Step 12 - Having had a spiritual awakening as a
result of God working in our lives
through these steps, we tried to carry this message to sinners,
and to practice
these principles in all our affairs.
The joy of living in the Spirit is the theme of our Twelfth Step. Here we turn outward towards our fellow sinners who are still in slavery. Here we experience the kind of giving which asks nothing in return. Here we begin to practice all twelve steps in our daily lives so the we and those about us may experience the abundant fruit-bearing life in the Spirit.
Step 12 is a tri-part step, with the second and third parts proceeding from the first. The first part of Step 12 suggests that God has given to each one of us the gift of a spiritual awakening through practicing these steps. Remember that God gives us the gift of spiritual awakening. Sinner’s Anonymous is only a twelve-step approach of learning, growing, and submitting to God, and becoming ready and willing to receive His gift. Let’s briefly look at what we have done to this point:
In Step 1 we acknowledged that we are born sinners, and with only our own power, strength and resources, we are destined to live only according to our sin-nature. In Step 2 we came to believe that God has reconciled us to Him through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Having believed, we received the promised Holy Spirit, and the three persons of the trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) now lives within us. We have without a doubt experienced a Spiritual awakening, but more awakening by the Spirit was to come.
As we continued through the remaining steps, “He must increase, and we must decrease” was our motive. We wanted God’s Spirit to become the dominant influence in our lives, so in Step 3 we surrendered our will and lives to Him. In Step 4 we asked God to show us where our flesh was still in control and proceeded to write an inventory of what He revealed. Looking at Step 5, we decided that merely knowing where we are still slaves to our sin-nature is not enough, so we honestly confessed these things to God and to another human being. However, we also understood that merely confession of our sin was still not enough. God wants confession and repentance, so in Step 6 we became willing to let go of our sinful ways. In Step 7 we turned away from our sin, and turned to Him. We humbly asked God to crucify our flesh and put to death the misdeeds of our body, our flesh, our sin-nature. In Step 8 we realized that when we live according to our sin-nature, we cause harm to those around us. We commenced to make a list of people that we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them. We then made direct amends to those concerned except when to do so would injure them or others. In Step 10 we realized that continuing to take personal inventory would be a lifetime job. We would need to continue to watch for evidence of our sin-nature, and when sin appears, we ought to promptly confess it and repent. In Step 11 we sought to grow closer and closer to God by as much direct contact as possible through prayer, meditation and the Bible.
The Holy Spirit entered our lives upon completion of Step 2, but in the remaining steps we began a process of walking in the Spirit, living by the Spirit, and keeping in step with the Spirit. We experienced more and more spiritual awakening along the way as the Spirit continued to increase in our lives, and subsequently our flesh continued to decrease to the point of being reckoned dead.
Romans 8:12-14 – Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation--but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
Our preamble says: “Sinner’s Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who pray for each other, encourage each other, study the Bible together, and share their experience, strength and hope with each other –all in order to help each other live a more full, fruit-bearing, abundant life in Christ. “ This is at the heart of carrying the message in Sinner’s Anonymous.
1 Peter 3:15-16 – But in your hearts set apart Christ as
Lord. Always be prepared to give an
answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you
have. But do this with gentleness and
respect,
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 – Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
2 Timothy 4:1-2 – In the presence of God and of Christ
Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and
his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and
out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful
instruction.
In carrying the message, we may be tempted to shove a copy of Sinner’s Anonymous into someone’s hands and say, “This will show you what you need to know to grow spiritually.” But truly carrying the message will require committing ourselves to someone and saying, “Let’s get together and study the Word, share with each other what God is doing in our lives and help each other grow in Him.” This was Paul’s secret for carrying the message.
1 Thessalonians 2:6-8 – We were not looking for praise
from men, not from you or anyone else.
As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, 7 but
we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. 8 We
loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel
of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.
Notice in the previous scriptures that love, gentleness, and patience (fruit of the Spirit) is present in the carrying of the message. This is where spiritual awakening, carrying the message, and practicing these principles in all our affairs comes together. The result of spiritual awakening and practicing these principles will be living in the Spirit. The result of living in the Spirit will be carrying the message. The evidence of all these things will be fruit.
John 15:8-17 - Jesus said, - This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Romans 12:10-13 – Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
The Kingdom of God is all about
being a servant.
Mark 10:44-45 – Jesus said, “and whoever
wants to be first must be slave of all.
45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be
served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
1 Corinthians 9:19-23 – Though I am free and belong to no
man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To
the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews.
To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself
am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To
those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not
free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having
the law. 22
To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means
I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel,
that I may share in its blessings.
God will change our attitude from living to serve ourselves to living to serve others. It is the difference between life in the flesh and life in the Spirit. We can ask God every morning, “What can I do for the fellow human beings I will come in contact with today. How can I be useful?”
Twelfth-step work can be as simple
as encouraging someone that we can tell is having a bad day, or smiling at
someone and showing them the love of Christ within us. Maybe we know someone who could benefit from
this program. Maybe we could lay out
this kit of tools for their inspection, show them how God has worked in our
lives through these steps, and offer them friendship, fellowship and hope.
This last Scripture of our study of the twelve steps really describes the last step of our program quite well. It begins with spiritual awakening, then carrying the message, and finally practicing God’s principles in all our affairs. In Sinner’s Anonymous terms: Paul was practicing Step 12 and urging the Corinthians to do the same.
2 Corinthians 5:17-6:10 – Therefore, if anyone is in
Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and
gave us the ministry of reconciliation:
19 that God was reconciling the world to
himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed
to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as
though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's
behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for
us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
6:1
– As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. 2 For
he says, "In the time of my favor
I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favor,
now is the day of salvation. 3 We put no stumbling block in anyone's path,
so that our ministry will not be discredited.
4 Rather, as servants of God we commend
ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and
distresses; 5 in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in
hard work, sleepless nights and hunger;
6 in purity, understanding, patience and
kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; 7 in truthful speech and in the power of God;
with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; 8
through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet
regarded as impostors; 9 known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and
yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed;
10 sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet
making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything. 11 We
have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you.
Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5 | Step 6
Step 7 | Step 8 | Step 9 | Step 10 | Step 11 | Step 12