God wants us to be not merely hearers of the Word, but doers of the Word. The Christian faith is an active faith.

1 Peter 1:13–16 says, “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.'” (NASB)

And James 1:22 famously says “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.“

Last Wednesday in our biblical counseling training class, we talked about Bible application and how to help people become doers of the Word. In this lesson, we discover…

• Biblical patterns of confrontation and change
• The final step in the Love -> Know -> Speak -> Do process
• How to avoid turning your life into a messy California mudslide!
• Bridging the gap from “then” to “now”
• Practical steps to finding relevant applications in any verse of the Bible

Here’s an audio recording:

And here’s a link to the lesson notes:

Thanks for listening! This is part eleven in our 12-week counseling class called “Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands.” This material can be done as a self-guided study using the Study Guide available from Amazon. It is a wonderful introduction to how God produces change in the life of the believer.

Before you try to counsel someone, you want to make sure you actually know them. This lesson will help you go beyond skin-deep relationships by learning…

• Four types of questions to break the ice with any new person
• What scripture means that the heart is like “deep water”
• How God models good question-asking in Scripture
• Tips on asking better questions
• A real-life case study

Here’s an audio recording of the lesson:

And here’s a copy of the handout notes:

Thanks for listening! This is week seven of our 11-week introduction to biblical counseling.

Whether it’s sharing the gospel, counseling a friend, or rebuking a loved one, before we can speak truth, we must establish a loving relationship. In tonight’s lesson, we discuss…

• How discipleship is like gardening
• What are the features of the “ideal growing environment”?
• Find out who Paul called “one of a kind, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare.” What a compliment!
• The first step to a relationship with God
• The difference between justification and sanctification

Here’s the audio:

And here’s a copy of the handout:

Thanks for listening. This is week five in an 11-week counseling training class called “Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands.” If you found this talk helpful, please consider subscribing to my podcast.

Life is messy. Ministry is messy. Thankfully, we have a Wonderful Counselor who cleans up our messes and turns our worst splatters into a work of art.

Jesus can do in your life what he did in the Apostle Paul’s. Paul might seem like a spiritual superhero, but he too was a sinner, saved by grace. As he looks back on his life, he says, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.” Paul became a trophy of grace as the Lord transformed him from a self-righteous abuser into a loving leader who would lay down his life for others.

As followers of Christ, we now become ambassadors of him, and can practice the same kind of ministry Jesus and the Apostle Paul modeled. There are four aspects of personal ministry: love, know, speak and do. Notice how all four were present in Jesus’ life:

Jesus Loved. “And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said, ‘You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven” (Mk. 10:21).

Jesus Knew. “But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, ‘Why put me to the test, you hypocrites?…render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ When they heard it, they marveled.”

Jesus Spoke. “And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.'” (Mt. 5:2-3).

Jesus Helped Others to Do. “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (Lk. 11:28).

As ambassadors of the Wonderful Counselor, we should practice these same four activities. Last night at Wednesday Night Discipleship, we spent time on a table group exercise, looking at several case studies in the Bible where Jesus dealt not merely with outward behavior but matters of the heart. (I didn’t record this part of the lesson, but you can find the exercise under #1 in the “Make It Real” section of Lesson Three).

We then looked briefly at Isaiah 9:6-7 and discovered…

• How Jesus is the “Great Physician”
• What it means that he is “Wonderful Counselor”
• Our role as ambassadors of Christ
• These four aspects of all personal ministry: love > know > speak > do

Here’s the audio:

And here’s a copy of the handout:

Thanks for listening! This is week four in our 11-week counseling series, “Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands.” Tonight’s lesson was a bit shorter, as we spent most of our time in table group discussion, then watched the training video. For a closer look at the concepts of being ambassadors of Christ, see Lesson Four in the Study Guide.

Not a day goes by we don’t experience some kind of conflict. What causes all these fights and quarrels? James 4 gives us the answer. In this lesson, we learn…

• The heart is more than just a place for feelings and emotions. There’s a lot going on in there!
• Key Bible passages that show behavior stems from the heart
• How our “passions” war within our members and create conflict
• Practical examples of how legitimate desires can morph into unrealistic expectations
• I will introduce you to a little exercise called the “want box” you can use to identify wants in a particular area of life such as family, work, or church. If we’re not careful, these things will turn into needs and demands that we then impose on others.
• If someone doesn’t meet our needs, does that give us permission to fail to fulfill our own duty toward them?
• The importance of sympathizing with those who experience disappointment
• The ongoing battle between the flesh and the spirit

Here’s the audio recording:

And here’s a link to the handout:

Thanks for listening! This is week three in our 11-week study on biblical counseling called, “Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands.” Next week, we will focus on how Jesus is our wonderful counselor.