Transformative Spiritual Growth Through the 12 Steps

 

Summary

In today's conversation, we explored the profound journey of spiritual growth and transformation through the lens of the 12 Steps, as shared by Ian, a pastor, writer, and thinker. Ian's journey began with a rich Roman Catholic upbringing, which instilled in him a deep appreciation for the beauty and immediacy of God. This foundation was further enriched by his experiences in the Protestant space, creating a unique hybrid of spiritual insights that he has shared through his writing, speaking, and coaching.

Ian's personal journey with the 12 Steps began in 1987 when he entered recovery for alcoholism. Despite being a Christian, he realized that no one is exempt from spiritual misadventures. His initial engagement with the 12 Steps was more about stopping drinking than a wholehearted commitment. However, a relapse during the COVID-19 pandemic led him to a deeper understanding and appreciation of the 12 Steps as a design for living that profoundly enriched his life as a follower of Jesus.

The conversation highlighted the universal applicability of the 12 Steps, emphasizing that they are not just for those struggling with substance abuse but for anyone dealing with compulsive attachments that serve as solutions to internal problems. Ian passionately advocates for democratizing the 12 Steps, making them accessible to everyone, regardless of their perceived level of adjustment or addiction.

We also delved into the concept of spiritual awakening, which the 12 Steps aim to facilitate. While some may experience sudden, seismic spiritual awakenings, most people encounter gradual, educational awakenings that deepen their relationship with God. This journey is not about achieving perfection but about embracing a design for living that leads to freedom from counterfeit solutions and a deeper intimacy with God.

The discussion also touched on the church's potential to learn from the rawness and openness of AA meetings, where God is a desperate need rather than a preference. Ian encourages those who may not feel a desperate need for God to reflect on what might be preventing them from experiencing it and to consider trying the 12 Steps as a path to spiritual awakening.

Key Takeaways:

- The Universality of the 12 Steps: The 12 Steps are not just for those with substance addictions but for anyone with compulsive attachments that serve as solutions to internal problems. This framework can revolutionize anyone's life by addressing the fundamental existential dis-ease we all experience. [12:23]

- Spiritual Awakening: The 12 Steps aim to facilitate a spiritual awakening that expels the need for external solutions to internal problems. This awakening can be sudden or gradual, leading to a deeper relationship with God and freedom from counterfeit solutions. [18:25]

- Addiction as a Synonym for Sin: Addiction and sin can be seen as synonyms, both representing a search for external solutions to internal problems. Recognizing this can lead to a deeper understanding of our need for God and the transformative power of the 12 Steps. [17:08]

- The Church and AA Meetings: The rawness and openness of AA meetings, where God is a desperate need rather than a preference, offer valuable lessons for the church. Embracing this approach can lead to a more authentic and transformative spiritual community. [23:08]

- Embracing Desperation as a Gift: Feelings of hopelessness, anxiety, and depression can be seen as invitations from God to experience a deeper intimacy with Him. Embracing these feelings as opportunities for spiritual growth can lead to profound transformation. [29:54]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [01:55] - Introduction to Ian
- [03:07] - Ian's Spiritual Journey
- [04:27] - Discovering Vocation
- [06:10] - Catholic and Protestant Influences
- [07:41] - The Enneagram as a Tool
- [09:55] - Introduction to the 12 Steps
- [11:40] - Relapse and Recovery
- [13:11] - Defining Addiction
- [16:37] - Sin and Addiction
- [18:25] - Spiritual Awakening
- [21:10] - Church vs. AA Meetings
- [24:59] - Addressing Desperate Need
- [28:26] - Hope for the Hopeless
- [32:21] - Embracing Powerlessness

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:

1. Romans 7:15-20 (NIV) - This passage discusses the struggle with sin and the internal conflict that mirrors the concept of addiction as a search for external solutions to internal problems.
2. James 5:16 (NIV) - "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." This verse supports the idea of openness and confession as seen in AA meetings.
3. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NIV) - "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me."

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Observation Questions:

1. What was Ian's initial reason for engaging with the 12 Steps, and how did his understanding evolve over time? [11:10]
2. How does Ian describe the relationship between addiction and sin in the sermon? [17:08]
3. What are some examples of compulsive attachments mentioned in the sermon that can be considered addictions? [14:17]
4. How does Ian suggest the church can learn from AA meetings? [23:08]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. How does the concept of addiction as a "solution" rather than a "problem" change the way we view our own struggles? [17:23]
2. In what ways can the 12 Steps facilitate a spiritual awakening, and how does this compare to traditional religious practices? [18:25]
3. How might the church's approach to spiritual needs change if it embraced the rawness and openness found in AA meetings? [23:08]
4. What does Ian mean by "embracing desperation as a gift," and how can this perspective impact one's spiritual journey? [29:54]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on your own life: Are there any compulsive attachments or behaviors that you use as solutions to internal problems? How can you begin to address these? [13:25]
2. Ian talks about the importance of spiritual awakening. Have you experienced a gradual or sudden spiritual awakening in your life? How did it change your relationship with God? [19:27]
3. Consider the idea of addiction as a synonym for sin. How does this perspective influence your understanding of personal struggles and the need for God's grace? [17:08]
4. How can you create a more open and authentic community in your church or small group, similar to the environment of an AA meeting? [23:08]
5. Ian suggests that feelings of hopelessness and anxiety can be invitations from God. How can you reframe your current struggles as opportunities for spiritual growth? [29:54]
6. If you don't feel a desperate need for God, what might be preventing you from experiencing it? Reflect on any distractions or false solutions you might be relying on. [24:59]
7. Identify one area in your life where you feel powerless. How can embracing this powerlessness lead to a deeper reliance on God and transformation? [32:21]

Devotional

Day 1: The Universality of the 12 Steps
The 12 Steps are a transformative framework not just for those battling substance addictions but for anyone grappling with compulsive attachments that serve as solutions to internal problems. This approach can revolutionize lives by addressing the fundamental existential dis-ease that everyone experiences. By democratizing the 12 Steps, individuals from all walks of life can find healing and growth, regardless of their perceived level of adjustment or addiction. The 12 Steps offer a path to freedom from these attachments, leading to a more authentic and fulfilling life. [12:23]

"For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." (Hebrews 12:11, ESV)

Reflection: What is one compulsive attachment in your life that you rely on as a solution to an internal problem? How can you begin to address this through the principles of the 12 Steps today?


Day 2: Spiritual Awakening
The 12 Steps aim to facilitate a spiritual awakening that expels the need for external solutions to internal problems. This awakening can be sudden or gradual, leading to a deeper relationship with God and freedom from counterfeit solutions. The journey is not about achieving perfection but about embracing a design for living that leads to freedom and a deeper intimacy with God. As individuals engage with the 12 Steps, they often find themselves on a path of spiritual growth that transforms their understanding of themselves and their relationship with the divine. [18:25]

"And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." (Ezekiel 36:26, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on a time when you experienced a spiritual awakening, whether sudden or gradual. How did it change your relationship with God, and what steps can you take today to continue deepening that relationship?


Day 3: Addiction as a Synonym for Sin
Addiction and sin can be seen as synonyms, both representing a search for external solutions to internal problems. Recognizing this can lead to a deeper understanding of our need for God and the transformative power of the 12 Steps. By acknowledging the parallels between addiction and sin, individuals can begin to see their struggles in a new light, understanding that the root of these issues is often a disconnection from God. This realization can be the first step toward healing and transformation, as individuals turn to God for the solutions they seek. [17:08]

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." (James 5:16, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways have you sought external solutions to internal problems in your life? How can you begin to turn to God for healing and transformation in these areas?


Day 4: The Church and AA Meetings
The rawness and openness of AA meetings, where God is a desperate need rather than a preference, offer valuable lessons for the church. Embracing this approach can lead to a more authentic and transformative spiritual community. By fostering an environment where individuals can be open about their struggles and needs, the church can become a place of healing and growth. This openness allows for a deeper connection with God and with one another, creating a community that supports and uplifts its members in their spiritual journeys. [23:08]

"Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:2, ESV)

Reflection: How can you contribute to creating a more open and authentic community within your church? What steps can you take to share your own struggles and support others in theirs?


Day 5: Embracing Desperation as a Gift
Feelings of hopelessness, anxiety, and depression can be seen as invitations from God to experience a deeper intimacy with Him. Embracing these feelings as opportunities for spiritual growth can lead to profound transformation. Rather than viewing these emotions as purely negative, individuals can see them as signals that something deeper is at work, prompting them to seek God more earnestly. By leaning into these feelings and seeking God's presence, individuals can find healing and a renewed sense of purpose and connection with the divine. [29:54]

"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit." (Psalm 34:18, ESV)

Reflection: When have you experienced feelings of hopelessness or anxiety as an invitation to draw closer to God? How can you embrace these feelings today as opportunities for spiritual growth and transformation?

Quotes


I was first introduced to the 12 Steps in 1987 when I went into recovery for alcoholism. I was a Christian at the time, so let's just be upfront about that, like that nobody is exempt from the possibility of their own spiritual misadventures, right, including Christians even. [00:10:35]

I just felt like, you know what, I have gained so much from the 12 steps as a design for living that has so deepened and enriched My Life as a follower of Jesus that I really want to share it with everybody, because the truth and even Bill W the author of the 12 Steps said this they would revolutionize anybody's life. [00:11:58]

Let's just Define what an addiction is, right, like an addiction is a compulsive attachment to anything we use to escape discomfort, fill a void, numb pain, deal with trauma, to deal at the spiritual level with the fundamental existential disease that all of us experience in life. [00:13:25]

Addictions take so many forms, right, there's a long list in the fix of potential addictions that people might have, but this book is not just for alcoholics and drug addicts, right, it's for perfectionists, it's for Workaholics, it's for sex addicts, porn addicts, food addicts, success addicts, you know the list is endless. [00:14:08]

I think you could actually, and this is not original to me, you look at the word Addiction and sin as synonyms in many ways, right, and so look an addiction is looking to an external solution to solve an internal problem. [00:17:14]

The genius of the 12 Steps in part is this, and this is the stated purpose of the 12 Steps by Bill W their author as well as it shows up in the 12th step, it is that a human being would have a spiritual awakening. [00:18:06]

The steps are designed to facilitate A Spiritual Awakening of sufficient Force that it expels the need and desire for an external solution to internal problems and it replaces it with an experience of God that is of a magnitude that leads to freedom from these counterfeits. [00:18:22]

Some people have very sudden, they're blessed with very sudden, seismic kinds of spiritual experiences that begin their spiritual journey of healing and intimacy with God. Great. The vast majority of people have what William James and Bill W referred to as spiritual Awakenings of the educational variety meaning that they're incremental. [00:19:31]

There just seems to be a kind of a rawness and an openness and non-pretense and you can be yourself here and get into it. You must have thought about that air why do you think it is that the church isn't or seems not to be able often to be more like an AA meeting? [00:21:04]

For many people upstairs in churches, you know God is more of a preference than a desperate need. Downstairs in the rooms of recovery if there's no God we're going to die so it's actually not a preference, it's a desperate need. [00:23:08]

These feelings as difficult as it is to see it this way in the moment, this is a truth, these are invitations from God to have an experience of intimacy with him that you previously did not know existed. [00:29:54]

I think and I've learned this in the rooms of recovery the three bravest words I know are I need help. I need help and we struggle to reach the point where we can say that but when we do when we're able to say I'm powerless. [00:31:37]

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Transcript
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