The Chicago Statement on Biblical Errancy states that “the authority of scripture is a key issue for the Christian church in this and every age. Those who profess faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are called to show the reality of their discipleship by humbly and faithfully obeying God’s written Word. To stray from Scripture in faith and conduct is disloyalty to our Master. Recognition of the total truth and trustworthiness of Holy Scripture is essential to a full grasp and adequate confession of its authority.”
As a Christian ministry, we wholeheartedly agree with every aspect of this general statement on biblical inerrancy and authority. We believe in both the inerrancy and authority of Holy Scripture. For us, the inerrancy and authority of Holy Scripture are like Siamese twins – they are inseperably joined to each other. Holy Scripture, being God’s law and testimony, is true and should therefore serve as our standard for all matters of faith and practice (Isaiah 8:19-20; 2 Peter 1:3). God’s Word being both truthful (John 17:17) and authoritative calls us to humble and faithful obedience in every area on which it speaks. There is no authority higher than the one found in Scripture. Wherever and on whatever subject the Scriptures speak, they must be regarded as both inerrant and authoritative.
As a decidedly Christian ministry, it is because we affirm the preceding convictions that we believe in the sufficiency of Scripture in the area of counseling. As such, we trust in the sufficiency of God’s word for the very insights needed in order to help struggling people regardless of the issue. When it comes to caring and helping people in crisis, the Bible’s content is sufficient, relevant, reliable, and trustworthy. Therefore, we hold and teach that the Bible is the ultimate guide and counsel for hurting and confused people and it is of maximum value in all matters having to do with faith and practice, life and death, and every dysfunction and depression associated in the day to day struggles of living life. Our theory and practice of counseling and coaching is constructed from the light of biblical truth which ultimately the wisdom of God revealed to us in His written and inspired Scriptures (2 Tim. 3:16-18). His Word alone promises to provide us “everything pertaining to life” (2 Peter 1:3). Either it does or it doesn’t. Either it is totally sufficient or utterly insufficient. We see no middle ground. Thus, our guidance will always come God’s wisdom and it will always be Christocentric rather than anthropocentric (Christ-centered rather than man-centered or humanly derived).
What does the AISI Ministry team provide those who are in need of help?
Our ministry team provides immediate help for a full range problems that plague men and their families in the world we live in. For over eleven years AISI has helped men be reconciled with God, with their wives, and their families. We have helped men get sober, stay sober, and teach others to do likewise. We helped men gain freedom in Christ over all sorts commonly diagnosed problems and disorders such as: multiple personality disorder, eating disorders, anger, depression, anxiety, pride, arrogance, greed, fears, sexual sin (adultery, homosexuality, pornography, and lust), and drug and alcohol addictions.
Our methods are quite simple but effective because they are God’s methods!
- Spiritual counseling and coaching is conscientiously and comprehensively Christ-centered
- Our focus is conscientiously and comprehensively Church-centered and evangelistic
- All counseling is conscientiously and comprehensively Bible-based and derived
- A Discipleship Model of Change
H. A. R. M.
If in the pursuit of living out our lives one is contrary to these four principles, the propensity for our lives to remain unhealthy and disjointed will increase. Thus, we actually do HARM to ourselves and every one around us as a result.
H = Honesty: The process of being open and forthright so that a total commitment to being a person of integrity is cultivated whereby godly character becomes the norm. Honesty begins with knowing the truth. The fountainhead of all truth is found in the person of Christ. Integrity is forged where honesty is celebrated.
A = Accountability: The discipline of being approachable in all areas of conduct with a willingness to be responsible for all one’s actions.
R = Relationships: The ongoing endeavor to honor and protect all God glorifying involvements; understanding that all relationships are divinely appointed and require our best stewardship and wisdom. This may require reconciliation where damage has been done. This includes making amends where appropriate and putting off some relationships that are harmful and destructive while putting on new ones that glorify God in Christ.
M = Ministry: Engaging the world with your time, talent, and treasure for the purpose of expanding the Kingdom of God and His righteousness; this is a way of sharing with others the blessings of God in Christ. This area of change will be noticeable in our willingness to love God and to love people, to forgive those that have hurt us, and to reach out to those who are hurting or in crisis. Ministry is not optional.
The acronym HARM is an easy way to remember a simple four step process that helps others and ourselves to achieve and maintain healthy, God-honoring lives. HARM is a model of change developed by the ministry team of As Iron Sharpens Iron at Scottsdale Bible Church. For more information on how this process is worked out in discipleship groups or in mentoring relationships just contact AISI Ministries at 602 573 3359.
Biblical Wisdom = Wise Counsel = Evangelism and Edification
Biblical counsel is wise counsel and is permeated with things not necessarily learned in so-called “counseling” courses. (i.e. the basic facts of human existence.) As faithful Christians, we can be very helpful witnesses just by sharing the general revelation that God has provided to all people. Evidence that demands a verdict is all around us as to the existence of God.
God also has made Himself known to every person in his or her heart. Mankind is thus left without excuse when it comes to the existence of God (Rom.1:20).
Romans 1 teaches us that those who deny God do so even though they know there is a God. They refuse to honor Him as God and though they know that God imposes standards of right and wrong on His creation, they refuse to follow those standards. They do what they know they should not do, suppressing the truth about God and behaving as if He did not exist. Their disbelief is one thing, but they bring on even greater condemnation upon themselves as they encourage others to disbelieve and applaud their sinful behavior!
We pray for them that God will draw them unto Christ as their Lord and Savior!!!
The above note is one of the reasons that God calls us out of the world. As His children we are to be sacred (set apart unto Him) so that we can share with others the truth that abounds in us through our faith in Christ who is our Savior. We are to come out from the world and to demonstrate a zeal for the things of God before this world. Too often however, today’s Christians find it much more compatible to their theology (and everybody has one) to blend into our culture rather than, stand apart as “a light shinning in the dark” (Jn. 1:4-5) and as “a voice crying out in the wilderness”(Jn. 1:23).In helping people we need to “speak the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15).
Romans 12:2 calls us “be not conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of the mind.” (emphasis mine)
What we see more and more is a culture that is shaping our Christianity and the Church, instead of our Christianity and Church shaping our culture. As RC Sproul is fond of saying, “Right now counts forever.” There is no better time to come out from the world and let your Baptism echo throughout your life!
We teach others to present your faith as a matter of fact, knowing that it is God Himself that is working through you to seize the moment, to redeem the day for His glory, and for the sake of Christ, His Son in Whom you have been saved.
Here are some things that we need to know and to remember when helping people with problems:
1. God sovereignly controls all circumstances. God is the Potter and man is the clay (Rom. 9:21). He is in every situation and working out things according to His good purposes. Every human being is continually dependent on and colliding with the One True God whether they know it or not (Heb.1:3; Dan. 4:34-35; Acts 17:25-26; Matt.10:29-31).
2. The Lord notices, evaluates, and speaks to every aspect of human life (Acts 15:18).
3. Our Father, Savior, and the indwelling Lord is gracious, patient, and powerful. He works personally in both individuals and groups of people (Jer. 31:35; Rom.11:32-34).
4. Sin inhabits and perverts every aspect of fallen human functioning, not just the most noticed bad behaviors (Gen.6:5; Ps.51:5; Rom. 3:10-23; 5:12-19). Yet, God is sovereign over our fallenness, our failures and our plans for the future. He (God the Holy Spirit) is the only one that can change us (John 3:3; 16; 6:44; 14:6; 17:6).
5. Sufferings, difficulties, deceptions, and temptations in all their forms exist within God’s purposes. He works to bring good out of things meant for evil and experienced as painful.
6. Redemptive change is as far-reaching as sin and misery. Christ works change over the long haul, life-long and progressive in all those that come to Him by faith.
7. The change that matters most and lasts longest, a qualitative change, is a change into the image of Jesus. A change to godliness produces a faith-working-through-love and it registers in the concrete details of how we think and what we feel. It is seen in the words we choose to converse and how we treat people. Lastly, it is the basis of our desires and choices. (People, Places, and Things coupled with motives and actions.)
8. The Spirit and the Word are the prime change agents. God uses everything else, as well, especially the people who make up the body of Christ and the sufferings we experience.
9. All systems of psychological thought and practice are affected by sin and must be critiqued by Scripture’s distinctive take on the human condition. This includes how to rectify what is wrong. God’s gaze and intentions are fundamentally different from those of fallen man.
10. The same basic truths that apply across cultures and history (“every nation, tribe, tongue, and people”—the stuff of evangelism and missions) also apply across the differences between individuals (“every person, one another”—the stuff of witnessing and counseling). The wisdom of God is timeless and thus is never out of date, always relevant and contemporary.
11. Always be quick to listen and slow to speak. Be gracious with people who disagree with you or who are unknowable about the point of the interaction. We are called to love people even though they may not like us or embrace what we are using as wisdom.
12. Share the truth and not just opinions if at all possible. The basis for your authority is from the Word of God through the power of God, the Holy Spirit.
13. Remember, we are ambassadors of Christ. We are proclaim what we know and trust because of His presence in our lives. (This is not optional if we are truly born again.)
Proverbs 27:17