Caring for One Another E-Book

Edward T. Welch

• Herausgeber: Crossway
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Seitenzahl: 69

Beschreibung

Imagine . . . an interconnected group of people who entrust themselves to each other. You can speak of your pain, and someone responds with compassion and prayer. You can speak of your joys, and someone rejoices with you. You can ask for help with sinful struggles, and someone prays with you. The goal of this book is that these meaningful relationships will become a natural part of daily life in your church. With short chapters and discussion questions meant to be read in a group setting, Ed Welch guides small groups through eight lessons that show what it looks like when ordinary, needy people care for other ordinary, needy people in everyday life.

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“Most Christians know we should care for one another. But few of us know how. Seasoned biblical counselor and author Ed Welch not only gifts us with the how but, like a great chef, serves it up in eight concise, biblically true, and richly wise courses. Each brief chapter can be read aloud to a group and is accompanied by heart-piercing, eye-opening discussion questions. This is a book that can shape the culture of our churches to be safe places of wise mutual care. I heartily recommend it!”

Alfred J. Poirier, Visiting Professor in Practical Theology, Westminster Theological Seminary, Glenside, PA; author, The Peacemaking Pastor

“Nearly every Christian has experienced awkwardness in the local church. At one time or another, we have felt ignored, misunderstood, or out of place. The church may be the body of Christ, but we don’t always function as well as we should. In Caring for One Another, Ed Welch gives us thoroughly biblical and entirely practical direction to facilitate more meaningful interactions in our churches. In the space of eight short lessons, we learn our need to move toward people and find ourselves equipped to reach out to them in loving and genuinely helpful ways. Whether you read this book alone or study it in a group, you will close the last page with renewed energy for building relationships in your church.”

Megan Hill, author, Praying Together; Editor, The Gospel Coalition; Editorial Board Member, Christianity Today

“One of God’s chosen ways to help people is through the care and concern of fellow Christians. In our busy world with its superficial relationships, many have abandoned this calling and left it to professionals to do the work ordinary Christians could be doing to help others. Through easy-to-follow practical guidelines, Ed Welch shows how we can remedy this and make our churches into caring communities. This kind of caring can be a means God uses not only to bless Christians but also to commend the Christian way to those outside the church.”

Ajith Fernando, Teaching Director, Youth for Christ, Sri Lanka; author, The Call to Joy and Pain

“This is a short book, but one that packs a powerful punch. Ed Welch has given us a user-friendly guide for our churches to grow together as we seek to better care for one another. I love that the lessons are meant to be read aloud and discussed among church members. I’m already envisioning various groups of people I can read this book with in our congregation. Buy this book. Better yet, buy a case of books to pass out in your church. And even better than that, get people within your church reading it together. The impact of this book could have far-reaching effects in our churches as we seek to love one another in a way that shines the spotlight on Christ.”

Dave Furman, Senior Pastor, Redeemer Church of Dubai; author, Kiss the Wave and Being There

“Caring for One Another is a concise guide for helping others. It contains gems of biblical wisdom and sound principles, encouraging readers to move toward others with all humility, to be personal and pray, and to sensitively talk about suffering and sin. I highly recommend this very helpful book to all Christians.”

Siang-Yang Tan, Professor of Psychology, Fuller Theological Seminary; Senior Pastor, First Evangelical Church Glendale, CA; author, Counseling and Psychotherapy: A Christian Perspective

“Short, biblical, practical, wise—if you need help building meaningful relationships, Ed Welch will be your perfect guide. Caring for One Another will be a must-read for everyone I train.”

Deepak Reju, Pastor of Biblical Counseling and Family Ministry, Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington, DC; author, The Pastor and Counseling and She’s Got the Wrong Guy

“I need this book. My church needs this book. My local community needs my church to read this book. Ed Welch envisions a new kind of caring community that walks in dependence on the grace of God. With Christ-centered love and wisdom, he shows us what it looks like and how we can get there. I want this for my family, for my church, and for the glory of God. When it comes to caring for others, this is the first book I will reach for to stir my soul, shape my prayers, and train my church.”

Ste Casey, Course Tutor and Speaker, Biblical Counselling UK; Pastor, Speke Baptist Church, Liverpool, England

Caring for One Another

Caring for One Another

8 Ways to Cultivate Meaningful Relationships

Edward T. Welch

Caring for One Another: 8 Ways to Cultivate Meaningful Relationships

Copyright © 2018 by Edward T. Welch

Published by Crossway1300 Crescent StreetWheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law. Crossway® is a registered trademark in the United States of America.

Cover design: Micah Lanier

First printing 2018

Printed in the United States of America

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the author.

Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-6109-2ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-6112-2PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-6110-8Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-6111-5

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Welch, Edward T., 1953- author.

Title: Caring for one another : 8 ways to cultivate meaningful relationships / Ed Welch.

Description: Wheaton : Crossway, 2018. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2017054426 (print) | LCCN 2018004806 (ebook) | ISBN 9781433561108 (pdf) | ISBN 9781433561115 (mobi) | ISBN 9781433561122 (epub) | ISBN 9781433561092 (tp)

Subjects: LCSH: Interpersonal relations–Religious aspects–Christianity. | Caring–Religious aspects–Christianity.

Classification: LCC BV4597.52 (ebook) | LCC BV4597.52 .W445 2018 (print) | DDC 248.4–dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017054426

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

2020-11-20 11:14:41 AM

Contents

Preface

Lesson 1: With All Humility

Lesson 2: Move toward Others

Lesson 3: Know the Heart

Lesson 4: Know the Critical Influences

Lesson 5: Be Personal and Pray

Lesson 6: Talk about Suffering

Lesson 7: Talk about Sin

Lesson 8: Remember and Reflect

Notes

General Index

Scripture Index

Preface

Our calling is to care for each other’s souls. We want to bring our struggles to the Lord and to each other so that the church can be strengthened and the world can witness wisdom and love.

But since we have a long list of our own problems, we could easily think that care for others is best left to those who are more qualified. But the kingdom of God operates in ways we might not expect. Here, the humble and weak are the ones who do the heavy lifting of pastoral care:

[Jesus] gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. (Eph. 4:11–13)

Shepherds and teachers do the work of ministry. They also train us to do the work of ministry. Apparently, the Lord is pleased to use ordinary people, through seemingly ordinary acts of love, to be the prime contributors to the maturing of his people. If you have trusted in Jesus rather than yourself, and you feel weak and unqualified, then you are qualified. Then you are called.

The goal of these eight lessons is to further shape the culture of your church so that counseling and mutual