Product Description

In many ways, the church today has more consumers than committed participants. We see church merely as an event we attend or an organization we belong to, rather than as a calling that shapes our entire life.

Many of us would be relieved if God had place dour sanctification in the hands of trained professionals, but that simply is not the biblical model. God’s plan is that through the faithful ministry of every part, the whole body will grow to maturity in Christ.

Tripp explains how his work follows an "all of my people, all of the time" model. If you followed the Lord for a thousand years, you would still need the ministry of the body of Christ as much as you did the day you first believed. This need will remain until our sanctification is complete in Glory.

This is a comprehensive treatment of how God uses people as tools of change in the lives of others, people who themselves are in need of change.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6957 in Books
• Published on: 2002-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 360 pages

About the Author
Paul David Tripp directs Changing Hearts, Changing Lives and is a member of the faculty and counseling staff at the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation, Glenside, Pennsylvania.

Customer Reviews

A Powerful Guide for Personal Ministry
This book came to my rescue as I began a difficult counseling situation. Paul David Tripp powerfully unfolds biblical principles for how "people in need of change" (like me) can help "people in need of change" (others). This gospel-centered book begins by describing "the best of news" which gives us "a reason to get up in the morning." This news "is not freedom from hardship, suffering and loss. It is the news of a Redeemer who has come to rescue me from MYSELF" (p. 16). It is the news of a God who deals with sin and its paralyzing effects in our lives.

Tripp then discusses how "God transforms people's lives as people bring his Word to others" (p. 19). We are tools in the Master's hands, and His desire is to use us to speak the truth in love to others, so as to further His transforming work in their lives. This only happens as His Word is seen as more than an encyclopedia of answers to our problems, but as "a narrative, a story of redemption, [with] its chief character . . . Jesus Christ" (p. 27). The sovereignty, grace, and glory of God are seen as the "rebar" running through the pages of Scripture, the themes which give strength and meaning to its message - and to our lives, if we will align ourselves with it.

Central to the development of this book is the conviction that "human beings by their very nature are WORSHIPERS" (p. 44). This defines who we are. The question is whether we worship God or idols. In fact, "stolen worship is at the core of what is wrong with fallen human beings" (p. 45). All of our personal troubles and trials spring out of this "worship disorder." Stress and burnout, depression and anger, breakdowns in relationships, and the disintegeration of family are all fruits springing from this one root: a heart that does not worship God. Therefore, the heart is the target in all personal ministry to others.

Jesus, the Wonderful Counselor, came to redeem and transform human hearts. And following His model, we are called to bring His redemptive word to others. This involves four basic steps: love, know, speak, do. These steps are unfolded in extremely practical ways with lots of personal stories and illustrations. Tripp trains us how to love people the way Jesus does, how to gather information about their lives so as to understand their hearts; and how to speak the truth in love to them so that they can change in in both heart and life to the glory of God. This is an excellent book which I highly recommend, especially to pastors and counselors.

Insightful must-read and must-do
This book is easily the most insightful I have read on what it means to minister to others and how to do so in a God-centered, grace-powered fashion. The book is full of the Gospel, both to redeem and sanctify. I read it to learn about ministering to others in their need, yet I found myself constantly confronted with my own need for depending on Christ. Read it with a humble and obedient heart and let God magnify Himself through how he changes you and His ministry to others through you.

Simply Excellent
Dear readers, I would like to recommend this book with the highest possible rating because, as my review title states, this book is simply excellent! I wish more Christians knew about it and read it because the instruction in this book is wise and therefore incredibly practical and useful for everyday life and ministry. If I were a pastor, I would want to equip lay leaders--actually, pretty much everybody in my congregation--with this solid, biblically sound book.

Mr. Tripp talks about the necessity of helping and encouraging our brothers and sisters by speaking truth with love as God's ambassadors. He also describes in detail how to engage in this lifelong process. More importantly, he exhorts us to examine our own hearts honestly before approaching others. He is honest about the failings in his own life, and also shares some examples from his ministry to make his concepts more concrete.

Note: I've also read and bought Mr. Tripp's book "War of Words," and that is equally excellent, except the focus is more on communicating in a way that a disciple of Christ should.

What I especially appreciate of Mr. Tripp's writing is his focus on our hearts, from which our words and actions spring. He is not content to examine the superficial layers of our lives--he goes deeper to where God beckons us.