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Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands: People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change (Resources for Changing Lives)

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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.

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.

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.

Paul Tripp has added a vital resource to the biblical and nouthetic counseling movement. His well-chosen sub-title teaches that the pastor, counselor, lay spiritual friend is just as much in need of biblical wisdom for living as are those who come to them for help. The well-chosen title reminds us that ultimately we must point others to the Ultimate Spiritual Friend and Soul Physician--Christ.

Tripp's core theological premise rings with biblical clarity--we are worshiping beings, built to worship God, but marred by the Fall into sin so that apart from the redemptive work of Christ, we worship anything but God. In the words of Jeremiah, we dig cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water, because we have forsaken God our Spring of living water.

Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of "Soul Physicians," "Spiritual Friends," "Biblical Psychology," "Martin Luther's Pastoral Counseling," and "Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction."

I was given this book by a mentor of mine and told that it would be extremely helpful. The problem is that I saw it was deemed a "counseling" book on the back, so I moved on for a while before I picked it up and read it. I continued to see the book on the "Best Seller's" list at many sites that I admire, so I finally picked the book up and started to read. I have to be honest, if I were to try and write all that I learned this review would turn into a novel itself.

Paul David Tripp really unpacks a three part effort.

One: To show me who I am
Two: Who others are
Three: How to practically minister to them, and accept their ministering to me

This book gets to the root of the issues and he even starts with the theological impact of understanding who God is and then who we are, namely: we aren't perfect, we need change, and we need help in that changing process from Christ and others.

This book not only unfolds what we are to do in daily ministering opportunities, but he unpacks the practical ways to do them. One of my favorite quotes in the book is that:

"We often say we need to preach the Word, but we also need to counsel the Word."

That is what this book is all about. It is how to counsel the Word of God to those in everyday life that need change just like you and I. What will hinder this book is that some will think it is only for the pastor or counselor, but it's intention is for all believers and it is written that way and is desperately needed for today's church.

I have already used the book and will continue to go back to it to try and unpack my shortcomings and also to help others do the same when they are in need of ministering. I know this is not the "hot topic" of discussion around the water cooler, but this book is much more needed in today's world that wants to only deal with actions instead of the root of those actions, namely, our darkened heart in need of the power of Christ. You will learn how to effectively and biblically (synonymous terms) counsel another as they ask a simple question or are having everyday life problems, instead of giving a "pat" answer or reciting Scripture and telling them to pray about it. I cannot recommend this book more highly.

I was only about ten pages into this book before I realized that it was very, very good. And it kept getting better. It is not only theologically sound in the sense of not containing noticeable errors, but also deals with its subject matter in a theologically astute way. And in addition to being theologically sound, it is pastoral and practical. I have no doubt that I will return to it again and again in pastoral ministry.

The main idea of the book is that all believers should be doing what Tripp calls "personal ministry," helping people to see themselves and their situations in a biblical light, and work to be conformed more to the image of Christ. Most of his stories and application have to do with pastoral ministry or professional Christian counseling, but the principles could apply just as well to a small group leader, or any Christian who wishes to be used by God to minister to others. In examining our lives, we (and the people we counsel) need to understand the fundamental teachings of the Bible on God and humanity. We have to understand that we are fallen, that sin has pervaded every aspect of our lives. As a result we sin, we suffer from the effects of others' sin, and we respond sinfully to that suffering. Sin is not an occasional mix-up in an otherwise well-functioning system; it is a constant reality that is at play in every situation we deal with. We must also understand, though, that as believers we have been fundamentally changed by the gospel. We have been clothed in the righteousness of Christ, and we have been filled with the Holy Spirit, so that we really are able to fight against the power of sin ad walk in increasing obedience to God's commands. In short, all of us are "people in need of change," God gives us the means by which to change, and we are called to help each other change.

This book is a great introduction to personal ministry, especially for a pastor. The examples were a little dramatic, and it could be discouraging for someone who isn't dealing with marriages that are falling apart or people who were abused as children. But Tripp's principles are a great paradigm for any Christian who desires to minister to others and build deeper relationships within the body of Christ.

I am so thankful to have walked into my office one day only to find this book sitting on my desk. I had this book highly recommended to me and I can honestly say that I pass that same high recommendation on to others. Thank you, Jim.

The subtitle, "People needing change helping people who need change" is an excellent summary. This book really focuses on a new way of looking at life in the context of the body of Christ. Paul does a great job of humbly showing us how people who, if honest, recognize their weaknesses but still have a responsibility before Christ to minister to one another.

Paul uses the term, "Personal Ministry", which for me personally had come to leave a bad taste in my mouth. I have seen this term refer to a legalistic feeling that everyone of us should always point out the problems in everyone else's lives. Even to the point where its acronym became a verb, "She pm'ed her good friend." But Paul, without knowing my concerns, has pulled this term out of my garbage heap, cleaned it off and helped me to see the Love of God when He incarnates Christ through the personal ministry of each member of the Body of Christ.

This is very practical. The stories are excellent, interesting and really helped me grasp the concepts presented. Paul builds a case for true personal ministry and then gives us practical steps and tips that are biblically based. The basic method is explained using the words: Know, Love, Speak, Do. Paul takes each of these and develops it showing how Christ's view of the individual and love for the body is the central focus throughout.

We as a body are each gifted, skilled, and talented in very unique ways. We each add another facet to the beauty of this body. But in the same way that we are unique in our positive values, we are also unique in our struggles and each of us are blinded in some way. We need each other to lovingly minister the incarnated, resurrected life of Christ. I believe that this book is a great tool to help us become committed to personal ministry with confidence that it is biblical and godly.

MUST READ for anyone in leadership, counseling or ministry.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for anyone in the body of Christ.

Every bit of good news must stem from a bad state or situation. News cannot be good if it is not relative to a state that is not good, or at the least, not as good. Humans strive and seek for better marriage, more money, greater happiness; all of these seekings, then, are for improvements in an initial condition. Tripp implicitly acknowledges this when he begins his treatment of the redemptive work in and through humans with an extended discussion of sin.

The gospel saves and redeems people. That is the Christian message. And the gospel is, by its nature and definition, "good news." If good news requires a relatively worse initial state, though, what is the gospel saving from? Most Christians would point out their personal problems: abusive pasts, issues with anger, chemical imbalances, or consistently hurtful relationships. Tripp digs much deeper, though, and identifies one single common problem that all mankind faces: sin. Before the gospel can be effective good news, the bad news must be acknowledged: sin is present in all humans.
Tripp goes further, though. "Scripture [defines] sin as a condition that results in behavior" (10). Using this definition, there is no ability to shuttle sin into a corner of a particular area of life. Sin cannot be seen as "bad choices" or "trouble with the past." Instead, sin is rightly pictured as an all-pervasive, all encompassing disease that affects all behavior. Tripp puts it this way: "Because sin is my nature as a human being, it is inescapable" (10). This is the bad news that must be accepted and recognized before the gospel can be seen as good news.

So what is the good news? It must come to us from an external source. "Humans need truth from outside themselves to make sense out of life" (45). This is a monumental statement from Tripp, bearing both spiritual and philosophical ramifications. If humans cannot define truth, then all of life is a decision-making process of the most important degree: who defines truth? There are numerous sources that would claim to provide truth: the news, religions, a pantheon of gods, spiritual beings, fellow humans, even espn.com and the iPhone. If truth must be received from outside of oneself, then the decision to listen to one source over another, or to amalgamate various sources, is the decision to believe one truth--or version of truth--over another.
This can all seem a bit philosophical and heady; theoretical, and best for writing but perhaps for not living. However, there is a practical and essential component of living wrapped up in these realizations. If humans must decide on a particular set of truths to truth, and then choose an interpreter for those truths, then man is deeply dependent upon the claimant and interpreter they choose. The Christian--choosing God for both truth-giver and truth-interpreter--is often inconsistent, believing God for some truths but rejecting him for many others. The pagan--choosing some other religion, and ultimately himself as at least truth-interpreter--must be shown the contradictions in their own beliefs. This all must occur before a particular relationship or need can be addressed. Truth must be determined before lives can be changed.

The author is a humble man who approaches discipling as a doctor seeking out the illness not the symptoms. A must read if you are discipling someone and a "should read" for everyone. I usually don't recommend books to others because I am so picky -- especially about Christian books, but I definitely recommend this one.

This book really does expose mankinds problem at the core (the heart) and does not excuse it or try to put bandaids of human philosophy over it, but offers hope and healing. I have used this extensively in counseling (self and others) and have seen - by the grace of God - tremendous results. Doesn't mean it comes easily, but helps you really see what is going on below the surface.