When People Become Projects
Counselors Reflect on Dangerous Calling by Paul Tripp A Series to Care for the Care Takers of God’s People “All right, Professor Tripp, we know that we will have these projects in our churches. Tell us what to do with them so we can get back to the work of ministry!” page 44. This quote was a comment that a student made in Paul Tripp’s class on pastoral counseling when he was teaching at Westminster Theological Seminary. It was spoken in the context of Tripp sharing stories from his own pastoring experience in hopes that his own initial immaturity and lack of readiness might...
Read MoreThe Definition of Christian Maturity
Counselors Reflect on Dangerous Calling by Paul Tripp A Series to Care for the Care Takers of God’s People “The ultimate purpose of the Word of God is not theological information but heart and life transformation.” (p. 51) We often confuse knowledge with obedience. However knowledge is not the same as character or obedience. Furthermore, obedience cannot always be articulated. Obedience is by definition action oriented. And yet many of us including myself are under the false belief that you don’t really know something unless you can explain it or talk about it. I have wrestled...
Read MoreThe Process of Becoming Different
Counselors Reflect on Dangerous Calling by Paul Tripp A Series to Care for the Care Takers of God’s People “When the Word of God, faithfully taught by the people of God and empowered by the Spirit of God, falls down, people become different. Lusting people become pure, fearful people become courageous, thieves become givers, demanding people become servants, angry people become peacemakers, complainers become thankful, and idolaters come to joyfully worship the one true God. The ultimate purpose of the Word of God is not theological information but heart and life transformation” (Paul David...
Read MoreLabyrinth or Liberty?
Counselors Reflect on Dangerous Calling by Paul Tripp A Series to Care for the Care Takers of God’s People “I wanted them to grapple with the question of whether they were in seminary because they loved the labyrinthine superstructure of the theological concepts of Scripture or because they loved Jesus and wanted to be his tool of transformation in the lives of messy people.” The absurdity of this quote is only absurd because we as readers can look at it from afar. The sentence and its grandiose descriptive words carry with it a perspective that seems obvious to the reader, and as we...
Read MoreSomething More Than Knowledge
Counselors Reflect on Dangerous Calling by Paul Tripp A Series to Care for the Care Takers of God’s People “Bad things happen when maturity is more defined by knowing than by being.” (p. 42) Have you ever noticed this verse in 1 Corinthians 4:1-2? It says, ‘knowledge’ puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God. After I graduated from seminary I felt a surprising spiritual lack. I wasn’t consciously aware of my own presupposition but apparently I assumed that because I knew...
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