Sufficiency of Scripture in Counseling Eastern Iowa Biblical Counseling Coalition

1. Sufficiency of Scripture in CounselingEastern Iowa Biblical Counseling Coalition Oelwein Evangelical Free Church Feb 1-2, 2019

2. Introduction • Greet the people • Introduce yourself • Family, work, qualifications • On behalf of EIBCC, thank them for their interest, time, and effort • Thank Pastor Dan Driscol, John Kollman, and everyone else involved • Personal • Josh and Jeff – UIU – hard to drop off – this their church home - adopted • Not just spiritually fed, but physically as well • Transition • Purpose is to be better equipped to care for the folks entrusted to us by God • I am excited / passionate about BC – prayer is that you will be by tomorrow PM • Lets pray

3. Opening Statement • Refer to “Questions to Consider” • Is counseling a legitimate ministry of the church? Why or why not? • What counseling areas, if any, are appropriate for the church to address? • Who is qualified to provide counsel? By what authority? • If you needed counseling, where would you go for help? • Should the need for counseling be considered a weakness? • Not my intention to address all tonight – but all will be addressed • I’d encourage you to be good bereans – better to decide before crisis happens

4. Introduction • Introduce topic – sufficiency of scripture (SOS) in counseling • Acknowledge that some may not be completely comfortable with this topic • Not appropriate ministry for the church – best left to the professionals • Negative connotations – if you need counseling, you’re really messed up • Don’t get hung up on terminology • Soul care, discipleship, focused discipleship, shepherding - the task remains the same • I hope to show you that the task is not an option, scriptural mandate • Open Slide 2 in presentation • Before discussing “SOS” – need a common understanding of counseling • Counseling - a psychological term that refers to professional guidance in resolving personal conflicts and emotional problems. (Random House Unabridged Dictionary) Click Click

5. Problems with Secular Definition • This is not the kind of counseling we are talking about tonight • BUT, this definition is helpful both in what it includes and omits • Includes – the common perception that • Its based on psychology • Practiced by professionals • Goal is to resolve personal and emotional problems • There are several problems with what is not addressed • First – doesn’t reflect real life – we constantly give / receive counsel • Every time we offer opinion or advice – are we a good counselor or a bad counselor” • We spend lots of time preparing for teaching / preaching / etc. - How about for advice? • Totally ignores that the Bible speaks often and forcefully re shepherding flock • Read the one anothers – think about it – doesn’t that sound like counseling? • Finally, makes no reference to the source of wisdom to be use • OR a standard to determine when a problem has been adequately resolved Click Click Click

6. Biblical Counseling Definition Click • Propose an alternative definition to address these concerns • Biblical counseling - a conversation where one party with questions, problems, and trouble seeks assistance, based on a correct understanding and practical application of God’s Word, from someone they believe has answers, solutions and help for the over-arching goal of heart change honoring to God • Takes many forms, • Performed at varying levels of formality • Great diversity in the providers • God’s Word is both source of counseling wisdom and standard to evaluate results

7. Click Who You Gonna Call? • Mid 80’s – Ghost busters – theme song - when things get weird and you don’t understand what’s going on, “Who you gonna call?”. • In a different context, I think that same question is relevant to the church today • Where would you go for help • When the pressures of life seem more than you can stand • When your thoughts become so scrambled you think you’re losing your mind • When your emotions are totally out of control • When trauma in the form of violence, accident, disaster, or loss leaves you devastated • When it seems you’re all alone – AND no one seems to care • If you believed you needed counseling, would the church be your first choice? • Be careful – this is no time for Sunday School answers – we all have two theologies • Explain the difference between Professed Theology and Functional Theology Click Click Click Click Click Click

8. Click Impact of Psychology on the Church • The early church wouldn’t even understand these questions • Until mid 19th century, soul care meant pastoral counseling - PERIOD • The focus was spiritual healing through the personal ministry of God’s Word • Stressed self-sacrifice for the benefit of God first and then body of Christ • Began to change with birth of psychology • Steady erosion of the authority of the church in counseling from 1860 to 1960 • Counseling became self- centered rather than Christ centered • My needs / wants / self- esteem movement – currently reflected in social media • Professional counselors supplanted the pastor as source for help • Psychiatrists / psychologists / therapists • Secular or Christian – training / licensure basically the same • Even today, the counseling programs in majority of seminaries and Bible colleges is secular in nature Click Click Click

9. Click Competent to Counsel Click • Biblical counseling was birthed, or perhaps rebirthed in the mid 70’s • Not psychology with a Christian or Biblical influence, but based on the idea that God has equipped and enabled HIS people to counsel HIS people. • Jay Adams published “Competent to Counsel”, published in 1975 • He and other like minded theologians argued for the church to take back its responsibility in counseling. “C to C” founded on Paul’s writing in Romans 15:14 • I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. Romans 15:14 ESV • The source of this knowledge is the revealed word of God • Paul doesn’t stop there. He goes on to state that as those who have received God’s comfort we are able in turn to comfort others in ANY difficulty • 2 Corinthians 1:3–5 (NKJV) — 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in ANY trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. • Speak to our heavily psychologized society Click Click

10. Click Sufficiency of Scripture in Counseling • So, I’m almost out of time and I’m finally addressing sufficiency of scripture • Definition – scripture provide us with everything we need in order to know God, serve Him, and everything that we need to grow, change, and deal with the problems of life in a fallen world • Scripture doesn’t just speak to matters of theology and church doctrine! • It deals with the fundamental issues of life! • We see this in passage after passage after passage! Click

11. Sufficiency of Scripture in Counseling • Peter2 Peter 1:2–3 (NASB95) — 2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. • Colossians 3:16 (NKJV) — 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. • 2 Timothy 3:14–17 (NKJV) — 14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. Click Click

12. The Good Great News of the Gospel • Keep looking at that 2 Timothy passage for a moment • There are very clearly two distinct areas being addressed • The way of salvation • The way of obedience • We need to remember that the gospel of Jesus Christ addresses both of these area! • The gospel is more than the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That in itself is great news! BUT it doesn’t stop there! • The Gospel empowers the believer to live a life of obedience – a life that is pleasing to God regardless of the circumstances we find ourselves in! • By teaching us sound doctrine • By teaching, admonishing, reproving, correcting • By providing us instruction • By giving us the strength required • Paul’s letter to the Romans was specifically directed to believers–(v7). Yet he wanted to preach the gospel • Romans 1:15–17 (NASB95) — 15 So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.” Click Click

13. Click Discipleship River • This picture is primarily intended to show how counseling, or focused discipleship, is truly an integral part of every church’s ministry • Main channel of the river represents church’s normal discipleship ministry • Those who canoe well, stay in the main channel and continue to grow and mature • Those struggling to grow spiritually need focused discipleship (counseling) • They may be stuck in sin, failing to respond properly in response to sin or trauma against them, or simply struggling with the problems of life in a fallen world. • They are represented here as those who are unable to canoe well. They are unable to either get into or stay in the main channel of the river. • Elaborate on other implications – we all get stuck from time to time • We all need counsel • That’s why its so important to understand that it takes a wide variety of forms – you’ll hear more about that tomorrow

14. Conclusion • I stated at the beginning that I was passionate about Biblical counseling • I believe Biblical counseling saved my life. • I have personally seen marriages restored and lifes put back together – not because of the expertise of the counselor, but because of the power of God’s word. • I’d like to close with a quote from Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands by Paul Tripp • Because of the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, change is possible! True, lasting heart change can take place. A person can learn to stand with confidence amid the harshest realities that life has to offer. A person can have hope regardless of their circumstances. Compulsions can be broken. The hardest heart can be softened. The most violent offender can be gentled. Affections can be redirected. Relationships can be restored. Change is possible because the King, Jesus Christ has come. Paul Tripp - Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands

15. Questions?