Who has the answers?
Where will transformation of Birmingham and our nation come from?
Politics? Not likely. Look at our current mayoral mess and the debt in Jefferson County.
Social organizations and civic groups? Not likely. Good hearts but they often do not point people to Christ.
Mental health? Not likely, it has not helped so far. Look at recent tragic events. Is secular mental health really effective? Debatable.
Here’s the only answer for transformation of hearts and families and marriages and the community: The church of the Lord Jesus Christ led by the Holy Spirit in obedience to the Word of God.
The church is the answer. Jesus said Himself in Matthew 16:18 that He will build His church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.
So why do we send people to secular groups for help for addictions and send people to secular, mental health personnel for help when Christ and His GOSPEL is the answer and the church proclaims that message?
I speculate that we don’t really believe that the Gospel is the transforming message that the Holy Spirit uses to change hearts and lives PERMANENTLY.
There is no other answer. Christ alone. That’s the answer.
Do you believe the same Christ Who SAVES you is the SAME Christ Who sanctifies you?
That’s why I LOVE the church of our Lord Jesus Christ and I love Truth in Love Ministries because we are actively helping to STRENGTHEN churches by replicating disciples of Christ, counseling people using the Word of God, and lifting up Christ.
-Mark (praying that God’s people will continue to support Truth in Love with prayer and financial giving)
Who alone unlocks the human heart?
Can mankind unlock someone’s heart?
No, only the Lord can do unlock the human heart. Then, why counsel someone if mankind cannot?
The Holy Spirit and the Word of God work together to unlock the human heart according to Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (ESV)
As a biblical counselor, you can understand the motives and intents of the heart when you listen to what someone says since ”out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (ESV – Luke 6:45).
God wants people to know what is in their hearts. He already knows, but often (you and I and the counselees we are privileged to serve) people do not know what is in their own hearts! As a biblical counselor, this is why the BIBLE is so vital to counseling as it is the ONLY TOOL that is able to discern the heart motives of a human being and the Bible only does so when the Holy Spirit works in partnership with it!
So why do any other type of counseling? Why mix secular theories with the sacred Word of God? Is God’s Word lacking?
I think not.
In fact, I say God’s Word is totally sufficient and needs no help from man. God’s Word is powerful like a two-edged sword WHEN it works with the Holy Spirit through a submitted, biblical counselor like you and me.
-Mark (God’s Word is an amazing weapon that Christians often underestimate; why use anything else to help people? The Gospel is the only life-giving message!)
Book Review of Ken Ham’s Almost Gone
Ken Ham wrote a book called “Almost Gone” that is great though it is a challenging read. It has statistics in it but Mr. Ham is such a good communicator that it is smooth and informative. I highly recommend you read it.
The book challenged me to re-think church because a key finding was that Sunday school attendees as youths were MORE LIKELY to turn away from the faith as young, 20 year old adults. I had to read that finding twice because it goes against our thinking. The finding again was that children who DID attend Sunday School were MORE LIKELY to walk away from the faith as adults vs. children who did NOT attend Sunday School.
Makes you think, doesn’t it. Why is that the finding? Well, Mr. Ham cites evidence that these children were likely taught UNDERMINING lies about God’s Word while in Sunday School which led to a LACK of FAITH in Christ and His Word.
It would have been better NOT to have attended Sunday School which taught contrary to God’s Word, in other words.
I may not be doing a good job of summarizing this finding. Therefore, I recommend you read the book.
Here’s my life application: Teach the Bible and help people to have faith in Christ and His Word as accurate. People need to know about how the Flood fits into history and science, that fossils came from a global flood, that land dinosaurs were created on the 6th day, that a global flood wiped out many of the dinosaurs, etc. We need to have answers for a dying world that is longing for the truth of God’s Word.
-Mark (grateful to serve Christ with men like Ken Ham who boldly stand for God and lead the way)
Repent!
What was the first message Jesus preached? “Repent!” in Matthew 4:17.
What is repentance? A change of attitude toward God and toward our sin. I always say, “I hate what I once loved and now love what I once hated (or despised).”
I love the biblical truth that we are set apart FROM sin AND set apart TO God. We are His holy people meaning we are to be different than the rest of the ordinary world.
How special we are! And it all starts with repentance!
-Mark (I love repentance! It’s been very good to me!)
TRACK 1 Class for TEENS in 2010
I am so looking forward to the new direction the Lord is leading TIL in 2010. God is casting His vision for us!
For the past year, I’ve been praying and wondering how TIL was going to train teens to do biblical counseling. I think I know how now. I’m looking forward to implementing this in 2010.
Please pray that God will continue to provide the finances we need to do His work as He has so faithfully done in the past but I do not want to presume upon His grace. I want to continue to ask Him to lead us.
Primarily, pray that God will keep our eyes on Jesus and our ministry pure so that we can continue to have a powerful impact upon the kingdom. I think TEENS are a key and am excited to teach them!
-Mark (drawn to authentic ministries like TIL)
Good-bye, Brian, our CFO!
We will certainly miss our Chief Financial Officer and mighty man of God, Mr. Brian Rauch, as he will be moving to L.A. (Lower Alabama) soon.
What a blessing he’s been to this ministry to volunteer his talents, wisdom, insights, and abilities to further TIL! We would not be where we are today without Brian!
Thank you so much for helping us do the ministry of discipleship and biblical counseling!
-Mark (praising God for a godly, devoted husband and father of two precious girls, Brian Rauch!)
Stealing – 8th Commandment
The heart of God is giving. To me, that is Who God is – a Giver of life, a Giver of eternal life, a Giver of His love, a Giver in general. What can I give God that He has not first given me?
That’s why I think the 8th Commandment of not stealing is so dear to God’s heart. It is unloving to steal. It is taking rather than giving. It is taking what is not given to you and was given to someone else by the grace of God. In that sense, it is a TWOFOLD sin damaging yourself in your relationship with Christ and the person you stole from!
I love Ephesians 4:28 which gives us the antidote to stealing. The antidote is TWOFOLD: work and give to the needy.
We are to work and give to the needy. That’s why I love Truth in Love – we are a giving ministry. Most people cannot afford biblical counseling so we provide it for free thanks to your generous support of our ministry!
That’s why I also like working with Christ Health Center – they are a giving ministry providing healthcare to those in real need.
It’s a great partnership founded on the heart of God – GIVING to those in need. We all work together to give to those in need.
-Mark (God is an amazing GIVER)
