Why Vineyard Recovery Church?

Ephesians 4:12  (Amplified Bible)
His intention was the perfecting and the full equipping of the saints (His consecrated people), that they should do the work of ministering toward building up Christ's body (the church)

A lot of people have been asking me what Vineyard Recovery Church is all about, and why there is a need for such a thing. They usually refer to the multitude of meetings that are recovery driven and wonder if there is a need.

As we are still in a building process of coming together on Saturday nights, the one thing I do know is that VRC is a bit different. We are called to be an entry point into the body of Christ for those who are coming out of addiction. You may be thinking, "But isn't that what Church is for?" That you go to church, you get saved and and you join a fellowship?" On some levels I would agree with that, but what happens when the individual who is saved has no concept or idea about how church is operated, or what is expected of them? What happens when they don't understand such phrases as "Blood-bought" or "Justification"? I remember a good friend of mine got saved gloriously and found a church home to go to. Latter they confessed that it felt like being in a foreign country,  not being able to understand the language (Which I refer to a "Church-ese".  No one was there to help guide her into this new way of living.

Sometimes if you're the one who doesn't understand exactly what is going on...you feel like you're on the outside looking in. VRC was created to be that place where questions can be asked. Where the teachings all point to God, showing how the Father, Son and Holy Spirit operate in this new life we have embraced through salvation.

We teach what worship is all about, and what is happening while we are worshiping. I guess you could say that VRC is a "show and tell" of what church is really all about. 
While I encourage people to continue to go to recovery meetings, I also encourage them to come on Saturday night if they want to learn more about the body of Christ. The one thing that every person who starts this journey in recovery needs is family. A community of people who can share their stories, their struggles and their triumphs.

We will see a huge turnover in the people who come to VRC, but that is all part of the process. Some will stay and will join the ranks of leadership. Others will get what they need and move on back to their hometowns and communities. But hopefully they will do so with a more clearer understanding of who God is and what church is truly all about.

To me, what we are called to do on Saturday night will make the body of Christ more richer and fuller as people take their place and begin to "Do The Stuff" as Wimber use to say. 
Last night's service was another brick placed by God as He continues to build upon this work called Vineyard Recovery Church. We focused on the work of the Holy Spirit and how He is the promised "POWER" sent to us by Christ. The Holy Spirit becomes the internal guidance system in this new life of recovery. At the end of the service, I asked for those who wanted to be filled with God's Holy Spirit to come forward. The front flooded with people, and as the ministry team began to pray, God's presence was very thick in the room. 

As I stood upon the stage and surveyed the room, I began to see not just the individual people, but the stories of the past life. A young man stood with head bowed, tears streaming down his face as a woman prays over him. This young man was suppose to have died last year because he had OD'ed and coded three times on the way to the hospital. God wasn't through with him and now here the young man was asking to be filled with God's Holy Spirit.

Such as this is why we do Vineyard Recovery Church.
God on you....
mb