Lessons from Ephesians: A Culture of Counseling

One of the things I’m regularly praying for our church is that we would develop a “culture of biblical counseling.” That is, that we, as a church, love, know, and encourage one another with biblical truth. I hope that counseling becomes normal. There’s often a stigma attached to counseling; we think that if we need counseling, it’s because we’re failures. We are embarrassed to ask for it. We’d rather suffer silently our broken marriages, our debilitating anxieties, or our secret sins than ask for help.

But this is pride. A more biblical understanding of ourselves and the challenges of this fallen world leads us to humbly admit there are times we need help from other mature brothers and sisters in the church. We need counsel.

This is why I’m excited to be spending so much time in Ephesians. Ephesians will help us counsel one another. In my first sermon on Ephesians, I read this quote from David Powlison, and I wanted to share it again so that we can ponder it and remember it as we continue our way through this wonderful letter:

“Newcomers to biblical counseling often experience a sharp-edged uncertainty reflected in questions like the following: ‘Where should I begin? I am keenly aware of my inability and incompetence, but I want to help people. I want to reflect and communicate Jesus Christ! But I know the Bible is vast and deep. The particulars of God’s working can be unclear. At the same time, the problems and burdens people bring are perplexing and overwhelming. And I have my own sins and struggles. My understanding and ability are limited and compromised. I’ll never begin to help other people grow in wisdom if I need to master the entire Bible and solve every variant of the human condition, including my own! Where do I start?’ Experienced counselors - unless they’ve become dry and rote - also feel the sharp edge of similar questions, not about how to begin, but about how to continue on. When you step into the light of God and into the darkness of mankind, you step into unfathomables. Who is sufficient for such things? How will you master what exceeds your comprehension and ability?

You will not go wrong if you plunge into Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Master it. Be mastered by it. Work Ephesians into your thinking, your living, your prayers, and your conversation. The Bible is vast and deep, and human life is diverse and perplexing. But in a pinch you could do all counseling from Ephesians. It’s all there: the big picture that organizes a myriad of details.”