Something to consider...

Church is not only a place for Christians to worship God and have fellowship. It should also be a safe haven for the broken-hearted, the lonely and the depressed to be ministered to with Christ-like empathy and compassion. Churches offer many excellent programs and ministries, but the life-threatening problem of substance abuse and addiction is often treated like a shame issue that no one wants to address. Jesus isn’t afraid of sin; the Church is. We need to recognize the fact that He not only has the solution to this problem, He is the solution!

Teaching our children and adolescents at home about illegal drugs and the consequences of abusing them is a vital first step in prevention, but churches need to be involved as well. Youth pastors should be encouraged to teach Bible-based classes about the danger of experimenting with inhalants, alcohol, illegal drugs and prescription painkillers. Helping our children to develop their unique talents and interests in sports, art, music and the like is always positive. If we want our young people to spend their free time in quality after-school programs, we need to invest our time and resources in youth programs that are fun and stimulating. If we don’t offer the youth fun projects at church, how can we expect them not to get involved with what the world offers?

When ministers avoid preaching about sin and difficult subjects, like drug addiction and alcohol dependency, their parishioners may easily assume that since their pastor doesn’t talk openly about this offensive subject, it must not really be a problem that concerns their church. Nevertheless, Christians are just as susceptible as non-believers to become dependent on alcohol, prescription pain medication, marijuana or illicit street drugs. While we say and do nothing, individual lives, marriages and families are being destroyed.

One of the Church’s strongest assets is the mature Christian. The believer, who has a solid relationship with the Lord, can have an immeasurable positive influence on the recovering addict through mentoring, discipling and by holding the recovering person accountable. There is also a need for men and women to start and lead more Christ-centered, Bible-based support groups and programs, where individuals in recovery can receive total acceptance and discover that, through Jesus Christ, it is possible to live drug-free and sober. The CSABC manual in the introduction on this page is available for free to download. It has a lot of information about substance abuse including preventative measures and a chapter on how to start a support group that includes contact information for resources.

In Galatians 6:1 NIV, we are told that “If someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.”

Within the Church, as in the world, the entrapment of substance abuse, like sin, thrives in secrecy. Its power over the addict starts to shrink when the issue of substance abuse is openly addressed.