Earlier this week I gave my testimony at the Elder meeting.
I don’t consider my testimony to be the most exciting thing. I can’t put a finger on a date when I became a Christian. As far back as I can remember, I remember knowing that Jesus was my Savior and that He died for me. I’ve been a Christian for as long as I can remember, and God has graciously spared me from a lot of hurt.
I don’t have some amazing story of being saved from a life of drugs, alcohol, or promiscuity, but when I share my story, I’ve come to love sharing the low point in my past when I was addicted to pornography. It reminds me of how great God’s love and grace are. It has also allowed me to receive confessions from brothers who are entangled in porn, and to walk with them in steps to recovery.
After sharing that part of my story at the Elder meeting, one of the Elders asked me how I found freedom from that battle.
For me, it was a number of things.
Memorizing Scripture was a huge part of my road to recovery. Prayer was vital! Accountability from my brothers in Christ was essential. And the road to freedom felt like it started with my confession to my brothers in Christ. For about a year it was a secret sin. No one knew that I was struggling with it. I hid it, and I was ashamed.
My experience has shown me that there are men and women all around me with hidden struggles with things like pornography, alcoholism, or depression.
Maybe that’s someone you know.
Maybe that’s you.
Shame and guilt are heavy, and the sin remains hidden. You feel alone in your struggles, and you feel hopeless and stuck.
Like me, without a community of believers holding you accountable, encouraging you, pointing you to truth, and praying for you, you will probably remain stuck.
If this is you or someone you know, I want to share some encouragement with you.
We are starting a new small group called Restore that is focused on recovery. We’ve got a good team forming, we’ve got great curriculum lined up, we are praying hard, and we are planning to kick off on Friday night, February 5th in the Fireside Room at 6:30pm.
If you know someone that could use this group, please let them know. If this is you, I beg you to come and participate in this group. There is freedom in Christ. There are others that are struggling, and there is strength in walking together through these struggles.
If God has brought you through a struggle like this, or you have a passion for working with a recovery ministry, we’d love to have you join the Restore team.
Our prayer is that this would grow from a small group for our own church family into a ministry that opens up to our community, but we still need more volunteers before we reach that point.
I’m so excited for how this will reach and serve our community. Thank you for prayerfully considering being involved with this group!
I love you church, and I’m looking forward to Sunday!
–Pastor Kyle
