It's All Greek To Me!

Growing up in my family, there was a phrase that we used often when we didn't understand a certain word, phrase or language..."It's all Greek to me."  I still think about this phrase today when I am trying to speak Spanish to some of my crew at the golf course.  Sometimes, we can tend to approach God's Word that way.  If we don't understand something that God is trying to say in His Word, when we just don't want to hear what He is saying through His Word, or if we are doing a word study, 'it's all Greek to me!'  The cool thing is, the New Testament was written mostly in...wait for it...Greek!  So, it IS all Greek to us!  But even cooler is the fact that God is not the God of confusion, but of understanding.  1 John 5:20 says, "And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ.  He is the true God and eternal life."  Praise God!  Let us, then approach God's Word in much study and thought with expectation that He will reveal Himself to us in a deeper way.  His promise of giving us understanding is so that we all will know Him who is true...our triune God!

Now, what about someone that we know who is in need of help?  God gives us opportunity to hear their story, to get to know them better in it and we conclude, 'it's all Greek to me!'  This can be intimidating when we look at helping someone as our responsibility to cure them or to fix them.  As I posted earlier, we are called to open our mouths and proclaim God's love and truth to the hurting.  The results are solely up to the Lord.  We are not to shy away from helping/discipling someone in need because God is in it and we are called to it.  We are not alone. 

So, how does the Bible define biblical counseling/discipleship?  The following post was taken from Paul Tautges from the Grace & Truth Blog.  I pray that it is helpful to you as God brings others into your lives for discipleship/counseling.




The New Testament uses several different words to emphasize the more concentrated aspect of disciple-making that we call “counseling.” Today we examine four. The meanings and uses of these words help us to envision a well-rounded ministry that is geared toward helping people change.

Parakaleo — First, according to Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, the Greek word parakaleo means “to call to one’s side,” hence, “to call to one’s aid.” It is used for every kind of calling which is meant to produce a particular effect, hence its various meanings such as “comfort, exhort, desire, call for.” The Apostle Peter uses this word to urge Christians to abstain from fleshly lusts (1 Peter 2:11), and the author of Hebrews insists that believers are to encourage one another to be faithful to their local assembly (Heb. 10:25). God’s plan for personal character transformation has always included other persons in the community of the faith because normal spiritual growth does not take place in isolation, but rather alongside others.

Protrepo — Second, the Greek word protrepo means “to urge forward, to push on, to encourage.” For example, when Apollos desired to go to Achaia, the brethren “encouraged” others to welcome him with grace (Acts 18:27). Therefore, we will discover that, from time to time and in varying degrees, every person needs to be motivated to keep pressing forward in his or her pursuit of the application of biblical truth to life.

Noutheteo — Third, A Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament says that the Greek word noutheteo means to admonish or warn. It means to put before the mind so as to “correct through instruction and warning.” It differs slightly from teaching in that it is normally a response to some kind of error or it is a warning against spiritual danger, present or potential. When Paul counseled the Ephesian elders about the danger of the emerging false teachers who would seek to make disciples by their false doctrines, he reminded them of the three years in which he did not cease to admonish them (Acts 20:31). Romans 15:14 teaches that believers should be able to admonish one another biblically. This should always be toward the goal of spiritual maturity (Col. 1:28), and therefore believers should appreciate the shepherds who give them instruction toward that end (1 Thes. 5:12). The noun form, noutesia, means “training by word—either of encouragement, when this is sufficient, or of remonstrance, reproof, or blame, where required.” Therefore, we will also discover that God’s plan for making disciples requires believers to care enough to confront one another when brothers or sisters they love are in error, and to firmly warn or instruct them concerning their spiritual danger.

Paraineo — Fourth, the Greek word paraineo means “to admonish by way of exhorting or advising.” An example of this is when, in the midst of a storm at sea, Paul admonishes his fellow sailors and urges them to keep their courage (Acts 27:9, 22). Therefore, we will also discover that the process of spiritual growth requires believers to give courage to their fellow companions on the journey of discipleship, especially when they are in the midst of the storms of life.
In all these cases, these believers are “counselors,” with or without a title. And the counsel dispensed is always in the form of words spoken from the commitment of biblical love. Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” As biblical counselors, we must take great care in the words we use with our disciples, for speech has the power to kill them with despair or to give them the hope of life. I appreciate David Powlison’s simple definition of counseling as “intentionally helpful conversations.” The power of biblical counsel lies in the degree to which our words are filled with the Word.
[Excerpted from Counsel One Another: A theology of personal discipleship, 2009