August 6, 2024 Show with Michael Ray Dixon on “Hope for the Addicted Through the Gospel of Jesus Christ”

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August 7, 2024

00:03: Live from historic downtown Carlisle, Pennsylvania, home of founding father James Wilson, 19th century hymn writer
00:11: George Duffield, 19th century gospel minister George Norcross, and sports legend
00:16: Jim Thorpe. It's Iron Sharpens Iron. This is a radio platform in which pastors,
00:23: Christian scholars, and theologians address the burning issues facing the church and the world today.
00:31: Proverbs, chapter 27, verse 17, tells us iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
00:38: Matthew Henry said that in this passage, we are cautioned to take heed with whom we converse and directed to have in view in conversation to make one another wiser and better.
00:50: It is our hope that this goal will be accomplished over the next two hours, and we hope to hear from you, the listener, with your own questions.
00:58: And now, here's your host, Chris Arnson. Good afternoon,
01:10: Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, Lake City, Florida, and the rest of humanity living on the planet
01:15: Earth. We're listening via live streaming at ironsharpensironradio .com.
01:21: This is Chris Arnson, your host of Iron Sharpens Iron Radio, wishing you all a happy Tuesday on this sixth day of August 2024.
01:30: Before I introduce to you my guests for the day and our topic, I have some important reminders for you.
01:38: All men in ministry leadership are invited to the next free, biannual
01:44: Iron Sharpens Iron Radio Pastors Luncheon to be held on Thursday, October 10th, 11 a .m.
01:50: to 2 p .m. at Church of the Living Christ in Loisville, Pennsylvania.
01:57: We are featuring for the very first time our keynote speaker, Dr. Joe Boot. He is an author and the founder and president of the
02:07: Ezra Institute, and I am very excited that he has accepted my invitation to be the speaker this
02:15: October. And not only is your admission free and your time of hearing what will no doubt be a powerful and edifying and encouraging message from Dr.
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02:45: United States and United Kingdom. So, if you would like to attend this free, biannual
02:52: Iron Sharpens Iron Radio Pastors Luncheon, if you are a man in ministry leadership, send me an email to chrisarnsen at gmail .com,
03:00: c -h -r -i -s -a -r -n -z -e -n at gmail .com, and put Pastors Luncheon in the subject line, and you will be registered automatically absolutely free.
03:11: But I am excited to have a returning guest on the program, and it's very important to me to have him on because of the subject matter.
03:21: As most, if not all, of my Iron Sharpens Iron Radio listeners know, especially those that listen regularly,
03:30: I am someone who was rescued by the mercy and kindness and grace of our
03:41: Sovereign Lord God Savior and King Jesus Christ out of enslavement, out from enslavement to the addiction of alcohol.
03:52: And one of the instruments that our Sovereign Lord used in his hands to bring me to that point of repentance was a ministry called
04:02: Hebron Colony in Boone, North Carolina. And I can never stop singing the praises of Hebron Colony.
04:12: In fact, if you know of anybody who needs to be admitted into a
04:20: Christian addiction recovery ministry, the website for Hebron Colony is hebroncolony .org,
04:31: hebroncolony .org, and tell them that you heard about them from Chris Aronson of Iron Sharpens Iron Radio, a former resident there.
04:41: But the director of that wonderful ministry, Don Holder, a number of years ago said, you should interview my friend
04:52: Michael Dixon, and he is involved with trying to bring addicts into a state of recovery and repentance and sobriety, and he has written a book.
05:09: And I am thrilled that for the second time we have
05:14: Pastor Michael Dixon returning to the program, and he's here to discuss a new development in his mission to serve as an ambassador for Jesus Christ to those addicts seeking recovery, restoration, and sobriety.
05:38: Michael Dixon is the founder and executive director of Life Ministries, and we're going to be addressing hope for the addicted through the gospel of Jesus Christ, and it's my honor and privilege to welcome you back after many years to Iron Sharpens Iron Radio, Michael Dixon.
05:57: Thank you, Chris. It's so good to be back on your show today, and what a perfect afternoon. It's raining here in eastern
06:03: North Carolina, so I'm sitting in my office, and what a wonderful topic to talk about, the power of the gospel to set the captive free.
06:10: Thank you, my brother. Amen. Well, thank you, and first of all, tell us about this
06:18: Life Ministry and what that acronym stands for,
06:23: L -I -F -E, because I understand it's more than just the word, which is a wonderful word, life, but the letters actually stand for something.
06:34: That's right. Life stands for living in freedom every day. It's based on something Jesus said, recorded in the gospel of John, chapter 10 and verse 10.
06:43: Jesus said, the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but I've come to give life and to give it more abundantly, and so L -I -F -E, it stands for that abundant life that Christ offers, and what we do in the
06:53: Life Program is we want to help men and women understand how they can enter into that abundant life and how they can thrive there.
07:01: God offers us a new chance. He's the only one really that can bring us lasting hope in this world around us.
07:07: There is no hope outside of Christ. I have been walking with the Lord now for almost 37 years.
07:13: Last 32 years, I've been a full -time pastor in the state of North Carolina. If I could rewind things all the way back to 38 years ago,
07:23: Chris, my story is probably much like yours. I found myself addicted to alcohol and to drugs at 27 years old when
07:31: I surrendered and stopped running from Christ and just took my life off my brokenness.
07:37: The Holy Spirit began to transform me and called me into ministry, and it's just amazing what the power of God can do in a life that just simply surrenders to Him.
07:48: So many things the world says there's no hope for, like addiction. Well, God says something totally different than that.
07:55: God offers that hope, and I'm hoping on this program today that I know there's somebody listening who's struggling.
08:01: There could be somebody listening who has given up hope a long time ago, and maybe they have believed the lies of the world that once an addict, always an addict, or once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic.
08:11: You and I, brother, are living testimonies of the fact that God says otherwise, and God's able to do otherwise.
08:17: He's able to break the chains that bind us. So I started Life Ministries back in 2017 as I was pastoring a church in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, and the ministry really was birthed out of the need that we had in our community for a good, solid,
08:32: Christ -centered addiction recovery program. And so as we began that program in Rocky Mount, which is
08:38: Edgecombe County in North Carolina, the Lord just continued to grow it. And now we're a 501c3 nonprofit.
08:45: We've got various chapters that meet in different counties on a weekly basis, on a regular basis.
08:51: We do referrals into detox programs, residential programs. Hebron Colony is one of the ones on top of my list as far as referring men into residential programs.
09:02: Don Holder is a good friend of mine doing an amazing work there at Hebron Colony. Bethel Colony in Lenore, North Carolina, as well.
09:11: Paul Pruitt, he's a good friend of mine. There's Freedom Farm Ministries in Boone.
09:17: Jim Quigley is the director there, another good friend of mine. But we help connect the dots for people that are struggling under addiction.
09:25: And addiction doesn't have to be drugs or alcohol. There's all types of addictions that people get bound up in as far as strongholds are concerned.
09:33: But we want to help them find the hope that's in the gospel of Christ. Again, how they can enter into that abundant life, that full life, and how they can live there.
09:42: So for everyone listening today, and maybe after this broadcast, you're listening online, there's hope for you.
09:49: If you put your faith in one who created you, he's able to break the bonds that are binding you, whether it's drugs, alcohol, pornography, gambling, food addictions, whatever that addiction may be.
10:01: God has the power and the hope that we need. Well, if you could, we usually only ask this of first -time guests.
10:09: But since it's been so long, since you've been on the program, if you could give us a summary of your salvation testimony and more of the details on how, in the state of your enslavement to booze, you were presented with the hope of Jesus Christ.
10:27: And how, under what providential circumstances, you came to embrace that one and only hope and were saved and delivered.
10:38: Yes, I grew up in Eastern North Carolina, wonderful family. My mother was a strong believer.
10:44: God has used my mama in my life, in areas of faith, and to bring me where I am more so than any other person.
10:51: So even growing up, my mother made sure I knew who Jesus was. She made sure me and my two brothers went to church.
10:58: So those seeds were planted in my heart at a very early age, way back, even as far back as I can remember growing up.
11:06: I'm very thankful for that. But as I grew as a boy, the world has a way of sinning against us.
11:12: We're in a broken world, and we don't have to look far to see evidence of that. But we're always sinned against.
11:18: Sin brings pain and trauma. When I was just a little boy, 7, 8, 9, 10 years old,
11:24: I was sexually molested by an extended family member for a period of years.
11:29: And I never told anybody growing up. But the one that was the offender convinced me and I told myself that it's just the way life is.
11:39: I just need to shove it down deep and deal with it and move on. And so all that pain,
11:44: I didn't know as a little boy how that was going to affect me as I began to grow older. But there was so much emotional pain, so many scars down deep inside.
11:53: I had a terrible speech impairment when I was like in first grade. My speech was so bad, my own grandmother couldn't understand anything.
12:00: I'd go to her and try to tell her my mom and dad put me in speech therapy. So all those things kind of played a part where I got into 12, 13, 14 years old.
12:12: I just had so much pain inside emotionally, and I didn't know what to do with the pain.
12:19: And so as the case is with many people that get tied up in substance abuse addictions, I just began to try to self -medicate.
12:25: You know, anything that I could do or put into my body and just that offered me some period of comfort and just to kind of check out and not feel the pain anymore.
12:37: I was willing to do that. So, you know, as the story is with a lot of people that get addicted to substances,
12:43: I started smoking pot probably 14, 15 years old. That quickly progressed into stealing prescription drugs.
12:52: You know, back in the 70s, Valium was a hot prescription drug. And I had buddies whose mothers and grandmothers had plenty of Valium.
13:00: And so there was an endless supply through medicine cabinets of friends. But I remember one night at a party,
13:07: I was 15 years old. And I remember stealing 15, 10 milligram
13:13: Valium, putting them in my pocket. And the last thing I remember is drinking one beer at a party at 15 years old.
13:21: And about 30 hours later, I woke up at home. I couldn't remember how I got home or what had transpired in between that time.
13:29: My buddies would tell me later, they looked over at me and I was eating those Valium like they were
13:34: M &M's, just popping them in my mouth, chewing them up. And so I took all 15, 10 milligram
13:40: Valium that night. And I guess one beer was enough to just really magnify the effects.
13:46: Woke up again 30 hours later. But wow, that's just one example of a lot of things that transpired in my life through my teenage years, right into my 20s.
13:56: When I was 21 years old, I was at odds with my mother and father.
14:02: I mean, my dad did everything he could to try to yank me back in line. And my dad was the type that I felt like it was a strong arm that would correct my rebellion.
14:14: And his strong arm just made my rebellion even worse. So by the time I got 21 years old and made it out of high school,
14:20: I was looking for a way out of my mom and dad's authority. I married a young girl from high school.
14:25: She was 15 years older. Daddy had to sign for her to get married. I was still in active addiction. I moved out of my parents' house, moved into her parents' house.
14:34: And three, four years later, that marriage ended in a divorce. Brother, that was the lowest time in my life emotionally.
14:45: Because when I first started doing drugs, self -medicating, I promised myself I'll never be so stupid that I'll take a needle and begin to shoot up drugs.
14:54: And I just want everybody to hear this clear. The enemy will take you further than you want to go. You'll stay longer than you want to stay.
15:01: And it'll cost you more than you want to pay. And at that point in my life, when my wife finally left me for the last time,
15:07: I began to use a needle to shoot up dope. And for me, it didn't matter what dope it was.
15:14: If I had something at my disposal that I thought would get me high, I was willing to do it.
15:20: The same offender who sexually molested me as a small child and extended family members, the same one that introduced me to drugs and alcohol.
15:30: His drug of choice was an industrial chemical called Tolerine. And he would huff it.
15:36: And so he got me huffing this chemical. I remember nights going to bed with a wet rag in my hand and just huffing myself to sleep.
15:44: And only by the grace of God, I was able to wake up the next day. And I'm convinced it was the hand of God upon my life.
15:51: And one miracle after another miracle. But when my first wife left me and I got to that place where I started using a needle to shoot up drugs.
16:01: I know it's the Holy Spirit that brought me to an awareness where I began to understand what's next. I mean, how are you going to graduate from where you are now in your drug use?
16:10: And I knew what was next. If I continued on that road, I was headed to an early grave. I'd already had friends that had overdosed or gotten killed in car accidents because they were high or drunk.
16:22: So I knew what was next. And so the Holy Spirit all through all this was working in my heart and in my life.
16:29: I knew who Jesus was. I knew where the answer was. I knew at 13 years old, God had called me into the ministry.
16:35: That's not what I wanted to do. So at 27 years old, I remarried after my first wife left me.
16:41: I met a godsend in my life, Melissa. Melissa and I are still married today. But we got married and two and a half years in our marriage,
16:49: I was still in active addiction. I was a broken man. Our marriage was in trouble. And because my mother made sure
16:56: I knew what the answer was. And she was still involved in my life and my wife's life.
17:02: That I told my wife, I said, I'm going to church. She had already made some steps of faith. Mom had already been working on her.
17:08: The Holy Spirit had already been drawing her. And so after a lot of persistence,
17:13: I wasn't going to go. Finally, in my brokenness, I told my wife, I need to go to church with you.
17:19: And we went to a midweek prayer meeting at a church. My wife and I will celebrate 39 years of marriage this coming
17:26: September. And about two and a half, three years in our marriage, we went to church. I couldn't wait for the invitation to be sung.
17:32: We sat near the back of the sanctuary and man, the field was already plowed. My heart was ready.
17:38: The Holy Spirit had me ready. I was just waiting. Lord, Lord helped the preacher to give an altar call.
17:44: And as soon as he gave the altar call, my wife and I both got up and made our way to the front, to the altar.
17:49: No sooner, brother, had my knees hit the carpet. It felt like a thousand hands behind me on my shoulders, on my back.
17:58: And I turned around and looked and saw the whole congregation had just swarmed around us, me and my precious wife there at that altar.
18:05: They were laying hands on us. I would find out later that they had been praying for us for years. And in brokenness, it's like the floodgates opened.
18:14: I mean, I just wept and cried and all that pain. Deep within that I'd shoved down for so long.
18:22: The Holy Spirit just began to draw it out. And I know, I know there had to be a big puddle of tears on that carpet when
18:28: I got up off my knees that night. But when I got up off my knees, I had a power
18:34: I didn't have before. I had the power of the Holy Spirit to help me overcome.
18:40: Chris, there have been a lot of times in my life in active addiction that I wanted to quit and I tried to quit. I tried to quit doing drugs.
18:47: I tried to quit drinking. Many times I'd wake up and my wife, Melissa, would be distraught. And I couldn't remember where I'd been the last 24 hours or so.
18:56: And I promised my dear wife, I loved her then. I said, I promise you, I'm going to try harder. I'm going to live a different kind of life.
19:03: And nothing I did seemed to last any more than three or four days. But at 27 years old, when
19:09: I got up off my knees at that altar, from that point on, there's been no turning back.
19:15: I know for a lot of people that struggle with addiction, relapse is part of their story. But for me, I didn't have any relapses.
19:21: It's not because I didn't want to. And it's not because I wasn't tempted to, because I was. But I had to take it just one day at a time, one step at a time.
19:30: We immediately got plugged into a Bible -believing church, surrounded ourselves, people, places, things that were going to encourage us to bring honor and glory to God.
19:40: And in my story, brother, the Lord brought me through about one calendar year from my addiction, from the point that I surrendered, about 12 months.
19:49: And I began to realize, you know what? I don't want to go back anymore. I don't want to go back and use.
19:55: I don't want to go back to the crack houses. I don't want to go back to the bars. I don't want to go back and do drugs.
20:01: The Holy Spirit had begun within me to give me a new wanter. I like to say it like that, because I didn't want the things
20:06: I used to want. And that's still true today. So God saved me.
20:13: He delivered me. And he began to transform me at 27 when I simply surrendered to him.
20:20: And he's still transforming me today. But I'm not the man I used to be. So, you know, occasionally I'll run into people and they'll try to tell me, well, you know, if you are a drug addict, you're still a drug addict.
20:29: You're still an alcoholic. And I'm like, how can you say that when I've been walking with the Lord 37 years?
20:35: No relapses. And I'm telling you in my heart, I have no desire to want to go back to that kind of life.
20:42: The power of the gospel is the power to set the captive free. I love, I love 2
20:48: Corinthians chapter 5, verse 17. God's word tells us anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person.
20:56: Hallelujah. The old life is gone. A new life has begun. That's what
21:02: Christ offers. That's what God, our creator offers us. A new life, a new beginning.
21:08: We can be born again. And so I know there's people listening right now. You need to hear that message and you don't just need to hear it, but you need to receive it.
21:17: And you need to reckon it to be so, because it is so. It's the truth of the word of God. And that's what God wants to do in our lives.
21:22: He wants to lead us into that place of abundance where we can thrive and not just survive.
21:30: Amen. It's all because of God's grace and God's glory that I'm where I am. Amen. Well, that is a precious story.
21:37: I always love hearing stories like it, especially having gone through a similar journey.
21:43: Although I think it is very, what's the word
21:51: I'm looking for? It is not recommended to say to someone, I know exactly how you feel, because none of us do know exactly how somebody else feels.
22:02: But even though we may have similar experiences in our lives, which is a good platform from which to comfort others with the same comfort with which we have been comforted, as the scriptures say.
22:22: And we can relate to people and have empathy, but at the same time, we should never tell somebody we know exactly how they feel.
22:30: Because even though, for instance, Mike Dixon's experience is very similar to mine, there obviously would be significant differences.
22:40: But I always rejoice hearing the story of someone being redeemed from enslavement, from addiction.
22:49: And we are going to our first commercial break right now. If anybody has a question of your own, send it to Chris Arnzen at gmail .com.
22:58: C -H -R -I -S -A -R -N -Z -E -N at gmail .com. As always, give us your first name, at least your city and state and your country of residence.
23:07: And obviously, if you are asking a personal and private question that would compel you to remain anonymous, we will be more than happy to keep you anonymous when you ask that question.
23:20: And obviously, a topic like this may very likely evoke questions from listeners that are personal and private and would require or at least compel you to remain anonymous.
23:35: But if it's a general question, please give us your first name, at least. City and state and country of residence.
23:41: We'll be right back with Michael Dixon right after these messages. Please don't go away. I'm Pastor Keith Allen of Linbrook Baptist Church, a
24:03: Christ -centered, gospel -driven church looking to spread the gospel in the southwest portion of Long Island, New York, and play our role in fulfilling the
24:11: Great Commission, supporting and sending for the spread of the gospel to the ends of the earth. We're delighted to be a part of Chris Arnzen's Iron Sharpens Iron radio advertising family.
24:22: At Linbrook Baptist Church, we believe the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the inspired
24:27: Word of God, inerrant in the original writings, complete as the revelation of God's will for salvation and the supreme and final authority in all matters to which they speak.
24:39: We believe in salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. This salvation is based upon the sovereign grace of God, was purchased by Christ on the cross, and is received through faith alone, apart from any human merit, works, or ritual.
24:56: Salvation in Christ also results in righteous living, good works, and appropriate respect and concern for all who bear
25:04: God's image. If you live near Linbrook, Long Island, or if you're just passing through on the
25:09: Lord's Day, we'd love to have you come and join us in worship. For details, visit linbrookbaptist .org.
25:16: That's l -y -n -brookbaptist .org. This is Pastor Keith Allen of Linbrook Baptist Church reminding you that by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves.
25:28: It is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast of the
25:34: Lord's blessing and knowledge of himself. I'm Pastor Bill Shishko of The Haven, an
25:49: Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Comac, Long Island. I hold the Iron Sharpens Iron radio program hosted by my long -time friend and brother,
25:59: Chris Arnson, in the highest esteem, and I'm thrilled that you're listening today. I'm also delighted that Iron Sharpens Iron is partnering with one of my favorite resources for Reformed Christian literature for decades now,
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27:36: Greetings, this is Brian McLaughlin, president of the SecureComm group, and supporter of Chris Arnson's Iron Sharpens Iron radio program.
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28:07: But today, I want to introduce you to my senior pastor, Doug McMasters of New High Park Baptist Church on Long Island.
28:21: Doug McMasters here, former director of pastoral correspondence at Grace to You, the radio ministry of John MacArthur.
28:28: In the film Chariots of Fire, the Olympic gold medalist runner Eric Liddell remarked that he felt
28:33: God's pleasure when he ran. He knew his efforts sprang from the gifts and calling of God.
28:40: I sensed that same God -given pleasure when ministering the word and helping others gain a deeper knowledge and love for God.
28:47: That love starts with the wonderful news that the Lord Jesus Christ is a Savior who died for sinners, and that God forgives all who come to him in repentance, trusting solely in Christ to deliver them.
28:59: I would be delighted to have the honor and privilege of ministering to you if you live in the Long Island area or Queens or Brooklyn or the
29:07: Bronx, in New York City. For details on New High Park Baptist Church, visit nhpbc .com.
29:16: That's nhpbc .com. You can also call us at 516 -352 -9672.
29:25: That's 516 -352 -9672. That's New High Park Baptist Church, a congregation in love with each other, passionate for Christ, committed to learning and being shaped by God's word, and delighting in the gospel of God's sovereign grace.
29:44: God bless you. We here at Iron Sharpens Iron Radio praise
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33:48: Well, we're now back with Michael Dixon, and we are talking about offering hope to those enslaved to addiction with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
34:02: And Michael is also the founder and director of Life Ministries, L -I -F -E, whose website is lifeaddictionrecovery .com,
34:16: lifeaddictionrecovery .com. If you have a question, submit it to Chris Arnzen at gmail .com, C -H -R -I -S -A -R -N -Z -E -N at gmail .com.
34:25: As always, give us your first name at least, city and state and country of residence. Only remain anonymous if your question is personal and private.
34:32: Before I go to any listener questions, I would like to ask you, what exactly is it that Life Ministry does, how specifically your ministry conducts meetings and so on, and where exactly are they available?
34:52: And we could go on with every detail that time will allow us to inform our listeners of, so please tell us.
35:03: Yes. Life Ministries, again, began back in 2017 out of Rocky Mount.
35:09: Part of the vision for Life Ministries is to see these chapters reproduced in communities of faith, in churches, and to have these chapters that meet on a weekly basis, not just to offer support to those that are struggling, but the most important thing we do in these chapters is we renew our minds with what
35:28: God says. You know, over and over again in Scripture, we're commanded to renew our minds. Romans 12, verse 2, don't be conformed to the world, be transformed by the renewal of your mind.
35:38: Jesus promised in John 8, 32, would know the truth and the truth would set us free. And so we do that by working through a 40 biblical lesson curriculum.
35:47: And every week as these chapters meet in these different locations, different counties, on different nights during the week, they're working through these 40 lessons.
35:56: It takes about a year for a local chapter to actually complete the 40 lessons in the curriculum in renewing our minds.
36:02: And it's all about what God has to say in the Word of God. So those chapters meet on a weekly basis.
36:08: We offer free meal. It's open free of charge to men and women that will come in to our program.
36:15: We have a time of worship and prayer. And then again, we work through the curriculum together in group study.
36:20: And the curriculum is designed for the student to take their workbook.
36:26: We published the curriculum a few years ago. It's available on amazon .com as well as off our website at lifeaddictionrecovery .com.
36:35: But they're to work through their weekly assignment. And then when they come to the group meeting, that's the topic of discussion in that group meeting.
36:45: And so all the students that come in should have already done the lesson. So they've got input to put in as far as the group discussion is concerned.
36:53: And so we have those weekly chapters. We have Narcan distributions. We keep Narcan on hand for families who have a family member that's struggling and they need to make sure that they've got
37:02: Narcan on hand in case there's an opioid overdose, so they can bring that person back.
37:08: We've also got an incredible ministry to those that are incarcerated. And it's amazing how
37:13: God has taken this part of our ministry and really just done so much in a short period of time.
37:19: We have just recently finished a 42 video curriculum of our 40 lessons that's in the regular curriculum that the chapters use took 42 videos to do it.
37:32: And they have been professionally produced. And so we have the video curriculum now that we just finished like in the last two or three weeks.
37:40: And we produced this video curriculum with the intent for groups to take it, church groups or recovery groups, even individuals.
37:49: And they can take the printed workbook and the video will be a companion to it where I'm teaching through the lesson and they can facilitate the group where I can actually teach the lesson.
37:59: But God has gotten a hold of it and done something unexpected at first and amazing. God has allowed us to join with a couple of companies to have our video curriculum downloaded on the tablets of those that are incarcerated across our nation and our local detention centers, as well as prisons across our nation.
38:20: And at first, we had an agreement with the company and they said, well, we can get our curriculum on 650 ,000 tablets by the end of the year.
38:28: And I was amazed at that and excited about it. So I began to pray about it and I felt like God would have me to set a goal.
38:35: So I thought I was setting a God sized goal when I said, OK, a million, we're going to aim to have our curriculum on a million tablets.
38:41: And Chris, God stepped in and said a million is not the goal and it's not two million. By the middle of next year, we're we're scheduled to be on over three million tablets across our nation of those that are incarcerated.
38:57: Wow. Those that are incarcerated get to check out these tablets free of charge. It doesn't cost them anything. And so our curriculum, we download it on those tablets and they can actually work through it.
39:07: Each one of the lessons, there's the video and then there's the text. And then there's a quiz that I've designed and inputted into the system for each for each lesson.
39:17: And so when they go through all 42 and they successively complete the work, the time and the quizzes, they get a certificate saying that they have successively completed the curriculum for life ministry.
39:29: So when they come up for parole, see all these things help them because they've got all this evidence.
39:35: I've not wasted my time. I've tried to better myself while I've been in here, you know, going through the life curriculum or the other ministries and resources that are also available on their tablets.
39:45: So I'm really excited about that. And that was something that God just kind of stepped in and blew up like an atomic bomb, really, because,
39:53: I mean, we didn't see it coming. That was a short period of time. All this has transpired. So that's something else the ministry does.
39:59: It really has become a strong area of ministry. But we also do referrals.
40:04: We try to connect the dots for people that come in our program. You know, addiction is a complicated monster.
40:11: There's a physical aspect to it, as you well know. There's a mental, emotional aspect to it.
40:17: And there's certainly a spiritual aspect to it. And in life ministries, that's the part that we want to we want to target.
40:23: And we want to minister to the spiritual element or component that that goes along with any kind of addiction that we have.
40:31: And so we want to connect the dots that people need to get into detox. We get them into detox. They need to get into a residential program.
40:38: We have these faith based residential programs that we work with that we partnered with. But, you know, addiction, any type of addiction from a spiritual perspective, brother, is idolatry.
40:51: It's worshiping a false god. Yes. God's created us to worship. And so we're going to worship something or someone.
40:58: And if we don't worship the true God of creation, the God who created us to worship him by default, we're going to worship something else.
41:06: I've even had atheists come to me from time to time and they'll say, oh, I don't even believe there is a God. Well, even an atheist has a
41:13: God. Yeah. Whatever is number one in a person's life becomes that person's God. And that's right. The one true
41:19: God of the Bible, the God of creation, the God who created us to worship him were worshiping a false god.
41:25: And that's idolatry. But the power of the gospel is the power is the power to set those that are captive to idol worship free.
41:34: He's done it for me. He's done it for you, brother. And he can do it for people that are listening right now. Amen. And that is so true.
41:42: One example of how everything that we put on a higher level in our lives than God, that is an idol that we are worshiping, an idol, even if we would never phrase it that way, consider it that way and see it that way.
42:05: That's what we're doing. And one vivid way that happens to put things in perspective is that you have leftists in the political arena who say, you know, you
42:18: Christians have got to keep your religion private and personal and it cannot be interjected into politics.
42:30: We have a separation of church and state in the United States. And by the way, that is not in the
42:37: Constitution. The fact that we will not establish a religion is in the
42:43: Constitution. But there is the separation of church and state comes from Thomas Jefferson writing to Baptists, trying to assure them that this new nation that was planned to be established if all went according to plan, that there would be no persecution of the
43:08: Baptists because of their religion as they were used to the Church of England doing in their past.
43:16: But the leftists will try to convince us that they have the liberty to interject and run their political campaigns and the laws that they seek to get passed.
43:34: They can use their ideology because it's not religion, but that's baloney. Whether they call it a religion or not, it is a religion.
43:46: It's the worship of self. It's the worship of selfishness. It's the worship of all things that God hates, such as the murder of the unborn, such as homosexuality, and everything else that the left stands for.
44:03: And they worship those things even if they don't have a religious ceremony. They are certainly worshiping those things.
44:10: Am I overstating the case in your opinion? No, I agree. I agree. You know, God, the
44:16: Word of God tells us in Romans chapter 6, verse 16, you become a slave to whatever you allow to master you.
44:23: And I think you hit it right on the head, brother, when you said self. And I believe that's the greatest idol in the world today.
44:31: And there's nothing new under the sun. Solomon declared that. Most people worship themselves.
44:37: And so it's their plan, their ego, their pride, their dreams, what they want to accomplish. But God's created us to bring him honor and glory.
44:46: To live an abundant life, you've got to have a right relationship with the creator who created you to worship him.
44:53: One of our first lessons in our curriculum is called Bullseye Living. And it's about a big target.
44:59: If we're aiming, doing practice, target practice, we're aiming for that bullseye. We want to hit that bullseye.
45:05: And I ask people this question. I say, what do you want out of life more than anything else? What are you living for?
45:11: And their answer to that question is going to reveal to me what it is that really has become their God. And for most people, the number one answer has always been all these years
45:20: I've been doing counseling. I just want to be happy. I just want to be happy. So they go through life and they're motivated.
45:27: Every decision they make, every choice that they make is geared towards what they think is going to make them happy.
45:33: Now, there's a lot wrong with that. Number one, we don't know what's going to bring us lasting happiness.
45:39: We don't have enough sense outside of a relationship with God who created us to even know what the answer to that is.
45:44: But our goal in life shouldn't be the personal happiness. You know, Paul wrote in First Corinthians chapter 10, verse 31, whether you eat or drink or whatsoever you do, do all for the glory of God.
45:57: Brother, that's what we're created to do, to bring him honor, to bring him glory. But whatever it is that we begin to submit to, whether it's some manmade religion or whether it's ourselves or whether it's drugs or alcohol or sex or some type of political agenda, if we allow that to master us, we become a slave to that instead of being a servant to the
46:21: God who loves us, the God who died for us, the only one who can deposit in us abundant life and bring us to that place that all of us want to be, that place of fullness.
46:32: You know, we're people of his possession, right? First Peter two, verse nine, people of God's possession created for his glory.
46:42: Amen. Well, we do have a listener question from Clarice in Indianola, Mississippi.
46:54: And Clarice says, do you agree with much of the rhetoric of the 12 step programs that addiction is a disease?
47:07: I think that's an excellent question. And before I even let our guest say that, answer that I should say,
47:15: I personally believe that too many people, well -meaning people, even
47:22: Christian people, use language like that, which undermines the fact that the person guilty of abusing addictive substances is in rebellion to God.
47:39: It makes them viewed as a helpless victim.
47:46: And although I can say, obviously, the abuse of substances leads to disease.
47:54: Your body biologically and chemically becomes dependent very often on these things.
48:01: But I'll have you now give the fuller answer to the question in the way you would answer that.
48:09: Yes, my experience with all the 12 step programs that I have had any contact with are all based on that disease model premise.
48:19: And the big problem with that is it, it gives excuse for the person that's addicted. You know,
48:24: I have yet to meet anybody who started off using drugs or pornography or gambling with the intent of wanting to be addicted.
48:31: At first, they've got control of it. It doesn't take long where that habit becomes a stronghold and that stronghold becomes an addiction and no longer did they have control of it.
48:40: Now it's got control of them. But we've got to take responsibility for our own sin, according to what
48:47: God says. We've got to take responsibility for our own failures, our own mistakes. If we find ourselves caught up in a trap of addiction, when we use the term disease, it kind of alleviates the guilt or the self -responsibility all to take for where I'm at.
49:05: And again, all the 12 step programs I've ever been familiar with are based on that, on that disease model.
49:12: And the sad news in that is the world offers no cure for that disease. They say you've got a disease, but we don't have a cure for it.
49:20: All we can do is put you in therapy for the rest of your life. Or you got to keep working steps, just keep working steps, just keep working steps.
49:27: And really it becomes in my mind, like a hamster on a wheel and he's running, running, running, running, running.
49:33: And all they can offer you, that's it. There's no cure. You're always going to be like you are.
49:38: You just got to keep working harder. You got to stay in therapy. You got to keep, come to as many meetings as you can.
49:44: That's going to be your hope. But God offers us, God offers us eternal hope. Christ tells us, scriptures, it's not by works.
49:53: It's not about me working. It's about God's grace. All I got to do is surrender to him. He loves me more than I could ever imagine.
50:00: And so there's a lot wrong with the disease model. And the main thing that's wrong with it is contrary to what scripture teach about strongholds and addictions.
50:10: Yes. And in fact, the 12 step model, which and please,
50:18: I'm not trying to insult any of our listeners, but there are very well meaning godly Christians who just adopt the 12 steps and put a label on it.
50:30: But the 12 steps do not make sense in some areas.
50:36: Like I'll read a couple of them that don't make sense. The second step says, came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
50:50: And then step three is made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him.
50:59: Well, if you have not been restored to sanity, how are you choosing a god of your own understanding?
51:06: If you're technically insane, that doesn't make any sense.
51:12: And as I told a secular counselor once who asked me why I was so opposed to AA, I said, because you teach the worst form of blasphemy known to man, that people can choose whatever
51:29: God they want to serve. That's that's satanic. Yes, it is.
51:35: It's interesting you say that, brother, because I know this addiction battle that we're in the midst of is satanic.
51:43: It's a spiritual battle that's raging. It's interesting to me in Galatians chapter five verses 19 and through 21, where Paul talks about when you follow the desires of your sinful nature and he uses the word sorcery there in Galatians chapter five.
52:01: And that word sorcery is translated from a Greek word, pharmaceia. It's the same
52:06: Greek word that we get our word pharmacy from. Now, I just think that's interesting that we've got a
52:12: Greek word that can that's translated both ways. Right. Sorcery and pharmacy.
52:18: Now, I'm not saying that all pharmaceutical companies are demonic, but I'm saying the enemy's using this this addiction plague across our land.
52:29: I mean, over 100 ,000, well over 100 ,000 people die every single year in the United States from drug overdoses.
52:37: Preventable. What was the enemy come to do? John chapter 10, verse 10, steal, kill and destroy.
52:44: Amen. The battle is real. And that's what he wants to do. He comes to take all. Amen. Well, we have to go to our midway break right now.
52:52: Please be patient with us as the midway break is a little longer than the other breaks in the show, because Grace Life Radio 90 .1
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01:10:26: Christ -honoring, biblically faithful, theologically sound, doctrinally solid church, no matter where you live in the world,
01:10:33: I may be able to help you find a church that is biblically faithful, as I have done with many people spanning the globe in our audience, sometimes even finding biblically faithful churches for listeners a couple of minutes from where they live, and that may be you too, if you are spiritually homeless, send me an email to chrisarnson at gmail .com,
01:10:55: and put I need a church in the subject line, that's also the email address where you could send in a question to Mike Dixon, and we are talking about offering hope to those enslaved to addictions through the gospel of Jesus Christ, and Michael Dixon is the founder and director of Life Ministries, and their website is lifeaddictionrecovery .com,
01:11:21: lifeaddictionrecovery .com. I do want to clarify something about my comments earlier, although I am very opposed to Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous for a host of reasons,
01:11:38: I do not want to imply that I am besmirching the character and integrity of well -meaning and good and even godly people affiliated with those groups, and I'm not even saying that the entirety of the 12 steps are unbiblical or anti -biblical, like for instance, you have the eighth step that you've made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all, well that reminds me very much of Zacchaeus in the scriptures, who returned even multiple times over what he had defrauded people of, and so you know,
01:12:28: I'm not saying, I'm not trying to trash everything about the 12 steps either, but the system of the
01:12:36: AA and NA meetings, they are, in my opinion,
01:12:42: I believe that the organizations are a cult, because they're offering a false god, whenever you could choose whatever god you want, that's a false god, and they really mimic a religion in almost each and every way, they even pray the
01:12:58: Lord's Prayer at these events, not that praying the Lord's Prayer is wrong, but you're having a false organization that's not
01:13:05: Christian inviting you to pray with them, and it's especially dangerous, even physically dangerous, for women to go to these meetings, especially if they're not accompanied by a man that they know and trust, because there are predators that go to these meetings with the intention of taking advantage of women that they know have addictive problems.
01:13:36: I know of one woman who was raped by contacting Alcoholics Anonymous and meeting with a counselor who raped her, so we have to be very leery of these things,
01:13:49: I would never in a million years counsel somebody to send especially a woman to an
01:13:56: AA or NA meeting, and do you think I'm going over the top here, Michael?
01:14:03: No, I don't, brother, we've had people come in from 12 -step programs into our program, and many times they've shared with us after being involved in a life chapter that they would feel worse after they left a 12 -step program than when they came in, because there was so much talk about the struggle and the temptation, it's so focused on the struggle and not the solution to overcoming the struggle.
01:14:31: Yeah, that's what I loved about Hebron Colony, it was all about the solution. You didn't even hear addiction discussed, it was hearing the word of God preached and taught, and the emphasis and the goal was to lead the lost there to repentance in Christ and salvation, and to lead those who were backslidden to restoration and back to a right relationship with God and the church.
01:15:01: That's what the emphasis was. They didn't allow people to stand up and give horror stories.
01:15:07: Now, there's nothing wrong with a Christian giving his testimony, as I just did last
01:15:13: Sunday night at a church that invited me to do so, and it involves my former addiction, but I gave the answer to that addiction,
01:15:23: I gave the gospel, I told of the triumph of Christ in my life.
01:15:28: So, when you just have somebody giving only the horror story, it can be rightly categorized as glorifying sin.
01:15:37: Right. And I would interject. Go ahead. Right, right, I don't want to interrupt you. The 12 -step programs, they have helped tremendously many, many people stay sober and clean.
01:15:49: Here's the big difference in a strictly biblical approach in dealing with addiction and overcoming addiction, and a 12 -step program that's based on the disease model, is that from a biblical perspective, it's not about helping somebody stay clean and sober.
01:16:03: It's about helping someone get in a right relationship with the God who created them and a God who loves them and a
01:16:09: God who can transform them. That's where the answer is. So, in our life chapters, we don't focus on the struggle.
01:16:15: And I tell our students, you know, I'm not here to help you stay sober and to help you stay clean. I'm here to introduce you to the one who created you and loves you more than you ever imagined.
01:16:25: And when they get rightly related in a right relationship with God, the creator, the Holy Spirit begins to deal with stuff that needs to be dealt with.
01:16:34: Whether it's drug addiction, alcoholism, or lust, or greed, or whatever's going on that person, God's the one who begins to transform that individual.
01:16:43: And so, instead of being focused on the problem, which is the 12 -step, even though, you know, and people tell me all the time, well, 12 -step programs have helped a lot of people.
01:16:51: Yeah, it'll help you as long as you work it, as long as you work the steps. That's what they say, you got to work the steps.
01:16:58: As long as you stay on that little wheel like a little hamster and you keep going and keep going and you exhaust yourself because you think it's about works.
01:17:05: God's way is so much better and so much more freeing. I mean, when I just surrendered that to him and let him do the transforming, and I just need to be focused on following him and loving
01:17:15: Christ, then God does the change that needs to happen. Yes, people have become sober through false religions, through the
01:17:25: Mormon cult, through the
01:17:31: Islam and the nation of Islam. That's how Malcolm X recovered from drug addiction, was through the nation of Islam.
01:17:41: Now, are you going to recommend that people join the nation of Islam? If they would have you, you have to be black.
01:17:48: Are you going to recommend that join there? In fact, it wasn't just Malcolm X.
01:17:54: Apparently, they had an enormous success rate in the inner city and ghettos around the
01:18:02: United States, especially in Chicago and New York.
01:18:08: They had tremendous results. Having results for earthly issues is not the end of the story.
01:18:23: You could be as sober as a judge, as the old saying goes, and still go to hell. Right. Right.
01:18:32: One of the other ways that these groups behave like a cult is you need them to remain sober, just like cults say, you can't go anywhere else.
01:18:46: You got to come to our group, or you will be damned. It's very cultic.
01:18:53: Once again, I'm not intending to offend people with wonderful intentions, people with compassionate hearts, people who have rescued themselves from addiction and have rescued others through these programs from addiction.
01:19:09: I'm not trying to belittle or demean those people. I'm just trying to give my own perspective on this as somebody who has been freed from addiction by the mercy of Christ.
01:19:21: Also, the other thing, and we don't have to continue on our critique of the 12 -step movement,
01:19:30: I am not going to get up in front of a group of people or before even one person and say, my name is
01:19:37: Chris, and I'm an alcoholic. I'm not. I was delivered from my addiction to booze.
01:19:43: I'm not an alcoholic. If somebody was an adulterer before they became a
01:19:51: Christian, or even if they were a Christian that committed adultery but repented, are they supposed to stand up in front of the church every week and say,
01:20:00: I'm Bill, and I'm an adulterer? Why is an addiction something unique and different?
01:20:10: That's right. I believe the Holy Spirit laid this passage. Let me just share 1
01:20:15: Corinthians 6, verse 9. In the context here, of course, God's using the apostle
01:20:20: Paul to write this letter to the church at Corinth. He's writing to believers at Corinth.
01:20:26: Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6, beginning of verse 9, he says,
01:20:32: Don't you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the kingdom of God? Don't fool yourselves.
01:20:38: Those who indulge in sexual sin or who worship idols or commit adultery or are male prostitutes or practice homosexuality or are thieves or greedy people or drunkards, and that word drunkard in our
01:20:54: English Bible really represents all kinds of substance abuse, crackheads, heroin junkies, drug addiction, nor drunkards are the abusive or people that cheat others.
01:21:04: None of these will inherit the kingdom of God. Now, Paul's not saying that quitting those things is going to bring you to heaven.
01:21:11: What Paul was stressing here in the context is if you've met Christ and you've come to salvation, you're not going to stay the person that you were.
01:21:19: And the very next verse is key because it goes on in verse 11, and he says, Some of you were once like that, but you were cleansed, but you were made holy.
01:21:31: You were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the spirit of our
01:21:37: God. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forevermore. That's Hebrews 13 and verse 8.
01:21:45: And so if the Holy Spirit was able to deliver people at Corinth from all these sexual sins and alcoholism, drug addiction, drunkards, that's that word there, from all those things, and Paul says in verse 11,
01:21:59: Some of you once were. Now, I'm not an English major, but I know that's past tense. So Paul's saying you used to be those things, but you're not anymore.
01:22:09: And you've been delivered. You've been delivered by the power of the gospel. You've been made right with God by calling on the name of the
01:22:15: Lord Jesus Christ and by the spirit of our God. That wasn't just for the people at Corinth. That's for us now.
01:22:21: He's not changed and his words not changed. Okay, we have Darnell in East New York, Brooklyn, who has a question.
01:22:33: What is your opinion about using the term alcoholic? Is that really a biblical way to describe an addict to alcohol?
01:22:42: That's a very good question, because even though I use it as a part of modern vernacular, because people know what it means,
01:22:49: I don't prefer that term, because it does sound clinical, and it really falls in line with the disease mentality.
01:23:01: But you tell our listeners what you think about that. That's right. Hey, Darnell in New York, that's a good question.
01:23:08: I don't like that term. In my approach when I'm counseling someone, whether it be with substance abuse issues or whatever the deal may be, is
01:23:15: I want to find out where they are in their relationship with Christ. My approach is either going to be evangelism, to introduce them to Jesus, or discipleship, to help a believer learn to walk in the truth of God.
01:23:28: If you've come to faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, Ephesians 1 and 2 tells you who you are.
01:23:34: You're not a drug addict anymore. You're not an alcoholic anymore. But God says in Ephesians chapter 1, you're loved, you're chosen, you're predestined, you're sealed by the
01:23:42: Holy Spirit, you're forgiven. All those key words, that's who God says that we are. When we use that term alcoholic, it communicates that disease model and what the world says.
01:23:56: There's no hope at the end of the road in the disease model, because the world doesn't have a cure.
01:24:02: We as believers, we know who the cure is. His name is Jesus Christ. He's able to forgive, he's able to deliver, he's able to break chains, he's able to transform, whatever you're dealing with.
01:24:11: So I don't like the term drug addict or alcoholic or alcoholism simply for that reason, even though sometimes
01:24:18: I use them just depending on who I'm speaking with, just so I can communicate the truth of God.
01:24:25: I'm always interjecting the truth of the gospel in that context. And we have an anonymous listener who says, is it not dangerous if you try to get off of an addiction to a drug and maybe even a severe case of alcohol addiction without medical supervision?
01:24:50: Very few drugs are that dangerous in detox.
01:24:56: Now, alcohol is one of the most dangerous drugs there is, in my opinion, even though it's legal, even though it's regulated, even though we've got
01:25:04: ABC stores everywhere. Someone who's addicted to alcohol, they are in danger. They do need clinical detox, medical attention as they go through detox for their own safety.
01:25:18: So some drugs, yes, that's true. Most drugs, that's not true. Interesting.
01:25:25: I would also say that people should not just think that quitting an addiction and not being joined to the body of Christ and becoming a member of a biblically faithful local church and not being under the authority of elders, that is not an option for a
01:25:57: Christian or somebody who wants to spend eternity with Christ. Because as I already said, you can go to hell sober as many multitudes of people will.
01:26:09: There are people who never were drunk. Adolf Hitler, remember, he didn't even drink, although I understand he was a drug addict.
01:26:20: But there were plenty of other reasons he was going to hell. But this whole notion of the maverick lone wolf person who has their own thing going with God, that is a false and dangerous mindset, isn't it?
01:26:39: Exactly. We're not created to be independent creatures. We are dependent. And number one, we're dependent upon God, but we need one another.
01:26:47: I mean, there's the local church. What's the purpose of the local church? For us to come together as broken people through faith in Christ, as brothers and sisters in Christ, to help one another, encourage one another, correct one another when that needs to be.
01:27:00: The local church ought to be the greatest support system that a person has in their life.
01:27:05: I know that's not always the case, but that's what the church ought to be in a person's life.
01:27:11: It shouldn't be AA or life chapter. The greatest support group ought to be the local church they're involved in.
01:27:16: But we need one another. We're dependent whether we want to admit it or not. We need one another. Amen.
01:27:23: And I thought about it. Go ahead. Brother Chris, in the book of Genesis, you know, when God created everything, those six days of creation, you know, he got to the last day and he created man, you know, up to that point,
01:27:37: God had spoken what we call a benediction. You know, God created and the morning and the evening was the first day and God said it was good.
01:27:45: So right on down. That's a benediction is to speak a word of blessing. So God said, it is good.
01:27:50: It is good. It is good until he got to the sixth day and he created man. He didn't speak a benediction.
01:27:56: He spoke a malediction, meaning God didn't look at man after he created him and said, it's good.
01:28:01: You know what he said? He said, it's not good. What's not good? He said, it's not good that man should be alone.
01:28:08: And so God created woman to be his help me and to be his companion. Yeah, I believe from the very first of the
01:28:13: Bible, God's communicating to us that we need one another. We're not created to be the lone ranger. Amen.
01:28:20: And we have a question from Tilly in Berwyn, Illinois. Tilly says, how old should a child be living under your roof before you remove them from the household for refusing to seek help for their addiction?
01:28:39: And should that always be the rule in regard to children under your roof who are addicts?
01:28:48: Mm -hmm. Thank you, Tilly, for asking that question. That's a difficult one.
01:28:54: My heart goes out to Tilly because I'm sure there's some personal reason why she's asking that question.
01:29:02: You know, I tell parents, you got to get to a place if your child is addicted, they need help, obviously.
01:29:10: And there's a term that James Dobson used to like to use a lot, tough love. Even though you don't want to have to exercise that, sometimes you have to.
01:29:19: And whether it's Teen Challenge or wherever, you can find a good faith -based program that that child can get into.
01:29:26: There's a lot of variables that I don't know in trying to answer this question, like what type of addiction is it, exactly what's going on with the child and all of that.
01:29:36: And there's not really a magic number that I'd say at this age, you know, you need to tell the child, the child needs to get out of your home.
01:29:47: You know, I just have to interject here from my own personal experience, not as a resident of Teen Challenge, but an observer with a young man that I had placed there, a heroin addict.
01:30:08: Unfortunately, and now I cannot say this with certainty with all chapters of Teen Challenge, but the one that I became very familiar with began, after years of not doing this, they began to accept government funding.
01:30:24: And they were required to send their residents, I think it may have even been weekly, to a secular psychologist off campus.
01:30:37: And this woman was telling this young man, you got to leave those Christian nut jobs that, you know, they're not going to help you.
01:30:45: It was so counterproductive. He eventually, and he eventually left prematurely and almost died after a heroin overdose.
01:30:54: He actually literally died and was revived by an EMT responder.
01:31:02: And also, one other thing, and I don't want to unnecessarily insult my charismatic and Pentecostal brethren, but this particular young man was also harassed by Pentecostals there and charismatics to speak in tongues because without their understanding of the
01:31:28: Holy Spirit, he would never get off of his addiction. And it was something that was an ongoing thing, you know, mental manipulation and harassment and the belittling of him for not believing in that modern day sign gift.
01:31:51: So I just wanted to throw that out there since you did bring up Teen Challenge. And I'm not throwing Teen Challenge under the bus.
01:31:57: And as I said, I don't even know if all chapters would have those things as problems.
01:32:05: That's news to me. I've never encountered that with Teen Challenge. So, I mean, it may vary from area to area or group to group.
01:32:13: But, you know, the counsel I would give a parent is find out what resources are available. You know, one thing we do in our life chapters is, you know, we invite the parent to come with, especially if it's a minor, the parent should come with the minor.
01:32:26: But we also encourage our students, you can bring somebody with you as support. So, again, that may be, but, you know, the parent needs to find out what's available in their area and take advantage of that as far as getting ministry for their child who's struggling under addiction, whether that means the mom and dad going to the group meetings with the child.
01:32:49: And we do have another listener question, an anonymous one.
01:32:58: What are, in practical terms, the typical conversations you would have when you're approaching someone whom you discovered has an addiction that they themselves has not revealed to anyone and you found out about it nonetheless?
01:33:18: Mm -hmm. Okay. Well, in love, I've got a responsibility as a believer to confront that person about their sin.
01:33:26: The first thing I want to come to a realization or understanding, does this person understand they've got a problem?
01:33:32: Do they understand this is a problem? They've got an addiction that they're struggling and that it's a negative, ungodly situation in life.
01:33:41: So, have they come to that place of understanding? You know, I lead those that are especially addicted to drugs and alcohol to begin to see their addiction truthfully.
01:33:53: And what I mean by that is instead of just seeing it in the instant of temptation, like something that's going to bring me pleasure, something's going to help me relax or something that's going to bring me comfort, they got to see past that to realize what the results are going to be.
01:34:07: What are the negative consequences for you using in the past? And what
01:34:13: I would do in counseling with someone like this is to help them see through whatever that addiction is going on in their lives.
01:34:19: And actually, I give an assignment where they go through and they make a list of the negative consequences of their addiction, whether it's health or money issues or being in trouble or whatever it might be.
01:34:30: And so, in that moment of temptation, they can begin to see through the lies because that's really what's going on.
01:34:37: You know, Jesus said in John chapter eight that our enemy is a liar and he's the father of all liars.
01:34:44: And in John 8, 32, Jesus said, the truth is what's going to set you free. A truth sets us free.
01:34:50: A lie puts us in bondage. So, this individual that's sitting in front of me, I found out that they've got an addiction that's destroying them and leading them away from God.
01:35:00: I want to help them understand you've got a problem here. Admit it. I mean, that's the first step.
01:35:06: First, John 1, 9, you've got to admit and confess your sin. God says, I'll forgive you. And so, they've got to come to the plate where they understand
01:35:12: I've got a problem and I want to help them be prepared to begin to see through the lies that the enemy puts before them to understand that whatever the addiction is, it's not the answer.
01:35:25: It's not going to bring anything good in the end. It's not going to bring you what it promises to bring you because it's idolatry.
01:35:32: It's a false god. Well, we have to go to our final commercial break right now. And if you do have a question, please submit it immediately because we're rapidly running out of time.
01:35:42: ChrisArnson at gmail .com. ChrisArnson at gmail .com. Don't go away. We're going to be right back after these messages from our sponsors.
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01:43:33: That's L -Y -N -Brookbaptist .org. This is Pastor Keith Allen of Lindbrook Baptist Church reminding you that by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves.
01:43:46: It is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
01:43:51: The Lord bless you in the knowledge of himself. Puritan Reformed is a
01:43:57: Bible -believing, kingdom -building, devil -fighting church. We are devoted to upholding the apostolic doctrine and practice preserved in Scripture alone.
01:44:07: Puritan Reformed teaches men to rule and lead as image -bearing prophets, priests, and kings.
01:44:14: We teach families to worship together as families. Puritan is committed to teaching the whole counsel of God, so that the earth will be filled with the knowledge of God as the waters cover the sea.
01:44:27: We sing the Psalms, teach the law, proclaim the gospel, make disciples, maintain discipline, and exalt
01:44:33: Christ. This is Pastor David Reese of Puritan Reformed in Phoenix, Arizona.
01:44:39: Join us in the glorious cause of advancing Christ's crown and covenant over the kings of the earth.
01:44:46: Puritan Reformed Church. Believe. Build. Fight. PuritanPHX .com
01:45:09: Greetings. This is Brian McLaughlin, president of the SecureComm Group and supporter of Chris Arnzen's Iron Shopping Zion radio program.
01:45:20: SecureComm provides the highest level of security systems for residential buildings, municipalities, churches, commercial properties, and much more.
01:45:31: We can be reached at securecommgroup .com. That's securecommgroup .com.
01:45:40: But today, I want to introduce you to my senior pastor, Doug McMasters of New High Park Baptist Church on Long Island.
01:45:53: Doug McMasters here, former director of pastoral correspondence at Grace to You, the radio ministry of John MacArthur.
01:46:00: In the film Chariots of Fire, Olympic gold medalist runner Eric Liddell remarked that he felt
01:46:06: God's pleasure when he ran. He knew his efforts sprang from the gifts and calling of God.
01:46:12: I sensed that same God -given pleasure when ministering the word and helping others gain a deeper knowledge and love for God.
01:46:20: That love starts with the wonderful news that the Lord Jesus Christ is a savior who died for sinners and that God forgives all who come to Him in repentance, trusting solely in Christ to deliver them.
01:46:32: I would be delighted to have the honor and privilege of ministering to you if you live in the Long Island area or Queens or Brooklyn or the
01:46:39: Bronx in New York City. For details on New High Park Baptist Church, visit nhpbc .com.
01:46:48: That's nhpbc .com. You can also call us at 516 -352 -9672.
01:46:58: That's 516 -352 -9672. That's New High Park Baptist Church, a congregation in love with each other, passionate for Christ, committed to learning and being shaped by God's word and delighting in the gospel of God's sovereign grace.
01:47:26: Chris Arnzen here. I am forever grateful to Cumberland Valley Bible Book Service for their generous financial support of Iron Sharpens Iron Radio, but that's not the only reason
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01:48:22: IRON. That's CVBBS .com. Enriching minds and maintaining the theologically reformed influence of Iron Sharpens Iron Radio through their financial support.
01:48:35: Now shipping worldwide. And please don't forget, folks, that Iron Sharpens Iron Radio is paid for in part by my very dear longtime friend
01:48:47: Daniel P. Buttafuoco, attorney at law of the law firm of Buttafuoco and Associates.
01:48:53: If you're the victim of a very serious personal injury anywhere in the United States or perhaps the victim of medical malpractice also anywhere in the
01:49:03: United States, please call my dear friend Dan Buttafuoco at 1 -800 -NOW -HURT, 1 -800 -NOW -HURT or visit his website 1 -800 -NOW -HURT .com,
01:49:13: 1 -800 -NOW -HURT .com. Please tell Dan Buttafuoco of Buttafuoco and Associates that you heard about him and his law firm from Chris Arnzen of Iron Sharpens Iron Radio.
01:49:25: I'd also like to remind you about my former church on Long Island before I moved to Pennsylvania, Grace Reform Baptist Church of Long Island in Merrick, New York.
01:49:36: They are conducting the Courageous Marriage Seminar on Friday and Saturday, August 23rd and 24th, and you are invited to attend.
01:49:47: The keynote speaker is bestselling author Dr. Joe Rigney, and he's also newly installed on the faculty at New St.
01:49:58: Andrews College in Moscow, Idaho. If you'd like to register for this
01:50:03: Courageous Marriage Conference, Friday and Saturday, August 23rd and 24th, go to the
01:50:10: Grace Reform Baptist Church of Long Island website, which is gracereformbaptistchurch .org,
01:50:17: gracereformbaptistchurch .org. We're now back with Michael Dixon, and we have been discussing his ministry,
01:50:27: Life Ministries, which can be found at lifeaddictionrecovery .com,
01:50:32: lifeaddictionrecovery .com. And let me take another listener question before we have you put your own thoughts in.
01:50:44: Let's see. We have Ralphie in Lacey Mark, Florida, and Ralphie wants to know, how do you think average
01:50:59: Christian churches most often fail when it comes to providing rescue and help for those addicted?
01:51:10: Thank you, Ralphie, for this question. I have served as senior pastor for the last 32 years across the state of North Carolina.
01:51:18: This question really is near to my heart, because so many churches fail in ministering to those that come into their congregation that are different, really, in any way, but especially those that are addicted that come in, are homeless.
01:51:32: And the way that they fail is they fail to just love them, just be there, just show the love of Christ. Shower them with grace.
01:51:39: I think a lot of churches are afraid when it comes to addiction recovery ministries, because if you've not been through it, it's hard to understand.
01:51:47: It's hard to understand why somebody didn't just quit drinking, why somebody didn't just stop using. And it doesn't work that way.
01:51:54: There's a bondage. There's a stronghold. But if you've not walked through that struggle, it's hard to identify.
01:52:00: And I think in churches, for the most part, the majority of people in our churches haven't walked through that valley.
01:52:09: Those things you don't understand, you tend to be afraid of. So I think for maybe far too long, our churches have just kind of backed away from even addressing the issue.
01:52:19: We ought to have more Bible -believing churches that are on the front lines in fighting this demonic warfare of addiction and stop being afraid that we don't have the answer.
01:52:30: We do have the answer. You've got everything that you need to show Christ to anybody that's struggling.
01:52:35: And that struggle could be any number of things. So I think the church just needs to be more receptive, more of a place of grace.
01:52:45: And I know some churches do a better job than other churches at this and just loving on those that come in.
01:52:51: Listen to them. Sit down with them. Show them that you really care. And always, always, always point them to the
01:52:58: Savior because that's where their answer is going to come from. Well, I want to make sure before we run out of time that you provide our listeners with some important points, as it were, before we run out of time.
01:53:14: I want you to have a few minutes uninterrupted with the things that are most burdening your heart and mind about this topic.
01:53:23: Thank you, Chris. And I want to thank you for the invitation to be back on this program even after a few years of being on it before.
01:53:30: I'm thankful for you, brother, and your voice of truth in this world. If there's pastors that are listening right now, church leaders, and you're interested in starting an addiction recovery program,
01:53:41: I'd love to talk to you. If you'd reach out to me, you can go to our website and reach out to me through the website. My cell number is on there.
01:53:47: You can call me if you prefer, send me an email, whatever. But I'd love to talk to you about maybe the burden that God's placed on your heart to start a life chapter or addiction recovery program.
01:53:57: I'm also a licensed clinical addiction specialist on the associate level in the state of North Carolina.
01:54:03: And while that's a secular license, God's used it to open doors for me that normally
01:54:08: I wouldn't get an invitation to go into certain places. And my approach is always the same. It's God who's delivered me, and it's
01:54:15: God who's able to deliver those that are struggling. To all our listeners, again, I want to encourage you to check out our website at lifeaddictionrecovery .com.
01:54:24: We've also got a Facebook page. It's LIFE, in all caps, MINISTRIES. And you can find us on Facebook.
01:54:30: But we've got a lot of resources on our website and our Facebook page. They can order the curriculum right through the website.
01:54:37: They can get other resources as well. These faith -based residential programs that Brother Chris and I, you and I have spoken of briefly in this broadcast, they're listed on there under Resources.
01:54:47: You can find the contact information and reach out to those as well. And maybe the Lord's burdened your heart to support one of those ministries or to support
01:54:56: LIFE Ministries. You can give right off of our website as well. We've also got a podcast, if you'd like to listen to podcasts.
01:55:04: It's called Casting Down Idols, and you can listen to that on iTunes or whatever podcast host you'd like to listen to,
01:55:12: Casting Down Idols. I'm also available for speaking engagements. If we have pastors that would like to extend an invitation for me to come,
01:55:20: I would be glad to do that if that would work out. But to everybody listening right now, the main thing that I wanted to do on this program is to communicate hope, the hope of the gospel.
01:55:32: There's so much despair and discouragement in our world and so many lives that we're bombarded with.
01:55:38: We need to go back to what's true. And what's true is what God says in the canon of Scripture. You can trust what
01:55:43: God says. And God says there's no situation you might find yourself in that's hopeless. With Him, there's always hope.
01:55:50: All things are possible through Christ Jesus. So I want to encourage you. There's probably some listening, and you've got a loved one that's struggling under addiction.
01:55:59: And you're like, what should I do? Well, don't give up. Don't give up. You can go to our Facebook page or our website.
01:56:05: My mother helped us produce a video where she talks about, from a mother's perspective, what she did to help her through all those years that I was in active addiction.
01:56:16: Don't give up. Put your faith in Christ. Get plugged into a strong support system.
01:56:21: Number one, a Bible -believing church. But then find Bible -based addiction recovery programs like a
01:56:28: Life Chapter that you can get plugged in. That can help you, but you can also minister to those around you as well.
01:56:34: So take advantage of the resources God has placed around you. And again, if I can help you in any way, feel free to reach out to me.
01:56:42: Send me an email. I would love to talk to you further. If I can minister to you in some way.
01:56:48: Thank you, Chris. Could you repeat the locations of your Life Ministries chapters?
01:56:54: Oh, yes. Currently, we've got active weekly Life Chapters that meet in Edgecombe County.
01:57:01: That was actually our original chapter started in 2017. We've got one in Nash County. I lead the one here in Pitt County because I live in Pitt County.
01:57:09: So I actually oversee and attend that weekly meeting. We've got a weekly chapter in Craven County, in Gaston County.
01:57:17: That's more towards the western part of the state. We've got a couple of brand new chapters getting ready to start up in the next month or two.
01:57:24: One's here in Greenville, North Carolina. Another one, I just talked to a pastor today. He wants to start one in Lenore County.
01:57:32: That's not too far from Pitt County, Kenston, North Carolina, and that area. And those chapters meet every single week.
01:57:38: But all that information is on our website, and it's changing constantly. We've got new chapter startups going on, but it's hard to keep printed information updated.
01:57:47: That's how quickly things are changing. But we keep our website updated. So, again, that's lifeaddictionrecovery .com.
01:57:53: You can go there, and you can find out where the locations are, addresses, phone numbers, times that they meet, all that information is on that website.
01:58:01: And I'm assuming, let's say somebody in Washington State or California, they want to start a life ministries chapter outside of North Carolina.
01:58:11: Would you be able to provide the guidance and so forth, how that could actually happen?
01:58:18: Excellent. Thank you, Chris. We actually have a leadership team that goes in with the churches that are wanting to start an addiction recovery program.
01:58:25: And we do workshops. We train the team, and so they can kick off their life chapter on the right footing, on a strong biblical foundation.
01:58:35: Long distance, we can work that out. I mean, my team would be glad if expenses were taken care of for us to go personally.
01:58:42: But we can do that long distance. I mean, we can do that through a Zoom call, or we can do that through videos to give instruction to the team.
01:58:51: The most important thing is being true to the word of God, because that's what's going to set the captive free.
01:58:58: And so anybody listening, wherever you're at, if you're on the other side of the world, reach out to me. We can work it out.
01:59:04: I'll help you get an addiction recovery program started where you are, wherever that might be.
01:59:10: And, again, the website is lifeaddictionrecovery .com, lifeaddictionrecovery .com.
01:59:16: And for those who are requiring a residential setting for reaching recovery and sobriety,
01:59:25: I highly recommend hebroncolony .org, hebroncolony .org in Boone, North Carolina, where I personally was restored to sobriety after falling into the hellish pit of addiction.
01:59:41: After 18 years of sobriety, after becoming a Christian, backslid into that damning practice.
01:59:47: Well, I want to thank you so much, Michael, for being my guest. I look forward to your return. And I want you all to always remember for the rest of your lives,