Celebrate Recovery is a healing program. And that is awesome, because it opens the door for people with a variety of backgrounds. You might not now but treatment comes in so many varieties. Many people have heard about the classic AA 12-step program. It has been around for nearly a century and it works. Many lives have been saved through the step-model. However, for some there is a void in the language that is used.
There is something missing when in comes to God, the saving power of Jesus Christ, and the ministry of the Holy Spirit, . Some Christians want more Jesus and Scripture teaching incorporated in their recovery. Celebrate Recovery takes the original 12-step model and copies it with one change –they relate everything back to the Bible and God’s word. In fact many of the founding principles of recovery are given by Christ in his most famous message, the Sermon on the Mount. In other words combining the love of God and Sobriety makes for a naturally successful outcome. Awesome!
The Celebrate Recovery Program is available to all ages.
Here are the seven unique features of Celebrate Recovery:
- Celebrate Recovery is based on God’s Word, the Bible. When Jesus taught the Sermon on the Mount, he began by stating eight ways to be happy. Today we call them the Beatitudes. From a conventional viewpoint, most of these statements don’t make sense. They sound like contradictions. But when you fully understand what Jesus is saying, you’ll realize these eight principles are God’s road to recovery, wholeness, growth, and spiritual maturity.
- Celebrate Recovery is forward-looking. Rather than wallowing in the past or dredging up and rehearsing painful memories over and over, Celebrate Recovery focuses on the future. Regardless of what has already happened, the solution is to start making wise choices now and depend on Christ’s power to help make those changes.
- Celebrate Recovery emphasizes personal responsibility. Instead of playing the “accuse and excuse” game of victimization, this program helps people face up to their own poor choices and deal with what they can do something about. We cannot control all that happens to us, but we can control how we respond to everything. That is a secret of happiness. When we stop wasting time fixing the blame, we have more energy to fix the problem. When we stop hiding our own faults and stop hurling accusations at others, then the healing power of Christ can begin working in our mind, will, and emotions.
- Celebrate Recovery emphasizes spiritual commitment to Jesus Christ. The third principle calls for people to make a total surrender of their lives to Christ. Lasting recovery cannot happen without this step. Everybody needs Jesus. Celebrate Recovery is thoroughly evangelistic in nature. In fact, the first time I took our entire church through this program, more than 500 people prayed to receive Christ on a single weekend. It was an amazing spiritual harvest. And during the 10-week series that I preached to kick off this program, our attendance grew by more than 1,500! Don’t be surprised if this program becomes the most effective outreach ministry in your church. Today, nearly seventy-three percent of the people who’ve been through Celebrate Recovery have come from outside our church. Changed lives always attract others who want to be changed.
- Celebrate Recovery utilizes the biblical truth that we need each other in order to grow spiritually and emotionally. It is built around small group interaction and the fellowship of a caring community. There are many therapies, growth programs, and counselors today that operate around one-to-one interaction. But Celebrate Recovery is built on the New Testament principle that we don’t get well by ourselves. We need each other. Fellowship and accountability are two important components of spiritual growth. If your church is interested in starting small groups, this is a great way to get started.
- Celebrate Recovery addresses all types of habits, hurts, and hang-ups. Some recovery programs deal only with alcohol or drugs or another single problem. But Celebrate Recovery is a “large umbrella” program under which a limitless number of issues can be dealt with. At Saddleback Church, only one out of three who attend Celebrate Recovery is dealing with alcohol or drugs. We have several other specialized groups too.
- Finally, Celebrate Recovery is a leadership factory. Because it is biblical and church-based, Celebrate Recovery produces a continuous stream of people moving into ministry after they’ve found recovery in Christ. Eighty-five percent of the people who’ve gone through the program are now active members of Saddleback Church, and an amazing forty-two percent are now using their gifts and talents serving the Lord in some capacity in our church.
Celebrate Recovery is found at churches not hospitals
Celebrate Recovery offers meeting at churches across the nation – there is no cost.
Keep in mind this is a fellowship not a medical program. If you are addicted to drugs or suffer from alcoholism you need to get professional help. You may also need a medical detox. If you are unsure where you belong in that process, simply give us a call and we will provide a custom plan.
The bottom line is that you can use your existing foundation of faith to get you started with recovery. Many God worshiping folks (even a few us here at No Cost Rehab) felt that our faith should be the single answer to our drug problems. We suffered guilt because we felt we weren’t doing enough praying and worship. It’s time to end that guilt. Addiction is formally classified as a disease. You wouldn’t feel bad about yourself for mot being able to pray away your heart condition or diabetes.
I urge you to take that leap of faith and give us a ring. Whatever your religious beliefs, we will find you a rehab or treatment program to change your life around. For example, at one treatment center, that I am familiar with, they offer two programs – faith-based and traditional 12-step. “Clients may choose the Christian or Traditional program, whichever is most comfortable for them. They may change programs at any time during their treatment. Groups that address the medical or physical basis of addiction are blended, while those groups dealing with life skills, spiritual skills and psychotherapy are separated.”
As you might already know, sobriety is a life-long process. Celebrate Recovery provides a wonderful fellowship and on-going healing program. The good news is that there are meeting all around the country and you can give one a try. The only thing you have to lose is about an hour of your time. I fact, you can just check the book out from the library. Here are some experience shared from the readers.
I am a member of Celebrate Recovery and we have been watching the videos and listening to the CD’s of this series. This book goes much more indepth. So far I have only worked through the second chapter, but already I am feeling the impact of this life changing message. John Baker writes from his heart and his own personal experience in a very lovable and easy to understand fashion. It’s so encouraging to know I am not alone on my journey of recovery! There’s very emotional testimonies from people who have experienced a lot of pain from others and self inflicted pain that have found healing as a result of working through the 8 principles. I highly recommend this book if you are ready to make the choice to look at your issues and start on the road to healing.
This book would be the equivalent to AA’s “Big Book” only in Celebrate Recovery we know our Higher Power is Jesus Christ! There is no true healing without Christ. He is the Great Physician and Counselor!
That was an experience from a woman who attends the fellowship meetings. Here is some experience from someone who used the book as a stand-alone tool.
Let me say from the start that I love Celebrate Recovery and the ministry of John Baker. I have seen the most incredible life change in people’s lives through the Biblical teaching of Celebrate Recovery. Not everyone is going to take a look at Celebrate Recovery in person, but they might be willing to read a book at home. I think that as start reading and they start seeing what is possible, they will want all that is being offered to them here.
I know that during times of anger, depression, stresses that the verses that used with this program have helped me, and helped me grow in my relationship with God. I don’t care what a problem is that people are struggling with, it is a great tool, to help everyone with their hurts, habits and hangups.
Have you had any experience with Celebrate Recovery? We would love to hear about. Jump on the chat window or pick up the phone.
