Tuesday, December 25, 2007
thoughts about the "12 steps"
but first... from the Holman Bible Dictionary...
Religion:
"Relationship of devotion... to God... or gods (of your understanding)..."
Church:
"an assembly, local body of believers (in redemption thru Jesus only), or the universal body of all believers"
"The Church and the World"
"The Bible presents the church as sharply distinct from the world. The church is to be composed of regenerate believers called out of a world hostile to the gospel of Christ. As such, the church is called to confront with the reality of coming judgement and the gospel of redemption through Christ (only). The Bible presents the church as an alternative society, called to countercultural life in The Spirit."
my thoughts:
As I witness "the church" embracing worldly organizations such as Alcoholics Anonymous, and the 12 steps- which will be forever inextricably linked to A.A... I am perplexed as to how one can match up the formation of the 12 steps with the teachings of Jesus. I watch people suggest that it (A.A.) is not a religion... then hear them base their sole sufficiency in "the god of their understanding"... thus the practice of religion (according to the Holman dictionary). I am confused as to how we can be "called out of a hostile world" yet adopt their practices as equal to that of the church. How can we be "yoked" to the practices of the world and at the same time be "separated". Are we so desperate to coerce people to look to Jesus that we have to massage their view of a Holy God? Throuout history people have tried to make God and the church more palatable for those who need Christ... yet my observation is that it only leads to "easy beliveism" (which really only hurts the one who thinks now they are ok with God) and a blurred line of demarcation between true believers and the world. (see above "The Church and the World")
The further attempt to integrate the 12 steps of A.A. with the Bible I find to be nothing more than offensive to the Gospel of Jesus.
I strongly encourage anyone who is involved with, or entertaining involvment with, worldly practice, and attempting to integrate it into their Christian life to heed the words of the Bible instead! I could recite verse after verse... but my challenge is not to hastily write a rebuttal, but to spend your own time investigating the very word itself!
please download this e-book and read:
http://www.psychoheresy-aware.org/12stepsbk_online.html
Friday, December 21, 2007
Drunkard/Alcoholic-- is there a difference
20 YEARS A DRUNKARD BUT NEVER AN ALCOHOLIC... IS THERE A DIFFERENCE?
testimony by Gerwin McFarland
(this is a lengthy article... but well worth the read)
Back in my drinking days when someone in a bar asked what the difference was between a drunk and an alcoholic, I’d grin and reply, “us drunks don’t have to go to meetings.” That was when I was a practicing and experienced drinker, in my late thirties. However, there truly is a difference and I’ll begin by stating my definition of drunkard: anyone who drinks four or more alcoholic beverages every day and gets drunk three or more times each month. I secretly knew that drinking was a problem for me but I kept right on making jokes and continuing in such foolishness, until I hit bottom. I’m certain that all drunkards have reached that lowest point of all lows and have chosen to deal with the problem in a variety of ways: some continue in the same destructive lifestyle; others try to quit on their own and still others try the way of the “recovery movement.” The path that I eventually chose did not happen instantly but began with the moment that I finally decided to do something positive about my messed-up life. However, within a few short years it would enable me to say that I was a former drunkard! If you are a potential problem drinker, I hope that you’ll read my story and be encouraged to strive for a new and better life. That life-changing day for me began early on a morning not unlike hundreds of others that I had experienced in recent years. It was similar in that I knew that I had been really blitzed the night before: foul taste in my mouth, pounding headache, that tired, achy feeling all over and the shame of not remembering any details of the last hour or so before I passed out. But this particular morning was far worse because of two other things: I was 38 years old and should have been at home with my wife and four kids but instead had been kicked out of that home the day before. That was my major problem as I awoke about 5:30 a.m. Adding to my shame, I was in my car and it was parked in the driveway of a home that I’d never seen before! After starting the car, I backed out, drove to the nearest intersection and discovered that I was about eight blocks from my favorite tavern in Moses Lake, Washington. I drove to a restaurant and was thankful that there were only a few customers there as I quickly made my way to the men’s room. As I washed my face and straightened out my hair I saw the lump on my right forehead and the bruises and scratches on my right cheek. Because I also had very sore spots on my right elbow and shoulder, I assumed that I had taken a bad fall the previous night, in the tavern or on the way to my car. I also guessed that I had then been driving around, deciding where to spend the night when I had probably spotted a police car and ducked off the main drag, parking temporarily in that driveway where I’d awakened. With engine and lights off, I had probably stared at the rear view mirror and decided to wait and watch for the patrol car for a few minutes but instead had passed out. Leaving the men’s room, I ordered a cup of coffee to go and returned to my car. I sat in the car, sipping the coffee and pondering these recent events in my life: my wife informing me that she had started divorce proceedings and that I had to leave the home, according to the legal notice she handed me, signed by the Grant County Sheriff. She had packed all my clothes and personal belongings in a suitcase and smaller bag, which were now in the trunk of the car along with the legal document. I drove to a fast-food place and had more coffee and a breakfast sandwich as I continued this review of the most recent events in my life. How did my life get so messed up? By my third cup of coffee, my mind was in fast reverse to 1949, the summer following my graduation from high school in Grants Pass, Oregon. I had only drunk beer three or four times during high school but did not care for the taste of it. I joined the Army when I was 17. After basic training and clerk-typist school, I was assigned to Tokyo, Japan, serving in General Headquarters, Far East Command, under the command of General Douglas Macarthur. One week after I arrived in Tokyo, the Korean War began. During my stateside training periods I had drunk beer several nights a month and gradually developed a taste for it. After a few months in Tokyo I had several friends, mostly from the same office that I worked in. We all enjoyed drinking beer, some a bit more than others, but in a year or so I was up to speed with the “regular” drinkers. I got buzzed frequently and quite drunk several times a month. I was discharged a few months before my 21st birthday and spent less than two years at the University of Oregon before quitting and going to work in the consumer finance business. I had been one of the “party animals” in college, heading for Robinson’s Tavern or spontaneous parties as often as I could afford it, However, I was now a young married man working for modest wages. My wife and I attended parties about once a month and I did moderate social drinking with business associates a couple of times per month. In retrospect, my drinking habits then were drastically different than when I had been in the army. Now, as a young, married career man, my drinking “hobby” was curtailed primarily by insufficient income. By age 33, there were major changes in my life. I had been divorced, remarried and found myself living in the small town of Ephrata, Washington. I was a finance man in the construction business. It was there that I eventually got into the sales of farm buildings and began earning more income. I also began drinking more. It was during this period that I became a “working drunk,” that is to say I got up every weekday, went to work and earned an adequate income. But my hours away from work were heavily involved with drinking and it was beginning to take its toll on my life in several ways. I had been involved in commission sales for about 5 years but now I was bringing less income home for two reasons: I was not working as effectively as I had earlier in my sales career and I was spending more money on booze, sometimes during weekdays. In addition, my marriage was also deteriorating, primarily because of my drunkenness. My wife also enjoyed drinking, but not to the life-dominating extent that I did. At this point in our life, we were arguing fairly often. I frequently abused her verbally, especially on those nights that we had both been drinking. I was having problems in several areas of my life but ignoring them all. I was jolted into a reality check when I was required to move out of the home. And here I was the next morning, finishing a fast-food breakfast, reminiscing over my life history and wishing I could live it all over again. Over the next week I arranged to move in temporarily with an acquaintance from the tavern. I also decided to greatly reduce the quantities of my daily drinking. Instead of drinking from about 4:00 p.m. until bedtime (euphemism for “passing out”) I would stop at the tavern after work for three beers and then fix something for dinner at my friend’s place. About 8:30, I would stroll back to the tavern for a couple of more beers, winding up in bed sober before 10:00 p.m. I loved our four children but had lost daily contact with them, being relegated instead to weekly visits for a few hours. I also loved my wife and told her so in a phone conversation a couple of weeks after moving out. I also told her about the drastic cuts in my drinking habits. I begged her to give me another chance, but she wanted no part of me. I hated this domestic mess I was now in but recognized that I had brought it upon myself. Drunk, sober, or somewhere in between, I found myself weeping on many nights. I also finally acknowledged to myself that booze was my major problem and that I could not “cut down” on the amounts consumed but had to quit entirely. I meant it and made that very difficult decision to quit altogether, but knew that such a major transition would be quite difficult. We had become “slightly religious” during the last few years of our marriage, attending a Lutheran church in Ephrata, Washington, once or twice a month. We’d each been exposed to Christianity as children but had lost any serious interest by junior high school. As married adults, we expressed belief in God but had never seriously investigated Him. There were a few men in that church we occasionally attended that I considered to be “fanatics.” They brought their own Bibles to church. They spoke about the Lord, in restaurants and other public places, as though they actually knew Him! They were never embarrassed about saying “praise the Lord” in public. I didn’t understand such activity and wanted nothing to do with them. However, when it finally began to sink in that I was not going to talk my wife into reconciliation, I recognized that I had “hit bottom” in life and knew that I needed help. I decided that I wanted to know more about God and found myself calling one of those “fanatics.” We talked a lot in his home the next night and almost daily thereafter, frequently with one or two of those other “fanatics.” They were helpful and kind, answering my questions and praying with me. One of them gave me a Bible and I began reading select chapters daily. By this time, I had moved back to Ephrata (about 20 miles from Moses Lake) and rented a small room. Some of what I read in the Bible each day confused me, resulting in my always having questions for them when we met. They also explained the Gospel of the kingdom of God. Very briefly, it is “bad news and good news.” BAD NEWS: You are a sinner. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” – Romans 3:23; “The wages of sin is death (eternal separation from God).” – Romans 6:23. GOOD NEWS: Christ died for you. “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8. You can be saved through faith. “For by grace you have been saved (delivered from the penalty of sin) through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one should boast.” – Ephesians 2:8, 9. In other words, there is absolutely nothing that we can do which would be righteous enough to cancel out our debt of sin and to reconcile our separation from God How about being kind, honest and loving? Sorry, and neither will membership in a particular church. (More on that subject later) God is Love but He is also Just. For all those who are now in a correct relationship with Him, such status was attained only by the Grace of God, because of their repentant faith in God and their acknowledgment of the atoning work of the sacrificial death of Jesus for their sins. “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf…” (II Corinthians 5:21) As an adult, I had never been agnostic. I held a vague belief in God but had simply been indifferent towards Him, to the extent that I had never learned about Him and what, if any, were my responsibilities towards Him; and I hadn’t learned much more during the one or two sermons we heard each month at that church in Ephrata. I had been meeting with these godly men (the “fanatics”) for breakfast and/or a morning prayer several times a week for about a month when it all began to make sense to me. Late in April of 1971, I made a commitment to Jesus and asked Him to become the Lord of my life and to forgive me of my sins. On the night of my 39th birthday (May 9, 1971), I had been in my room reading the Bible, praying and reviewing the events of my life in recent years. Foremost on my mind were the divorce proceedings, my many talks with these men and my recent commitment to Jesus. That night was the first time that the Holy Spirit revealed something to me. He showed me (in my heart) that my “commitment” had been half-hearted, with strings attached. Specifically, that I was only interested in getting my family back, although I was serious about giving up drinking. I kneeled at my bedside and acknowledged all this. I also confessed to the heavenly Father that I was a sinner and knew that my major problem in life was not booze but the fact that I was separated from Him by sin and therefore destined to spend eternity in hell. I repented of my sins and asked Him to forgive me in Jesus’ name. I also asked Jesus to be the Lord of my life and to assist me in being obedient to Him and His written Word, both outwardly and in my heart. I was now born again, having been born from above. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:13)
It took a couple of days for the results of this act to fully sink in. I then knew what it meant to be “set free” in Jesus. “and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free.” (John 8:32) He had paid my debt of sin on the cross of Calvary. He was my Lord, raised from the dead, and His Spirit indwelt me. I was going to spend eternity with God! I had been forgiven by God for all my sins. I was now going to experience new life in Christ Jesus. I couldn’t wait to tell my wife, thinking that she would not only be delighted for me, but inclined to discuss reconciliation. Boy was I in for a surprise! She believed me but was skeptical, based on her unpleasant life with me in recent years. She was happy for me about my recent personal decisions but not enough to change her mind, and proceeded with the divorce. In retrospect, I cannot fault her decision. I settled into my new life, starting each day with a time of reading the Bible and praying. The Lord built me into a fellowship of true believers from all walks of life. My closest friendships were with a few people in that Lutheran church; later, I developed other close friendships through a non-denominational men’s group that met each week for breakfast. Several years later, in Orange County, California, I learned that in some very large congregations, there were special group meetings whose focus was dealing with the problems of alcohol abuse. All who attended were either true believers who Jesus had delivered from drunkenness or were serious inquirers into Christianity, who currently were dealing with the sin of drunkenness. These groups were sort of a Christian version of an AA meeting. I attended a few of them but eventually decided that all new converts were far better off by simply getting fully involved in a fellowship that taught and practiced sound doctrine. Before we were redeemed, we all had sins which had “easily entrapped us” [Hebrews 12:1]. Why should new or old believers spend a lot of time dwelling on that past sin in a group setting? I believe that the key to Christian growth is to be built into a fellowship that teaches and practices sound doctrine, based solely on the Bible. We can grow in knowledge there and eventually be able to help others who are struggling with sin. I was enjoying learning more about the Kingdom of God and looked forward to a regular prayer meeting that I had begun attending each week as well as spontaneous meetings after dinner at some of my new friends’ homes, plus church on Sunday. Sunday was my best day, beginning with picking up my children in the morning. We were always glad to see each other and then off to Sunday school and church. During the summer, we would have picnics in a park after church and other times lunch in my little apartment, followed by other fun activities. Like most problem drinkers, I had been drinking more each year than in previous years. For example, at age 29 I was drinking 8-10 beers each evening, stopping at dinnertime. Then I started having liquor before dinner and wine with dinner. By the time I was 38, I was drinking beer and/or liquor after work and before dinner, then wine during and after dinner. I once measured my daily consumption by “proof ounces,” and determined that my total daily consumption of all alcohol [age 38] was about the equivalent of one quart of liquor per day. Because of this continual, daily intake, I had been extremely nervous on my first day of abstaining from booze. The temptation to drink was strong but I had been praying a lot and the Lord helped me to resist temptation. Things were a little better the second day; also the third. After two weeks I felt like a new man, physically, emotionally and spiritually. I was drawing much closer to God and the Bible was becoming a little easier to understand. I learned from my mentors that this was due to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. In spite of my enjoyment of this new life, I did have a problem with “backsliding” during my first few years as a True Believer. There had been countless temptations to drink and I resisted most of them with the Lord’s help, but fell off the wagon about one month after my conversion. I got drunk on a Friday night and continued drinking Saturday afternoon and night. I stopped by Sunday but did the same thing a couple of months later. I “fell off” about 5 times during the first year and 4 during the second year. During the third year of my new life in Jesus I noticed that the time elapsing between these incidents got further and further apart. After abstaining for 16 months during a period that began in 1976, there were a couple of incidents in 1977 and I got drunk for the last time on January 2, 1978. “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the Kingdom of God.” (I Corinthians 6:9,10) Now read the incredible freedom expressed in verse eleven: “Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” Thanks be unto you, Most High God. I am not a drunkard, but a former drunkard! “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come” (II Corinthians 5:17) I now believe sincerely that if I had persevered in prayer during those major times of temptation during my first few years as a believer, that the incidents of backsliding would have been far fewer. However, for over thirty years I have been rejoicing , not because I am a former drunkard, but that my name has been written in the Lamb’s book of Life [Luke 10:20]. How about you? After reading all the above scriptures and my testimony, are you ready to acknowledge that you are separated from God by sin? He loves you and His mercies never come to an end! Repent, turn to Him and ask for His forgiveness, in Jesus’ name. However, if you are still not convinced but know that something is wrong between you and the Creator of the universe, then consider this brave agnostic’s prayer. “God, if you are real, I want to know you! Please reveal Yourself to me as I read a portion of the Bible”. Then, read the Gospel of John and the Book of Romans. If you are sincere in that prayer and your search for Him, you will know [in your heart] within a short time that He and His Word are the truth! Then, you must make a decision --- either to accept His loving offer in repentant faith, receive his forgiveness and to spend eternity with Him, or to remain in your present state, destined to experience the wrath of God for eternity. Some reading this will think that it does not apply to them because they are not sinners but good persons. Well, you probably are, if you compare yourself to other human beings. But God will not judge you by Man’s standards. He holds all of us accountable to His standards of righteousness, declared in writing in the Bible: His Word. According to that, we have ALL sinned and NONE is righteous. While it is impossible for any of us to attain righteousness in our own strength, in His love and mercy He has made a way -- the atonement for all of our sins by the sacrifice of Jesus, the Lamb of God, on Calvary. That sacrifice was made for all in the world who would believe on Him. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16) Still others reading this may think that they’re okay with God because they’re members of a major Protestant denomination, or the Roman Catholic Church, or the Mormon Church. If you are thinking that way, think again. In effect, you have examined God’s plan for the eternal redemption of your soul and are saying, “well, that’s nice God, but I’m just as comfortable with the ‘membership route.” What blasphemous audacity! There are NO acceptable substitutions for His way, regardless of the religious rituals and sacraments that you may be practicing. “Church membership,” or church attendance, will not atone for the sins that separate you from God. You must be born again! "Jesus answered and said to him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.' Then Nicodemus said to Him, 'How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born can he?' Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.'” (John 3: 3-6) Still others may think that they’re okay with God because they answered an altar call 20 years ago[for example] and said the “sinner’s prayer.” That’s good, if you’re following Him in a walk of faith and obedience now, but if you’re still living the same old life you did before you said that sinners prayer in the past, that is evidence that you really don’t believe. [See the explanation of the parable of the sower, Matthew 13:20-22]. I described my definition of “drunkard” early in this article. I will finish with my definition of alcoholic: drunkards who have given themselves a new name with a nice, clinical ring to it and who are indeed victims --- not of alcohol, but a belief system that is contrary to God’s Word. Here’s another way to look at it: whereas Jesus offers hope, freedom and eternal life, the “Recovery” system offers not only victimhood but absolutely no hope, in this life or eternity!
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Their book goes into greater detail about the ungodly origins of the “12 Step” programs including the so-called “disease” of Codependency. More information about their books is available at http://www.psychoheresy-aware.org/
testimony by Gerwin McFarland
(this is a lengthy article... but well worth the read)
Back in my drinking days when someone in a bar asked what the difference was between a drunk and an alcoholic, I’d grin and reply, “us drunks don’t have to go to meetings.” That was when I was a practicing and experienced drinker, in my late thirties. However, there truly is a difference and I’ll begin by stating my definition of drunkard: anyone who drinks four or more alcoholic beverages every day and gets drunk three or more times each month. I secretly knew that drinking was a problem for me but I kept right on making jokes and continuing in such foolishness, until I hit bottom. I’m certain that all drunkards have reached that lowest point of all lows and have chosen to deal with the problem in a variety of ways: some continue in the same destructive lifestyle; others try to quit on their own and still others try the way of the “recovery movement.” The path that I eventually chose did not happen instantly but began with the moment that I finally decided to do something positive about my messed-up life. However, within a few short years it would enable me to say that I was a former drunkard! If you are a potential problem drinker, I hope that you’ll read my story and be encouraged to strive for a new and better life. That life-changing day for me began early on a morning not unlike hundreds of others that I had experienced in recent years. It was similar in that I knew that I had been really blitzed the night before: foul taste in my mouth, pounding headache, that tired, achy feeling all over and the shame of not remembering any details of the last hour or so before I passed out. But this particular morning was far worse because of two other things: I was 38 years old and should have been at home with my wife and four kids but instead had been kicked out of that home the day before. That was my major problem as I awoke about 5:30 a.m. Adding to my shame, I was in my car and it was parked in the driveway of a home that I’d never seen before! After starting the car, I backed out, drove to the nearest intersection and discovered that I was about eight blocks from my favorite tavern in Moses Lake, Washington. I drove to a restaurant and was thankful that there were only a few customers there as I quickly made my way to the men’s room. As I washed my face and straightened out my hair I saw the lump on my right forehead and the bruises and scratches on my right cheek. Because I also had very sore spots on my right elbow and shoulder, I assumed that I had taken a bad fall the previous night, in the tavern or on the way to my car. I also guessed that I had then been driving around, deciding where to spend the night when I had probably spotted a police car and ducked off the main drag, parking temporarily in that driveway where I’d awakened. With engine and lights off, I had probably stared at the rear view mirror and decided to wait and watch for the patrol car for a few minutes but instead had passed out. Leaving the men’s room, I ordered a cup of coffee to go and returned to my car. I sat in the car, sipping the coffee and pondering these recent events in my life: my wife informing me that she had started divorce proceedings and that I had to leave the home, according to the legal notice she handed me, signed by the Grant County Sheriff. She had packed all my clothes and personal belongings in a suitcase and smaller bag, which were now in the trunk of the car along with the legal document. I drove to a fast-food place and had more coffee and a breakfast sandwich as I continued this review of the most recent events in my life. How did my life get so messed up? By my third cup of coffee, my mind was in fast reverse to 1949, the summer following my graduation from high school in Grants Pass, Oregon. I had only drunk beer three or four times during high school but did not care for the taste of it. I joined the Army when I was 17. After basic training and clerk-typist school, I was assigned to Tokyo, Japan, serving in General Headquarters, Far East Command, under the command of General Douglas Macarthur. One week after I arrived in Tokyo, the Korean War began. During my stateside training periods I had drunk beer several nights a month and gradually developed a taste for it. After a few months in Tokyo I had several friends, mostly from the same office that I worked in. We all enjoyed drinking beer, some a bit more than others, but in a year or so I was up to speed with the “regular” drinkers. I got buzzed frequently and quite drunk several times a month. I was discharged a few months before my 21st birthday and spent less than two years at the University of Oregon before quitting and going to work in the consumer finance business. I had been one of the “party animals” in college, heading for Robinson’s Tavern or spontaneous parties as often as I could afford it, However, I was now a young married man working for modest wages. My wife and I attended parties about once a month and I did moderate social drinking with business associates a couple of times per month. In retrospect, my drinking habits then were drastically different than when I had been in the army. Now, as a young, married career man, my drinking “hobby” was curtailed primarily by insufficient income. By age 33, there were major changes in my life. I had been divorced, remarried and found myself living in the small town of Ephrata, Washington. I was a finance man in the construction business. It was there that I eventually got into the sales of farm buildings and began earning more income. I also began drinking more. It was during this period that I became a “working drunk,” that is to say I got up every weekday, went to work and earned an adequate income. But my hours away from work were heavily involved with drinking and it was beginning to take its toll on my life in several ways. I had been involved in commission sales for about 5 years but now I was bringing less income home for two reasons: I was not working as effectively as I had earlier in my sales career and I was spending more money on booze, sometimes during weekdays. In addition, my marriage was also deteriorating, primarily because of my drunkenness. My wife also enjoyed drinking, but not to the life-dominating extent that I did. At this point in our life, we were arguing fairly often. I frequently abused her verbally, especially on those nights that we had both been drinking. I was having problems in several areas of my life but ignoring them all. I was jolted into a reality check when I was required to move out of the home. And here I was the next morning, finishing a fast-food breakfast, reminiscing over my life history and wishing I could live it all over again. Over the next week I arranged to move in temporarily with an acquaintance from the tavern. I also decided to greatly reduce the quantities of my daily drinking. Instead of drinking from about 4:00 p.m. until bedtime (euphemism for “passing out”) I would stop at the tavern after work for three beers and then fix something for dinner at my friend’s place. About 8:30, I would stroll back to the tavern for a couple of more beers, winding up in bed sober before 10:00 p.m. I loved our four children but had lost daily contact with them, being relegated instead to weekly visits for a few hours. I also loved my wife and told her so in a phone conversation a couple of weeks after moving out. I also told her about the drastic cuts in my drinking habits. I begged her to give me another chance, but she wanted no part of me. I hated this domestic mess I was now in but recognized that I had brought it upon myself. Drunk, sober, or somewhere in between, I found myself weeping on many nights. I also finally acknowledged to myself that booze was my major problem and that I could not “cut down” on the amounts consumed but had to quit entirely. I meant it and made that very difficult decision to quit altogether, but knew that such a major transition would be quite difficult. We had become “slightly religious” during the last few years of our marriage, attending a Lutheran church in Ephrata, Washington, once or twice a month. We’d each been exposed to Christianity as children but had lost any serious interest by junior high school. As married adults, we expressed belief in God but had never seriously investigated Him. There were a few men in that church we occasionally attended that I considered to be “fanatics.” They brought their own Bibles to church. They spoke about the Lord, in restaurants and other public places, as though they actually knew Him! They were never embarrassed about saying “praise the Lord” in public. I didn’t understand such activity and wanted nothing to do with them. However, when it finally began to sink in that I was not going to talk my wife into reconciliation, I recognized that I had “hit bottom” in life and knew that I needed help. I decided that I wanted to know more about God and found myself calling one of those “fanatics.” We talked a lot in his home the next night and almost daily thereafter, frequently with one or two of those other “fanatics.” They were helpful and kind, answering my questions and praying with me. One of them gave me a Bible and I began reading select chapters daily. By this time, I had moved back to Ephrata (about 20 miles from Moses Lake) and rented a small room. Some of what I read in the Bible each day confused me, resulting in my always having questions for them when we met. They also explained the Gospel of the kingdom of God. Very briefly, it is “bad news and good news.” BAD NEWS: You are a sinner. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” – Romans 3:23; “The wages of sin is death (eternal separation from God).” – Romans 6:23. GOOD NEWS: Christ died for you. “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8. You can be saved through faith. “For by grace you have been saved (delivered from the penalty of sin) through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one should boast.” – Ephesians 2:8, 9. In other words, there is absolutely nothing that we can do which would be righteous enough to cancel out our debt of sin and to reconcile our separation from God How about being kind, honest and loving? Sorry, and neither will membership in a particular church. (More on that subject later) God is Love but He is also Just. For all those who are now in a correct relationship with Him, such status was attained only by the Grace of God, because of their repentant faith in God and their acknowledgment of the atoning work of the sacrificial death of Jesus for their sins. “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf…” (II Corinthians 5:21) As an adult, I had never been agnostic. I held a vague belief in God but had simply been indifferent towards Him, to the extent that I had never learned about Him and what, if any, were my responsibilities towards Him; and I hadn’t learned much more during the one or two sermons we heard each month at that church in Ephrata. I had been meeting with these godly men (the “fanatics”) for breakfast and/or a morning prayer several times a week for about a month when it all began to make sense to me. Late in April of 1971, I made a commitment to Jesus and asked Him to become the Lord of my life and to forgive me of my sins. On the night of my 39th birthday (May 9, 1971), I had been in my room reading the Bible, praying and reviewing the events of my life in recent years. Foremost on my mind were the divorce proceedings, my many talks with these men and my recent commitment to Jesus. That night was the first time that the Holy Spirit revealed something to me. He showed me (in my heart) that my “commitment” had been half-hearted, with strings attached. Specifically, that I was only interested in getting my family back, although I was serious about giving up drinking. I kneeled at my bedside and acknowledged all this. I also confessed to the heavenly Father that I was a sinner and knew that my major problem in life was not booze but the fact that I was separated from Him by sin and therefore destined to spend eternity in hell. I repented of my sins and asked Him to forgive me in Jesus’ name. I also asked Jesus to be the Lord of my life and to assist me in being obedient to Him and His written Word, both outwardly and in my heart. I was now born again, having been born from above. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:13)
It took a couple of days for the results of this act to fully sink in. I then knew what it meant to be “set free” in Jesus. “and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free.” (John 8:32) He had paid my debt of sin on the cross of Calvary. He was my Lord, raised from the dead, and His Spirit indwelt me. I was going to spend eternity with God! I had been forgiven by God for all my sins. I was now going to experience new life in Christ Jesus. I couldn’t wait to tell my wife, thinking that she would not only be delighted for me, but inclined to discuss reconciliation. Boy was I in for a surprise! She believed me but was skeptical, based on her unpleasant life with me in recent years. She was happy for me about my recent personal decisions but not enough to change her mind, and proceeded with the divorce. In retrospect, I cannot fault her decision. I settled into my new life, starting each day with a time of reading the Bible and praying. The Lord built me into a fellowship of true believers from all walks of life. My closest friendships were with a few people in that Lutheran church; later, I developed other close friendships through a non-denominational men’s group that met each week for breakfast. Several years later, in Orange County, California, I learned that in some very large congregations, there were special group meetings whose focus was dealing with the problems of alcohol abuse. All who attended were either true believers who Jesus had delivered from drunkenness or were serious inquirers into Christianity, who currently were dealing with the sin of drunkenness. These groups were sort of a Christian version of an AA meeting. I attended a few of them but eventually decided that all new converts were far better off by simply getting fully involved in a fellowship that taught and practiced sound doctrine. Before we were redeemed, we all had sins which had “easily entrapped us” [Hebrews 12:1]. Why should new or old believers spend a lot of time dwelling on that past sin in a group setting? I believe that the key to Christian growth is to be built into a fellowship that teaches and practices sound doctrine, based solely on the Bible. We can grow in knowledge there and eventually be able to help others who are struggling with sin. I was enjoying learning more about the Kingdom of God and looked forward to a regular prayer meeting that I had begun attending each week as well as spontaneous meetings after dinner at some of my new friends’ homes, plus church on Sunday. Sunday was my best day, beginning with picking up my children in the morning. We were always glad to see each other and then off to Sunday school and church. During the summer, we would have picnics in a park after church and other times lunch in my little apartment, followed by other fun activities. Like most problem drinkers, I had been drinking more each year than in previous years. For example, at age 29 I was drinking 8-10 beers each evening, stopping at dinnertime. Then I started having liquor before dinner and wine with dinner. By the time I was 38, I was drinking beer and/or liquor after work and before dinner, then wine during and after dinner. I once measured my daily consumption by “proof ounces,” and determined that my total daily consumption of all alcohol [age 38] was about the equivalent of one quart of liquor per day. Because of this continual, daily intake, I had been extremely nervous on my first day of abstaining from booze. The temptation to drink was strong but I had been praying a lot and the Lord helped me to resist temptation. Things were a little better the second day; also the third. After two weeks I felt like a new man, physically, emotionally and spiritually. I was drawing much closer to God and the Bible was becoming a little easier to understand. I learned from my mentors that this was due to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. In spite of my enjoyment of this new life, I did have a problem with “backsliding” during my first few years as a True Believer. There had been countless temptations to drink and I resisted most of them with the Lord’s help, but fell off the wagon about one month after my conversion. I got drunk on a Friday night and continued drinking Saturday afternoon and night. I stopped by Sunday but did the same thing a couple of months later. I “fell off” about 5 times during the first year and 4 during the second year. During the third year of my new life in Jesus I noticed that the time elapsing between these incidents got further and further apart. After abstaining for 16 months during a period that began in 1976, there were a couple of incidents in 1977 and I got drunk for the last time on January 2, 1978. “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the Kingdom of God.” (I Corinthians 6:9,10) Now read the incredible freedom expressed in verse eleven: “Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” Thanks be unto you, Most High God. I am not a drunkard, but a former drunkard! “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come” (II Corinthians 5:17) I now believe sincerely that if I had persevered in prayer during those major times of temptation during my first few years as a believer, that the incidents of backsliding would have been far fewer. However, for over thirty years I have been rejoicing , not because I am a former drunkard, but that my name has been written in the Lamb’s book of Life [Luke 10:20]. How about you? After reading all the above scriptures and my testimony, are you ready to acknowledge that you are separated from God by sin? He loves you and His mercies never come to an end! Repent, turn to Him and ask for His forgiveness, in Jesus’ name. However, if you are still not convinced but know that something is wrong between you and the Creator of the universe, then consider this brave agnostic’s prayer. “God, if you are real, I want to know you! Please reveal Yourself to me as I read a portion of the Bible”. Then, read the Gospel of John and the Book of Romans. If you are sincere in that prayer and your search for Him, you will know [in your heart] within a short time that He and His Word are the truth! Then, you must make a decision --- either to accept His loving offer in repentant faith, receive his forgiveness and to spend eternity with Him, or to remain in your present state, destined to experience the wrath of God for eternity. Some reading this will think that it does not apply to them because they are not sinners but good persons. Well, you probably are, if you compare yourself to other human beings. But God will not judge you by Man’s standards. He holds all of us accountable to His standards of righteousness, declared in writing in the Bible: His Word. According to that, we have ALL sinned and NONE is righteous. While it is impossible for any of us to attain righteousness in our own strength, in His love and mercy He has made a way -- the atonement for all of our sins by the sacrifice of Jesus, the Lamb of God, on Calvary. That sacrifice was made for all in the world who would believe on Him. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16) Still others reading this may think that they’re okay with God because they’re members of a major Protestant denomination, or the Roman Catholic Church, or the Mormon Church. If you are thinking that way, think again. In effect, you have examined God’s plan for the eternal redemption of your soul and are saying, “well, that’s nice God, but I’m just as comfortable with the ‘membership route.” What blasphemous audacity! There are NO acceptable substitutions for His way, regardless of the religious rituals and sacraments that you may be practicing. “Church membership,” or church attendance, will not atone for the sins that separate you from God. You must be born again! "Jesus answered and said to him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.' Then Nicodemus said to Him, 'How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born can he?' Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.'” (John 3: 3-6) Still others may think that they’re okay with God because they answered an altar call 20 years ago[for example] and said the “sinner’s prayer.” That’s good, if you’re following Him in a walk of faith and obedience now, but if you’re still living the same old life you did before you said that sinners prayer in the past, that is evidence that you really don’t believe. [See the explanation of the parable of the sower, Matthew 13:20-22]. I described my definition of “drunkard” early in this article. I will finish with my definition of alcoholic: drunkards who have given themselves a new name with a nice, clinical ring to it and who are indeed victims --- not of alcohol, but a belief system that is contrary to God’s Word. Here’s another way to look at it: whereas Jesus offers hope, freedom and eternal life, the “Recovery” system offers not only victimhood but absolutely no hope, in this life or eternity!
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Their book goes into greater detail about the ungodly origins of the “12 Step” programs including the so-called “disease” of Codependency. More information about their books is available at http://www.psychoheresy-aware.org/
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Christmas- a brief history?
In ancient pagan times, the last day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere was celebrated as the night that the Great Mother Goddess gives birth to the baby Sun God. It is also called Yule, the day a huge log is added to a bonfire, around which everyone would dance and sing to awaken the sun from its long winter sleep.
In Roman times, it became the celebrations honouring Saturnus (the harvest god) and Mithras (the ancient god of light), a form of sun worship that had come to Rome from Syria a century before with the cult of Sol Invictus. It announced that winter is not forever, that life continues, and an invitation to stay in good spirit.
The last day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere occurs between the 20th and 22 December. The Roman celebrated Saturnalia between 17 and 24 December.
The early Christians
To avoid persecution during the Roman pagan festival, early Christians decked their homes with Saturnalia holly. As Christian numbers increased and their customs prevailed, the celebrations took on a Christian observance. But the early church actually did not celebrate the birth of Christ in December until Telesphorus, who was the second Bishop of Rome from 125 to 136AD, declared that Church services should be held during this time to celebrate "The Nativity of our Lord and Saviour." However, since no-one was quite sure in which month Christ was born, Nativity was often held in September, which was during the Jewish Feast of Trumpets (modern-day Rosh Hashanah). In fact, for more than 300 years, people observed the birth of Jesus on various dates.
In the year 274AD, solstice fell on 25th December. Roman Emperor Aurelian proclaimed the date as "Natalis Solis Invicti," the festival of the birth of the invincible sun. In 320 AD, Pope Julius I specified the 25th of December as the official date of the birth of Jesus Christ.
Christmas official, but not generally observed
In 325AD, Constantine the Great, the first Christian Roman emperor, introduced Christmas as an immovable feast on 25 December. He also introduced Sunday as a holy day in a new 7-day week, and introduced movable feasts (Easter). In 354AD, Bishop Liberius of Rome officially ordered his members to celebrate the birth of Jesus on 25 December.
However, even though Constantine officiated 25 December as the birthday of Christ, Christians, recognising the date as a pagan festival, did not share in the emperor's good meaning. Christmas failed to gain universal recognition among Christians until quite recently. In England, Oliver Cromwell banned Christmas festivities between 1649 and 1660 through the so-called Blue Laws, believing that Christmas should be a solemn day.
When many Protestants escaped persecution by fleeing to the colonies all over the world, interest in joyous Christmas celebrations was rekindled there. Still, Christmas was not even a legal holiday until the 1800s. And, keep in mind, there was no Father Christmas (Santa Claus) figure at that time.
Christmas becomes popular
The popularity of Christmas was spurred on in 1820 by Washington Irving's book The Keeping of Christmas at Bracebridge Hall. In 1834, Britain's Queen Victoria brought her German husband, Prince Albert, into Windsor Castle, introducing the tradition of the Christmas tree and carols that were held in Europe to the British Empire. A week before Christmas in 1834, Charles Dickens published A Christmas Carol (in which he wrote that Scrooge required Cratchit to work, and that the US Congress met on Christmas Day). It was so popular that neither the churches nor the governments could not ignore the importance of Christmas celebrations. In 1836, Alabama became the first state in the US to declare Christmas a legal holiday. In 1837, T.H. Hervey's The Book of Christmas also became a best seller. In 1860, American illustrator Thomas Nast borrowed from the European stories about Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of children, to create Father Christmas (Santa Claus). In 1907, Oklahoma became the last US state to declare Christmas a legal holiday. Year by year, countries all over the world started to recognise Christmas as the day for celebrating the birth of Jesus.
Have a merry Christmas?
Today, many of the pagan uses are reflected in Christmas. Jesus was born in March, yet his birth is celebrated on 25 December, the time of solstice. The Christmas celebrations end the 12th day of Christmas (6 January), the same amount of days that the return of the sun was celebrated by ancient and Roman pagans. It thus is no surprise that Christian puritans - or even conservative Christians - often are upset that Christmas "is not as religious as it was meant to be," forgetting that Christmas was not celebrated at all until fairly recently.
The 25th of December is celebrated as the birth date of Jesus Christ. The Bible does not mention Christmas, and early Christians did not observe the birthday of Christ. Christmas as we know it became widely popular only in the 19th Century.
Christmas starts on 25 December and ends 12 days later on 6 January with the Feast of Epiphany also called "The Adoration of the Magi" or "The Manifestation of God."
The concept of "Peace and Joy" over the Christmas season originates from the pagan believe in the magical powers of mistletoe. Enemies meeting under a mistletoe had to call truce until the following day.
In Finland and Sweden an old tradition prevails, where the twelve days of Christmas are declared to be time of civil peace by law. It used to be that a person committing crimes during this time would be liable to more stiff sentence than normal.
An early Christmas card
During the Middle Ages, many churches were built in honour of Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of children. Wearing his red and white bishop's robes, he would ride on a donkey to deliver gifts to children. In 1860, illustrator Thomas Nast introduced Santa Claus in the fashion we now know him.
In Roman times, it became the celebrations honouring Saturnus (the harvest god) and Mithras (the ancient god of light), a form of sun worship that had come to Rome from Syria a century before with the cult of Sol Invictus. It announced that winter is not forever, that life continues, and an invitation to stay in good spirit.
The last day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere occurs between the 20th and 22 December. The Roman celebrated Saturnalia between 17 and 24 December.
The early Christians
To avoid persecution during the Roman pagan festival, early Christians decked their homes with Saturnalia holly. As Christian numbers increased and their customs prevailed, the celebrations took on a Christian observance. But the early church actually did not celebrate the birth of Christ in December until Telesphorus, who was the second Bishop of Rome from 125 to 136AD, declared that Church services should be held during this time to celebrate "The Nativity of our Lord and Saviour." However, since no-one was quite sure in which month Christ was born, Nativity was often held in September, which was during the Jewish Feast of Trumpets (modern-day Rosh Hashanah). In fact, for more than 300 years, people observed the birth of Jesus on various dates.
In the year 274AD, solstice fell on 25th December. Roman Emperor Aurelian proclaimed the date as "Natalis Solis Invicti," the festival of the birth of the invincible sun. In 320 AD, Pope Julius I specified the 25th of December as the official date of the birth of Jesus Christ.
Christmas official, but not generally observed
In 325AD, Constantine the Great, the first Christian Roman emperor, introduced Christmas as an immovable feast on 25 December. He also introduced Sunday as a holy day in a new 7-day week, and introduced movable feasts (Easter). In 354AD, Bishop Liberius of Rome officially ordered his members to celebrate the birth of Jesus on 25 December.
However, even though Constantine officiated 25 December as the birthday of Christ, Christians, recognising the date as a pagan festival, did not share in the emperor's good meaning. Christmas failed to gain universal recognition among Christians until quite recently. In England, Oliver Cromwell banned Christmas festivities between 1649 and 1660 through the so-called Blue Laws, believing that Christmas should be a solemn day.
When many Protestants escaped persecution by fleeing to the colonies all over the world, interest in joyous Christmas celebrations was rekindled there. Still, Christmas was not even a legal holiday until the 1800s. And, keep in mind, there was no Father Christmas (Santa Claus) figure at that time.
Christmas becomes popular
The popularity of Christmas was spurred on in 1820 by Washington Irving's book The Keeping of Christmas at Bracebridge Hall. In 1834, Britain's Queen Victoria brought her German husband, Prince Albert, into Windsor Castle, introducing the tradition of the Christmas tree and carols that were held in Europe to the British Empire. A week before Christmas in 1834, Charles Dickens published A Christmas Carol (in which he wrote that Scrooge required Cratchit to work, and that the US Congress met on Christmas Day). It was so popular that neither the churches nor the governments could not ignore the importance of Christmas celebrations. In 1836, Alabama became the first state in the US to declare Christmas a legal holiday. In 1837, T.H. Hervey's The Book of Christmas also became a best seller. In 1860, American illustrator Thomas Nast borrowed from the European stories about Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of children, to create Father Christmas (Santa Claus). In 1907, Oklahoma became the last US state to declare Christmas a legal holiday. Year by year, countries all over the world started to recognise Christmas as the day for celebrating the birth of Jesus.
Have a merry Christmas?
Today, many of the pagan uses are reflected in Christmas. Jesus was born in March, yet his birth is celebrated on 25 December, the time of solstice. The Christmas celebrations end the 12th day of Christmas (6 January), the same amount of days that the return of the sun was celebrated by ancient and Roman pagans. It thus is no surprise that Christian puritans - or even conservative Christians - often are upset that Christmas "is not as religious as it was meant to be," forgetting that Christmas was not celebrated at all until fairly recently.
The 25th of December is celebrated as the birth date of Jesus Christ. The Bible does not mention Christmas, and early Christians did not observe the birthday of Christ. Christmas as we know it became widely popular only in the 19th Century.
Christmas starts on 25 December and ends 12 days later on 6 January with the Feast of Epiphany also called "The Adoration of the Magi" or "The Manifestation of God."
The concept of "Peace and Joy" over the Christmas season originates from the pagan believe in the magical powers of mistletoe. Enemies meeting under a mistletoe had to call truce until the following day.
In Finland and Sweden an old tradition prevails, where the twelve days of Christmas are declared to be time of civil peace by law. It used to be that a person committing crimes during this time would be liable to more stiff sentence than normal.
An early Christmas card
During the Middle Ages, many churches were built in honour of Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of children. Wearing his red and white bishop's robes, he would ride on a donkey to deliver gifts to children. In 1860, illustrator Thomas Nast introduced Santa Claus in the fashion we now know him.
What is a "luddite"- from Wikipedia
The Luddites were a social movement of British textile artisans in the early nineteenth century who protested — often by destroying sewing machines — against the changes produced by the Industrial Revolution, which they felt threatened their livelihood.
This English historical movement has to be seen in its context of the harsh economic climate due to the Napoleonic Wars; but since then, the term Luddite has been used to describe anyone opposed to technological progress and technological change. For the modern movement of opposition to technology, see neo-luddism.
The Luddite movement, which began in 1811, took its name from the earlier Ned Ludd. For a short time the movement was so strong that it clashed in battles with the British Army. Measures taken by the government included a mass trial at York in 1812 that resulted in many executions and transportations (removal to a penal colony).
Their principal objection was to the introduction of new wide-framed looms that could be operated by cheap, relatively unskilled labour, resulting in the loss of jobs for many textile workers.
This English historical movement has to be seen in its context of the harsh economic climate due to the Napoleonic Wars; but since then, the term Luddite has been used to describe anyone opposed to technological progress and technological change. For the modern movement of opposition to technology, see neo-luddism.
The Luddite movement, which began in 1811, took its name from the earlier Ned Ludd. For a short time the movement was so strong that it clashed in battles with the British Army. Measures taken by the government included a mass trial at York in 1812 that resulted in many executions and transportations (removal to a penal colony).
Their principal objection was to the introduction of new wide-framed looms that could be operated by cheap, relatively unskilled labour, resulting in the loss of jobs for many textile workers.
Is Christmas a "holiday season"?
After thinking about "giving thanks"... here I am, back to wondering.
It was recently suggested that I migt be becoming "a curmudgeon". I am not a scrooge... but I seem to be less and less enthused with "the holiday season". It is a very crafty way of adding to the secularization of America. Having the motivational gifts of "exhortation and mercy", I can't keep my mind off of those who are hurting... thus this time of year tends to exascerbate hurt. It is common to assume that mercy ministries and the like reach out to "the homeless"... but I see so much hurt in my own "upper-class" community. In fact, I sometimes think that there is a more desperate attempt to "put on a happy face"... or harder still... "trying to do what Jesus would do". As I am writing on my laptop... I cannot be accused of being a luddite... however, I am often overwhelmed with all that "progress" and technology bring. During the "holiday season" I am struggling with the sense that I am missing out on all the fun... but I am not sure what I am missing?
I want to be part of a solution... not just a whiner!
I want to suggest that "less is more" without being accused of being unrealistic
I want to spend time with my wife and my friends without having to be "in the holiday spirit" (whatever that means?)
I want to slow life down but nor procrastinate
I desire a real Christian community which gives and gives and gives
As I often do... I have given myself more cause for wondering...
It was recently suggested that I migt be becoming "a curmudgeon". I am not a scrooge... but I seem to be less and less enthused with "the holiday season". It is a very crafty way of adding to the secularization of America. Having the motivational gifts of "exhortation and mercy", I can't keep my mind off of those who are hurting... thus this time of year tends to exascerbate hurt. It is common to assume that mercy ministries and the like reach out to "the homeless"... but I see so much hurt in my own "upper-class" community. In fact, I sometimes think that there is a more desperate attempt to "put on a happy face"... or harder still... "trying to do what Jesus would do". As I am writing on my laptop... I cannot be accused of being a luddite... however, I am often overwhelmed with all that "progress" and technology bring. During the "holiday season" I am struggling with the sense that I am missing out on all the fun... but I am not sure what I am missing?
I want to be part of a solution... not just a whiner!
I want to suggest that "less is more" without being accused of being unrealistic
I want to spend time with my wife and my friends without having to be "in the holiday spirit" (whatever that means?)
I want to slow life down but nor procrastinate
I desire a real Christian community which gives and gives and gives
As I often do... I have given myself more cause for wondering...
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Thanksgiving
I find myself writing, quite often, regarding"problems and criticisms" of what others do... my intent is not to portray that I know what is best... I just know how easy it is to be slowly drawn into something which seem good... but, in the end, leaves us further from where we wanted to be! Having said that... here are some thoughts of Thanksgiving:
- God has, through the death of Jesus, has given me NEW LIFE!
- As my friend, Arthur Williams, has said "with God I can do, today, what I couldn't do without Him, yesterday"
- I am thankful to have real friends... which I never thought I was capable of
- I am glad to be able to deal with discouragement without trying to "detach from reality"
- I know my wife loves me
- I KNOW God loves me!
Please write your thoughts of Thanksgiving!!!
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Free Indeed Vs. "Working the Program"
written by Mike Cleveland of "Setting Captives Free"
"If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36).
Many groups that work in the area of addiction instruct the addict who is attending a 12-step program on his/her need to continue to "work the program" as they learn new behaviors and habit patterns. The encouragement of other individuals and the support of the group as the addict is in the process of change, are cited to be necessary ingredients to remaining sober from whatever particular addiction one has. While we can acknowledge the importance of encouragement and support from others, and while we do agree on the need for ongoing accountability in the life of every Christian, at Setting Captives Free (see link at left) we do not subscribe to the opinion that an "addict" gets free by working any program, or by following any prescribed set of steps. Rather we believe that salvation from sin, and ongoing sanctification, is a work of God’s grace in the heart of one who repents and believes the gospel.
"But to the one who does not work, but believes on Him who declares righteous the ungodly, his faith is credited for righteousness." Romans 4:5 (HCSB)
"For the grace of God has appeared, with salvation for all people, instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age" Titus 2:11-12 (HCSB)
While we acknowledge the need for every believer to remain ongoingly vigilant against sin, we affirm that Jesus Christ saves us, and that salvation is not by our own works, not through a series of steps, and not by working any program. Moreover, we affirm that Christ keeps us safe in Him, and that His Holy Spirit is sanctifying us, so that ongoing obedience to God’s Word and ongoing victory over sin are by God’s grace alone, through the faith He gives us as a gift.
The teaching in the 12-step movement for addicts (and from here on in this article I am mainly referring to the Christian 12-step groups) to continue to "work the program" stems from a flawed understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and its effects in the lives of those who believe. To counter the influence and teachings that are spreading within the church today, it is important to see the beauty and power of the gospel, and the effects of this gospel in the hearts of believers.
The gospel is good news. It tells us of Jesus Christ Who is Almighty God the Creator, Who humbled Himself and became a Man, and further humbled himself and became obedient unto death, that He might save all who believe. It tells us that God’s wrath has been satisfied fully in Jesus’ death, and it tells us that all who believe are forgiven of all sin of which we could not be forgiven through the law. It tells us that at the cross full payment for our sins was made and that our guilt and shame were removed from us. It tells us that through Jesus’ death we have been reconciled to God. Those who were previously enemies and estranged, and rebels against the King, are now friends who have been brought near through the blood of Jesus. It tells us that our eternal life has been secured by Jesus’ death, and that Jesus will not lose any for whom He died.
"For through the law I have died to the law that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:19-20 (HCSB)
We encourage the one who was previously in bondage to begin loving Truth. Jesus Christ is the way, the Truth, and the Life. And Truth is revealed to us in God’s Word. It is this love of truth, and the daily feeding on it, that sets us free and keeps us free. "You will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free."
Bless Thou the truth, dear Lord, to me, to me, As Thou didst bless the bread by Galilee; Then shall bondage cease, all fetters fall; And I shall find my peace, my all in all.
This methodology is different from the teaching of the 12-step movement, and has many applications in the life of one who was previously in bondage to sin. At Setting Captives Free we hope to continue to show ongoing fruitfulness in ministry as we teach God’s truth, and as we give out God’s grace to those who need freedom from sin. Each of us here who are freed captives are living epistles to the power of grace, and to the importance of truth. We desire to be known and read by all so that freedom in Jesus Christ will be desired much more than life-long addiction, and a perceived need to ongoingly "work the program."
grace and truth, Mike Cleveland
team member www.settingcaptivesfree.com (excerpted)
"If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36).
Many groups that work in the area of addiction instruct the addict who is attending a 12-step program on his/her need to continue to "work the program" as they learn new behaviors and habit patterns. The encouragement of other individuals and the support of the group as the addict is in the process of change, are cited to be necessary ingredients to remaining sober from whatever particular addiction one has. While we can acknowledge the importance of encouragement and support from others, and while we do agree on the need for ongoing accountability in the life of every Christian, at Setting Captives Free (see link at left) we do not subscribe to the opinion that an "addict" gets free by working any program, or by following any prescribed set of steps. Rather we believe that salvation from sin, and ongoing sanctification, is a work of God’s grace in the heart of one who repents and believes the gospel.
"But to the one who does not work, but believes on Him who declares righteous the ungodly, his faith is credited for righteousness." Romans 4:5 (HCSB)
"For the grace of God has appeared, with salvation for all people, instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age" Titus 2:11-12 (HCSB)
While we acknowledge the need for every believer to remain ongoingly vigilant against sin, we affirm that Jesus Christ saves us, and that salvation is not by our own works, not through a series of steps, and not by working any program. Moreover, we affirm that Christ keeps us safe in Him, and that His Holy Spirit is sanctifying us, so that ongoing obedience to God’s Word and ongoing victory over sin are by God’s grace alone, through the faith He gives us as a gift.
The teaching in the 12-step movement for addicts (and from here on in this article I am mainly referring to the Christian 12-step groups) to continue to "work the program" stems from a flawed understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and its effects in the lives of those who believe. To counter the influence and teachings that are spreading within the church today, it is important to see the beauty and power of the gospel, and the effects of this gospel in the hearts of believers.
The gospel is good news. It tells us of Jesus Christ Who is Almighty God the Creator, Who humbled Himself and became a Man, and further humbled himself and became obedient unto death, that He might save all who believe. It tells us that God’s wrath has been satisfied fully in Jesus’ death, and it tells us that all who believe are forgiven of all sin of which we could not be forgiven through the law. It tells us that at the cross full payment for our sins was made and that our guilt and shame were removed from us. It tells us that through Jesus’ death we have been reconciled to God. Those who were previously enemies and estranged, and rebels against the King, are now friends who have been brought near through the blood of Jesus. It tells us that our eternal life has been secured by Jesus’ death, and that Jesus will not lose any for whom He died.
"For through the law I have died to the law that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:19-20 (HCSB)
We encourage the one who was previously in bondage to begin loving Truth. Jesus Christ is the way, the Truth, and the Life. And Truth is revealed to us in God’s Word. It is this love of truth, and the daily feeding on it, that sets us free and keeps us free. "You will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free."
Bless Thou the truth, dear Lord, to me, to me, As Thou didst bless the bread by Galilee; Then shall bondage cease, all fetters fall; And I shall find my peace, my all in all.
This methodology is different from the teaching of the 12-step movement, and has many applications in the life of one who was previously in bondage to sin. At Setting Captives Free we hope to continue to show ongoing fruitfulness in ministry as we teach God’s truth, and as we give out God’s grace to those who need freedom from sin. Each of us here who are freed captives are living epistles to the power of grace, and to the importance of truth. We desire to be known and read by all so that freedom in Jesus Christ will be desired much more than life-long addiction, and a perceived need to ongoingly "work the program."
grace and truth, Mike Cleveland
team member www.settingcaptivesfree.com (excerpted)
Friday, November 23, 2007
Oswald Chambers- God's Purpose or Mine?
"We tend to think that if Jesus Christ compels us to do something and we are obedient to Him, He will lead us to great success. We should never have the thought that our dreams of success are God's purpose for us. In fact, His purpose may be exactly the opposite. We have the idea that God is leading us toward a particular end or a desired goal, but He is not. The question of whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is of little importance, and reaching it becomes merely an episode along the way. What we see as only the process of reaching a particular end, God sees as the goal itself.
What is my vision of God's purpose for me?
Whatever it may be, His purpose is for me to depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish -- His purpose is the process itself. What He desires for me is that I see "Him walking on the sea" with no shore, no success, nor goal in sight, but simply having the absolute certainty that everything is all right because I see "Him walking on the sea". It is the process, not the outcome, that is glorifying to God. God's training is for now, not later. His purpose is for this very minute, not for sometime in the future. We have nothing to do with what will follow our obedience, and we are wrong to concern ourselves with it. What people call preparation, God sees as the goal itself. God's purpose is to enable me to see that He can walk on the storms of my life right now.
If we have a further goal in mind, we are not paying enough attention to the present time. However, if we realize that moment-by-moment obedience is the goal, then each moment as it comes is precious."
"My Utmost For His Highest"- July 28
What is my vision of God's purpose for me?
Whatever it may be, His purpose is for me to depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish -- His purpose is the process itself. What He desires for me is that I see "Him walking on the sea" with no shore, no success, nor goal in sight, but simply having the absolute certainty that everything is all right because I see "Him walking on the sea". It is the process, not the outcome, that is glorifying to God. God's training is for now, not later. His purpose is for this very minute, not for sometime in the future. We have nothing to do with what will follow our obedience, and we are wrong to concern ourselves with it. What people call preparation, God sees as the goal itself. God's purpose is to enable me to see that He can walk on the storms of my life right now.
If we have a further goal in mind, we are not paying enough attention to the present time. However, if we realize that moment-by-moment obedience is the goal, then each moment as it comes is precious."
"My Utmost For His Highest"- July 28
“Overcoming Addiction”- Dr. Neil T. Anderson
“Our foolishness is evident when we think that we can overcome our enslavement to sin by human effort or by the strict enforcement of some well-intentioned program. No program can set a person free; only Christ can give freedom.”
We don’t change in order to come to Christ. We come to Christ in order to change. Those who are “enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures” (Titus 3:3) need the support of the Christian community. Within the Christian community their needs can be met through a relationship with Christ. “Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives” (v.14). Those who are chemically addicted have a need for eternal life, identity, acceptance, security and significance that can only be met in Christ. In Christ, they do not remain alcoholics or addicts; they become children of God!
Excerpted from the “Freedom in Christ Study Bible” available at: http://www.allbibles.com/itemdesc.asp?Ic=0310908728
We don’t change in order to come to Christ. We come to Christ in order to change. Those who are “enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures” (Titus 3:3) need the support of the Christian community. Within the Christian community their needs can be met through a relationship with Christ. “Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives” (v.14). Those who are chemically addicted have a need for eternal life, identity, acceptance, security and significance that can only be met in Christ. In Christ, they do not remain alcoholics or addicts; they become children of God!
Excerpted from the “Freedom in Christ Study Bible” available at: http://www.allbibles.com/itemdesc.asp?Ic=0310908728
Did You Know?
· Over 15 million Americans are dependant on alcohol.
500,000 are between 9 and 12 years of age
· Each year students spend $5.5 billion on alcohol, more than they spend on soft drinks, milk, juice and books combined.
· 43% of Americans have been exposed to alcoholism in their families.
· Adults 18-25 years of age currently have the highest percentage of cocaine use than any other age group.
· 1 out of 4 Americans between the ages of 26 and 34 have used cocaine in their lifetime.
· 90% of cocaine users smoked, drank and/or used marijuana before using cocaine.
· 40 million people in the United States are involved with internet porn.
· Americans spend $10 billion per year on pornography.
· 80 percent of substance abusers were sexually abused as children.
This information compiled from America’s Keswick www.americaskeswick.org
500,000 are between 9 and 12 years of age
· Each year students spend $5.5 billion on alcohol, more than they spend on soft drinks, milk, juice and books combined.
· 43% of Americans have been exposed to alcoholism in their families.
· Adults 18-25 years of age currently have the highest percentage of cocaine use than any other age group.
· 1 out of 4 Americans between the ages of 26 and 34 have used cocaine in their lifetime.
· 90% of cocaine users smoked, drank and/or used marijuana before using cocaine.
· 40 million people in the United States are involved with internet porn.
· Americans spend $10 billion per year on pornography.
· 80 percent of substance abusers were sexually abused as children.
This information compiled from America’s Keswick www.americaskeswick.org
Fellowship
Fellowship- community; meaning association for religious and spiritual purposes, i.e. separation from the world, and living in holy Christian fellowship, strengthening and building up each other in Christ.
This definition puts a “purposeful intention” on our friendships. Not only are we to be around “good” people, we are to seek active involvement with those who will stimulate conversation, and actions, in response to Christ in our lives!
In 2 Corinthians 6:14, Paul tells us: “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?”
Being “bound together”, for the purpose of this entry, is significant when we are approached by someone who has “put off the old self” and is learning to “put on the new”… and he is faced with developing new friendships (fellowship). I believe a large part of that struggle is because he is seeking to gain fellowship, which is a basic need, in areas apart from God’s people. It is, at the same time, a challenge for the Church to learn the word of God and to stand up and teach those whom the Lord brings into the fold.
“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Colossians 3:16
It is my desire to encourage those who read this blog to take on board the command put forth in God’s word to:
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
Matthew 28: 19 & 20
This definition puts a “purposeful intention” on our friendships. Not only are we to be around “good” people, we are to seek active involvement with those who will stimulate conversation, and actions, in response to Christ in our lives!
In 2 Corinthians 6:14, Paul tells us: “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?”
Being “bound together”, for the purpose of this entry, is significant when we are approached by someone who has “put off the old self” and is learning to “put on the new”… and he is faced with developing new friendships (fellowship). I believe a large part of that struggle is because he is seeking to gain fellowship, which is a basic need, in areas apart from God’s people. It is, at the same time, a challenge for the Church to learn the word of God and to stand up and teach those whom the Lord brings into the fold.
“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Colossians 3:16
It is my desire to encourage those who read this blog to take on board the command put forth in God’s word to:
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
Matthew 28: 19 & 20
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Is God really In Control?
As I grow as a Christian, I am being made more fully aware of God's sovereignty. I am thankful to God for helping me to see how the recognition of His sovereignty is the "thing" which brings "the peace which surpasses all comprehension" (Philippians 4: 6~7). If you or I say that "God is in control"... then we need to believe it! Oswald chambers has reminded me that "active obedience" is the requirement on my part to be in a position to see all of this... so this is my simple summation (I fully admit that I am a man who needs simplicity)...
- Be thankful for God's touch upon my life (salvation thru Jesus Christ)
- Listen to what He tells me
- Do what He tells me
- Expect that I am walking in His will
Be careful of trying really hard to live as a Christian. Either you are or you are not. Instead pray that The Father will reveal Himself to you... follow Him... then you will understand the will of The Father... and will have "the peace which surpasses all comprehension... because God IS in control!
Sunday, November 11, 2007
more about programs
I came across an article regarding programs... I hope you will read it... it explains, better than I can , my hesitancy to advocate "programs".
October 18, 2007
Willow Creek Repents?
Why the most influential church in America now says "We made a mistake."
Few would disagree that Willow Creek Community Church has been one of the most influential churches in America over the last thirty years. Willow, through its association, has promoted a vision of church that is big, programmatic, and comprehensive. This vision has been heavily influenced by the methods of secular business. James Twitchell, in his new book Shopping for God, reports that outside Bill Hybels’ office hangs a poster that says: “What is our business? Who is our customer? What does the customer consider value?” Directly or indirectly, this philosophy of ministry—church should be a big box with programs for people at every level of spiritual maturity to consume and engage—has impacted every evangelical church in the country.
So what happens when leaders of Willow Creek stand up and say, “We made a mistake”?
Not long ago Willow released its findings from a multiple year qualitative study of its ministry. Basically, they wanted to know what programs and activities of the church were actually helping people mature spiritually and which were not. The results were published in a book, Reveal: Where Are You?, co-authored by Greg Hawkins, executive pastor of Willow Creek. Hybels called the findings “earth shaking,” “ground breaking,” and “mind blowing.”
If you’d like to get a synopsis of the research you can watch a video with Greg Hawkins here. And Bill Hybels’ reactions, recorded at last summer’s Leadership Summit, can be seen here. Both videos are worth watching in their entirety, but below are few highlights.
In the Hawkins’ video he says, “Participation is a big deal. We believe the more people participating in these sets of activities, with higher levels of frequency, it will produce disciples of Christ.” This has been Willow’s philosophy of ministry in a nutshell. The church creates programs/activities. People participate in these activities. The outcome is spiritual maturity. In a moment of stinging honesty Hawkins says, “I know it might sound crazy but that’s how we do it in churches. We measure levels of participation.”
Having put all of their eggs into the program-driven church basket you can understand their shock when the research revealed that “Increasing levels of participation in these sets of activities does NOT predict whether someone’s becoming more of a disciple of Christ. It does NOT predict whether they love God more or they love people more.”
Speaking at the Leadership Summit, Hybels summarized the findings this way:
Some of the stuff that we have put millions of dollars into thinking it would really help our people grow and develop spiritually, when the data actually came back it wasn’t helping people that much. Other things that we didn’t put that much money into and didn’t put much staff against is stuff our people are crying out for.
Having spent thirty years creating and promoting a multi-million dollar organization driven by programs and measuring participation, and convincing other church leaders to do the same, you can see why Hybels called this research “the wake up call” of his adult life.
Hybels confesses:
We made a mistake. What we should have done when people crossed the line of faith and become Christians, we should have started telling people and teaching people that they have to take responsibility to become ‘self feeders.’ We should have gotten people, taught people, how to read their bible between service, how to do the spiritual practices much more aggressively on their own.
In other words, spiritual growth doesn’t happen best by becoming dependent on elaborate church programs but through the age old spiritual practices of prayer, bible reading, and relationships. And, ironically, these basic disciplines do not require multi-million dollar facilities and hundreds of staff to manage.
Does this mark the end of Willow’s thirty years of influence over the American church? Not according to Hawkins:
Our dream is that we fundamentally change the way we do church. That we take out a clean sheet of paper and we rethink all of our old assumptions. Replace it with new insights. Insights that are informed by research and rooted in Scripture. Our dream is really to discover what God is doing and how he’s asking us to transform this planet.
Testimony:
I attended Willow for 20 years and left, not wanting to, due to the Holy Spirit’s leading in my life for a need for victory over consistent sin and fear in my life and not because of any issues with the church that I did not deal with. As a young boy in 85’at Willow’s summer camp I asked God to forgive me for my sins and believed and received Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for me on the cross. I experienced a lot of great moments at Willow. I love all the people at Willow Creek deeply. Love the creativity and passion to reach the “lost.” But, looking back and today I believe Willow Creek is a “Para church” instead of an actual Biblical Church and should be called so due to the lack of discipleship that I now know I experienced and know so many others have experienced. This is a courageous step for Willow's leadership to admit that a mistake was made for the past 30 years. So many churches are around for hundreds of years and never admit their mistakes. Though, unfortunately, I believe this took too long to realize, especially for a church that has had such an immense influence and because I’ve met so many people over the years that have been disillusioned and hurt spiritually due to the lack of discipleship at Willow.
Going forward I believe the leadership needs to focus more on fearing what God thinks instead of fearing what man thinks. I beleive there should be a formal apology. I've been hurt; many people have been hurt.
Galatians 1:10 – “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”2 Timothy 4:3 - “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions…”
October 18, 2007
Willow Creek Repents?
Why the most influential church in America now says "We made a mistake."
Few would disagree that Willow Creek Community Church has been one of the most influential churches in America over the last thirty years. Willow, through its association, has promoted a vision of church that is big, programmatic, and comprehensive. This vision has been heavily influenced by the methods of secular business. James Twitchell, in his new book Shopping for God, reports that outside Bill Hybels’ office hangs a poster that says: “What is our business? Who is our customer? What does the customer consider value?” Directly or indirectly, this philosophy of ministry—church should be a big box with programs for people at every level of spiritual maturity to consume and engage—has impacted every evangelical church in the country.
So what happens when leaders of Willow Creek stand up and say, “We made a mistake”?
Not long ago Willow released its findings from a multiple year qualitative study of its ministry. Basically, they wanted to know what programs and activities of the church were actually helping people mature spiritually and which were not. The results were published in a book, Reveal: Where Are You?, co-authored by Greg Hawkins, executive pastor of Willow Creek. Hybels called the findings “earth shaking,” “ground breaking,” and “mind blowing.”
If you’d like to get a synopsis of the research you can watch a video with Greg Hawkins here. And Bill Hybels’ reactions, recorded at last summer’s Leadership Summit, can be seen here. Both videos are worth watching in their entirety, but below are few highlights.
In the Hawkins’ video he says, “Participation is a big deal. We believe the more people participating in these sets of activities, with higher levels of frequency, it will produce disciples of Christ.” This has been Willow’s philosophy of ministry in a nutshell. The church creates programs/activities. People participate in these activities. The outcome is spiritual maturity. In a moment of stinging honesty Hawkins says, “I know it might sound crazy but that’s how we do it in churches. We measure levels of participation.”
Having put all of their eggs into the program-driven church basket you can understand their shock when the research revealed that “Increasing levels of participation in these sets of activities does NOT predict whether someone’s becoming more of a disciple of Christ. It does NOT predict whether they love God more or they love people more.”
Speaking at the Leadership Summit, Hybels summarized the findings this way:
Some of the stuff that we have put millions of dollars into thinking it would really help our people grow and develop spiritually, when the data actually came back it wasn’t helping people that much. Other things that we didn’t put that much money into and didn’t put much staff against is stuff our people are crying out for.
Having spent thirty years creating and promoting a multi-million dollar organization driven by programs and measuring participation, and convincing other church leaders to do the same, you can see why Hybels called this research “the wake up call” of his adult life.
Hybels confesses:
We made a mistake. What we should have done when people crossed the line of faith and become Christians, we should have started telling people and teaching people that they have to take responsibility to become ‘self feeders.’ We should have gotten people, taught people, how to read their bible between service, how to do the spiritual practices much more aggressively on their own.
In other words, spiritual growth doesn’t happen best by becoming dependent on elaborate church programs but through the age old spiritual practices of prayer, bible reading, and relationships. And, ironically, these basic disciplines do not require multi-million dollar facilities and hundreds of staff to manage.
Does this mark the end of Willow’s thirty years of influence over the American church? Not according to Hawkins:
Our dream is that we fundamentally change the way we do church. That we take out a clean sheet of paper and we rethink all of our old assumptions. Replace it with new insights. Insights that are informed by research and rooted in Scripture. Our dream is really to discover what God is doing and how he’s asking us to transform this planet.
Testimony:
I attended Willow for 20 years and left, not wanting to, due to the Holy Spirit’s leading in my life for a need for victory over consistent sin and fear in my life and not because of any issues with the church that I did not deal with. As a young boy in 85’at Willow’s summer camp I asked God to forgive me for my sins and believed and received Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for me on the cross. I experienced a lot of great moments at Willow. I love all the people at Willow Creek deeply. Love the creativity and passion to reach the “lost.” But, looking back and today I believe Willow Creek is a “Para church” instead of an actual Biblical Church and should be called so due to the lack of discipleship that I now know I experienced and know so many others have experienced. This is a courageous step for Willow's leadership to admit that a mistake was made for the past 30 years. So many churches are around for hundreds of years and never admit their mistakes. Though, unfortunately, I believe this took too long to realize, especially for a church that has had such an immense influence and because I’ve met so many people over the years that have been disillusioned and hurt spiritually due to the lack of discipleship at Willow.
Going forward I believe the leadership needs to focus more on fearing what God thinks instead of fearing what man thinks. I beleive there should be a formal apology. I've been hurt; many people have been hurt.
Galatians 1:10 – “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”2 Timothy 4:3 - “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions…”
Thursday, November 8, 2007
I AGREE...
Jesus is Lord and Savior, not a genie in a bottle to help us continue to be self satisfied and self centered.
new things
Greetings,
maybe someone will read these thoughts and be benefitted? To type, for me, is an extremely difficult process... so these posts will be short... and hopefully "sweet".
I want to know Jesus... and make Him known. When He revealed Himself to me, I was at the end of 30 plus years of total lostness! The drug abuse (and addiction) was a byproduct of a tremendously unsettled heart. I was raised with an exposure to Jesus... but did not know Him. The Bible tells us that He determined, before time began, that I would respond to His call. I honestly don't have a clue how that works... but I am without words to describe my gratitude. I wrote, yesterday, about how offended I am, for Jesus, that Him name and charactger have been reduced to our "genie in a bottle"- to give us what we think we deserve. We deserve nothing. We aren't supposed to "have our best life now"!! Our best life is strictly reserved for Heaven. Please spend today thinking about- and meditating on the person of Jesus... and allow the filling of The Holy Spirit to have His way in your life... more tommorrow?
maybe someone will read these thoughts and be benefitted? To type, for me, is an extremely difficult process... so these posts will be short... and hopefully "sweet".
I want to know Jesus... and make Him known. When He revealed Himself to me, I was at the end of 30 plus years of total lostness! The drug abuse (and addiction) was a byproduct of a tremendously unsettled heart. I was raised with an exposure to Jesus... but did not know Him. The Bible tells us that He determined, before time began, that I would respond to His call. I honestly don't have a clue how that works... but I am without words to describe my gratitude. I wrote, yesterday, about how offended I am, for Jesus, that Him name and charactger have been reduced to our "genie in a bottle"- to give us what we think we deserve. We deserve nothing. We aren't supposed to "have our best life now"!! Our best life is strictly reserved for Heaven. Please spend today thinking about- and meditating on the person of Jesus... and allow the filling of The Holy Spirit to have His way in your life... more tommorrow?
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
programs
I find myself weary of the current state of Christian ministry. I sometimes think I don't belong in this culture... but here I am. It seems that so many people have reduced the Church to a facilitator of programs... infused with Biblical verses and principles. John Piper once said something to this effect: "Jesus isn't the means to an end... He is the end". As I work, very thankfully, in a ministry to substance abusers, I am, at times, inundated with folks who want to use Jesus to get them clean. I am inundated with people who portray Jesus as the power who will get them clean. The Wycliffe Bible dictionary defines "sobriety" as:
To be free from drunkenness and every form of excess
Exercising self-control by curbing passions
To be even-tempered in mind and action
To be reasonable and sensible
To walk in "sober judgement" is to be much more than- at Jesus expense- "clean"... it is to welcome sanctification as a necessity of life... in all areas.
I am tired of Jesus as anybody's "higher power"... what an insult to our Heavenly Father!!
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