The sermon text on Sunday in Hebrews 3:7-19 challenged us keep a close watch on our own hearts and to exhort one another… “that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” This brand of application is not unusual at Providence, as personal holiness and “one-anothering” are common themes in the Bible.
However, some of us may feel ill-equipped to do either one—deal with our own hearts or help someone else. We’re well familiar with Scripture’s calling us to these things, but we’re not sure about the nuts and bolts of application. For example, 2 Timothy 2:22 reads, So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. But what exactly does it look like—in practical terms—to do this? Similarly, Gal 6:2 commands us to Bear one another’s burdens… We may be very eager to do so, but completely unsure how.
If someone asked you, “How does a person grow and change?” would you be able to tell them? More pointedly, if someone asked you directly for assistance with an issue, would you know where to start?
In an effort to help our biblical counselors hone their gifts and skills in these things, we will be offering “Equipping Intensives.” Twice per year—one Friday night each September and March (7pm-10:30pm)— we’ll bring a concentrated unit of practical teaching related to sanctification. While the primary purpose of these Equipping Intensives will be to equip our counselors, all members are welcome and encouraged to attend since the material will benefit anyone seeking to grow in the Lord and help others do the same.
Our first Equipping Intensive (scheduled for Friday, September 22, 7-10:30pm) is sub-titled “Fundamentals of Change.” We’ll be considering several related topics, including:
Understanding Heart Worship — our hearts’ propensity to worship, its highjacking, its restoration, and its centrality in the process of change
Gospel-Striving — learning to strive for holiness with the right power, motive, and desire
Spiritual “Muscle Memory” — Five biblical concepts to be leveraged in the re-training of our thoughts, affections, attitudes, and actions
Our counselors are involved in the ministry of formally coming alongside others to help with specific seasons of difficulty. We are very thankful that God has blessed us with a number of these folks who are zealous to dedicate time to this work.
But consider what Paul wrote to the whole church at Rome: Now I myself also am convinced about you, my brothers, that you yourselves also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to instruct one another (Rom 15:14 LEB). Helping one another grow in Christlikeness is not a special gift, but is the calling and ministry of the whole church. With that in mind, I encourage you to join us on September 22!
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