REDEEMING THE BAD MEMORIES OF YOUR PAST SINS

A REACTION PAPER SUBMITTED TO:

Dr. Frank J. Catanzaro, III

in partial fulfillment of the requirements

for M 4346 Counseling and the Church

BY Ted D. Manby

SEBTS Box # 14043

Wake Forest, North Carolina

Introduction

Robert D. Jones, "Redeeming the Bad Memories of Your Past Sins, "The Journal of Biblical Counseling 22:1 (2003): 40-47. This article by Robert Jones addresses the debated issue of what to do with those bad things that occurred in our past from a biblical exegetical and theological basis. Pastor Jones courageously challenges pastors and counselors to forsake the unbiblical methods of teaching other to deny the past or to attempt to erase it. Then he sets the stage from the Scriptures to show a believer in Christ how to redeem those ugly memories into tools to be used to glorify God. Pastor Jones shows that the believer’s goal in dealing with memories is not to attempt to erase them or deny them. It is to transform them into tools for Christian growth, worship, and ministry. A biblical perspective that transforms and redeems our sinful past memories includes at least three realizations: 1) God was “in” my past. 2) My past might influence my present beliefs or conduct, but it does not determine them. 3) My memories are my interpretations of past events that can be reinterpreted in light of biblical truth.

Weaknesses

The author of this article has a wonderful grasp of Scripture and masterfully exegeted and clearly explained the meaning of all the texts in this article. However, on page 42 he writes: “Paul recalls his own call to ministry,” using terminology that is also used for the call of a pastor into the ministry in modern literature. I would suggest the adding of the word "as an apostle of Christ" after the word ‘ministry’ quoted above based on 2 Cor. 1:1; Eph. 1:1; 1 Tim. 1:1; Acts 26:9-23, 22:6-21, 9:1-22; 2 Cor. 11:5, 12:11-12; 1 Cor. 15:7-10. In this heatedly debated topic of “the call to the ministry” one will need to demonstrate from Scripture that a pastor’s call is the same as an O.T. prophet and an Apostle of Christ to use Paul’s experience as a pattern. Even more problematic is that Jesus visibly showed up at Paul’s call and audibly spoke from the bright light, issuing a call to salvation and ministry simultaneously. The only pastors I know who have made such claims to having a similar experience to that of Paul have also embraced unbiblical teachings and heresies, so I simply do not believe them. In this article on past sins, the addition of the above words would keep the author from being on one side or the other on this debate when his writing purpose is in a totally different area.

Strengths

"Redeeming the Bad Memories of Your Past Sins” removes one of the false stereotypes leveled at Nouthetic counselors. Biblical advice is not to live in denial, as suppressing the truth in the Bible is always sin (Rom. 1:18), but in reinterpreting events in light of biblical truth and using these redeemed memories to glorify God. Furthermore, Robert Jones wisely reminds us that our recollections of the past are actually our own interpretations of past events. Our minds do not contain video tapes that recorded the events from every possible angle. Our memories do not give us “bare facts, but interpreted facts.” Therefore, these memories can be reinterpreted through the lens of the Bible. This brings great hope and a proper reinterpretation using God’s true truth can often uncover the “good” God has brought out of even dark and painful events. Joseph’s words make this clear when he stated that what man had meant for evil, God had meant for good (Gen. 50:20). Also see Rom. 8:28-29; Num. 11; Psa. 78:11, 106:13; and Ezek. 16. Surprises I was surprised and thrilled to finally read someone who exegetes Phil. 3:13 correctly and to admit that a just-forget-the-past agenda is both misleading and insensitive to people who are suffering. The past Paul is referring to in this text does not include past sins or dark providences. “He recalls his past ways of trying to get right with God based not on Jesus, but on religious achievement.” Paul not only shows his instant recall and biblical use of his past sins in other texts (i.e. 1 Tim. 1:12-17), but also recalls traumatic and difficult events at a moments notice (2 Cor. 1:8-11, 7:5-7, 11:23-33). Evaluation The heart of the article is the author’s exegesis of 1 Tim. 1:12-17. This text shows us how to interpret our past sins in such a way that they can be redeemed by a biblical reinterpretation of them. A gospel-centered remembrance or our sins can have three benefits according to the above text.

First, redeeming our past will deepen our repentance with God and with man. This deep repentance will aid us in being more humble and will fortify our fight of temptation in areas of which we are now ashamed. Aware of our past sin and weakness, we can refuse to take even the first step again on that destructive path.

Second, a biblical interpretation of our past increases our gratitude to God for His amazing saving grace. The greater our awareness of our past depravity and rebellion against God; the greater our love for the One who saved us from the broad road that leads to death. To live in denial of our past causes us to loose this means for proper thankfulness and humility. Third, reinterpreting our past with the lens of the Bible expands our effectiveness in helping others with wisdom and compassion. We can comfort others with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. Likewise, we can testify of God’s power to deliver from sins that the world calls permanent illnesses, because God in His powerful grace has delivered us from these sinful choices and lifestyles. We can say like Paul said of the Corinthians, “Such were some of you.”

Conclusion

This article was a wonderful reminder and challenge to think biblically about my past. Especially helpful was his section on the biblical use of shame. Instead of taking the world’s methods of fighting shame, I can redeem it and use it to glorify God and to fight sin in my life. This is a very refreshing biblical truth along with the many other reminders of the benefits of redeeming our pasts as tools to bring glory to God.

DEPENDECE IN THE WILDERNESS: LIVING OUT OF PSALM 63

A REACTION PAPER SUBMITTED TO:

Dr. Frank Catanzaro

in partial fulfillment of the requirements

for M 4332A Crisis Intervention

BY Ted D. Manby

SEBTS Box # 14043 Wake Forest, North Carolina

SOUTHEASTERN BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

FEBRUARY 4, 2004

Introduction

Jeff Newman, "Dependence in the Wilderness: Living out of Psalm 63, "The Journal of Biblical Counseling 22:1 (2003): 11-19. This article by Jeff Newman addresses difficult crisis experiences such as: financial ruin, betrayal, desertion by a spouse, the sorrow of seeing an adult child turn his or her back on God, chronic pain, the sudden death of a family member, and the terminal illness of a parent. Each of these crisis situations are listed as possible "wilderness" experiences that David and the Holy Spirit address in Psalm 63, and which the Son of David, Jesus Christ, fleshes out in His wilderness experiences in the four Gospels. Professor Newman gives a very helpful three step outline of what to do when the crisis hit which he takes straight from his exegesis of Psalm 63. It is: 1) Seek God Earnestly. 2) Reflect on God Continually. 3) Praise God Submissively.

Weaknesses

The author of this article did an excellent job with his flow, style, and transition in his introduction and conclusion. However, in the body of this work, when he is working through his exegesis of the text, his writing gets very choppy.I was forced to read and re-read out loud several paragraphs to grasp his meaning. This was due to the fact that a number of paragraphs lacked adequate transition. That being said, I could not find any other weaknesses in this article.

Strengths

 "Dependence in the Wilderness" is based on a single biblical text that is exegeted accurately and applied correctly. It is a very helpful reminder of how to respond biblically in the "wildernesses" of life. Professor Newman's outline and conclusions can be clearly seen in the text and he correctly carries each theme to the New Testament before applying it to his readers. Surprises Because I am also reading Ed Bulkley's book, Only God Can Heal a Wounded Heart, I was surprised that Newman would use wording almost identical to that found in Dan Allender's book, The Cry of the Soul: How our Emotions Reveal Our Deepest Questions about God (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress), 1999, in his teaching on thirst and hunger for God and our need for dependence on God. Both Allender and Newman attended the same seminary, Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, so that may explain some of the similar conclusions on the Psalms as well as the influence of Tremper Longman III on both men. But I can't help but wonder if Bulkley were reading this article, if he would not accuse Jeff Newman of selling out because he was using terminology first put in print by Bulkley's self-chosen enemy, Dan Allender. Evaluation Newman makes clear that "on every wilderness road, God wants us to grow in dependence on Him." For us to seek God earnestly, we must repent of our independence. We need to ask for God's forgiveness as we confess and forsake this sin. Furthermore, we should ask ourselves some key questions to determine our spiritual temperatures in the wilderness. We should ask: "Are the objects of my desires sinful?" And, "Do the non-sinful objects I crave diminish or replace my hunger for God Himself?" These questions reveal both sins to repent of and idols to destroy. He further teaches that our sinful responses during a crisis reveal that we are seeking after our own self interests more than we are seeking after the God revealed in Scripture. "Our anxiety, fear, anger, and bitterness in the wilderness reveal that hungers of our hearts that compete against our desire for God alone." Newman further explains that David provides a good example for us today in this text by fixing his thoughts on God's character and works continually during his wilderness experience. David belonged to God, and the creator God was his personal God. This focus lead David to worship God according to Who He is during this difficult time in his life. David learned and declared that God was his all in all, his everything, the only One who could satisfy David's soul. God is just, sovereign, and He loves David, so that he can be sure that God will one day make right every wrong. David could entrust his future to God. Likewise, David praised God submissively during the days of dark providences. He praised God in his thoughts, by his words, and through his acts of obedience. "Because David sought his God earnestly, reflected on Him continually, and praised Him submissively, God used the wilderness to continue His work of transformation in David's heart." In application of this text, the author shows us our need to evaluate our thoughts and conversations during the crisis times. We need to consider what we are focusing on -- the problem or the beauties of our God. Are we praising God during the dark days or are we worrying and complaining? We need to choose to repent for our part in making the wilderness appear in our lives when it is a result of our own sinful acts. When we ask God for forgiveness, this puts us in a posture to begin to gratefully focus and to praise Yahveh, our covenant God. We must then place our trust in God and His word for both our eternal destiny and for the difficult journey His hand has mapped out for us to reach that destiny.

Conclusion

This article was not so much new information as it was a very helpful and timely reminder of where I and other believers need to place our focus during crisis times. The natural response is to focus on the problem and then respond sinfully. The biblical response is the focus on God, to praise Him, to repent, and to trust Him during the wilderness times. Focusing on the problem only makes the problem worse. However, focusing and praising God reveals the need for repentance and deepens trust -- the very things necessary to respond Christ-like during the wilderness times in our lives. We display faith in God when we hunger and thirst for Him above all else. We display our indwelling sin when we seek our comfort and our way above all others. It was very refreshing to read this article that opens up and applies God eternal truth rather than putting forth the best guesses of man.

Other Resources

Over 25 papers including my TH.M. Thesis and my TH.D. prospectus is available at the following website at Academia.edu

https://sebts.academia.edu/TedManby

Reformation Day, October 31st

 

Why would a Baptist Church participate in an event that is replacement for Halloween – a day with many unbiblical themes?  Well, first, October 31^st is Reformation Day, a very important day to the modern believer in Christ.  Can you imagine if you came to worship God at the closest house of worship and found an iron fence between you and the front of the building?  What if you were not allowed to sing or speak, the service was conducted in a foreign language, and your only role was that of a spectator?  What if it was against the law to have an English Bible in your house and the only person who could take the Lord’s Supper was the preacher?  What if some of your relatives were put to death because they were caught with a Bible in their everyday language in their possession?  Would you consider it a problem if the only Bible in town was chained to a pulpit behind the iron fence?  How would you like it if street preachers sold little paper tickets to heaven for money so that one could buy salvation for himself or herself or someone else?  Such was the case in Europe when God saved a monk named Martin Luther from sin and hell. 

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 questions for the Roman Catholic Church on the door of the church’s building in Wittenberg, Germany.  The door served as the public bulletin board.  Even though there were many little ones prior to it, this one event sparked the reformation fire that swept across Europe and later to America.  We owe a tremendous amount of gratitude to that courageous monk and his pen, hammer, and nail.  To not celebrate Reformation Day is to forget our past, our heritage, and our roots.  Martin Luther was the first one that we know of in 2000 years of church history to write about the priesthood of believers.  He would not submit to outside ecclesiastical authority when they contradicted the Bible and was very unflattering to the one-man ruler of the church of his day. 

Besides clear teaching on the priesthood of believers, the other war cries of the Reformation were:

Faith Alone: Works cannot save, add to salvation, or maintain salvation.  Justification is by faith alone, not faith plus works.  Yet, saving faith will never be alone.

Christ Alone: Jesus is the only Mediator between God and men; no one else will do.

Glory Alone: The glory for all things must go to God alone, not man.  The highest goal of a person’s life should be to glorify God in everything.

Scripture Alone: The Bible is the chief authority for the believer, not a pope, council, or a document from a council, especially one’s that contradict the Bible.

Grace Alone: Man is sinful, radically depraved and spiritually dead. But God gives believers an undeserved gift of love, not based on any human merit, not by human works, but by a free and loving gift from God Himself to those who deserve His wrath.

So while some Christians surrender this day to the enemy and his forces, I am encouraging you to take time each year to celebrate Reformation Day.  Yes, it is true, some families sit in the dark in the back of their houses on this night, muting their TV each time there is a knock on their door.  Others are more pro-active and limit their children’s costumes to themes that are associated with good things, while a parent drops a tract and candy bar in each bag of the children that come to the house.  However, there is another option.  Many churches do just like we do.  They celebrate Reformation Day, under many different names with a time of fun and offering safe candy to the children, while seizing the day to spread the gospel.  A Reformation day celebration is just for that purpose. 

Yes, it is wrong for Christians to take part in occult activities and it may not be wise to make a joke out of serious and dangerous things.  But remember, God’s “don’t” always has a “do.”  When God says, “Do not commit murder,” He wants us to understand the positive command, “You shall preserve life.”  In Colossians 3:5-17, Paul gives a list of things we are to stop doing.  In each case he gives us a replacement.  This principal is so important that he also includes a put-off list and then a put-on-in-its-place list in the book of Ephesians.  Paul writes, “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; {23} to be made new in the attitude of your minds; {24} and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. {25} Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. {26} "In your anger do not sin" : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, {27} and do not give the devil a foothold. {28} He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. {29} Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. {30} And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. {31} Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. {32} Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you (Eph 4:22-32 NIV).

If we take our Bible’s seriously, then it is always a mistake to give a list of restrictions and “do not’s” without replacing them with something that is godly and far better in every respect.  Thus, should it not be our goal on the next school day after October 31^st for the conversations between the children of Christian families and the unchurched children to reveal that our children had more fun and received more and totally safe treats?  Likewise, should we not desire for the seeds planted by the gospel to produce fruit in all who attend? We should also encourage our people to use this time to impact their neighborhood for Christ by staying home and giving tracts along with the candy to the many lost folks that come to their doors. Church care groups can help by offering warm drinks, Bibles, and gospel conversations to the adults accompanying the children by placing a table and chairs by the road manned with loving witnesses for Christ. Don't hide from this day and let the darkness cover it. Stand up and shine the light bright on this night.

 

Preserve Your Church Phil 2:12-16

Therefore, my beloved church, just as you all (ye pl.) always have obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence;  with fear  and trembling; be working out the preservation of yourselves, {13} for it is God who is continually working in (ye) you all, both to be willing and to be doing  according to His good pleasure.{14} All things be ye doing without complaining and arguing,  {15} so that you all (ye pl.) may become  blameless and harmless, children of God without fault  in the midst of a generation:  crooked and having perverted themselves; among whom you all are shining as lights in the world, {16} continually holding forth the Word of Life, so that I may rejoice in the day  of Christ’s;  so that I have not run in vain nor in vain labored.

Introduction

1.  (ILL.) A man decided to join a monastery and one of the rules of the group was that you were only allowed to speak two words every ten years. At the end of ten years he said, "Bad food!"  Ten more years went by and he said, "Hard bed!"  Finally, on his 30th anniversary with the brothers, he thundered, "I quit!" And the priest in charge responded, "You might as well. All you do is complain anyway."  Well, that was pretty good for 30 years, but today  we are going to talk about murmuring, and that doesn’t take but 3 seconds.

We will also deal with two other relevant issues. Some have been following the papers debate over the Pelagian controversy raised by Judgement House III.  One of the problems of the letters to the Editor is that they show the people writing them do not know how to study the Bible.

Work out your own salvation is one of the verse they use to teach you cannot have everlasting salvation.
I want to invite you into my study this morning, and as your Teaching Shepherd, show you how to study the Bible so that the Pelagian’s wont eat your lunch, and when they twist the Scriptures, you can call them on it, rather than sitting there dumbfounded. So come on into my study.

2.  Background is vital to understand a book and its verses.  Philippi was a town in Macedonia founded by Philip II in 358 B.C. The city at this time had a large gold supply; but this was depleted before it came under the rule of Rome. Philippi was influential in the Greeks' day, and later was a Roman colony under Rome. Roman colonies were outposts or reproductions of the imperial city. Hence, Philippi's citizen enjoyed full privileges of Roman citizenship which included freedom and rights as well as exemption from taxes and land ownership. The city*s location dominated the road systems, especially the Roman road via Egnatia.

Philippi's location on the great Roman Road was very advantageous. It had been a wealthy city for years, and at the time of Paul's writing, it was well located for trade. The city had schools, craftsmen, merchants, and many Roman-styled public buildings. Purple dye was one of the products that was sold. However, it was not chiefly a commercial city; rather, it was a military and agricultural one.
Paul was in prison in Rome when he wrote this letter. He had just been visited by Epaphroditus, an elder from Philippi sent to be a constant minister to Paul. Thus, the providential occasion for Paul to write at this time was the return of Epaphriditus, who would deliver the letter.

Paul used this opportunity to send a personal note of appreciation for the Philippians' gift. But most important,  Paul had just learned the needs of the church. This was a key church for Paul’s plan to reach the nations.  An now there was a fight between two ladies going on.  Rodney Baker preached on this and Jeff and Delores did a skit on it during the revival. Uodia and Syntcye, You-owe-me and So-Touchy. These females, if ignored, would split this key church to pieces So, Paul used this occasion to give spiritual guidance. He points out the division among them, exhorts them to unity and humility, and likewise, warns them against the Judaizers. In addition, Paul wanted to give them information that they had requested about himself, to dispel their fears for Epaphroditus, and to encourage them to be content with their lot. If you forget the fight in chapter 4, you will misinterpret every verse in this book.

The Philippian church was founded by Paul on his second missionary journey. The first converts were women who were proselytes to Judaism. God brought whole families into the Church such as Lydia's family and the family of the Roman jailer. The church, however, had a Gentile flavor with few, if any, authentic Jews. At this time, the Philippian church already had leaders, both overseers and deacons.

  Direction

1.  Every Church must obey the Apostles teaching, the N.T.
2.  Every Church must learn how God is working in them.
3.  Every Church must be doing the ministry without murmuring.

4.  Every Church must be holding forth the whole Word of God.

  I.  EVERY CHURCH MUST OBEY THE APOSTLES TEACHING, THE NEW TESTAMENT. vs 12

Therefore, my beloved church, (adj., plural)  just as you all (ye pl.) always have obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence;  with fear  and trembling; be working out the preservation of yourselves,

A.  Look at your handout. This is a mechanical layout of the passage. 95% of you are capable of doing  one of these. If you don’t study, those who hold to error will silence you   
 The fight has started back. I saw you-owe-me and so-touchy in town.

B.  Notice the you’s, they should all be “y’all’s. They are all plural.
  Not a word in here is for an individual Christian. It is for a whole church together.

C.  The Pelegian’s will tell you, this verse is clear, you have to keep working for your salvation or work your salvation out, if  you stop you loose it.

D.  Paul is addressing the whole group.

 He has just taught on the Humility and example of Jesus as a servant. This Humility brings unity.
Why was Paul teaching on Humility and servant-hood and unity?
Because he is dealing with 2 fighting women in the church.  If they will adopt Jesus attitude,
of putting others in front of Himself, the problem can be resolved.
Pride, Power and Control are behind most church fights and upset members.

E.  How did the church obey when Paul was there?

 They dealt with the fighting ladies. Now he is away.
  Epaproditus comes to help, and shares a serious prayer request.

F.  Why should there be fear and trembling?

  Because if you ever backslide, you are going To hell. So keep yourself saved. Wrong.
  Because churches are not given eternal  security.
Nations and churches are judged on the earth, often in about 2 generations.

G.  Work out your own salvation.  Be working to  

  completion the preservation of your church by dealing with these fighting ladies and with     encroaching legalism.

H.  That’s not what I heard preached.

 Read the book 5 times through. Do some mechanical layouts.
Then use some tools to find out what the words can mean, look at the tenses of the verbs, singulars and plurals. Look at the “If”s and get some help on the historical setting.

 

I.  This is what is wrong with preacher’s not studying the text themselves first, instead of stealing what someone else preached, who borrowed it from somewhere else. The same mistakes get repeated over and over this way,with nobody being a Berian, studying the Bible to see if what is taught is correct.

J.  Obey the Apostles, obey the N.T. This is what is required.

 Do your part to bring about the preservation, survival of your church.

K.  If the floor starts to sag on an old church building, Will it help to ignore the problem?

 

L.  Pour some concrete, put in a support beam. Deal with the problem and salvage the floor.

M.  Deal with Spiritual pride, selfishness, & lack of humility, desires for power and control, or your church will split all apart. 

 II.  EVERY CHURCH MUST LEARN HOW GOD IS WORKING IN THEM.  vs 13

{13} for it is God who is continually working in you all, both to be willing and to be doing  according to His good pleasure.

  A.  God does not want your church to fail.

  B.  He is continually at work in the whole group.

 1.  He helps us with our wills,
to accept change, new leaders, new ways, to chose to be Biblical.
To chose to humble ourselves, and not
Have everything go our way.
Rodney shared with us about forgiveness and priorities. The church can’t stand  together if everyone forsakes the assembling together, and disobeys Heb. 10:24.
 Rodney shared how his heart was broken as a pastor, to question one of his families, We Just can’t find time to go to church anymore. Our kids are playing basketball and piano   lessons, and we just can’t find the time    to come anymore.

Jesus, we will half-hardheartedly serve you, if it is convenient, but if there is a schedule conflict, Jesus you automatically loose.

 Everything is more important than worship. 

2.  God will help us with doing things

We choose to make Him a priority Then we do it.  He helps us. If it is according to His will, He helps us to choose it, He helps us to do it.
 Not what we want, is what He wants.
“I can do whatever I want, but my want to  Has changed.”
 God has a will.
 Much of it is revealed in the Bible.

 

C.  God does everything according to His sovereign  will.  He is the king of kings, not us.

D.  Here is where human responsibility and Divine sovereignty come together. We have to work to keep the church unified because God is working on it too. He does His part, when we do ours. If we won’t obey, He will blow our candle out.

III.  EVERY CHURCH MUST BE DOING THE MINISTRY WITHOUT MURMURING. vs 14-15

{14} All things be ye doing without complaining and arguing,  {15}  so that you all (ye pl.) may become  blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a generation: crooked and having perverted themselves; among whom you all are shining as lights in the world,

A.  Murmuring and complaining is not God’s will  

The deacon’s are to deal with complainers.

Have you ever known anyone who had a heart murmur? Jacob was born with one. The children of Israel had an even deadlier kind of  heart murmur. Read Exodus chapters 15, 16, and 17 and Numbers chapters 14 and 16. The New Testament holds up these chronic complainers as   become a people that are not blameworthy. 

B.  The unsaved are crooked, twisted, morally warped, cannot be trusted.

They have twisted themselves away from  the straight path of the law.

C.  They have perverted themselves.

D.  Isolate yourselves from big sinners, right? Wrong.

 

E.  You are to let your light shine to them and for them. People matter to God.

F.  There are four ways in which substances react to light. Some are transparent. The light passes through them. Some are translucent.  They scatter the light. Some are opaque.

They bar the light. Some are like mirrors. 
  They reflect the light. We want to be mirrors, reflecting the light.

Jesus is the light of the world. You are the light of the world.  Shine as stars in the sky. examples to be avoided.     

G.  Two men on are dark path.  One shines the light so they both can see. That is the role of a  

H.  By not arguing and complaining, we can true believer in Christ. We are like the beggars in NY city, when the bread truck turns over, we go back to the alley and yell, free bread, come take as much as you like. Eat, and be hungry no more. Jesus is the bread of life. He can meet your deepest needs.

 IV.  EVERY CHURCH MUST BE HOLDING FORTH THE WHOLE WORD OF GOD. vs 16

{16} continually holding forth the Word of Life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ’s; so that I have not run in vain nor in vain labored.

 A.  The Word here, is the logos the logic, the written word, the whole truth of God.

The whole council of God. Whole Bible.

 B.  It is also, the gospel of Christ.

     The words that bring you from death to life.
     Do you want to live forever?
 1)  Are you a sinner?
 2)  Do you want forgiveness for your sins?
 3)  Do you believe that Jesus died on the cross for sinners and rose again?
 4)  Do you believe that Jesus is God and

  became Man as well on the first Christmas? 

 5)  Are you ready to invite Jesus into your life  

  as your Rescuer and Boss by surrendering to Him?
 6)  Are you willing to repent of your sins and 
  claim Jesus’ blood for your forgiveness?
 7) Will you pray right now and ask Jesus to forgive you and save you?

 C.  White knuckled, we hold forth the gospel, the Bible to people who are not-yet-Christians.

 The powerful word can save from the uppermost to the gutter-most.

  D.  If the Church sticks with sharing the Bible with the not-yet-believer, and will deal with division.  On judgement day they will have a lot to show.

E.  There is coming a day when all will stand before Christ and give an account.

For some it will be for division.
  For other’s failure to obey the great commission.
Others have refused to surrender to the Lord   Christ and repent of their sins
and obey the gospel.
If the church fails by ignoring division, Paul’s church planting work will have been   in vain.  He would have failed to establish a church to plant other churches.

 F.  The firemen hold forth a special blanket.

 The lady jumps from the burning building into the safety of the trampoline material. They held it out, and she was delivered.
 We must hold out the Word, so that the gospel can be heard and believed.
Will you embrace Christ? 
 Will you preserve your church?

Are you complaining or blessing? Are you working or murmuring?

Conclusion

1.  Every Church must obey the Apostles teaching, the N.T.

2.  Every Church must learn how God is working in them.
3.  Every Church must be doing the ministry without murmuring.
4.  Every Church must be holding forth the whole Word of God.

(ILL.) The wife of a hard-to-please husband was determined to try her best to satisfy him for just one day. 'Darling,' she asked, 'what would you like for breakfast this morning?' He growled, 'Coffee and toast, grits and sausage, and two eggs -- one scramble and one fried.' She soon had the food on the table and waited for a word of praise. After a quick glance, he exclaimed, 'Well, if you didn't scramble the wrong egg!" Some people are impossible to please, so please King Jesus instead. Will you respond to the word.

Bible Verses that Teach Punishment by Degrees

Deut 28:20
Psa 28:4
Matt 10:14-15, 11:21-24, 12:41-42, 16:27
Mark 12:38-40
Luke 12:45-48
Luke 23:41
John 5:29
Acts 10:42
Rom 2:6, 16
Rom 14:10-12
2 Cor 5:10; 11:13-15
Gal 5:21
1 Tim 5:24-25
2 Tim 4:14

A Philosophy Statement for Counseling at Hillcrest Baptist Church

The bedrock presupposition of our church’s counseling philosophy is that all counseling must be biblically based with the goal of edifying the believer and glorifying God (1 Cor. 10:31).  Furthermore, all church counselors must deeply hold the proper convictions about the Bible in order to operate from a God glorifying biblical philosophy and methodology.  Likewise, the practice of our counseling ministry will be to not refer counselee’s to other counselors who are not deeply committed Christians who operate from a biblical world and life view (except temporarily in emergency life-threatening situations).  Counselor trainee’s will not only study the need for a direct confrontational approach towards the sins in the life of the counselee from the Bible, but will also be instructed in pre-counseling evangelism, proper Bible study and exegesis methods, Bible book studies, Old and New Testament Introductions and Surveys, and Biblical Theology.  Even though we will be discerning in referrals to other counselors, we will consistently seek to work with Christian medical doctors (who operate by a Christian world and life view) to eliminate physical causes or physical intensifications of a counselee’s problems.

The proper convictions about the Bible begin with a firm belief in its accuracy in every area that it addresses.  This position is stated clearly in the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, which will be signed by each of our counselor's every two years.

The proper posture to the Word of God is a conviction of the verbal plenary inspiration of the text (2 Tim. 3:16, 1 Peter 1:10-12; 2 Peter 1:20-21).  Because the words are "God-breathed" we can be assured of their total accuracy and that the original texts contained no errors (inerrancy) concerning each area they addressed.  The God-Man Jesus declared that the smallest letter and part of letter of the Hebrew Scripture would all be fulfilled and he made argument based on the tenses of verbs (Matt. 5:17-18, 22:28-32).  Thus, the dynamic inspiration view (just the thoughts, not the words are inspired) is not an acceptable position, neither is the liberal errancy view (that there are many factual errors in the text).  Both of these views are less than Christian because they ignore Christ's own views on the accuracy of the Scriptures.

Because God is the source of the Scriptures and because the Holy Spirit superintended the human authors so that what they wrote was their words and at the same time the inerrant and inspired Word of God, the 66 books of the canon have authority.  When a Christian is made aware of a command or principle from the Bible that has not been fulfilled, annulled, or replaced, they are responsible and obligated to lovingly obey it.  Thus, when the counselor shares God's Words with the counselee from the texts of Scripture, if they are genuine believers, their only proper response is grateful and loving obedience.  His opinions and practices may serve as a model, but when the Bible addresses a subject, once that text is properly exegeted and applied, it becomes the binding authority over the feelings or past habits of the counselee.  All counselors should so handle God's Word that it becomes apparent that they surrender to its authority for all matters of faith and practice.

The Bible is also sufficient to meet the discipleship, sanctification, and growth needs of every Christian (2 Peter 1:3) as well as the salvation needs of every person (John 14:6, 17:17; Rom. 10:17).  The Word of God adequately deals with the problems and all of the underlying sins that men face in this world.  Biblical sufficiency does not mean that the Bible is exhaustive on every subject nor does it imply that the Bible is an adequate source of information for wiring diagrams or specifications for the repair of automobiles or computers.  That being said, however, in a world full of false thought systems and error, the Bible is the only trustworthy standard of God's true truth and it provides all the information necessary for salvation and all the principles necessary for successful Christian living.  Whenever the Bible addresses science, history, geology, anthropology, psychology, or geography it is the measuring stick for all pagan[1] or semi-pagan sources of this information.  When there is true disagreement based on accurate exegesis of Bible texts and proper reading of pagan sources, our presupposition is that the Bible is always correct and the pagan source is the one in error.  Likewise, methodologies that arise out of false thought systems should be rejected and replaced with ones based on Scriptural presuppositions.

The Historical Grammatical method of Bible research is the only acceptable option for our counselors.  Acceptance of Neo-orthodoxy or liberalism, with its destructive higher criticism and attack on the human authors of the Scriptures and the accuracy of the copies of the manuscripts we now have disqualify a person to be a counselor or counselor trainee at this church.  However, textual criticism of the Hebrew BHS or the Greek UBS text is encouraged to be practiced by all who have developed the skills to do so.  We believe that God’s preservation of His Word has kept us from loosing a single letter in the Old Testament or the New Testament (Matt. 5:17-18).  However, in comparing the manuscripts, we learn that some phrases or verses are recorded several different ways.  The original autographs only had one of those available options.  Thus, since we have 105% of the original autographs, the Bible student will need at times to choose possible reading “B” over reading “A” or accept the additional wording contained in one manuscript or accept an omission of words in another as best reflecting the original text through the process of textual criticism.  The goal is to establish the original text.

The presuppositions of all pagan approaches to psychology and psychiatry are inconsistent with the infallible revealed Word of God described above.  Therefore, trainees' trained in these approaches will need to demonstrate their acceptance of the Bible’s view of anthropology, soteriology, and bibliology.  The Bible teaches that mankind is the direct creation of God, and was not formed by evolutionary processes (Gen. 1-2).  The Bible also teaches that mankind rebelled against God at the Fall (Gen. 3).  Thus, each human person is born spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1-3) with a sinful human nature (Rom. 8:5-9; Cor. 2:14), loving sin (John 3:19), is totally depraved[2] (Rom. 3:1-7), with a proclivity to do evil (Gen. 6:5).  Therefore, every system that assumes the basic goodness of man, ignores the Sovereign creator God, encourages the rebellious independence and autonomy of man, and removes human responsibility for sin is a false foolish man-centered system at best, and could be a demonic inspired counterfeit system seeking to suppress the truth.

Non-directive counseling approaches are especially contrary to Scripture and non-productive even by pagan standards.  These methods and views are more open to Hindu and New Age philosophical influences and are the exact opposite of the methods used by God and His chosen leaders in the Bible when dealing with the problems of humans.  Likewise, medical model approaches can be used by sincere psychiatrists to place a Christian dangerously on mind influencing and addictive drugs that can both numb the conscience and take away the agency of the individual person.  Thus, Rogerian and Freudian methods must be evaluated from the Scriptures and must not be used by our counselors or our trainees.

The Bible teaches that every person is born a sinner and does not measure up to the standard of our Holy God (Rom 3:23).  Because the wages of sin is everlasting death in the lake of fire, every human needs a Savior to deliver him or her from his or her state of sin and death (Rom. 6:23).  The Lord Jesus Christ is the only Lord and Savior able to deliver sinners from the wrath to come (John 14:6).  All mature adults who are not saved through Christ, no matter how religious or “good” they are in the eyes of the world (Matt. 7:21), will spend conscious eternity in the lake of fire (Matt. 25:41-46).  Thus, it is imperative for each person to repent and believe the gospel (Mark 1:15, Luke 13:1-5, Acts 3:19, 17:30-1, 20:20-1, Rom. 10:8-13.  Also see B.F. & M. 2000, “IV. Salvation, A.”).  All counselors must have embraced (taken, received) Christ by repentance and faith (John 1:12-13), be born from above (John 3:3-8), and be witnesses for King Jesus.  Pre-counseling is direct evangelism of both those who admit they are lost and those who appear to be make-believing church members.  If in counseling it is discovered or seems apparent that the counselee is not saved, the counselor will return to the gospel message and press it home to the heart of this person while calling out to God in prayer to save them (Col. 4:3).

Because the Bible will be the counselors textbook, any conservative studies in the Bible, learning of the original languages, learning the proper methods of doing word studies, or courses in hermeneutics, exegesis skills, or in mastering the Bible’s content will always be encouraged.  The goal will not be acquiring degrees in such, but in developing greater competency in Bible knowledge, understanding, and application.

Counseling is under the discipleship ministry of our church with the goal of aiding believers in the process of sanctification and growth in Christ-likeness.  At its best, both sessions and homework will involve the counselee in intense discipleship.

           

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[1] This student is not convinced that so-called "secular" studies are neutral or that a sacred / secular dichotomy is biblical.  Mountain climbing to the glory of God is a sacred activity, while sincere worship in a Mormon temple is nothing less than pagan idolatry.

[2] Total depravity here means radical and pervasive depravity of the whole man.  Mind, will, heart, strength, inner man, outer man, body, soul, spirit  -- every part and the whole of man all fell together and are corrupted by sin and man’s state of spiritual death.  It does not mean each person is equally wicked or as bad as they potentially could be given time and circumstance.