Walls Down | Counseling
This week I wanted to share a glimpse into the kind of care that often happens quietly, behind the scenes.
I did not receive the joy of discipleship immediately after coming to faith. I came to faith at a time when I was most alone. I dove into the Scriptures and sought out the knowledge of anyone who could answer thoughtfully and with reason, whether online, in church, or elsewhere. I spent hours in the Word and in prayer. Yet I remained largely alone, and I did not receive that level of personal care until after I stopped running from the Church.
My church elder Andy gave regular visitations. This was something I had never seen before in a church, and it was deeply needed in my life. Those visits were preceded by a lifetime in the Word and much prayer. They took place through in-person conversations, asking good questions, getting to know the individual, and understanding how their life was going. They continued with good shepherding, discerning where someone was spiritually and whether they needed encouragement or gentle correction, always grounded in Scripture. The conversations ended in prayer for the individual, and they continued afterward through ongoing prayer, asking that God would help him care well and that God would do what He promises to do.
I do not call what I do visitations, because I am not a church elder. I give counseling. What I offer is what I so desperately needed. Someone to share what was going on in my life. Someone more knowledgeable to ask questions of. Someone to give wise counsel from time to time, even when that counsel is hard to hear. I do this because many are not receiving this care from their churches, especially those who have not yet joined one. Even so, the hope is that they would come to see the need for that care and seek it out within the church and among its elders.
Tears often stream down my face with the men I meet. I find deep joy in seeing them pursue greater piety. I rejoice in watching the Bible study group learn, grow, and engage with one another.
Call Beyond The Screen
Brothers and Sisters reading, there are already so many organizations that focus on evangelism, teaching people to repeat a script. They speak to people, the people say they want Jesus, they say a prayer for them, and tell them someone will reach out, and then nothing comes of it. What happened with Phillip and the Ethiopian was just one method, and a unique experience, and not the standard.
My hope is not to have a bunch of regurgitating robots be called online missionaries. My hope is to see people cared for and taught by those capable, knowledgeable, pastoral, and recognized by others to go. Ministering as one who teaches a youth to ride a bike, caring for children of the faith the way they’re meant to be, until they are rooted, connected, and ready. The church elders take over from there.
This is the kind of work your prayers make possible. Thank you.
But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8
Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety. Proverbs 11:14
Grace and Peace,
Matthew Boyer