Counselling and Complaining

Posted on 28 May, 2014 by Jon Gleason

Yesterday I noted this passage on murmuring / complaining:

I Corinthians 10:10-11

10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

This example gives us a strong warning about a sin which God views very seriously.

So if murmuring / complaining is a really, really bad sin, one we should warn of rather than encourage, any “counselling” that encourages and permits this sin is not Biblical counselling, and is spiritually counter-productive.  Counselling is focused on Biblical solutions to problems, not a mere airing of grievances.

Related:

Principles of Biblical Counselling

Some Really, Really Bad Sins

Three Effects of Complaining

The Kind of Person You Are

 

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Some Really, Really Bad Sins

Posted on 27 May, 2014 by Jon Gleason

In I Corinthians 10, we have a list of really bad sins.  We get these sometimes in Scriptures, describing our lives before we were saved, or describing the extent to which sin takes people when they turn away from God.  In this case, we’re told that these sins are recorded in Scripture for an example to us, warning us not to do the same things.

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Three Effects of Complaining

Posted on 26 May, 2014 by Jon Gleason

From Pastor Don Dillman’s sermon yesterday:

  1. It Denies God’s Sovereignty.
  2. It Disrupts the Unity of Believers.
  3. It Discredits our Testimony Before the World.

My additional thought — the first damages our relationship with God, the second damages our relationship with other believers, and the third damages our relationship with unbelievers.

And yet, too often, Christians complain.

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“Get Out!” — What a Kirk We Have These Days!

Posted on 20 May, 2014 by Jon Gleason

Every May, the “Church” of Scotland holds its General Assembly, which sometimes seems to have as its main purpose to generate reprehensible statements in the name of Christ.  They’ve only just started this year, and it will likely get worse, but a former moderator is already behaving immoderately, telling people who take Scripture seriously to “get out.”

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Questions to Ask Yourself in Times of Difficulty

Posted on 18 May, 2014 by Jon Gleason

Life is hard, and despite what some false teachers say, God never promised the Christian life would be easy or without trials.  Difficulties come into the life of a believer all the time.  Today I preached on four good questions to ask yourself when these times come.

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Bible Reading

Posted on 14 May, 2014 by Jon Gleason

Did you know that there are 1189 chapters in the Bible?  There are 260 in the New Testament and 929 in the Old.  How many of them have you read?

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“I See Everything Different Now”

Posted on 13 May, 2014 by Jon Gleason

This is not the exact wording.  I removed some details, but below is the essence of what someone in our church told me Sunday.

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