CFPC at City Gospel Mission
During the past few weeks, the Covenant-First Presbyterian Church (CFPC) team members serving at City Gospel Mission have had some dynamic conversations as doors have opened for ministry. Through these conversations we’ve heard about hardships but we’ve also heard about how God is transforming men and women through a relationship with Jesus Christ. We’ve been able to share the Gospel with men and women who are trapped in addictions and looking for help.
Personal, one-on-one ministry can be challenging especially when it crosses cultural barriers. Edward T. Welch, in his book Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave, points out for many of us the culture of addiction is foreign. Perhaps you’ve had an opportunity to have a conversation with someone facing the slavery of sin in a way that is different from your experience. Maybe you’ve searched your mind for the right words to say, realizing that this type of conversation has many challenges.
In Addictions, Welch helps navigate these challenges by shedding the light of scripture on addictions, relating them to the way the Bible describes idols. He points out that common language has shifted from referring to addictions being like a disease to being a disease. Welch asserts that addictions have some things in common with diseases but that we need more lenses with which to view addictions so we can see all of the issues that come with them.
In one illustration, Welch shows idols in the Bible are more than carved statues, they are also possessions, habits, desires that replace the worship of God in our lives. In 1 John, the letter closes with a warning to “guard yourselves from idols,” but the in this letter John never mentions observable, physical idols. “Instead, in keeping with the theme of idols of the heart, it speaks of ‘the cravings of sinful man, the lust of the eyes, and the boasting of what he has and does’(2:16). John is concerned about the pernicious, unseen Baals that are constructed more by the heart than the hands” (p. 48-49).
As we develop a clearer picture of addiction we can better speak the gospel into the lives of those we meet.
If you are looking for reading material about addiction recovery and how to serve those who may be in the various stages of addiction, I highly recommend the book Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave by Edward Welch. The book is available through the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation. I also recommend the Help and Hope podcast available on iTunes.
Please pray for the CFPC team that serves monthly and the guests at City Gospel Mission. The following guide may help you as you pray:
Prayer concerns for City Gospel Mission
Every day City Gospel Mission serves over 200 meals, that’s over 200 opportunities every day to engage someone who needs comfort, healing, faith, transformation and sanctification.
For the guests of City Gospel Mission, pray that God will:
- Heal the pain, grief, sickness and sin
- Give grace, faith, peace and mercy
- Sanctify them to himself
- Transform where there are addictions, suffering, and poverty
Pray that through the suffering and needs that these guests may be facing, they will discover the call of God to come to him, that they would have ears to hear and eyes to see the truth of the Gospel and the Salvation that comes only through Jesus Christ.
Pray that they would come to know themselves as God sees them.
Pray that those who are suffering would come to know God and all of the things he wants them to learn through their suffering, including dependence on God and endurance in faith. That they would develop proven character that produces hope from God.
Pray for the all the volunteers that they would have the courage to speak the truth in love.
Finally, pray for our team that serves at the mission the 3rd Tuesday of each month. Pray that God will prepare us for those we will talk with. That we will not be distracted by the work of food preparation and serving, so that we see people’s real needs and that we can incarnate Christ through the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our conversations.
During the past few weeks, the Covenant-First team members serving at City Gospel Mission have had some dynamic conversations as doors have opened for ministry. Through these conversations we’ve heard about hardships but we’ve also heard about how God is transforming men and women through a relationship with Jesus Christ. We’ve been able to share the Gospel with men and women who are trapped in addictions and looking for help.
Personal, one-on-one ministry can be challenging especially when it crosses cultural barriers. Edward T. Welch, in his book Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave, points out for many of us the culture of addiction is foreign. Perhaps you’ve had an opportunity to have a conversation with someone facing the slavery of sin in a way that is different from your experience. Maybe you’ve searched your mind for the right words to say, realizing that this type of conversation has many challenges.
In Addictions, Welch helps navigate these challenges by shedding the light of scripture on addictions, relating them to the way the Bible describes idols. He points out that common language has shifted from referring to addictions being like a disease to being a disease. Welch asserts that addictions have some things in common with diseases but that we need more lenses with which to view addictions so we can see all of the issues that come with them.
In one illustration, Welch shows idols in the Bible are more than carved statues, they are also possessions, habits, desires that replace the worship of God in our lives. In 1 John, the letter closes with a warning to “guard yourselves from idols,” but the in this letter John never mentions observable, physical idols. “Instead, in keeping with the theme of idols of the heart, it speaks of ‘the cravings of sinful man, the lust of the eyes, and the boasting of what he has and does’(2:16). John is concerned about the pernicious, unseen Baals that are constructed more by the heart than the hands.”
As we develop a clearer picture of addiction we can better speak the gospel into the lives of those we meet.
If you are looking for reading material about addiction recovery and how to serve those who may be in the various stages of addiction, I highly recommend the book Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave by Edward Welch. The book is available through the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation at http://www.ccef.org.
Please pray for the team that serves monthly and the guests at City Gospel Mission. The following guide may help you as you pray:
Prayer concerns for City Gospel Mission
Every day City Gospel Mission serves over 200 meals, that’s over 200 opportunities every day to engage someone who needs comfort, healing, faith, transformation and sanctification.
For the guests of City Gospel Mission, pray that God will:
· Heal the pain, grief, sickness and sin
· Give grace, faith, peace and mercy
· Sanctify them to himself
· Transform where there are addictions, suffering, and poverty
Pray that through the suffering and needs that these guests may be facing, they will discover the call of God to come to him, that they would have ears to hear and eyes to see the truth of the Gospel and the Salvation that comes only through Jesus Christ.
Pray that they would come to know themselves as God sees them.
Pray that those who are suffering would come to know God and all of the things he wants them to learn through their suffering, including dependence on God and endurance in faith. That they would develop proven character that produces hope from God.
Pray for the all the volunteers that they would have the courage to speak the truth in love.
Finally, pray for our team that serves at the mission the 3rd Tuesday of each month. Pray that God will prepare us for those we will talk with. That we will not be distracted by the work of food preparation and serving, so that we see people’s real needs and that we can incarnate Christ through the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our conversations.
