COMPETENT TO MINISTER: THE BIBLICAL CARE OF SOULS is for Christians who want to know what the Bible says about ministering the care of souls to one another. Who is equipped and qualified to minister God's care and counsel to fellow believers? When we think of people who influenced our Christian growth, we remember people who lived the Christian life. They loved and served in humility and faith. Yet, when it comes to counseling, which we call personal ministry, most Christians consider themselves unprepared. May this book encourage you as you discover that God has given believers all they need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1: B) and for ministering this life to one another. Believers, guided by the Word and empowered by the Holy Spirit, are equipped and called to minister to one another in the Body of Christ as they look to the Lord and His Word for help and rely on the Holy Spirit to be the true Counselor. By relying on the Lord, mutual care in the Body of Christ is a creative, spiritual process involving a person who needs help and another person who will come alongside as God's instrument of mercy and truth. What we present in this book is just one small glimpse of what is totally available in the Bible. The Scriptures provide an infinite number of possible applications of truth to be ministered through a believer who has been transformed by the Cross of Christ to one who by God's grace receives and responds. We pray that as you read this book, you will be encouraged to seek the springs of Living Water for yourself and for others. The Word of God and the work of the Holy Spirit provide power for caring for one another as people are confronted by the trials, tribulations, and sufferings of life.
