by Dr. Jim Newheiser
During the past twenty years of working in a church-based biblical counseling ministry, in which I have tried to put these principles for change into practice, I have observed three general outcomes. Some counselees are quickly and radically transformed. I have seen cases in which a husband and wife who were already separated and moving toward divorce were in one session brought to heartbroken repentance as each confessed his or her own sin (Matthew 7:1-5) and granted forgiveness to the other, in light of the forgiveness we have received in the gospel (Ephesians 4:32; Matthew 18:21-35). I have also seen many cases in which the counselees went away sad and unchanged, like the rich young ruler (Mark 10:17-22). There are also cases in which change takes place gradually, at an almost glacial pace. We seek to give the same biblical, gospel-centered counsel to everyone who comes, but the results vary widely. Why is this?
Scripture teaches that God sovereignly chooses to work in the lives of his people in different ways, at different times, and at different speeds. Personal revival is like corporate revival in that we cannot make it happen on our own. We are
To continue...read the full-length post originally published on this site.
