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What is Christian counseling, really?  The role of "counselor" in the church is a relatively new thing as an official "position."  In the Bible we see no "counselor" listed in the offices of the church.  And, as a counselor or potential counselor, it can seem a little intimidating and even scary to think that people will come to me wanting to know answers for their problems --- often big problems.

Just recently God has been showing me the answer to this question and I have been amazed at just how simple, and yet how amazingly powerful, it is.

Basically, the role that we now call "counselor" is nothing more nor less than what God has always intended for mature believers to provide in the body.  I don’t think it was ever intended to be a special office in the church.  But the church, as a whole, has abandoned this function so that now it has become something special and out of the ordinary.  Let’s look at what the Word says.

Heb. 3:12-13

Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of

unbelief, in departing from the living God.

But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any

of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Heb. 10:24

And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

Titus 2:3-5

The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh

holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;

That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their

husbands, to love their children,

To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own

husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

Heb. 5:12-6:2 says that teachers are those who "by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."  Teachers have matured beyond the need for elementary things.  These elementary things, taught by those who are mature, include repentance, faith, etc.

Jesus gave us, as believers, a specific commission:

Matt. 28:19-20

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Mark 16:15

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Acts 1:8

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Of course, these verses are very familiar!  Unfortunately, they are so familiar that we miss something huge in there!  When we read these verses we mentally translate them according to what we’ve been taught for years and we don’t even think about what they might really be saying.  We unknowingly follow a string of assumptions about the meaning of these verses. 

Let’s look at our translation process:

We translate these verses to mean "we’re supposed to witness to the lost." 

We translate "witness" to mean "present the plan of salvation."

We translate "plan of salvation" to mean "a scripted presentation following a trail of Scriptures designed to convince the lost person of their need for a savior and to make a profession of faith."

We translate "profession of faith" to mean "praying the sinner’s prayer, followed by assimilation into the church and discipleship."

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