Sad News...Again

I would like to say that we were taken by surprise; that we were completely shocked; that we were totally unprepared for news like this. I would like to say that, but it would not be true. Unfortunately, the news we received on July 7 was something that we have heard all too often. "John" (not his real name), one of our former Discipleship Academy members, was found dead of an apparent overdose in the basement of his mother's house.

John entered the Discipleship Academy to learn to overcome his addiction through applying the gospel to his life. By all appearances, he was doing well. Due to an injury and subsequent rehabilitation, he was unable to complete the Academy course, but he stayed engaged with the Mission and its staff. As far as we know, he had been doing well, even holding down a good job.

Had he been using for some time or did he return to "his mess" for this one, fatal time? We will probably never know, but his death by overdose provides a wake-up call for those who are still in the process of achieving some measure of success over this hellish affliction. May I suggest some take-aways from this tragic situation?

• Never underestimate the power of addiction. This holds true for all of those sins and weaknesses that beset us. At the time that we think we have conquered something, it may creep back in to show us our weakness. The Bible gives us wise counsel in this: "Therefore, let anyone who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall" (1 Cor. 10:12), and "Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Prov. 16:18). 
• Do not neglect the power and importance of community. In the recovery field, meetings are a vital part of the recovery process. I think that this is a page stolen from the New Testament. The author of Hebrews encourages us in this: "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the Day drawing near" (Heb. 10:24-25). As far as we know, this vital component of fellowship and community was lacking in John's life.
• Do not neglect individual "soul-care." Every Christian is responsible for the management of his or her own walk with God and progress in holiness. Outside influences may contribute to this: church attendance, prayer groups, etc., but in the end it is our individual personal responsibility to lay hold of the means of grace.

Do incidents like this and the many others that have occurred point to a failure in the programs that the Mission offers? Does this negatively impact our "success rate?" We have long ago abandoned any pretense of measuring a "success rate," though we are asked about it frequently. This we know to be true:

First, the gospel is the power of God that brings salvation (Rom. 1:16). When one embraces the gospel of Christ, that individual is a "new creation. The old has passed away, behold the new has come" (2 Cor. 5:17). By his own testimony, John had embraced this life-changing gospel.

Second, even though Christians are redeemed, we are still human. We still sin; we have flaws; we may slip and fall. In fact, in Gal. 6:1, Paul counsels the church regarding how to deal with a fellow believer who is overtaken by some failure. So, as long as we are in these mortal bodies, we must continue to take heed to ourselves, to seek out Christian community and fellowship, to engage in personal soul care as an ongoing spiritual discipline.