Dear Friend In Christ,
I want to thank you for taking your time to read about the ministry that I believe God has called me to: helping those suffering from addiction experience true freedom through the power of Jesus Christ. If you haven’t already done so, I encourage you to read my testimony which will explain why I believe God has called me into this particular ministry.
At Freedom Through Christ Ministries, we define addiction as “bondage to the rule of a substance, behavior, or state of mind, which then becomes the center of life, defending itself from the truth so that even devastating consequences do not lead to repentance.” That would include anyone in bondage to drugs, alcohol, sex, pornography, gambling, money, anger, depression, anxiety, or any other life controlling sin.
We do not believe addiction is simply a disease, though in certain instances it may have many similarities to a disease. At the heart of the issue, addiction is sin, and therefore the only solution is the Savior. That is why secular programs have such little success addressing the issue. According to the NIAAA (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) one study showed that 50% of individuals who attend Alcoholics Anonymous relapse within 3 months; 71% relapse within 5 years; 93% relapse within 10 years; and 99.5% relapse within 25 years.
A common attitude among those struggling with an addiction is, “When I’m dead, then I will finally be free from this addiction.” Agreed, and that’s exactly what God’s prescribed treatment is; “Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.” (Romans 6:6-7)
At Freedom Through Christ Ministries we teach that the only way to be free from not only addiction, but sin in general, is to become broken enough to lay down your own life, so that Jesus can live His life through you, a concept we refer to as “living the exchanged life.” That is what Paul was speaking of when he said, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20a)
It is clear that the secular approach to treating addiction is failing and the church needs to step up to the plate. I believe many churches are willing to fight the battle against addictions, but they just aren’t sure how to do it. Freedom Through Christ Ministries places a high value on the local church and is in no way an attempt to replace church life. Our goal is to help the local church in their ministry to those struggling with addiction.
We are currently in Phase I of our development of the ministry, which is to help churches begin a weekly “Freedom Through Christ” meeting at their church. A “Freedom Through Christ” meeting consists of three to four components, depending on the church’s resources. The first component, which is optional based upon the church’s capability, is a dinner. Eating together is a wonderful way to form bonds and encourage fellowship, not to mention that many addicts have a hard time getting a meal.
The second component of the meeting is praise and worship music, followed by the third component, an expositional verse by verse Bible study. The Gospel of John is taught first because it was “written so that you would believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that through believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:31) Though many addicts may know the facts about Jesus, the reality is that few of them are truly born again. We cannot expect them to live the “exchanged life” until the Spirit of God’s Son first indwells them.
Once the Gospel of John is completed, we teach through the book of Romans, as we believe that to be the most definitive work on the Christian life. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones referred to the book of Romans as "a colossal and incomparable statement of Christian truth." It is from chapters 6-8 of Romans that we get our most comprehensive explanation of the “exchanged life.” It is our deep conviction that as the Word of God is planted in our listeners’ hearts, it will transform them from the inside out. Jesus prayed to the Father, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” (John 17:17)
The fourth component of a “Freedom Through Christ” meeting is to break out into small support groups. We use the “Recovery In Christ” materials developed by Richard Massman as the format for our recovery support groups, which provides our attendees with a better understanding of Christ-centered recovery. It also gives them an opportunity to share their hurts, their sins, and their source of hope, Jesus Christ, with others in the midst of similar trials and to lift up one another in prayer. “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another that you may be healed.” (James 5:16a)
As God continues to provide us with resources for this ministry, we will begin the second phase of its development, an outreach center. The outreach center will be a place where anyone struggling with addiction would be welcome to drop in at anytime to meet, counsel with, and receive prayer from someone whom God has delivered from a life of addiction through the power of Jesus Christ. The outreach center will also serve as a safe place for those early in recovery to fellowship with other Christians in recovery as an alternative to going back to the old people, places, and things that led them into a lifestyle of addiction in the first place.
The third phase of the ministry will be to operate a twelve month residential Christ-centered addiction facility. In the case of some people, simply attending meetings is not sufficient for their recovery. They have lost everything in their addiction, including their jobs, all their money, their homes, their cars, and their families. At this point, even if they do become willing to make a new start in life apart from their addiction, they have no idea where to even begin. In their case it would be best for them to voluntarily admit themselves into a residential program where they can receive the help they will need in rebuilding their lives.
At our residential facility, every resident will be placed on a nutritional and exercise program to help their physical bodies recover from the damage done to them during their addiction. We will have academic programs to help residents be better prepared for job placement, including a GED program. There will be individual counseling, family counseling, and Christ-centered support groups to help the residents experience emotional healing. Every resident will be given an in-house work therapy program and eventually be transitioned into an outside job before they leave the facility. However, the main emphasis of the program will be the teaching of the Word of God. Every resident that stays for the full twelve months will be taught through the entire Bible verse by verse before they leave. We are very excited to see what God is going to do through this ministry.
I would like to ask you to faithfully bring this ministry before the throne of God with us and ask Him for His will to be done. If you would like to financially support this ministry, please make your check payable to “Freedom Through Christ Ministries” and mail it to PO Box 280282, Tampa FL 33682. All donations are tax deductible. If you would like more information about this ministry or are interested in starting a “Freedom Through Christ” meeting in your area, please feel free to call me at (813) 235-3183 or email me at seanhughes12@yahoo.com. Once again, I would like to thank you for your time in reading this letter. May Jesus be glorified in your life!
In His Love,
Sean Hughes