“Personal ministry is not about always knowing what to say. It is not about fixing everything in sight that is broken. Personal ministry is about connecting people with Christ so that they are able to think as he would have them think, desire what he says is best, and do what he calls them to do even if their circumstances never get ‘fixed’. It involves exposing hurt, lost, and confused people to God's glory, so that they give up their pursuit of their own glory and live for his.” – Paul David Tripp

The team at Michiana Biblical Counseling Center (MBCC) is passionate about this work of “connecting” people with Christ, and equipping believers to do the same. True hope, transformation, and healing is found in Christ alone, and because of that, the counselors at MBCC witness entire family trajectories changed by encountering and following Him in the midst of a broken world.

Deanna Doctor has enjoyed a front-row seat to this amazing work over her last six years serving as MBCC’s Counseling Director. “Sitting down with ‘my people’ (my counselees) and hearing what they have learned about God as they have studied His word that week is precious,” Deanna shared. “Praying with them and problem-solving with them, based upon the sufficient character of God, is life-giving to me! (And the fact that I get to do this alongside our fantastic team of men and women who love people passionately is icing on the cake!)”

Proverbs 20:5 tells us that ,

“The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out.”

We’ve “met” some ministries over the past several weeks that meet needs through a coordinated effort to pool and distribute physical resources. Others are uniquely qualified to partner with individuals navigating unplanned pregnancy, addiction, or cancer. MBCC’s ministry is invested in diving deep into the “deep waters” of the heart, the kind of needs that people don’t typically wear on their sleeves. This is patient work, trust-building work, uncomfortable work, hard work, Spirit-enabled work, and 100% “worth-it” work.

Deanna told us about the joy she’s experiencing in this season as she counsels: “Several of my people, this week, confessed sin to God right in the session as soon as God convicted them! I love it when they are moved to action immediately upon being convicted! That sensitivity to the Spirit is something I want to pattern!”

We would probably all agree that it’s nearly impossible to be involved in ministry without being changed ourselves. This has been Deanna’s experience: “I have grown spiritually, relationally, and emotionally over my 23 years of counseling and I don’t have words to express how grateful I am to God for doing that work in my life! God’s faithfulness to use the specific women, families, couples, and teens I meet with to sharpen my faith, and really every aspect of who I am, will never get old to me! I am truly living the dream and am so grateful!”

This is the design of our Father: people indwelt by His Spirit, helping other people to become more like Him, one degree at a time. Paul David Tripp reminds us:

“Embedded in the larger story of redemption is a principle we must not miss: God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things in the lives of others.”

The ministry here is boundless: One truth shared in a counseling session might lead to one decision in someone’s life that might break off generational patterns of sin and change a family’s legacy for ages to come. Testimonies of crumbling marriages that are restored speak to other relationships in crisis that healing is possible. Freedom from the grip of a lifetime of anxiety declares that peace is not only a possibility but promised in Jesus’ name. Transformation and renewal are sparked horizontally over an endless network of influence and vertically down the generations to come, and it all started in the counseling room.

Ripple-effects don’t get better than this.  

“Pray that God continues to provide passionate counselors to meet the needs of those requesting counseling,” Deanna asked. “Pray that our team stays stirred up in our affection for Jesus and passionate about helping hurting people. Pray that each of us counselors would be humble and teachable to the Spirit in our own lives.”

There’s something about God’s people passionately ascribing His worth that catches the world’s attention. When a woman who lost her husband to cancer 3 months ago stands in a worship service with tears running down her cheeks, and, somehow, unmistakable hope radiating from her countenance, it stands out. When a high school senior walks through the hallways with striking joy, uncommon compassion, and unashamed truth, it stands out. When a young married couple fresh out of college opts to plant their lives in the Middle East, denying the comforts of freedom and security to take the gospel into risk-laden territory, it stands out. When a retired veteran and his wife spend the best hours of their day at homeless shelters and food pantries instead of re-tracing their favorite golf course, it stands out. The world can’t ignore the contrast, and it begs the question of what’s different.

In 2018, songwriters Corey Voss, Dustin Smith, Michael Bryce Jr., and Michael Farren penned the lyrics of a song that quickly became one of our favorites at FBC. The bridge reads:

“The world cannot ignore it
When all the saints are roaring
Hell where is your victory
Death where is your sting?”

- “Praise the King”, Corey Voss -

If you’ve ever found yourself planted in a room full of believers worshiping, you know that there are no words to fully describe the spirit of joyful agreement in those moments. They are moments drenched in collective unity. They’re brimming over with celebration over having been rescued. They loudly proclaim the victory and resurrection that is ours in Christ. And for believers, those moments just feel…right. They’re what we were created to do.

This kind of passionate worship, expressed in the large meeting rooms of American Congregations and the crowded basements of the underground church, carries the gospel to the nations. The kind of worship that’s lived out in cubicles, hospital waiting rooms, lecture halls, dining rooms, coffee shops, hard phone calls, elementary school pick-up lines, grocery store aisles, football fields, and facebook comment sections, also carry the gospel to the nations. How? Because the kind of people who can stare life’s trials, injustices, sufferings, conflicts, brokenness, and discouragements in the face and yet retain a resilient joy not their own, stand out.

The passionate worship of the people of God carries the gospel to the nations.

Whether by direct exposure to gospel-laden truth, or by the experience of interacting with believers who are filled with the Spirit of Truth, gospel seeds are planted. When all the saints are roaring with their song and with their lives that God is good, victorious, glorious, worthy, holy, compassionate, just, kind, gracious, merciful, and loving, the world cannot ignore it.

If we want the nations to understand God’s worth, we need to be a people who proclaim it.

John Piper explains,

“…worship is the goal and the fuel of missions: Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Missions is our way of saying: the joy of knowing Christ is not a private, or tribal, or national or ethnic privilege. It is for all. And that’s why we go. Because we have tasted the joy of worshiping Jesus, and we want all the families of the earth included.

“All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you.” (Psalm 22:27)

Seeking the worship of the nations is fueled by the joy of our own worship. You can’t commend what you don’t cherish. You can’t proclaim what you don’t prize. Worship is the fuel and the goal of missions.”

(READ FULL MESSAGE HERE)

To learn more about how you can engage in MISSIONS at FBC, get to know our church’s missionaries, and be inspired by how God is leading the nations to worship Him, visit our Missions page by clicking the button below.