Who at any time serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit of it? Or who tends a flock and does not use the milk of the flock? I am not speaking these things according to human judgment, am I? Or does not the Law also say these things? For it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing.” God is not concerned about oxen, is He? Or is He speaking altogether for our sake? Yes, for our sake it was written, because the plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher to thresh in hope of sharing the crops. If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? If others share the right over you, do we not more? Nevertheless, we did not use this right, but we endure all things so that we will cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ. Do you not know that those who perform sacred services eat the food of the temple, and those who attend regularly to the altar have their share from the altar? So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel.

Paul’s logic is clear. Even though he had made a personal decision not to accept support from the churches in which he ministered, they still had a responsibility to support those who were to have a continuing ministry to them as their pastors.

“But Donn,” you complain, “No one thinks a pastor should not be paid. What’s your point?”

Stay with me here. I wanted to begin by establishing the basic fact that God requires us to pay our pastor. How much we should pay him is the more controversial question. Did you know the Bible answers that for us as well? No, it does not give us a dollar amount but listen to this:

The elders (pastors) who manage well should be considered worthy of double pay, especially those who are laboring at preaching and teaching.  (1 Timothy 5:17)

Paul is prescribing an attitude, not a figure. A mind-set, not a number. When it comes time to vote on a budget, and when the various committees meet to decide upon a salary package, how should they approach their decisions? Will it be “How much does our pastor need to get by?” or will it be “How generous can we afford to be?”

Paul urges you to consider your pastor to be worthy of twice the pay. No, you will probably not be able to afford to pay him double, but you should aspire to do so. Remember, your pastor will probably be one of the best-educated people in your church. How many people in your church have a Master’s degree in whatever it is they do? He will have paid for his education himself. If the pastor receives a higher income than you do would you be jealous or would you be thankful?

Your pastor has many burdens, paying his bills should not be one of them. He should be paid well enough that he can purchase a home in the same kind of neighborhood you live in. He should be able to purchase a vehicle that is dependable and comfortable. He should be provided life insurance, health insurance, and a generous pension. His wife should be free to work outside the home if she desires, but she should not HAVE to work for the family to survive.

“But Donn,” you say, “we can’t pay him more than we have. All these things will bust our church budget.”

Well, I will admit I am not familiar with your church’s finances. All I am doing is pleading for a biblical mindset as you make decisions. There are many good and worthy ways a church can spend money. Of course you have to pay the utility bills, purchase insurance, and do maintenance on your buildings. But of all the other things in your budget, only one is commanded in the Scriptures—paying the pastor.

The cooperative fund, missions, convention agencies, camps, schools, and benevolence are all good and worthy things. But if a church cannot obey Christ in paying their pastor because they are supporting these other things, then ultimately, it is the pastor, not the church that is supporting them. Only one budget item is prescribed in the Word. All others come in second to that priority.

Check out our online course, Counseling Problems taught by Donn Arms!

Books related to dealing with problems:

1. Competent to Counsel by Jay Adams
2. The Christian Counselor’s Manual by Jay Adams
3. Christ and Your Problems by Jay Adams

The Christian Counselor’s New Testament and Proverbs, translated by Jay Adams

Visit our online bookstore for all your biblical counseling resource needs.
For biblical counseling training, check out our list of INS Online Courses.

Follow INS on Social Media:
– Facebook: noutheticstudies
– Twitter: @noutheticstud
– Instagram: @noutheticstudies

The post Paying the Pastor appeared first on Institute for Nouthetic Studies | Biblical Counseling.

Jay Adams describes the personal conflict with sin that rages within every believer. Then with skill and understanding, he exposes the enemy’s principal tactics and spells out a clear biblical strategy for overcoming sin. He answers such important questions as:

– How can I successfully deal with temptation?

– How do I fight the battles of the Lord and WIN?

– Can I learn to recognize the designs of Satan so I won’t be so easily defeated?

– Why do I keep making the same mistakes over and over again?

– Where can I find help when I need it?

Whatever the struggle-sexual temptation, chemical dependency, pride, materialism, loneliness, discouragement-we are not alone in the battle and we can win the war within by the power of God’s might as we learn to use the weapons He has provided for our victory.

What Are Others Saying About Winning the War Within?

“Real and lasting change in the Christian life toward Christlikeness goes way beyond behavioral adjustments. There is an internal battle that must be won. In his book, Winning the War Within, Jay Adams uses the carefully exposited truth of God’s Word and the wisdom of a highly experienced counselor to help Christians achieve this goal. This book should be on the shortlist of required reading for counselors and for all Christians because of its relevance to growth in the Christian while overcoming deeply embedded sins within.”

— Dr. John Street, Chair, MABC Graduate Program, The Master’s College and Seminary; President, Association of Certified Biblical Counselors

“This classic work by Jay Adams demystifies spiritual warfare offering practical help for all believers. It is full of scriptural hope and encouragement.”

— Dr. Jim Newheiser, Professor of Counseling and Pastoral Theology Reformed Theological Seminary Charlotte; Director IBCD.

“Dr. Adams has a way of taking complicated matters and making them easy to understand while providing guidelines for how to work through those matters in a biblical way. Winning The War Within is an example of this. He guides us into understanding and addressing spiritual warfare in a way that is practical and biblical. A great resource for bible studies and counseling.”

— Dr. Nicolas Ellen, President of Expository Counseling Training Center

“Winning the War Within demonstrates the teaching skill of Dr. Jay Adams and displays his compassion and kindness in caring for souls. As a shepherd, Dr. Adams balances grace and truth, offering the wisdom of Christ in a practical and applied manner. His emphasis on the heart and its temptations toward choosing what the world and Satan offers is extremely helpful. I commend this book to you without reservation!”

— Dr. Mark Shaw, Director of Counseling, Grace Fellowship, Florence, KY; author of Heart of Addiction

“I could not agree more with Dr. Adams when he said, “It is there—within your inmost being—that battles are won or lost.” It’s not outside of us, it’s within us. Some let this lead to talk of personal worth or affirming your own ability to wage war, but Dr. Adams teaches us in Winning the War Within that the Christian’s victory is guaranteed because of God’s work in us. Though our flesh is a formidable enemy, our God proves victorious in our lives both now and ultimately. One of Adams’ classics and one of only a handful of good resources on spiritual warfare. I commend this book to you.”

— Dr. Greg E. Gifford, Associate Professor at The Master’s University; author of Heart & Habits

“I have lived through three generations of biblical counseling. What is amazing is how consistently on the money Dr. Adams, the father of modern biblical counseling was and is. Winning the War Within is a great example. Adams identified his cultural situation when he wrote, “…I need to say that the same forces that have spawned an effete Christianity, that shun confrontation, glorifies self, and represents Jesus as a Savior who can add a dimension to your happiness (rather than one who will radically change your life) are at work.” The contemporary situation has worsened dramatically. The enemy has fielded an array of new battle plans such as gender dysphoria, porn at the flick of a finger, and CRT. Adams’ faithful, clear biblical guidance and instruction are extraordinarily helpful to Christian engaging in that inward warfare with evil.”

— Dr. Howard Eyrich, retired Seminary professor and author of Three to Get Ready

“Jay Adams changed my life. Reading his books and learning from his wisdom was absolutely foundational for me, not just as I learned how to engage in counseling that is authentically biblical, but also as I learned to think biblically about an entire host of issues. Jay Adams is biblical counseling’s great grandfather. There is no biblical counseling author, leader, or practitioner that cannot draw a direct line from their ministry to the founding work of Dr. Adams. That means that neither your theological education nor your counseling training is complete until you have sat long at his feet, reading as much of him as you possibly can.”

— Dr. Heath Lambert, Sr. Pastor, First Baptist Church, Jacksonville, FL, Author of A Theology of Biblical Counseling and Finally Free

“Here is classic Adams—clear, direct, biblically saturated, and extraordinarily helpful! Misconceptions abound when it comes to the topic of spiritual warfare. Adams will have none of them. In his typical fashion, he brings sanity to a confused topic by unashamedly calling believers to trust what God’s Word has to say on the matter. In doing so, not only does he remind Christians of the great battle they are in, but he also provides for them the biblical strategy for Winning the War Within.”

— Pastor Donald Thomas, Abner Creek Baptist Church, Greer, SC

Pick up a copy of WINNING THE WAR WITHIN from our online bookstore today!

Check out our online courses, including, Introduction to Nouthetic Counseling and  The Use of Scripture in Counseling, taught by Jay Adams!

Books related to counseling others:

1. Competent to Counsel by Jay Adams
2. The Christian Counselor’s Manual by Jay Adams
3. How to Help People Change by Jay Adams
4. Check out our Bookstore for all the best counseling books!

The Christian Counselor’s New Testament and Proverbs, translated by Jay Adams

Visit our online bookstore for all your biblical counseling resource needs.
For more biblical counseling training, check out our list of INS Online Courses.

Follow INS on Social Media:
– Facebook: noutheticstudies
– Twitter: @noutheticstud
– Instagram: @noutheticstudies

The post Winning the War Within appeared first on Institute for Nouthetic Studies | Biblical Counseling.

The first hat he will need to wear is that of our lead music man. This could mean several things and does not necessarily mean that he must be an accomplished pianist, brilliant soloist, composer, choir director, and worship leader (although having all these traits would be a plus). We just need a musician who can lead our music ministry with skill.

The second hat he will need to wear is that of Nouthetic counselor. Our counseling ministry is in its infancy and we need someone who is committed to Nouthetic counseling, preferably already ACBC certified, who can lead training and organize.

Are you this person? Do you know of someone who might be? If so, contact Donn Arms at donnarms@nouthetic.org for more information. To learn about our church you can check out our website here.

The post Help Wanted – Nouthetic Ministry Opportunity appeared first on Institute for Nouthetic Studies | Biblical Counseling.

So, would you consider writing a “blurb” for us, not necessarily about a specific book, but about how Jay’s books have helped you? Perhaps one of these categories will give you an idea of what we are looking for:

• “Here is how reading Jay Adams has helped me in my ministry, marriage, trial, or walk with Christ.”
• “This is why YOU should read Jay Adams.”
• “Let me tell you about a specific book that has helped me.”
• “Let me tell you why you should read (insert book title).”

You get the idea. Long testimonies are wonderful, but they will not help us. We need anywhere from a medium-length paragraph to just a few sentences. Endorsements that are over 200 words will certainly require editing.

Now, if you want to tell the world about how Competent to Counsel has changed your life or how the Christian Counselor’s Manual has been so rich with instruction, let me hold you back. Competent to Counsel upended my ministry as well, 40 years ago. I am horrified when I encounter graduates of biblical counseling programs who have never read Competent to Counsel. But both are published by Zondervan and blurbs that focus on them will not help us. That does not mean we do not want you to mention them, or the other Zondervan titles, but please do not make them the focus of your blurb. The folk at Zondervan are great partners, and we believe everyone should read Competent to Counsel. But we will leave the promotion of their titles to them. The same is true of the other Zondervan titles.

“How will you use my blurb?” We don’t know for sure. It may appear in one of our blogs, you may see it in one of our newsletters, we might use it on Facebook, or it may even appear on the back cover of one of Jay’s books! When you send us a blurb, we will assume that you give us permission to edit your blurb and use it as we see fit.

“Will you use my name?” We would like to. We would only use your name and a brief tagline as to who you are. Something like:

• John Jones—pastor, Bugtussle, TN
• Suzie Smith—mom, ACBC Certified Counselor, Podunk, Iowa
• John Doe—student, Kaunas, Lithuania
• Richard Roe—Mechanic, Idaho
• Peter Parker—Superhero
• Tony Stark—Entrepreneur

“I want to report how Jay has helped me in a specific way, but I want to remain anonymous. Is that OK?” Sure, just let us know when you send your blurb.

There you have it. Give it some thought. Write it out, let it simmer overnight, and review it the next day. Then email it to me at donnarms@nouthetic.org. We will be grateful for your help.

The Christian Counselor’s New Testament and Proverbs, translated by Jay Adams

Visit our online bookstore for all your biblical counseling resource needs.
For biblical counseling training, check out our list of INS Online Courses.

Follow INS on Social Media:
– Facebook: noutheticstudies
– Twitter: @noutheticstud
– Instagram: @noutheticstudies

Check out the latest Release from INS Publishing! 

Buy Now

The post Can You Help Us? appeared first on Institute for Nouthetic Studies | Biblical Counseling.

1. Minimize your counselee’s problem. It was important enough to him to seek counsel.
2. Tell your counselee that you understand what he is going through. You probably don’t. Tell him Christ does.
3. Use psychological labels and jargon.
4. Debate counseling models and methods with your counselee.
5. Give homework that does not directly relate to the problem.
6. Delay addressing his problem thinking you must build a relationship first. Build a relationship by addressing his problem.
7. Adjudicate disputes between two people.
8. Overwhelm your counselee with too much homework.
9. Let your counselee’s emotions dictate the agenda.
10. Let other things distract you during a counseling session.
11. Fail to laugh and enjoy a humorous moment when appropriate.
12. Try to make a point with a long list of verses. Instead, explain carefully the one or two verses that best meet the need.
13. Fail to take good notes during the session.
14. Charge your counselee for the privilege of counseling with you.
15. Commiserate with a depressed person—help him!
16. Excuse failure to do homework.
17. Allow someone, whose own life is out of control, control yours.
18. Have your counselee read Scripture during the counseling session. You read it TO HIM—clearly, as he follows along in his Bible.
19. Yawn
20. Fake it. If you don’t know what to do next ask the counselee to pray for you as you study the issue during the coming week.
21. Do another pastor’s work for him. Insist that your counselee’s pastor come along to the counseling session.
22. Become angry with an angry counselee.
23. Pity a pitiful counselee.
24. Think more highly of yourself than you ought.
25. Speak in abstractions, be concrete.
26. Assume your counselee understands the biblical principle or passage you are referring to.
27. Let your counselee settle for relief from the immediate problem.
28. Give up.
29. Settle for some substitute for church discipline.
30. Promise absolute confidentiality.
31. Ignore or gloss over doctrinal differences.
32. Fail to secure commitments from your counselee.
33. Confuse repentance with regret.
34. Monopolize the conversation. Listen!
35. Talk about a counseling case with someone who has no reason to hear about it.
36. Fear litigation because you have obeyed Scripture.
37. Back down when you should stand firm.
38. Fail to handle the Word carefully and honestly. Do your exegesis!

The post When Counseling, Also Don’t . . . appeared first on Institute for Nouthetic Studies | Biblical Counseling.

Consider the following reasons you should study with us:

• All courses offered online
• Study on your schedule, not ours
• Study under the father of the modern Biblical Counseling movement
• Meet (and surpass) the training requirement for ACBC certification
• Indefinite access to training materials
• And now, even more affordable tuition!

Want to begin now? Just head to our coursework page, establish an account, and begin studying.

The post We Have Slashed Our Tuition! appeared first on Institute for Nouthetic Studies | Biblical Counseling.

We have covered so much information that I am afraid I will not recall what I need to when I encounter specific counseling situations. How do I remember where to begin?

The question brought back memories of my early training and counseling experiences. I remember well the “drinking from a firehose” feeling I had when I attended one of the first February conferences at Faith Baptist over 30 years ago. I went home knowing I needed to be a counselor for my church and community, but fearful about my limited abilities.

God was gracious to me in that I had a resource then that you do not have. I could pick up the phone and call Bill Goode, and he would take my call! During the last 20 years, I could drive out to rural Enoree, SC, sit down with Jay Adams himself, and ask questions.

Today, however, you have resources I did not have. In those days, all the biblical counseling books I owned (and I owned most that were available) fit on less than two linear feet of shelf space. Now I have an entire wall of shelves filled with help. But books on a shelf, and mentors one can call, do not help in that moment in the counseling room when you are groping for biblical answers for your counselor’s problems. Let me encourage you with several things to remember.

1. God is good, gracious, and sovereign—not only in your counselee’s life and circumstance, but in yours as well. God will not bring situations to you that are too much for you. Often you will be tempted to think that is the case, but you should view the difficult counseling situation before you as God’s gracious appointment to help you grow and take the next step in your progress as a counselor.

2. Learn how to conduct a first counseling session well. Know what you want to accomplish. Ask good questions. Maintain control of the session. Keep it moving in a purposeful direction. Get a clear picture of the problem. Take good notes. Assign good data gathering homework. Above all, give hope. If you do all these things well in that first session, you will not have time to tackle the fundamentals of the problem presented anyway. Assure your counselee you will get to the problem next week. If you need help with learning how to conduct a first session well, get a copy of Jay Adams’ book Critical Stages in Biblical Counseling and read the first section carefully.

3. If you conduct that first session well, you will know how to study for the next session. Happily, you have a full week to do so. While you cannot call Bill Goode or sit down with Jay Adams as I could, you can do even better. You can glean wisdom on the topics your counselee presented to you from Jay Adams, Wayne Mack, Lou Priolo, John Street, Martha Peace, Heath Lambert, Daniel Berger, Stuart Scott, Steve Viars, and, well, the list is long. God has given you homework for the week. Accept it as an assignment from Him, and be prepared for that next session.

4. You have now gained valuable experience. I do not remember all the marriages I have counseled over the years, but I remember vividly the first. That husband and wife spat poison at each other, in the presence of their pastor no less, in the words they used to describe their marriage. I lost control of the session after the first five minutes. The things you learned in your training about the problem your counselee presented to you will become fixed in your thinking as you work through the problem with your counselee. You will not soon forget it. While your next counselee will be quite different from the last one, you will remember how working through Philippians 4 with a worried counselee gave both hope and help. The experience will serve you well the next time you counsel a worrier.

5. Be careful as you study for that next session. The hundreds of books available now to the biblical counselor are both a blessing and a curse. Tares have grown up among the wheat. Even good authors you have grown to trust and appreciate can produce a clunker from time to time. Be discerning.

6. Finally, keep learning. If you had thought that completing a training course, or even becoming certified, would adequately prepare you for this task, you have certainly discovered otherwise by now. A three-weekend course or a one-week conference can be a good start, but it is only that, a start. One friend refers to these training venues as the “GED” of counseling training. Read voraciously, most useful books can be purchased for about what you would spend on a pizza tonight. Attend as many conferences as you are able, sit in on counseling sessions conducted by seasoned counselors. Do not settle for the minimum amount of training required by a certifying organization.

So you see, you do not have to remember everything about all counseling situations to begin counseling. You simply have to prepare yourself well for the next one. When things arise in that session that you are not prepared to handle, make a note, promise your counselee that you will come back to that issue later, and do your best to keep to the agenda you had prepared.

The post What to Do When You Are Stumped appeared first on Institute for Nouthetic Studies | Biblical Counseling.