The Remedy for Secular Psychology

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The Remedy for Secular Psychology

A friend shares with you a set of emotional symptoms that leave the two of you stumped. Where do you turn for answers that make a real difference?

A parishioner tells you about a decade-old “besetting sin” that they just can’t find victory over. Where do you turn to discern root causes and robust cures?

Real Answers for Real People with Real Problems

Whether you’re a lay person or a pastor, where do you turn for real answers?

Unfortunately, too often, in our sincere desire to help our hurting friends, we race to the latest trends. We turn to secular psychology and find human-shaped answers for God-shaped problems. We discover human-sized solutions when what we really need are God-sized SOUL-u-tions.

There has to be a better way.

There is. It’s God’s way. It’s learning to be a soul physician from the ultimate Soul Physician—Christ. It’s Christ-centered, comprehensive, compassionate, and culturally-informed biblical counseling and spiritual formation.

It’s the way the Apostle Paul spoke about and prayed about in Philippians. “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight” (Philippians 1:9).

Soul Physicians: The Remedy for Secular Psychology

It was in my first pastoral ministry that I began equipping lay people and pastors to become soul physicians. I longed for them to understand people, diagnose problems, and prescribe solutions—biblically. I long for you to do the same.

Twenty-five years later, I authored Soul Physicians: A Theology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction. It’s the remedy for secular psychology.

It’s also the remedy for “take two verses and call me in the morning.” It remedies “secular help” and “shallow help.”

Soul Physicians helps you to help your friends. It empowers you to change lives with Christ’s changeless truth.

Unique Focus: Life’s Seven Ultimate Questions

Soul Physicians explores from the Scriptures seven truths that shape the way we see life and ministry. These truths about life’s seven ultimate questions teach us what makes biblical counseling truly biblical.

• Question 1: “What is truth? Where do I find answers?” Answer 1—The Word: “God’s Word is sufficient, authoritative, profound, and relevant.”

• Question 2: “Who is God?” Answer 2—Community/The Creator: “God is Trinitarian.”

• Question 3: “Who am I”? Answer 3—Creation: “We are created with dignity by God in the image of Christ.”

• Question 4: “What went wrong?” Answer 4—Fall: “We sinfully and foolishly choose god-substitutes over God.”

• Question 5: “Can we change? How do people change?” Answer 5—Redemption: “We must apply our complete salvation to our daily sanctification.”

• Question 6—“Where am I headed? What is my destiny?” Answer 6—Consummation/Glorification: “Heaven is my final home.”

• Question 7—“Can I help? How can I help?” Answer 7—Sanctification/Ministry: “We dispense God’s cure for the soul—grace.”

Unique Features

• Soul Physicians includes a built-in personal application discussion guide to help develop the Christlike character of the biblical counselor.

• Soul Physicians includes a built-in ministry implication discussion guide to help develop the relational competence of the biblical counselor.

• Soul Physicians is written in the language of “theo-drama”—relating theology practically and powerfully to our calling to love God and to love one another.

• Soul Physicians is comprehensive and compassionate—blending robust biblical truth with caring one another application.

• Soul Physicians is perfect for individual and group work. Join the growing number of lay people, pastors, professional Christian counselors, and students who are using Soul Physicians as their twenty-first century manual for understanding people and ministering to them God’s way.

Learn More

To read what others are saying, to download a free sample chapter, and to order Soul Physicians at 40% off, visit my RPM Ministries (http://www.rpmministries.org/) Soul Physicians page: http://www.rpmministries.org/writing/soul-physicians/

Join the Conversation

Where are you turning to be equipped for one another ministry in the local church that trains you to understand people, diagnose problems, and prescribe solutions—biblically?

The Narrative of Relationship

How to Care Like Christ
Part V: The Narrative of Relationship

Blog Series Note: How to Care Like Christ equips lay people, pastors, and professional Christian counselors with the biblical knowledge and relational skills to change lives with Christ’s changeless truth.

Read the Bible as the Story of Relationship Initiated, Rejected, and Fought For: Genesis 1-3

If we are to use the Bible to nourish hungry souls, then we must hear the Bible’s story the way God tells it. And God tells it in story form, as a narrative of relationship. Over 75% of the Bible is narrative, and the rest of the Bible involves passionate psalms, wisdom applied to life, and personal letters to real people in real life situations and relationships. The Bible is 100% relational!

The Bible begins by telling the story of relationship initiated and rejected (Genesis 1-3). After those first three chapters, the rest of the Bible tells the story of God wooing us back to Him self, all the while fighting the Evil One who wants to seduce us away from our first love. Ever since Genesis 3, life is a battle for our love—the ageless question of who captures our heart—Christ or Satan.

Our biblical ministry is sterile and dead if we see the Bible as a textbook. But if we read and use the Bible as the story of the battle to win our hearts, then our counseling comes alive.

Relate God’s Truth to Human Relationships through Trialogues: Matthew 18:20

But what does this mean? Does dispensing God’s Word mean that we tell our counselees and parishioners to “take two Scriptures and call us in the morning”? Does it mean that life is so simple that it consists of a one-problem-one-verse-one-solution formula? No. Nor does it mean we make the Bible relevant. The Bible is relevant. We have to work hard to make it boring and irrelevant. We need to learn to use the Bible in relationally relevant ways.

Soul physicians do so by mastering the art of the trialogue. In a monologue, I talk to you, teach you, or preach to you. In a dialogue, the two of us converse back and forth. However, in a trialogue, you and I engage a third party in our interaction—the Holy Spirit by way of His inspired Word. “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20, KJV). Counseling is a powerful trialogue interaction about God’s Word between three people—a counselor, a counselee, and the Wonderful Counselor.

We take the specific issue the person is struggling against, and with them we explore together specific biblical passages and specific biblical principles that relate God’s truth to their life. In preaching (the pulpit ministry of the Word), we “bomb the shores.” It’s like a shotgun because we have to share in a monologue truth to 100s of different people. But in counseling (the personal ministry of the Word), we engage in “hand-to-hand combat.” It’s like a rifle because we can zero in with one person, talking back and forth about how our friend might apply various Scriptures and biblical principles to personal issues.

So What in Your Relationships? So What in Your Ministry?

So what? What difference should nourishing the hungry soul with God’s Word make? In how you live and in how you minister, what difference could it make if you:

*Feasted on and helped others to feast on God’s Word?

*Made truth and love kiss as you ministered to hurting and hardened people?

*Read and shared the Bible as the story of the battle for our hearts?

*Related God’s truth to human relationships through trialogues—personally relating truth to life?

The Rest of the Story

*Return tomorrow when we explore how to nourish the spiritual hunger of the soul.

*For the full story, feel free to visit: http://bit.ly/7vaE

Nourish the Hunger of the Soul

How to Care Like Christ
Part IV: Nourish the Hunger of the Soul

Blog Series Note: How to Care Like Christ equips lay people, pastors, and professional Christian counselors with the biblical knowledge and relational skills to change lives with Christ’s changeless truth.

Preventative Medicine—God’s Word (Matthew 4:4)

Doctoring the body does not begin with the treatment of illness, but with preventive maintenance of health. Knowing how to keep the body healthy requires that we understand what the body needs. What diet? What nutrients?

So it is with doctoring the soul. What does the soul need? What nutrients? Jesus reminds us in Matthew 4:4 that we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Our souls need the Bread of Life, the Word of Life. What are the implications of this for biblical counseling?

Feast on the Word of God: Coram Deo Sola Scriptura—Colossians 2:3-10; 2 Peter 1:3

We nourish the Word-hunger of our soul by feasting on the Word of God. Martin Luther called this living coram Deo sola scriptura: face-to-face with God by Scripture alone. Deo is Latin for God; coram is Latin for in the presence of, face-to-face with, sola means alone, and Scriptura is Scripture. Luther used this phrase to illustrate that we live and breathe with reference to God every second in every situation. Luther perceived all of life as a story of personal encounter with God, that the deepest questions in the human soul are God questions, and that we find our deepest answers in God’s Word.

Paul sends the same message when he insists that in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Therefore, we must not let anyone take us captive through worldly philosophy which depends on human reason instead of upon Christ (Colossians 2:3-10). Peter echoes Paul when he reminds us that in Christ we have all things that pertain unto life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). The Word of God is profound—it deeply addresses the real life issues of real people in a really messy world! That’s why biblical counselors join their spiritual friends in feasting on God’s Word for daily existence.

Make Truth and Love Kiss: Philippians 1:9-10; Ephesians 4:15; 1 Thessalonians 2:8

As we minister God’s Word to people’s suffering and sin, we must make truth and love kiss. We need to make Philippians 1:9-10 our spiritual friendship prayer. “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best.”

Love is not enough. Truth is not enough. Love and truth must kiss. When our love abounds in depth of insight, we are able to discern what is best for our lives and for the lives of our spiritual friends.

Paul is excited. It is as if he says, “I’m praying that your love very much exceedingly spills over!” The word he uses for “abound” relates to the word used for the abundance remaining after Christ fed the 5,000. It speaks of liberality, lavishness, overabundance, and spoiling. Don’t you want to spoil others with Christ’s love?

You can if you do it in full knowledge and depth of insight. “Full knowledge” pictures noticing attentively, discerning, fully perceiving, observing, and discovering. That’s what God calls soul physicians to do: diligently dig to uncover the buried treasure of truth contained in God’s Word.

“Depth of insight” suggests the experiential use of wisdom—knowledge applied to life. Don’t you long to share Christ’s changeless truth to change people’s lives?

The Rest of the Story

*Return tomorrow when we explore how to nourish the spiritual hunger of the soul.

*For the full story, feel free to visit: http://bit.ly/7vaE

Soul Physician's Desk Reference Manual

How to Care Like Christ
Part III: The Soul Physician’s Desk Reference (SPDR) Manual

Blog Series Note: How to Care Like Christ seeks to equip lay people, pastors, and professional Christian counselors with the biblical knowledge and relational skills to change lives with Christ’s changeless truth.

Two books are standard in any physician’s office: The Physician’s Desk Reference (PDR) and The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy (Merck). Both are considered “Bibles of medical knowledge and practice.”

With its 3,223 pages of prescription drugs, the annually updated PDR is the most comprehensive, widely used drug reference available. It details the usage, warnings, and precautions for more than 4,000 prescription drugs.

Merck is the most widely used medical text in the world. It provides the latest information on the vast expanse of human diseases, disorders, and injuries, as well as their symptoms and treatments. Intended for physicians, it is still useful for the layperson. As one sage has commented, “It is a must for everyone in a human body.”

If the PDR and Merck are the Old Testament and New Testament for physicians treating the body, then the Bible is God’s final, authoritative word for physicians treating the soul. It is the Soul Physician’s Desk Reference (SPDR) manual for dispensing grace. It’s “a must for anyone who is a soul.” God’s Word provides not only the latest, but also the eternal, enduring information on the soul’s design and disease, as well as its care and cure.

What do we discover as we read the pages of the Soul Physician’s Desk Reference (SPDR)? We learn what makes biblical counseling biblical. We learn our Great Physician’s authoritative truth about how to:

1. Nourish the Hunger of the Soul: Preventive Medicine—God’s Word
2. Know the Creator of the Soul: The Great Physician—The Trinity
3. Examine the Spiritual Anatomy of the Soul: People—Creation
4. Diagnose the Fallen Condition of the Soul: Problems—Fall
5. Prescribe God’s Cure for the Soul: Solutions—Redemption
6. Envision the Final Healing of the Soul: Home—Glorification
7. Dispense God’s Care for the Soul: Spiritual Friends—Sanctification

These seven biblical categories are essential for seeing the life of the soul through the lens of Scripture. We will examine them meticulously, as a med-school student examines the skeletal structure of the human body.

The Rest of the Story

*Return tomorrow when we explore how to nourish the spiritual hunger of the soul.

*For the full story, feel free to visit: http://bit.ly/7vaE

The False Seducer's Story

Soul Physicians: Chapter Six Review
The False Seducer’s Story

Note: This is a guest blog by Pastor Mark Kelly who is working his way through Soul Physicians section by section and blogging along the journey. Thanks Pastor Mark! Visit Mark’s excellent, informative blog at: http://gracedependent.com/. Posted on August 31.

This is a review of chapter 6 of Dr. Bob Kellemen’s Soul Physicians: A Theology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction.

Look in anyone’s photo album of their wedding day. There is no hint of upcoming disaster, affairs or illicit relationships. Rather there are broad smiles, couples enthralled with the beauty of their spouse…stars in their eyes, oblivious to those gathered to celebrate with them. What happens? Why is it that divorce rates are so high? Where did the commitment go? “How is anyone first lured into an affair?” (p.97)

How do we move from being captivated by the wonder of God to losing our love for Him?

In chapter 6, Dr. Kellemen describes the one that would seduce us and draw us away from our Worthy Groom. It is Satan, the once beautiful, glorious cherub, now accuser of man and destroyer of all that is good. It is in this chapter that Dr. K reveals the personality of our chief enemy:

*Diabolos is a Relational Being: The false seducer who allures others to divorce the Worthy Groom

1. “In our fallenness, we bear Satan’s image whenever we turn our backs on God, whenever we turn to anyone but God for ultimate satisfaction, whenever we worship anyone but God, whenever we choose to be self-sufficient, whenever we refuse to be needy” (p.98)

2. These are tough words to hear. They are even tougher to communicate in a loving way to those with whom we counsel. God will not give His glory to another. We are created to worship Him and bring Him glory.

*Diabolos is a Rational Being: The great deciever who blinds others to the Worthy Groom’s beauty and majesty

1. “In our fallenness, we bear Satan’s image whenever we choose to leave God out of the picture, whenever we choose to look at life with eyeballs only instead of looking at life with spiritual eyes – from God’s perspective. The essence of our rational sin is our refusal to maintain a biblical image of God” (p.98)

2. How easy it is to fall for Satan’s deceptions! We are constantly bombarded with the fact that we can’t trust God, that He does not have our best interest in mind – to believe that God’s glory is a myth.

*Diabolos is a Volitional Being: The man slayer who condemns to death the sons of Adam and the daughters of Eve

1. “In our fallenness, we bear Satan’s image whenever we bite and devour one another (Gal.5:15). We bear his image whenever our tongues bitterly attack others (James 3). Who are we destroying with our bitterness? Who are we condemning and shaming with our judgmental accusations?” (p.99)

2. Satan not only seeks to destroy us individually, but to use us in the destruction of others. He is labeled biblically as a lion, a dragon and an accuser of the brothers. How often we resemble him more than Christ!

*Diabolos is an Emotional Being: The desperate hater who despises others

1. “We bear Satan’s fallen image whenever we search for satisfaction in the temporal and the sensual. When we do, we enslave ourselves to constant addictive dissatisfaction that leads to a continual lust for more – endless cravings to grasp, take, hoard, and clutch. However, the more we grasp, the more we shrink”. (p.100)

2. Why do we settle for so much less than what God has for us? Where are we seeking satisfaction? Satan would have us seek gratification in the temporal, God would have us seek gratification in the eternal.

This chapter was a difficult one to review. I would much rather read of the glorious nature of God than to be reminded of the evil that seeks to destroy me…or face areas of life where I bear Satan’s image more than the image of Christ. We must remind one another of the Truth that is our defense, the Light that dispels darkness and the Grace which restores when we fail.

Preview Soul Physicians here: http://bit.ly/7vaE

How to Care Like Christ

How to Care Like Christ
Introduction: What to Do After the Hug

What do you do after the hug? Or, if you’re a guy, what do you do after the fist bump and the grunt!

Whether you’re a pastor in local church ministry or a lay person sipping coffee with a hurting friend at Starbucks or McDonalds, you know what I’m talking about. We can hug. We can care. We can sense our friend’s pain over ongoing suffering and their frustration over besetting sins. But sometimes we struggle, don’t we, to know what to do next? In fact, knowing what to do after the hug can feel like a maze, like we’re lost without a GPS.

That’s why we want to learn together what to do after the hug. We want to see how the Bible is our GPS: God’s Positioning System! We can learn how to use the Bible accurately, powerfully, and lovingly. We can learn how to speak the truth in love. We can learn how to change lives with Christ's changeless truth. We can learn how to care like Christ.

How do I know that we can? Because the Apostle Paul says so in Romans 15:14. Like him, I am convinced that you are full of goodness (Christlike character), complete in knowledge (biblical content), and competent to counsel (relational competency) one another (Christian community). Through How to Care Like Christ we will grow together in character, content, competency, and community.

In another letter to another group of struggling Christians, Paul provides our framework for people-helping. “I loved you so much that I gave you not only the Scripture but also my own soul because you were dear to me” (1 Thessalonians 2:8). Between saying he loves them and saying they were dear to him, Paul sandwiches Scripture and soul, truth and love. We wrap our purpose around these two themes: Scripture/truth and soul/love.

My Scripture/truth goal is to equip you to become a soul physician who offers your parishioners, your counselees, and your spiritual friends Christ-centered, comprehensive, compassionate, and culturally-informed biblical counseling and spiritual formation that changes their lives with Christ’s changeless truth.

The world says, “All we need is love.” They downplay any need for absolute truth. They dismiss any thought that we need God-inspired insight for living. And in our day, even the church minimizes truth. I had a church ask me, “Could you just breeze through this truth part and focus almost all your time on the practical how-to part?” As if God’s Word is impractical? We must learn to think like Christ—to change lives with Christ’s changeless truth.

My soul/love goal is to equip you to become a spiritual friend who cares like Christ as you offer others sustaining empathy, healing encouragement, reconciling enlightenment, and guiding empowerment. Some Christians say, “All you need is truth. Just preach the Word.” But God’s Word says we are to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). We must learn to love like Christ—to care like Christ.

Let the journey begin!

Soul Physicians Chapter Four Book Review

Soul Physicians: Chapter Four Review
Our Worthy Groom’s History

Note: This is a guest blog by Pastor Mark Kelly who is working his way through Soul Physicians section by section and blogging along the journey. Thanks Pastor Mark! Visit Mark’s excellent, informative blog at: http://gracedependent.com/. Posted on August 26.

Part 4 of an ongoing study of Dr. Bob Kellemen’s counseling resource: Soul Physicians: A Theology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction.

Chapter four begins a journey in which Dr. Kellemen introduces the reader to “the Creator of the Soul”. The journey takes us to the core of our thinking when we counsel. It challenges our most foundational thought processes.

Too often the counselor (biblical counselors included…myself included) become “solution-focused” counselors rather than large story counselors.

What does Dr. K mean by that? “All secular models of counseling reduce life to a set of principles and procedures designed to help counselees manage life better without God. All truly Christian models of counseling expand life to God’s eternal perspective, assisting counselees to realize they cannot live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God“ (p.59).

Kellemen proposes, and I agree, that Trinitarian theology presents the solution to our disjointed and deteriorating relationships. It does this by modeling the proper relationships for us. In order for us to totally grasp this, we must move in our counseling, not just to creation and the created purpose, but to what existed before creation. The Trinitarian relationship is what existed before creation existed.

To quote Dr. Bob, “…If we are going to learn spiritual friendship, then let’s look to the ultimate Spiritual Friend and the eternal Spiritual Friendship: the Trinity. The relationship within the Trinity models how we ought to relate. Father, Son and Holy Spirit demonstrate how love lives.”

Before God created…He related.

It begins to make sense then that as we use His word, our “relational manual”, and understand His communication to us on how relationships should exist – that we will then experience: “…engagement, enjoyment, playfulness, faith, hope, and love”. It would naturally follow that we would become “radically other-centered, totally unselfish” – just as He is. We should begin to ask in the midst of every circumstance, relationship and situation: “Where is God in all this?”

Kellemen ends each chapter with “Ministry Implications”, which I thoroughly enjoy because it puts feet to thought. Here are his implications from chapter 4:

*Expand life – Don’t settle for solution-focused counseling; be relationship-focused and character-driven, emphasizing internal and eternal issues

*Enter People – Cast off detailed “professionalism” and wade into people’s lives

*Enjoy People – Lovingly approach your fellow “image bearers” and take delight in them

*Emphasize God – Where is God is all this? Where do you see His sovereign hand? How is He conforming you into the image of His Son through what you are experiencing?

Preview Soul Physicians here: http://bit.ly/7vaE

Guest Blog: Mark Kelly on Soul Physicians, Part 3

Soul Physicians: God’s Passionate Romance Novel (pt.3)

Note: This is a guest blog by Pastor Mark Kelly who is working his way through Soul Physicians section by section and blogging along the journey. Thanks Pastor Mark! Visit Mark’s excellent, informative blog at: http://gracedependent.com/

Posted on August 25, 2009 by gracedependent

This is part three of an ongoing reading / studying of Dr. Robert Kellemen’s counseling resource: Soul Physicians: A Theology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction

I’ve heard it stated this way before and was interested to see what Dr. Kellemen’s take on it would be: “God’s Word…is His love letter to you.” It is in Scripture that we find, not only that we are part of a Heroic Grand Adventure but, we are smack in the middle of a passionate romance novel. God is love – we know that; but how does that impact me on the morning that I get a pink slip at work, the doctor reveals that the dark spot on the lung indeed is cancerous, or I find myself choosing again to sin in a destructive manner? What are the things that pull at my mind and heart during these times? How can I make sense of it all? Does Scripture speak to any of that…and is God really loving if He allows all this?

Dr. K makes an incredible statement in this chapter: “For the Bible to make a difference in our lives, we need to understand the difference the Bible intends to make. The Bible is God’s love letter designed to melt our adulterous hearts.” When we truly live a life that is impacted by God’s love, we live dying to self and living for God and others. (All part of those “love” commandments that Jesus referred to). And the only way we can do that is through the grace found in Jesus Christ. We constantly make choices of “lovers” in our life: will I love Christ or will I be seduced by Satan?

As we journey through struggles and sins, Satan bombards us with fallacies, such as: “Doubt God/Trust Yourself” which leads to “Doubt God/Hate Yourself” and finally “Doubt God/Beautify Yourself”. These are expounded in this chapter – a must read.

Christ battles these fallacies and provides the ultimate “antidote” to these wrong ways of thinking through faith and hope. Faith destroys mistrust and Hope vanquishes condemnation.

It is through the pages of Scripture that we see the hope for ourselves and others as we “…understand that justification is [our] current standing before the Father, that sanctification is [our] ongoing promise by the Spirit, and that glorification is [our] future guarantee in Christ.

In the upcoming chapters (4-7) we’ll see how Dr. K describes “Knowing the Creator of the Soul: The Great Physician – the Trinity”. If you have not yet picked up a copy of Soul Physicians, please visit RPM Ministries today.

Preview here: http://bit.ly/7vaE

Mark Kelly Reviews Soul Physicians

Mark Kelly Reviews Soul Physicians: Chapter One

Mark Kelly blogs at Grace Dependent at: http://gracedependent.com/

He has started a series of post going through each chapter of Soul Physicians.

You can find his first post here: http://bit.ly/rqA3a which I have copied below.

Soul Physicians: A Theology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction (pt.1)
Posted on August 20, 2009 by gracedependent

I received recently a wonderful package that I would encourage any pastor, counselor or lay leader to invest in.

Dr. Robert Kellemen has four books that I think will be key in anyone’s counseling ministry: Soul Physicians, Spiritual Friends, Beyond the Suffering and Sacred Friendships.

I am just now reading Soul Physicians and would like to blog my notes or items of interest from each chapter. Below you will find points of interest from chapter 1. (they may appear quite random apart from the context in which they are found)

Chapter One: The Soul Physician’s Desk Reference Manual:

*God’s Word is the “Soul Physician’s Desk Reference Manual”. We use it to “nourish hungry souls”. In it God tells His story, describing life as a war and a wedding:

*Life is a war in that God has called us to die daily.

*Life is a wedding in that Christ has called us to love intimately.

*As “soul physicians”, we must master 3 “core counselor competencies” in using the Bible:

*Trialogues – the counselor, counselee and the Holy Spirit interact via God’s Word

*Spiritual Conversations – the counselor and counselee explore how biblical principles relate to daily life

*Scriptural Explorations – the counselor and counselee explore the relevance and application of specific passages

*The quote below impacted me in a great way:

“At times we mistakenly counsel Christians as if they were non-Christians. We view our clients or parishoners only through the lens of depravity. This is like a heart surgeon transplanting a perfectly healthy heart into her patient, but then treating the patient as if he still has the old heart in his chest. We are new creations with a new nature: regeneration and redemption. God has implanted a new heart into the core of our being with new power to live godly lives. We have a new nuture: reconciliation and justification. Christ provides a new relationship of complete acceptance with God and freedom from condemnation. We are cleansed and forgiven.” (p.21)

*Every non-biological problem is a grace-deficiency problem.

Interesting thought there!

*Soul Care: The evils we have suffered

Sustaining: “It’s normal to hurt”
Healing: “It’s possible to hope”

*Spiritual Direction: The sins we have committed

Reconciling: “It’s horrible to sin, but wonderful to be forgiven”
Guiding: “It’s supernatural to Mature”

*Load the conscience with guilt and lighten the conscience with grace.

Something to remember when counseling – especially self-counsel.

There were a great number of things to take note of while reading just this first chapter. I urge Biblical Counselors everywhere to invest in these resources.

Be Equipped to Change Lives

Be Equipped to Change Lives: How to Care Like Christ

I know you are committed to changing lives. I know you care deeply for people and want to care like Christ.

I also realize that sometimes it is difficult to find relevant resources that equip you to change lives with Christ’s changeless truth.

That’s why I want to introduce you to five books that all share the same passion: to provide Christ-centered, comprehensive, compassionate, and culturally-informed ministry equipping to empower you to care like Christ.

Soul Physicians: A Theology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction

Soul Physicians equips you to understand people, diagnose problems, and prescribe solutions—biblically! It empowers you to apply God’s Word to your own life so you grow in grace. It’s a comprehensive training manual for one another ministry and for growth in Christlikeness.

Its two built-in discussion guides—one for personal application and one for ministry implications—make Soul Physicians perfect for individual and group work.

Join the growing number of lay people, pastors, professional Christian counselors, and students who are using Soul Physicians as their twenty-first century manual for understanding people and ministering to them God’s way. Change lives with Christ’s changeless truth.

*To read a boatload of testimonies about the power of Soul Physicians, please visit: http://bit.ly/1SszRo

*To read a sample chapter of Soul Physicians, please visit: http://bit.ly/3yNUGf

*To order your copy of Soul Physicians at 40% off, please visit: http://bit.ly/3WsKoX

Spiritual Friends: A Methodology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction

Spiritual Friends equips you to relate Christ’s truth to human relationships—yours and others. It’s a biblically-relevant training manual and a relational practical workbook with thousands of illustrative interactions and hundreds of skill-building exercises.

Its built-in discussion guide—with role-plays, vignettes, life applications, and ministry implications—makes Spiritual Friends perfect for individual and group work.

Join the growing number of church small groups, church lay counseling training ministries, pastors, professional Christian counselors, and students who are using Spiritual Friends as their twenty-first century manual for people helping. Care like Christ.

*To read a boatload of testimonies about the power of Spiritual Friends, please visit: http://bit.ly/LvKul

*To read a sample chapter of Spiritual Friends, please visit: http://bit.ly/17vtyd

*To order your copy of Spiritual Friends at 40% off, please visit: http://bit.ly/JiOR5

Beyond the Suffering:
Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction

Do you long to learn from African American heroes of the faith how God uses suffering to move His people to a place of healing hope? Beyond the Suffering equips Christians of all races to be empowered by the heroes of Black Church to minister God’s healing hope to one another.

Its built-in discussion guide makes Beyond the Suffering ideal for celebrating the legacy of African American Christianity. Its amazing narratives are a gift to African Americans—validating their tremendous contribution to Christianity. Its powerful vignettes are a gift from African Americans—teaching all of us how to be powerful spiritual friends.

Join the growing number of individuals of all races, of churches of all races, of church small groups and Sunday School classes, of college and graduate school campuses, and of para-church groups using Beyond the Suffering as their twenty-first century manual for culturally-informed people helping. Build bridges of spiritual reconciliation.

*To read a boatload of testimonies, to read the Foreword by Dr. Tony Evans, to view the PowerPoint overview, and much more about Beyond the Suffering, please visit: http://bit.ly/XvsTu

*To read a sample chapter of Beyond the Suffering, please visit: http://bit.ly/MgQrB

*To order your copy of Beyond the Suffering at 40% off for just $9.99, please visit: http://bit.ly/WarAa

Sacred Friendships:
Celebrating the Legacy of Women Heroes of the Faith

Do you long to learn from godly women of the faith how to be a powerful spiritual friend? Sacred Friendships equips men and women to be Christlike mentors, coaches, ministers, and people helpers.

Its built-in discussion guide makes Sacred Friendships ideal for celebrating the legacy of women heroes of the faith. Its amazing narratives are a gift to women—giving voice to the voiceless. Its powerful vignettes are a gift from women—teaching men and women how to sustain, heal, reconcile, and guide one another for Christ’s glory.

Join the growing number of men and women, churches, Sunday School classes, church small groups, college and graduate school campuses, and para-church groups using Sacred Friendships as their twenty-first century manual for compassionate people helping. Learn from the great cloud of female Christian witnesses.

*To read a boatload of testimonies about the power of Sacred Friendships, please visit: http://bit.ly/6frbF

*To read a sample chapter of Sacred Friendships, please visit: http://bit.ly/1S1haj

*To order your copy of Sacred Friendships at 40% off, please visit: http://bit.ly/MG1l5

God’s Healing for Life’s Losses:
How to Find Hope When You’re Hurting

Have you experienced a loss and do you long to find God’s hope in your grief? Do you desire to minister God’s healing to your grieving friends? Then discover God’s healing for life’s losses.

God’s Healing for Life’s Losses equips you to apply eight scriptural stages in your response to life’s losses—helping you to find hope when you’re hurting. It also empowers you to minister healing hope to others so that they can face suffering face-to-face with God.

Its two built-in grief guides—one for your grief journal and one for your grief journey—make God’s Healing for Life’s Losses perfect for individual and group grief work.

Join the growing number of lay people, pastors, professional Christian counselors, recovery groups, grief groups, church small groups, Sunday School classes, and college and graduate school students using God’s Healing for Life’s Losses as their twenty-first century manual for Christian grief recovery. Find hope when you’re hurting.

*To read Pastor Steve Viars’ Foreword to God’s Healing for Life’s Losses, please visit: http://bit.ly/155J4r

*God’s Healing for Life’s Losses will be released in 2010. A sample chapter will be posted at that time at www.rpmministries.org

*When God’s Healing for Life’s Losses is released, you will be able to order it online at sale pricing at: www.rpmministries.org

Stimulate Your Soul with the RPM Stimulus Package

We have “bundled” our first four books in three combinations to offer you additional savings and additional resources.

The Biblical Counselor’s Library

Together, Soul Physicians and Spiritual Friends offer a unique Christ-centered, comprehensive, compassionate, and culturally-informed approach to biblical counseling and spiritual formation.

Purchase Soul Physicians and Spiritual Friends together, and save more—45% off. To order them together, please visit: http://bit.ly/3WsKoX

The Voice for the Voiceless Library

Together, Beyond the Suffering and Sacred Friendships offer a rarely heard multi-cultural and feminine perspective on one another ministry.

Purchase Beyond the Suffering and Sacred Friendships together, and save more—45% off. To order them together, please visit: http://bit.ly/MG1l5

The Soul Care and Spiritual Direction Library

Together, Soul Physicians, Spiritual Friends, Beyond the Suffering, and Sacred Friendships provide a Christ-centered, comprehensive, compassionate, and culturally-informed theology, methodology, and history of soul care and spiritual direction.

Purchase Soul Physicians, Spiritual Friends, Beyond the Suffering, and Sacred Friendships together, and save more—45% off. To order all four books together, please visit: http://bit.ly/JiOR5

Free from Accusation

Who I Am To Christ, Part Five—Free from Accusation

Christ-Esteem: The world talks about “self-esteem.” But God’s Word teaches us about “Christ-esteem”—how God views us, sees us, accepts us, and loves us through Christ. Knowing how God relates to us because of our relationship to Christ is vital to glorifying God, defeating the lies of Satan, and ministering powerfully.

Note: Excerpted from Soul Physicians: http://bit.ly/7vaE

As you read the following summaries:

*Meditate on the verses and on the truth they share about you.

*Reject the lies of Satan about how God views you.

*Thank God for who you are to Christ.

*Select one verse/truth per day and specifically apply it to your life and relationships.

My Relationship to God through Christ

Colossians 1:21-22—Once alienated from God, Christ has reconciled me to God.

Colossians 1:22—I am free from accusation.

Colossians 3:12—I am one of God’s chosen people.

Colossians 3:12—I am dearly loved by Christ.

Colossians 3:13—I am forgiven by Christ.

1 Thessalonians 1:4; 2 Thessalonians 2:13—Together with all the saints, we are brothers and sisters loved by God.

1 Thessalonians 1:4—I am chosen by God.

2 Thessalonians 2:13—I was chosen to be saved.

2 Thessalonians 2:16—I am loved by God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 2:12—Together with all believers, Christ calls me, “My brothers.”

Hebrews 3:1—Together with all believers, I am a holy brother/sister.

Hebrews 4:16—I may approach the throne of grace with confidence.

Hebrews 7:19—I have been drawn near to God.

Hebrews 8:12—The Father has forgiven my wickedness and remembers my sin no more.

Hebrews 9:6-14—I have a cleansed conscience: shalom.

Hebrews 9:15—I am guaranteed an eternal inheritance in Father’s forever family.

Hebrews 9:26—My sins have been done away with forever.

Hebrews 10:2—I no longer have to feel guilty because I am cleansed once for all.

Hebrews 10:17—My sins and lawless acts God remembers no more.

Hebrews 10:19—I have confidence to enter the most holy place of God’s holy presence.

Hebrews 10:22—I can draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance, having been cleansed of a guilty conscience.

1 Peter 2:6—I will never be put to shame.

1 Peter 3:18—Christ has brought me face-to-face with God.

1 Peter 3:21—I have a good, clear conscience before God.

1 John 3:1—God has lavished His love upon me.

1 John 3:1—How great is the love of God that He has called me, together with all Christians, “Children of God.”

1 John 3:16—Christ loved me so much that He laid down His life for me.

1 John 4:9-11—The Father showed His love for me by sending His Son to die for me.

1 John 4:17-18; 5:14—I have full confidence in approaching God’s presence.

Revelation 1:5—I am loved by Christ.

Revelation 19:7—Together with all believers, I am the Bride of Christ.

Note: Excerpted from Soul Physicians: http://bit.ly/7vaE

One With Christ

Who I Am To Christ, Part Four—One With Christ

Christ-Esteem: The world talks about “self-esteem.” But God’s Word teaches us about “Christ-esteem”—how God views us, sees us, accepts us, and loves us through Christ. Knowing how God relates to us because of our relationship to Christ is vital to glorifying God, defeating the lies of Satan, and ministering powerfully.

Note: Excerpted from Soul Physicians: http://bit.ly/7vaE

As you read the following summaries:

*Meditate on the verses and on the truth they share about you.

*Reject the lies of Satan about how God views you.

*Thank God for who you are to Christ.

*Select one verse/truth per day and specifically apply it to your life and relationships.

My Relationship to God through Christ

Ephesians 1:4-6—I am accepted in the beloved.

Ephesians 1:5—I was predestined to be adopted as God’s son.

Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14—I am forgiven and redeemed.

Ephesians 1:13—I have been included in Christ.

Ephesians 1:13—I have been marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 1:14—I am God’s precious, treasured possession.

Ephesians 2:10—I am God’s poem, opus, epic, masterpiece.

Ephesians 2:13—Once far away, Christ has brought me near to God.

Ephesians 2:19—Together with all believers, I am a fellow citizen of God’s kingdom.

Ephesians 2:19—Together with all believers, I am a member of God’s family.

Ephesians 2:22—I am a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Ephesians 3:6; 4:25; 5:30—Together with all the saints, I am a member of Christ’s body.

Ephesians 3:6—Together with all the saints, I share in the promise of Christ.

Ephesians 3:12—I may approach God with freedom and confidence.

Ephesians 3:18—God’s love for me is wider than east and west, longer than north and south, higher than the stars, and deeper than the galaxy.

Ephesians 3:19—I am filled with the fullness of God.

Ephesians 4:12—Together with all God’s children, I claim the title, “God’s people.”

Ephesians 4:30—I am sealed by the Holy Spirit for the day of final redemption.

Ephesians 5:1—I am a dearly loved child of God.

Ephesians 5:2—Christ loves me.

Ephesians 5:25—Together with all Christians, I am the Church, loved so much by Christ that he died for me.

Ephesians 5:29—Christ nourishes me.

Ephesians 5:29—Christ cherishes me.

Ephesians 5:31-32—Together with all the saints, I am one with Christ.

Note: Excerpted from Soul Physicians: http://bit.ly/7vaE

A Child of Promise

Who I Am To Christ, Part Three—A Child of Promise

Christ-Esteem: The world talks about “self-esteem.” But God’s Word teaches us about “Christ-esteem”—how God views us, sees us, accepts us, and loves us through Christ. Knowing how God relates to us because of our relationship to Christ is vital to glorifying God, defeating the lies of Satan, and ministering powerfully.

Note: Excerpted from Soul Physicians: http://bit.ly/7vaE

As you read the following summaries:

*Meditate on the verses and on the truth they share about you.

*Reject the lies of Satan about how God views you.

*Thank God for who you are to Christ.

*Select one verse/truth per day and specifically apply it to your life and relationships.

My Relationship to God through Christ

1 Corinthians 1:9-10—I am called into intimate fellowship with the Son.

1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 4:12; 5:23—Together with all the saints, I am the Body of Christ.

2 Corinthians 1:22—I am sealed by the Spirit, secure in Father’s forever love.

2 Corinthians 5:5; Ephesians 1:14—I am indwelt by the Holy Spirit, guaranteed my eternal inheritance as a member of God’s family.

2 Corinthians 5:18-19—I am reconciled to the Father by the Son and my sins will never be counted against me.

2 Corinthians 6:18—The Father says of me, “You will be my sons and daughters.”

2 Corinthians 11:2—Together with God’s people, I am espoused to Christ as His pure virgin bride.

Galatians 3:26; Galatians 4:6-7—I am an adult son/daughter of God.

Galatians 3:27—I am baptized into Christ.

Galatians 3:27—I am clothed with Christ.

Galatians 3:28—Together with all believers, we are one in Christ.

Galatians 3:29—I belong to Christ.

Galatians 3:29—I am an heir of promise.

Galatians 4:5—I have received the full rights of an adult son/daughter of God.

Galatians 4:7, 31—I am no longer a slave, but a son or daughter.

Galatians 4:28—I am a child of promise.

Note: Excerpted from Soul Physicians: http://bit.ly/7vaE

Download Hundreds of Verses on Who You Are In Christ

Who I Am In Christ, Part Ten

Note: Excerpted from Soul Physicians: http://bit.ly/7vaE

Knowing our identity in Christ is vital to glorifying God, defeating the lies of Satan, and ministering powerfully.

Download for Free the Entire Series of Verses

If you’ve enjoyed and benefited from our posts on Who I Am In Christ, then here’s a special gift for you. Go here for a free download of every verse from the entire series: http://bit.ly/eqNQ

Coming Soon to a Blog Near You!

You’ll also enjoy and be empowered by our next series of posts on Who I Am To Christ.

Here’s how these two sets of verses and spiritual principles are related:

1. Who I Am IN Christ: This is our position in Christ. It relates to our being saints. These verses focus on our regeneration—our new nature in Christ.

2. Who I Am TO Christ: This is our relationship to Christ. It relates to our being sons and daughters of the King. These verses focus on our reconciliation—our new family.

The Original Source: Soul Physicians

If you want to learn boatloads more about how to apply these spiritual principles to your life and ministry, then check out Soul Physicians, the original source. Soul Physicians empowers believers to grow in grace. Soul Physicians equips believers to help one another to become more like Christ. Check out free resources about Soul Physicians here: http://bit.ly/7vaE

I Have Overcome the World

Who I Am In Christ, Part Nine

Note: Excerpted from Soul Physicians: http://bit.ly/7vaE

Note: Knowing our identity in Christ is vital to glorifying God, defeating the lies of Satan, and ministering powerfully. As you read the following summaries:

*Meditate on the associated verses and on the truth they share about you.

*Reject the lies of Satan about your identity.

*Thank God for who you are in Christ.

*Select one verse/truth per day and specifically apply it to your life and relationships.

My Identity in Christ

2 Peter 1:3—God’s Divine power has given me everything I need for life and godliness.

2 Peter 1:4—Through God’s great and precious promises I participate in the Divine nature.

2 Peter 1:4—Through God’s great and precious promises I have escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

1 John 2:20—I have an anointing from the Holy One and I know the truth.

1 John 4:4—I have overcome the world, the flesh, and the Devil because greater is He who is in me, than he who is in the world.

1 John 4:4, 6—I am from God.

1 John 4:7; 5:1—I am born of God.

1 John 5:4-5—Born of God, I overcome the world by faith in Christ.

Jude 24—I stand before God’s glorious presence without fault and with great joy.

Revelation 1:5—I am freed from my sins by Christ’s blood.

Revelation 1:6—God has made me, together with all the saints, a kingdom of priests.

Revelation 19:7-8, 14—Along with all the saints, I am the pure Bride of Christ, clean, white, and righteous.

Note: Excerpted from Soul Physicians: http://bit.ly/7vaE

Stimulate Your Soul with the RPM Stimulus Package!

Stimulate Your Soul with the RPM Stimulus Package!

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For the first time ever, I am able to "bundle" my books together for PayPal online credit card orders.

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Be empowered by these two books as you learn from African Americans and from women how to provide spiritual friendship to those you love.

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Be equipped to change lives with Christ's changeless truth with these two biblical counseling training manuals.

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Blameless in Christ!

Who I Am In Christ, Part Eight

Note: Excerpted from Soul Physicians: http://bit.ly/7vaE

Note: Knowing our identity in Christ is vital to glorifying God, defeating the lies of Satan, and ministering powerfully. As you read the following summaries:

*Meditate on the associated verses and on the truth they share about you.

*Reject the lies of Satan about your identity.

*Thank God for who you are in Christ.

*Select one verse/truth per day and specifically apply it to your life and relationships.

My Identity in Christ

1 Thessalonians 3:13—I am blameless and holy before God’s presence.

1 Thessalonians 5:23—God is sanctifying me through and through.

1 Thessalonians 5:23—God keeps my whole spirit, soul, and body blameless.

2 Thessalonians 2:14—I am called to share in the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Timothy 1:7—God placed within me His spirit of power, love, and wisdom.

2 Timothy 2:3-4—I am a good soldier in Jesus Christ.

2 Timothy 2:5—I am a victorious athlete in Jesus Christ.

2 Timothy 2:6—I am a disciplined, hard working farmer in Jesus Christ.

Titus 3:5—I am saved, washed, re-birthed, and renewed in Christ and by the Spirit.

Hebrews 1:3—I am purified from sin in and by Christ.

Hebrews 2:10—I am brought to glory in and by Christ.

Hebrews 2:11—I am made holy in and by Christ.

Hebrews 7:25—I am saved completely.

Hebrews 8:10; 10:16—God’s law is in my mind, written on my heart.

Hebrews 9:12—I have eternal redemption in Christ.

Hebrews 9:14—My conscience is cleansed in Christ.

Hebrews 9:15—I am set free from sin in Christ.

Hebrews 9:26-27—My sins are done away with and taken away in and by Christ.

Hebrews 10:2—I am cleansed once for all, guiltless in Christ.

Hebrews 10:10—I have been made holy once for all by Christ’s sacrifice.

Hebrews 10:14—I have been made perfect forever in and by Christ.

Hebrews 10:22—I am cleansed and washed in Christ.

1 Peter 1:3—I am born again, given new birth in Christ.

1 Peter 1:18-19—I am redeemed from my old empty way of life by Christ’s precious blood.

1 Peter 1:22—I am purified by faith in Christ.

1 Peter 1:23—I have been born again of imperishable seed.

1 Peter 2:5—I am a living stone, being built into a spiritual house.

1 Peter 2:5—Along with all the saints, I am a holy priesthood.

1 Peter 2:9—Along with all the saints, I am a chosen people.

1 Peter 2:9—Along with all the saints, I am a member of a royal priesthood.

1 Peter 2:9—Along with all the saints, I am a citizen of a holy nation.

1 Peter 2:9-10—Along with all the saints, I am a people belonging to God.

1 Peter 2:9—I am called out of darkness into Christ’s wonderful light.

Note: Excerpted from Soul Physicians: http://bit.ly/7vaE

Holy in Christ

Who I Am In Christ, Part Six

Note: Excerpted from Soul Physicians: http://tinyurl.com/d8grf6

Note: Knowing our identity in Christ is vital to glorifying God, defeating the lies of Satan, and ministering powerfully. As you read the following summaries:

*Meditate on the associated verses and on the truth they share about you.

*Reject the lies of Satan about your identity.

*Thank God for who you are in Christ.

*Select one verse/truth per day and specifically apply it to your life and relationships.

My Identity in Christ

Ephesians 1:1—I am faithful in Christ.

Ephesians 1:4—I am holy in Christ.

Ephesians 1:4—I am blameless in Christ.

Ephesians 1:17-19—I have God’s resurrection power actively working in me.

Ephesians 2:5—I am alive with Christ.

Ephesians 2:5, 8—I am saved by grace in Christ.

Ephesians 2:6—I have been raised up with Christ.

Ephesians 2:6—I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms.

Ephesians 2:10—I am Christ’s workmanship, His opus, His poem, His masterpiece.

Ephesians 2:10—I was prepared in advance in Christ Jesus to do good works.

Ephesians 2:15—Together with all the saints, I am a new person in Christ.

Ephesians 2:21—Along with all the saints, I am God’s holy temple.

Ephesians 2:22—I am a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.

Ephesians 3:16—I am strengthened with power through God’s Spirit.

Ephesians 3:17—Christ dwells in my heart.

Ephesians 3:17—I am rooted and established in love.

Ephesians 3:18—I have power to grasp God’s great love for me in Christ.

Ephesians 3:19—I am filled to the measure of all the fullness of God in Christ.

Ephesians 3:20—Christ’s immeasurable resurrection power is at work within me.

Ephesians 4:13—I am maturing to the full measure of the fullness of Christ.

Ephesians 4:22—My old self is put off in Christ.

Ephesians 4:23—I have been made new in the attitude of my mind in Christ.

Ephesians 4:24—My new self is put on in Christ.

Ephesians 4:24—I am created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 5:8—I am now light in the Lord.

Ephesians 5:9—The fruit of my life is goodness, righteousness, and truth.

Ephesians 5:26—I am cleansed in Christ

Ephesians 5:26—I am washed in Christ.

Ephesians 5:27—Together with the Bride of Christ, I am presentable, radiant, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless in Christ.

Note: Excerpted from Soul Physicians: http://tinyurl.com/d8grf6

An Incredible Contribution to the Body of Christ

US Army Chaplain Donald W. Eubank’s Review of
Soul Physicians
“An Incredible Contribution to the Body of Christ”

Dr. Robert Kellemen's “Soul Physicians” is an incredible contribution to the Body of Christ—especially for pastors, counselors, and spiritual directors who seek to base their counsel and ministry on the Word of God. With so much of the published material on soul-care and self-care based upon clinical models and performance/activism based recovery and living, it is refreshing to find a thorough model based upon a Biblical-Trinitarian understanding of the Word of God.

Especially helpful are the study questions at the end of each chapter, providing the pastor, student, counselor, reader the opportunity to reflect upon and apply what is being learned. Dr. Kellemen takes his reader into an honest, thorough, and loving examination of the truth of God's Word that stands against all the secular, narcissistic and self-critical voices that tear down believers.

With great compassion, the pastor-student-spiritual leader, reader is brought to the Cross of Christ and given the tools to believe the only voice that matters, the only truth that matters: His Voice, His Word.

I have personally benefited greatly from Dr. Kellemen's work, and am incorporating this model of Sustaining, Healing, Reconciling and Guiding into my preaching, teaching, counseling, graduate studies, and writing. Most of all, I am growing in God's grace, and believing in His great love, forgiveness, and healing work in my own heart.

I strongly recommend this book, and the companion study, “Spiritual Friends,” for all who seek to encourage other believers—especially pastors and Christian counselors.

Please feel free to contact me at

dweubank@gmail.com.

In Christian Service and Ministry,

Donald W. Eubank, US Army Chaplain

*To Learn More about Soul Physicians: http://tinyurl.com/d8grf6

*To Order Soul Physicians: http://tinyurl.com/d96hc6

*Read a Sample Chapter of Soul Physicians: http://tinyurl.com/npfwsh

*View the Review on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/lzs6ne

Why Some Biblical Counseling Is Only Half Biblical, Part Four

Why Some Biblical Counseling Is Only Half Biblical!
Part Four: The Great Cloud of Biblical Counseling Witnesses

*Note: If you’re disappointed that I’m saying that some biblical counseling is only half biblical, then please read my comments at the end of this post.

My Premise

Some modern biblical counseling considers the seriousness of sin—sinning, but spends much less time equipping people to minister to the gravity of grinding affliction—suffering. When we provide counseling for sin, but fail to provide counseling and counselor training for suffering, then such biblical counseling is only half biblical.

The Great Cloud of Biblical Counseling Witnesses

The Bible exhorts us to honor and learn from those who have gone before us:

“Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you” (Deuteronomy 32:7).

“Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for yours souls” (Jeremiah 6:16a).

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1).

So, how did the great cloud of biblical counseling witnesses in Church history deal with suffering? Well, for the detailed answer, please refer to:

Soul Physicians (http://tinyurl.com/d96hc6),

Spiritual Friends (http://tinyurl.com/qh5tj4),

Beyond the Suffering (http://tinyurl.com/cm96x6),

Martin Luther’s Pastoral Counseling (http://tinyurl.com/ovw588),

Sacred Friendships (http://tinyurl.com/ql8fqc).

The Readers’ Digest Version

As Church historians have probed the history of personal ministry, they have categorized all “people-ministry” using the four tasks of sustaining and healing for suffering, and reconciling and guiding for sinning. Though different terms were used in different eras, these historians have found consistent categories, definitions, and descriptions. Historically, comprehensive biblical care of people always involved the twin functions of soul care for suffering and spiritual direction for sinning through the four ministries of sustaining, healing, reconciling, and guiding.

John McNeil’s A History of the Cure of Souls traces the art of soul care throughout Church history and shows that Christians always provided ministry for suffering and sin.

“Lying deep in the experience and culture of the early Christian communities are the closely related practices of mutual edification and fraternal correction.”

Speaking of the Apostle Paul, McNeil notes:

“In such passages we cannot fail to see the Apostle’s design to create an atmosphere in which the intimate exchange of spiritual help, the mutual guidance of souls, would be a normal feature of Christian behavior.”

Throughout his historical survey, McNeil explains that mutual edification involves soul care through the provision of sustaining (consolation, support, and comfort) and healing (encouragement and enlightenment) for suffering. Fraternal correction includes spiritual direction through the provision of reconciling (discipline, confession, and forgiveness) and guiding (direction and counsel) for sinning.

Historians of soul care, Clebsch and Jaekle, found that pastoral care has historically involved “helping acts, done by representative Christian persons, directed toward the healing, sustaining, guiding, and reconciling of troubled persons whose troubles arise in the context of ultimate meanings and concerns” (Clebsch and Jaekle, Pastoral Care in Historical Perspective, p. 4).

How extensive has the twin ministries of soul care for suffering and spiritual direction for sinning been?

“The Christian ministry of the cure of souls, or pastoral care, has been exercised on innumerable occasions and in every conceivable human circumstance, as it has aimed to relieve a plethora of perplexities besetting persons of every class and condition and mentality. Pastors rude and barely plucked from paganism, pastors sophisticated in the theory and practice of their profession, and pastors at every stage of adeptness between these extremes, have sought and wrought to help troubled people overcome their troubles. To view pastoral care in historical perspective is to survey a vast endeavor, to appreciate a noble profession, and to receive a grand tradition” (Clebsch and Jaekle, p. 1).

Have we in the biblical counseling movement received or ignored this grand tradition of biblical counseling both for suffering and for sin?

Where Do We Go from Here?

Tomorrow, I’ll address the question, “What might it look like to train pastors and lay people to be soul physicians and spiritual friends who deal with both suffering and sin?”

*Note: Why I Am Addressing This Topic

All who have followed my ministry know that I am a bridge-builder and not a wall-builder. You might wonder then, “Bob, why blog about something that is surely to be controversial?”

Those who follow my ministry also know that I equip God’s people to change lives with Christ’s changeless truth through comprehensive, compassionate, and culturally-informed biblical counseling and spiritual formation.

Biblical counseling that fails to deal with suffering, fails the test of comprehensive, compassionate, and culturally-informed biblical counseling. I would be a hypocrite to my calling if I remained silent.

Others might wonder, “Are you talking about a particular ‘model’ of modern biblical counseling, or about a particular person or persons who are writing today?”

No. I am not. This is not an attack against. These blogs are not directed toward any one person or group.

These blogs are directed to all of us—myself included—who love biblical counseling. They are for all of us—myself included—who need good Bereans to help us to assess how biblical or unbiblical our approaches to biblical counseling truly are. I write to help, not to hurt. I write to equip, not to attack. I write to start a conversation, not to finish one.

Please join the conversation.