Please visit www.biblicalmentor.com to learn more about the full content of the Biblical Mentor training course we offer.
Here is another brief excerpt:
As you do Life On Life with someone applying the One-Anothers of Scripture with her, you will find that there will be many opportunities to share hope. Women and girls struggle in all kinds of areas. You are likely to bump into some of these struggles if you have any kind of ministry, family life, or social life. Once you are fairly certain that someone has grasped the Gospel for salvation, the help you give her from there is to help her to see the need for and ability to APPLY the Gospel to her life. You want to always be sure that you are not giving her the idea that she needs to change her behavior or mindset in order to earn approval, acceptance, or even worse, salvation. Always emphasize her eternal security; struggling people often struggle to believe this Truth. Remind her of her identity in Christ and how He views her. It is not because she earned it, but because of the Gospel — His finished work on her behalf.
Future lessons will help you to know how to share hope with others; you will want to recall the phrase “APPLY THE GOSPEL.” It will direct you in your help towards others, assuring you are always Christ-focused and sticking to Biblical principles.
Don’t worry if this concept is not clear or foreign to you. As you study more week by week about doing Life On Life, sharing hope with others, and applying the One-Anothers, it will become your most common “tool” in your conversations.
Romans 15:4 (New International Version, ©2011) "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope".
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Friday, February 10, 2012
Excerpt from Life On Life, Applying the One-Anothers of Scripture
The following is a brief excerpt from a lesson regarding One-Another ministry in the context of the local church. To learn more about this course, please visit www.biblicalmentor.com.
The care that believers had for one another in Acts 2 has continued in various forms through the years. It can be defined as “believers speaking the Truth in love anchored in the Word of God, depending on the Holy Spirit.” In our culture, it is called by many names such as:
*Discipling
*Mentoring
*Teaching
*Biblical Counseling
*Pastoral Counseling
*Spiritual Guidance
*Spiritual Formation
*Friendship
*Spiritual Friendship
A church with a culture of soulcare will bear much fruit. Whatever form the church’s One- Another ministry takes, it must be rooted in God’s Word, exalt Jesus Christ, be empowered by the Holy Spirit, and be loving. Soulcare ministry aims to produce salvation, sanctification, and Spiritual fruit. This is achieved through admonishment, teaching, exhortation, encouragement, comfort, and forbearance.
All believers need soulcare, not just those who are struggling. We all need One-Another ministry in various forms. We do have a tendency in our churches today to neglect the hurting believer. Hurting individuals should be taken care of primarily by the local church, but are often referred out to secular sources of help that will not provide true soulcare. Those sources can have some benefit for learning some behavior management that brings some relief, but they will not provide what we see in our definition of soulcare — “speaking the Truth in love anchored in the Word of God, depending on the Holy Spirit.”
The care that believers had for one another in Acts 2 has continued in various forms through the years. It can be defined as “believers speaking the Truth in love anchored in the Word of God, depending on the Holy Spirit.” In our culture, it is called by many names such as:
*Discipling
*Mentoring
*Teaching
*Biblical Counseling
*Pastoral Counseling
*Spiritual Guidance
*Spiritual Formation
*Friendship
*Spiritual Friendship
A church with a culture of soulcare will bear much fruit. Whatever form the church’s One- Another ministry takes, it must be rooted in God’s Word, exalt Jesus Christ, be empowered by the Holy Spirit, and be loving. Soulcare ministry aims to produce salvation, sanctification, and Spiritual fruit. This is achieved through admonishment, teaching, exhortation, encouragement, comfort, and forbearance.
All believers need soulcare, not just those who are struggling. We all need One-Another ministry in various forms. We do have a tendency in our churches today to neglect the hurting believer. Hurting individuals should be taken care of primarily by the local church, but are often referred out to secular sources of help that will not provide true soulcare. Those sources can have some benefit for learning some behavior management that brings some relief, but they will not provide what we see in our definition of soulcare — “speaking the Truth in love anchored in the Word of God, depending on the Holy Spirit.”
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Excerpt from Life On Life, Applying the One-Anothers of Scripture
The following is a brief excerpt from a lesson on anger and forgiveness. For the entire lesson and to participate in this Biblical Mentor training course, please visit www.biblicalmentor.com
You may wonder why we have both anger and forgiveness in the same lesson. More often than not, they go hand in hand. A woman who is unforgiving is an angry woman. An angry woman is unforgiving. The only antidote for anger is forgiveness. The world offers many so- called “solutions” to anger problems. There are anger management courses, medications to calm anger, psychological methods for unleashing your anger, and any number of self-help remedies.
Anger does not always look “angry.” It can be expressed outwardly, which is what we most commonly think of when we think about anger. It can also be turned inward, which eventually causes feelings of depression. A depressed woman may not look angry to you, but often when you dig deeper with her and take a look at her heart (her thoughts, beliefs, and desires), you will find an angry woman who has allowed her anger to go unresolved. There is very likely unforgiveness in her heart.
When you are sharing hope with someone with an angry and unforgiving heart, it is critical to review the Gospel with her. Be as certain as you can that she understands it clearly and that she believes it. Then begin to teach her to apply it to her anger and unforgiveness. If after a time you are not seeing any evidence that she is growing in her ability to forgive, you need to consider encouraging her to seek help from a Biblical Counselor.
It is helpful to understand anger and forgiveness accurately before you can offer hope to others.
You may wonder why we have both anger and forgiveness in the same lesson. More often than not, they go hand in hand. A woman who is unforgiving is an angry woman. An angry woman is unforgiving. The only antidote for anger is forgiveness. The world offers many so- called “solutions” to anger problems. There are anger management courses, medications to calm anger, psychological methods for unleashing your anger, and any number of self-help remedies.
Anger does not always look “angry.” It can be expressed outwardly, which is what we most commonly think of when we think about anger. It can also be turned inward, which eventually causes feelings of depression. A depressed woman may not look angry to you, but often when you dig deeper with her and take a look at her heart (her thoughts, beliefs, and desires), you will find an angry woman who has allowed her anger to go unresolved. There is very likely unforgiveness in her heart.
When you are sharing hope with someone with an angry and unforgiving heart, it is critical to review the Gospel with her. Be as certain as you can that she understands it clearly and that she believes it. Then begin to teach her to apply it to her anger and unforgiveness. If after a time you are not seeing any evidence that she is growing in her ability to forgive, you need to consider encouraging her to seek help from a Biblical Counselor.
It is helpful to understand anger and forgiveness accurately before you can offer hope to others.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
"Life On Life, Applying the One-Anothers of Scripture" Excerpt
The following is an excerpt from a chapter about anxiety, worry, fear, and stress. For more information about this excerpt from my Mentor Training Course, Level One, please click here.
Anxiety takes on various forms, and people’s responses to it take on various forms. Anxiety is the prolonged sensation of fear in response to a perceived threat against oneself. Fear, by definition, is a self-protective tool to help a person sense and respond to a perceived danger. We see this in Psalm 55:3-6.
3 My enemies shout at me,
making loud and wicked threats.
They bring trouble on me and angrily hunt me down.
4 My heart pounds in my chest. The terror of death assaults me.
5 Fear and trembling overwhelm me, and I can’t stop shaking.
6 Oh, that I had wings like a dove;
then I would fly away and rest! Psalm 55:3-6 NLT
From the Psalmist’s viewpoint, he is anxious due to threats from the enemy. He is terrified of death and danger, and he perceives escape to be the best solution. This passage is a vivid example of what some might call an “anxiety attack” or “panic attack.”
While it is a common human experience to be anxious, it can be debilitating. We must think Biblically about anxiety so that it will not interfere in our relationships, damage our ability to engage in daily activities, or consume our thought life. It is natural to feel worried or troubled about things in life that are indeed worrisome or troubling! It is not God’s will or plan for you, however, to be so consumed with it that it overtakes your trust in the Lord.
Anxiety takes on various forms, and people’s responses to it take on various forms. Anxiety is the prolonged sensation of fear in response to a perceived threat against oneself. Fear, by definition, is a self-protective tool to help a person sense and respond to a perceived danger. We see this in Psalm 55:3-6.
3 My enemies shout at me,
making loud and wicked threats.
They bring trouble on me and angrily hunt me down.
4 My heart pounds in my chest. The terror of death assaults me.
5 Fear and trembling overwhelm me, and I can’t stop shaking.
6 Oh, that I had wings like a dove;
then I would fly away and rest! Psalm 55:3-6 NLT
From the Psalmist’s viewpoint, he is anxious due to threats from the enemy. He is terrified of death and danger, and he perceives escape to be the best solution. This passage is a vivid example of what some might call an “anxiety attack” or “panic attack.”
While it is a common human experience to be anxious, it can be debilitating. We must think Biblically about anxiety so that it will not interfere in our relationships, damage our ability to engage in daily activities, or consume our thought life. It is natural to feel worried or troubled about things in life that are indeed worrisome or troubling! It is not God’s will or plan for you, however, to be so consumed with it that it overtakes your trust in the Lord.
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