Though I have a lot of my plate right now, EPIC, Grad class, family, etc., I have been reading, just for personal development, the book, Discipleship Counseling by Neil Anderson.  I have been a student of Dr. Anderson for quite some time and have always enjoyed his biblical approach to the counseling process.  In this recent book a quote caught my attention om relation to how we, in the church, often use secular reasoning to deal with spiritual issues,

Have we taken into account the reality of the spiritual world?  In other words, do we have a biblical worldview?   Are our struggles against flesh and blood?  Are we trying to accomplish God’s will without the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit?  Is the person mentally ill, or is there a spiritual battle going on for this individual’s mind?  Do we us the same message and methods with believers as we do with non-believers? Are we trying to help people establish their identities, find purpose and meaning in life, and see to meet their needs without Christ?  Isn’t that what the devil is doing?  Sobering!

I have had a lot of opportunities to meet with students and parents recently over a number of different issues and yet, almost every time, I find myself reverting to secular practices to deal with spiritual issues.  I have tried so hard to make my psychological schooling match my spiritual needs.   This is not going to work.  Though I see to help others, there is no one outside of the Holy Spirit, that can change their life–no one!!!  Not even me!  I am not, nor can I be, anyone’s Savior.  All I can do is point that person to Jesus Christ and help encourage them to be open to the Holy Spirit.  I am thankful for this reminder.  My desire is that this would continue to be at the forefront of my mind.

by Winfield Bevins

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it”  –Proverbs 22:6

Pastor Your Family

The Puritans remind us of the value and importance of family ministry. Family worship was one of the hallmarks of the Puritan era and one of their greatest legacies. The Puritan pastor Richard Baxter knew the importance of family ministry:

We must have a special eye upon families, to see that they are well ordered, and the duties of each relation performed. The life of religion, and the welfare and glory of both the Church and the State, depend much on family government and duty. If we suffer the neglect of this, we shall undo all…. I beseech you, therefore, if you desire the reformation and welfare of your people, do all you can to promote family religion.

Your Home Is a Church

The Puritans believed that their home was their church and the primary place of learning the Bible and moral instruction. They knew the call to “make disciples” begins in the home. Discipleship begins in our marriages, by loving our spouses with the love of Christ and by teaching, loving, and disciplining our children. The Puritans believed that it was a parent’s spiritual responsibility to disciple and teach their children about the faith.

“Family worship was one of the hallmarks of the Puritan era

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As Christian parents, we should also want to raise our children to grow up to love Jesus and know the Bible. It is important for children to begin learning about God and the Bible at home. If every family in every church got serious about making disciples in the home, it would change our nation and our world.

How are you creating good discipleship in your home?

At Grace Point, we thrive as a ministry on our Life Group ministry.  The importance of getting together as a group of peers with a passion to hold each other accountable, breathe life and love to each other and to both cheer and weep with each other cannot be overstated.  I know our students grow deep and are challenged in their respected EPIC Journey (Life) Groups but even more important is Anna and my need for small community interaction.  As our ministry, both Grace Point and EPIC, continues to grow it is necessary to find a place in the Life Group setting.

I was reminded again of this in a reading I was doing for grad work. Clinton and Ohlschlager, in their book, Competent Christian Counseling, state:

Within a community committed to acceptance, education, and appropriate discipline and consequences for conduct unbecoming a disciple of Jesus Christ . . . people are brought to maturity.

The spiritual reparenting required is often best accomplished through cell (life) groups, that assemble for the purpose of Bible study, encouragement, exhortation, worship, and the practice of a series of spiritual disciplines within a circle of accountability (Foster, 1988; Willard, 1998).  In keeping with our giftedness, no member of the believing community is excused from involvement with these groups or the means of personal spiritual growth they seek to establish (Ephesians 4.14-16) (p. 113)

Our Pastor of Discipleship, Tom Houser, does an AMAZING job fostering and training our community of believers on the importance of the Life Group community.  For more information on Tom’s thoughts and guidance check out, http://runinsuchaway.com/.