Understanding Step 5: Confession

Understanding Step 5: Confession

by | Sep 4, 2024 | 12 Steps, Articles, Counselling, Finding Help, Therapeuo

“Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.’

Step 5, Alcoholics Anonymous

“ Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

James 5:16, NIV

For many of us, if step 4 was hard, this step seemed inconceivable – and although it was a painful process, there is power in confession.

In sharing and confessing what we have been through, and what we have done, we roll the burden we have been carrying off our shoulders. We were never meant to carry our burdens alone.

This step urges us to make this confession towards three distinct parties. The order is not set in stone, so I will share my experience.

First we confess to ourselves.

This is often the hardest part of this process – but it is made all the easier through completion of step 4: our moral inventory.

It is the opinion of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous that the only people who do not recover are those who are constitutionally unable to be honest with themselves.

This program is a program of honesty – and in this step we are once more called to be honest with ourselves – confessing the exact nature of our wrongs. It is to admit that we were wrong, to acknowledge that there is, within us and in our past, things that we feel guilty, embarrassed or ashamed about.

The truth sets us free.

We have all heard of naming and shaming – I want to propose ‘naming the shame’ – because by bringing it into the light it can no longer pull you into the dark.

We further strip the shame of its power by finding a confidant in which to confide. A fellow worker of the program, perhaps a pastor or a member of the clergy – someone you trust. Traditionally you would share this with your sponsor – a person who has some clean time and who has worked all twelve steps, someone you have chosen to help you work through the process. I have found that I have been most comfortable sharing with a close friend or two that I have had in the program and in the church.

In sharing this admission – in confessing our guilt, in sharing the exact nature of our wrongs – with another we often find, especially in confiding with a fellow recovering addict, that they have lived through much of the same horrors we have, done many of the same wrongs, lived a similar life – and somehow they have found a way forward.

Sometimes the thing you judge yourself the most for is just the tip of the iceberg for someone else.

I want to stress how important it is that you find the right person to share it with. Many people in recovery wear their hearts on their sleeves and just share with anyone who will listen – but I would recommend finding a sponsor who has more than 2 years of clean time, used a similar substance or engaged in a similar behaviour and who has worked through the twelve steps and understands them well.

It helps if your sponsor is a Christian who can pray with you and help you grow spiritually as well. The program might get us clean – but God keeps us clean.

Finally, we confess to God – and this is where the burden really rolls off our shoulders. If we can muster up just a mustard seed of faith…

1 John 1:9-10 says: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (KJV)

We have all sinned – we have all missed the mark – and while it is true that some of us have missed it more than others, God is faithful. No matter how big your sin, no matter how vast your trespasses, the love of God is bigger, His mercy is wider, His grace runs deeper!

If we confess our sins God is faithful to forgive and cleanse us of our sin. He makes all things new.

If you need someone to talk to in this regard, or would like to discuss this step or anything around the twelve steps, finding Jesus, and moving forward in freedom – please reach out by sending me an email: andre@adlabuschagne.co.za

Prayer: Lord, give me the courage to complete this step. Show me the things I have done, let Your Spirit come and convict me, not towards condemnation, but towards righteousness so that I might get rid of this weight I have been carrying with me. Let Your love guide me, strengthen me and embolden me. Let Your grace comfort me in the road ahead – as I surrender to Your perfect will. Direct me towards the right people with which to share my story, safe people who will hear my confession and love rather than judge. Give me wisdom and discernment. And help me shoulder the weight of my burden of wrongs. I confess today that You are faithful, and if I will confess my sins, You will forgive and make me new again. Give me the strength and wisdom to do just that. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Everyday Evangelism: The Romans Road

Everyday Evangelism: The Romans Road

by | Sep 3, 2024 | Equipped, The Pattern

“How do I lead someone to the Lord?”

This is by far one of the most common questions I get asked in my ministry to young believers.

And while this seems like a daunting task, it is actually quite simple. There are so many methods and techniques available to every day believers – and here I will present one of the simplest.

It is called the Romans Road to Salvation.

We have all given directions to somewhere – whether to the post office or the local mall, or even our own home – and we usually rely on landmarks to do so. “Turn left when you get to the big tree, through the red gate and past the old school…” Landmarks make it easy to tell others how to get where they are going.

And just like that we are going to use the book of Romans to guide our listener towards Jesus – guiding them along this road through Romans, the Romans Road, we are going to present our brothers and sisters with some landmarks to help them find their way from lost to found.

With only a handful of verses in your back-pocket you too can become an every day evangelist.

Landmark 1: ”We are all lost…”
Key verses: Romans 3:10, 3:23 and 6:23

The Bible teaches us that no-one is righteous – not even one ((Romans 3:10). All of us have sinned, and continue to sin, falling short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

This sin is very much a separation between us and God – like a huge wall or a wide chasm. Our sin separates us from God. 

His plan for us, from the very beginning was life. Romans 6:23: tells us that the wages of sin is death – eternal death and separation. Besides this, our sin also has very real consequences for us in our current life. It kills relationships, friendships and marriages – it kills our finances – it can even kill us.

Sin is bad and the consequences are bad.

And we all are guilty – all of us deserve what is coming to us. But there is hope.

Landmark 2: “There is hope in Jesus.”
Key verses: Romans 6:23, Romans 5:8

Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin is death – but it also tells us that the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:8: gives us this wonderful news – that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us! He shed His blood upon the cross, giving His life for us, so that the death warrant of sin would be torn apart!

His blood justifies us! Frees us of the bondage of sin and fear! And calls us to be children of God!

Landmark 3: “Do you want to be free?”
Key verses: Romans 10:9-10, Romans 10:13

This freedom is available to you today. And it will cost you nothing more than a decision. Jesus already paid – it is yours – you just have to collect it!

John 3:16 says that God so loved the world that He sent Jesus to die for us! So that every single person – no matter what they have done or where they have been in life, might be saved if they call on His name! 

And calling on His name is really easy.

Romans 10:9-10: says the following: If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.  (NIV)

Romans 10:13 tells us that everyone who does this – everyone who calls on Jesus will be saved.

You just need a mustard seed of faith in your heart, and just confess it with me today – and you will be saved!

Landmark 4: The Result
Key verses: Romans 5:1-2, Romans 8:1

If you can muster up just that little bit of faith and courage to choose Jesus today something wonderful will happen.

Romans 5:1-2: Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. (NIV)

First of all, you will be justified. This means that all of your sins will be washed away and you will be clean before the Lord. The death warrant against you, the result of sin, will be torn up. You will be made new.

Romans 8:1 tells us that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ.

This justification means that you can step into newness of life – a freshness – you can be renewed and restored today.

Secondly, you will be at peace with God – no longer separated from Him by your sin and shame, but walking with Him, and Him with you.

Lastly, through making peace with God, justified through Christ Jesus, you will be born again into His family – a child of God, and your inheritance will be eternal life. This means that one day, when all is said and done, I will see you there in Heaven!

If you want this today, let’s pray together:

Lord, I know that I am a sinner and that the wages of sin is death. I believe today that You died for me on the cross, so that I might be free of this sin and the death that comes with it. Right now I believe in my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, that He died for my sins, and that through His blood, His death and His resurrection I am saved. Thank you Jesus for Your love, Your grace, Your mercy, peace, and this great gift of eternal life. In Jesus Name. Amen.

NEXT STEPS:

It is important that we don’t just leave the person at this point and move on to the next. Jesus calls us, not just to lead people to Him, but to make disciples! Remember to always provide your brother or sister with a way forward – details for their local church or a number they can call or even text. The person you have led to Jesus is now a newborn Christian, and newborns Christians – just like new born babies, need care and support. Make sure you lead them, not only to Jesus, but also to a place where they can grow in their newfound relationship with God.

 

Tabernacle Typology 8: Oil

Tabernacle Typology 8: Oil

by | Sep 3, 2024 | Bible Studies, Christological Reflections, God in the Details, Tabernacle Typology, Typology

Ex. 27:20-21: (KJV)

“And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always. In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the Lord: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.”

The Lord commanded the people of Israel to bring pure, cold-pressed olive oil for the lamps and for the anointing oil (Exodus 30).

To get the oil out of the fruit of the olive tree, the olives were either crushed with a mortar and pestle, or by being trodden with their feet.

The word used here for ‘beaten’ in the Hebrew is ‘Katith’ – which most properly translates as ‘to break into pieces’.

The Encyclopedia Judaicia has the following insights to offer: “The olives were beaten down from the trees with poles (Isa.17:6), and were pounded into pulp in mortars or by the feet (Micah 6:15). The pulp was placed in wicker baskets from which the lightest and finest oil could easily run off This grade of oil, known as beaten oil (Heb. Shenen katit), is mentioned five times in the Bible. It served as fuel for the lamp in the Tabernacle (Exo.27:20; Lev.24:2) and as an element in the obligatory daily meal offerings (Exo.29:40; Num.28:5).”

They used only the finest oil for the lamps. This valuable and labor intensive product was used to keep the lamp burning in the Tabernacle – day and night, night and day – the light never went out.

This meant that the production of oil by the Israelites was an always ongoing process and daily sacrifice.

In the Old Testament, the earliest reference to the olive tree is found in the Noah’s Ark narrative.

Here it represents peace, hope and restoration.

The process through which the oil was procured signifies the sacrifice of Christ – who was bruised – and broken into pieces (‘katith’) for our transgressions. His suffering was the chastisement for our peace.

David speaks about the ‘oil of gladness’ (Psalm 45:7). It is through the beaten oil of Christ that we have much to rejoice about.

The Oil is also representative of the Divinity of Jesus. The fullness of the Godhood within Him – He is the Light of the World stepping down into darkness to illuminate the Way for us – the Way to life.

The oil itself – both in the lamp and the anointing oil – is typical of the Holy Spirit – God within us.

When we turn to Christ as our Lord and Saviour we receive His Spirit – the fire of His presence burning in our hearts.

Much like Aaron and his sons we then have the duty to keep this fire burning through prayer, Bible study and obedience to the Lord and His ways.

Reflect:

1. The production of the oil was a daily sacrifice of time and effort, as was the burning of the lamps. What daily activities should we pursue to keep our lamps burning? What daily sacrifices must we make to make sure there is oil in our spiritual lives?

2. If we make a diligent effort to keep our lamps burning, what will the result be? How does a life full of oil look?

Prayer: Lord, give me oil in my lamp. Keep me burning day and night. Let me be a light to the world around me. Let others see this light and draw near out of the darkness – let them find You Lord. Anoint my lips to speak Your truth. Anoint my hands to pray for people and do good works. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Walking With Jesus Part 5: Fishermen (Mark 1:16-20)

Walking With Jesus Part 5: Fishermen (Mark 1:16-20)

by | Sep 2, 2024 | Articles, Bible Studies, Called, God in the Details, Walking With Jesus

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 

Mark 1:17, NIV

The first disciples are called on the shore of the sea of Galilee – humble fishermen, Andrew and Simon who would later be called Peter, and a little later James and John – the Sons of Thunder.

They were everyday working men.

Where other Rabbi’s and Teachers called disciples from religious schools and places of higher learning, Jesus called the Everyman. Diamonds in the rough, with calloused hands and tough demeanors.

They were not seminary educated. They were not wealthy and had no status in society. They were common men, hard working men – although they might have been respected as small-time business men in their communities, they were often overlooked and underestimated in the other arenas of life – and dismissed altogether when it came to religious, spiritual and more philosophical things.

But Jesus sees deeper. 

Jesus arrives announcing the coming of The Kingdom – He has come with a mission and He needs strong, willing men to help Him establish, proclaim and expand the boundaries of this Kingdom.

Of course the core of His group would consist of fishermen – tough, rugged tenacious men. Courageous men. Hard working men.

Jesus looked at the fishermen and saw team-players (fishermen seldom worked alone) with great courage, stamina, faith, energy and patience – the ability to endure.

The Gospel of Jesus has always been practical.

God does not call the qualified – there were many who were qualified – who knew the scriptures, who understood the prophecies, who were willing and ready to believe – even in Jesus day. We see this in Nicodemus.

Nicodemus was willing to believe – but not willing to endure the hardship that would come with the Cross of Christ.

God qualifies the called. And on this day, by the sea of Galilee, He called four humble men. 

“Follow me… and I will make you fishers of men.”

And the Bible says they left their nets, they left their boats – and they followed.

They simply followed.

The Gospel of Jesus is practical. In training others for the work of ministry I have often found that courses, studies and endless reading lists are not effective – but the concept of ‘journeying’ is. There is power in ‘walking together’.

And this is what Jesus invited them to do. “Come and walk with me, and I will make you fishers of men…”

Jesus, in the book of Mark, teaches primarily through action. His training of the disciples is very much hands on, through demonstration more than discussion. And perhaps, for some of us, this is exactly what is necessary. 

Jesus is still calling fishermen today – not just the seminary student – God doesn’t need a degree to work through us – He only needs a willing heart with a yielded yes.

The biggest impact is not made from behind the pulpit, but through His presence in our daily lives – if He is present in us, and we are present in the lives of others, they will see Jesus! They will see Jesus in us.

As we walk with Jesus, learning from Him – as we do what we see Him doing, and as we live as we see Him living – we will see change, lasting change, not only in our own lives but also in the lives of those around us.

Jesus is calling you today to come and ‘walk’ with Him – and in so doing, to learn from Him – so that you might also become a fisher of men.

How will you answer this call today?

Reflect:

1. Is there anything you would have to leave behind to follow Jesus fully? What people, places or things might you have to leave behind to follow Jesus? How about sin, shame or fear?

2. Are you willing to take up the call of Christ? How can you start learning from Jesus today? What practical next steps can you take?

Prayer: Lord, let me heed Your call to discipleship today. Open the eyes of my heart and my imagination. As I read Your Word, show me what discipleship looks like. As I walk with You, Jesus, show me a better way. Let me learn from You Lord, let Your life speak volumes into my own. And, as I walk with You, let me be transformed – and as I am transformed, to look more like You, let others see You in me and be transformed as well. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Here I Am, Send Me Part 4: Isaiah’s Desire

Here I Am, Send Me Part 4: Isaiah’s Desire

by | Aug 29, 2024 | Bible Studies, Called, Discover Your Ministry, Here I Am, Send Me, The Pattern

More than seven hundred years before the birth of Christ, there was a man named Isaiah, his name meaning ‘Salvation of Jehovah’. He wrote of the coming King, the Christ – our Lord Jesus, and he wrote as if he knew Him personally.

Historians are of the opinion that Isaiah might have been a part of the royal family – that he was related to the four kings he served during his lifetime (Uzziah, Jothan, Ahaz and Hezekiah). This would explain the easy access he had to them.

Another, more specific, tradition has it that his father was closely related to a king. His father was Amoz and could’ve been the brother of King Amaziah (the father of Uzziah).

Isaiah was definitely a well educated man, as his eloquent use of language indicates, and he probably came from a wealthy family.

His ministry began in the year that King Uzziah died, 740 B.C. and twenty years before the nation of Assyria destroyed the northern Jewish nation in Israel and a hundred and fifty years (estimate) before Babylon invaded his homeland of Judah.

I would like to take you to the sixth chapter of the book of Isaiah.

We read here:

1It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. 2Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3They were calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!”

The Lord appears unto Isaiah on a high and exalted throne – the King of Kings appears unto His servant, and His train fills the Temple. His presence fills the place as the Seraphim cry – Holy, holy, holy! As they rejoice and praise the Lord.

4Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke.

The presence of the Lord is so intense that the very room they are standing in is shaken – the entire building filled with smoke. What an awesome experience that must have been – imagine the awe and wonder that must have struck the prophet!

5Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”

Isaiah, however, is dismayed rather than overjoyed – he cries out, sorrowfully – I am doomed! He becomes aware, in the Holiness that is the Presence of the Most High, that he is a sinner, a sinful man. The fact that he is seeing the King, the Lord of Hosts is a sure sign to him that death will surely follow.

In a sense he is right. This encounter with God would render him, in a sense, dead to the world. Aware of his shame and despair, God and His heavenly host reacts.

6Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7 He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”

God makes it clear to him that his sins have been absolved, through His servant He works salvation and Isaiah can stand there redeemed.

It is after this, and after this only, that God asks the question that would forever change Isaiah’s life.

8Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?”

And Isaiah answers: “Here I am. Send me.”

In reading this we become aware of one fact and that is Isaiah’s thankfulness and gratitude – he has been saved from his own wickedness – he has been announced free of the burden of sin, and now has one desire. He wants to serve the Lord.

He cries out – Lord, here I am! Hear me, see me, I want to serve You! Send me!

He doesn’t do it because of a sense of duty or obligation, but because it is his heart’s desire to serve God.

It is here that the Lord appoints Isaiah as a prophet.

Often we do things because we feel obligated – in a sense, forced – to do it. It’s as if God has saved us and now we HAVE TO do something. This mentality is the wrong mentality.

Quite a few years ago I went to Godly Revolution, which was a huge , annual Christian music event at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, Johannesburg. One of the performers was former Tree63 frontman John Ellis. He ended their session with a petition for us to express our thanksgiving to God, to spend a few moments just being grateful for what He has done. He then broke into song singing ‘Look what You’ve done.’

One line sticks with me and replays itself in my head again and again. He sang – ‘The question is not, Jesus, what You can do for me, but what can I do for You, my Lord!”

What struck me the most is the emotion and sincerity with which he sang these words. He was definitely not fraudulent in his thanksgiving.

It all concluded with the entire crowd of thousands of young people singing, shouting and crying out the lyrics of ‘Amazing Grace’.

Isaiah cries out – Lord, look what You’ve done for me! Here I am, send me! It is my desire to serve You!

Nothing we can do can measure up against what Jesus had done for us. We can’t impress God, but we can serve Him and make an impression, for His sake, on the lives of others.

Let the fire burn in your heart – this is the road to revival.

The Bible doesn’t tell us much about Isaiah’s death, but the author of Hebrews, writing about Old Testament heroes, writes concerning the prophets:

37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Hebrews 11:37)

In an ancient manuscript entitled The Martyrdom and Ascension of Isaiah written in the first Christian century, or even earlier, by a Jew who lived in what is now Israel we read about the prophet’s cruel execution.

In the second chapter of The Martyrdom and Ascension of Isaiah we read:

7And when Isaiah the son of Amoz saw the lawlessness which was being perpetratcd in Jerusalem and the worship of Satan and his wantonness, 8he withdrew from Jerusalem and settled in Bethlehem of Judah. And there also there was much lawlessness, 9 and withdrawing from Bethlehem he settled on a mountain in a desert place. [And Micaiah the prophet, and the aged Ananias, and Joel and Habakkuk, and his son Josab, and many of the faithful who believed in the ascension into heaven, withdrew and settled on the mountain.]10 They were all clothed with garments of hair, and they were all prophets. And they had nothing with them but were naked, and they all lamented with a great lamentation because of the going astray of Israel.11 And these eat nothing save wild herbs which they gathered on the mountains, and having cooked them, they lived thereon together with Isaiah the prophet.

This is striking similar to the events recorded in Hebrews.

The book continues, in the third chapter:

7And Belchlra accused Isaiah and the prophets who were with him, saying: ‘Isaiah and those who are with him prophesy against Jerusalem and against the cities of Judah that they shall be laid waste and (against the children of Judah and) Benjamin also that they shall go into captivity, and also against thee, O lord the king, that thou shalt go (bound) with hooks 8 and iron chains’: But they prophesy falsely against Israel and Judah. And Isaiah himself hath 9 said: ‘I see more than Moses the prophet.’ But Moses said: ‘No man can see God and live’: 10 and Isaiah hath said: ‘I have seen God and behold I live.’ Know, therefore, O king, that he is lying. And Jerusalem also he hath called Sodom, and the princes of Judah and Jerusalem he hath declared to be the people of Gomorrah. And he brought many accusations against Isaiah…

Imagine the sorrow in Isaiah’s heart as he declared what God had impressed upon him, concerning the fate of his people – imagine the sorrow with which he shared this news!

Here these false prophets come and speak out against Isaiah making him out to be a charlatan rebel – an errant fraud!

These accusations would lead to his execution as an enemy of the people.

During his execution – by wood-saw – his accuser talked to him but received no answer, for the text explains that the prophet was absorbed in a vision of the Lord.

This book ends with these words:

And when Isaiah was being sawn in sunder, he neither cried aloud nor wept, but his lips spake with the Holy Spirit until he was sawn in twain. (The Martyrdom and Ascension of Isaiah 5:14)

Although the source is unverified and not a part of our Biblical Canon , it’s an interesting thought, possibly carried from generation to generation through oral tradition, until it was eventually written down.

The facts are there – both historically and biblically – it is important that we compare these two sources and thus find a fuller, more compelling vision of the life and death of the prophet who saw God and lived.

What gets to me is the thought that Isaiah’s love for the Lord, his desire to give everything to and for the God of his Salvation, did not subside even in the face of persecution, suffering and certain death.

This is key to our own ministry as desire often dictates what we do.

The concept I want to leave with you here is a simple one – turn your eyes upon Jesus! Don’t ever lose sight of Him! Make him your desire – let the desire to please Him and to make Him known be the driving force behind every thing you do.

If we keep our eyes firmly set upon the God of our Salvation we will never be tempted to stray from His way and will endure unto the end!

Reflect:

1. What is your desire today? What is the one thing you desire most? How does this desire shape the way you live? How does this desire affect your ministry?

2. Isaiah saw the Lord, and this one encounter had a profound affect on how he lived the rest of his life. We cannot get a glimpse of glory and not want more – what encounter have you had with the Lord that has started shaping your desire for more of Him in your life?

3. A compelling vision of Christ is what drives us –what can you do to have a more compelling and vivid vision of Jesus and His Kingdom? How will such a vision drive you towards living out the call God has placed on your life?

Prayer: Lord, be my desire. Let a passionate fire for Your Kingdom burn within my heart as I take up the call – let me be a minister of fire. Let a zeal for Your house consume me. I pray that You will remove distraction from my life and that You will give me the wisdom to keep my eyes set on You. Let everything I do be a testimony of Your goodness and grace in my life. In Jesus Name. Amen.