Soul Care - A Healing Ministry

Here at Morning Star, we are all about leading people to pursue a Jesus-first life. How does one do this? A Jesus-first life requires intentionality and hard work; it does not happen spontaneously.

John Mark Comer says in his book Practicing the Way, “If we’re not being intentionally formed by Jesus himself, then it’s highly likely we are being unintentionally formed by someone or something else.”

Rather than hearing this as a statement of condemnation, we can receive it as an invitation to ask a deeper question: If we are not intentionally choosing, through our everyday moments and actions, to pursue a Jesus-first life, then what is shaping us? What voices, desires, habits, relationships, and influences are forming the way we think, live, and see the world?

New Testament authors write that those of us who choose to follow Jesus will become more like Him (Romans 12:1-2, 1 Corinthians 6:11). We call this process sanctification or maturity. The difficulty is that all of us have been formed by the world we live in. What we watch, listen to, those we follow, and what we read all forms us.

If it isn’t Christ who is forming us, the spiritual ramifications are great- simply because most of the content we engage with does not encourage us to live a Jesus-first life. The ongoing battle for our attention is about the kind of person we are actively becoming. A Jesus-first life does not just spontaneously happen. In fact, the opposite is true: a sinful life happens spontaneously.

Living a Jesus-first life requires that we make a conscious choice to be formed by him.

from a practical standpoint, where do we begin?

My name is Matt, and I want to tell you about a new ministry that we are launching at Morning Star this fall. The ministry is called Soul Care, and I think it is the next step for anyone who wants to live a Jesus-first life.

First and foremost, Soul Care is a book by Dr. Rob Reimer. In his book, Reimer lays out 7 Transformational Principles for a Healthy Soul. These principles work to reform our lives so that a Jesus-first life becomes our natural inclination.

Each week you can expect a reading assignment and reflection questions that you will do on your own. Then, when we come together, we will spend time learning from God’s word and time in small groups sharing from our reflection time. The topics we will cover are Identity, Repentance, Family Sin Patterns, Forgiveness, Healing Wounds, Overcoming Fear, and Deliverance. 

I want to impress upon you that a Jesus-first life is a life trajectory towards sanctification and maturity. The author of Hebrews chastises their congregation because they had stopped learning and moving forward in their faith journey (Hebrews 5: 11-6: 8). Throughout the New Testament, the Greek word for maturity is used 19 times; Christians are called to increase in our spiritual maturity and become more like Jesus.

I am convinced that all Christians have to address the content of Soul Care on our faith journeys, whether or not you read the book. Being formed by Jesus leads to a Jesus-first life, and that kind of life leads to deeper intimacy with God. Soul Care is not a recovery ministry, it is a healing ministry.

Whether you have been a Christian for ten minutes or ten years; Soul Care is for you.

If you feel stagnant or are looking for the next step in your faith; Soul Care is for you.

If you are dealing with a sin pattern; Soul Care is for you.

If you feel overwhelmed with the weight of this life; Soul Care is for you.

If none of the categories above include you, then hear me: Soul Care is also for you!

I am not going to sugarcoat it. In Soul Care, you are going to be asked to do some hard work. It will be uncomfortable, and the Holy Spirit may ask you to change, but a Jesus-first life is a life that is worth living.

We are excited to see what God has in store. Would you join us?

For any question, please reach out to matt@mstar.church.