The past two sessions on the 12 Steps of recovery I feel now bring us full circle,  taking what we understand about addiction, what we understand about the  cycle, what we understand about the effects, the affect, the effect of addiction  and human beings and all of our structures of family, the individual, the  psychology, the economy, the social effects and affects and so on. Now we can  bring all that into the framework and foundation of the 12 Steps of recovery.  Why? Because this is where, once we understand how or the what and the how  of addiction, we now need to put into application. Yes, we understand the theory, but now let's put it into practice, because they both complement each other.  Need to be come one with each other, so we can help. First of all, between us,  myself and God, I need to understand that I need God's help. And of course, the 12 Steps help me, to help me, and secondly, to help others, and have that  multiply. The first part of the course opened our eyes to what addiction is, so we  can see clearly what to understand and why. Second part of the course, we are  looking at the how and the do, doing it, practicing it, having knowledge and  therefore experience, and then passing on the experience, the knowledge, the  experience, and also to see, of course, what only God can do in restoring  people. That's what it's all about when it comes to being that minister that  servant of Christ and helping another person find the Lord. You know, we're to,  of course, God's always there, but for them to discover, Okay, God, you exist  and come to know Christ and have him transform, well, a little more in the  history, because this is also important as we take what we understand from the  Oxford group and also Bill W in the in the how, in the doing it in the 20th century. In the latter part of the 20th century, the 1970s there was another movement that came about, coming out of Alcoholics Anonymous. And then in the 1990s  another movement that came out of the influence of Alcoholics Anonymous, and  also scripture. Well, All scripture based, of course, but coming out of all these  movements now coming back into the church proper. Show you what I mean.  Here I have on this slide the 12 Steps part three, the 12 Steps and Jesus.  Jesus, He is the foundation. Finally. Thank the Lord. We are now coming. We  now are coming into the more modern and postmodern expressions of the 12  Steps, into a timeless expression of Christ Himself. Bible based, Christ  centered, the 12 Steps and alcoholics for Christ, as I said in the 1970s those  who are practicing the 12 Steps of recovery, as defined in last session by Bill W  and therefore, with many groups from there came there came about a move of  the Holy Spirit, with a bunch of men in the Detroit area, here where I'm living, in  Michigan. And in 1976 A born again recovering alcoholic attended an AA men's  retreat. They write here in Alcoholics for Christ in their history. I'll give you a link  for this, for this session in your reading material, and he had attended others in  the past, other retreats for because Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics  Anonymous, these groups will put on retreats and other events. Well, he had  been to other ones in past years. And. And always left the retreats with 

something good. This retreat, however, in 1976 was different. This retreat would  be the beginning of a vision from God, a vision that God gave this gentleman,  and they don't identify the person out of alcoholics Anonymoous tradition and of course, recovery tradition, there's no glory given to one person, as it should be,  as far as the credit and so on. Well, anyway, they don't identify a key leader  here. Now let's step back a minute. I, I do not know necessarily why they don't  identify a specific leader for alcoholics for Christ, but I understand it coming out  of the context, because the context is about peer support and one alcoholic  helping another alcoholic, or one addict helping another addict, in general, in  Christ and in recovery, you do need leadership and to understand where this is  all coming from with different movements. But here, in this movement for  alcoholics, for Christ, there's no specific named leader in their material. So it  goes two significant miracles happened at this retreat. They write. The first was,  was that, except for the leadership, no one else is a Christian at this retreat. But  by the end of the retreat, on Sunday, from Friday to Sunday, almost every man  there had made a decision to accept Jesus, Christ as his personal Savior, and  that's what the 12 Steps were meant to do. Anyway, come from Bill W and with  the help of his wife and, of course, others, and of course, the influence of the  Oxford group, the ultimate goal is accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, the  one who saves you and also restores you. Well, those are the first steps here for alcoholics, For Christ in 1976 in 1977 February, to be more specific, another  man's retreat was organized. It too had the same miraculous results, with most  of the men attending, accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives.  And the change in the lives of these recovering men brought on another major  development of God's vision. And two women, two women that were attending  the Al Anon or attending Al Anon heard or Al Anon, by the way, we didn't get into  that, but the Al Anon groups complement the Alcoholics Anonymous groups I've  talked about in this course about CO dependency and what that is. And of  course, that's where that's addiction, as a review, an addiction to people, places  and things, and where we we as those who don't struggle with alcohol or  substances in general, but we struggle with trying to please people and fix  people. We're addicted to people, places and things, and we're trying to make  sure that someone else is going to be okay, and therefore I'll be okay, which is  unhealthy. We need proper boundaries, okay. So you have groups that began to form back in the mid 20th century with Alcoholics Anonymous. Then you know,  the family members of the alcoholic needed peer support as well, and how to  deal with their loved ones who were struggling with alcohol. So the Al Anon Al  dash Anon, what they called it, saying I'm a member, I'm a member of my family, and I don't struggle alcohol, but my loved one does, husband, wife, sibling, so  on, and I need help. Well, two women from the Al anon group said, hey,  something very special is happening here. And two women were attending. The  attending Al-Anon heard of the results of this men, these men's retreats, coming 

to Christ and not wanting women to be left out of what God was doing. They  asked for help in organizing a women's retreat, and the men helped out. So the  story goes, and from there. And just to be clear, no one saw this as organizing a  ministry at all. It was just a move of the Spirit, as many things were moving at  this in this era, the 1970s big time of the Jesus movement at this time that really  started the late 1960s going into the 1970s into the 1980s here in the United  States. And in June of 1977 a few of the men were involved in the retreats. Felt  led to organize a prayer breakfast, and although these men had to participate in. And other Christian breakfast meetings and enjoyed them. They wanted more  fellowship with other Christians that were recovering from substance abuse,  hence the beginning of alcoholics for Christ and that alcoholics for Christ group  then developed an interdenominational nonprofit Christian fellowship that  ministers to three groups, alcoholics or substance abusers, family members,  those who are late regularly with an alcoholic or substance abuser, and adult  children of alcoholics, individuals who are raised in alcoholic substance  substance abuse or dysfunctional families. And alcoholics for Christ. Ministries is dedicated to the propagation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and sharing Christ's  burden for the lost and also they believe, of course, God to understand them, is  the triunion God, God the Father Son and Holy Spirit. And by the acceptance of  Jesus Christ as personal Savior, we receive eternal life. Jesus is the doorway to  the fullness of life and spirit and the means by which we can turn our lives and  wills completely over to God, which, of course, the 12 Steps declare. So what  they're doing here is they're saying, Hey, we understand the 12 Steps, but God  has shown us we need some a new framework, a new context where those who are believers in Jesus, who do struggle with alcohol or other substances, and  their family members can come to peer support groups that can identify Jesus  Christ up front as our Higher Power, as the one who delivers us. Because,  apparently, from the 1940s into the 1950s and the 1960s there was some  mission drift. There was some many in the Alcoholics Anonymous movement  who began to look to, shall we say, the cup or the dog or the building or the  group as their higher power, and not the God of the Bible. And that got to be a  little bit too much, and there wasn't enough leadership direction to the God of  the Bible, who can deliver the alcoholic or the addict. So alcoholics for Christ  truly was a move of God to bring Jesus, Christ, front and center into the 12  Steps. It's very interesting that one of the prayers, because we talked about the  12 traditions in the last session, along the 12 Steps that Dr Bob and also Bill W  developed, but also Reinhold Niebuhr, a theologian in the 20th century, wrote  the serenity prayer that the Alcoholics Anonymous groups and narcotics,  anonymous groups and all the other anonymous groups adopted as their prayer  and the full prayer of the Serenity Prayer that Reinhold Niebuhr, Dr Niebuhr  wrote, which was about the World War II era, because no one really knew  What's going to happen? Are we going to actually survive the II World War? And 

also, you know, reflecting back to the World War I as well, that's where that was  Niebuhr era in context. He He felt that people needed a scripted prayer to help  them cope and come to the Lord with all these international concerns and also  life issues. And so the Serenity Prayer, which I'll also have posted too on the  reading material, includes Jesus. Specifically the funny part, what is, is that  along the way, with AA and also narcotics, anonymous and so on, they began,  they took that false trinity prayer and they then shortened it down to to this,  where there's a part of the prayer, the wisdom to know the difference. God grant  me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. And they would stop it right there. That's the first line, the first full part of the Serenity Prayer, the next two or three parts  of the prayer involve Jesus Christ, specifically disappointing really how AA lost  that foundation along the way. Now a move of God and truly where he looked  back. Can see and point to the fact that it was a move of God. Where? Where  AA, Bill, Wilson, Dr Bob, and also coming out of the Oxford group, it was about  Jesus Christ. But as we know, with many Christian groups and organizations  and so on, they start with Jesus, but they continue without him at times, not all,  but some. Well, our calls for Christ, thankfully, has continued to be that strong,  Christ centered recovery ministry and recovery group that involves the 12 Steps  in Jesus. And as a result, they now have many groups nationwide and also other parts of the world, because their chief goal is to direct and restore the alcoholic  or substance abuser, the family member and so on. And they have many  sources and or resources rather on their website, however, however, as those  Detroit area churches came together to form alcoholics for Christ in late 1970s  and developing a national movement that, of course, where it then spills over to  other parts of the world. And they also went into prisons. They've also been into, of course, churches and other parts of society, there still seemed to be a need to bring recovery, the 12 Steps, and Christ, more so, into the general life of the  church. The problem was, it wasn't happening. It was, it wasn't the 1980s no one really knew, unless you were really in the recovery community, the alcoholics for  Christ program or ministry. It was, it was well known amongst those in the  recovery community and in certain pockets of the church, different sectors of the church, but not in general. Well, another person, another move of God, if you  will, began to happen. And by 1990 29 years ago, a gentleman by the name of  John Baker who in Mission Viejo, Los Angeles Area, California, who was  attending his AA groups faithfully, and and and just felt that that same need, just  Like the men at that men's retreat at the alcoholics for Christ, beginning in the  1970s John felt God move his heart as he was attending his AA groups, he  started to feel like, boy, I can't even talk about Jesus in my AA groups. And being living in California, here in the United States, and maybe you're aware of this, if  you're in and watching this in another country, California can be a country of its  own. There are a lot of different movements in California that are not Christian 

and unfortunately, John began was he was suffering from this, this whole  dilemma of, yes, I want to recover. I want to get well, and I want to work the 12  Steps. But I got a lot of people in these Alcoholics Anonymous groups are  talking about New Age thinking God as they understood him, was, well, the  energy, or the aliens from outer space, or something else, pretty disappointing  for John and others, and they really didn't know. And for whatever reason,  alcoholics for, Christ perhaps Perhaps knew about it, but didn't really gravitate to it, and and he was attending at the time Saddleback Valley Community Church,  which started in 1980 led by Dr Rick Warren. So John had this crisis of belief,  this crisis of of of boy, I of principle, perhaps, if you will. And and he was saying,  I like AA but it just isn't providing what I need to connect with Christ as an  alcoholic and to be free from my alcoholism so that I can truly live out my life as  a Christ follower. So John sat down just like Bill Wilson back in the 1930s hence  and wrote a 13 page seven. Single spaced letter to Dr Rick Warren, Pastor Rick  at Saddleback Church. Pastor Rick received that letter in from 1990 and again,  as he received it into 1991 read the letter and said, great, go do it, John,  absolutely, because that 13 page, single spaced letter outlined was now known  as Celebrate Recovery, a now trademarked recovery ministry that has Jesus  Christ at the center of the 12 Steps of the recovery process, peer support  everything, where the first thing you say, based upon the Celebrate Recovery  material in it, in a peer support group, is, Hi, I'm Mark, and I'm a child of God, or  I'm a believer who struggles with alcohol, narcotics, people, places, things,  whatever it may be, what John did effectively is he adapted, again, the 12 steps  into a Christ centered framework, and He built because his catalyst was John  Callas was that that, that next, AA meeting where, where he felt convicted by the Holy Spirit to say, I need to change this. There's got to be a better way. And  wrote the 13 page, single space letter outlining the vision, the mission, strategy,  of course, Bible based, Christ centered movement and also curriculum of  Celebrate Recovery. And I remember this well because, as I was serving at a  church in Lake City, Michigan in 1997 into 1998 Zondervan publishing in Grand  Rapids, Michigan, came to understand that they got a a manuscript of the  Celebrate Recovery curriculum, and they began to test it, test drive it, if you will,  and put it in, give it to different churches, different people. Of course, they were  doing that was through Saddleback and and and getting feedback. And  eventually, Zondervan published Celebrate Recovery as a curriculum outlining  the 12 Steps and their biblical comparisons, along with eight principles that were written, co written rather John Baker and Dr Rick Warren and the first process,  part of the process in 1991 because before the curriculum was written, of  course, the movement got started at Saddleback Church, a church now about  25,000 or more and growing. And what John did is that he did all the mistakes,  he said, all the things you weren't supposed to do. He he worked out the bugs  and working through what Celebrate Recovery was supposed to look like, for 

example, as you would sponsor people, because part of the process of recovery is, of course, one alcoholic helping another alcoholic, one addict helping another addict. That process is called sponsorship, sponsorship, and we'll get more to  that here later, I think probably in the next session. But sponsorship involves  saying, I will help you through the 12 Steps of recovery. And he would sponsor  John Baker, that is, sponsor other addicts and have them stay over at his house  and also be there at all hours, all the time. Well, John, unfortunately, was trading his addiction to alcohol to be a very acute co dependent, one who would would  just try to fix a lot of people, even though he didn't think he was. It took time, of  course, but eventually what God did is that he did something special, and it was  exciting to see back in 1998 where that curriculum was published and every  church could then buy that kit and put it to work in their church as there was A  leader's guide, of course, participant guides, guiding everybody through leaders, included, because as leaders, we need to go through the steps ourselves. We  all have our life issues. We're all have something that we turn to instead of God,  and that's, course, sin, and we've explained all that. But the thing is, is that  celebrate recovery. Provided that that new tool to bring recovery into the church  more intentionally and thankfully, because of what God did with Saddleback Rick Warren, the purpose driven church, purpose driven movement, and now with  recovery and celebrate recovery brought that movement, now more and more  into the church. Well, what are those 12 Steps? And what are those biblical  comparisons, those 12 Steps and biblical comparisons I will have on this  session as far as reading material, but just to highlight them, of course, we said  step one. Admitted we are powerless. Romans 7:18, I know that nothing good  lives in me that is my sinful nature. I desire to do what is good, but can't carry it  out. Step two, we came to believe that a power greater than ourselves to restore us to sanity and for it is God who works in you to will, to act according to His  good purpose. Philippians 2 and step three. Romans, 12:1, of your bodies is  living sacrifices. Step four, May a searching inventory. Let's examine our ways,  lamentations. Three, step five. James five, Therefore, confess your sins to each  other. Pray for each other, because in step five, we said we admitted to God, to  ourselves, another person we trust and step six, John Baker brought James  4:10, to step six. Step Seven brought I John 1:9, If we confess our sins, He is  faithful and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all righteousness. Step  eight, we need a list of all people we've harmed Do to others as they have them  do to you. Luke 6:31, said nine. Matthew 5:23- 24 if you know that someone, if  you have something still against your brother, go make it right with him or her  sister, and then come back to the altar. Of course, Jesus was referring to in  Matthew five about how we again to his fellow Jews, having to do with  sacrificing to the Lord, so with Old Testament rules. But he was saying  something radical. He was saying, Hey, first, go make it right with your brother or sister, and then come back and make your gift. Bring your gift at the altar. Very 

radical, because Jesus, then eventually was saying, I am the sacrifice for you.  Well, step 10, I Corinthians 10:12, so if you think you're standing firm, be careful. You don't fall. It's true. Step 11, we stop through prayer, meditation. Colossians 3 is applied to this one. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in step 12, where  we where we carry the message of recovery, of restoration, and practice the  principles of recovery in everything we do. Galatians 6:1 brothers, if someone is  caught in sin, you are spiritual to restore them gently, but watch yourself, or you  may be tempted, stay on track, and that is how God led John. But before John  really well as John's put this way, as John was setting all that in place, the 12  Steps, the biblical comparisons, also the curriculum, guiding everybody through  each step, with lessons in their in the participant guides. And, of course, the  leadership guide. And of course, creating the environment, which we'll get to  here in a minute. Pastor Rick with John wrote what's called the Celebrate  Recovery, eight recovery principles, because in 1991 as Celebrate Recovery  was getting started, Pastor Rick and John knew that it had to begin with support  from the senior pastor of the church. So Pastor Rick developed a whole sermon  series, and you can probably find it online back then that where he then  developed a sermon series that brought up eight principles, which I'll read to you here in a minute, and you'll find and posted in the session. These eight  principles were then preached on, and the whole church at Saddleback became  orientated, introduced to and therefore brought into recovery as a ministry and  also as a lifestyle within their context. Well, the eight principles are these, and of  course, famously, as Pastor Rick does, he takes a word and breaks up the word  into an acrostic. This time he took the eight lectures of recovery, the eight letters. Recovery are R, E, C, O, V, E, R, Y, the R of recovery is, realize I'm not God the  first R I admit that I'm powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing,  and my life is unmanageable. Really, what? What Rick is doing here is he is  taking each of the steps of recovery, the 12, and then weaving them into eight  principles to further give help to each person as they work through their own  recovery, as God does it so the R, the first R, realize I'm not God. The second is, earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to him, and that he has the power to help me recover. And there are scriptures with each of these principles.  Principle number one, realize I'm not God. Matthew 5:3, having those who know  They're spiritually poor. Principle two, earnestly believe that God exists. Matthew 5:4 happier those who mourn for they shall be comforted. The C, in recovery  here, consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ's care and  control. Happier the meat. Matthew 5:5, the O, openly examine and confess my  faults, to myself, to God, to someone I trust, which combines step four and five  of recovery, having the pure in heart, the V as a victor. V voluntarily submit to  any and all changes God wants to make my life, and humbly ask God, him to  remove my character defects, because we all have defects of character. We all  deal with our faults. In other words, that's what that was referring to, combining 

steps six and seven. Matthew 5:6 is applied here rather Those whose greatest  desire is to do so or to do what God requires. The E of recovery, evaluate all my  relationships, offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me and make amends,  make it right, in other words, for harm I've done to others when possible, except  when to do so, but harm them or others, combining step eight and Step nine,  Happy are the merciful. Matthew 5:7, Happy are the peacemakers. Matthew  five, verse nine. So what Pastor Rick is doing, he's taking all of the attitudes and weaving it into these principles as well, applying it to give it structure. And the R, the next R of recovery, are in the word recovery reserve a daily time with God for self examination, Bible reading, Bible, intake and prayer in order to know God in  his full as well for my life and to gain the power to follow his will. Only God can  do it. God's power comes in and does the miracle. Does the process, but we  have to surrender, build a relationship with the Lord. And that's where this is  applied to. There isn't a scripture that applied to this one reserve a daily time  with God. But the final principle is the why of recovery, yield myself to God to be  used to bring this good news to others, both by my example and by my words,  reiterating a bit of step 12, but making it more clear half of those who are  persecuted because they do what God requires. Matthew 5:10, so the 12 Steps  in the biblical comparisons, the eight principles on the Beatitudes. And celebrate recovery in 1991 truly was born and then published by 1998 and by 1999 for in  my as far as my experience with with recovery ministry, and to share my  experience with you once again, as I have in other sessions now, to give you  more of what what God has done with myself and my teams in doing recovery  ministry, to give you an example a case study, if you will, hopefully to give you  some insight and how God has brought recovery back into the church, because  as we look at the 12 Steps and the comparisons, which we just went over, and  also the eight principles Celebrate Recovery, and also the Matthew 5, the  Beatitudes, what Saddleback has done, and They've trademarked this as a  curriculum and as a program, which is fine, there's, there's, there's integrity with  this. There's definitely a foundation that Celebrate Recovery has given for many  churches, and it works very well in many churches, not all, but many. And now  we need to see. What God is doing next, that is where we'll go next 



Last modified: Monday, June 16, 2025, 10:37 AM