Page 6 - Overcoming Addiction

Introduction

he Son of God spent most of His time upon this earth ministering to those
Twhom the religious crowd sought to avoid. He did not go to the rich and
powerful. He rarely was found in the homes of esteemed members of society. No,
the Son of God went to the outcasts. He spent time with the prostitutes, the
impoverished, with those enslaved to sin. Those who were religious criticized
Him for this, but His answer reveals that their hearts were not aligned with the
heart of God.

Matthew 9:10-13
And it happened that as He was reclining at the table in the house, behold
many tax-gatherers and sinners came and were dining with Yahshua and
His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples,
"Why is your Teacher eating with the tax-gatherers and sinners?"But when
He heard this, He said, "It is not those who are healthy who need a
physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means, 'I
desire compassion, and not sacrifice,'for I did not come to call the
righteous, but sinners."

The church is referred to as “the body of Christ.” In effect, those born again
of the Spirit of Christ become His hands, His feet, His mouth, His ears, etc.. As
His body, these individual members are to continue the work that Christ began
when He walked in bodily form on this earth. He still walks this earth, continuing
His ministry through His sons and daughters.
A tragic thing has occurred in the churches of God. Christ’s body has lost its
connection to its Head. It has largely become self-directed, and due to this it is
failing to act as Christ desires. Rather than reaching out to the lost, rather than
going to the sick and the sinners, she has turned her focus upon her own
entertainment and a pursuit of worldly success. Just visit any Christian bookstore
today and observe how many of the best selling Christians books are focused
upon ‘Becoming a Better You,’ or ‘Achieving Success, Prosperity, Health and
Blessings.’ Then look as hard as you will and see if you can find a best selling
Christian book on ministering to sinners, and healing the morally and spiritually
sick of society.
There are some in the church who realize that the body of Christ has strayed
from the will of her Savior and Lord. Some are convicted as they read the Gospels
and the Acts of the apostles, noting that the church today is not reaching out to
the despised and rejected members of society as Yahshua and His disciples did. I
was often convicted of this as a young man growing up in the church. I remember
thinking upon this on a number of occasions.
Like a great number of those raised in the Church in the West today, I was
brought up in a good home in a middle income family. I grew up in the suburbs.
My friends, and those I associated with, had similar lives. I did not rub shoulders
with prostitutes, alcoholics, drug addicts, the homeless and poor. Because I did
not know any people like this, I adopted a mindset of fear toward them.