The Litte Bit of Truth Surrounded by Many Lies

One of the worst things about cults is that they contain a little kernel of truth.

They rely on that little tidbit of truth so that they can push the rest of their lies onto unsuspecting victims.

Alcoholics Anonymous falls precisely into that column of cults.

Every human being needs power, and we don't have that power.

Paul prayed for the Ephesians to see the power in them, through Christ:

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places," (Ephesians 1:18-20)

and

"Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us" (Ephesians 3:20)

More than that, we need life, and that more abundantly (John 10:10).

We need to reach out to someone to help us live this life, because we cannot do so in our strength:

"Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture." (Psalm 100:3)

For the longest time, I kept trying to turn my will and life over to God as I understood Him.

The god offered by Bill W. was his own sick thinking, in which he planned and plotted to promote himself as another Christ-figure:

             

Instead of a "Christ figure," let's believe and receive Christ Himself!

In the last two months, I have received a consummate revelation of how great my Living Savior is. He does not depend on my thinking or feeling. He does not come or go in our lives depending on what we are doing.

His presence in our lives is not contingent on our heads, in our minds, or through our thoughts.

Where did I get these pernicious, destructive, mind-virus nonsense ideas from?

The AA cult, and the craziness that was foisted on me by having a "Stepper Mom" who believe that whatever thoughts or ideas were going through her head, must have been "The Lord" talking to her.

This cult of AA teaches you to go along with your own conception of God.

Does anyone realize how stupid that sounds? How can anyone of us conceive God, comprehend Him, let alone understand Him?

A god whom I can understand quickly becomes me making myself a god. That's precisely what happened to Pam, my mother, who was a "Stepper Mom" until the end, when she took her own life. The presence and power of God seemed tied up in her, and what she thought, and what she told me to do.

That is child abuse.

That is a false conception of God.

Who do we think we are, conceiving of Him?

He conceived us, He made us, He gives us power.

Most importantly, He sent His Son to die for us, that by His power we might live through Him.

We do indeed need to turn our everything over to someone else. That Someone else is God, as revealed in His sacred Scriptures.

God is not revealed to us through some crappy blue book filled with cult-like stories of people lying about their supposed recovery.

This Living, Loving Savior has been watching out for me, for every one of us who believe on Him--and even before we believed in Him--long before we were born.

That is the kind of caring I need. That is the kind of presence and power that I am looking for.

He ministers to every need, and He satisfies us with His grace--early, every morning!

"O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days." (Psalm 90:14)

and

"22It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

"23They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

"24The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him." (Lamentations 3:22-24)

This is the Savior whom I need, whom I seek.

Yes, I need a real God who can care for me. Not whatever some arrogant wannabe guru or fake parent who couldn't make sense of life.

The Cross of Jesus Christ, His perfect sacrifice for all of mankind, provides all the power we need. We have a hard time understanding this gift, and that's why Paul made it his priority prayer that we would all receive greater revelation of His goodness, grace, and greatness in our lives.

AA took that one revelation- that we need God to do anything- and then distorted it into turning Bill W.'s selfish desire for self-aggrandizement into a cult to make himself rich and powerful in his own eyes.

The Truth of the Glorious Gospel vs. The Evil Cult of AA

For years, I grew up thinking that the cult of AA was normal.

I was taught that the "Big Book" was an addendum that made the Bible practical, which made the Gospel applicable in my daily life.

No one told me that all the sin debt had been paid. What I learned, when I was force-fed AA, was that I had to keep taking my inventory every day.

What?

What is this?

This is not good news at all.

There is no hope in a cult which tells you that you are a sick, crazy person who will never get better, thatn all you have is a daily reprieve, that the best you can hope for is that you do not drink for that one day.

That is not life, and that more abundantly.

There is no end to the work. There is always this fearful looking after (Hebrews 10:27) that we are going to get punished, struck down, and ruined for not being perfectly obedient.

What is the truth of the Gospel?

Check out this hymn, which spells out everything:

              

How great the chasm that lay between us

How high the mountain I could not climb

In desperation, I turned to heaven

And spoke Your name into the night

Then through the darkness

Your loving kindness

Tore through the shadows of my soul

The work is finished, the end is written

Jesus Christ, my living hope

Who could imagine so great a mercy?

What heart could fathom such boundless grace?

The God of ages stepped down from glory

To wear my sin and bear my shame

The cross has spoken, I am forgiven

The king of kings calls me His own

Beautiful savior, I'm Yours forever

Jesus Christ, my living hope

Hallelujah, praise the One who set me free

Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me

You have broken every chain

There's salvation in Your name

Jesus Christ, my living hope

Hallelujah, praise the One who set me free

Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me

You have broken every chain

There's salvation in Your name

Jesus Christ, my living hope

Then came the morning that sealed the promise

Your buried body began to breathe

Out of the silence, the roaring lion

Declared the grave has no claim on me

Then came the morning that sealed the promise

Your buried body began to breathe

Out of the silence, the roaring lion

Declared the grave has no claim on me

Jesus, Yours is the victory, whoa!

Hallelujah, praise the One who set me free

Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me

You have broken every chain

There's salvation in Your name

Jesus Christ, my living hope

Hallelujah, praise the One who set me free

Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me

You have broken every chain

There's salvation in Your name

Jesus Christ, my living hope

Jesus Christ, my living hope

Oh God, You are my living hope

Jesus is our living HOPE!

He cares for us now. He is invested in every aspect of our lives, caring for us every step of the way, even if we don't see what He is doing, even if we don't understand everything that is happening.

He says that we will cross over to the other side; let's believe Him that He will get us over to the other side.

For years, for decades even, this revelation was occluded for me. I was taught for so long that I had to work my inventory, that I had to say, do, initiate, anything to get God to move in my life.

Yet all this time, it is Christ who IS my life (Colossians 3:4)

Bad things will

Leaving AA: Website

 https://leavingaa.com/

Ten Questions for Celebrate Recovery (Repost)

TEN QUESTIONS FOR CELEBRATE RECOVERY LEADERS DECALOG

Do you believe in the Bible alone (Sola Scriptura) for spiritual guidance, or do you believe in a blend of the teachings of both God and man?  The following article by James Sundquist reveals how Rick Warren borrows from psychology in the Celebrate Recovery (CR) movement.  The CR plan ignores and overlooks several key scriptural principles, and adds a lot of fallen man’s philosophy.  James Sundquist has been heavily involved in discernment ministries for many years, he is author of several books including “Who’s Driving The Purpose Driven Church,” and is endorsed by John MacArthur.

Colossians 2:8, KJV: “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”

Blessings, Pastor Steve  <>< [h/t James Sundquist]

TEN QUESTIONS FOR CELEBRATE RECOVERY LEADERS

DECALOG

PRINCIPALITIES OR GRACE?

DOES CR STAND FOR CELEBRATE RECOVERY

OR COUNTERFEIT CHRISTIANITY?

Read the following expose on Celebrating Recovery by James Sundquist:

TEN QUESTIONS FOR CELEBRATE RECOVERY LEADERS

DECALOG

PRINCIPALITIES OR GRACE?

DOES CR STAND FOR CELEBRATE RECOVERY

OR COUNTERFEIT CHRISTIANITY?

 

I. Rick Warren: “Personal stories are also easier to relate to than principles, and people

love to hear them.” Then why are there 8 “principles” to recovery at the heart of his

Celebrate Recovery program instead of 8 “personal stories”? And why is John Maxwell

whose central core doctrine is “principles”, Warren’s key partner in his Global Peace

Plan? Maxwell’s principles are the first E for how to equip leaders in Warren’s

P.E.A.C.E. Plan. So then why does Warren have E for the principles to equip leaders

yet he publishes “7 Key Principles for Every Project” instead of personal stories in his

acronym and 7 key personal stories for every project? Personal stories are at the heart of

AA and CR, but how is it even possible to conduct these meetings without gossiping and

talebearing, forbidden in Scripture? Speaking of “persons”, did Christ teach Principles

or the Person of Christ? He is the “way the truth and the life”. So if Warren’s “story”

that people love to hear, that his Purpose Driven Life book is “bestselling nonfiction

hardback book in history” is forensically untrue and is a false claim: Proof of book sales

ranking chart:

https://amos37.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/BestSellingRankingListinHistory.pdf,

and false advertising is a crime according to the FTC Statute # 15 U.S. Code § 54,

then why should why should anyone trust him with his Celebrate Recovery and believe

it is also not fake news, or have hope in his Daily Hope radio program?

 

II. In reading the CR 12 Steps, where is the Blood of Jesus? (Can’t find it in a Google

Search or search on CR’s website). Scripture teaches that Christ’s blood is how we draw

near to Christ, so how do you draw near to Christ without taking this step as the most

important step? Scripture teaches that we are purchased by Christ’s blood, but there is

no Scripture where we have to purchase anything to be saved or sanctified, both are

gifts. A person who lives to be 80 statistically walks about two hundred million steps.

So if they become a Christian at 40, they walk approximately a hundred million steps as

a Christian if they live to be 80. Since “the steps of the righteous man are ordered by the

Lord”, why does CR have only 12 steps, and even those are works. How is the required

“working the steps” not works?

 

III. The Beatitudes present the pathway to blessings, but why is their no warning or

discussion about the steps that will cursed which Christ (Matthew 7:21-23)

and the Apostle Paul (Galatians 1:8) put the greatest emphasis on? Couldn’t Paul have

not been so brutal and offer the Judaizers a type of 12 Step Recovery Program for their

hurts, habits, and hangups, so they could celebrate? Where is the warning of the

doctrines of demons and seducing spirits in CR 12 Steps, or in their website search

engine that the Apostle John commanded to not give heed to? And where is the Wrath

of God (e.g., God’s Global Warming vs. Man’s that Warren signed) in the 12 Steps or

anywhere on CR website? Since part of the Gospel is about the Judgment that we are

averting, shouldn’t that be one of the first things presented at a CR meeting?

 

IV. If Roman Catholic doctrine anathematizes all Protestants, why are they embracing a

spiritual program created and promoted and sold by two Protestant pastors? If

Protestants like Warren and Baker are anathematized by Roman Catholic Doctrine, how

could they ever recover or celebrate unless (in their minds) unless Rick Warren and

Founder, John Baker convert to RC? This would be like going to the witch of Endor to

get counsel and comfort. And what do they recover and celebrate if they take CR that is

not provided in the RC Sacraments?

 

V. If the Reformation leaders taught that the Pope and RC are antichrist, why is Rick

Warren silent about this and does not tell them that Celebrate Recovery can’t work on

antichrists? If CR is so successful, why are Catholics who take CR still Catholics after

they take the program? Wouldn’t true repentance deliver them? And where has CR

marked false teachers and named names (i.e., Bill Wilson and Carl Jung), identify false

teachers and religions (the foundation of AA and hence the foundation of CR), as

Scripture commands? Does CR tell you this in its training? You can judge a tree by its

roots (as well as by its fruit). The roots of CR are AA, and the roots of AA false

religions and teachers. And Jesus said a thorn-bush can’t produce figs. AA is a thornbush, so aren’t you eating the fruit of a poisonous tree?

 

VI. If the Apostle Paul says being a drunkard (alcoholic) “such WERE some of you”,

before becoming born again Christians, but now they are no longer drunkards, then why

does AA (the foundation of CR) teach that you are an alcoholic for life even if you are

sober and never take another drink for 30 years or the rest of your life? So there is no

cleansing you of ALL unrighteousness (habits, hurts, and hangups) in CR? CR’s

foundation is AA, Christ is the alleged superstructure vs. true Christianity where Christ

is the foundation and there is no other foundation.

 

VII. If you never recover in your lifetime, what is there to celebrate?

 

VIII. Where in Scripture is repentance accomplished via a formalized group program

like CR vs. individually? Many repented simultaneously at the same time in many

cases, but not because of interactive, structured programs, confidentiality, or cost.

Where is the confidentiality in a public profession of faith, and where is the

confidentiality in Matthew 18, if the person does not repent so we are required to tell the

whole church?

 

IX. Where are the 12 steps in Scripture, and what is deficient or missing in 2 Timothy

3:16 that says Scripture is sufficient for all good works and the perfecting of saints and

being thoroughly equipped for every good work, for two thousand years. And how is

Pastor Hess Hester, the leader of CR for pastors unable to obey the Scripture “Be kind

and tender to one another. Forgive each other, just as God forgave you because of

what Christ has done” Eph. 4:32, without and before CR or 12 Steps, according to his

testimony? If you are thoroughly equipped for every good work with Scripture alone,

how is CR even needed? And how does it not usurp this very Scripture?

 

X. Though one can attend a CR meeting without cost, the materials kit at the CR

meetings for the package, even discounted, typically cost $89.99 (and more money for

leadership training). There are specific examples of paying money for counseling or

spiritual equipping in the Bible, but both examples were condemned: Saul consulting the

Witch of Endor in the Old Testament, and Simony in the New Testament. So if the Lord

told Isaiah (Isa. 55:1) and Jesus Christ is right when he said in Revelation:

“The Spirit and the bride say, “Come ” And let the one who hears say, “Come ”

And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life

without cost.” Revelation 22:17

You could obtain everything you need in Christ freely. How are all of those Christians

who believe and obey Christ’s own words, lacking anything by never participating or

paying any money in a Celebrate Recovery meeting or program? And even if you pay

money, the statistics on AA recovery vs. returning to drinking are catastrophic: 95%

return to drinking. Would you invest in a stock that has a 95% failure rate of return?

Bad Things Happen - You Can't Always Blame Yourself

 AA teaches people to blame themselves or look for faults in themselves when things don't work out the way that they want them to.

You can't always blame yourself. Sometimes, bad things happen, and sometimes we just followed bad advice, but all things work together are good to those who love God. 

No matter what the embarrasing situation may be, you can't always blame yourself.

Bad things happen, but God makes all things work together for good (Romans 8:28).

Sometimes, bad things happen. 

I remember what a counselor told me, how I shouldn't condemn myself just because something bad happens or there's a mishap.

We Do Not Have to Work Our Feelings or Thoughts For God to Be Present in Our Lives

Bill W. and the rest of the AA cultists who pushed this vile perversion onto the world pushed all kinds of old-timey works-based salvation.

But that is a lie.

I have written it before, and I will write it again: AA teaches its captured adherents that they have to stay ahead of resentment and anger, because those feelings can cut you off from "the sunlight of the spirit."

I cannot stress enough how damaging this lie is to people. If you are placed on this chronic treadmill to make yourself OK with God every day based on fixing your feelings or your thoughts, you will exhaust yourself with failure, or kill yourself.

Jesus accomplished a perfect work at the Cross. It's not contingent on how we feel or what we think, but everything that He did!

Pastor Joseph Prince encapsulates this revelation perfectly in today's Devotional reading.

Check it out!

---------

You Can Never Forfeit the Presence of God

For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Hebrews 13:5

There was a time under the law in the Old Testament where God would be with you only when you were in complete obedience. But when you failed, He would leave you.

Today, however, you and I are under a completely different covenant and God will never leave us. Why? Because of what Jesus did on the cross.

At the cross, He became our burnt offering. He bore our sins and carried our punishment. God’s judgment against our sins fell upon Jesus, who was forsaken at the cross by His Father so that today, we can have God’s constant, unceasing presence in our lives.

Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” so that you and I will know exactly what happened on the cross (Matt. 27:46). That is where the divine exchange took place. At the cross, Jesus took our sins and gave up the presence of God, while we took Jesus’ righteousness and received the presence of God that Jesus had. God’s presence is now ours for eternity. What a divine exchange!

Take a look with me at what the Bible says about our inheritance in Christ: “For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” (Heb. 13:5–6). What confidence we can have today!

Do you know what “never” here means? It means that when you are up, He is with you. When you are down, He is with you. When you are glad, He is with you. When you are sad, He is with you. When you are doing right, He is with you. Even when you have failed, He is still with you! That is what it means when Jesus said that He would never leave you nor forsake you!

Because Jesus, your prosperity, peace, provision, and wisdom, is always with you, you cannot help but prosper!

AA Exposed, in Big Trouble: The Fraud That Is AA Fundamentalism