Me…An Evangelist?
By Dr. W. P. Abercrombie
Part 2
The process of evangelism in biblical counseling
requires the counselor’s attention to the leading and prompting of the
Holy Spirit as He reveals the true condition of the client’s
heart. If the client is a confessed believer in the Lord Jesus
Christ, there should be evidence of the indwelling of the Holy
Spirit in his/her life. The evidence will be seen in a changed
life. John wrote:
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether
they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into
the world (1 John 4:1).
In counseling we often fail to “test the spirits” and
accept the verbal report of conversion without question. Yet many
in our churches today have been led astray by “false
prophets” and now claim a salvation that is grounded
in partial truth. Remember, partial truth is a total lie! If we
do not test and search the heart of our client, then we might lose
this opportunity to deliver the life-changing truth they, and their
families, need. John provides the remaining equation of discernment:
We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God
does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit
of error (1 John 4:6).
Hence, as we speak of God, Jesus, and the principles of a biblical
life, the Holy Spirit will reveal either a spirit of kinship as
adopted children, or one of disharmony and unfamiliarity. In other
words, we recognize our own family when they draw near. This begins
to determine our role and call with a particular client. This helps
the counselor know whether the issue is to help with restoration
or with the matter of salvation.
The Word of God further
defines our assessment. Our client’s
response to, and understanding of Scripture, will reveal much about
their heart’s condition. Paul wrote:
But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit
of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them,
because they are spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14).
Hebrews 4 tells us that
the Word of God is “a discerner
of the thoughts and intents of the heart…” (v.
12). Jesus
said: “…the word that I have spoken will judge him
in the last day” (John 12:48b).
As the counselor speaks
biblical truth; defines biblical limits; and seeks biblical
submission, the client will reveal his spirit, his thoughts,
his intents, and his decision. Jesus said: “My
sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John
10:27).
Upon these defining factors
we develop our “spiritual assessment.” This
assessment is critical in shaping the course and outcome of the
counseling so that both the client’s current crisis and eternal
security are addressed in a way that answers God’s use
of this moment in time.
Clients and counselors
are often too concerned with the immediate, while God is
concerned with the eternal. We search for solutions while
God, through His Son, has already provided the Answer. If
we ground ourselves in the goals and the workings of the
Kingdom as revealed in our hearts through the Holy Spirit,
then we will be the “godly counsel” (Psalm
1:1) God intends us to be.
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Copyright © 2006 Dr. W. P. "Ab" Abercrombie
