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.

“Trust your feelings” Master Obi Wan says.

“Follow your heart,” Cinderella sings.

In the real world, is this actually good advice? Last Wednesday, we looked together at Luke 6:43-46, a key passage on biblical counseling. In it, we noted the relationship of root and fruit, and learned together…

• There is a direct connection between behavior and the heart
• Examples of bad fruit vs. good fruit in our speech
• Why behavior modification is not enough
• Jesus’ evaluation of the human heart
• How idols pop up in the heart
• Some practical ways to detect what’s going on in the heart

If you missed the lesson and would like to listen, here’s a link to the audio:

And here’s a copy of the lesson handout:

Thanks for listening! This is week two in an 11-week biblical counseling intro called, “Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands.” If you live in the Highland area, you’re welcome to join us Wednesday Nights at 6pm.