It is easy to look at someone who struggles with addiction and think, “he is different from me.” Many behaviors seem disordered and it’s hard to imagine behaving that way yourself. But the reality is we are all more alike than we are different. When we peel back the layers, the root issues, the things that motivate behaviors are the same. In this article I want to explore the need for community. All recovery programs, both secular and Christianized, place significant importance on community. Recovery community brings accountability to stay sober, to talk about the struggle of addiction with others that understand, but there is a critical piece missing; church community.
How we are all the same
In each of us is a desire to withdraw and isolate ourselves when things become overwhelming, when we are hurt or when we feel guilty. In this place we are vulnerable. All of us. Some are vulnerable to turn to drugs or alcohol or pornography or gambling or food or netflix (insert any other preferred source of comfort) for refuge. In isolation we are all vulnerable toward wrong thinking, believing lies, going down a path of “what ifs” and anxiety. It is precisely in these moments that we need others. But the people we look to matter. Because the secular world has so many community resources and seems to be less judgmental or shocked by the behaviors of addiction, many people turn away from the church and turn toward programs like Alcoholics Anonymous or even Celebrate Recovery to find help. And let’s be honest, the church has not done a great job understanding the real issues and making a safe place for struggling addicts.
What is the purpose of community?
Recovery communities focus on sobriety. Which is a good goal. But sobriety alone does not bring change. For those who follow Jesus as Savior, there is a much greater purpose in community. God gave us the local church as a means of grace and we need our brothers and sisters.
Each member of the church has value and has a place to serve (1 Corinthians 12:25-27, Romans 12:3-13)
We grow as we hear the faithful teaching of God’s Word (Acts 2:42)
Help carry the burdens of one another (Galatians 6:2)
Confess sins to one another and pray together (James 5:16)
Be encouraged by the faith of others (Romans 1:12)
Two critical reasons for the local church
We are vulnerable. We have a real enemy who seeks to destroy us (1 Peter 5:6-9) and our own thinking can’t be trusted (Jeremiah 17:9, Proverbs 12:15, 14:12). It is easy for us to deceive ourselves and make choices that do not glorify the Lord. Brothers and sisters in Christ, those in our church, help us to see blind spots. When we humbly respond to the warnings and the exhortations of other believers, it protects us from “following our hearts” into sin.
Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another everyday, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Hebrews 3:12-13
We need encouragement. Let’s be honest. This life is difficult. For many of us, the hits keep coming and it is easy to question where God is in all the suffering. At times, we may wonder, “what is the point?” We get focused on the suffering, the trials, the challenges, the hardships of life and it is tempting to throw in the towel in defeat. God gave us our friends in the church to remind us that we have a hopeful future because of Jesus (1 Peter 1:3-5, Ephesians 1). Fellow followers of Jesus stir us up to keep following Jesus, to not give up and to remember God’s promises. They help us remember that our trials are not wasted, and that God has a purpose for them.
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25
Conclusion
Community is important. But a community that helps us look beyond ourselves and helps us see the greater purposes of Christ is where real hope is found. Addicts have a place in the church. Addiction is not beyond the reach of Christ’s transforming power. You do not need to go to church to satisfy your religious needs, and then a recovery program to help fix your addiction struggle. The gospel of Jesus and belonging in a local church provide the complete answer for both the root of the problem and the need for community; just as God intended. If you are not connected in a local church community, find one. And take a risk to be known and to know others. Isolation is a danger for every one of us. The answer is found in Christ and his church.
“God ordained Christian community precisely because I can’t face life on my own. The fallen world will bring me to my knees, and if I did do life my way, it would be a complete and utter disaster. It is a sweet grace to have someone come alongside us and help us remember what we need to remember. I need the intervention of truth from someone who really loves me who can confront and correct the distortions in my view of life.” -Paul David Tripp
About the author: Liz Beck is the Founder of Hope for Addiction