Accountability Group

Last night Paulo Renato and I went back to the apartment of Anderson, Christian and Josemar for the first meeting of a new accountability group. All of the guys that were there are guys who have recently left the Christian drug and alcohol rehabilitation center.

Like any recovery center, for there to be success people have to want to change. We've seen our share of men go to the center for a day or two and then leave. Or stay for a few months and then leave. Some come back to the center and some go back to their lives of drugs. It would crush your heart to hear some stories of men returning to drugs, alcohol and prostitutes. Men leaving good families because of the power of drugs. It makes it especially difficult when you see those that really turn their addicitions over to God. They are the most inspired, Spirit filled, honest and real Christians I have ever met. You want that for all the men who enter the center but some, unfortunately, don't or can't release everything to God.

Our teammate Matt and Paulo Renato go to the center each Wednesday to minister to guys while they are in the process of recovery. This has been a real blessing to those in the recovery center as well as to Matt and Paulo.

For a while it has been on my heart to start a group with guys who graduate from the center. Their time in the center is full of discipline and fixed schedules. I started to think that when they leave the center it has to be tough having so much freedom after having months, if not years, of fixed schedules.

I asked these guys if they wanted to do something like that and they jumped at the chance to have an accountability group.

Last night was another humbling time for me. We had four brothers who were there with me and Paulo Renato. Another showed up as we were closing with a prayer.

We shared sin and prayed for each other. The openness with which they shared deep troubles and serious sins in their lives was to God's glory. There were no secrets. We began allowing God to knock down some of the strongholds that we've allowed Satan to build up in our lives. We also talked about and prayed for those that we know who have left the recovery center but have returned to a life of drugs and fornication.

We have committed to meet every Friday night. We've agreed to call each other when we are weak or have sinned. We've also agreed to live from Friday to Friday. To not try to win all these battles with our sinful nature at one time but to live for the next accountability group when we can share how God gave the victory over the last 7 days. It was an incredible beginning.

I was blessed so much by my time with our brothers.

Please pray for this new group. Pray for these brothers that God will give them the victory over past addictions as well as new temptations. Pray for us to be the true body of Christ and please pray for our brothers who have left the center but don't yet see the need to be a part of this group.

Here is what we looked like last night. We took a picture because we feel like it was the launching point of God doing some amazing things.

From left to right: Alexandre, Jeanderson, Anderson, Rodrigo, Christian, Paulo Renato and Diego.