AA Does Church Better?
January 21, 2012 | Category: Life is all spiritual, The Closet | Leave a Comment
In the last post (I’m looking into AA) we saw the first three steps from the vantage point of the mission of the church. So in light of that same thought process let’s look at the last nine.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. Examine yourself for sin (Lamentations 3:40, 1 Corinthians 11:28)
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. Confess that sin to God and to other believers (James 5:16)
These next two actions are attitudes we should be desiring so as to see our self in the light of our sin, and desire to become more like Christ (1 Corinthians 15:49)
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
The next two, likewise, also go together.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. This is Biblical forgiveness/reconciliation. (Matthew 5:23)
I love these last three!
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. The desire to stay right with God, to depend on Him (John 15:5-6)
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. We make our wants God’s wants, and our mission God’s mission. (Luke 11:2, Matthew 28:19-20)
Step 12 is really the conclusion of the previous steps. It’s the result of the first eleven. As in the first step I’m swapping out alcoholic for sinner.
12.Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to sinners, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
I have to believe that if the church applied these twelve principles to their lives we would be much more like the church that Christ intends for us to be.
What do you think?
I’m looking into AA…
January 7, 2012 | Category: Life is all spiritual, The Closet | 1 Comment
What’s does Alcoholics Anonymous and the church have in common? Well before you scoff about how different they are, let’s take a look at the basics of A.A. and then we’ll lay it up against the function/purpose of the church and see what’s what.
Ok, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is an international mutual aid movement which says its “primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety.” AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith (Bill W. and Dr. Bob) in Akron, Ohio.With other early members, Wilson and Smith developed AA’s Twelve Step program of spiritual and character development. (source)
Knowing then that the 12 steps are the central focus of AA, it’d probably be wise to see what they say.
These are the original Twelve Steps as published by Alcoholics Anonymous:
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12.Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. (source)
Follow with me now as we look at the twelve steps through the lens of the global church and its mission. I think that if you haven’t been shocked already by the twelve step program of AA you will be after this glance.
Alright let’s get started; first off for our purposes I want to step back from the word alcohol and swap the word alcohol out and replace it with what alcoholism is - sin.
1. We admitted we were powerless over sin—that our lives had become unmanageable.
This is good theology. The Word tells us multiple places that we were “dead in our sin” for example Ephesians 2:1-3 says
“1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the bodyt and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”
So Step one is admit you’re sinful, and as a result of your sin your life will be unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
This step is phenomenal for a couple reasons, first we acknowledge that there is a God (Power) that’s greater than ourselves, and we put our faith in Him (came to believe). Which is exactly what scripture tells us happens:
“8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” -Ephesians 2:8-10
second, we trust that he can restore us
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.t The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” -2 Corinthians 5:17
Step two is we believe that there is a God greater than us who can restore us and make us right.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
“31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” -Acts 16:31
I’m hoping that this one doesn’t need much explaining, its a pretty clear picture of salvation, so long as we understand God to be Jesus Christ.
So the first three steps pretty much lead you to the realization that there is sin in your life, the result of you will not be able to manage on your own, and that our only hope is that we place our lives in the hands of the God who can restore us and make us right before Him. AA just laid out the essential building block for becoming a committed follower of Christ. If the first three are this good I can’t wait to dig into the next nine. But on account of the fact that this is rapidly becoming an incredibly lengthy post I’ll do what the best preachers do and pick up next time and call it a series.
Think I’m way off base? Have something to add? Let me know.
Picture on top courtesy of alcoholics anonymous
Tags: AA, alcohol, Bible, church, Jesus, life, matt rothacher, salvation, sin
Adoption
November 17, 2011 | Category: Life is all spiritual, The Closet, Videos | Leave a Comment
Through stories of friends and staggering statistics adoption has become close to the hearts of my wife and I, and having finally caught up on downloading all my catalyst stuff today I wanted to share with you just a brief clip from Katie Davis, author of the book “Kisses from Katie” and founder of Amazima ministries, who is the adopted mother of 13 Ugandan girls on adoption that she shared from the stage of Catalyst Atlanta.
The Seek God Challenge (Day 31)
November 15, 2011 | Category: Life is all spiritual, Students, The Closet, The Seek God Challenge, Videos | Leave a Comment
HOLD ON TO GOD
READ
“22 The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.23 He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had.24 And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day.25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him.26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”27 And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.”28 Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”29 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him.30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.”31 The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.32 Therefore to this day the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh that is on the hip socket, because he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip on the sinew of the thigh.”
– Genesis 32:22-32
THINK
While there is lots to be learned through this passage the concept we want to look at is in verse 26. Jacob despite being in pain and clearly going from a position of strength to brokenness refuses to let go. What is Jacob’s reason for refusing to let go? Why do you think the blessing was so important to Jacob?
Look again at verses 25-28. In what ways was Jacob changed in these verses? Which one made the greatest impact on his future? Why?
What are you holding onto God for? Who are you holding onto God for?
PRAY
These thoughts and prayers are just a guide to get you started in your conversation with God. Think of them as conversation starters rather than a check list to quickly pray.
Cry out to God for the things/people that you are refusing to give up on.
Thank the Lord that He changes you from death to life and from darkness into light. Ask Him to help you be a light in the darkness to your generation
DO
We are seeking the Lord through prayer and fasting starting tonight at dinner (skip dinner), and finishing tomorrow at dinner (skip breakfast & lunch, then eat dinner).
Tags: Bible, challenge, Continually, God, holiness, Josiah, Matt, Matters, New, Old, Passion, Personally, Pursuit, Righteousness, Rothacher, Seek, Testament, to me, Truth, Video, Word
The Seek God Challenge (Day 30)
November 14, 2011 | Category: Life is all spiritual, Students, The Closet, The Seek God Challenge, Videos | Leave a Comment
MINISTERING TO THE LORD
READ
“25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them John, whose other name was Mark.
“1 Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”3 Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.”
-Acts 12:25 -13:3
THINK
The church at Antioch understood the importance of passionately seeking God and His direction. Keep in mind that there are things in our life that we don’t need to seek God on, such as sharing the Gospel, because we have been clearly commanded through scripture to do them. What would be an example of things you should seek God’s direction for?
Some translations use the phrase “ministering to the Lord” in verse two which is a great picture of what it means to worship. He is our audience and we are giving honor and attributing praise to God. The picture here is that they were giving up food to worship God. They refused to just sit casually and attend church as normal. How might fasting change your relationship with God?
Knowing the end result of this meeting, (1.3 billion people coming to Christ, 13 books of the NT, etc.) what then can we conclude might be accomplished by diligently seeking God through prayer and fasting?
PRAY
These thoughts and prayers are just a guide to get you started in your conversation with God. Think of them as conversation starters rather than a check list to quickly pray.
Pray that you will begin to desire God even more than lunch or dinner.
Thank the Lord that He hears our prayers and draws close to us when we draw close to Him.
DO
Make a plan to set aside tomorrow night and the following breakfast and lunch to seek the Lord through prayer and fasting.
Tags: Bible, challenge, Continually, God, holiness, Josiah, Matt, Matters, New, Old, Passion, Personally, Pursuit, Righteousness, Rothacher, Seek, Testament, to me, Truth, Video, Word
- http://t.co/AY1v20rJ asleep or not asleep? That is the question. #toddlerlife
- @duhrev you at the evangelism conference?
- giving praise to who? http://t.co/Pg6TQj9O
- @jrrdodson wish you were with me listening to Dr. Robert Smith. "Reaching Across Cross Cultures"
- Boom! Thanks @Secret_Church for the heads up on 2nd chance tickets @brookhills!
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
