Positional Statement

I, Sam (Sammy) Horner, the creator of Ministering From The Word Cross Reference Directory, Pure Word Counseling and Teen Side Video am not a licensed counselor nor am I a pastor. I am a lay teacher and a fellow servant. As a fellow servant I have created the Pure Word Counseling web site that you may find answers in the Word of God, from trusted pastors and teachers from around the world, to questions you may have in your own life or in the life of someone you have been called to serve. Answers are found through the reading, studying and listing to the teaching and preaching of the Word.

As a fellow servant I invite you to come and sit at the table the Heavenly Father has provided and eat freely. You do not have to provide anything. As a fellow servant I will bring to the table and set before you what the Father has given and shared with me and many other servants in the body of Christ. I welcome you to the table. Thank you for coming and allowing me to serve you.

The ministry Goal of Pure Word Counseling is to provide the tools needed for in-depth study of The Word of God on counseling issues for the perfecting of the saints, for discipleship and ministering to one another in the Body of Christ.

The Mission Goal of Pure Word Counseling is to provide a safe place where The Word of God is the base of the counsel. Counsel that can be found, downloaded and shared free of charge through an on-line, interactive reference library from the teachings and commentaries of respected pastors and teachers from around the world who hold to a conservative, historical Christian faith.

The Outreach Ministry Goal of Pure Word Counseling is to provide The Church [The Body of Christ] a trusted place where the preaching of the Word of God can be heard by trusted men of God. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” Romans 10:17 (KJV)

What is Pure Word Counseling?

Pure Word Counseling is The Word of God as our Counsel and Jesus Christ is our Great Counselor.

Pure Word Counseling is what The Body of Christ has been called to, and has been doing since the great commission. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. Matthew 28:19-20 (NKJV)

The Word is our Counsel because

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJV)

Hear, read and study more on 2 Timothy 3:16-17

And the words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times. Psalms 12:6 (NIV)
Hear, Read and Study more on Psalms 12:6

Jesus Christ is the Word and our great Counselor.

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 (NKJV)

Hear, read and study more on Isaiah 9:6

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. …14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:1,2,14 (NKJV)
Hear, read and study more on John 1:1,2,14

When referring to Pure Word Counseling I am referring to what used to be called discipling or discipleship and ministering to one another in the Body of Christ. It is the process whereby one believer teaches another believer to "observe all the things whatsoever I have commanded you [to observe]." Mt. 28:20

Hear, read and study more on Mt. 28:20

To begin, the most important thing you can know about God's Word is that it is absolutely sufficient and complete to minister to every human need of the heart, soul and Spirit.

The Bible tells us,
"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." 2 Peter 1:3 (NIV)

God warns us that fallen man thinks his wisdom within is superior to God's, and as such it is the test of whether God's Word is sufficient.

Hear, read and study more on 2 Peter 1:3

Two great teachings of the Reformation are Sola Scriptura and the priesthood of all believers.

Sola Scriptura means by Scripture alone. The priesthood of all believers means that 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.

Any person who can be used by the Holy Spirit to lead another to salvation or along the way of sanctification is competent to be used by God to give wise counsel. With prayer and the Word of God as the counsel the Holy Spirit is able to do the work.

          The basic problem of mankind is that we have all missed the mark [or the target] translated from Hebrew and Greek to English by an old English word used to describe when an archer missed the bulls eye, the crowd would say, he sinned. (Romans 3:9-18; Romans 5:12; Ephesians 2:1-3). The “missed the mark” sin problem includes our lack of knowledge and weaknesses, our immaturity and our disobedience, (1 Thessalonians 5:14). It also includes the missing the mark [sin] problem of others, which may affect us as well and how we should respond to sin in the lives of others (Matthew 18:15-18; Galatians 6:1-2; Ephesians 4:31-32; 1Peter 4:8).

          Biblical counsel states: we are responsible for our own sins. "The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself."  Ezekiel 18:20
Hear, read and study more on Ezekiel 18:20 (NKJV)

          Left to ourselves we will assert our will contrary to God. It is the nature of mankind to believe we are in charge and better equipped than God to make the important decisions of life. This is "The Lie" found in Genesis 3:4-5(KJV) 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. Eve fell for “The Lie.”

Hear, read and study more on Genesis 3:4-5

With Pure Word Counseling, the Holy Spirit, through God’s Word, changes the heart (1Corinthians 10:13; Galatians 5:16-17). God’s Word is the tool used to bring about change and healing. (Hebrews 4:12). As problems are brought into the light of the Word, the Lord equips through the Word, to deal with the problems in our life (Psalm 119:105). Problems are resolved only when the believer learns what God expects and are willing to trust God and His Word. When we ignore God’s counsel and seek the solutions of the counsel of fallen mankind, not only will it not work, but far more importantly, we have replaced God with the counsel of fallen mankind, which is in essence, idolatry.

Colossians 2:8(NKJV) 8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.

Hear, read and study more on Colossians 2:8

Proverbs 30:5 and 6 (“Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.”),

Hear, read and study more on Proverbs 30:5 and 6

Even if our own efforts result in a reduction of the immediate pressures, ultimately they will return if we have never repented of the core issue: Resisting God's Grace. When we resist the Grace of God to work in our lives we will also be rejecting God, the Word and grieving the Holy Spirit.

When we stop challenging God's handling of our situation by trying to be in control as a little god (Genesis 3:4-5) and begin trusting His authority then healing can begin. It is by the Word that God can mold us into what He intends us to be. God is then glorified when we trust Him and respond in obedience.

The following statements have been adapted in part from:

"Counseling"

A Valley Bible Church Position Paper

Completed: April 2001

7. How should we deal with problems from our past?
          Many counselors in our society regard problems from the past as insurmountable forces. People are considered to be victims and are incapable of avoiding depression, anger, anxiety, substance abuse, obesity, etc. Treatment ranges from self-love to combinations of prescription medications. If 1 Corinthians 10:13, Hebrews 4:15-16, and Romans 6:10-14 are true, the views of those counselors could not be true for the Christian. The Word gives us hope. In Christ is the certainty of all we need to deal with all issues in life, including the past (2 Peter 1:2-3). The Bible only directs us to reflect on our past to turn us from our sin and to glorify God for what he has brought us from through His grace. It is interesting to consider why the Bible does not view our past difficulties as important to our present spiritual growth. Even if we could fully and truly understand how the past affects our present beliefs and behavior, it is truly not essential to bringing about life change. While our past problems may be interesting, the issue at hand is not where we have been or how we got to be there, but where we need to be and how we are to get there.

8. How important is it for someone to counsel with a person who has experienced his or her specific problem such as in a recovery group?
          Scripture answers this question in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. The person equipped to counsel is not the one who has experienced the problem, but one who has experienced the solution. The Bible says God is the focal point in sanctification, not what our specific temptation may be. The one who has been comforted by Him [God] is the one able to help those in any affliction. While receiving assistance from a person who has been through the same problem can bring emotional bonding and help add to insight with the challenge that a problem may bring, this is not essential for overcoming sin. There are unintended consequences that may occur with some so-called recovery groups. We need to be overcoming sin in all areas of our life, not just the one that we have identified as our weakness.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (NKJV)
         Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. Hear, read and study more on 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (NKJV)

         People also tend to consider themselves in light of their labeled sin practice rather than perceiving it to be something that they once were.

2 Corinthians 5:17-19 (NKJV)
          Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Hear, read and study more on 2 Corinthians 5:17-19 (NKJV)

Colossians 1:21-23 (NLT)
         This includes you who were once so far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions, yet now he has brought you back as his friends. He has done this through his death on the cross in his own human body. As a result, he has brought you into the very presence of God, and you are holy and blameless (the KJV states: unblameable and unreproveable in his sight) as you stand before him without a single fault. But you must continue to believe this truth and stand in it firmly. Don't drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed by God to proclaim it.

Hear, read and study more on Colossians 1:21-23 (NLT)

Because of the Word as set forth above I (Sammy Horner) can not proclaim anything but that, "I am a new creation, unblameable and unreproveable in his sight, old things have passed away, I have been washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God, all things have become new. Now, it is His job to work out the details, and He, Jesus, my Great Counselor is doing it. Praise God."

The LORD will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever... Psalms 138:8 (NKJV)

... being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you [also] will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6 (NIV)

Pastor Bob Hoekstra of Living In Christ Ministries states:
         “Instead of declaring sin as the problem, man's need is now described as dysfunctionalism or co-dependency or victimization. We speak of sicknesses and disorders, instead of moral failure or spiritual irresponsibility. Further, man's hope is often held forth as discovering the appropriate recovery group, instead of learning about God's life-giving and life-transforming grace.”

“...many teachers and leaders are depending upon and pointing others toward self-help books and self-actualization theories. Churches are often more interested in self-improvement courses and self-development techniques than in the unlimited spiritual resources found in the Lord Jesus Christ.”

          After having been involved and working with Celebrate Recovery for over 7 years, one of two problems I had was that I will not proclaim what I was as who I am. I believe that this is a problem carried over from secular 12 step programs. After returning to work with Celebrate Recovery, after a year and a half sabbatical, the problem of proclaiming “what I was as who I am” has been addressed.

       The second problem that I have personally seen is with what is called cross talk; those who are not pure word based tend to give advice outside of the word by sharing the latest self help book that will be out of print within 10 to 15 years. The word of God will not! Many of these self help books lead seekers to wallowing in the past, or dredge up and rehearse painful memories over and over. Most books have some error, many books have gross errors, and the Bible does not.

         The problem with group leaders that step outside of group guidelines and read from, and recommend self help books is that many of these books, if not most self help books basically proof text their own writings with a smattering of a few Bible verses pulled out of context and added here and there. Again, many of these books, if not most self help books have never been checked for biblical soundness or biblical accuracy.

          If group leaders in a heavily bible based program understand that “The Word” is the power that changes lives, not the program and put there main emphasis on The Word, lives will be changed. “The Word” is sufficient which is The Word of God as our Counsel and Jesus Christ is our Great Counselor. When the Word of God is shared our “Wonderful Counselor Jesus Christ through the Holy Sprit will minister lasting healing.

           Colossians 1:21-23 (KJV) “And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;”

10. Are some problems really physical?
Yes. Countless physical factors can effect emotions, thoughts, perceptions and actions. These factors can and should be detected by medical doctors.

11. How can a person achieve righteousness when his counselor is also sinful and limited?
Pure Word Counseling is based on the wisdom of God’s Word, not a counselor. Change is fueled by the Holy Spirit, using the Word at the heart level (Hebrews 4:12), not by the cleverness of a man. When someone receives counseling from the Word of God the one being counseled will develop a pattern of being led by God and obeying Him. Jesus is the Wonderful Counselor (Isaiah 9:6), not us. He works through His Body, The Church, and by reading and hearing the Word to bring change to broken lives.