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CARE Christians, Addictions,
Recovery, Education
Mondays at 7:30 P.M. |
The American Medical Association has declared that alcoholism and
drug addiction have met the criteria to be diseases. This is a disease that doesn't
raise its ugly head by blatantly showing us symptoms such as vomiting, bloody limbs or
broken bones. This is an insidious disease that slowly creeps into our lives and
doesn't rest until it has consumed us, our families and everything that we hold dear.
For members of the
Church with "addictions", it can be a double-edged sword; not only are they
judged as being weak-minded, but they are also seen as lacking faith.
CARE will open to
people who worship at Maranatha, their families and friends. This will enable the
ministry to help our brothers and sisters find sobriety, solace and a way to a comfortable
non-judgmental Christian walk. We believe that addiction is a three-fold disease
affecting the physical, mental and spiritual areas of our lives; therefore a
Christ-centered 12 Step program will meet the needs of individuals affected by these
powerful diseases.
As recovering
addicts we understand fully the horrors of addiction. We do not compare - but we
identify with our brothers and sisters - and feel through a
Christ-centered program, we can share God's healing message of sobriety.
Meetings are every Monday night at 7:30
P.M.
THE "12 STEPS" & SCRIPTURES
"Alcoholics Anonymous"
"God's Word"
| We admitted we were
powerless over alcohol-that our lives had become unmanageable. |
STEP 1 |
"We felt
we were doomed to die and saw how POWERLESS we were to help ourselves; but that was good,
for then we put everything into the hands of God, Who alone could save us."
2 Corinthians 1:9 (See Rom. 7:18;
Ps. 116:1-9; Jer. 9:23-24; 2 Cor. 12:9) |
We
came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. |
STEP 2 |
"A man is
a fool to trust himself! But those who use God's wisdom are safe."
Proverbs 28:26 (See Rom. 5:8; Ps. 30:2-3; Matt. 8:1-3; Mark 9:24) |
| We made a decision to
turn our wills and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. |
STEP 3 |
"Trust in
the Lord completely; don't ever trust yourself. In everything you do, put God first , and
He will direct you and crown your efforts with success." Proverbs 3:5-6
(See Gal. 2:19-20; Rom. 12:1; Ps. 40; Matt. 11:28-30) |
| We made a searching and
fearless moral inventory of ourselves. |
STEP 4 |
"Let us
examine ourselves and repent and turn again to the Lord. Let us lift our hearts and our
hands to Him in heaven." Lamentations 3:40-41
(See Ps. 139:23; Matt. 7:1-5) |
| We admitted to God, to
ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. |
STEP 5 |
"Admit your faults
to one another and pray for each other so that you may be healed." James 5:16
(See 1 John 1:9; Ps. 32:1-5; Gal. 6:2-3) |
| We were entirely ready
to have God remove all these defects of character. |
STEP 6 |
"So give yourselves
humbly to God; then, when you realize your worthlessness before the Lord, He will lift you
up, encourage & help you." James 4:7-10 (See Jer. 10:23; Heb.
12:1-2;Hosea 10:12, Micah 7:18-20) |
| We humbly asked Him to
remove our shortcomings. |
STEP 7 |
"But if we confess
our sins to Him, He can be depended on to forgive us & to cleanse us from every
wrong." 1 John 1:9
(See Is. 1:18-19; Is. 66:2; Ps. 32:1-2) |
| We made a list of all
persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. |
STEP 8 |
"If you are
standing before the altar..and suddenly remember that a friend has something against you;
leave your sacrifice there & go & be reconciled...& then come & offer your
sacrifice to God."
Matt. 5:23-24 (See Matt. 6:14-15) |
| We made direct amends to
such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. |
STEP 9 |
"You can pray for
anything, & if you believe, you have it, it's yours! But when you are praying, first
forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that you Father in heaven will forgive
you your sins too."
Mark 11:24
(See Heb. 12:1, 2 Cor. 5:19; Col. 1:20-21) |
| We continued to take
personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it. |
STEP 10 |
"But how can I ever
know what sins are lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults, & keep me
from deliberate wrongs; help me to stop doing them. Only then can I be set free of
guilt."
Ps. 19:12 (See 1 Cor. 10:12; Ps. 26:2-3; Gal. 6:4-5; 1 Tim. 1:19) |
| We sought through prayer
& meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying
only for knowledge |
STEP 11 |
"If you want better
insight & discernment, & are searching for them as you would for lost money or
hidden treasure, then wisdom will be given to you, & knowledge of God Himself; you
will soon learn the importance of reverence for the Lord and of trusting Him."
Proverbs 2:3-5
(See Ps. 1:2; James 5:1; Rom. 8:26; Col. 3:16) |
| Having had a spiritual
awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics &
to practice these principals in all our affairs. |
STEP 12 |
"Quietly trust
yourself to Christ your Lord & if anybody asks why you believe as you do, be ready to
tell him, & do it in a gentle & respectful way."
1 Peter 3:15 (See Is. 61:1; Ps. 96:1-4; Gal. 6:1; 2 Cor. 1:3-4) |
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PAGE 2 - MORE CARE INFORMATION
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