Restored to Sanity God, Christianity, and NA

By Millard Streeter

Restored to Sanity: God, Christianity, and NA is written primarily for the Christian and is about the disease of addiction and recovery. It is the author's hope that light is shed on the stumbling blocks to truth for all but especially the Christian who is met with combating addiction with all its various symptoms: gambling, sex, eating, drugs, alcohol, lying, and stealing. Using God's Word, the Bible, Restored to Sanity, makes an effort to reveal the power of God's Word to set the matter straight (2 Timothy 3:16) for the Christian, his family, and all others who are challenged with the disease of addiction.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 14, 2022
• ISBN: 9781662450419

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Restored to Sanity God, Christianity, and NA

Millard Streeter

Copyright © 2021 Millard Streeter

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING

Conneaut Lake, PA

First originally published by Page Publishing 2021

ISBN 978-1-6624-5040-2 (pbk)

ISBN 978-1-6624-5041-9 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

About the Author

Chapter 1

See the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world!

—John 1:29

Drug addiction and the Christian God and Narcotics Anonymous are principals of this work. There are people who profess to be Christian but are not, beyond a rudimentary level, familiar with the Word of God. I know because I have had conversations with a few of them. They are unaware of the counsel of Apostle Paul given to the young man Timothy: Study to show yourself approved by God (2 Timothy 2:15). Some attend church and learn basically nothing beyond the basics. They may know the church's number one doctrine, which is God is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit or Ghost. These three are one. They possess belief in the concepts of heaven and hell as destinations for people after death. Good people go to heaven; not-so-good people go to hell.

Some seem to know this: The devil is a liar. They know about the six creative days, the flood of Noah's day, the birth of Jesus, and the death of Jesus. And they partake of the symbolic bread (Jesus's body) and the symbolic wine (Jesus's blood). Some believe once saved, always saved—demonstrating a lack of familiarity with the principle Jesus spoke in Matthew 24:13, which states: But he who endures to the end will be saved. There may exist different schools of thought as to the meaning of this scripture, however, I believe Apostle Paul completely understood Jesus's words in Matthew 24:13, so therefore, he wrote, I have fought the fine fight, I have run the race to the finish, I have observed the faith. From this time on, there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge will give me as a reward in that day. (2 Timothy 4:7–8). Paul was nearing the end of his days; he had indeed endured until the end, as must all Christians, to receive their crowns and priest robes.

That is about it for the elementary informed Christian. However, there are those who are more informed and more studious, having attended Bible classes and theological schools, but they often clash on dogma, meaning, and understanding due to the various Christians denominations. This observation is not for the purpose of embarrassing or shaming anyone. It is to encourage more Bible reading and study.

Self-disclosure: I am not a theologian. I am like Jesus; read John 7:15. This work is not about disagreements and arguments of dogma, which split the church from Genesis to Revelation. Again, look at all the different denominations. Talk about a group needing to get its act together. Nonetheless, I am not seeking twelve rounds of championship boxing over dogma and traditions with all the Christian denominations in current existence. It is simple: I am a Christian and a recovering addict and have attended a great many Narcotics Anonymous meetings as well as Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and I will tell you this: To get through this work, you will need a copy of the Bible. Any Bible will do: King James, Gideon, New Jerusalem, New American Standard, Moffatt, etc. Whatever version you use is perfectly all right. In fact, why not grab three or four different versions and compare Scriptures as you read; you will have a lot of fun.

This work, due to the biases, prejudices, and favoritism within the world of Christendom, which are byproducts of inherited sin, will not cater to any particular version of the Bible but will employ creative and artistic license, often melding various Bible versions together, while remaining true to each biblical verse cited in this work. Personally, I believe in the complete harmony of the Bible, though I realize some do not. So let us take the focus off which version of the Bible is used and remember that the key is to have a Bible on hand. Any Bible or several Bibles—your choice. It's for following along with the foregoing presentation.

Here is a sacred secret. The truth about the Bible is this: It does not have a human author. No man or woman is the author of the Bible. God is the author of the Bible. That is why the Bible is called God's Word or the Word of God. Consequently, this work is true to the Word of God. Let us get started.

Addiction is classified as a disease. It is chronic, progressive, and fatal. It attacks its victims in a threefold manner: physically, mentally, and spiritually. The disease of addiction affects many, many families around the world. Some of these families are Christian. While there are many books written about addiction, this work is for the Christian—the Christian whose life has been touched by this horrible malady or this so-called disease of addiction—and his relationship with the true God.

Drugs are a major problem in today's society. Millions of dollars are spent on drugs—legal and illegal—and millions of dollars are spent fighting and treating drug addiction. A great amount of these millions of dollars comes from the pockets of Christian households. For drug addicts who are Christians, recovery is a more daunting experience. They are caught in the grip of confusion and fear. There seems to be no way out. They are ashamed and full of guilt. The morbid sense of being alone petrifies them. Their pernicious behavior causes them to think God will not forgive them. Indeed, it is difficult for them to forgive themselves. They are in the world and in a world of trouble.

Using drugs, including alcohol, becomes a way of life. Addicts use to live and live to use. Every waking moment and every sleeping moment is centered on using drugs. The life lived in active addiction is a life steeped deep in misery. For the addict seeking recovery, Narcotics Anonymous provides a way out of active addiction and a way out of the misery. The Christian who is an addict, when introduced to the twelve-step program of Narcotics Anonymous, is met with an exceedingly difficult dilemma.

I first sniffed heroin when I was sixteen years old. It was not long before I was doing it intravenously. Heroin was not the first drug I used. Alcohol earns this distinction. Alcohol was followed by the still popular marijuana and other drugs, such as uppers, downers, hallucinogens (acid, mescaline, and mushrooms), etc. Thirty years later, I was none other than a homeless, jobless, and hardcore heroin addict.

I was raised by Christian foster parents. Mom and Dad were the salt of the earth. My mother sang lead in the church choir. My father was a trustee of the church and was the leader of a singing and praying band, traveling up and down Maryland singing praises to the Lord. They taught me right from wrong; whether I learned is debatable. As far back as I can remember, I have always had an appetite for God's Word, the Bible. There is no book I enjoy reading more. When I was a young child, understanding Genesis 3:15 was enigmatic for me. I would read from Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 3:14 with no problem. Every time I arrived at Genesis 3:15, I would become stuck and bewildered, not knowing I had stumbled upon the first prophecy recorded in the Bible and the key to unlocking all subsequent prophecies that followed related to God's plan for the earth and mankind. Did any of you have a similar experience with Genesis 3:15? Nonetheless, I would continue reading, and I continue to read even to this day.

My addiction, like a thief, stole what decency I possessed. I was a guy who prided himself on honor your mother and father (Exodus 20:12). In active addiction, my self-esteem was low and honesty went straight out the window. I turned my back on God. The Messiah Jesus Christ had no place in my life. And reading God's Word was the furthest thing from my mind. I only thought of using drugs and getting drugs; drugs controlled my life. I landed in prison several times. My last stint was a three-year hitch for CDS (controlled and dangerous substance) possession. I was forty-seven years old. When I was released, it was recommended that I enter an IOP (intensive outpatient) treatment program for my problem. What problem? I thought. I was not aware that I had a problem, at least not the one suggested—a disease called addiction. In addition to the treatment program, I had to attend Narcotics Anonymous meetings.

This work will be concerned with that difficult dilemma challenging recovering addicts who are Christians, who seek help on their own volition, or who, like me, are directed to seek help in Narcotics Anonymous. The dilemma presents itself in this assertion: That the Christian seeking help in Narcotics Anonymous joins and becomes a member has forgotten what it means to be a Christian. How is this? Well, the organization Narcotics Anonymous boasts that it provides its adherents with a new way of life. And inside this new way of life is a primary purpose. And perhaps the most problematic of Narcotics Anonymous structural blocks for the Christian is this: Members of Narcotics Anonymous are encouraged to obtain or create a god or higher power of their own understanding. These three foundational blocks of Narcotics Anonymous constitute the great dilemma confronted by the Christian.

From a biblical and Christian point of view, there are three major flaws with the Narcotics Anonymous program. Again, for emphasis, they are as follows:

The new way of life: The Christian life is a new way of life. Why would the Christian recovering from active addiction need another new way of life if they completely understood the Christian way of living?

The primary purpose: Christians, do they not already possess a primary purpose?

The Narcotics Anonymous's understanding of God does not come from God's Word but from each individual member of the fellowship. And yet the rooms of Narcotics Anonymous are full of people who profess to be Christians. The Basic Text of Narcotics Anonymous has a section entitled Who Is an Addict? that states we are convinced that there is only one way for us to live, and that is the N.A. way. This statement should be concerning to the Christian who is a member of Narcotics Anonymous.

What does the word Christian mean? Webster's New World Dictionary states this: (1) a person professing belief in Jesus as the Christ or in the religion based on the teachings of Jesus, (2) a person of or professing the religion based on these teachings, and (3) a person having the qualities demonstrated and taught by Jesus Christ. And what of Christianity? What does it mean? Webster's states this: (1) Christians collectively, (2) the Christian religion based on the Old and the New Testament, (3) a particular Christian religious system, and (4) the state of being a Christian. What we see is that the words Christian and Christianity are tied to Jesus, who is also called Christ—translated from Messiah. The person professing to be Christian and who also is an addict seeking recovery needs to know who this Jesus is and what their relationship to him is. For a Christian, the understanding of the Christ-to-disciple, Christ-to-sinner, and Christ-to-the world is of paramount importance; at least it should be. For the teachings of Jesus the Messiah means life and points the way to God. Jesus himself said, I am the way and the truth and the life (John 14:6).

What happens to this vital importance (the importance of Jesus) when a Christian becomes an addict and seeks recovery through the twelve-step program of Narcotics Anonymous? And what of the person who was without Christ in his life, becomes an addict, and embraces Christianity during the recovery process? Where does Jesus fit in? What should be the view of the Christian addict (associating with Narcotics Anonymous) toward his relationship with Jesus?

The words See the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world! were spoken