How the time goes. Since our last update, I have crisscrossed the country three times, and took a brief but blessed trip to the Bahamas, and next week I head back down under to Australia for three plus weeks of ministry. God is so good.
A few weeks back I preached at Calvary Chapel International Worship Center a message called "All in the Family". My text was from Matt. 13, where Jesus presents the Kingdom to his disciples. They are asked the question "Do you understand all these things"…from which I launched into a message on what did they know. How did they know what they knew in terms of the mission of Christ and all that they were about to face (Christ crucifixion, resurrection, out pouring of the Holy Spirit, etc.). Part of my point was that we never know, in reality, what is around the corner, whether it is good or not, and what influences will give direction to our future.
In 1963, no one could have anticipated the horror of losing our beloved President John F. Kennedy to an assassin's bullet. At the time, for my family at least, President Kennedy embodied all that was right with America, a Camelot of sorts, and the government that we all put our trust in. All that came crashing down, on our nation, and on my family. Of course, various families responded differently to the events of November 1963, but in my family especially, life would never be the same again... thanks to Mom and a small but significant local church.
The Church
My mom and dad were familiar with the church…they sent my sister, brother and me to it every Sunday, so they could have their private time together. But the Sunday after the assassination, mom got up early and went to church ahead of us. We kids went home from Sunday school, but mom stayed on, and as the story goes, before Pastor Speakman could finish his message, the Irish in mom overtook her and she jumped up, asked, "Are you done yet? I need to give my heart to Jesus!", and the family called DeKoven was never the same again.
My mom experienced many disappointments in life, coming from an impoverished and abusive background, and encountering the prejudice of women in ministry (she could really get her preach on), but she had great influence…on us three kids, on the local homeless ministry that is still moving forward in the Lord, reaching hundreds for Christ, etc. She is with Jesus now, happy no doubt, and directing many an angel to get it together for goodness sake. I miss her, and honor her…as we should honor all of our mothers this Mother's day, 2012. Blessings to you mom, Karen, Grandma's….
Dr Stan
Vision Alumni
Would you like to have an alumni association connecting you to other Vision graduates? We would like to know how many people would be interested in such an organization. We are also looking for those who would be willing to help organize the group. Please contact me, Kathy Smith at ksmith@vision.edu with your thoughts regarding a Vision Alumni Organization. We look forward to hearing from you.
Kathy Smith
My Blog
By Stan DeKoven, Ph.D.
To follow are a couple excerpts from my blog, from last month, which can be found at www.drstandekoven.com. I hope you will check the blog out, and avail yourself of special offers listed there. Here is a couple based upon my book, "The Bible in Counseling."
The Bible in Counseling Part I
A Sure Foundation
In order to establish a biblical foundation for counseling, it is necessary to review the Hebrew understanding of psychology.
Psychology as the "science" or knowledge of the mind did not exist for the O.T. Hebrew. The Jew of the O.T. was not concerned with knowledge in the way that we today understand it. To obtain knowledge was to gain understanding.
"If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will discern the fear of the Lord, And discover the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; From his mouth come knowledge and understanding." (Proverbs 2:3-6)
The whole goal of gathering knowledge was so that one might gain understanding and a more complete knowledge of God. The O.T. Hebrew understood that all knowledge, all wisdom, all understanding was discovered in the knowledge of God and His Word.
The Hebrew knew that, "How blessed is the man who finds wisdom; And the man who gains understanding. For its profit is better than the profit of silver, and its gain than fine gold. She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her. Long life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her. And happy are all who hold her fast." (Proverbs 3:13-18)
All that any person could ever want in life is listed in these five short verses; Happiness, riches, honor, pleasantness, peace, and eternal life. When King Solomon could ask from God anything he wanted, he chose wisdom. (I Kings 3:5-12) In Psalm 119:99-100 David says,
"I have more insight than all my teachers, for Thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, because I have observed Thy precepts."
God's revelation to us was not made for a primarily intellectual purpose. "To know" in the Hebrew sense means to mirror the reality of something in one's consciousness. The biblical idea is to have the reality of something practically interwoven with the inner experience of life. Hence "to know" can stand for the word "to love" "to single out." The Word is the highest and noblest function of man, the highest expression of worship, and is therefore identical with his action.
For the Hebrew, the goal of knowledge was to gain understanding of God. The goal of understanding was that one might obtain wisdom to know how to walk in a manner pleasing to the Lord. Life for the Hebrew was "covenant" a relationship with God and with his brothers.
The goal of that life is the working out of that covenant. It is as he lived rightly related to God and others that he would experience the promised blessings. It is interesting to note that the wisdom after which the Hebrews sought was the "wisdom which comes from above," (James 1:17). It was a wisdom that came through the revelation of the Word. It was not a wisdom that came through the mind or through nature. The origin of this wisdom could be known by its fruits. (James 3:13-18).
It is a key concept that must be understood, that wisdom, which will produce happiness, riches, honor, etc..., comes only through the revelation of the Word.
We as Christians do not need to look to the knowledge of men, but to the wisdom which comes from above. The scripture says plainly,
"But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously, and without reproach; and it will be given to him." (James 1:5)
…so how do we gain wisdom to help people?
The Bible in Counseling Part II
The Word of God – the Interrogator
"For the Word of God speaks, is alive and full of power making it active, operative, energizing and effective; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating into the dividing line of the life (soul) and (the immortal) spirit; and of joints and marrow, (that is the deepest part of our nature) exposing the sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:2, amp.)
It is the Word of God that acts as a surgical instrument in the counseling situation. It reveals to us what is in the deepest resources of our hearts. It is a delicate and powerful instrument in the hand of the counselor and should be used skillfully.
Use of the Scripture in Counseling
Again, The Psalmist wrote, "I have more insight than all my teachers for your testimonies are my meditation," (Psalm 119:99).
Use of scriptures in counseling involves gaining a biblical understanding of the person's problem while examining all relevant data in the light of God's Word. There is no shortcut to letting "the Word of Christ richly dwell within you," (Colossians 3:16).
The goal is to bring together the person's problem and God's solution, for in fact, there are no problems without solutions, (I Corinthians 10:13).
Thus, it may require making a biblical plan of action, e.g., with women who have unsaved husbands, (I Peter 3:1).
Further, the bible is able to teach the counselee how to use the scriptures in problem solving, through implementing a concrete plan of action, e.g., the person who has a bad temper and says that they cannot change. The Scripture says that one aspect of the fruit of the Spirit is self-control. Ephesians 4:25-32 lays out a plan of action for practical change including: (a) daily communication, while not allowing the sun to go down on your out of control or unreasonable anger; (b) use only words that build-up and not tear down; and (c) forgive, rather than slander, gossip, or attack with words that hurt and offend."
The Human Channel – Counselor
"For God who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness", is the One who has shone in our hearts to give light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves," (II Corinthians 4:6-7).
There is power available to us, the same power which brought about the creation of all life. We are only the vessels, the channel through which that power flows. Here we have both hope and humility, a balance which always needs to be maintained.
We have the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to do the job to which He has called us. "Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.," (I Thessalonians 5:24).
Questions should help the counselee to think and explore rather than just to answer "yes" or "no." Questions beginning with "who," "what," "where," and "when" are often helpful. Another source of necessary information to help can include an inventory, which the person can fill out prior to the counseling session. This can include certain basic information as well as questions of "What would you like to accomplish through our time together," or "What is the main problem as you see it?" With every counselee there is certain vital information which will be gathered over a period of time, this includes:
Who is she/he? – Identity
It is so beautiful, as we read through the Gospels, to observe how Jesus ministered to people. The scripture tells us that he knew their hearts, and it is obvious that he treated each one just a little differently. He knew who they were and was flexible in his method of dealing with them. Every person is unique and must be respected and treated in keeping with that uniqueness. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to give us eyes to see this person as He sees them and not as they may appear to be.
Where has he/she come from? – History and Development
Most people come into the Kingdom of God with significant deficits and wounds caused by the world system. The scripture says, "...forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14).
This was Paul the apostle's aspiration, to forget the past in such a way that it had absolutely no hold on him. This putting away of the past however, is not a mechanical operation. Before the past can be forgotten, it must first be reconciled. That is, hurts, fears, even triumphs must be seen in light of scripture, neither enemy nor friend. We must make peace with the person of our past. We must remember that it is the person that Jesus saw fit to die for.
Because God has forgiven us, we must forgive ourselves. To forgive means that the debt has been paid and the debtor's prison door has been opened. It is important in counseling to understand where the person is in regard to their past and especially in regard to personal reconciliation. II Corinthians 5:17-19 says,
"Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: old things passed away; behold new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation; namely, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them; and has committed to us the word of reconciliation."
God has provided a way for old things to truly pass away and for all things to become new. This way is through the ministry of reconciliation, another aspect of the ministry of counseling. The counselor must ask the question: "How can I best help this person to experience reconciliation with their past, in their relationships, with God and man?" The answer to this question comes through knowledge of the person, their history, and the Word of God as directed by the Holy Spirit.
Where is she/he going? – Goals
"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. I run in such a way as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air:" (I Corinthians 9:24, 26). Also Proverbs 29:18 says, "Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, but happy is he who keeps the laws." Many people who come for counsel are void of direction, without goals. Sadly, many have lost their hope. Often, they do not understand the principles of God's word, or how to walk in the wisdom that the Word of God provides.
Thus, another aspect of the counselor's ministry is to help the counselee have their hope restored, and learn what God's word says and how to apply it. Proverbs 10:28 says, "The hope of the righteous shall be gladness."
It is never appropriate to bludgeon a person with condemning words, even scriptural ones. If they are seeking help, especially voluntarily, they are already wounded, open and vulnerable. Gentleness, allowing room for conviction (from the Holy Spirit) not condemnation (from the flesh or the 'devil'), will be a blessing to the counselee. Of course, it is not enough to have intellectual knowledge of scripture, but it must be practically applied (the counselor may/should come up with suggestions to apply the word in practical ways). This takes wisdom, common sense and practice, whether you are doing phone counseling or face-to-face. With these goals in mind, we still need a healthy perspective on who we are ministering for and to
Lord Byron visited Newfoundland in 1808, and there saw in a cemetery a monument that bore this inscription – "Near this spot are deposited the remains of one who possessed beauty without vanity, strength without violence, courage without ferocity, and all the virtues of Man, without his vices. This praise, which would be unmeaning flattery if inscribed over human ashes, is but a just tribute to the memory of Botswain – a dog."
Much moved, Byron wrote a poem, Inscription on the Monument of a Newfoundland Dog, which contains the lines –
The poor dog; in life the firmest friend,
The first to welcome, foremost to defend.
Probably, from those lines arose the saying: "A man's best friend is his dog!" But that early 19th-century sentimentalism was not the opinion of the ancients, who saw dogs mainly as filthy scavengers. Hence one of the worst insults was to call someone a dog! For that reason many readers are (and were) offended by the seemingly harsh words Jesus once spoke to a troubled woman who once asked for his help,
"It's not right for me to take the children's bread and throw it to a dog!"
( Matthew 15:21-28).
Surprisingly, the lady herself was not offended! Why? She saw something special in what Jesus had said, seized upon it, and demonstrated the very thing Christ was most looking for – "great faith"! What is this great faith? It arises from a capacity, no matter how dark one's circumstances may be, to capture a promise of God.
CONNECT WITH THE PROMISE OF GOD
That saying about "a dog" is not so bad as it first sounds. This mother would have noticed three things –
·Jesus used the friendly Greek word for a domestic dog (like us, the Greeks were ambivalent about dogs, and had both pleasant and ugly words to describe them).
·he brought the dog into the family at the dinner table.
·the father fed the dog from his own plate.
It wasenough for that lady. At once she cried, "True, Lord, but even dogs eat the crumbs from their master's table!"
Here is the lesson: in every situation, if you look for it, you can find some divine promise of rescue, of healing, or of supply! God himself is there, in the darkness, waiting to show you how to believe and how to escape your peril. The ear of God is never closed! He is always ready to show you his promise. So boldly search for that promise, despite the seeming contradictions in scripture and in life!
CONTEND FOR THE PROMISE OF GOD
Martin Luther, in 1534, preached a sermon from our text, and illustrated it by the story of Joseph's dauntless faith – "For more than 12 years in prison in Egypt, Joseph kept on praying and pleading with God to help him. But instead of things getting better, they got worse. This is till what happens to us when we pray. We keep on crying out to the Lord, but like Joseph, it seems that the longer and harder we pray the worse things get.
"If God had answered Joseph's prayer sooner, and released him from prison, no doubt his father Jacob would have been overjoyed, but then Joseph would never have been more than a shepherd. But because God's answer was long delayed, he became lord over all Egypt!
"God still deals with us like this. For a long while he may seem to keep on saying, 'No!', but if we hold fast to the 'Yes!', then we shall finally hear 'Yes!', and no longer 'No!', for the Word of God is true and his promise cannot lie.
"But we get angry with God because of this delay, and say that we would much prefer a prompt answer from heaven. But we ought not to be offended. We must allow the Lord to delay his answer, if need be, for a year, two years, three years, or longer still! We must also take care that our hope in him and our faith in his promise are not torn from our heart. Then eventually we shall receive an answer to our petitions, and God will give us far more than we asked him to give!" (Ephesians 3:20-21; Romans 8:21)
Here we confront one of the mysteries of the life of faith – sometimes God seems like a man asleep (Psalm 44:23); and sometimes like a beaten warrior (Jeremiah 14:9). But those are just the times we most need faith, refusing to give up in despair, but rather trusting in the goodness even more firmly!
Thus our widow faced a terrible barrier – not in her case one of long delay, but of fierce insult. How would you have reacted if Jesus were to speak to you so rudely? Most people would be furious! But she saw an opportunity not a rebuttal, and she pressed in. The structure of the passage in its original Greek conveys a sense that she came crying again and again (vs. 22); Jesus ignored her (vs. 23) – the disciples rebuffed her; but she pressed upon Jesus; he turned his back on her; but she kept on coming around from behind him and kneeling before him (vs. 25). She cried aloud, "Lord, help me!" – he insulted her. But still she persisted – so she got her miracle! (vs. 28)
You may say that you have cried out to God, and that again and again you have fallen on your face before him ‒ but without result. Well, call upon him again; never give up! The promise is still there today, just as it was yesterday, and will be tomorrow! If prayer cannot be answered one way, it will be answered another. Look for the promise. Believe it. And sooner or later God will fulfill it.
Around the Network
As I write this, Dr Steve Mills is back in Kuwait for another four plus weeks stint, and then off to Western Africa for a special leadership conference with Vision leaders. Please keep him in prayer. Joining me in Australia, before they head off to China again is Bob and Charlene Nolan…we are featured in the Open Heaven conference in Wagga Wagga…pray for continued grace upon us, as I release my new book Living in Freedom.
Finally, June 22 is the date when we hear how the accreditation process is coming in South Africa. We still need at least $25,000 to catch up the leadership investment in South Africa…so please, if you can help, please do so.
Vision Publishing News
This month we are featuring my book, "A Treasure of the Heart" Gifts of the Trinity. It focuses on all three sets of gifts given by the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The five-fold ministry gifts, the spiritual gifts and the motivational gifts work together in unity to mature and equip the body of Christ.
This month only we will publish your book of 100 pages or less for just $1000. This is a $300 savings to you. Just to sweeten the deal we will give you 5 free copies of your book. This is a fabulous deal!. In order to get this special you must sign the author contract and pay the down payment by May 31st. You can then take your time and publish you books by no later than Sept. 1st. Some restrictions apply so call 1-800-9-VISION ext. 112 or email Kathy Smith at ksmith@vision.edu
Concluding Thought
Again, I want to thank so many of your for your faithful support of Vision. WE have recently added 3 more monthly Gideon 300 members to our ranks; helping to strengthen the foundation of our work…we are grateful. Again, if you have not already done so, please consider joining our Vision Gideon's 300 program, as we continue to believe the Lord for 300 $100.00 or more per month partners to help underwrite our office in Ramona and the Resource Centers around the world…for more on that go to
THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING VISION!
Please Remember Vision International in your Estate Planning. For more information, contact us at sdekoven@vision.edu
In many ways I can relate to Gideon. In Judges 6:11-8:27, when told by the Angel (Jesus) of the Lord… "The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior" he obviously thought, "Who me?"
300 Can Accomplish the Overwhelming Task
He was overwhelmed. The task given to him seemed overwhelming. In similar ways I sometimes feel overwhelmed by the mandate to take The Whole Word to the Whole World. But Gideon made his choice to follow God's call and bring blessing and deliverance to his generation. We at Vision (specifically Vision International Education Network (VIEN)) have made our choice to do the same, to take The Whole Word to the Whole World. It is a challenging choice, because we are both a university and a mission's ministry, and recognize the need to equip the next generation of national ministers. Of course I am not alone. But by the grace of God I know it is possible with His selected staff, World Zone leaders, and financial partners.
God knew that 300 were enough to accomplish the task assigned to Gideon. And in Vision's case, 300 committed donors, giving $100.00 per month, would completely underwrite Vision International Education Network (VIEN), providing for us the resources to plant another 1000 Resource Centers and thousands of churches with those trained leaders.
The need for discipleship ministry in the nations remains crucial. The need is not being met by Christian Television or city wide crusades, but only by relational evangelism and discipleship, which is offered through VIEN and its partners. We have the tools and system to meet the need.
Our prophetic word, taking the whole word to the whole world, is based upon the word from Habakkuk 2:14 "…for the earth will be covered by the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea". We have a mandate, and our apostolic methodology, a system of education that helps fulfill this prophetic mandate, is tested and working.
Our Dedicated Partners and Leaders
We are honored to work with many dedicated leaders around the world who sacrifice greatly for the Lord and this work. They deserve resources to fulfill their mandate. And part of my dream, what motivates me every day, is the knowledge that these dynamic leaders could do so much more if we resourced them, as they deserve to implement our three-part ministry of Teaching, Restoring and Releasing men and women into their destinies.
Over the past few years, we have worked exceedingly hard, perfecting our curriculum, course delivery systems, administrative systems etc. From the feed-back we receive from around the world, our flexible educational program is working. Let me share with you a couple of examples:
On any given weekend, teachers, mostly trained by Vision courses and teachers, take buses and trains from their home towns to over 40 areas of Ukraine and Russia. With over 35 students in each site, on average, studying one course per month, God is raising up hundreds of leaders, who pay 95% less than the average U.S. student. This is very cost-effective! We are actively helping to change a generation by planting churches and establishing more teaching and counseling centers throughout the former Soviet Union. Training these 1800 students, who pay less than $10.00 per course, however, does not pay our bills. That is why we need Vision's very own "Gideon's 300", to help us fully support the work of God for these two nations, and many others.
All throughout Africa, from Kenya to Ghana to South Africa, leaders in our Resource Centers, training in English and French, gather students in churches, rented buildings, and under trees, to teach them the principles of the word of God and church planting. Most of the teachers are Vision graduates, who print out the books, study guides and exams for the students from our patented Bible College in A Box (t) CD. Tuition is stratified to the economy of the nation, but with the support of God's people like you, we are able to provide curriculum, support and leadership seminars to lift up the hands of God's leaders throughout Africa, and in 150 nations of the world. We will be able to do so much more when we are fully resourced by Vision's "Gideon's 300"!
Our Committed Givers
We currently have 40 + committed givers at present, sacrificially investing $100/month, which is a great start. But, we need 260 more to fully fund our international office and allow us to create and expand our leadership training and church planting to thousands around the world. I realize that this is no small task. But I know, with God's help and yours, it will be accomplished.
So, please pray and decide if God is calling you to be one of our "Gideon's 300". And, as a token of our appreciation for your pledge, we will provide a unique, one of a kind, drawing by friend and graduate of Vision, Dr. Johnny Carter, of Gideon: The Man of Vision. It will be a reminder to you to pray for VIEN as well as our thank-you for your financial partnership in Taking the Whole Word to the Whole World.
In Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's famous speech, he begins with the phrase, and repeats it many times, "I have a dream". Well, I cannot help but dream a dream…of Vision Resource Centers in key nations, where our directors can work from to take the word of God to other nations, and coordinate our Leadership seminars. I have a dream of all our major books in English being translated into the major languages of the world, and being used to equip even more men and women for ministry. I have a dream…and I hope and pray, as the Holy Spirit leads you, that you will indeed be a part of our "Gideon 300" for Vision, and embrace this dream. Let's fulfill it together. Thank you!
Will You Join Gideon's 300 with Dr. DeKoven?
Vision International Education Services, Inc. is a Non-Profit 501(C)(3) organization. All contributions are tax-deductible. Give Online at http://www.vision.edu/partner/give or give by mail to:
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