Key verses in this episode - - (Jeremiah 17:9-10 NKJV) (9) "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? (10) I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings. (Romans 6:1 NKJV) (1) What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? (James 3:2, 6, 8 NKJV) (2) For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able als...
Apr 10, 2023•37 min•Season 2Ep. 204
How can we have a Personal Revival? How do we help those we minister to walk in newness of life? Believe Humble Yourself Pray and Seek God Repent Confess Scriptures Isaiah 43:19 John 16:5–8 James 1:17 John 3:16 Micah 6:8 Isaiah 55:6–7 James 4:8–10 James 5:16
Apr 06, 2023•30 min•Season 2Ep. 203
Hey there! In this episode, Pastor Jeff talks about the difference between psychology and the Bible. But just to clarify, when he mentions psychology, he isn't referring to the entire field of psychology. He is mainly pushing back about the part of psychology that deals with human nature, how to live life, and how to make changes. This includes things like psychological counseling, clinical counseling, psychotherapy, and the psychological aspects of psychiatry. These theories have also influence...
Mar 29, 2023•20 min•Season 2Ep. 202
“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” — Ephesians 4:11-12 BiblicalCounselingAcademy.com
Mar 20, 2023•28 min•Season 2Ep. 201
BiblicalCounselingAcademy.com
Mar 13, 2023•29 min•Season 2Ep. 200
In this episode, Pastor Jeff talks about how psychology is infiltrating the church. Instead of the church impacting the world around us, the world is infecting the body of Christ. So often unbiblical, worldly messages are being brought into the church. The truths of Scripture are the message of the church and must not be mixed with humanistic philosophies. God’s Word is powerful. The people of God need to hold fast to the Word of God and the Gospel, which is the power of God for salvation and a ...
Mar 06, 2023•34 min•Season 2Ep. 199
Jennie and I talk about our testimony in this episode. how we were impacted by the Jesus Movement in the 1990's. We caught the tail end of the revival - and were impacted by Jesus! Chuck Smith, founder and pastor of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, led with expositional verse-by-verse Bible studies. He taught that the gifts seen and described in The New Testament are at work today. He baptized members in the Pacific Ocean. Unlike many other Christian movements, there was no single leader or figurehead...
Mar 02, 2023•33 min•Season 2Ep. 198
Giving Godly Counsel to One Another Romans 15:14 “Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able to admonish one another.”
Feb 20, 2023•29 min•Season 2Ep. 197
Giving Godly Counsel to One Another Romans 15:14 “Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able to admonish one another.”
Feb 14, 2023•30 min•Season 2Ep. 196
Nothing is quite as heartbreaking as watching a good gift be wasted. Imagine that you found the perfect gift for someone you love. The gift matches them in ways that will help them grow and flourish. You give that person the gift and they are thrilled. But, three months later, you find out that they are using the gift in ways that you never intended. Even worse, they have seen others use that same gift in ways that are dangerous, and so the gift has been abandoned and forgotten. How would you fe...
Jan 30, 2023•21 min•Season 2Ep. 195
One of the biggest roadblocks for Christians thinking through spiritual gifts is the reality of abuse. Sadly, there are too many instances where Christians have fallen too far into error concerning spiritual gifts and they abuse these wonderful gifts from God to his church. Many Christians reject the gifts not because they have searched the Scriptures but because they have heard stories of Christians at gatherings falling on the floor, jumping around, laughing hysterically, or making animal nois...
Jan 25, 2023•36 min•Season 2Ep. 194
No situation can produce more heartbreak within a church community than when a beloved pastor falls into sin. The fall of a pastor or a Christian leader leaves more spiritual damage and gives the enemy more ammo to attack the church with accusations than any other situation. Sadly, these falls seem all too common within the church today. Do Christians have anything to learn from these events that keep happening in the church today? In this week’s episode of the biblical counseling podcast, pasto...
Jan 16, 2023•23 min•Season 2Ep. 193
It is always an exciting time whenever someone becomes a Christian. They have accepted the Gospel, they are born again, and they see the world in a radically transformed way. When someone becomes a Christian, the church has a few immediate priorities. Any new Christian must learn about basics of spiritual disciplines, evangelism, and the Christian life. Also, any new Christian needs help discovering their gifts and being plugged into the body of Christ. Did you know that there are many Christian...
Jan 11, 2023•22 min•Season 2Ep. 192
In Scripture, we see that there is one God (Deut 6:4) who exists as three distinct persons (Matt 28:19–20). Since there is one God, someone may expect to see that his works are very similar or come in the same style. That is not the picture of the church today! The church today is an international, multi-generational, multi-ethnic movement where Christians all around the world gather and praise the one living and true God. There is great diversity within the church today. Sadly, this diversity c...
Jan 02, 2023•33 min•Season 2Ep. 191
How would you approach a biblical theology of the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit? What passages are central to understanding the work of the Holy Spirit today? Sadly, many Christians do not approach the work of the Holy Spirit from this perspective. Many times, while they think that they are using a biblical framework, they are mostly responding to both craziness within the church performed in the name of the Holy Spirit and then those who seek to criticize legitimate abuses of the spiritual...
Dec 26, 2022•35 min•Season 2Ep. 190
In this week’s episode of the biblical counseling podcast, pastor Jeff Christianson takes some time to answer questions from listeners just like you! This episode is a good opportunity to remind listeners of a few opportunities to connect with pastor Jeff on a personal level. First, pastor Jeff always welcomes comments and feedback on his podcasts. He appreciates hearing God is using his teaching ministry in your own life and he wants to see the questions that you have as you listen to his podca...
Dec 19, 2022•36 min•Season 2Ep. 189
Jesus says that you will know people by their fruits (Matt 7:15–20). In those days, he was speaking to Jews who were conditioned to view their religious leaders as spiritually mature, while Jesus would criticize their clean outer appearances that disguise their dead hearts (Matt 23:27). If we want to ensure that we are walking in the fullness of the Holy Spirit, what fruit should we expect to see in our lives? In this week’s episode of the Biblical Counseling Podcast, pastor Jeff Christianson co...
Dec 12, 2022•34 min•Season 2Ep. 188
There is an important question every Christian must ask themselves, “How do I know if I am filled with the Holy Spirit?” This question is not asking, “have I received the Holy Spirit?” More clarifying, the question is asking, “How do I know if I have the fullness of the Holy Spirit?” How do I know if I am living my spiritual life in the fullness that God has designated for me? In this week’s episode of the biblical counseling podcast, pastor Jeff Christianson continues his study of the doctrine ...
Dec 05, 2022•24 min•Season 2Ep. 187
In today’s world, there is a great need for spiritual discernment. It is difficult to recognize the true work of God in people’s lives. People can hide fleshly and carnal spirits behind Instagram posts, sleek websites, and attractive conferences. How can we be sure that our ministries and service for God are truly flowing from a Spirit-filled life? In this week’s episode of the Biblical Counseling Podcast, pastor Jeff Christianson continues his study of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. This week...
Nov 28, 2022•19 min•Season 2Ep. 186
If you were to describe a Christian who is living a Spirit-filled life, what would he or she look like? Maybe it would be a preacher who is powerfully proclaiming the Word of God. Maybe it is a missionary on the front lines of world evangelization. Maybe it is someone who is speaking in tongues at church or raising their heads. It is easy to look at these different pictures and think, “Wow, that person must be filled with the Holy Spirit.” In this episode of the Biblical Counseling Podcast, past...
Nov 21, 2022•19 min•Season 2Ep. 185
How would you describe the experience of the Christian life? For some, the Christian life can feel like a series of mountaintop events. They go to a conference or to a retreat, or they remember when they were converted, and they were filled with such great joy in those moments. God’s presence was palpable. They had experiences where God’s presence was undeniable. Those experiences are great…but they don’t happen very often. On the other hand, does the Christian life feel like a long journey? Doe...
Nov 17, 2022•27 min•Season 2Ep. 184
There are many opinions within the church today on the works of the Holy Spirit. While many Christians have opinions, we must seek to elevate the Bible over opinions. What does God’s Word say about the filling of the Holy Spirit? In this week’s episode of the Biblical Counseling Podcast, pastor Jeff Christianson continues his study of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. This week, he looks at how the Spirit works across the book of Acts to argue that the filling of the Holy Spirit is a continuous w...
Nov 07, 2022•22 min•Season 2Ep. 183
Jesus says in John 3 that the Spirit blows where it wishes (John 3:8). Like the wind, we may see the effects of the Spirit’s work, but we cannot see the person of the Spirit himself. This teaching can raise a question, how am I supposed to discern the Spirit’s work? Can I have confidence that I have been filled with the Holy Spirit? What are the results of the Spirit’s work in a believer’s life? In this week’s episode of the Biblical Counseling Podcast, pastor Jeff Christianson continues his stu...
Oct 31, 2022•33 min•Season 2Ep. 182
Have you ever wondered what Jesus meant when he told the disciples that they would be “baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:5)? Much confusion surrounds this important biblical teaching. In addition, many believers live their lives missing an essential ingredient for their spiritual growth. In the book of Acts, Luke helps us understand the biblical teaching on the baptism of the Holy Spirit with three phrases. Luke speaks of being baptized with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5), being filled with the...
Oct 24, 2022•36 min•Season 2Ep. 181
Christians today should understand the importance of “power.” Many of us feel the impact when our home or business suddenly loses power. The lights turn off. Nothing works. Everything that you rely upon shuts down. The loss of power today reveals our dependence as people. The picture in the Bible inverses this experience. Scripture says that we have no power in ourselves. But, Christ promises that we as his disciples will receive power from the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). This empowering work of the...
Oct 17, 2022•30 min•Season 2Ep. 180
Are you looking for a simple definition of biblical counseling? Pastor Jeff Christianson defines biblical counseling as helping another person walk with the Lord. Biblical counseling comes down to helping another person walk. It is about progress; it is not a procedure. Many times, our counselees don’t see that their problems stem from the fact that they are walking on a path that leads to destruction. Sin can consume our attention so that we are focused on pursuing pleasures, not knowing where ...
Oct 10, 2022•28 min•Season 2Ep. 179
In this week, episode of the Biblical Counseling Podcast, pastor and counselor Jeff Christianson continues this study of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit by looking at the topic of walking according to the Spirit. The secular vision of the human being cannot penetrate deep enough into the human heart to see the battle between the flesh and the Spirit. Paul explores this biblical anthropology in Romans 6–8. In this podcast, Jeff Christianson explores Paul’s words in Romans 8:4, “In order that the ...
Oct 03, 2022•26 min•Season 2Ep. 178
Many ministries spend most of their energy on finding ways to motivate people toward change. Churches host brainstorming events on discipleship. Book publishers release the latest growth ideas or tools. Pastors preach sermons pointing their congregants down the path of growth. Many Christians can feel bombarded by the constant message: “Here is where you are. Here is where you need to be. Get after it!” While this message of transformation is necessary and biblical, we must ask whether these cal...
Sep 26, 2022•27 min•Season 2Ep. 177
Christians constantly confront the temptation of becoming lopsided in their theology and practice. Christians must understand all that God has revealed in his Word. If Christians are not reading their bibles and seeking to understand all that God has revealed, they can gloss over important truths that can aid them in their Christian lives. In this week’s episode of the Biblical Counseling Podcast, Jeff Christianson explores one of these potentially “overlooked” truths concerning the Holy Spirit....
Sep 19, 2022•27 min•Season 2Ep. 176
Biblical counselors must continue to ask the church today this soul-searching question: “Why is the church going to the world for counsel when the church has the Spirit of Truth that the world does not have?” Jesus clearly diagnoses our spiritual problem in John 3: We must be born again! Join Jeff Christianson this week on the Biblical Counseling Podcast as he continues his study of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. This week, Jeff Christianson draws out key spiritual principles for biblical coun...
Sep 12, 2022•28 min•Season 2Ep. 175
