Part Two

The second expression of rehabilitation is

Recovery—restoring sight to the blind—"a looking up, a recovery of sight."

Who are these captive/enslaved people?

• Those who live only for the moment—Prov. 20:4; 6:6; Prov. 1-9
• Those who don’t look ahead—Prov. 14:15; 22:3; 19:2; 14:8
• Those who can’t distinguish good from evil—Heb. 5:14
• Those who have been schooled in sin by parents, peers, or the media—Ex. 20:5-6; 1 Cor. 15:33; Prov. 1:10-19; 3:31-32.

A person involved in rehabilitation must know that these two processes of release and recovery are distinct, but also interrelated. Release is rarely immediate for those deeply entrenched or addicted to sin. More often there is a psychological and physical dependence with their addiction that will be broken slowly. Recovery is not always immediate.

Sure, God’s grace is sufficient to bring forgiveness from all sin, but there are certain kinds of addictions that may take time, support, specific treatments and actions: drug, alcohol, certain sexual addictions, etc. Remember, however, spiritual release and recovery are possible because the ministry that was begun by Jesus continues through believers today. This kind of recovery and release may take considerable equipping, experience, and dependency upon the Spirit.

I have listed five important elements that Jesus uses in this kind of ministry. There are probably many more, but these I have observed as necessary and effective.

Confronting

Matt. 18: 15—"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over."

Gal. 6:1— "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted."

Some suggestions for beginning a confrontation:

• "I always want to give a good report about you to anyone who asks. For this reason, could you explain something I don’t understand?"—Bill Gothard.
• "Is there something I have done to cause you to act/react to me in this way?" (Explain)
• "This is difficult for me to share with you, because I love you so much. But I saw you, (or heard you say) ___________________. Will you tell me how you feel about it?"
• "Hey brother (sister), I saw you sinning; what’s going on?"

Keep in mind the following:

• Go to restore and release your brother by yourself—Matt. 18:15 (unless it might be dangerous). Whatever the case, a controlled environment is the best situation (not isolated; free from temptation or potential danger).
• Go when sin is involved, not just idiosyncrasies or differences of opinion—Matt. 18:15. Disputable matters are not reasons for the Matt. 18 process—e.g., Rom 14:1-23. You should be able to verify with Scripture the reason for your visit. As a church, we have had to go through the Matthew 18 process twice, and in each case it was because of a violation of a specific command of Scripture.
• Go to restore and not punish—Matt. 18:15; James 5:19; Gal 6:1.
• Go with the right attitude of gentleness and love—Gal. 6:1; 1 John 4:7-8.
• Go after you have examined your own life—Matt. 5:23-24; Matt. 7:3-5.
• Go expecting a good response—Matt. 18:15b.
• Go with some steps of release and recovery in mind.
• Go speaking the truth in love—Eph. 4:15; John 16:13-14; 8:32; 2 Tim. 2:25-26.

Admitting/confessing

Matt. 18:15b says, "If he listens to you, you have won your brother over." The ones incarcerated need to admit they are captive and that they have a problem.

Luke 15:17—"When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18] I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19] I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’"

Admission of a problem is often very difficult to give or get, but only when we say, "I have a problem, I need help," are we beginning down the road to release and recovery.

Repenting—2 Cor. 7:8-11.

8] ". . . I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while—9] yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10] Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11] See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter."

"Repentance" means to change one’s mind and turn from sin. 1 Thess 1:9—". . .for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God. . ."

What does it look like? Second Corinthians 7:9-11 tells exactly what to look for if a person has truly repented. Here are the characteristics/fruit of true repentance:

• Godly sorrow—v. 9
• No regret for turning from sin—v. 10
• Earnestness to clear yourself—v. 11
• Indignation (at sin and self)—v. 11
• Alarm—v. 11
• Longing (affection)—v. 11
• Concern—v. 11
• Readiness to see justice done—v. 11
• At every point proving yourself innocent (making things right at every point)—v. 11
  (See also Luke 3:8; Acts 26:20; Philemon 18-19.)

If repentance does not take place, then continue on with the steps as outlined in Matt 18. If you need assistance, see a mature believer/Elder for wisdom and prayer. If there is a dispute as to whether a certain action is a sin, then seek help from a mature person, spiritual leader, and or/witness.

Matt. 18:16—"But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17] If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector." (See also Deut. 19:15.) If repentance does take place, the next step is really needed:

Supporting—2 Cor. 2:5-11.

2 Cor. 2:5—"If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you, to some extent—not to put it too severely. 6] The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him. 7] Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8] I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. 9] The reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. 10] If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, 11] in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes."

Three basic things are needed by the one escaping prison and spiritual blindness:

1. Forgiveness (or lead him to seek forgiveness from the one[s] he has offended or sinned against)—v. 7.
2. Comfort—v. 7b.
3. Reaffirmation of our love for him—v. 7c; John 13:34-35; 1 Thess. 3:2.

A support group may need to be formed to help in the process (e.g. support groups for those recovering from addictions to alcoholism, drugs, work, sex, gambling, pornography).

Substituting—Eph. 4:17-5:17 (The Great Put Off and Put On).

What will it involve to continue in repentance and not return to our old way of living? Not repression: "I won’t..." (Try not to think about a pink elephant riding a cycle for one minute.) Not expression: "I will do what pleases me..." But substitution: "I change my prison clothes for God’s clothes."

Eph. 4:22-24—"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23] to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24] and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."

Freedom is achieved in five ways:

Recognize that freedom comes from the Lord. John 8:36—"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." Freedom must come from Jesus Christ!—Rom. 5:6-8; 6:1-14. It is important to see how Jesus relates to a person who is in sin. On one hand he advocates unparalleled moral purity (Matt. 56:27-28), but on the other, we see Him as a friend/restorer to the one who has fallen into sin—John 8:1-11.

We need to recognize what He has already done (Rom. 6:6-8); remember His death and realize it was our death too (Rom. 6:1-4). Jesus’ death for sin was our death to sin, and His resurrection was our resurrection—Rom 6: 5-7. Wow! Sin does not reign in us, then; it is rendered powerless—Rom. 6:11-13. We are no longer slaves—we are free! We now have the option to offer ourselves as "instruments of wickedness, or instruments of righteousness"—v. 13.

Place yourself under the Lord’s therapy—Matt. 5:29-30. This is like salvation. Phil. 2:12-13— "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13] for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose."

We must understand that working out our salvation is complex. Our part is obedience—v. 12. (See 1 Cor. 9:24-27.) The Lord’s part is to enable us to continue, by working in us (v. 13—We obey, and He says, "I’ll help you"). The Lord’s part is His blood, strength, wisdom, and Spirit, working in me enabling, convicting, etc.

Charles Dunham reflects on this truth. He writes: "‘I’m quitting! God must do it all!’ is the wrong attitude. Renewing the mind is divine work, but it does not take place apart from human effort. We tend to confuse the gift of salvation, which is of grace and unearned by works, with sanctification. Sanctification is not substitutionary. It requires effort. Notice the beautiful balance of Scripture as it addresses this question: ‘Work out your own salvation...for God is at work in you’"—Phil. 2:12-13.

What if that isn’t working like it should? What if I’m defeated? Jesus describes the Lord’s therapy in Matt. 5:29-30. If you are continually failing in any area, such as the area of lust, "...pluck out your eye and cut off your hand." This is called a "hyperbole"—a planned exaggeration to get an effect. It was a form of speech totally understood by the disciples.

Why would He use the eye and the hand? There are two strong gateways to sin: one is the power of sight, and the other is the power of touch. In these two areas, remove that which is leading to sin. If you have a problem in relationship to the eye (literature, media), cut out that activity—Luke 11:34-36. Make an eye covenant—Job 31:1; Psalm 119:37. If your problem is in the area of touch, you’ll have to discipline yourself to cut off any possible expression.

Whatever sense is causing us to sin, we should "cut it off." This will save us from ultimate judgment—Matt. 5:29b and 30b.

Seek a new input and mindset for the mind. Eph. 4:22-24—"...to be made new in the attitude of your minds." It takes time to think like a Christian, so we need to discover the secret to a renewed mind—Rom. 12:1-2. This includes a study and application of spiritual disciplines.

For complete deliverance to take place, you will need to change your attitude. What is your attitude about the following:

• Your body—1 Cor. 6:19.
• Women and men—Gal. 5:13.
• Artificial substances—Ps. 19:8; Eph. 5:18; Ps. 19:8.
• Wealth, possessions—1 Tim. 6:6,17-18.
• Your enemy—Rom. 12:21.
• Stealing—Eph. 4:28.
• Your church—Rom. 12:10-13.

The new mindset is to be on what the Spirit desires—Rom. 8:5. Pray something like this, "Spirit, my thoughts are evil. What do you think about this person?" How do we fill our minds with the right input? The new input is that which comes from the therapy of God’s Word—Ps. 1:1-3; 119:9,11.

Accept the pull of another person’s hand—James 5:16; Jude 22-23; James 5:19-20. Satan’s strategy is to isolate us. God’s idea is to get us functioning as any part of the body will function when it hurts—to cry for help and healing—James 5:16.

This help and confession can be done with three types of people: a close personal friend; a person we respect and admire, who may or may not be a professional person; or a family member. These passages describe what the person looks like: 1 Cor. 6:11-13; Prov. 11:13; 20:19; 2 Cor. 1:8-11; 11:29-33; Prov. 10:17; 27:17; 28:23; James 5:16; Prov. 18:13. This kind of person will help, and is the kind of person we need to be to help others.

Pray for a proper relationship with God and man—Ps. 51.

No Psalm has been used more effectively than David’s psalm of repentance. He understood how to pray. We should note a couple of things about David’s pattern/example of prayer:

• Approach God only on the basis of His mercy—vv. 1-2.
• Agree with God that we indeed have offended Him—vv. 3-6.
• Ask God not only for pardon, but for purity—vv. 7-12.
• Acclaim God’s righteousness in both worship and witness—vv. 13-17.

There are various levels of moral failure, just as there can be deeper levels of impairment or illness. So there might be different types of therapy employed by the Lord. It is much like going to physical therapy after an accident and being put on the parallel bars. It may take some time to walk again; it won’t happen overnight; but the power of repeated confession, along with purposeful obedience, will break the power of habitual sin—Heb. 12:11-13.

Ask yourself these questions: Do I want help? Do I want to be free?—John 15:1-6. If you want to be free, then accept the Lord’s operation in you to set you free from sin—Rom. 5-8. Go to His therapy, and go through the most stringent discipline required—Matt. 5:27-30. Pray with a broken and contrite heart—Psalm 51. Allow another person to steady you and support you in prayer as you learn to walk again—James 5:16.

C. S. Lewis once wrote "to a lady" some words that may be appropriately repeated here:

"I know all about the despair of overcoming chronic temptations. It is not serious, provided self-offended petulance, annoyance at breaking records, impatience, etc., don’t get the upper hand. No amount of falls will really undo us if we keep on picking ourselves up each time. We shall be very muddy and tattered children by the time we reach home. But the bathrooms are all ready, the towels put out, and the clean clothes in the airing cupboard. The only fatal thing is to lose one’s temper and give it up. It is when we notice the dirt that God is most present in us; it is the very sign of his presence"—W.H. Lewis, ed., Letters of C.S. Lewis, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1966, p. 199.

Leighton Ford once said, " I used to think that God would deal with me like a grape, taking me all in one bite. But now I know that I am more like an onion, and that he is peeling me layer by layer"—Charles Durham, Temptation, Intervarsity Press, p. 54.

Jesus gave us a description of His ministry and ours that involves at least five areas. Thus far we have seen

1. Evangelizing
2. Counseling (tending), and
3. Rehabilitation.

Jesus continues on in Isaiah 61 to describe His ministry and ours as well, indicating the fourth area.

Prayer and Spiritual Warfare

Prayer is needed in every element mentioned in the list, but especially with this area of oppression—"...to release the oppressed..." To release means to bring "deliverance, remission, forgiveness."

Oppression means to break into pieces, to break down. It is a form of captivity, but has a different element about it. A captive person is confined, but he may be troubled or untroubled by his captivity! Definitely, the oppressed person is not only captive, but tortured and tormented by it. Oppression, therefore, represents the attack of Satan in obvious and not-so-obvious forms.

Oppression is combated by all kinds of prayer. Think of the times the Lord prayed, even when He was totally controlled by the Spirit—Mark 1:35-39; Matt. 14:22-23; 26:36-44. Think of the needs we have before us every day. Our success in ministry is limited or expanded by our prayers!

Oppressed people are not released by words of correction, affirmation, or love—Matt. 17:21. (These may be helpful, but are not the way release comes.)

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8] Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9] Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 ] Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." James 4:7-10

Oppressed people are released by the prayers

• of others—1 Tim. 2:1-4; Eph. 6:18; 1 Thess. 5:17
• of dedication—James 4:7
• of resistance—James 4:7
• of repentance—James 4:8
• of humility—James 4:10

Oppression is not terminal, but we must understand: release will call for a confrontation—a prayer of resistance—prayers designed for the particular enemy.

Oppression is also combated by putting on, not only the clothes of righteousness and holiness (Eph. 4:22-24), but also the full armor of God—Eph. 6:10-17.

Explaining the times

"...to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor." This is a word of salvation, of hope.. a word that declares that God’s blessing and favor is still possible today. It means we are not to be caught up in this world’s favor, or its tragedies. We have a God who wants to favor us with that which will last; which will endure for eternity. For people living in dark times and looking at the world scene, we need to be proclaiming a new view, an alternative view, a solution—that the Lord desires to favor us.

That fact will give us perspective and a framework to share the good news. It will give meaning to our struggle and will purify our life and ministry. It will give us hope when we are burdened with the problems of people; and it will give the hopeless hope as well.

That’s the summary of Christ’s ministry. The Spirit of God desires to anoint the Church with a message of hope and help. If we seek the Spirit’s control, we will be taken into a number of meaningful ministries:

• evangelizing
• tending and counseling
• rehabilitation
• prayer and spiritual warfare
• explaining the times

As we are directed by Christ and empowered by the Spirit, we will impact:

• the poor in spirit
• the brokenhearted
• the prisoner of sin and the one blinded by sin
• the oppressed
• the uninformed

---

 

1. What is your mandate as a Christian? Who gives it to you? As we saw in our study, Isaiah 61:1-3 is the passage Jesus chose to read in the synagogue in Nazareth to announce the beginning of His earthly ministry—Luke 4:18-19. That means as Christians, with Christ in us, we are called to minister in His stead. Isaiah 16:1-3:

   "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2] to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3] and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor."

2. Using symbols and the above Scripture, answer the following:
   
   • Who gives you your mandate for ministry? (Circle)
     
   • To whom are you called to minister? (Box)
     
   • What are you commissioned to do? (Parentheses)
     
   • What will the end result be? (Underline)

3. Think about each category of person. Write down examples of people in each category whom you encounter. For example, who are the brokenhearted people in your life?

4. What is involved in each form of ministry you put parentheses around? (For example, how can you "bind up" a person who is brokenhearted?)

5. Think of one person—a family member, a friend—who needs your ministry. What can you do for that person according to this passage?

6. What should be the end result of your intervention according to the passage?