- Soul care = Christian counselling?
- the notion we have life figured out is absurd, as is the idea we can live life alone (apart from God and others)
- What is the soul?
- part of our personhood that is meant to worship God (Mt 22:34)
- heart, soul and mind: poetic parallelism regarding underlying core of man
- the part of us that is not seen; life
- 2 Cor 4; the inner man
- from soul comes man’s thoughts; also where man’s interests/desires/plans/decisions/emotions come from
- Ps 139
- our soul is meant to be loving Him
- What is wrong with our soul?
- apart from God, we are unable to love God…and yet the Gospel exists for us
- but our hearts can still grow weary and grumble against Him
- Mk 7:21-23
- old is dead, and we have a new heart BUT we must continue to put to death our old form
- Rom 7; “…hate what I do…”
- the soul is not yet perfect; we do not yet love God fully
- Phil 3; we all need change, we are fighting over 3 fronts:
- my own sin: believing the lie of my own kingdom
- other’s sin: being weight down by other’s transgressions; point 2 can become point 1
- effects of sin cursed world
- our own weakness; we want to appear to be independent BUT what is God’s way for us to triumph?
- we must believe and understand that we are weak while He is Almighty
- Ed Welch (Side by Side), “But it’s not easy asking for help. We spend a lot of time hiding our neediness…”
- What is God’s track?
- Word of God, Spirit of God, People of God
- 2 Tim; word is to equip us
- Jn 17; word is Truth
- Spirit given to help us (2 Cor 12)
- people commanded to exercise the “One Anothers” (i.e. love, serve, etc.); more than 40 listed in the NT!
- Welch, “…uses others to help us grow and care for one another…”
- One Anothers are not optional
- How to be better self to give soul care:
- become a better listener
- be seasoned with grace (right time, right season)
- reflect accurate understanding of God’s Word
- Receiving soul care: not something we are naturally inclined to do
- Prov 18:1; isolation is foolish
- listen to advice and heed instruction!
- Ps 141:45; rebuke is oil for my head
- One Another Ministry
- Col 3:16
- teaching: speaking in truth
- admonishing: speaking about your sin
- you must be humble and open to instruction from others
- this is dealing with one’s selfishness and pride
- Ps 19; against me from hidden faults
- Heb 3:12-13
- Gal 6; bear burdens of others; be an agent of restoration (in the sense of doctor snapping broken bone back into place to restore you)
- your attitude should welcome others
- 1 thes 5:1-11; encourage and build one another up, to remind us of His promises, grace, peace and control
- remind that He upholds all who need to be lifted up
- Reasons why the Christian Church looks bad
- We’re too prideful to admit we need soul care
- Our satisfaction is found in lesser things
- Previous hurts by people in the church
- have you ever tripped while walking? Yet you still walk!
- have you ever choked while eating or drinking? yet you still eat and drink!
- Therefore, please do not shut down soul care by the church just because of a previous hurt by someone in the church
- Too used to seeking help the way the world does (ex: smoke damage of a house)
- we need to be vigilant against receiving counselling or advice from non-Christian sources or outside the church, lest we be accustomed to looking for band-aid solutions for issues which require a heart transplant
- “God is pleased to use ordinary people…and extraordinary love to make great changes for the Kingdom”