What’s the best way a gospel-preaching church can help its members who struggle with depression and anxiety?
Pastor and author Paul Tripp sat down with David Powlison, TGC Council member and executive director of the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF), to answer this question. They agreed that the two key qualities most needed when ministering to a Christian suffering from anxiety or depression are humility and patience. We should not focus solely on “fixing” people, but on helping them draw near to God as long as the struggle continues. Tripp counsels, “I want the person to remember that God is near, that he is present, that his grace reaches to the depth of those struggles—rather than if you do this, this, and this, you can become unanxious.”
Related:
Free eBook by Tim Keller: ‘The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness’
Imagine a life where you don’t feel inadequate, easily offended, desperate to prove yourself, or endlessly preoccupied with how you look to others. Imagine relishing, not resenting, the success of others. Living this way isn’t far-fetched. It’s actually guaranteed to believers, as they learn to receive God’s approval, rather than striving to earn it.
In Tim Keller’s short ebook, The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness: The Path To True Christian Joy, he explains how to overcome the toxic tendencies of our age一not by diluting biblical truth or denying our differences一but by rooting our identity in Christ.
TGC is offering this Keller resource for free, so you can discover the “blessed rest” that only self-forgetfulness brings.
