Category: Discipleship
Counseling & Discipleship Training
Why do I need Counseling & Discipleship Training??
Individuals and families in our churches and communities encounter relationship challenges, sin struggles, and painful circumstances every day. They are desperately looking for help in how to respond to and endure these situations well.
Do you feel confident in your ability to lovingly and skillfully bring them to God’s Word for comfort and the answers they are seeking? Would you like to be better equipped to minister to the emotional, relational, and spiritual needs of the people around you? If so, please consider joining us for a three weekend discipleship & biblical counseling training event that will explore the topics of Heart, Hope and Home and how God’s Word speaks to all three.
Friday
(September 23, October 14, November 4)
5:00pm-6:00pm Registration
6:00pm-9:00pm Sessions
Saturday
(September 24, October 15, November 5)
8:00am-5:00pm Sessions
Location
Each weekend of trainings will be held at
Winfield Baptist Church
12902 Winfield Road
Winfield, WV 25213
Cost
Single – $135 (preregistered), $150 (day-of)
Pastor – $100 (pre-registered), $125 (day-of)
Married Couple – $175 (preregistered),
$200 (day-of)
**Cost covers all three weekends and includes snacks, meals and conference materials.
Registration
Pre- Register: www.CounselingTraining.EventBrite.com
If you are unable to register online and wish to pre-register, please email gracecma@yahoo.com to make arrangements to send payment.
Day-of Registration begins each Friday at 5:00 p.m.
Featured Speakers
Mark Shaw, D.Min.
An ordained minister with the Christian and Missionary Alliance, Executive Director of Vision of Hope, and founder of His Truth in Love Ministries. Mark is a Pastor at Faith Church in Lafayette, IN, author of The Heart of Addiction and Addiction Proof Parenting, teacher, speaker, and a certified biblical counselor with ACBC and IABC.
Chris Moles, MABC
An ordained minister with the Christian and Missionary Alliance, Senior Pastor of Grace Community Chapel in Eleanor, WV and author of The Heart of Domestic Abuse. Chris is a certified group facilitator in Batterer intervention and prevention, teacher, speaker, and certified biblical counselor with ACBC and IABC.
Other Instructors:
Rev. David Johns Pastor, Winfield Baptist Church.
Rev. Andrew Gordon Associate Pastor, Winfield Baptist Church
Course Topics Include:
- Basics of Soul Care
- The Need for Biblical Counseling
- Process of Biblical Change
- Key Elements of Biblical Counseling
- Gathering Data
- Discerning Problems Biblically
- Giving Hope
- Secular and Integration Theories
- Marriage and Family
- Guilt and Repentance
- Forgiveness
- Trials and Suffering
- Fear and Worry
- Anger
- Depression
- Sexual Sin
- Medical and Physical Concerns
This is not an exhaustive list of topics. There will also be a time for case study review and discussion. The topics covered are beneficial to every person, whether a formal counselor or not.
For those pursuing certification with the International Association of Biblical Counselors, this conference will satisfy the Track #1 requirements.
If you are interested in being a sponsor for this event, please contact Andrew Gordon (pastorandrew@winfieldbaptistchurch.com) or Chris Moles (gracecma@yahoo.com).
Dr. King and Me
By Pastor Andrew Gordon
Seven years ago, I sat in my college cafeteria after the annual Martin Luther King Jr. chapel and displayed my ignorance as I complained about celebrating a man who had several alleged character flaws. I remember saying something like, “I mean, I am all for civil rights. I want equality for all people. But couldn’t we pick somebody who had a little less of a sketchy past to be the one we commemorate every year?” To me, there was nothing inherently racist about this statement. To me, I was simply speaking truth to a taboo subject.
On that day during my freshman year, I lost one of the first friends I made on campus. The friend sitting across from me was a black man. How he managed to keep calm, while I spewed my ignorance can only be explained by the grace of God in his life and God’s mercy in mine. He skillfully and calmly changed the subject eventually, and we moved on. But when he confronted me later, I apologized that I had not been sensitive in what I said. But I still had no concept of how badly I had hurt him with my words.
To be honest, as I have grown from that day, I still don’t know that I will ever understand how badly my words cut him. The reason is because I have never been in his shoes. I know that one of the ways that I hurt him was by complaining about a man who stood up for what he believed in and lived sacrificially and peacefully to bring about change in a world of embarrassingly wide-spread prejudice and injustice in our nation. Without even realizing it that day at lunch, I still represented that same prejudice 40 years after Dr. King was assassinated. See, many of the freedoms that my friend did enjoy were direct results of the boldness and courage of Dr. King. And there I was complaining that we had to remember someone who left such an invaluable legacy to the citizens of this country…all because he was not perfect.
Many of you reading this have already begun to hate college-freshman-Andrew. Some of you still probably wouldn’t like me (I have not yet attained, but I press on toward the goal). But there are some of you probably reading this thinking, “Wait! I don’t know why what you said was so wrong. I have said (or believe) the same thing.” And I ask those of you in this latter category to bear with me with an open mind. I believe the ideas you and I once shared to be ignorant and highly damaging to interracial relationships, especially among believers.
Before I explain why we all should be celebrating the life of Dr. King, I ask you to be honest with yourself as I had to be in answering this question: Am I trying to explain away the character of this man so that I don’t have to do the messy work of putting myself in the shoes of my black brothers, sisters, and fellow citizens to really understand their lives (this includes other minorities, but it was revealed to me specifically in my interactions with black Americans)?
Black Americans can extensively document discrimination that has taken place against them or those close to them in their lives to this day. But I was too proud and too busy to listen. I never once asked my friend what he thought on this day. I simply assumed that my thinking was his thinking because it was “rational” by my calculations. And to this day, I know little to nothing about his life and his family. Why? Because I was too blinded to ask him questions while also offering a safe environment for him to answer honestly. By speaking against Dr. King that day, I was speaking against my friend. What I missed in 2008, I pray that we will not miss out on in 2015.
Why celebrate MLK Jr. Day?
This man exemplified turning the other cheek like our Lord Jesus because he believed that standing up for the oppressed must be done in a way that followed the example of Christ. He believed that peaceful boldness was the right alternative to violence. He stood up because his nation did not exemplify the values she claimed to stand upon.
We should celebrate because Dr. King’s boldness inspired thousands to stand up for the oppressed and thousands more to identify and destroy their own prejudices. He truly believed that the gospel had the power to reconcile people in a way in which the kingdom could be reflected in relationships here on earth.
We should celebrate because though he was not a perfect man and had alleged character flaws, the character flaws of those God used throughout Scripture to do great things are not “alleged.” Their sins are explicitly stated. Just look at the list of people that are given to us in Hebrews 11. Just to name a few: Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and should we even start on David?!
What’s the point? Sin is absolutely inexcusable from God’s standpoint. And all of these famous people of faith sinned. But there was One. There was one who lived in sinless perfection out of complete obedience and faithfulness to his Father. And through his death, our sins were paid for. Forgiveness became available. As I look upon the goodness of the gospel and the horrors of my sins, I am compelled to see people in a new perspective. One man’s sin does not make him equal to the sum total of those failures. Christ’s blood covers those who repent and believe just as it covered Abraham, Moses, David, and me.
The gospel urges us to rejoice in the way God uses people. It urges us to stop, listen, and try to understand those who are different than us, specifically those who are hurting or oppressed. The gospel urges me to stop using someone’s sin as an excuse to downplay everything he stood for publicly. The gospel urges me to shut up for a few moments and listen. May God use me in spite of my sin. And, Lord, please keep me from sin.
Head in the Clouds
By Pastor Andrew Gordon
Many of us have heard the comment, “He’s so heavenly-minded that he’s no earthly good.” Obviously this phrase is aimed at those people who are disconnected from their communities, using the guise of religion to excuse their lack of action. In reality, the culprits have the wrong view of heaven and are disobedient to God’s word.
Really, if one has a right view of eternity and heaven, it is impossible to be so heavenly-minded as to remove their usefulness upon this earth. In Colossians 3:1, Paul commands those who have been raised with Christ to seek things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God rather than on the things of earth.
He is not instructing a strict separation from their humanity. Here in chapter 3, Paul explains what is earthly: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry; anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscene talk from your mouth, and lies.
The new man we are to put on may surprise some. To be heavenly minded is not to put on our wings and halos and snub our noses at those “worldly people.” Rather, look at the list of “heavenly-minded” things: compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, forbearance, Christ-like forgiveness, love, unity, and being filled with God’s word to help and correct one another–all highly relational qualities.
To be heavenly-minded is to be of eternal earthly good. See, when we care about others and we display the love and message of Christ to others, we are putting their eternal interests ahead of our own physical lives. When we die, certain aspects of our lives will die (prestige, occupation, money, other possessions, etc.), but others will live on. Any honor or praise we garnered for ourselves will be meaningless as we stand before the throne of God. But when we bear witness to Christ through our words and actions, we have an opportunity to effect someone eternally, long after we die.
When we choose to be heavenly-minded, we are choosing to forsake those things that will die when we die in order to live for those things that cannot die.
Applications
What do we do with this? How do we set our minds on things from above? First, we need to recognize that we are always setting our minds on something. Take an inventory throughout the day of where your mind is seated. What takes up the most of your thoughts? Take those thoughts captive. Examine them. See if they are things that help you life up the name of Jesus to those around you.
Second, we all make plans of sorts. Plans can be formally made in the form of a day planner or a 5- or 10-year plan. Sometimes, we just have a checklist of things we want to finish before the day is out. Making plans is a valuable way to be a good steward of the time and resources God has given us. But our plans are not immune to falling for “earthly things.” Look over your plans. List out your goals. Then test them for their eternal value. Do you want things that would define you as a faithful witness to Christ after you die?
To the parents reading this, my mom and dad taught me to do this for kids as well. All parents make goals or plans for their children. Then they teach their kids to value things that will help them reach those goals. What is it that we want for our kids? Are we more concerned with them gaining the whole world while ignoring their souls?
The starting point for thinking in a heavenly-minded way is always by studying God’s word. “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word…I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:9 & 11). God has given us his word for our growing in the knowledge of him and what he wants for the world.
As you read scripture, reevaluate your goals and aspirations in light of what you learn. Find out what God is passionate about. Are you passionate about those things? The only way to learn them is by reading and meditating on his word.
Finally, Paul bases this whole passage–in addition to the rest of Colossians–upon our identity in Christ. Remember these three things from verses 1-4. First, we have been raised with Christ to live for him rather than for ourselves. Then, the Lord we follow is at the right hand of the Father, in the seat of all power. Thirdly, our hope is in his future appearing, where we will be revealed with him in glory. Death and oppression are two of the greatest fears for people. But our identity is hidden in the one who raised from the dead and has all power, never abusing it. This gives us the freedom to set our minds on the things above without fear of what we will lose on this earth.
Today, set your mind on the Risen Almighty, in whom all hope is found.
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” -Jim Elliot
What’s My Job? – Part 2 – Job Description
August 15, 2016 by Andrew • Discipleship, Pastor Andrew, Sermon, What's My Job • 0 Comments
Bulletin Notes – Job Description