7 Unique Features of Celebrate Recovery
This recovery program is based on God’s Word, the Bible.
When Jesus taught the Sermon on the Mount, he began
by stating “Eight Ways to Be Happy.” Today we call them the Beatitudes.
When you fully understand what Jesus is saying, you’ll realize that these
eight principles are God’s road to recovery, wholeness, growth, and spiritual
maturity.
This recovery program is forward-looking.
Rather than wallowing in the past, or dredging up and
rehearsing painful memories over and over, Celebrate Recovery focuses
on the future. Regardless of what has already happened, the solution
is to start making wise choices now and depend on Christ’s power to help
us make those changes.
This recovery program emphasizes personal responsibility.
Instead of playing the “accuse and excuse” game of
victimization, this program helps people face up to their own poor choices
and deal with what they can do something about. We cannot control all
that happens to us, but we can control how we respond to everything.
That is a secret of happiness. When we stop wasting time fixing the blame,
we have more energy to fix the problem. When you stop hiding your own
faults and stop hurling accusations at others, then the healing power
of Christ can begin working in your mind, will, and emotions.
This recovery program emphasizes spiritual commitment to Jesus Christ.
The third principle calls for people to make a total
surrender of their lives to Christ. Lasting recovery cannot happen without
this step. Everybody needs Jesus. Celebrate Recovery is thoroughly evangelistic
in nature. Don’t be surprised if this program becomes one of the most
effective outreach ministries in our church. Changed lives always attract
others who want to be changed.
This recovery program utilizes the biblical truth that we need each other in order to grow spiritually and emotionally.
It is built around small group interaction and the
fellowship of a caring community. Many therapies, growth programs, and
counselors today are built around one-on-one interaction. Celebrate Recovery,
however, is built on the New Testament principle that we don’t get well
by ourselves. We need each other. Fellowship and accountability are two
important components of spiritual growth.
This recovery program addresses all types of habits, hurts, and hang-ups.
Some recovery programs deal only with alcohol or drugs
or another single problem. Celebrate Recovery is a “large umbrella” program,
under which a limitless number of issues can be dealt with.
This recovery program produces lay ministers!
Because Celebrate Recovery is biblical and church-based,
it produces a continuous stream of people moving into ministry after
they’ve found recovery in Christ.
For more information on
the Celebrate Recovery Ministry, contact Philip Slusher
in the Church Growth office, 601.450.3052 or email pslusher [at] tbclife.net. |
