. What do you do?

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6. You go to a party. Everyone is sitting around and passing round a joint or a bong. What do you do? Why?

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STORIES

– Derek Prince story from ‘How to find your place’ (Derek Prince Ministries) Link accessed April 2019

There was a young German who was messed up on drugs. He was amazingly saved and delivered from drugs. A pastor took care of him and advised him, ‘always do your best, as if you were doing it for Jesus.’ So this became the German man’s philosophy. For a time, no-one would employ him but eventually he did get a job cleaning out the trash in a manufacturing firm. As time passed he got a couple of promotions. He then decided, hey, I need some more education and training. When he put this to his boss, the boss said, ‘You can’t leave. You’re the only one I can trust. Stay and I’ll train you to take over the business.’ That is the life of faithfulness and integrity.

– Story from Our Daily Bread by RBC Ministries (odb.org) Link accessed April 2019

A promising young man applied for a job at a bank. He was one of several candidates but he particularly impressed the boss. So the boss decided to take him out to lunch with some of the other bank executives. When they were standing in line at the cafeteria, the boss noticed the young man slip a couple portions of butter under a plate so he wouldn’t have to pay for them. Right away the boss decided he wouldn’t give him the job. ‘If he can’t be trusted with butter, how can he be trusted at the bank?’ he thought.

That’s the consequence of non-integrity!

– Story from my life

I went to visit my friend in Toronto, Canada for 3 weeks. On week two, I decided I needed to change some of my American Express into Canadian dollars so I duly went and did so. About 3 days later I realised I had been overpaid by around $120 by accident. As the bank was 20 miles away my friend was reluctant to drive me back. His brother and mates demanded I kept the money. I refused and said I wanted to take the money back. Eventually, on the way to the airport I stopped off and handed the money back to the amazement of the lady at the bank who had no idea it had happened. She said no-one had ever done that before, was so impressed she didn’t know what to say (I was hoping for a date!) but had to go to the airport so I got all of one small lollipop!

BIBLE EXAMPLES

Daniel

1. Find in 3.14, Nebuchadnezzar was furious because Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah hadn’t bowed down to the gold statue.
2. Read verses 16-18 which talk of them refusing to bow down, saying they are prepared to die, that God may save them but it doesn’t matter if God doesn’t. God saved them
3. Chapter 6 it’s the lions! Again Daniel went into the lions den but God saved him

David when he could’ve killed Saul – 1 Sam 26.6-13

1. Seemed a good opportunity, God’s will?
2. No, Saul was still alive and still the appointed king
3. Instead, David took his spear and cloak

Job

1. He had loads and had everything taken away
2. His wife wanted him to curse God
3. However, we see in Job 42 that unlike his friends, Job did not speak against the Lord

David

1. Potiphar’s wife wanted him but he said no!
2. How many people, especially blokes, could have said no in this situation, especially considering she was probably beautiful, rich and David was thrown into prison because of it, unjustly accused
3. However, we see that God honoured this as he became the deputy across Egypt – what a promotion, prison to riches in one day. When God moves, he moves!

Worship

– Kneeling down before God and confessing him as Lord, that he is holy and we are unworthy. Act of worship that is both spiritual and physical
– Read out and declare Psalm 145
– Worship Songs: if you want to theme the songs, get ones around being holy, standing for God, who God is, doing right etc!