A Lost Book from J. Oswald Sanders Now Re-Released with a Beautiful New Cover "Many true lovers of the Lord are beset with a sense of inadequacy and failure in living the Christian life as it ought to be lived. … they yearn to know Christ better and serve Him more worthily. It is to such that this little volume is addressed." -J. Oswald Sanders, from the introduction J. Oswald Sanders (best known for his book Spiritual Leadership, which has sold over a million copies) touched hundreds of thousands of lives in his lifetime and continues to inspire Christians today. His books Spiritual Leadership, Spiritual Maturity, and The Incomparable Christ are beloved and well-read to this day. But there are two of his books that readers haven’t had access to in over 30 years. Cultivation of Christian Character is one of them. It’s a profound and challenging book for anyone who earnestly wants to know God more. Sanders teaches you about spiritual struggle, the healing power of Scripture, and how to fight spiritual warfare victoriously. But most of all he shows you how to give up your self-focus and take up a Christ-focus. Any Christian who wants to grow will surely be benefited by this book.

What's a Branch Supposed to Do? Becoming a Christian is not the end of the story. It is the beginning of a journey that starts at the foot of the cross and ends at the foot of the throne of God. We are involved in an ongoing experience as we grow in our relationship with Christ. As believers, our goal is to become more and more like him. Jesus taught that he is the vine and we are the branches. We receive our spiritual lifeblood from him, as the Holy Spirit works in our lives. However, our relationship is not designed to be a passive one. Branches are expected to bear fruit. This is a legitimate expectation. God is the gardener, and his job is to prune the branches in order that we become more fruitful. This process may be somewhat uncomfortable and even spiritually painful at times, but the finished product is worth the investment. Cultivating Christian Character is all about this journey. The focus is on what grows on our branches - the various facets of the fruit of the Spirit, coupled with integrity and obedience. It is about modeling our lives after the examples set before us in the word of God. And it is about allowing the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, making the necessary changes to help us reach the goal of becoming more like Christ. I invite you to come along for the journey - it will be worth the trip.

Christlikeness in believers assists the proclamation of the gospel in demonstrating the reality of God's grace.

The question of the formation of Christian character is an important contemporary issue. Our society is undergoing radical change at the personal and social level. There are forces at work that deconstruct the traditional patterns of human life - the family, the understanding of masculinity and femininity, our view on the nature and use of our sexuality. These forces are rebuilding human society in such a way that it is free from the influence of a religious perspective on life and free from the constraints of a moral approach to human living. The modern attitude is to reject traditional models of the virtuous life in favour of a self-realisation freely pursued outside the constraints of moral codes. There is a certain "morality" which is fashioned by society. Certain things are determined to be "politically correct". Certain stances become fashionable like ecological sensitivity or the perceived threat from sexism, but these are fluid positions and change with fashions of thought. They do not impinge particularly on the inner quality of character but rather reflect certain acceptable attitudes. They are superficial and do not promote serious inner growth. This book seeks to explore the nature of the human person. Then, by drawing on our Christian tradition, consider the ways in which we can build a healthy and happy life fulfilling what God has intended us to become as a faithful imitation of his Son. This is a book about identifying the nature of Christian character. It offers a path which will lead to mature Christian character.