PROCLAIMING JESUS CHRIST
THROUGH CYBER-EVANGELIZATION
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CFC-FFL
Body of Counselors
“security
lies in many counselors”
(Prov 11:14b)
The
role of counselors is very important for an
ecclesial movement. The Lord provides counselors
to assist His servant leaders in order to
help promote the well-being of His people
and the proper fulfillment of His work.
Counselors
help provide wisdom, understanding, direction
and discernment. Counsel is one of the 7 sanctifying
gifts of the Spirit.
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“The
spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him:
a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a
spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit
of knowledge and of fear of the Lord, and
his delight shall be the fear of the Lord.”
(Is 11:2-3a).
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Good counsel is a result of and reflects
all the other virtues—wisdom, understanding,
strength, knowledge, piety and fear of God.
The
importance of good counsel
For
us in CFC-FFL, good counsel is important in
order to more properly discern the mind and
will of God, so that we can fulfill our life
and mission as He intends.
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“For what man knows God’s counsel,
or who can conceive what the Lord intends?”
(Wis 9:13). Collective wisdom is important
and desirable.
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“Plans
fail when there is no counsel, but they
succeed when counselors are many.”
(Prov 15:22).
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“For
it is by wise guidance that you wage your
war, and the victory is due to a wealth
of counselors.” (Prov 24:6).
The
spirituality of a counselor
How does one become a good counselor? Doing
God’s work, we need to tap into God’s
mind and heart. But we know that God’s
ways and thoughts are very far from ours (Is
55:8-9). As such, one’s spirituality
is critical.
What
counselors need to do in order to be effective
1)
Avoid sin.
2) Be a man/woman of prayer and continue being
formed in the Lord.
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“How different the man who devotes
himself to the study of the law of the Most
High! ….. His care is to seek the
Lord, his Maker, to petition the Most High,
to open his lips in prayer, to ask pardon
for his sins. Then, if it pleases the Lord
Almighty, he will be filled with the spirit
of understanding; he will pour forth his
words of wisdom and in prayer give thanks
to the Lord, who will direct his knowledge
and his counsel” (Sir 39:1-7).
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“Now
will I praise those godly men, …..
counselors in their prudence” (Sir
44:3a).
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“The
shrewd man does everything with prudence”
(Prov 13:16a).
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“Among
wisdom’s treasures is the paragon
of prudence” (Sir 1:22a).
What is prudence?
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Judiciousness
or sound judgment.
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Circumspection,
or care in considering all circumstances
and possible consequences.
The role of the Body of Counselors (BoC)
1) To provide wise counsel to the Servant
General (and to Country Servants).
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Counselors help ease the overall leader’s
burden. “Hearken, you who are in power
over the multitude ….. Because authority
was given you by the Lord ….. who
shall probe your works and scrutinize your
counsels!” (Wis 6:2-3).
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God admonishes top leaders: “Do nothing
without counsel, and then you need have
no regrets.” (Sir 32:19).
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But in the end, the top leader decides.
“Then, too, heed your own heart’s
counsel; for what have you that you can
depend on more?” (Sir 37:13).
2)
To reflect God’s mind and what is right
in the Lord.
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Counselors have their own counselors, which
are the ways of God. “Your decrees
are my delight; they are my counselors.”
(Ps 119:24).
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Counselors discern what is of God and not
merely insist on their own human ways. They
do not propose just human opinions based
on human likes and dislikes. “Every
counselor points out a way, but some counsel
ways of their own” (Sir 37:7).
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Counselors are challenged to continually
check if they are aligning with God’s
mind or simply their own. “Are you
privy to the counsels of God, and do you
restrict wisdom to yourself?” (Jb
15:8).
3)
To actively participate in the overall life
and mission of CFC-FFL.
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The BoC collectively looks to the preservation
of the vision, mission and charism of CFC-FFL.
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The BoC helps develop overall thrusts, strategies,
policies and basic formation programs, and
recommends same for approval.
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Members of the BoC assist each other in
their respective tasks by giving inputs
as needed.
(SG. Dec 22, 2010)
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