The Pursuit of Happiness

by Zodhiates, Spiros

• ISBN13: 9780899575087
• ISBN10: 0899575080
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1998-09-01
• Publisher: Amg Pubs

Summary

There is a difference between happiness and blessedness. Understanding the Greek word makarios is essential to understanding Matthew 5:1-12.

Author Biography

Spiros Zodhiates was born to Greek parents on the island of Cyprus. After completing his Greek education, he attended the American University in Cairo, Egypt, The National Bible Institute (now Shelton College), and New York University. He earned his Doctor of Theology degree from Luther Rice Seminary. In addition, Dr. Zodhiates has been the recipient of several honorary doctorates.

Table of Contents

The Conditions of Blessedness	p. 1
How Can We Become What God Is -- Blessed?	p. 7
Can We Know Blessedness Here, or Only Hereafter?	p. 12
Does Good Luck Affect Blessedness?	p. 17
Can Man Bless God? And How Does God Bless Man?	p. 23
Is It Right for Us to Ask God to Bless "Things"?	p. 29
What Makes a Man Rich?	p. 34
The Two Kinds of Poverty	p. 40
Is There Any Merit in Being Poor?	p. 46
Can We Accept Christ's Teachings Without Accepting Christ?	p. 51
What Does Poor in Spirit Mean?	p. 56
Will Only the Poor Inherit the Kingdom?	p. 62
What Is Meant by the Kingdom of Heaven?	p. 69
Should We Expect God to Praise Us?	p. 75
How Poverty Can Make You Rich	p. 81
What Is Paramount in Your Life?	p. 87
Going Hungry for Christ's Sake	p. 92
Christ Satisfies the Unsatisfied	p. 98
The Blessing of Tears	p. 104
Why Jesus Wept	p. 109
Why Doesn't Christ Change Us, Instead of Weeping Over Us?	p. 114
The Ministry of Tears	p. 119
God's Reaction When Men Hate Us	p. 124
Why Does the World Hate Christians?	p. 130
Are You Hated for the Right Reasons?	p. 135
Your Company Is Not Desired	p. 139
Why Does the World Ridicule the Christian?	p. 144
How Should a Christian React to Slander?	p. 150
What Is the World's Motive for Slandering the Christian?	p. 155
Not Wanted -- Yet Joyful	p. 160
Should the Christian Serve Just for the Sake of the Reward?	p. 166
A Lesson from History	p. 172
Woe Unto You Christian Hypocrites!	p. 178
You've Had It, You Selfish Rich!	p. 185
What Role Does Your Stomach Play in Your Life?	p. 191
When Is It Wrong to Laugh?	p. 198
Popular Christians	p. 204
When Is It Wrong to Be Popular?	p. 210
How Can All Men Speak Well of Us?	p. 215
Are All Mourners Blessed?	p. 222
How Should Christians React to Sorrow?	p. 229
The Two Kinds of Sorrow	p. 234
What Is Godly Sorrow?	p. 239
Is God the Author of Sorrow?	p. 244
Why Is Sorrow a Blessed Thing?	p. 249
Comfort for the Sorrowing	p. 254
Does Meekness Rule Out Anger?	p. 261
Does Meekness Mean Tolerance of Evil?	p. 267
The Anger of the Meek and Lowly Jesus	p. 272
Meekness -- A Natural Gift or a Supernatural Grace?	p. 277
Are the Meek Aware of Their Humility?	p. 282
Meekness Toward Others	p. 288
Not by Conquest but by Inheritance	p. 293
Inheritance a Matter of Relationship	p. 299
What it Means to Inherit the Earth	p. 303
How to Enjoy Life to the Full	p. 309
The Enjoyment of Life, Here and Hereafter	p. 316
Are Our Physical Desires Evil?	p. 323
The Naturalness of Hunger and Thirst	p. 329
The Characteristics of Hunger and Thirst	p. 334
How Hungry Are You?	p. 341
Satisfied to Overflowing	p. 348
Can the Helpless Show Mercy?	p. 355
God's Mercy, Undeserved and Deserved	p. 361
Mercifulness the Gauge of Christlikeness	p. 367
What Mercy Is Not	p. 373
Does Mercy Preclude Punishment?	p. 378
Which Counts More, the Motive or the Deed?	p. 383
Will All Good Works Be Rewarded?	p. 389
Rewards -- Now or Hereafter?	p. 394
What Makes Us Do Good to Others?	p. 401
Practical Suggestions for Doing Good	p. 409
Science and the Bible Agree: God Is Invisible	p. 415
What God Do the Pure in Heart See?	p. 421
Purity: the Grace that Makes God Visible	p. 427
Sorrow: God's Purifying Fire	p. 432
What the Heart of Man Is	p. 438
Why Man's Heart Needs Purifying	p. 445
God the Transmitter, Man the Receiver	p. 451
Sanctification: What It Is	p. 457
The Blessings that Result from Purity of Heart	p. 463
Different Ways of Looking at God	p. 468
Seeing God in the Hereafter	p. 474
Seeing God in the Manifestations of Life	p. 481
The Peace that Is Born of Purity of Heart	p. 486
Man's Lost Peace	p. 493
Peace Regained	p. 499
The Three Kinds of Peace	p. 504
Substitutes for Peace	p. 510
Peace or a Sword?	p. 515
Peace by Way of the Sword	p. 521
Peace in and through Suffering	p. 526
Must the Peacemaker Submit to Others?	p. 531
Peacemaking or Cowardice?	p. 537
Peacemaking Not a Compromise with Evil	p. 542
Peacemaking and Personal Retaliation	p. 547
Resistance or Non-Resistance -- Which?	p. 553
Christ Our Example in Peacemaking	p. 558
Resisting in Love	p. 564
Do You Have Peace of Soul?	p. 569
The First Qualification of a Peacemaker -- Unselfishness	p. 576
The Characteristics of the Peacemaker	p. 581
Living at Peace with Others	p. 586
Practical Points on Peacemaking	p. 592
Children of God	p. 598
The Christian's Highest Calling	p. 604
After Peacemaking -- Persecution	p. 609
Persecution Inevitable	p. 614
Unnecessary Persecution	p. 620
The Benefits of Persecution	p. 625
Does All Persecution Result in Blessing?	p. 630
The Cost of Blessedness	p. 635
Christ Warns of Persecution	p. 641
Persecution by Christians	p. 645
The Joy of Being Persecuted	p. 650
Not Persecution but God Our Source of Joy	p. 655
How Christians Should React to Persecution	p. 660
The Aim of Persecution	p. 666
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.