John Baker - Growing in Christ While Helping Others Participants Guide 4: A Recovery Program Based on Eight Principles from the Beatitudes

John Baker is the founder of Celebrate Recovery, a ministry started at Saddleback Church. It is estimated that over the last 25 years more than 1.5 million people have gone through this Christ-centered recovery program. There are currently over 27,000 churches that have weekly Celebrate Recovery meetings.

John has been on staff since Celebrate Recovery started. He has served as the Pastor of Membership, the Pastor of Ministries, and is currently the Pastor of Saddleback Churchs Signature Ministries. He is also serving as one of the nine Elder Pastors at Saddleback. John is a nationally known speaker and trainer in helping churches start Celebrate Recovery ministries.

Johns writing accomplishments include Celebrate Recoverys The Journey Begins Curriculum, Lifes Healing Choices, the Celebrate Recovery Study Bible (general editor), and The Landing and Celebration Place (coauthor). Johns newest books are Your First Step to Celebrate Recovery and The Celebrate Recovery Devotional (coauthor).

John and his wife Cheryl, the cofounder of Celebrate Recovery, have been married for more than four decades and have served together in Celebrate Recovery since the beginning. They have two adult children, Laura and Johnny, and five grandchildren.

Johnny Baker has been on staff at Celebrate Recovery since 2004 and has been the Pastor of Celebrate Recovery at Saddleback Church since 2012. As an adult child of an alcoholic who chose to become an alcoholic himself, Johnny is passionate about breaking the cycle of dysfunction in his family and helping other families find the tools that will lead to healing and openness. He knows that because of Jesus Christ, and by continuing to stay active in Celebrate Recovery, Maggie, Chloe, and Jimmy his three children will never see him drink. Johnny is a nationally recognized speaker, trainer, and teacher of Celebrate Recovery. He is a coauthor of the Celebrate Recovery Daily Devotional, Celebration Place, and The Landing, and is an associate editor of the Celebrate Recovery Study Bible. He has been married since 2000 to his wife Jeni, who serves alongside him in Celebrate Recovery.

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Growing in Christ While Helping Others

Copyright 1998, 2012 by John Baker

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CONTENTS

by Rick Warren

BY RICK WARREN

Youve undoubtedly heard the expression Time heals all wounds. Unfortunately, it isnt true. As a pastor I frequently talk with people who are still carrying hurts from thirty or forty years ago. The truth is, time often makes things worse. Wounds that are left untended fester and spread infection throughout your entire body. Time only extends the pain if the problem isnt dealt with.

Celebrate Recovery is a biblical and balanced program that can help you overcome your hurts, habits, and hang-ups. Based on the actual words of Jesus rather than psychological theory, this recovery program is more effective in helping people change than anything else Ive seen or heard of. Over the years Ive witnessed how the Holy Spirit has used this program to transform literally thousands of lives at Saddleback Church and help people grow toward full Christlike maturity.

Perhaps you are familiar with the classic 12-Step program of AA and other groups. While undoubtedly many lives have been helped through the 12 Steps, Ive always been uncomfortable with that programs vagueness about the nature of God, the saving power of Jesus Christ, and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. So I began an intense study of the Scriptures to discover what God had to say about recovery. To my amazement, I found the principles of recovery in their logical order given by Christ in His most famous message, the Sermon on the Mount.

My study resulted in a ten-week series of messages called The Road to Recovery. During that series my associate pastor John Baker developed the four participants guides, which became the heart of our Celebrate Recovery program.

As you work through these participants guides, I trust that you will come to realize many benefits from this program. Most of all, however, my prayer for you is that, through Celebrate Recovery, you will find deep peace and lasting freedom in Jesus Christ as you walk your own road to recovery.

Dr. Rick Warren

Senior Pastor, Saddleback Church

Congratulations! You have made it through the first six principles on your road to recovery. You began your journey by Stepping Out of Denial into Gods Grace. Then you faced the good and bad of your past by Taking an Honest and Spiritual Inventory. And you just spent the last several months Getting Right with God, Yourself, and Others.

Now you are ready to begin working on the last two principles along the road to recovery. These principles are much more than maintenance. As you practice them, they will help you continue Growing in Christ While Helping Others, one day at a time!

Principle 7 is when you learn to take a daily INVENTORY and stand at the CROSSROADS of your recovery. You begin to live in newfound freedom in Christ. You learn that the best way to prevent a RELAPSE is to continue to grow in Christ through your quiet time and Bible study. In addition, Principle 7 will help you keep an attitude of GRATITUDE.