Work for a Promise? Are You Kidding ME?!

Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us - sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them. (AA, pg 84)

 

I have read in diverse sources that cults have an element of truth, yet they are suffused with misleading statements, contradictions, and outright fraud.

 

I cannot think of a more blatant and stupefying contradiction than the above statement from "The Promises" section.

 

"Extravagant promises" they are if we have to work for them.

 

How can anyone write about "promises" if they have to be earned?

 

"They are being fulfilled" -- they are being fulfilled? Why the passive voice? Who fulfills them? Me, you, the sponsor, the meetings themselves?

 

I cannot believe how many times I have read these and other statements in the "Big Book", which upon closer scrutiny are so conflicting and conflicted as to be utterly meaningless.

 

Jesus our High Priest does much more and much better for us:

 

"But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises." (Hebrews 8: 6)

 

These promises are as follows:

 

"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

"And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

 

"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." (Hebrews 8: 10-12)

 

In those promises, there is no mention of what we do, but all of what God does in us! Now, those are promises worth receiving!

Not Work, But Believe

No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others. That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear. We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows. Self-seeking will slip away. Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change. Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us. We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us. We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.

Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us - sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them. (AA, pg 84)

 

"We will lose" . . "We will see" -- it appears that even in the language of the "Promises", the writers still could not escape "self."

 

And

 

"God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves."

 

Here, an element of the fleshly, self-willed, worldly wisdom of Ben Franklin crops up, or rather creeps up:

 

"God helps those who help themselves.

 

However:

 

"But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

 

"And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:

 

"That no flesh should glory in his presence." (1 Corinthians 1: 27-29)

 

and

 

"Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Matthew 26: 41)

 

The human flesh is weak, unable to do anything, so the notion that we can depend on ourselves in any way is doomed to fail.

 

They will materialize, if we work for them. . .

 

If you have to work for something, then it is no longer a promise:

 

"What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?

 

"For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.

 

"For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

 

"Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

 

"But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." (Romans 4: 1-5)

 

It is by faith that we enter into God's promises, not by works. In no way, therefore, can believers in the Body of Christ expect anything but despair, condemnation, and death when they try to live by the "Twelve Steps" yet at the same time trust in the Lord God for their salvation.

 

We are not called to do, but rather to be, and in order to be, we much believe:

 

"Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

 

"Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." (John 6:28-29)

 

That is the work for a believer -- to believe on Him whom God the Father has sent.

 

In fact, we are not called to "do" so much as to believe and receive:

 

"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5: 17)

 

These gifts of grace and righteousness are given to us in Christ, and a gift must be received, not earned, not merited, not worked for. We are not called to strive, but to rest in Him and thrive.

How You See God Makes all the Difference

This is the how and why of it. First of all, we had to quit playing God. It didn't work. Next, we decided that hereafter in this drama of life, God was going to be our Director. He is the Principal; we are His agents. He is the Father, and we are His children. Most good ideas are simple, and this concept was the keystone of the new and triumphant arch through which we passed to freedom.(AA, pg 62)

"We had to quit playing God" -- What did this mean, I wondered.

It meant, basically, that we have all the answers, or that we have to protect ourselves throughout this life.

"God was going to be our Director." This in itself is just not enough.

"He is the Principal; we are His agents."

"He is the Father, and we are His children."

Director, then Principal, then Father - what is God supposed to be for us? All of this made little headway, had little value for me, though since I was so consumed with the lie that no matter what God was doing in my life, it was up to me to keep the spiritual connection clean, so that I would never be cut off from him.

How can anyone talk about God as Director, Principal, and Father all in one throw? The relationships of each type of leader or supervisor are based on an entirely different basis altogether.

Let's go back to the Bible:

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

"Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1: 12-13)

We have to be born again through the Holy Spirit, by whom we then receive the Spirit of Sonship:

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." (Romans 8: 15)

"Abba" means "Daddy" in Hebrew, the most intimate term between father and child, and certainly closer and cozier that "Director" or "Principal".

We can call God "Daddy" because His Son, Jesus, became sin on the Cross in our place, and through His death we receive the Holy Spirit and the adoption of sons.

How we see God indeed makes all the difference. See Him as your "Daddy", have no confusion about who you are to Him!

Self Must Be Killed -- Replaced with Christ Jesus

Selfishness - self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles. Driven by a hundred forms of fear, self-delusion, self-seeking, and self-pity, we step on the toes of our fellows and they retaliate. Sometimes they hurt us, seemingly without provocation, but we invariably find that at some time in the past we have made decisions based on self which later placed us in a position to be hurt.

 

So our troubles, we think, are basically of our own making. They arise out of ourselves, and the alcoholic is an extreme example of self-will run riot, though he usually doesn't think so. Above everything, we alcoholics must be rid of this selfishness. We must, or it kills us! God makes that possible. And there often seems no way of entirely getting rid of self without His aid. Many of us had moral and philosophical convictions galore, but we could not live up to them even though we would have liked to. Neither could we reduce our self-centeredness much by wishing or trying on our own power. We had to have God's help. (AA, pg 62)

 

When I was sitting in the meetings, I could not agree more.  "I" was the biggest problem in my life. But how does a man "get rid" of himself?

 

And how exactly was I going to turn my will and my live over to this "God"?

 

A lot of these questions AA folks did not answer very well.

 

Only by learning about the power of God's grace in my life have I learned what it means to live free of the bondage of self:

 

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2: 20-21)

 

Notice that Paul says that he is "crucified" with Christ -- how much "deader" can a man get?

 

The notion that we can break free of the bondage of self on our own is just utter nonsense. The more that I try to break free of "I", the more of "I" I find myself fighting with. Paul explained this utterly frustrating turmoil succinctly in Romans 7:

 

"For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin." (Romans 7: 14)

 

The sin element -- more than what we do, but the fact that we are dead in our trespasses (Ephesians 2: 1). We are born into this fallen world as fallen people, sons of Adam, inheriting his spiritual death:

 

"And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness (bold-face added), after his image; and called his name Seth." (Genesis 5: 3)

 

Then

 

"Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come." (Romans 5: 14)

 

This matter of spiritual death simply cannot be ignored, yet AA makes no mention of it. Just as a doctor cannot properly care for a patient without diagnosing the proper illness

 

"For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I."

 

"I, I, I" -- what a mess self-focus can make of a man. Paul was so focused on himself, trying to live up to a standard, the law, which no one can live up to. The law demands from us, yet none of us can live up to its standards.

 

"If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good." (Romans 7: 16)

 

We all have this notion that we are called to live to a greater standard than mere impulse. A man who chases after drink, food, or any other inordinate desire, no matter how much he seeks to be satisfied, will not stave off or staunch the death that sticks to him as a son of Adam.

 

"Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me." (Romans 7: 17)

 

This passage is for the man who now has Christ Jesus living in him. Even a child of God, seated in heavenly places, will contend with the temptations to sin.

 

"For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not." (Romans 7: 18)

 

As long as Paul keeps looking at himself for the source of doing the good that he wants to do, he finds nothing but frustration.

 

"For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do." (Romans 7: 19)

 

"I would, I would" -- when we are willing in our own effort to do anything it all comes to naught. For the believer, we are not called to conjure up our one way in the world, but intead we are called to trust in the leading of God through His Holy Spirit in us:

 

"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." (Philippians 2: 13) 

 

This whole turmoil will afflict any men, born again or still dead, who tries to live up to the perfection of the law:

 

"O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" (Romans 7: 24)

 

"This body of death" -- that's a neat way of discussing "self" -- and just as no man can live in his own strength if he jumps out of his own skin, so no man can hope to achieve life through his own efforts.

 

'I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin." (Romans 7: 25)

 

Jesus Christ is the answer. The same one who holds the whole universe in His hands, the same who is the Head of the Body of Christ, the same who made the universe, He is the Life that men seek, the gift of righteousness and grace which frees a man from his own strength, which produces nothing but death, and gives birth to the life that man is seeking:

 

"But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." (1 Corinthians 15: 10)

 

The grace of God gives us a new life, and this grace is a person:

 

"For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." (John 1: 17)

 

This is the grace that teaches man to avoid evil, that teaches men to do good, to walk in the newness of life (Titus 2: 11-14)

 

God has already provided us a way out, a "death to self" if you will, through His Son:

 

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

 

The superabounding goodness of God, who gave His Son, is the same God who gives us all things with Him (Romans 8: 32). With all our sins forgiven, with our life given to us, with all of our needs met, there is no need to be preoccupied with self. Instead, we set our eyes upon Him who died for us and reigns forever more at the right hand of the Father (Colossians 3: 1-3)

 

Alcoholism is not An Illness -- Christ Has Recreated Our Lives

We believe, and so suggested a few years ago, that the action of alcohol on these chronic alcoholics is a manifestation of an allergy; that the phenomenon of craving is limited to this class and never occurs in the average temperate drinker. These allergic types can never safely use alcohol in any form at all; and once having formed the habit and found they cannot break it, once having lost their self-confidence, their reliance upon things human, their problems pile up on them and become astonishingly difficult to solve.

Frothy emotional appeal seldom suffices. The message which can interest and hold these alcoholic people must have depth and weight. In nearly all cases, their ideals must be grounded in a power greater than themselves, if they are to re-create their lives.  (The Doctor's Opinion)

No! No! No!
We believe, and so suggested a few years ago, that the action of alcohol on these chronic alcoholics is a manifestation of an allergy;

As I have written before, "alcoholism" is not a "disease", but a work of the flesh:

"Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

"Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

"Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." (Galatians 5: 19-21).

These allergic types can never safely use alcohol in any form at all; and once having formed the habit and found they cannot break it, once having lost their self-confidence, their reliance upon things human, their problems pile up on them and become astonishingly difficult to solve.

It is foolish to have any confidence in oneself, in one's flesh:

"For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." (Philippians 3: 3)

The Psalmist also declares:

"In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me." (Psalm 56: 4)

We do indeed have to put our trust in God.

The next statement in this quote is staggering for its contradiction:

In nearly all cases, their ideals must be grounded in a power greater than themselves, if they are to re-create their lives.

We do not need better ideas. We do not need help. We need Life.

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." (John 5: 24)

We do not "recreate" ourselves, either. God transforms us:

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3: 3)

then

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." (1 Peter 1: 3)

This is not something that we do. We cannot recreate ourselves, because in ourselves we are still dead. Christ's death and resurrection takes us from death to life, and makes us one with Him:

"I and my Father are one." (John 10:30) then "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;  "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me." (John 17: 20-21). In Christ, we are made a new Creation: "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Corinthians 5: 17)

Dead Body, Alienated Mind, Alive in the Spirit

The physician who, at our request, gave us this letter, has been kind enough to enlarge upon his views in another statement which follows. In this statement he confirms what we who have suffered alcoholic torture must believe-that the body of the alcoholic is quite as abnormal as his mind. It did not satisfy us to be told that we could not control our drinking just because we were maladjusted to life, that we were in full flight from reality, or were outright mental defectives. These things were true to some extent, in fact, to a considerable extent with some of us. But we are sure that our bodies were sickened as well. In our belief, any picture of the alcoholic which leaves out this physical factor is incomplete. (The Doctor's Opinion)

The notion that we can change our bodies through our own efforts is a certain folly:

"[God] shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself." (Philippians 3: 21)

So, as the believer walks on this earth, without a doubt we are not yet regenerated in our body. The solution, then, is not to change our bodies, but to reckon ourselves dead in our bodies (Romans 6: 11):

"Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:" (Colossians 3: 5)

As for our minds, before we were saved we were alienated in our minds:

"Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:" (Ephesians 4:18)

Yet for the believer, we are called to set our eyes on Someone else:

"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

"Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

"For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

"When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3: 1-4)

This passage from "The Doctor's Opinion" leaves out the most crucial element of a man -- His Spirit:

"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it." (1 Thessalonians 5: 23-24)

Now, even though we have a dead body and a fallen mind, we have also received the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2: 16)

Most importantly, though we receive Him in our spirit:

"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:" (1 Peter 3: 18)

In First Thessalonians 5, God makes it very clear that He sanctifies us in our soul and body, though!

If we have received the Spirit of God, then we no longer have to worry about our bodies and our mind holding us back:

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. " (Romans 12: 1-2)

This transformation takes place as we behold Jesus, and we find Him in the Word:

"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Corinthians 3: 18)

We live in Christ, not in our dead bodies, and we give no credence to the thoughts which war against God and His truth:

"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." (2 Corinthians 10: 5)

Let us keep our minds in line with His divine goodness, instead:

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

"Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you." (Philippians 4: 8-9)

Grace and Righteousness -- Not Twelve Steps

Lack of power, that was our dilemma. We had to find a power by which we could live, and it had to be a Power greater than ourselves. Obviously. But where and how were we to find this Power?

Well, that's exactly what this book is about. Its main object is to enable you to find a Power greater than yourself which will solve your problem. That means we have written a book which we believe to be spiritual as well as moral. And it means, of course, that we are going to talk about God. Here difficulty arises with agnostics. Many times we talk to a new man and watch his hope rise as we discuss his alcoholic problems and explain our fellowship. But his face falls when we speak of spiritual matters, especially when we mention God, for we have re-opened a subject which our man thought he had neatly evaded or entirely ignored. (AA, pg 45)

 

Power is what it's all about, according to AA.

 

Instead of asking for strength or power, Paul prayed directly for God to remove the "messenger of Satan" which was troubling him.

"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

"Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." (2 Corinthians 12: 9-10)

Jesus did not give Paul power, but instead reminded him of the grace which he and all believers receive in Him:

"For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." (John 1: 17)

This grace engages us to face all problems, live the over-coming life:

"But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." (1 Corinthians 15: 10)


Jesus declared that His Strength is  made perfect in our weakness.

This truth contradicts in full the program of Alcoholics Anonymous.

We do not need strength. We need Jesus:

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Philippians 4: 13)

He is our strength, among many other things. In nothing else, in no one else will we find the strength that we need:

"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4: 16)

How do we receive this boldness? Through God's love, which transforms us into children of God:

"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4: 17)

We do not become children of God by following Twelve Steps, for God will have not flesh glory in His presence (1 Corinthians 1: 29). Only God's love can do that:

"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not." (1 John 3: 1)

This love is not something that we earn, but something that has been given to us:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3: 16)

and

"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4: 10)

He took the Steps, all the way to the Cross. The God the  Father took the steps of having Jesus sit at His right hand in glory and honor. You, Beloved, are seated with Him in heavenly places (Ephesians 2: 6)

In effect, Christ has taken all the steps for you to reign in life:
"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ."  (Romans 5: 17)

Receive His grace and righteousness today, and every step will be filled with His Spirit-filled life.

Righteousness -- the Missing Ingredient

I cannot help but recall the nonsense which characterizes so many "Celebrate Recovery" meetings.

What was I thinking?

In all truth, I was convinced that I was so completely wrong, that there was no way that I could know truth from error in my life.

I was lost in my life, so lost. I had made rash decisions, dogged by a sense of failure and inadequacy which I could not shake.

I was ignorant of God's Word on many accounts.

"For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

"For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

"But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." (Hebrews 5: 12-14)

I had no idea whatsoever the crucial -- Cross-ail -- role of righteousness.

I knew that Jesus died for my sins, but I  had never really settled on that. Like many believers in the Body of Christ, I was convinced that the life that I was called to live on this earth was up to me. I knew that I had a place in Heaven reserved for me, but as for making it on the earth, I was on my own.

I have since learned about the "exchanged" life which I have received in Christ Jesus:

"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corithians 5: 21)

This issue of "righteousness" is absolute essential, for without His righteousness, we are dead in our trespasses.

Righteousness gives us peace:

"And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever." (Isaiah 32: 17)

God blesses us because of the righteousness which we have received:

"The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted." (Proverbs 10: 24)

then

"As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more: but the righteous is an everlasting foundation." (Proverbs 10: 25)

also

"The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish." (Proverbs 10: 28)

"Hope does not make us ashamed." (Romans 5: 5)

Back to Hebrews 5: 12. Because we are then skilled in righteousness, fully aware of who we are in Christ, and all that He has for us, we then receive the departure point to discern "good and evil."

Righteousness is part of parcel of the Holy Spirit living in us (Romans 14: 17), and this same Holy Spirit has given us all knowledge (1 John 2: 20, 27)

Righteousness, not sin, deserves all the attention now in the Body of Christ. Resting in His righteousness is the root that bears fruit in our lives.

"A man shall not be established by wickedness: but the root of the righteous shall not be moved." (Proverbs 12: 3)

and then

"The wicked desireth the net of evil men: but the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit." (Proverbs 12: 12)

Many Fail, For all Have Sinned

Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program, usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. There are such unfortunates. They are not at fault; they seem to have been born that way. They are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living which demands rigorous honesty. Their chances are less than average. There are those, too, who suffer from grave emotional and mental disorders, but many of them do recover if they have the capacity to be honest. (AA, pg. 58)

I have sat in many "Celebrate Recovery" Meetings, and I testify that many people fail.

One man opined that he had rigorously worked these steps, going everything in his life, then he went back out and drank again.

We are not saved by working steps, but by grace through faith:

"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

"Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

"And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2: 4-6)

No one can measure up to God's standard on his own:

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3: 23)

If we attempt through rule-keeping to live quality lives, we will bring forth the very death we are trying to avoid:

"The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law." (1 Corinthians 15: 56)

How do get victory, then?:

"But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. " (1 Corinthians 15: 57)

Big Boo-Boo in "Big Book"

Some of the contemporaries of Columbus thought a round earth preposterous. Others came near putting Galileo to death for his astronomical heresies. (AA, pg 51)

On another note, the "Big Book" also fails miserably in that the writers insist on referring to apochryph and other discredited nonsense.

Columbus and his contemporaries were fully aware that the world was round. Why else would the royal house of Castille-Leon have bankrolled three huge galleons to travel half-way around the world?

Honestly, anyone with any sense will demand better treatment of the facts

Jesus, our Alpha and Omega

Instead of regarding ourselves as intelligent agents, spearheads of God's ever advancing Creation, we agnostics and atheists chose to believe that our human intelligence was the last word, the alpha and the omega, the beginning and end of all. Rather vain of us, wasn't it? (AA, pg. 49)

Where does Bill W. get off quoting bits and pieces of Scripture, yet leaves out the essence of what  "Alpha and Omega" refers to?

Let's get back to the Bible, folks!:

"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." (Revelation 1: 8)

This is Jesus Christ, the Author and Finisher of our Faith, not just some "Higher Power".

Find Him in the Bible

Conflict of Law and Grace

If a mere code of morals or a better philosophy of life were sufficient to overcome alcoholism, many of us would have recovered long ago. But we found that such codes and philosophies did not save us, no matter how much we tried. We could wish to be moral, we could wish to be philosophically comforted, in fact, we could will these things with all our might, but the needed power wasn't there. Our human resources, as marshalled by the will, were not sufficient; they failed utterly. (AA, pg 44-45)

This is one of the many flagrant contradiction in the "Big Book"

The whole thing is supposed to be spiritual, right? Yet at the same time, the Twelve Steps, in a sense, embodies a code, one which a man is expected to work.

The whole program stinks of Galatianism, mixing law and grace from beginning to end.
The whole affair is just shameful, inducing people who are desperate for help into a program which teaches them dependence and frustration as a way of life, with the admonition to "keep coming back" because if the program is not working, it must be because the people working the program are not working it hard enough.

Of course, the race-track of trying to keep the law turns into a rat-like treadmill in which well-intentioned men and women crash and burn from exhaustion or exasperation.

"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." (Galatians 2: 16)

Faith has nothing to do with our works, but our believing on Christ and His Finished Work. Better than a code of rules and regulations:

"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8: 2)

We are called to a higher law, prompted by the Spirit of God, better than Twelve Steps or even the Ten Commandments!

Dishonest Dichotomies

In the preceding chapters you have learned something of alcoholism. We hope we have made clear the distinction between the alcoholic and the nonalcoholic. (AA, pg. 44)

For the believer, for the Body of Christ, for God who created this world and sent His Son to be our redemption, it is unconscionable blasphemy to reduce the world to "alcoholics" and "nonalcoholics."

As I have written in a previous post, drunkenness is one sin of many:

"Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

"Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

"Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." (Galatians 5: 19-21)

Yet we believers have indeed inherited the Kingdom of God, and we had nothing to do with it:

"For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." (Romans 14: 17)

The Holy Spirit is a gift that we receive:

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 2: 38)

and

"And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 10: 45)

This gift we receive by grace through faith (Ephesians 2: 4, 8).

In effect, the only division in this world that really matters is Adam and Christ:

"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." (1 Corinthians 15: 22).


"

Truth -- Not Activity -- Set You Free

"Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8: 31-32)

We need to be transformed from the inside out, not just take care of the outside.

"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." (3 John 2)

We prosper to the degree that we walk in the truth:

"For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." (3 John 3-4)

AA tends to focus on action, action, action:

Much has already been said about receiving strength, inspiration, and direction from Him who has all knowledge and power. If we have carefully followed directions, we have begun to sense the flow of His Spirit into us. To some extent we have become God-conscious. We have begun to develop this vital sixth sense. But we must go further and that means more action. "(AA. pg. 85)

Also, the Holy Spirit is not One who flows in our lives when we are obedient. We receive the Holy Spirit as a gift!:

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 2: 38)

and

"And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 10: 45)

We receive the Holy Spirit in our lives by faith in Jesus Christ, and faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ (Romans 10: 17).

Jesus is the One who sets us free -- not working steps or doing works.

Not a Double Life, but in Christ a New Life

More than most people, the alcoholic leads a double life. He is very much the actor. To the outer world he presents his stage character. This is the one he likes his fellows to see. He wants to enjoy a certain reputation, but knows in his heart he doesn't deserve it.

 

The inconsistency is made worse by the things he does on his sprees. Coming to his senses, he is revolted at certain episodes he vaguely remembers. These memories are a nightmare. He trembles to think someone might have observed him. As fast as he can, he pushes these memories far inside himself. He hopes they will never see the light of day. He is under constant fear and tension - that makes for more drinking. (AA, pg 73).

 

I have had many memories in my life, things which I have done, things which I am so ashamed of, that I was terrified that if people found out what I had said, or done, or even thought, then I would go to jail or be killed.

 

The fear, the terror, was so bad, that I lived like a practical recluse for many months. There were days when I could not even get out of bed, I was so filled with fear and shame.

 

Indeed, we are very much torn in two, living double lives. Paul the Apostle described this conflict:

 

"I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

 

"For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:

 

"But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

 

"O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" (Romans 7: 21-24)

 

Paul gives the answer to this terrible bondage -- and he did not advise people to go out and minister to other alcoholics:

 

"I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin." (Romans 7: 25)

 

There is something in a human being, that we cannot let an issue rest, we cannot simply dismiss our sins as "no big deal" -- we have a conscience hell-bent on dead works, anything that we can do to get rid of the sin in our lives.

 

Jesus Christ dies on the Cross to take away our sin, the penalty, and the record of it:

 

"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5: 21)

 

and

 

"But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins." (2 Peter 1: 9)

 

and

 

"For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins." (Hebrews 10: 2)

 

Our sins have all been paid for at the Cross -- and even the coscience, the awareness of wrongdoing, has been paid for. Well did the writer of Proverbs write:

 

"A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter." (Proverbs 11: 3)

 

and

 

"He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends." (Proverbs 17: 9)

 

In Christ, all our sins, past present future, have been wiped away once and for all:

 

"Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;" (Hebrews 1: 3)

 

Sin, penalty, and record -- all taken care of, paid for, sent away in the Body of Christ!

 

Indeed, none of us deserve a right or righteous reputation before our fellow men. God knew this, and has already taken care of it:

 

"Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

 

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

 

"Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:" (Romans 3: 22-24)

 

and

 

"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5: 17)

 

Righteousness, a complete and unshakable standing of acceptance before God, is given to us as a gift! Of course we do not deserve it, and because we cannot deserve it, we do not have to worry about losing it, either:

 

"Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy." (Daniel 9: 24)

 

and

 

"That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 5: 21)

 

In Christ, we receive a new life, we are made a new creation (2 Corinthians 5: 17). We still have a fleshly body and mind that will war against us. Paul gives a simple answer:

 

"Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

"Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

 

"Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

 

'For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." (Romans 6: 11-14)

 

In Christ, we do not have to act holy, righteous, or redeemed, because Christ has been made all of things to us (1 Corinthians 1: 30).

 

We do not lead a double life, but instead a believer is called to let Jesus live through us, as He has given us Himself, the Way, the Truth, and the Life!

Bill W.: Low Companion Seeking Lower Companions

 

Practical experience shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics. It works when other activities fail. This is our twelfth suggestion: Carry this message to other alcoholics! You can help when no one else can. You can secure their confidence when others fail. Remember they are very ill.

 

Life will take on new meaning. To watch people recover, to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up about you, to have a host of friends - this is an experience you must not miss. We know you will not want to miss it. Frequent contact with newcomers and with each other is the bright spot of our lives.

 

Perhaps you are not acquainted with any drinkers who want to recover. You can easily find some by asking a few doctors, ministers, priests or hospitals. They will be only too glad to assist you. Don't start out as an evangelist or reformer. Unfortunately a lot of prejudice exists. You will be handicapped if you arouse it. Ministers and doctors are competent and you can learn much from them if you wish, but it happens that because of your own drinking experience you can be uniquely useful to other alcoholics. So cooperate; never criticize. To be helpful is our only aim. (AA, pg. 89)

I cannot think of a more crass and glaring example of "seeking lower companions" than the charity which wraps up and defines the Twelfth Step.

How many alcoholics have I run into, whether in secular meetings or in Celebrate Recovery groups, who shared the message with others, yet still ended up drinking?

This program is the last thing that a person needs when it comes to dealing with the real issues that frustrate a man's life.

"Remember, they are very ill" -- what manner of arrogance ever moved someone to be so judgmental?

I am convincned now more than ever that Bill and his ilk perpetuated this program just so that they could feel better about themselves. The whole operation is just foolish and fraudulent, from beginning to end.

A man's problems should not be the source of life and value for another. "Being needed" is a nettlesome trend and an  unacceptable outcome. We are called to proclaim the truth to people, for it is is the truth that sets people free.

In Taking Stock, You Miss Out on His Riches

Our liquor was but a symptom. So we had to get down to causes and conditions.

Therefore, we started upon a personal inventory. This was Step Four. A business which takes no regular inventory usually goes broke. Taking a commercial inventory is a fact-finding and a fact-facing process. It is an effort to discover the truth about the stock-in-trade. One object is to disclose damaged or unsalable goods, to get rid of them promptly and without regret. If the owner of the business is to be successful, he cannot fool himself about values.

We did exactly the same thing with our lives. We took stock honestly. First, we searched out the flaws in our make-up which caused our failure. Being convinced that self, manifested in various ways, was what had defeated us, we considered its common manifestations. (AA, pg. 64)

AA is all about taking your inventory, working, and making sure that you stay one step ahead of the booze.

In Christ, we are already more than conquerors (Romans 8: 37). His blood keeps cleansing us from all sin (1 John 1: 7). In Christ, we have been blessed with all spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1: 3). We are a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5: 17). We do not take our inventory because Jesus has paid for all our sins (Colossians 2: 13).

In fact, the one sin that we are convicted of is not believing on Jesus:

"And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

"Of sin, because they believe not on me;" (John 16: 8-9)

The one sin that now damns people is not believing on Jesus! The one work that we are called to is believing on Him! (John 6: 29)

If we spend all of our time taking stock of things that have already been taken care of, then we miss out on the unsearchable riches which Christ has given us! The only tactic that the devil has left is to keep distracting us from entering the rest of provision and peace which we receive in Christ Jesus!

Know the Loving God through the Love of His Son

For the believer, who desires to live up to the holy standards of the Word of God, we can spend our entire lives trying to make ourselves OK.

"Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers," (1 Timothy 1: 9)

If we are members of the Body of Christ, however, then we have been made THE righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5: 21). We are not motivated by punishment and fear, but rather by love.

In fact, Jesus' death on the Cross perfected everyone of us:

"For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

"Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,

"This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;

"And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more." (Hebrews 10: 14-17)

One of the worst discrepancies, therefore, in the Big Book is as follows:

"When they talked of a God personal to me, who was love, superhuman strength and direction, I became irritated and my mind snapped shut against such a theory." (AA, pg. 10)

Then Bill writes:

"We, in our turn, sought the same escape with all the desperation of drowning men. What seemed at first a flimsy reed, has proved to be the loving and powerful hand of God. A new life has been given us or, if you prefer, "a design for living "that really works." (AA, pg. 28)

This is an utter contradiction. God does not give us a way to live, but Life itself in the form of His Son, Jesus (John 14: 6).

Then:

"My friend suggested what then seemed a novel idea. He said, "Why don't you choose your own conception of God?" (AA, pg. 12)

I had come to the point in my life where I was looking more at myself and my thoughts. I was taking my inventory so much, that I just did not want to leave the house. I was so depressed, so scared that God would be angry with me.

Years later, even as I am learning that I am totally accepted in God's eyes because of what Christ Jesus did for me at the Cross, the old habits of checking and prepping and making myself sure and acceptable will rear up. But by God's grace I am being transformed from glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3: 18)

I had not received the full revelation of God's love for me, one which has nothing to do with anything that I have done, but everything that He has done.

Bill W. was always talking about a "loving God", and a God who is love.

There can be no talking about God and His love for us if we neglect or negate the Cross:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3: 16)

and

"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4: 10)

That is love, people! There is no point to talking about a loving God who  saves

It has been a long journey for me, but this journey is becoming a good journey (3 John 2). Pastors like Joseph Prince, Andrew Wommack, and even Bob George of Oregon have helped me to break free from this bondage of trying to make myself OK before God. He has done everything, yes everything, and therefore it is a perversion for me to keep looking over my shoulder to make sure that I am OK in Him.

The trick for me, and for all of us, is that we must resist the devil's onslaught by resting in who we are in Christ. Today, I am learning that I do not have to keep confessing something in order to make it true. I am not forcing myself to believe something, to believe anything.

Jesus is our rest, He is the one who rests us. It is not our job to bat down the upsets in our lives, but to keep receiving the good that He has for, for He works within us both to will and to do for His good pleasure,

About "Housecleaning"

AA gives a frank and false explanation as to why people "fall off the wagon", or go back drinking.

We think the reason is that they never completed their housecleaning. They took inventory all right, but hung on to some of the worst items in stock. They only thought they had lost their egoism and fear; they only thought they had humbled themselves. But they had not learned enough of humility, fearlessness and honesty, in the sense we find it necessary, until they told someone else all their life story.

"All their life story" -- where does anyone get the flimsy notion that we can tell someone, anyone, all that we have been through?

All our sins were wiped out, once and for all, at the Cross. It is foolishness to think that we can confess our sins and break free of the former shame that kept us in bondage. The Christian life is not about doing more, but rather about receiving the growing revelation that all has been done, and now God's grace works in our lives.

"And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;" (Colossians 2: 13)

The appeal in First John is for those who are not yet believers:

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1: 9)

"All unrighteousness" -- all means all. Rejoice!

They had not learned enough humility, fearlessness, and honesty

Fearlessness is not something that we learn, but rather something that we receive by faith, which works through God's love:

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." (1 John 4: 18)

This love is God's sending His Son to die for us (1 John 4: 10). This love is perfected in us because His love has made us into sons of GOd (1 John 3: 1), and we are called then to rest in the truth that:

"As he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4: 17).

As for "housecleaning", Jesus went further and cleansed the heavenlies for us:

"It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these" (Hebrews 9: 23)

The cleaning is done, especially for us in the Body of Christ:

"Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;" (Hebrews 1: 3)

and

"For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins." (Hebrews 10: 2)

The work is done, the cleansing is over. Sit down with Jesus and reign in life.

"The "S--ty Committee" and Other Nonentities

People in AA are exhorted to stop thinking about themselves.

Yet all of that thinking about "not thinking about oneself:" -- makes you think about yourself!

I heard lots of funny little phrases -- "I have to stop the "Sh--ty Committee."

Or, "I have been listening to "K-F-U-C" radio, so I better get to a meeting.

These men and women begin to live a life of running to someone or some place in order to have any peace in their lives. The moment that they have a bad thought, the moment that they struggle with fear and anger, they break out the phone and call a sponsor, sit in a meeting, or break out a pad and paper and make a list of all their fears, resentments, and so on.

Oh, how I used to live this life, convinced that my emotional well-being was out of my control, that I had to maintain a certain life and atmosphere around me so that I would never get upset. If your life is all cut up in not having to take your inventory, the result is that you never really do much, since it is much easier not to do anything than to risk breaking a rule or stepping out, only to have to look over your shoulder, take your inventory, and resolve to do better.

A life of sin-consciousness is not life. We have been made the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5: 21), which means that we are totally accepted in Him. Sin is no longer an issue, since Jesus is (not was, but IS) the propitiation (literally, the Mercy Seat) not just for our sins -- past, present, future -- but the sins of the entire world!

The blood of Jesus keeps on cleansing us from all sin (1 John 1: 7), which includes the terrible thoughts that can crop up in our lives. Rather than trying to wipe away the wickedness that afflicts, let us rest in the faith of the Son of God, our shield which quenches the fiery darts of the devil.

We have been purged from a conscience of dead works (Hebrews 9: 14), and a "dead work" is simply doing something in order to get something from God, for in Christ we receive all things (Romans 8: 31-32).

We do not need to dispense with the bad thoughts which attack us -- they are Satan's last attempt to keep us preoccupied with ourselves instead of resting in Christ, who is preoccupied with living through and serving us.

We have been born again in our Spirit, but we still have a mind that will wander and a body that will die. The more that we identify with the Life that is in us, as opposed to the death and the flesh around us, the more that we are receiving His grace to reign in life (Romans 5: 17)

Christ has done away with our sin and the guilty that comes with it. The devil may instigate his attacks on our mind, but we have the mind of Christ, and we can know and believe that the love of God has made us sons of light to shine in a dark world!

Look at Jesus, Not Yourself

This thought brings us to Step Ten, which suggests we continue to take personal inventory and continue to set right any new mistakes as we go along. We vigorously commenced this way of living as we cleaned up the past. We have entered the world of the Spirit. Our next function is to grow in understanding and effectiveness. This is not an overnight matter. It should continue for our lifetime. Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear. When these crop up, we ask God at once to remove them. We discuss them with someone immediately and make amends quickly if we have harmed anyone. Then we resolutely turn our thoughts to someone we can help. Love and tolerance of others is our code. (AA, pg 84)

This is quintessentially the biggest stumblingblock for a new creation like me, as I am learning that in my right standing before God the Father, there is no reason for me to be looking at myself.

We are invited to look on Him who saved us (Colossians 3: 1), who rose from the dead for us (Romans 6: 11), who justifies us ever at the right hand of the Father (Romans 8: 33).

I cannot refrain from repudiating the nonsense which so wars against the Truth of Christ and His Finished Work:

We vigorously commenced this way of living as we cleaned up the past.

It is Jesus who now lives in us! (Galatians 2: 20). His grace empowers us to live this life (1 Corinthians 15: 10).

 Christ's death on the Cross cleans us from our past, not our works

"Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;" (Hebrews 1: 3)

 Our next function is to grow in understanding and effectiveness

NO WAY!:

"But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen." (2 Peter 3: 18)

We want to know Him more, because we are sons of God (John 1: 12), like Him already (1 John 4: 17), having received the Spirit of adoption (Romans 8: 15).

Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear.

We have no reason to fear:

"But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine." (Isaiah 43: 1)

If we do not grow in virtue and grace, it is because we have forgotten that we have been forgiven from all our sins:

"But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins." (2 Peter 1: 9)

When these crop up, we ask God at once to remove them.

Lying, back-biting, resentment fear -- these are all works of the flesh (Galatians 5: 19-21). The solution is not more self-effort, i. e.. flesh, but instead for us to walk in the Spirit, to ask God the Father to open the eyes of our intellect that we may see all that He is for us! (Ephesians 1: 17-19)

We discuss them with someone immediately and make amends quickly if we have harmed anyone. Then we resolutely turn our thoughts to someone we can help. Love and tolerance of others is our code.

Running to other people with our fears and resentments is not the answer. The devil loves to see the children of God get off their thrones and start running around trying to take care of everything which He has already taken care of:

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2: 10)

If we are God's workmanship, and He has prepared the works that He wants us to do, is it not time for the members of the Body of Christ to stop looking at ourselves are starting looking at the Head (Colossians 1: 18)

And

"For we who have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, they shall not enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world." (Hebrews 4: 3)

This life is not about looking at ourselves and trying to make sure that we say and think and do the right things. It is about resting in our Lord and Savior, who has provided Life and all good things with it.

The only question: will you believe it or not? (John 6: 29)

"Don't Ride That Bus!" -- Stay Seated in Heavenly Places

People in the AA program struggle with their feelings.

At least, that is the perception that people receive when they read the "Big Book". The writers spend so much time dealing with the feelings of men and women, telling them to deal with their resentment, fear, upset, and other issues:

Resentment is the "number one" offender. It destroys more alcoholics than anything else. From it stem all forms of spiritual disease, for we have been not only mentally and physically ill, we have been spiritually sick. When the spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically. In dealing with resentments, we set them on paper. We listed people, institutions or principles with whom we were angry. We asked ourselves why we were angry. In most cases it was found that our self-esteem, our pocketbooks, our ambitions, our personal relationships. (AA, pg 64)

In my life, however, I found that the resentments just did not seem to go away. I would take my inventory many times over, yet I still found myself getting upset time and again about people, places, and things which had harmed me.

The classical example of this was in one meeting, where an older gentleman was joking:

"Sometime at night, I go back to that school-yard when I was in fourth grade, and I still think that I can't beat up that bully Mike. . ."

Of course, he was joking when he shared that, and I had to laugh, too. For a long time, I found myself still fighting with people from last week, last month, last year.

But simply ignoring the ugly thoughts is not enough. When I would get upset about someone or something, I would feel that I had to "do something".

Doing other activities did not distract me enough. The "Big Book" prescribes the following:

When these crop up, we ask God at once to remove them. We discuss them with someone immediately and make amends quickly if we have harmed anyone. Then we resolutely turn our thoughts to someone we can help. Love and tolerance of others is our code. (AA, pg 84)

One common phrase that I used to hear a lot when I was dealing with my "feelings":

"The buses may run by, but you do not have to jump on the bus if you do not want to. Don't ride the bus."

So, whenever I would get angry or uptight about something, or about anything, I would keep trying to "ignore" the feeling.

Unfortunately, that kind of activity does not work. When I would get "busy" doing something good to help someone, sometimes that would increase my resentment. Even when I did something that helped the person, the feelings did not go away. Sometimes, the person was ungrateful and overbearing, or just plain rude, and now I was even madder!

This program of looking at your feelings and doing things to keep your feelings in check -- this is contrary to the Gospel. Jesus Christ wants us to have life and that more abundantly. How can a man have life if he is spending nearly every waking moment checking himself or reacting to his feelings?

The Bible does not call us to live like that, either:

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

"Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you." (Philippians 4: 8-9)

What exactly should we do, then:

"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God." (Colossians 3: 1)

Jesus holds the entire universe in His hands. Did you also know, if you believe on Him, that you are seated up there with Him?:

"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

"Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

"And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:" (Ephesians 2: 4-6)

This is what God the Father told His Son to do after He finished the work which God the Father sent Him to do:

" The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." (Psalms 110: 1)

Since every believer is as Jesus is (1 John 4: 17), God the Father is inviting every believer to do the same thing. Instead of trying to put out all the fires in our lives, instead of squelching the resentments, God the Father is inviting us to rest in our righteous standing by faith. He is asking us to praise Him for all that He has done, and we therefore trust Him to put out the fires in our lives, to bring our enemies under our feet:

"And [God] hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,

'Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all." (Ephesians 1: 22-23)

We resist the devil and his fiery attacks (Ephesians 6: 16), including the recurrent resentments which can afflict us throughout the day, not by fighting with the devil and his minions (who are already defeated -- Colossians 2: 13), but by standing in our faith:

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

"Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world." (1 Pter 5: 8-9)

Because AA has no conception of a God who would send His Son to die for us, to make us righteous, to give us His standing in the world, and no belief in Satan the accuser who attacks us for our failures, it easily follows that many believers who attempt to live out the principles of AA will find themselves fighting with a fallen enemy instead of resting in their victory (Romans 8: 37).

Not only do we not have to "Ride the Bus", but in Christ our Rest (Matthew 11: 28) are our Righteousness (2 Corinthians 5: 21). we labor to enter in the Promised Land (Hebrews 4: 11) which He has laid out for us!

AA is Nothing but Old Ideas

When we saw others solve their problems by a simple reliance upon the Spirit of the Universe, we had to stop doubting the power of God. Our ideas did not work. But the God idea did. (AA, pg 52)

Who is this "Spirit of the Universe"? AA talks about a Father, a Principal, a Higher Power, -- man is so foolish that he cannot create a flea but he dreams up gods by the dozen (Montaigne), and AA is not exception.

To live, we need more than an idea, we need more than a set of principles, We need life, and that life is provided to the world through Jesus:

"In him was life; and the life was the light of men." (John 1: 4)

Alcoholics Anonymous is just another spin on the same, dead systems of the world:

"Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,

"(Touch not; taste not; handle not;

"Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?

"Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh." Colossians 2: 20-23)

and

"But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?" (Galatians 4: 9)

When we know God through His Son, there is no need for rules and regulations, because His Spirit leads us. Just as we see no further need to lecture an adult on how to carry himself in the world, so we do not need to keep ourselves under subjection, for we have His Spirit, and therefore need not that anyone teach us (1 John 2: 20, 27).

AA is just a different package for the wisdom of this world, which is perishing. Let us eat from the Tree of Life and live forever!

In Jesus, We Have Acceptance

And acceptance is the answer to all my problems
today. When I am disturbed, it is because I find some
person, place, thing, or situation—some fact of my life
—unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until
I accept that person, place, thing, or situation as being
exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment.
Nothing, absolutely nothing, happens in God’s world
by mistake. (Big Book --pg 449)

I used to read this passage religiously. If I just learned to accept what was going on in this life, then everything would work out just fine, right?

The Bible gives a similar verse:

"Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith." (Habakkuk 2: 4)

The faith that we live by, though, is not our faith:

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2: 20)

In fact, any talk of "acceptance" must start and end with Christ:

"To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved." (Ephesians 1: 6)

and

"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief." (1 Timothy 1: 15)

and

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

"He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8: 31-32)

We accept  what Jesus has done for us, God the Father accepts us fully in His Son, and the we accept all other things that we need through Him.

Only in Jesus is "acceptance" the answer to all my problems.

Not Feelings, Not Thoughts, but the Truth

One of the most notorious problems with Alcoholics Anonymous is the intense fascination with taking one's inventory, running a program, changing your behavior.

The power of man's thinking, the truth and the errors at work in a man's life, cause the greater problems for people.

Not feeling a certain way, not merely thinking good thoughts, but knowing and believing the truth -- that is the way that man breaks free.

Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life -- Not Bill W., not Dr. Bob, not the Twelve Steps, not the Doctor who claimed that "Acceptance is the answer to all my problems."

Jesus Christ, His Death and His Life: there we find the answer to every question, the supply for every need, the solution to every problem that plagues a man on this earth.

The program of Alcoholics Anonymous gives the impression that our feelings are out of our control.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Our thinking informs our feelings. Insecure people are easily hurt, whereas stable people cannot be offended, no matter what anyone says to them. AA does not provide security because the program does not provide a source of identity, outside of a series of steps which are never completed, can never be kept.

We are called to enter into His Truth, which informs us that everything has been prepared for us:

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2: 10)

and

"For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world." (Hebrews 4: 3)

It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action and rest on our laurels. We are headed for trouble if we do, for alcohol is a subtle foe. We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition. Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God's will into all of our activities. "How can I best serve Thee - Thy will (not mine) be done." These are thoughts which must go with us constantly. We can exercise our will power along this line all we wish. It is the proper use of the will. (pg 85)

"Spiritual program" and "action" do not line up. If we walk in the Spirit, then we do not fulfill the lusts of the flesh (Galatians 5: 16). "Action" is the realm of self-effort, while "Spirit" is the realm of rest, in which God works through us.

We need His Spirit, not our thoughts or works:

"If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:

"Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it." (Isaiah 58: 13-14)

We are not called to strive, but to rest and thrive, that He may live in us!

AA says: "What we really have is a daily reprieve." A daily reprieve is not what Jesus has granted us:

"For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God." (Romans 6: 10)

and

"By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." (Hebrews 10: 10)

He has Finished everything for us (John 17: 4) -- He has called us to enter His rest (Hebrews 4: 11).

We do not think our way into life and love, we believe and rest on His Word, which informs our thoughts and our feelings and produces the obedience when so many in AA seek to imitate, to their hurt and frustration.

Reaching Out To Someone in AA

"Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8: 31-32)

The errors of Alcoholics Anonymous cannot be removed from an adherent merely by telling them that there are so many untruths and misapplied scriptures.

No one is going to let go of one way of life if they do not have something better to step into.

For those who believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, that He died for our sins, and that when He cried out "It is Finished!", He was not kidding, He was not holding back, then He in truth lives in them.

Yet for many believers, their minds have not yet been renewed to the truth of who they are in Christ!

The new Creation that we have become in Christ must be expounded upon, as well!

Jesus did just die for our sins, but His blood keeps cleansing us, too!

 I shared 1 John 4: 17 with a friend of mine who was still going to Celebrate Recovery:

"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4: 17)

He told me that he had never read this passage before! When I read this passage to someone else in Celebrate Recovery, he told me that it was a mere metaphor.

Yet there are other scriptures which speak to our ultimate sonship in the Son:

"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not." (1 John 3: 1)

and

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

"Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1: 12-13)

and

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." (Romans 8: 15)

The biggest obstacle for many believers is that they simply do not know who they are in Christ. We are no longer "sinners, but saved by grace", but rather we are saints, a new creation (2 Corinthians 5: 17) made into the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5: 21).

The Truth sets us free, not arguing about what is not true. In order to reach out to someone who is in bondage to the 12 Steps, convinced that they will "fall off the wagon" or go back out if they leave the program, show them Christ and Him Crucified, let the person know who they are in Christ, and slowly but surely God the Father will prune away the lies which have informed the improper self-image which many believers in 12 Step programs still have of themselves.

I am grateful to the work of Pastor Bob George, an evangelist and teacher based in Oregon who hammered for me the importance of proceeding from the right, or rather righteous, premise. In Christ, all the work is done, we have been made perfect in His sight, and we do not work up to a standard of more righteousness in our own efforts or by following a set of steps. The more that we know who we are, righteous, totally accepted before God, the more we will walk in the Spirit in our lives, putting away from us the sin and the Old Covenant of rules and types which are still keeping people in bondage.

Fighting Self-Centeredness: Self-Defeating Fantasy.

"Self" is such a big deal in the AA program, yet we cannot fire ourselves, now, can we?:

Selfishness - self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles. Driven by a hundred forms of fear, self-delusion, self-seeking, and self-pity, we step on the toes of our fellows and they retaliate. Sometimes they hurt us, seemingly without provocation, but we invariably find that at some time in the past we have made decisions based on self which later placed us in a position to be hurt.

 (Big Book, pg. 62)

"God's help" is more than mere assistance. We need a New Life, we need to become a New Creation:

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. " (2 Corinthians 5: 17)

Jesus offers us life, and that more abudantly (John 10: 10)

Jesus Christ is our life (Colossians 3: 4), for He is within every believer, the Hope of Glory (Colossians 1: 27)

"Most good ideas are simple." -- not as simple as Christ and Him Crucified:

"But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness (1 Corinthians 1: 23)

and

"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." (2 Corinthians 11: 3)

AA is too complicated, and can do nothing about our biggest problem, that we are dead, spiritually dead, in our trespasses (Ephesians 2: 1). We need life, We need Christ.

We do not find God, for He was never lost. God has been looking for us. Open your eyes and receive Himself, and let His life reign in you:

"Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

"For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.

"But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter." (Romans 7: 4-6)

By Jesus' death on the Cross, you have a way to die to self, so to speak, and live a new life.

Any other means of fighting self-centeredness is just a self-defeating fantasy.