Whenever the Faith Bible Seminary course BC 611—Biblical Counseling Lab meets, students craft a 25-word-or-less response to the question:

What makes biblical counseling truly biblical? 

They’re not given a great deal of time to develop this. So it’s not their definitive answer, but their working description—that captures their heart for biblical counseling. We’ve collated responses from a couple recent lab groups. With their permission, we’re sharing (in no particular order) their descriptions for your consideration.

What Makes Biblical Counseling Truly Biblical?

Response #1 

Biblical counseling involves lovingly journeying with one another as we relate the whole gospel story to the whole person’s whole story.

Response #2

Biblical counseling is believers in community connecting intimately, while drawing near to God’s heart to practically apply biblical truth to our everyday lives. 

Response #3 

Biblical counseling is graciously and compassionately applying the Word of God together to the challenges of life for the purpose of heart change. 

Response #4 

Biblical counseling is the Christ-centered, Word-based, gospel-focused, church-embedded, Spirit-dependent, progressive sanctification ministry of loving comprehensive soul care/spiritual direction addressing suffering/sin heart issues. 

Response #5 (Notice the Acronym “Counseling”) 

Christians with

One another,

Understanding the

Nuanced ministry of

Scripture and

Empathy,

Leading to

Intentional, Incarnational ministry,

New life in Christ, and

Growth in grace 

Response #6

Authentic believers ministering to one-another as they encounter sin and suffering with the love and truth of God for His glory and their eternal good. 

Response #7

Biblical counseling is lovingly comforting the afflicted and confronting sinners with the truth of Scripture, to bring about change through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Response #8

Biblical counseling is applying the comfort, hope, and truth of God’s Word to the heart of sinners and sufferers through the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit.

Response #9 

Biblical counseling is coming alongside saints who suffer and sin to provide comfort, hope, repentance, and biblical wisdom through the leading of the Holy Spirit. 

Response #10

Biblical counseling is biblical when the counselor, counselee, and the church are committed to growing in their love and obedience to the two greatest commandments.

Response #11

Using Scripture to show the beauty of God’s redemptive story through Christ, who redeems His people by Holy Spirit, to live their lives for His glory.

Response #12

Biblical counseling is biblical when it recognizes Christ, the gospel, and the Scriptures as authoritative and sufficient to address all of life’s issues.

Response #13 

Counseling that lovingly explores biblical principles to not only help sufferers to heal, but also helps them reconcile to God and grow spiritually for God’s glory.

Response #14

Biblical counseling embraces the pain of the sufferer and provides scriptural hope as people embrace Christ’s forgiveness and grow in Christlikeness—encouraging the church family. 

Response #15

The loving and wise use of Scripture to help the whole person, connecting their life with the gospel story to bring wholeness into their life.

Response #16

Biblical counseling recognizes that it is the Word of God united with the transforming power of the Holy Spirit that truly changes a needy soul. 

Response #17

Biblical counseling is jars of clay, who, while refusing to preach themselves, seek to disperse the knowledge of Christ while sharing their very souls with one another.

Response #18 

Biblical counseling is ministering the truth, compassion, and solutions found in Scripture to the felt and true needs of a person who is suffering or sinning. 

Response #19

Biblical counseling is helping people to increasingly submit all of life to the lordship of Christ.

Response #20 

Biblical Counseling happens when one Spirit-filled believer strives to help another overcome struggles, suffering, and sin through the caring application of Scripture and prayer.

Response #21 

Using the biblical story of redemption and gospel promises to fulfill the mission of filling up what was lacking by incarnating Christ for the church. 

Response #22 

Truly biblical counseling is when the Scriptures are the primary method of diagnosing, treating, and developing a perspective that addresses our need to glorify God and exalt Him forever.

Response #23

Biblical counseling is truly biblical when it emerges from Scripture, interweaves the person’s story with God’s story for sanctification and one-anothering with truth and love.

Response #24

Counsel flowing from: View of God (Holy/Love), Diagnosis of root issue (Sinful Heart), Foundation of solutions (Bible), Motivation (Please God), Method of change (Holy Spirit).

Response #25 

Biblical counseling is biblical when the purpose is to glorify God, the goal is sanctification, Christ is central, Scriptures are sufficient, Christ’s love is shared.

Response #26 

Biblical counseling is Heart ³: It is soul to soul ministry that connects the hearts of the counselee, the biblical counselor, and the Divine Counselor.

Response #27

Biblical counseling is the whole counsel of God, anchored in the sufficiency, authority, and inspiration of Scripture applied in a Christlike manner to the soul. 

Response #28 

Biblical counseling is believers helping other believers walk through suffering and overcome sin with the help of the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. 

Response #29 

Biblical counseling is fallen, redeemed people using God’s Word to walk along side one another to grasp a slice of heaven in a fallen world. 

Response #30 

Biblical counseling is God graciously revealing in His Word, ministered by His Spirit and people, the only hope from our suffering and sinning—Christ’s grace.

Response #31

Biblical counseling is leading fellow sufferers and sinners to the cross to find hope and healing in the blood of Christ which cleanses us from all sin. 

Response #32 

Biblical counseling is God’s Spirit and Word working in and through one human to another transforming the suffering and sinful heart into further Christ-likeness. 

Response #33 

Biblical counselors are broken people bringing heaven’s hope and healing to hurting hearts. Biblical counseling is One for all, and all for One. 

Response #34 

Biblical counseling is the Spirit-empowered body of Christ, lovingly tending to souls with the Word, to prepare the Bride for the Son, to the glory of God the Father.

Response #35 

Biblical counseling is speaking/living God’s Truth in love that abounds more and more in knowledge and depth of insight as we share Scripture and soul.

Response #36 

Biblical counseling is soul care that deals thoroughly/compassionately with the evils we have suffered and spiritual direction that deals thoroughly/compassionately with the sins we have committed. 

Join the Conversation 

If you had 25-words-or-less, and 10-minutes-or-less, how would you answer the question: What makes biblical counseling truly biblical?

The post 3 Dozen Definitions of Biblical Counseling in 25-Words-Or-Less appeared first on Faith Bible Seminary Blog.

Dr. Jay E. Adams, the founder of the modern biblical counseling movement, went home to be with his Lord and Savior on November 14, 2020. Tributes to his life and ministry are pouring in. Here are links to tributes and to resources related to Jay’s life and ministry.

Tributes to Dr. Adams’ Life and Ministry 

• In Loving Memory of Jay Adams: The Father of Modern-Day Biblical Counseling, by Donn Arms.

• Jay Adams: Deep and Compassionate, by Bob Kellemen (written in 2012 and updated in 2020).

• In Memory of Dr. Jay E Adams: From the Third Generation, by Kevin Carson.

• Martin Luther and Jay Adams, by Jim Newheiser (written in 2017).

• Pursuing Faithfulness Not Fame: My Tribute to Jay Adams, by Curtis Solomon at the Biblical Counseling Coalition.

• A Tribute to the Life of Jay Adams, by Brad Hambrick.

• Counseling Today: Standing on Jay’s Shoulders, by Rick Thomas.

Dr. Adams’ Foundational Works 

For insight into Dr. Adams’ foundational works and for how others have built upon it, you can read:

• Arms, Donn, and Dave Swavely, Editors. Whole Counsel: The Public and Private Ministries of the Word. Jay Adams’ landmark book Competent to Counselwas first published 50 years ago, and it was the first of over 100 books that he has written. The editors and contributors in Whole Counsel hope that this volume will be used by God to spark a resurgence of interest in Dr. Adams’ teaching, and more importantly, a return to the timeless truths of Scripture on which it is based.

• Adams penned over 100 books, booklets, and pamphlets. Learn more about them at the bookstore of the Institute of Nouthetic Studies.

• 25 Years of Biblical Counseling: An Interview with Jay Adams and John Bettler, by David Powlison (written in 1993).

• The Biblical Counseling Movement: History and Context, by David Powlison.

• The Biblical Counseling Movement After Adams, by Heath Lambert.

Join the Conversation 

What other posts and articles would you recommend about the life and ministry of Dr. Adams?

What is your testimonial about how the life and ministry of Dr. Jay E. Adams impacted you?

The post In Memory of Jay Adams: A Collection of Articles and Resources appeared first on Faith Bible Seminary Blog.

How is God working in your life? In what ways is he equipping you to use your gifts to serve His people? Here’s how one man is answering these questions.

We enjoy introducing you to our Faith Bible Seminary students and their journey in our seminary. Today we invite you to “e-meet” Dan Brewer, one of our current FBS MABC student. A civil engineer, Dan notes that now he’s moving from building roads to building eternal bridges to Christ. This is Dan’s FBS story…

FBS: “Dan, please tell us about what motivated you to enroll in FBS’ MABC program.”

DB: “I started the FBS MABC in November 2019. I had heard about FBS at one of the Regional Training Conferences in Washington State a few years ago, but I had not thought about attending seminary. In the summer of 2019, I was having breakfast with Dr. Kellemen and explaining that I was nearing the end of the ACBC certification process, but felt like some things just were not clicking for me as a counselor. Dr. Kellemen suggested considering additional training through FBS. In my first year at FBS I completed six classes. I really appreciate the restructured class format of the seminary to an eight-week schedule. In fact, that was one of the reasons for selecting FBS; I wanted to be able to complete the MABC program in just over two years. I aim to complete my remaining course work by the end of August 2021, and then start writing my thesis.”

FBS: “How have you most benefitted from your FBS MABC in your life and ministry?”

DB: “My journey at FBS has been amazing and far beyond my expectations. I knew going in that I would receive a quality education and would be challenged towards excellence from highly respected men and women committed to biblical counseling. But I’ve received much more. While I have great respect and admiration for the faculty at FBS—individuals I consider to be some of the modern day icons of the biblical counseling movement—I’m now blessed to call them my friends. One element of the MABC program that has been surprisingly beneficial for me is the interaction with other students. I’ve learned so much from my classmates as we’ve journeyed through the program together. The interaction with fellow students as part of the course work has resulted in close friendships from all over the world. Those friendships have developed even further as we stay connected outside of the classroom, praying for and encouraging one another.”

FBS: “No Master’s degree is easy. It takes persistence and perseverance. How have you been stretched and challenged by the MABC?”

DB: “I initially underestimated the level of effort that would be required for the MABC program. Yet, while the MABC program has been challenging academically, those challenges have also been rewarding. More than just stretching me academically, the program has challenged me to be a better student of God’s Word, a better counselor, and a better friend; the very goals and desires that I had when I started the program. The FBS MABC program delivers!”

FBS: “How do you hope to use your FBS MABC degree after you graduate? How are you already using it now?”

DB: “My undergraduate degree is in Civil Engineering. I have been building roads and bridges my entire life. I want to invest the rest of my life in things that have eternal value and significance, so I’m pursuing this MABC to help others build eternal roads and bridges to Christ. I’m responding to the Lord’s call to prepare for full-time ministry work. Honestly at age 52, I’m not sure what that will look like or where it will lead but I’m trusting the Lord as I step forward in obedience and faith. I’m currently serving as part of the biblical counseling ministry in our local church—Christ’s Church in Federal Way, Washington. The training that I have received from FBS has already helped me be a better counselor, and those that I have ministered to have reaped the benefits of that, to the honor and glory of the Lord.”

FBS: “What would you say to a friend who asked you, ‘Why do you think I should consider enrolling in the FBS MABC?’”

DB: “I’d share that if you want to sharpen and hone your skills as a biblical counselor, and learn how to better understand and communicate the gospel in the circumstances of everyday life, I can think of no better way to do that than through the FBS MABC program.  You can customize the intensity of your course work to match your current life situations and finances. The faculty is committed to their students, and you will be equipped to do the work of the saints—guaranteed. It’s so encouraging to know that your professors are praying for you! Your faith will be strengthened as the Lord works in transforming your heart through the program, and you will develop relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ that you will carry into eternity.”

FBS: Thanks for sharing your FBS story, Dan. Is there anything else that you’d like to share about your FBS MABC experience?”

DB: “I know that there are other MABC programs available where 100% of the course work can be taken on-line, and no travel is required. However, I cannot overstate the importance of the five one-week module classes that are part of the FBS MABC program. Having those one-week classes where you interact with the professor and fellow students solidifies ministry partnerships and lifelong friendships that are invaluable and cannot be gained any other way. You benefit from those five one-week modular classes, while also benefitting from the five online classes and two independent study classes. FBS’ MABC program provides the best of both worlds.”

The post From Building Roads to Building Eternal Bridges to Christ appeared first on Faith Bible Seminary Blog.

Faith Bible Seminary Friend’s Banquet 2020 

The year 2020 has been challenging in many ways, and we all need hope. As the year ends, Faith Bible Seminary invites you to enjoy an evening of Christmas hope: “Oh Glorious Night, A Feast of Hope.”

Due to the pandemic, FBS will not be having the usual banquet format for this special evening on Thursday, December 3, at 7 PM EST. Instead, we invite you to please go to www.faithlafayette.org/fbsrsvp to RSVP for online viewing or limited in-person seating.

The program will be live-streamed through FBS’ Facebook page at the following link: https://www.facebook.com/FaithBibleSeminary

FBS M.Div. pastoral student Joshua Aucoin will lead a mini-Christmas concert along with the rest of the FBS Worship Team for our FBS Friends’ Banquet. In addition, FBS students will share Scripture readings, devotions, testimonies, and a gospel presentation.

Spread the Word 

If you’d like to help get the word out, please copy and share this PDF link:  

file:///C:/Users/bobke/Downloads/Oh%20Glorious%20Night%20(1).pdf

Or, share this shortened link to this blog post:

https://bit.ly/38AnuH4

Please mark your calendars, RSVP, and save/share the link so that you and others can enjoy a glorious night of hope! 

Share the Blessing: Biblical Education for Effective Christian Ministry 

Also, as the Lord has blessed you in this difficult year, would you consider an end-of-year gift to FBS to help us continue to provide low-cost biblical education for effective Christian ministry.

You may go to www.faithlafayette.org/fbsdonate in order to give.

The post 2020: We All Need a Feast of Hope! appeared first on Faith Bible Seminary Blog.

People often ask:

• “What makes biblical counseling truly biblical?”

• “How does biblical counseling differ from other approaches to soul care?”

The Biblical Counseling Coalition addressed these questions when three dozen leaders spent nine months and ten drafts to develop The Biblical Counseling Coalition Confessional Statement. I had the privilege of facilitating this process. I’m biased, but I believe this document is invaluable.

Because of the Confessional Statement’s richness, depth, and length, I’ve thought for some time that a shortened, outline version would be helpful. So, developed from the BCC’s Confessional Statement, I offer you 12 Biblical Counseling Distinctives.

Distinctive #1: Biblical Counseling Is Anchored in Scripture 

• God’s Word is authoritative, sufficient, and relevant for life and godliness (Psalm 19:7-14; Isaiah 55:11; Matthew 4:4; Hebrews 4:12-13; 2 Peter 1:3).
• The inspired and inerrant Scriptures, rightly interpreted and carefully applied, offer us God’s comprehensive wisdom. We learn to understand who God is, who we are, the problems we face, how people change, and God’s provision for change in the gospel (John 8:31-32; 10:10; 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).
• No other source of knowledge thoroughly equips us to counsel in ways that transform the human heart (Psalm 19:7-14; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:3).
• Biblical counseling is an insightful application of God’s all-embracing truth to our complex lives (Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:6; Philippians 1:9-11).
• Scripture alone teaches a perspective and way of looking at life by which we can think biblically about and critically evaluate information and actions from any source (Colossians 2:1-15; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Distinctive #2: Biblical Counseling Is Centered on Christ and the Gospel                                                                                                 

• Biblical counseling centers on Christ—His sinless life, death on the cross, burial, resurrection, present reign, and promised return (Colossians 1:9-23; 1:27-29).
• Through the gospel, God reveals the depths of sin, the scope of suffering, and the heights of grace (John 1:14; 3:1-16; 4:1-24; Ephesians 3:14-21).
• Biblical counselors point people to a person—Jesus our Redeemer—not to a program, theory, or experience. We place our trust in the transforming power of the Redeemer as the only hope to change people’s hearts (John 14:6; 2 Corinthians 5:17). 

Distinctive #3: Biblical Counseling Is Grounded in Sound Theology

• Biblical counseling arises from a theological way of looking at life—a worldview—that informs how we understand people, problems, and solutions. The best biblical counselors are wise, balanced, caring, experienced practical theologians (Philippians 1:9-11).
• Biblical counselors relate the Scriptures relevantly to people’s lives (Hebrews 3:12-19).
• Wise counselors understand specific passages and a person’s unique life experience within the context of the Bible’s larger story. Counselors engage in person-specific conversations flowing naturally from a comprehensive biblical theology of life (John 4:1-24).

Distinctive #4: Biblical Counseling Is Dependent Upon the Holy Spirit and Prayer 

• Genuine change of heart and transformation of lifestyle depend upon the Holy Spirit. Biblical counselors affirm the absolute necessity of the work of the Holy Spirit to guide and empower the counselor, the counselee, and the counseling relationship (John 14:15-16:16; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18; Galatians 5:22-23).
• Dependent prayer is essential to the work of biblical counseling (Ephesians 6:18-20).

Distinctive #5: Biblical Counseling Is Directed Toward Sanctification 

• Biblical counseling is transformative, change-oriented, and grounded in the doctrine of sanctification (Romans 6:3-14; 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 3:16-18; Philippians 2:12-13).
• The lifelong change process begins at salvation and continues until we see Jesus face-to-face (Romans 12:1-2; 1 John 3:1-3).
• The aim of biblical counseling is intentional and intensive discipleship. The fruit of counseling is spiritually mature people who increasingly reflect Christ (relationally, rationally, volitionally, and emotionally) by enjoying and exalting God and by loving others well and wisely (Matthew 22:35-40; Galatians 5:22-6:10).             

Distinctive #6: Biblical Counseling Is Rooted in the Life of the Church 

• Wise counseling embeds personal change within the church—with all God’s rich resources of corporate and interpersonal means of grace (1 Corinthians 12:12-27).
• By example and exhortation the New Testament commends the personal, face-to-face, one-another ministry of the Word—whether in one-to-one or small group relationships (Hebrews 3:12-19; 10:19-25).
• God desires His people to love and serve each other by speaking His truth in love to one another (Romans 15:14; Ephesians 4:15-16).
• The primary and fullest expression of counseling ministry is meant to occur in local church communities where pastors effectively shepherd souls while equipping and overseeing diverse forms of every­-member ministry (Romans 15:14; Ephesians 4:11-14).

Distinctive #7: Biblical Counseling Is Founded in Love 

• Christ’s incarnation is not just the basis for care, but also the model for how we care (John 3-4; 13:34-35; Hebrews 4:14-16).
• Biblical counselors seek to enter into a person’s story, listening well, expressing thoughtful love, and engaging the person with compassion (Ephesians 4:15; 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8).
• The wise and loving personal ministry of the Word takes many appropriate forms, from caring comfort to loving rebuke, from careful listening to relevant scriptural exploration, all while building trusting, authentic relationships (1 Thessalonians 2:11-12; 5:14-15; 1 John 4:7-21).

Distinctive #8: Biblical Counseling Is Attentive to Heart Issues 

• Human behavior is tied to thoughts, intentions, and affections of the heart. All our actions arise from hearts that are worshipping either God or something else, therefore we emphasize the importance of the heart and address the inner person (Hebrews 4:12-13).
• Biblical counseling seeks to address both the inward and outward aspects of human life to bring thorough and lasting change into the image of Christ. Wise counsel appropriately focuses on the vertical and the horizontal dimensions, on the inner and the outer person, and on observable behavior and underlying issues of the heart (Matthew 23:23-28).

Distinctive #9: Biblical Counseling Is Comprehensive in Understanding

• Biblical counseling focuses on the full range of human nature created in the image of God. A comprehensive biblical understanding sees human beings as relational (spiritual and social), rational, volitional, emotional, and physical beings. (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:7).
• Biblical counseling recognizes the complexity of the relationship between the body and soul. We seek to apply God’s Word to people’s lives amid bodily strengths and weaknesses (Genesis 2:7; 2 Corinthians 4:7-10).
• Biblical counseling recognizes the complexity of the connection between people and their social environment. We seek to remain sensitive to the impact of suffering and of the great variety of significant social-cultural factors (1 Peter 3:8-22).

Distinctive #10: Biblical Counseling Is Thorough in Care 

• God’s Word is profitable for dealing thoroughly with the evils we suffer and with the sins we commit. Wise counselors seek to discern the differences and connections between sin and suffering, and to minister appropriately to both (1 Thessalonians 5:14).
• Biblical counseling addresses suffering and engages sufferers in many compassionate ways. It offers God’s encouragement, comfort, and hope for the hurting (Romans 8:17-18; Romans 12:15; 2 Corinthians 1:3-8).
• Biblical counseling addresses sin and engages sinners in numerous caring ways. It offers God’s confrontation of sins, encourages repentance of sins, presents God’s gracious forgiveness in Christ, and shares God’s powerful path for progressive victory over sin (1 John 1:8-2:2; 2 Corinthians 2:5-11; Colossians 3:1-17; 2 Timothy 2:24-26).

Distinctive #11: Biblical Counseling Is Practical and Relevant 

• A commitment to the sufficiency of God’s Word results in counseling that demonstrates the relevancy of God’s Word. Biblical counseling offers a practical approach to daily life that is uniquely effective in the real world where people live and relate (1 John 3:11-24).
• The Bible calls us to use wise methods that minister in Christ-centered ways to the unique life situations of specific people (Proverbs 15:23; 25:11).
• We are to speak what is helpful for building others up according to the need of the moment, that it may benefit those who listen (Ephesians 4:29).

Distinctive #12: Biblical Counseling Is Oriented Toward Outreach 

• Biblical counseling is a powerful evangelistic and apologetic force. We seek to speak in relevant ways to Christians and non-Christians, to draw them to the Savior and the distinctive wisdom that comes only from His Word (Titus 2:10-15).
• Biblical counselors seek to present the claims, mercies, hope, and relevance of Christ in a positive, loving, Christ-like spirit (1 Peter 3:15).
• Our mission to spread the fame of Jesus Christ includes a desire that all counselors appreciate and embrace the beauty of a Christ-centered and Word-based approach to people, problems, and solutions (Philippians 1:9-11). 

What Makes Biblical Counseling Truly Biblical? 

Here are two answers, first in sixty-one words, and then in eighteen:

• Biblical counseling occurs whenever God’s people engage in conversations that are anchored in Scripture, centered on Christ and the gospel, grounded in sound theology, dependent upon the Holy Spirit and prayer, directed toward sanctification, rooted in the life of the church, founded in love, attentive to heart issues, comprehensive in understanding, thorough in care, practical and relevant, and oriented toward outreach.

• Biblical counseling promotes personal change, centered on the person of Christ through the personal ministry of the Word.

Additional Resources 

• For a fuller development of these distinctives, in addition to the BCC’s Confessional Statement, see Gospel-Centered Counseling: How Christ Changes Lives.

• For a Word document version of this post, see: 12 Biblical Counseling Distinctives—Word.

• For a PDF version of this post, see: 12 Biblical Counseling Distinctives—PDF.

The post 12 Biblical Counseling Distinctives appeared first on Faith Bible Seminary Blog.

R. Bowker LLC, which issues the ISBN numbers used by librarians to track individual titles, says that 3 million books are published annually. So, in the twenty years of the 21^st century we’ve had 60 million books published. And Google estimates that 200 million books are currently in circulation. That’s a lot of books.

Here’s what I’m saying. Of the 60 million books published in the 21^st century, the #1 book is Dane Ortlund’s Gentle and Lowly.

By the way, I’m saying that as the author of twenty books in the 21^st century. And I wouldn’t put any of my twenty books in the unique category of Ortlund’s Gentle and Lowly.

What Makes Gentle and Lowly So Unique and Special? 

Shirley and I are reading Gentle and Lowly together. I asked Shirley for her one-sentence summary. She captures well the unique value of the book.

“Gentle and Lowly opens your eyes to learn more about God than you’ve ever known before.”

This is being said by a mature Christian woman—Shirley—who has been a Christian for half-a-century. I agree with my wife.

In his book, The Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. Tozer famously writes:

“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”

Gentle and Lowly is renewing my mind about who God is. I’m saying that as a Christian for half-a-century, and as a pastor, biblical counselor, and seminary professor for thirty-five years. It seems like in every chapter in Gentle and Lowly I’m saying to myself, “I’ve taught on this verse; I’ve shared it in counseling. How could I have missed this rich insight about the gentle, good, and gracious heart of Christ!?”

This is a primary purpose of Ortlund in Gentle and Lowly—to renew our minds about who Christ is. Ortlund describes this purpose throughout his writing. Here’s one example, in a chapter on the richness of God’s mercy.

“Nowhere in the Bible is God described as rich in anything. The only thing he is called rich in is: mercy. What does this mean? It means that God is something other than what we naturally believe him to be. It means that the Christian life is a lifelong shedding of tepid thoughts of the goodness of God” (172).

When you think about God, does it naturally come into your mind that He is gentle and lowly? If not, then Gentle and Lowly is the proverbial “must read” for you—as it has been for me.

The Heart of Christ 

Ortlund introduces chapter 1 like this, beginning by quoting the central verse from which he draws his title—Matthew 11:29.

“‘I am gentle and lowly in heart’ (Matthew 11:29). My Dad pointed out to me something that Charles Spurgeon pointed out to him. In the four Gospel accounts given to us in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—eighty-nine chapters of biblical text—there’s only one place where Jesus tells us about his own heart” (17).

Imagine someone asking you, “Could you tell me the core of your heart, the essence of what makes you who you are?” What comes out of your mouth next is going to be quite essential. This is what Jesus does for us in Matthew 11:29—He tells us the essence of who He is. And this is what Dane Ortlund does for twenty-three riveting, relevant chapters—Ortlund exegetes the heart of Christ—the gentle and lowly heart of Christ.

Why the Heart of Christ Is So Vital in Our Personal Lives 

Spoiler alert! I’m going to talk to you about the end of the book—Ortlund’s Epilogue. He asks the question, “What Now?” “But what are we to do with this?” (215). Ortlund replies like Jesus replies:

“But there is one thing for us to do. Jesus says it in Matthew 11:28. ‘Come to me.’ Whatever is crumbling all around you in your life, wherever you feel stuck, this remains, un-deflectable: his heart for you, the real you, is gentle and lowly. So go to him. That place in your life where you feel most defeated, he is there; he lives there, right there, and his heart for you, not on the other side of it but in that darkness, is gentle and lowly. Your anguish is his home. Go to him. ‘If you knew his heart, you would’” (216, the final sentence quotes from the Puritan Thomas Goodwin).

Gentle and Lowly is beautifully and powerfully motivating my heart to come to the heart of Christ. It can do the same for you.

How does knowing the gentle and lowly heart of Christ motivate us to come to Christ? Think theologically and practically with me. Jeremiah 2 begins with a description of the first love of God’s people for God.

“I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me and followed me through the desert” (Jer. 2:2).

Sadly it ends with God’s people forsaking their first love and now seeing God as a dark desert.

“You of this generation, consider the word of the Lord: ‘Have I been a desert to Israel or a land of great darkness? Why do my people say, We are free to roam; we will come to you no more?’” (Jer. 2:31).

What intervened to cause God’s people to morph from following Him into the desert to viewing Him as a desert? Jeremiah 2:5 and 2:19 tell us.

“What fault did your ancestors find in me, that they strayed so far from me?” (Jer. 2:5).

“‘Consider then and realize how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the Lord your God and have no awe of me,’ declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty” (Jer. 2:19).

The word “fault” in Jeremiah 2:5 means “faulty”—what faulty view do you hold of me in your mind? It’s a word used of weights and measures in the sense of minimizing the weightiness of something or someone. It means that God’s people see God as a “lightweight.” They think insignificant thoughts about God. To use the language of Jeremiah 2:19, they have lost their awe of God—their sense of God’s awesomeness.

This is what Dane Ortlund is talking about in Gentle and Lowly. He’s highlighting that:

God’s awesomeness and weightiness are seen in God’s gentleness and lowliness.

That’s the uniqueness of Ortlund’s message, as I see it.

Why do we forsake God? Why do we not come to Christ? Because we have faulty views of God where we’ve lost our awe of God’s gentleness and lowliness—His perfect and infinite goodness, grace, mercy, compassion, and love.

Why the Heart of Christ Is So Vital in Our Biblical Counseling Ministry 

Think about how this relates to biblical counseling and the care of souls. An anxious soul comes to us. We interact. We care. We listen. Then we journey together to 1 Peter 5:7.

“Cast all your care on him because he cares for you.”

We tend to emphasize the imperative encouragement: “cast all your care on him.”

However, we tend to neglect the essential motivation: “because he cares for you.”

Before we exhort and encourage someone to trust God, do we even know if they view Him as trustworthy?

Before we exhort people to cast their cares on God, do we even know if they view Him as caring?

Before we encourage counselees to entrust themselves to God, let’s journey with them helping them to grasp more and more the gentle and lowly heart of Christ—His perfect and infinite goodness, grace, mercy, compassion, and love for them.

The Best Book of the 21^st Century 

Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers is drawing me to the heart of Christ. It is helping me to draw the heart of my counselees to Christ. Gentle and Lowly is the best book of the 21^st century.

The post The Best Book of the 21st Century appeared first on Faith Bible Seminary Blog.

A Word from Bob: I’ve taken my thoughts from chapter 10 of my book

2 Competing Narratives of the American Experience 

As I talk to friends about the ongoing racial tensions in the US, many are perplexed. A Caucasian friend recently shared with me:

“It’s like we’re talking a different language when we talk across racial lines.”

Not long after that conversation, an African American friend shared:

“When I talk about race with my White friends, it’s like we’re from two different planets. It’s like we’re aliens to each other in need of a universal translator.”

My friends are onto something. And it’s not just a recent development. From the very founding of America, Blacks and Whites have maintained two drastically different views of the American Experience. In today’s post, I’m hoping to help us understand each other better by helping us to understand our long-standing different perspectives on life in America.

The Free Northern European White Male American Experience: “The Promised Land” 

The idea of an American “national narrative” drawn from Scripture is not new. When European Christians immigrated to America, they chose a dominant biblical lens through which to view themselves corporately. They were, according to Puritan John Winthrop:

“A city upon a hill.”

As God’s new chosen people fleeing the religious tyranny of Europe, if they (White Europeans) obeyed God they would:

“Find that the God of Israel is among us, when ten of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies.”[i]

From the earliest period of their migration to the New World, European colonists spoke of their journey as the:

“New Exodus of a New Israel from bondage in Egypt to the Promised Land of milk and honey.”[ii]

For these early European Americans, America already was the Promised Land.

White Europeans left Europe in an exodus due to persecution, finding religious and political freedom and likening it to the children of Israel crossing the Red Sea.

Many would be shocked to realize that anyone has ever seen it any differently. Or, perhaps we should say, many free northern European middle-class and upper-class white males would be shocked to realize that anyone has ever seen it any differently.

The Enslaved African American Experience: “Bound for the Promised Land”

Consider contrast #1:

• Europeans freely sailed to the “land of the free.”

• Africans were stolen away from their free lands, stowed in the hideous holds of the slave ships, and brought to the “land of bondage.”

And contrast #2:

• For Europeans the Exodus already occurred.

• For Africans the Exodus was yet future.

And contrast #3:

• Europeans lived in the Promised Land.

• Africans lived in Egypt and were bound for the Promised Land.

“For African-Americans the journey was reversed: whites might claim that America was a new Israel, but blacks knew that it was Egypt, since they, like the children of Israel of old, still toiled in bondage. Unless America freed God’s African children, this nation would suffer the plagues that had afflicted Egypt.”[iii]

“It required no stretch of the imagination to see the trials of the Israelites as paralleling the trials of the slaves, Pharaoh and his army as oppressors, and Egyptland as the South.”[iv]

Could two biblically-based visions of one nation be any more different?

Both shared a common stock of biblical metaphors: Egypt, Exodus, the Promised Land. However, each saw the vision through different lenses.

Cross-Cultural Connections

Acknowledging these contrasting visions can increase our cross-cultural connections.

For instance, at times European Americans think of African Americans as needing to “assimilate” into American culture. This assumes that American culture equals the culture that European Americans supposedly single-handedly birthed.

However, from 1619 to today, there has been tremendous interplay between these two “cultures.” To suggest that African Americans assimilate into European American culture negates the equal contributions that African Americans have made in the creation of American culture.

With cross-cultural awareness, we can perceive the issue more accurately. “Minority cultures” are not required to jettison their cultural heritage and be assimilated into one elite, “dominant culture.” Instead, all cultural groups (Native Americans, Europeans, Africans, Asians, Hispanics, etc.) can cherish their own culture while at the same time co-creating one new multi-cultural nation. They jointly weave together a new mosaic, a shared heritage, a collective narrative.

Join the Conversation 

How surprised are you that there have been two such diametrically opposed views of the American experience?

How can understanding these contrasting viewpoints help you to better understand your culturally-different brothers and sisters?

How could understanding these distinct worldviews equip you to minister more effectively cross-culturally?

Endnotes

[i]Warner, American Sermons, p. 42.

[ii]Raboteau, “The Legacy of a Suffering Church,” in Altschul, An Unbroken Circle, p. 81.

[iii]Raboteau, “The Legacy of a Suffering Church,” in Altschul, An Unbroken Circle, p. 81.

[iv]Hughes, The Book of Negro Folklore, p. 286.

The post Racial Reconciliation: 1 America; 2 Experiences appeared first on Faith Bible Seminary Blog.

Whenever I teach the Faith Bible Seminary course BC 611—Biblical Counseling Lab, I ask my students to craft a 25-word-or-less response to the question:

What makes biblical counseling truly biblical? 

They’re given about 10 minutes to develop this, so it’s not their definitive answer, but their working description. I’ve collated responses from a couple recent lab groups. With their permission, I’m sharing (in no particular order) their descriptions for your consideration.

What Makes Biblical Counseling Truly Biblical?

Response #1 

Biblical counseling involves lovingly journeying with one another as we relate the whole gospel story to the whole person’s whole story.

Response #2

Biblical counseling is believers in community connecting intimately, while drawing near to God’s heart to practically apply biblical truth to our everyday lives. 

Response #3 

Biblical counseling is graciously and compassionately applying the Word of God together to the challenges of life for the purpose of heart change. 

Response #4 

Biblical counseling is the Christ-centered, Word-based, gospel-focused, church-embedded, Spirit-dependent, progressive sanctification ministry of loving comprehensive soul care/spiritual direction addressing suffering/sin heart issues. 

Response #5 (Notice the Acronym “Counseling”) 

Christians with

One another,

Understanding the

Nuanced ministry of

Scripture and

Empathy,

Leading to

Intentional, Incarnational ministry,

New life in Christ, and

Growth in grace 

Response #6

Authentic believers ministering to one-another as they encounter sin and suffering with the love and truth of God for His glory and their eternal good. 

Response #7

Biblical counseling is lovingly comforting the afflicted and confronting sinners with the truth of Scripture, to bring about change through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Response #8

Biblical counseling is applying the comfort, hope, and truth of God’s Word to the heart of sinners and sufferers through the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit.

Response #9 

Biblical counseling is coming alongside saints who suffer and sin to provide comfort, hope, repentance, and biblical wisdom through the leading of the Holy Spirit. 

Response #10

Biblical counseling is biblical when the counselor, counselee, and the church are committed to growing in their love and obedience to the two greatest commandments.

Response #11

Using Scripture to show the beauty of God’s redemptive story through Christ, who redeems His people by Holy Spirit, to live their lives for His glory.

Response #12

Biblical counseling is biblical when it recognizes Christ, the gospel, and the Scriptures as authoritative and sufficient to address all of life’s issues.

Response #13 

Counseling that lovingly explores biblical principles to not only help sufferers to heal, but also helps them reconcile to God and grow spiritually for God’s glory.

Response #14

Biblical counseling embraces the pain of the sufferer and provides scriptural hope as people embrace Christ’s forgiveness and grow in Christlikeness—encouraging the church family. 

Response #15

The loving and wise use of Scripture to help the whole person, connecting their life with the gospel story to bring wholeness into their life.

Response #16

Biblical counseling recognizes that it is the Word of God united with the transforming power of the Holy Spirit that truly changes a needy soul. 

Response #17

Biblical counseling is jars of clay, who, while refusing to preach themselves, seek to disperse the knowledge of Christ while sharing their very souls with one another.

Response #18 

Biblical counseling is ministering the truth, compassion, and solutions found in Scripture to the felt and true needs of a person who is suffering or sinning. 

Response #19

Biblical counseling is helping people to increasingly submit all of life to the lordship of Christ.

Response #20 

Biblical Counseling happens when one Spirit-filled believer strives to help another overcome struggles, suffering, and sin through the caring application of Scripture and prayer.

Response #21 

Using the biblical story of redemption and gospel promises to fulfill the mission of filling up what was lacking by incarnating Christ for the church. 

Response #22 

Truly biblical counseling is when the Scriptures are the primary method of diagnosing, treating, and developing a perspective that addresses our need to glorify God and exalt Him forever.

Response #23

Biblical counseling is truly biblical when it emerges from Scripture, interweaves the person’s story with God’s story for sanctification and one-anothering with truth and love.

Response #24

Counsel flowing from: View of God (Holy/Love), Diagnosis of root issue (Sinful Heart), Foundation of solutions (Bible), Motivation (Please God), Method of change (Holy Spirit).

Response #25 

Biblical counseling is biblical when the purpose is to glorify God, the goal is sanctification, Christ is central, Scriptures are sufficient, Christ’s love is shared. 

Join the Conversation 

If you had 25-words-or-less, and 10-minutes-or-less, how would you answer the question: What makes biblical counseling truly biblical?

The post 25 Definitions of Biblical Counseling: In 25-Words-Or-Less appeared first on Faith Bible Seminary Blog.

I’ve been a Sr. Pastor, an Associate Pastor, and a Lead Elder. So, I know something about the stresses of pastoral decision-making.

However, I’ve never been a pastor in a pandemic.

That’s why I find myself praying a lot for my current pastor and the staff and elders at our church, for past churches where we’ve ministered, and for my scores and scores of friends who are pastors.

Praying and Planning 

Throughout the book of Nehemiah, God’s leaders always prayed and planned. So, in addition to praying for my pastoral friends, I wanted to provide some planning resources for them.

I’ve categorized the following resources in two ways:

• Resources related to our heart attitudes toward one another as reopening decisions are made.
• Resources that provide clear information and wisdom principles for making reopening decisions. 

Resources Related to Our Heart Attitude toward One Another 

The heart is where the action is. We can make all sorts of decisions about if, when, and how to reopen churches. However, how we relate to one another, how we think about one another, our heart attitude toward one another—Christ calls these issues one of the two most important matters in the entire universe (Matthew 22:35-40).

Why Humility and Submission Are Especially Important Right Now

My life-long friend, Steve Viars, is Sr. Pastor at Faith Church in Lafayette, Indiana. If anyone is a “go-getter,” it’s Steve. If anyone is passionate about churches meeting to encourage one another and about churches impacting their community for Christ, it’s Steve. When Steve talks about (and models) humility and submission, we should listen. For biblical wisdom on how to humbly respond to governmental authorities during COVID-19, read and apply Steve’s blog post: Why Humility and Submission Are Especially Important Right Now.

Church, Don’t Let Coronavirus Divide You 

Brett McCracken is Senior Editor at The Gospel Coalition (TGC), and also serves as an elder Southland Church in the Santa Anna, California area. Brett’s recent post at TGC was quite convicting. If Steve Viars’ post highlights humility toward governmental authorities, then Brett’s post highlights humility toward one another in our churches. If you want to be convicted, read Brett’s TGC post: Church, Don’t Let Coronavirus Divide You.

Does Online Church Violate Hebrews 10:25? 

Joel Kurz is the Lead Pastor of The Garden Church, a multicultural congregation in Baltimore, Maryland. Writing for TGC, Joel ask and answers the question, “Are we disobeying the clear command of Hebrews 10:24-25 by moving our Sunday worship services online due to COVID-19?” Read Joel’s thoughtful, biblical response in: Does Online Church Violate Hebrews 10:25?

3 Thoughts on Navigating Potential Conflicts in Reopening Church 

Jared Poulton serves as the Pastor of Biblical Counseling, Discipleship, and Outreach at Harbins Community Baptist Church in Dacula, Georgia. He introduces his post with these words: “As government restrictions in some places relax and communities begin emerging from confinement, many churches now face challenging questions as everyone considers how to retain some level of normalcy. Many leaders are quickly realizing that there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to the question of reopening churches.” Read Pastor Jared’s follow-up insights in: 3 Thoughts on Navigating Potential Conflicts in Reopening Church. 

Wisdom for Life Together During Our COVID-19 Journey 

Many blog sites have collated a series of articles and resources for churches/Christians during COVID-19. One that I’ve been reading daily that I highly recommend is Pastor Kevin Carson’s blog, Wisdom for Life Together in Christ. Kevin has a focused, designated section of his site where he’s collated scores of COVID-related posts—his and guest posts—that you can find here: COVID-19 Resources.

Resources Providing Clear Information and Wisdom Principles 

Here are 6 resources designed to help pastors, staff, elders, leaders, and people think wisely about reopening in-person services during these COVID-19 days. 

LifeWay Research COVID-19 Congregational Survey 

Aaron Earls of LifeWay Research has penned a post about what churches must know before reopening their building. At the end of the post is a direct link to an excellent 14-question congregational survey—in Word format so each church can individualize the survey. Aaron introduces the survey with these words. “There are numerous needs to consider and questions to ask. Leaders should be constantly in prayer while listening to government officials and health experts to make the best decision for their congregation. There is another group, however, that leaders must listen to before they start the re-entry process: their congregation. Understanding the concerns of everyone in the local church will help leaders better assess their current situation and make the proper plans before welcoming worshippers and guests back to the building.” Here’s the link to Aaron’s post: What Your Church Must Know Before Reopening Your Building. And click here to download the LifeWay Research COVID-19 Congregational Survey.

How 6 Pastors Are Thinking About Reopening 

I love researching pastoral best practices. Sarah Eeekhoff Zylstra, at TGC, interviewed 6 pastors, asking them each a series of questions, about how they are thinking through the reopening process. For their thoughts, read Sarah’s post: How 6 Pastors Are Thinking About Reopening.

Preparing Your Church for Coronavirus (COVID-19) 

Wheaton College’s Humanitarian Disaster Institute (HDI) has produced the guide: Preparing Your Church for Coronavirus (COVID-19): A Step-by-Step, Research-Informed and Faith-Based Planning Manual. As they state, “The aim of this guide is to help churches in the United States plan and prepare for COVID-19. This church planning and preparedness guide draws on biblical wisdom and our team’s research. We will share insights and best practices from our collaborative work with local, state, and federal public health agencies.2 Our team’s experiences with helping churches around the globe for nearly a decade have also informed this guide.” Access this free guide here: Preparing Your Church for Coronavirus (COVID-19).

TGC on: CDC Document Outlines Guidance for Reopening Churches 

Joe Carter at TGC, distills into easy-to-digest bullet points new CDC guidelines. Joe describes those guidelines as follows: “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has compiled new “Interim Guidance for Communities of Faith” that outlines precautions churches may need to take when states lift their coronavirus restrictions.” To read Joe’s summaries, visit: CDC Document Outlines Guidance for Reopening Churches.

The CDC on COVID-19: Community and Faith-Based Organizations—Plan, Prepare, and Respond 

For a direct link to scores of up-to-date information from the CDC, visit: Community and Faith-Based Organizations—Plan, Prepare, and Respond.

Guidelines for Reopening and Returning to Church Building 

The Georgia Baptist Mission Board has a continually updated section of their site with information on churches related to COVID-19—you can find it here. Among those resources is this PDF: Guidelines for Reopening and Returning to Church Building. 

Praying Philippians 1:9-11 for Our Church Leaders, Our Churches, and Ourselves 

I often call Philippians 1:9-11 “The Biblical Counselor’s Prayer.” And I often pray it for myself and my counselees. It struck me as I was preparing this document, that Philippians 1:9-11 is a great prayer for all of us to pray for ourselves, our churches, and our church leaders as we navigate church life and slowly/wisely returning to in-person services during these COVID-19 days. 

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:9-11).

Join the Conversation 

What additional recommendations would you have for Resources for Churches Reopening In-Person Services During COVID-19?

The post 11 Resources for Reopening In-Person Church Services During COVID-19 appeared first on Faith Bible Seminary Blog.

Have You Considered the Glory of the Lord?

I was meditating on the glory of the Lord this morning in my studies of Isaiah 40. I will admit that this was partially as an assignment for one of my seminary classes (so thank you Professor Aucoin!).

Have you considered the glory of the Lord? Isaiah 40:5 says:

“Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
And all flesh will see it together;
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

The glory of the Lord. Glory is a mysterious thing. What is it?

Moses wanted to see the glory of the Lord. We see this in Exodus 33:18 where Moses said:

“I pray You, show me Your glory!”

Some may suggest that Moses was arrogant to even dare ask such a thing, and perhaps in some sense there may be some truth to that. However, I see it differently. We should daydream about the glory of the Lord and seek after it as Moses did. We should be established and rest in the glory of the Lord and proclaim it to the nations. After all, that is our divinely designed purpose.

Notice that Lord did not rebuke Moses. In verses 19-20 the Lord answers Moses:

“I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.” But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” (Exodus 33:19-20).

The Lord answered Moses’ prayer and was gracious to him. The Lord showed Moses all the glory that he could handle, and the Lord protected Moses in the process. In verses 21-23, the Lord goes on to say:

“Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock.  So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by.  Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.”

We can only imagine what Moses saw that day. What Moses saw changed him. It made his face to glow like the sun and that was just from seeing the Lord’s back! Have you ever tried to imagine about what Moses saw?

Radically Changed by the Lord’s Glory 

Moses is not the only person in the Scriptures who caught a glimpse of the glory of the Lord. Isaiah had seen the glory of the Lord (Isaiah 6); Peter, James, and John saw the transfigured Lord (Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8-; Luke 9:28-36); and John saw Christ in all His glory on the Island of Patmos (Revelation 1:12-18). Saul encountered the glory of the Lord on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-9). To say that the glory of the Lord radically changed these people is an understatement.

Have you considered the glory of the Lord? Have you sought after it with due diligence? If we are honest with ourselves, we tend to be bent on considering our own glory, and seeking after our own fame.  As Paul Tripp says:

“We are glory thieves.” 

We have got it all backwards, inside out and upside down. We tend to make life all about us, our glory, and our fame, when we should be making life all about the glory of the Lord and His fame. Our calling, our job, is to make Him famous by reflecting His glory to the world around us.

“You are My witnesses,” declares the Lord,
“And My servant whom I have chosen,
So that you may know and believe Me
And understand that I am He.
Before Me there was no God formed,
And there will be none after Me.
“I, even I, am the Lord,
And there is no savior besides Me.
“It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed,
And there was no strange god among you;
So you are My witnesses,” declares the Lord,
“And I am God” (Isaiah 43:10-12).

Be Captivated and Changed by the Father’s Glory 

Consider the glory of the Lord today. Daydream about it as David did:

“On the glorious splendor of Your majesty

And on Your wonderful works, I will meditate” (Psalm 145:5).

Ask the Father to show you His glory and let His glory melt away the things that have captured your heart. Be captivated by the Lord, the Incomparable God. Be in awe and wonder as you gaze upon glorious splendor of His Majesty, and let Him, in all His radiant glory and holiness transform you.

The post Consider the Glory of the Lord and Be Transformed appeared first on Faith Bible Seminary Blog.