The Church: Here and now and There and Then.

In 2 Thessalonians 1:1, there are 2 prepositions: “to” and “in.” "To" connects to the recipients, a local earthly identity; and "in" defines their spiritual identity, placing them in union with God rather than just physical location. The assertion that a local congregation is a spiritual institution—more than a human social club but still a real, earthly community—carries profound implications for how evangelicals view its authority, purpose, and daily life. It suggests that while the Church exists in the "here and now," it also connected to "there and then" spiritual identity. It is “visible” yet “invisible.”

The visible Church and the invisible Church are distinct and should not be confused; yet they should not be separated. In the present, one does not exist without the other; and one should not be considered without the other. When we gather as a local entity (1 Corinthians 11:18a) we also gather as “the assembly of the firstborn” (Hebrews 12:22-23).

Because the Church is a spiritual institution, its authority does not come from a democratic majority or human autonomy, but from the Word of God.

Because the Church exists in union in Christ there is a unique social order, not dictated by human constructs but by Biblical order and definition.

Because the Church is not less than a human institution; it suffers from human frailty, sin, and organizational needs that find their solution in the "spiritual house" that orders and transcends these.

Because the Church is human and heavenly at the same time, it is impossible to be logically loyal to one without the other.

 

Where Does the Christian Receive Psychē Counselling?

Where do we seek help for matters of the soul? Or perhaps a better question at this point is, “What are matters of the soul?”  I submit there are at least 7[1]:

1.      Heart motives and desires — What do you love most? (idolatry vs. worship of God; disordered affections, cravings, lusts of the flesh—see 1 John 2:15-17; James 4:1-3; Ezekiel 14:1-8).

2.      Thoughts and beliefs — Unbelief, lies we tell ourselves, faulty thinking patterns (Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 10:5; Ephesians 4:17-24).

3.      Emotions/affections — Anxiety/worry (unbelief—Matthew 6:25-34; Philippians 4:6-7), anger (bitterness, unforgiveness—Ephesians 4:31-32), fear, guilt, shame, despair, or joyless living.

4.      Will and behaviors — Sinful actions and habits that flow from the heart (e.g., lying, stealing, sexual immorality, laziness, addiction-like patterns—Galatians 5:19-21; Colossians 3:5-10).

5.      Relational sins — Pride, selfishness, manipulation, lack of love, unforgiveness, or idolatry of people/approval (Philippians 2:3-8; Ephesians 4:25-5:2).

6.      Responses to suffering — How we interpret and respond to trials, loss, abuse, or hardship (whether with faith/trust or with grumbling, self-pity, or resentment—see James 1; 1 Peter 4-5; Psalm 119).

7.      Sanctification issues — Lack of repentance, weak faith, prayerlessness, neglect of the Word, or failure to abide in Christ (John 15; Romans 6; Colossians 3:1-17).

The ACBC[2] standard of doctrine states: “God created the human person with a physical body and an immaterial soul, each possessing equal honor and essential to humanity.  The Bible depicts the soul as that which motivates the physical body.”[3]  I contend that secular society and secular approaches cannot deal with matters of the soul.  Unfortunately, our culture has created a discipline called psychology. "Psychology" derives it’s meaning from the Greek roots psyche (soul, mind, or breath) and logia (study, discourse, or science), literally meaning the "study of the soul." Sadly, this is a misnomer for this is not a field that secular psychology can legitimately enter.

ACBC’s official philosophy is “We recognize that secular attempts to answer the ultimate questions of psychology and counseling (i.e., Who is man? Why do people do what they do? How do people change? Why should a person change?) fall short in their answers since they do not acknowledge the reality of a personal God in whose presence mankind is always functioning and developing.”[4] Biblical counsellors would dismiss secular approaches to mankind’s soul because its theories are fundamentally flawed in its anthropology. It is flawed in matters of root causes. It is impotent in bringing lasting change to a person.  Some might even suggest, as I do, that secular psychology as co-opted the Biblical approach.

The Bible could not be clearer” “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” (Psalm 1:1–2, ESV)

Recently in a Podcast[5] entitled ‘Evaluating Clinically Informed Counselling,’ the participants provided a helpful checklist of areas we should look for, as Christians, to receive trustworthy counsel for matters of the soul. Paraphrasing their advice, here are 4 questions to ask prior to seeking counsel for your soul:

1.      What is the source of the problem? Is it a physical matter? Can it be examined, tested, measured, etc., organically or is it a matter of the soul? There is no blood test for anxiety. There is no imaging data on grief. You can perform a biopsy on depression. Ed Welch’s framework is helpful: moral/spiritual problems need soul care; non-moral physical problems need medical attention. Even in physical suffering, the heart response (trust vs. despair, gratitude vs. grumbling) remains a soul matter (see James 1; 1 Peter 4–5). [6] 

2.      What is the methodology of the counsellor? If it is matters of the soul, do they lean on humanistic theories or do they hold firmly to the sufficiency of Scripture? 2 Peter 1:3–5 (ESV)

“³ His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, ⁴ by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. ⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,”

See also: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Psalm 19:7-9, and Psalm 119:05

3.      Who is promoting the system of counselling? Where do you go to get it? The Bible says, “if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.” (1 Timothy 3:15, ESV) Is this counselling service a ministry of, or under the Church? Biblical counselling is essentially Christian discipleship. The call to discipleship is a corporate call. To ensure accountability and authenticity in service, Biblical counselling ministries ought to at the very least an appendage of the Church.

4.      Lastly, what is the role of that counsellor? The Biblical counsellor’s mandate is clear: “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.” (Colossians 1:28, ESV). Techniques like cognitive-behavioral methods, talk therapy focused on self-esteem, or trauma processing frameworks detached from biblical categories may offer short-term coping tools but often bypass or contradict the need for repentance, forgiveness, and Christ-centered hope. The word “warning” in Colossians 1:28 is the Greek word νουθετέω noutheteō meaning to admonish, exhort, admonish, give instruction.^[7] The Biblical counsellor is essentially a Biblical expositor, and the goal is Christlikeness.

Secular ‘psychology’ produces temporary symptoms of relief or behavioral modification through common grace[8] observations, but it cannot produce heart-level transformation. Only the Holy Spirit working through God's Word can do that.

The soul is not a separate “ghost in the machine” but the motivating, directing center of the whole person (body + soul = embodied soul). It encompasses the heart (kardia), mind (nous), affections/desires, will, thoughts, emotions, motivations, and worship. Proverbs 4:23 is often cited: “Keep your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” Problems “of the soul” are ultimately heart-level issues—rooted in relationship to God, sin, idolatry, unbelief, or responses to suffering—that require the gospel, the Holy Spirit, repentance, faith, and ongoing sanctification for real change.[9]

Puritan clergy in the 16th and 17th centuries were frequently referred to as "physicians of the soul" or "soul-doctors".[10] They believed that just as a physical doctor treats the body, a minister should diagnose and treat spiritual diseases, such as sin, anxiety, or spiritual apathy, through personalized guidance.

 

 

 

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[1] xAI, *Grok 3* (AI language model), accessed April 17, 2026, https://x.com/i/grok/share/650cfd9c3f4340969b3bc993a08c129a

[2] https://biblicalcounseling.com/

[3] https://nebraskagospel.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ACBC_Beliefs_And_Values.pdf

[4] https://biblicalcounseling.com/

[5] From Truth in Love: TIL 562: Is the Clinically Informed Biblical Counseling the Third Generation (feat. Ernie Baker), Apr 6, 2026

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/truth-in love/id1003845008?i=1000759500387&r=616

[6] https://www.biblicalcounselingcoalition.org/2014/09/25/how-can-christians-tell-the-difference-between-a-spiritual-issue-and-a-physical-one/

^[7] Thomas, R. L. (1998). In New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek dictionaries : updated edition. Foundation Publications, Inc.

[8] “God’s common grace that sustains the life and breath of every unbeliever (cf. Dan. 5:23) and that permits the unregenerate to partake of the multifaceted pleasures and blessings of life in God’s creation (cf. Ecclesiastes) is, indeed, a manifestation of God’s good and gracious character.” - https://seminary.bju.edu/theology-in-3d/the-basis-of-gods-common-grace/

[9] https://nebraskagospel.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ACBC_Beliefs_And_Values.pdf

[10] http://tiny.cc/pr02101 

Shepherding the Flock Through the Sermon

We preachers should not abandon the need for leadership once the sermon begins. Of course, there are many essentials to good preaching. We consider things like prayerful dependence to exegetical precision through to textual application. Homiletical effectiveness and Spirit-empowered preaching all contribute to that effective sermon. But let me add, what about leadership? There is also the need to shepherd our congregations through the sermon.

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed watching the recent Paralympic Games in Italy. The athletes were profoundly amazing despite their disabilities. One event that captured my interest involved blind skiers. Blind skiers in the Paralympics navigate courses at high speeds—sometimes exceeding 100 km/h—by relying on a sighted guide who skis in front of them and provides constant, real-time feedback through audio communication systems. The guide skis ahead of the blind skier, providing a clear reference point. In Para-Alpine events, the guide must be in front to ensure safety and to allow the athlete to follow their audio, and in some cases, visual, cues.

Picture, if you will, a blind skier being coached on a downhill run. The coach is making him or her aware of the approaching changes of direction, adjusting speed, concentrating at key junctures, and guiding them to a successful conclusion. Picture, if you will, a blind congregation, before them lie an awareness of context, major headings that shift direction, positions where speed covers large terrain, and other places that require sustained concentration. How will the congregation be guided down the sermonic run? The preacher must keep one eye on his sermon outline and notes, but at the same time look to the congregation, make sure that are following, and make sure they are aware of the winding flow of the sermon. This is leadership. This is shepherding the church through the sermon.

This, of course, can only be done in the context of a preacher who has a clear outline in his own mind. The outline is a map of the course that shows the shifting flows of thought and emphasis. Added to this, the preacher needs to clearly lead his people down the slope guiding them through the logic of the text. Simply preaching the text and hoping that the congregation is following is not good enough.

The preacher is standing at the top of the slope. There is a clear destination seen at the bottom. The plan of the descent reveals several turns, left and then right, and so on. The difficulty of some as compared to others will be noted. The preacher sees all that, but his congregation sees nothing. The congregation must necessarily hear the sermon, but they also must be guided, lead, through the sermon.

At the Paralympics, the sighted guides and blind skiers use bluetooth headsets built into their helmets to communicate. The guide provides continuous, verbal instructions, such as calling out "left," "right," "turn," or warning of upcoming terrain changes like "jump" or "drop". Similarly, the sighted preacher needs to guide the blind congregation through his sermon narrative. At the beginning, the map of the slope should be explained. “Having noted this main point of this passage, please note the following headings that will support that assertion.”  “So, the first heading was this, as we just noted, now we turn to the second heading.”  As the descent is unfolded, the congregation is kindly shepherded down the slope, anticipating each major point through to a successful conclusion.

The relationship between a skier and their guide is crucial, often developed over years of training together. They must learn each other's rhythm and trust one another implicitly. The preacher and congregation are, in the moment of the sermon, part of a unique relationship. Certainly, content and Spirit-empowered delivery will be key. As a shepherd the preacher is certainly feeding his sheep. But is he leading his sheep? Unlike ranching, the preacher does not dump a bale of hay before his congregation. The shepherd leads his sheep to the food and guides his sheep through the course of the menu.

Switching metaphors, imagine dining at the finest of establishments. You look at the display of plates, cutlery, and various glasses, wondering what this is all about? The waiter then brings a dish with a comparatively small amount of food on it. But this waiter is not just concerned with delivery the food but also guiding you through the elaborate menu. He or she explains the use of the varied plates, the linear display of cutlery, teaching you to work from outside in. He or she explains the lineup of glasses. And then the waiter explains the beautifully plated, yet small serving of what is called an hors d'oeuvre. The careful instruction continues to the end. The diner has been led through the meal.

All preachers use a form of logical discourse in their preaching. I submit that the preacher who has not abandoned his role as a shepherd leader will carefully guide the sheep through the menu. He will stand at the top of the hill guiding the skier through the twists and turns of the slope. He will recognize his need to shepherd his sheep through the sermon, not just with the sermon.

 

 

 

IS TGC MAKING A SHIFT, LEFT?

Question? Are we seeing a shift in TGC toward egalitarianism from a complementary position? Or is it simply “a generous complementarity?”  

1.        Why we need women in Ministry. Dr. Michael Kruger https://youtu.be/iVnnHdoS3Nk?si=oT8FD9n3FQ4plfU-

 

2.        How men and women must labor together for the good of the Church. TGC Podcast with Collin Hansen, Jen Wilkin, Kori Porter and Michael Kruger. https://youtu.be/CJs2lJgAKyI?si=aKRd4ATjxS86TtT4

 

3.        Knowing Faith Podcast. The Evangelical Leadership Crisis. Jen Wilkin, JT English and Kyle Worley. https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/knowing-faith/id1274228164?i=1000671653743

 

Q1? Has the current complementary position been something less than generous?

Q2? Is there a Biblical category that defines an “office” for women?

Q3? What is meant by “visible female leadership”? What does that look like? Is there a Biblical warrant for such a position?

Q4? Does the family analogy of the Church require the imprint of mother/father roles?

 

Comments are appreciated.

 

 

 

Did You Contribute to the Sin of Dr. Steven Lawson?

The Church is grieving. Many, many of us who have been beneficiaries of Dr. Lawson’s preaching and teaching are still reeling from the latest news of his moral failure. Many, many have commented appropriately to this shockwave. Many, many have rightly reminded us to “take heed to self, lest we too fall.”   I said to a dear friend, we are all within a half an inch of such shipwreck.

A question that needs to be considered in this is: “Have I contributed to this sin?”  

Before I write the next several sentences many of you readers will already begin, “Ya but.”  I caution you not to do that. If you at once launch into your rebuttal, you will not take seriously this question. Wrestle with this personally, please. “Have you contributed to this sin?”  This is not to minimize or evade the responsibility that Dr. Lawson is and must be held to. My contention is that many of us must recognize our contribution to this sin of Lawson’s and others in a comparable way.

Dr. Lawson has been part of a cadre of Evangelical (often Reformed minded) men and women who spend a gargantuan amount of time and energy on the Conference tours. If not there, they are producing books and study material at a supernatural rate. The Christian books stores and media outlets are replete with video and digital bible studies and courses. The ground supporting my question is this: Local churches have often made the conference, teaching ministries of such men and women indispensable to their ministry.

To be honest, I have contributed to the sin of Dr. Lawson. As a retired pastor I look back on many, many solutions to the local church teaching ministry satisfied by “parachuting” a big-name speaker in, via video, to teach my Sunday School class, Bible Study, or other ministry need. In fact, I know local churches that have become total dependent on the ability to import video teaching from these celebrated teachers.

We have committed two evils. We have demoted the necessity of the local church to develop teachers and preachers from within (Thus devaluing the doctrine of ecclesiology); and we have exalted the celebrity speakers to an unattainable pedestal.

Why must the local church default to importing celebrity teachers to meet the needs of the Sunday School class, Bible study or such like? Why must the local church default to importing the books, these people write, to meet the need of the moment? Why are men and women not being trained to open God’s Word before other believers and teach them the Bible? Why are men and women that have served Christ for many years incapable of following a simple pattern of hermeneutics and prayerfully teach their peers? Why are men and women being conditioned to demote the faithful preaching of their pastor (and elders, presumably) and relish in the conference ministry, the radio, TV ministries, the books and video series of these illuminaries?

A short story. My father was a Sabbatarian. As a young man he helped a fledgling church near the city of Glasgow, Scotland. He had two routes to go to church. One was lengthy and he would ride his bicycle. One was short but needed a ferry ride. One Sunday morning while crossing the ferry he was constrained to witness to the driver. He chose to start the conversation with, “Do you go to church?”  The ferryman answered, “How can I with the likes of you who keep me on this ferry.”  Now remember: No ya buts. My father’s conscience was pricked, and he never took the ferry again on the Lord’s Day. My father, to his credit, was able to see how his choices had aggravated the ferry man’s situation. Can you?

Why are there hundreds of conferences, books, video lessons and the like? Answer: because you and I demand them. It is the law of supply and demand. We have created celebrity pastors and teachers. One astute commentator wrote, “Every pastor should be at home at night with his wife.”  (Remember. No ya but.)  I have lived through T4G attended by thousands, TGCW attended recently by 9,000 women, Shepherds conference, Desiring God, Ligonier etc. etc.  I have also lived through the moral shipwreck and indiscretion of several of the speakers at such events.

What if Churches just said, enough! No more conferences. No more video lessons. No more book studies. No more! As of today, the people of God will look to their own pastors and elders for biblical preaching. As for today the people of God will encourage one another through the carefully handled Word of God, cutting it straight. As of today Sunday School (adult in mind) will see groups of disciples gathered reverently around their Bibles with paper, pen, and hearts open to receive God’s Word.

I have contributed to the sin of Dr. Lawson. Have you?

The local Church needs to embrace a robust Doctrine of Ecclesiology that makes much of the grace found in the preaching/teaching ministries of His “local” people. We have forsaken the primary and Biblical call upon the local Church and become reliant on the celebrity speaker to feed our people. It is not a burden these men and women ought to bear. We need to stop demanding it of them.

If you have considered this carefully and personally, now give me your “ya buts.”

We Are People Who Together Form A Community

Some might say that “confession is good for the soul”.  I think that’s right.  Even better is it to say that self-consciousness is good for the soul.  In the words of that stalwart Highland theologian, Robert Burns: “O wad some Power the giftie gie us, to see oursels as ithers see us!" This forms the context of why I engage in writing this article.  

The calendar has turned on my first year of retirement.  I said to a friend recently that in reflection it appears that I think more as a retired soldier than a retired pastor.  In other words I think my military paradigms were quite active even in pastoral ministry.  Staff at church seemed to see that clearer than I did, especially when they would make sport of my desire for order, precise protocols and decorum.  It also affected the way I viewed the Church and participation within the church (The change in case is intentional.).  When people would float in and out of the local church, even for seemingly logical reasons, it would bother me.  When some abandoned the community in protest (e.g., COVID-19 policies) I was very provoked.  I categorized such fluidity as disloyalty.  Loyalty surfaced as one of my most important ideals.  This conviction became more obvious when I was recently reading, THE PATROL, SEVEN DAYS IN THE LIFE OF A CANADIAN SOLDIER IN AFGHANISTAN by Ryan Flavelle .  He writes, 

 

“At that moment I realized just what an important thing choice is. Not the choice between shopping at Walmart or shopping at Superstore, but the ability to choose whether to participate in things that directly affect your safety. I had given up that right. I was going to get into the back of that LAV, stand air sentry, cross my fingers and toes, and hold on. That was my only choice.

 

The cold, hard reality of military life is that no one makes any effort to treat you as an individual. You are a soldier; that is all. It is refreshing to be reminded that no matter what our third-grade teachers taught us, we are not all unique and delicate flowers; we are people who together form a community . . . In the military we are painfully aware that each one of us is merely a cog in a much larger machine . . . The military doesn’t view us as unique, and it doesn’t need to.”

 

Of course I would err to take Flavelle’s accurate view of military life and apply it directly to Christian communion without some nuancing.  The New Testament certainly acknowledges the individual, individual gifts, individual genders, culture, etc.  But the New Testament also points to community, to oneness, and to one another-ness.  In our culture that emphasizes individuality, freedom, autonomy, etc., we would do well to heed the community aspects to our Christian faith.  Much of the New Testament is written to us in our plurality, not individuality.  The most basic prayer starts, “Our Father . . ..”   

 

Just like it is unique to military life to see the whole as more important than the part, it is also unique to life in the Christian community.  The initiatory act of baptism symbolizes that.  One might wonder if the militant Church on earth wouldn’t be more effective if people would acknowledge that certain individual freedoms are forfeited the moment one becomes part of Christ’s Body. Today we have a weakened Church because everyone wants to be treated as an individual.  Thus they live and make choices mainly on what satisfies their needs and their desires.  It might be a time to make ourselves nothing and see the glorious “larger machine” that we are “merely cogs” within. 

 

I recently overheard a spouse say, “I get to be me!”   Perhaps a better marital ideal is, “I get to be us.”  The same is true for the Church.  So I don’t apologize for my military influence that places loyalty to the Church in such a prominent place.  And if you still float between churches like shopping between Walmart and Superstore, I’m still provoked by your heightened view of your own self-prominence.  

There are good reasons to leave a church.  That discussion is not part this article.  Tim Challies has an excellent Blog on that topic.  Akin to marriage, when we go into a fellowship with the notion that we can remain autonomous and leave when we want to we start at the wrong place.  When we start at the point of “may death do us part” we are on the right path to true Church life.  It is counter-cultural but it is Scriptural: the whole is more important that the sum of its parts.

 

 

Is there a difference between preaching and teaching?

This question stimulates intriguing discussion among pastors and church leaders.  It has been said to me, “I am a teacher, not a preacher.”  Interestingly, no one has ever said the opposite!  Some suggest that there is no difference between the two.  They say the two terms as virtually synonymous.  My position is that there is a distinction, but not a radical division.  It helps to state it this way:

You can be a teacher and not a preacher; but

You cannot be a preacher without being a teacher.

An important text of Scripture that gives rise to this definition is found in 2 Timothy 4:1–2 (ESV):

“⁴ I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: ² preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.”

Notice this important call to Paul’s protégé, Timothy: “Preach the word . . . with patience and teaching.” The imperative is to “preach”.  The Greek word is translated “herald” or “proclaim” and he is to do it with “teaching” (with doctrine or instruction).  To read on in 2 Timothy we learn of a time when people will not welcome this “sound teaching” v3.  Sound teaching or sound doctrine is the content of the word preached.  Exegetically we can discern that to preach includes the elements of “reproving, rebuking and exhorting.”  I would argue that you can conduct instruction that conveys doctrinal understanding to the hearer. Left in that alone it is defined as teaching.  The preacher though takes the sound teaching and in love and concern for the hearer brings reprimand, conviction of sin, a stern warning, comfort and encouragement.  There is a Spirit endowed authority with true preaching.  This diagram is a facsimile of my position [1]:

This emotion that is implied in Biblical preaching is that blend of compassion and passion.  Martyn Lloyd-Jones defined preaching this way:

“What is preaching? Logic on fire! Preaching is theology coming through a man who is on fire. A true understanding and experience of the Truth must lead to this. I say again that a man who can speak about these things dispassionately has no right whatsoever to be in a pulpit; and should never be allowed to enter one.”[2]

J.I. Packer presses in deeper by stating that the “preacher” conveys the Word of God through His “commands, promises, warnings, and assurances, with a view to winning the hearer or hearers…to a positive response.”[3] My father had a book on his shelf entitled, Preaching to Convince.  There is a sense where the preacher, more so than the teacher, is burning to be persuasive, pressing the urgency of the doctrine onto the hearer and seeking the right response through invitation.

It is no accident that the Greek word for the preacher represents a herald, a town crier.  The herald is a representative of the king and has a message that the subjects need to hear.  Certainly, the herald must represent the king’s message with precision, but he is also endowed with a serious responsibility to ensure that people hear and respond to the message. His job is not to provide facts and information.  His job is to press the facts and information on the minds and wills of the citizens. 

Now what of a person who is preaching (so-called) but is devoid of the essence of teaching?  I have witnessed such things in the name of preaching.  I think of them as nothing but circus clowns parading themselves back and forth across the stage, ranting and railing, throwing out nothing but carefully designed memes, entertaining their audience with their performance.  Preaching without teaching is not preaching.

There is a role for teachers in the church.  “Teaching, on the other hand, if done well, is dialogical [a discussion with students. A conversation.] by nature. The communication of content is driven by the teacher, but questions from the hearers shape the conversation and interchange that happens in the classroom. Good teaching is inherently dialogical.”¹

So, there is a need for sound doctrinal, albeit dialogical teachers in the Church. They provide insight into systematic and Biblical theology.  They instruct the listeners in doctrine.  Their goal is to provide information that equips. Often, they are seen as discipling believers.  But the essential need for the Church is for preachers.  They are transformational in their approach. They warn.  They correct. They bring Gospel comfort and encouragement in the Lord. They have a fire within that cannot be quenched.  As prophets of old they come with a “burden”.   

So yes, there are teachers that are not preachers.  But Biblical preachers — preachers representing the King of kings approach their congregation with a compassion driven passion to conform people to the likeness of Christ in Christian maturity.

“Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.” - Colossians 1:28 (ESV)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[1] https://www.logos.com/grow/what-is-the-difference-between-preaching-and-teaching/

[2] Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Preaching and Preachers, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1971), 97.

[3] J. I. Packer, Preaching a Biblical Interpretation in Inerrancy and Common Sense, ed. Roger Nicole and J. Ramsey Michaels, (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1980), 189.

 

What Is Biblical Counselling?

 “Biblical Counseling is a ministry of the local church whereby transformed believers in Christ (John 3: 3-8) who are indwelled, empowered, and led by the Holy Spirit (John 14: 26) minister the living and active Word of God (Heb. 4: 12) to others in view of evangelizing the lost and teaching the saved (Matt. 28: 18-20). Biblical Counseling is based on the conviction that Scripture is sufficient for the counseling task and superior to anything the world has to offer (2 Tim. 3: 16-17; Heb. 4: 12; 2 Peter 1: 3-4; Ps. 119; James 4: 4). Biblical counselors realize the significance of sin (Rom. 3: 23, 6: 23) and after self-confrontation (Matt. 7: 5) lovingly confront those who are in sin (Luke 17: 3-4) and call them to repentance (2 Tim. 2: 24-26). Biblical counselors also realize that in a fallen world people can face significant crises that are not a direct result of their own personal sin (Job 1-2). Biblical counselors purposefully and patiently walk with, serve, love, encourage, and help people in these cases (1 Th. 5: 14). They also call upon others in the church to assist based on their gifts and roles (1 Cor. 12: 4-31). Biblical counseling can be informal, accomplished over coffee, in the hallways of the church, or in the work place and community. It can also be formal, accomplished through scheduled appointments in an office setting. All Christians should be taught to minister God's Word and boldly do so in the context of the local church. Biblical counselors are motivated by the compassion of Christ (Mt. 9: 36, 2 Cor. 5: 14-15) and through obeying His commands, (John 14: 21) seek to be salt and light in such a way that others see their good works and glorify their Father in heaven (Mt. 5: 16).”

— Biblical Crisis Counseling: Not If But When by John Babler

https://a.co/j6UXoUP