Brooks Szewczyk

Content Made For the Church

Bible Teaching

What Ephesians Says about Your Depression

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Depression is universally recognized as a monumental issue in our society. People are plagued by not only constant discouragement but also constant disappointment. They feel sadness even through the happiest times in their life.

While there is no shortage of people who want to help, there are very few answers to depression that address the problems that exist in the soul. The book of Ephesians provides a great foundation for a counseling plan with someone presenting depression in the counseling room. As a foundation, the approach to biblical counseling should be God-centered even in cases of depression… actually, especially in cases of depression. God must be seen as sovereign, as near, and as the answer to our problems.

This is why the first act in the counseling room should be to establish reliance on prayer. We see that Paul often prays for the Ephesian church because he believes that God can do “above and beyond” what we can even think to ask of him (Eph. 3:20). We struggle to understand our own hearts, but God knows our hearts. We struggle to change ourselves, but God is sovereign even over us. Therefore, it is necessary to be in constant prayer while seeking healing from our heart issues. Paul even encourages the church to pray at all times with every request (Eph. 6:18).

We struggle to understand our own hearts, but God knows our hearts. We struggle to change ourselves, but God is sovereign even over us.

Moreover, we should recognize that God is truly able to help us. Ephesians places an overarching emphasis on the sovereignty of God in all things (Eph. 1:9, 1:22, 3:13). Pray knowing that God hears, cares, and is powerful to answer.

We also see the importance of the body of Christ in our lives, especially in our struggles. Every person in Christ has been gifted for the good of the church (Eph. 4:16). We were not created nor intended to live alone.

In fact, isolation is an enemy to healing. We need each other. The counselee should be encouraged to seek out Christian community to help them bear the burden of depression. Their gifts are essential to the body, but the body is essential to the individual. The counselee must be willing to be transparent with themselves, their community, and with God about their struggle.

The counselee should also seek to be identified in the way that the Bible would identify them. Does their depression bear on their identity? No, they are first and foremost inheritors of the gospel of peace (Eph. 2:17). They are in Christ.

It is easy to be defeated before the battle begins, but the counselee should be encouraged to let go of the idea that their presented depression is beyond cure. The overarching identity of the believer in Ephesians is that they are in Christ. They are a part of the body of the Lord, and the Lord is the bringer of peace. They are indwelled by the Holy Spirit, who is elsewhere called the comforter.

Finally, they should be encouraged to continually thank God. Even when they do not see a reason to, there is always a reason to give thanks (Eph. 5:20). The counselee should be encouraged toward optimism, which is a more Christian position. While trials may come and go, our God remains forever. Our struggling is purposeful and God is still in control.

In summary, Ephesians urges those struggling with depression to:

  • Establish a reliance on prayer.
  • Trust in the loving care of God.
  • Pursue Christian community.
  • Identify yourself biblically.
  • And always search for reasons to thank God.

God has been infinitely gracious to each of us. We have reason to be hopeful even in the midst of hardship. We have reason to be thankful in every circumstance. The counselee should be encouraged to seek out reasons to constantly thank God and glorify him.

Brooks Szewczyk

Brooks is currently pursuing an M.Div. with an emphasis in Biblical Counseling from Midwestern Seminary. He is a Pastoral Intern at Redemption Hill Church and the Marketing Manager at Bethany Global University.

Why the Four Gospels are Canon

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Our Bible is composed of 66 books which we consider canon. This means that these 66 books are what God intended to be included in his complete, sufficient word to his people. Among these are the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

In the 4th century, the church officially codified the canon. Of course, the books were already typically thought of as being scripture. Being led by the Holy Spirit, the job of the church was to distinguish between what God truly intended to be in his word and what should not be included.

The gospels were some of the most widely accepted canonical books. All four of them were accepted very early by the church, and they were accepted by a large majority of churches. Though other gospels were written, they were not as widely accepted as those which we have in our Bibles now.

In one sense, all of the books included in the canon had to pass the same standards as one another. To state it more simply than it deserves, all books of the Bible must have been apostolic, veracious, powerful, and broadly accepted.

To be apostolic means that the text was written by or attested to by an apostle. Apostles are a rough equivalence to the Prophets of the Old Testament. They were tasked with being the messengers of God. Ephesians 2:20 tells us that the church was built on their foundation.

To be veracious means that it communicates the truth about God. We already had an established Old Testament canon which we know communicates truth. The books in our Bibles must have complemented what was already written rather than contradict it.

The be powerful means that the book is attested to by the work of the Holy Spirit. We know that God’s word is powerful because the Spirit uses it to renew hearts and minds. A book that lacked evidence of the Spirit’s work would not be accepted as the word of God.

Lastly, the books of the Bible must have been broadly accepted. At the point when they were officially codified, the church had already been established for over 300 years. Most of these works were already passed around and copied so that they could be studied by many churches. They were not presented out of nowhere, but they were books that were historical and already in use.

The last point was especially true of the gospels. As early as 250, we see codexes such as P45 containing all four gospels.

For the modern church, there are at least a few implications of this. The first implication is the unity we have with the early church in understanding the life of Jesus. They had the same accounts of Jesus’ birth, teaching, life, death, and resurrection that we do. The earliest church fathers write about all four gospels in their works, giving us even more ability to study and understand their historical context.

Second, we can have the utmost confidence in the gospel accounts. While we should have unwavering confidence in the entire canon, the gospels specifically pass every qualification with flying colors.

We have confidence in the canon because we have confidence in the faithfulness of God.

While all of these criteria still apply today, there is no need to add to a closed canon. Certainly, every book is still apostolic, true, powerful, and widely accepted. What we know now is that God’s complete word is sufficient to inform and equip us for a life of godliness.

One of the most important points here is that God is faithful. This is the canon which the church has functioned with for 2 millennia. A faithful God who promised us his word would certainly not allow the church to live without a complete canon, especially for that amount of time. We have confidence in the canon because we have confidence in the faithfulness of God. This is an important point to make for any naysayers who question the legitimacy of the closed canon of the 27 New Testament books.

Are Possessions Keeping You from Jesus?

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In the parable of the large banquet, Jesus tells of one particular type of man. The story begins in this way (Lk 14:16-18):

A man was giving a large banquet and invited many. At the time of the banquet, he sent his slave to tell those who were invited, ‘Come, because everything is now ready.’ But without exception they all began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. I ask you to excuse me.’

Though the host invited the first man, the first man didn’t come. Not only was this host offering a large banquet, but he also had his presence and his home to offer.

This was not enough for the first man. He had a field to tend to. He had priorities: field first, host second (or worse). His possessions got in the way of him and the most important person. Note: Tending to a field that you bought and have never seen is important. However, it is not worth it if something greater is offered.

Christians and non-Christians both have the capacity to let their stuff have a foothold in their life.

Non-Christians, are you unwilling to follow Jesus because you know that following Jesus means not valuing your earthly possessions? Jesus said in Mt 10:38-39 “Whoever doesn’t take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Anyone finding his life will lose it, and anyone losing his life because of Me will find it.” However, the misunderstanding may be here: you don’t give up your stuff to earn something. You give up your stuff because it is nothing compared to the surpassing worth of Christ (Ph 3:8; Mt 13:44).

Christians, are you letting your stuff become an idol in your life? “Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these” (1 Tm 6:6-8). As Christians, we count all things as loss. We count God as our supreme treasure, worthy of all that we have. Do you sometimes value your stuff more than God? “Little children, guard yourselves from idols” (1 Jn 5:21).

Dear friends, flee from the love of money. Flee from the love of electronics. Flee from the love of your home. Flee from the love of your car. But, pursue Christ above all else. “Love God and do whatever you please: for the soul trained in love to God will do nothing to offend the One who is Beloved.”—Augustine

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