Transcript Using the Bible Accurately and Effectively in Biblical

Dr. Ron Hawkins
I. The effective use of Scripture by the Biblical
Counselor will be enriched when we consider the
similarities between our caregiving opportunities
and the situation experienced by Solomon in I
Kings Chapter 3.
Reflecting on this passage requires us to consider each
caregiving opportunity with a deep-felt appreciation for:
A. The awesome opportunity we have to call persons to the reception of
Christ and the experience of His lordship (Eph. 5:1).
B. The necessity of confessing our felt limitations to move persons to
embrace Christ as Savior and Lord.
C. The necessity to appreciate God’s relentless concern to assist us with the
challenges embedded in our opportunities.
D. The necessity to petition for God’s presence and the gift of His wisdom
at work through us as caregivers carrying out the counseling process
(Ecc. 10).
II. The case for making the Bible the centerpiece of
our counseling and spiritual formation ministries.
A. The Scriptures give us wisdom (II Tim. 3:15-17). They give us
direction (Ecc. 10). The wisdom gained through faithful
applications of the Scriptures to our personal growth produces
sharpness (Ecc.10). The truth found in Scripture offers real
answers to the everyday needs of people living in a profoundly
fallen world.
B. The Scriptures instruct us in God’s other sources of Wisdom:
1. Wisdom found in the Son (I Cor. 1:30)
2. Wisdom experienced in God’s Giftings (James 1:5, I Cor. 12)
III.The pattern to follow for maximizing the effective
use of the Scriptures in counseling and spiritual
formation (Ecc. 12:9-12).
A. Be steadfast in your Confidence in the Scriptures’
Ability to Speak to People’s Needs.
1. The gift of the one Shepherd
2. Words of Truth
B. Be steadfast in your commitment to instructing the people
1. Because He/She was wise---still taught the people
2. “Successful evangelism is sharing the Gospel in the
power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results with
God” (Bill Bright).
3. “Successful counseling is sharing the truth of God
revealed in Scripture in the power of the Holy Spirit
and leaving the results with God” (Ron Hawkins).
C. Be steadfast in your commitment to pouring over the Bible
to find truth that answers real life problems for real
people living in a profoundly fallen world.
1. Pondered, sought out, set in order
2. Study/ Give great energy (II Tim. 2:15)
D. Be steadfast in your commitment to the application
of Scripture to real life needs.
1. Sought to find suitable words
2. Matching words to human needs/ Grace Based
Ministry of Words (Eph. 4)
E. Be steadfast in your willingness to wear the hat of the
comforter and the confronter/ do the easy and the hard
work (I Thess. 2:11; I Thess. 5:14).
1. Scripture as nails/tent stakes/doctrine/comfort/
instruction/encouragement
2. Scripture as goading/correction/reproof/exhortation
F. Be steadfast in your faithfulness to the bottom line (Ecc. 12).
1. Model and require the fear of God.
2. Model and insist on obedience to the commandments.
3. Model and demonstrate a commitment to the duties
imposed by God.
4. Model and demonstrate joy in the midst of life
challenges.
5. Model and remind of the necessity for living life in view
of the judgment of God.
G. Be steadfast in your commitment to fully honoring the
role/presence/power of the Holy Spirit for effecting
personal transformation in the lives of redeemed sinners.
1. The Holy Spirit working on persons (John 15)
2. The Holy Spirit working in persons (Acts 1:8)
3. The Holy Spirit working through persons
4. The Holy Spirit working through the Word/ a dynamic
duo (Eph. 5:20; Col. 3:16)
H. Be steadfast in your commitment to insisting on the
necessity of persons engaging relationships that promote
encouragement and accountability within the gracebased/mercy-manifesting/loving community we call the
Church (the Body of Christ).
1. Hebrews 10
2. I Thess. 5:14
3. Romans 15:14
Summation
The accurate and effective use of the Scriptures
in counseling occurs when the caregiver, in
dependence on the presence and power of the
Holy Spirit, confidently seeks to engage the
careseeker in a collaborative attempt to apply
the truth found in the Word of God to real
needs experienced by the careseeker, who is
engaged in the pursuit of the imitation of
Christ within a community of accountability
we call the church.
Examples of Biblical Caregiving –
Ephesians Chapters 4, 5 and 6:

A community of persons committed to the
imitation of the Christ - Eph 5:1

A community of persons maturing one
another by speaking the truth of Scripture to
one another - Eph 4:15-16, 25
 A community of persons practicing
dehabituation/rehabituation in the service of achieving the
goal of the imitation of the Christ - Eph. 4:20-24
 A community of persons dependent upon the power and
person of the Holy Spirit for the power required for
effectively engaging the dehabituation/rehabituation
process - Eph. 5:18 and 4:30
 A community of persons who demand attention to
specific sins and require specific outcomes (i.e. no
stealing, go to work, give to someone in need, no
cutting words, identify needs, minister
grace/benefit/edification with your words) - Eph.
4:25-32; 5 and 6