Coun_Restoring

COUNSELING HELPS --Restoring Others

Bringing Restoration To Others!
“How Can I Have a Part in Restoring Others?”

The early church was made up of imperfect people. Sometimes we idealize the apostolic period. There were plenty of problems in the churches. (Consider the book of Galatians or I and II Corinthians.) Yet, they were urged to be involved in a restoration ministry.

Such a ministry among God’s people is greatly needed today. It should be carried out by church leaders, by workers in the church toward one another and in the home from parent to child. Counseling is a process by which one Christian restores another to a place of usefulness to Christ in His Church.

I. The GOAL of ALL COUNSELING IS CHANGE AND RESTORATION!

A. What does it mean to bring about restoration through change? (Gal. 6:1)

1. It means the same as mending torn fishing nets, or restoring a broken bone. We seek, biblically, to help another put into place that which
is out of place. This necessitates change in the person’s life.

2. The torn net and the broken arm are of little value until
restoration has taken place.

3. Restoration is the obligation of the Christian to his brother.
(Gal. 6:1-4; Col. 3:16; Col. 1:28-29)

4. Because of love for the brethren (I Jh 3:16) we are to seek to restore them.

5. Love should be strong enough to cast out any fear. (I Jh 4:17-18)

6. Counseling is part of the ministry that God expects to use through us as a means for the church to build up itself in love. (Eph. 4:11, 12, 16).

7. The pastor, as the teacher of the flock, is to equip all the saints for
their work of the ministry; that means that he must train his
members in counseling. We need a ministry of restoration!

B. Biblical counseling is using the Word of God with another person. To bring a) change, b) through confrontation, c) out of concern. (Gal. 6:1)

1. This means there are sinful patterns and activities in the life of the
the counselee, (child, youth, friend, etc.) that God wants changed.

2. This change is brought about through a verbal confrontation of the
counselee with the Scriptures as the counselor (parent, friends, etc.)
ministers them in the power of the Holy Spirit.

3. This confrontation is done in a loving, caring, familial manner out of
concern, for the sake of the counselee.
4. Counseling basically is the labor or effort whereby we seek to help another apply the Word of God to his life.
(II Tim. 3:16-17; II Tim. 2:15; James 1:19-25)

5. Spiritual restoration takes place as the Word of God is applied, and by
the Holy Spirit’s power in our own lives.

a. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of counsel -- Isa. 11:2; Jh 14:26
b. It is from Him that all wisdom and ability to do Scriptural
counseling flows.
c. There must be:
• a prayerful willingness and obedience,
• coupled with a diligent study of the Word of God,
• and a deep love for Christ, and
• love for His church through which the Spirit works.

C. Who is to be involved in restoring others? (Gal. 6:1; Col. 3:16)

1. “All who have the Spirit” (Gal. 6:1) are to have a counseling ministry.

2. All those, who at that moment do not have a need to be restored themselves, are to minister to those whom God providentially places in
their pathway.

3. We are to be ready to rebuke, encourage, instruct, counsel or any
combination of these.

4. The saved, who meet the Biblical directives, are potential counselors
(not in the formal sense) or they are potential counselees in need.
(Rom. 15:14; Col. 3:16)

5. He makes us experienced counselors as we learn from His Word,
and obediently live it out in our personal lives first of all.

6. Obedience must begin even though we may have fears,

a. for, you must begin counseling others because God says so,
b. in spite of how you feel,
c. in spite of fears and apprehensions.

II. HOW DOES RESTORATION or CHANGE TAKE PLACE?
Let us note, in more detail:

A. There must be change!

1. In restoring another to usefulness a change is needed, in --

a. sinful beliefs, attitudes, thoughts and
b. in sinful behavior. This must be replaced by righteous acts.

2. All counseling has to do with change in sinful beliefs, judgments, values, relationships, and behaviors to be replaced by righteous ones.

3. Sin in the life has led to distortion of life in each of these categories.

4. There ought to be both preventive and remedial counseling.

B. There must be confrontation:

1. Face to face contact by which the counselee is faced with Biblical
principles that apply to his situation.

2. Not is harshness, meanness, or criticalness, etc., but in godly love.
(Eph. 5:1-2; Rom. 12:10; I Pet. 1:22)

C. The element of great concern must be present.

1. Caring for another with strong desire and untiring effort to relieve the
other person from the misery that sinful life patterns bring -- this
ought to be the motive of all counseling.

2. Out of concern one ministers the Word of God -- interpreting,
applying the precepts and principles of the Word of God.

3. It is a ministry cared out prayerfully with God’s power.

D. The Word of God is the tool God promises to use: (II Tim. 3:16-17)

1. Doctrine -- teaching the Word, setting forth the standard.

2. Reproof -- bringing conviction -- for all genuine change only takes
place where there is a level of depth through conviction.

3. Correction -- Correction brings the person to the place of confessing sin, to come to the place of repentance, or change of mind leading to change in behavior.

4. Instruction in Righteousness -- training in a righteous life.

III. “WHAT IF I GIVE THE WRONG COUNSEL?” “I am not trained
to do this!”

1. “Suppose I do more harm than good?”

2. What is the answer?

a. If you are always carefully to advise only those things that you are
absolutely certain are Scriptural, and
b. if you will earnestly pray about your effort, asking God to
work through you, and

(Be sure you share what God has said in His Word.)

c. if you are ready to admit your lack of knowledge when you don’t
have the answers, and
d. if all this is done in a spirit (or attitude) of meekness, you can
do the other person no harm; you cannot go wrong.

These are crucial “ifs!”

3. Never guess! Never bluff! Tell the truth, even when it hurts.

4. Admit it when you are stumped! Ask them to pray with you for God
to reveal His answer in His Word. Search, study, and seek out the
answers during the next week.

5. When you proceed this way, God will bless your efforts, and work
in hearts. You will be surprised how quickly you will grow, and how
much you will learn.

6. Your only task is to share God’s Word,

a. analyzing the problem in the light of God’s Word,
b. mapping out a solution from the Word, and
c. to improvise ways and means for doing so at every point.

• For truth grows out of and is appropriate to the Scriptures.
• All you do from start to finish, is to follow God’s Word, the Bible. • The Spirit, who inspired it, works through His Word.
(Look at Counseling seminar studies available or to be on the site.)

IV. SOME QUALITIES That I NEED to FULFILL The TASK!
God is addressing the average person in the pew in the following references.

A. Goodness, Rom. 15:14

B. Knowledge of the Word of Christ, Rom. 15:14; Col. 3:16;

C. Wisdom, Col. 3:16; James 1:5-8;

D. Based on these characteristics, the following is true:

1. Giving guidance and direction are definitive of God’s view of
counseling.

2. Good counselors confront the counselee in his situation,

a. guiding him into interpreting his situation in the light of the Bible,
b. and through direction, give encouragement and
c. monitoring his progress, help him to make whatever
changes God requires.

V. HOW I AM TO COUNSEL OTHERS?

A. God’s Word is sufficient for counseling and molding a life.

1. You possess an all-sufficient and absolutely correct source of
information -- the Scriptures.

2. You have inerrant text -- God’s textbook.

3. The Word of God never becomes obsolete. It contains all that anyone
could ever need to live a life of godliness in every age and culture.

4. It is God’s revelation, and especially deals with all kinds of
interpersonal relationships.

5. It tells you how to relate properly to other people in ways that
glorify God. It tells us how to repair broken relationships.

a. This concern centers around children, spouses, parents, persons
at work, relatives, and ourselves.
b. In His Word, God gives us guidance for all kinds of
problems and needs.

B. Giving Biblical answers, Biblical teaching is what God desires!

1. Biblical teaching is teaching that conforms to the Holy Spirit’s
intention and plan in the use of the Bible.

a. Much of counseling is guiding the person into the knowledge
of God’s will, (Eph. 5:17; 6:6) and
b. the doing of the will of God as the Word of God is applied.
(Col. 4:12; James 1:21-22;

2. Biblical teaching is sharing the whole counsel of God.
(Acts 20:27, 31; 20:20)

3. Biblical teaching is teaching that grows in fullness and depth.
(II Tim. 2:15; II Tim. 3:16-17)

4. Biblical teaching in counseling involves explaining both --

a. the meaning of the verses, and
b. a discussion of how they relate to the counselee.
c. Christ spent much of His life teaching the Word, and in so doing
counseled many then, and now, as we apply his Words.

5. In counseling, Biblical teaching is clear, direct and to the point.
(Consider Col. 3:8-14; Eph. 4:17-32)

6. In counseling, Biblical teaching deals with sin, repentance, forgiveness, sanctification, and other theological matters.
(See above texts and James 3:13-18.)

7. Biblical teaching through counseling promotes God’s glory.
(I Cor. 10:31-32; Eph. 1:12)

Conclusions:

1. The spiritual Christian (See Romans 8:1-13) has God-given ability, through the use of the Word of God to minister that Word.

2. We are to do this by the power of the Holy Spirit, to the end we may witness change and restoration in the lives of those whom God brings into their lives.

3. The greatest need is our dedication, and our intense study of the Word of God so we can be used to restore others for God’s glory. II Tim. 2:15; 22-26)

-- Dr. Edward Watke Jr.