Crossroads of Hope for the Addictions of Life

While it is true that Crossroads Rescue Mission accepts men and women from any religious or denominational background, we are unapologetically Baptist in our doctrine.  We seek to be Christ centered and not Baptist centered but for the sake of doctrinal identification all our teaching and preaching is from the King James Bible and is Baptist in position. 

One of the basic, historical Baptist positions is the tenant of soul liberty. This tenant is defined as follows from allaboutbaptists.com

 The individual soul is answerable to Almighty God and to Him alone.  This precludes giving up that independency to a pope, a priest, a system, an organization, a convention, a fellowship, an association, or any other human being.  None of these are given the authority to interpose anything whatsoever between the individual believer and God concerning any matter of faith. 

Men have been imprisoned and have died for this right.  Read the story of John Bunyan’s trials.  He clearly believed that religious matters are between the individual and God.  No man has the authority to dictate by force what another must believe.  We all have the right to be wrong, in the opinion of another.

How does this relate to Pastoral authority in today’s Independent Baptist Churches?  If we are not very careful we make popes of our pastors.  I do believe that God has given the church godly men and we are to follow their leadership and example. However, at the end of the day, I am responsible for my own actions. 

Therefore, what is a Baptist supposed to do when his pastor ask him to hold a doctrinal belief that goes against his understanding of the Scripture and violates his conscience? He must exercise the right of soul liberty as the head of his own home and agree to disagree.

The right to private judgment is the crown jewel of humanity, and for any person or institution to dare to come between the soul and God is blasphemous impertinence and a defamation of the crown rights of the Son of God – George W. Truett

Unfortunately, the oft repeated scene, played out in Baptist churches is a rift over perceived loyalty; a questioning of one’s spirituality over the failure to adhere to the party line.  This often continues until the individual feels so ostracized, so awkward, as that disagreement becomes so prominent in all his dealings at the church that he eventually leaves for another church.  If these issues were major doctrinal concerns, over which the Scriptures are clear then the separation is right and necessary, with the hopes of restoration.  However, they are often minor points, or nuances particular to a geographical location, or a new twist on a familiar verse that cause these differences. Let me quote from “The life of God in the Soul of Man” by George Burnet, who lived hundreds of years ago.

There is scarce a more unaccountable thing to be imagined, than to see a company of men professing a religion, one great and main precept whereof is mutual love, forbearance, gentleness of spirit, and compassion to all sorts of persons, and agreeing in all the essential parts of its doctrine, and differing only in some less material and more disputable things, yet maintaining those differences with zeal so disproportioned to the value of them, and prosecuting all that disagree from them with all possible violence; or if they want means to use outward force, with all bitterness of spirit. They must needs astonish every impartial beholder, and raise great prejudices against such person's religion, as made up of contradictions; professing love, but breaking out in all the acts of hatred.

Exactly.

By this shall men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

(Jn. 13:35)

We know we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. (1 Jn. 3:14)

You don’t have to hate your brother in order to show love for your Father.  Though you at times may doubt it, we will spend eternity in Heaven together. (And since we are going to spend eternity together, at least speak to me in Wal-mart.)

Dusty Brackett

We are repeatedly asked, “What is the success rate at Crossroads Rescue Mission?” 

The question itself is fair, but it raises other questions that must be answered first to define the parameters of the answer to the initial question.

First, what do you mean by “success”?  Well, before we can determine if we are successful we must understand what failure is.  What is the problem over which we wish to be successful?  Here is where CRM differs from many rehabilitation agencies.  We do not see drugs or alcohol or sexual perversion as the problem.  We see these as the symptoms of the problem.  Our society wastes millions of dollars dealing with the symptoms while ignoring the root.  The root of “addiction,” the socially acceptable ones as well as the socially unacceptable ones, is a prideful, selfish heart.  The only hope any man has of breaking the chains of a selfish heart is through the power of the cross of Christ.  No system of self reliance will free a man from this master.  He may stop drinking or using drugs but the prideful heart has not been dealt with; it will still dominate his life in other areas, wrecking and ruining relationships.  The 1 step program of “draw nigh to God and He will draw night to you,” is a man’s only hope.  As a man humbles himself through the grace given to him by the Lord, recognizes his hopeless condition and in repentance yields to God, God will transform his life. 

What is the catalyst that God uses to produce this transforming freedom?  The Scriptures tell us that the “truth will make us free.”  Ah, freedom!  But the carnal heart asks with Pilate, “What is truth?”  Christ answered this question in His high priestly prayer of John 17 when He stated, “Thy word is truth.” It is through the Word of God that a man is brought to the realization of the condition of his prideful heart. It is through the Word of God that he comes to realize the sufficiency of the finished work of Christ. It is through the Word of God that he is brought into a right relationship with God. As that man continually grows in his humility and submission towards God, he will experience a greater and greater life of liberty from his selfish, prideful heart.  This will lead him into a deeper and deeper relationship with God on a personal level and his life will become so satisfied with God that the void that he tried to fill with alcohol, drugs, and women is now satisfied with the Divine Presence.  Living lives free of drugs and alcohol is a by product of a humble submitted heart. It is the work of God through the finished work of Christ.

This leads us to state that it is not rehabilitation that a man needs but Regeneration, a personal Relationship with God, then Restoration to the man, husband, and father he was created to be.

Therefore if failure is defined by selfish pride, then success is living a life of selfless humility.  It is far more than being free from drugs. One sure sign of the Holy Spirit’s work in a man’s life is his growing concern for his family and fellow residents at the mission. In this sense we are all a work in progress and will never achieve complete success until we stand before the throne of God without spot or wrinkle. 

If a resident of CRM follows the Word of God our success rate is 100%! It works every time.  When a man comes to God on God’s terms he never leaves empty handed.  The best we can hope to do for a man is to introduce him to the truth of the Word and encourage his progress in the Word, but ultimately he determines how far he is willing to go.

So what is the success rate of CRM.  Candidly, I do not know.  With some men we have been very successful, by contemporary standards. With others we have failed miserably because they have gone through our program and returned to a life of addiction.  Others have wandered for some time and then returned to embrace what they have cast aside.  God is ever working and we see this as a process of growth as God deals with the men where they are to bring them to where they need to be.

God does not judge us by the values of success that the world uses.  He rewards faithfulness.  So maybe folks should be asking us, “How faithful is Crossroads Rescue Mission to God’s purposes in the lives of the men there?” And that is a sobering question.