Poems of the Bible.com
AA The Holy Ghost
AA The Holy Ghost
and other spirits
by: Nick Wahrer.
A.A. Sobriety date 12-10-74
June 19, 1998
Dear friends and those of tolerance,
From time to time I like to write a letter to my friends of recovery and others. I am writing about some things I have learned about the history of AA, and the world of the spirit around us today. Think of it, prior to 1935 people that were real alcoholics were the out-casts of society. These people were locked up in insane asylums, jails; they were just thrown away. For most of them there was no hope of a normal life.
Page 82 AA Comes of Age, “It has become almost literally true that where two or three of us are gathered together in His name, there a group will form.”
Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
As you may have read in some of our AA Conference Approved literature and in our Big Book, Bill Wilson was at the end of himself (the best place to be to let God in). As he lay in Towns Hospital in New York City, New York, he cried out to God, “If there is a God, let Him show Himself! I am ready to do anything, anything!” This quote from Bill Wilson can be found in the book Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, on page 63. “Suddenly the room lit up with a great white light. I was caught up into an ecstasy, which there are no words to describe. It seemed to me, in the mind’s eye, that I was on a mountain and that a wind not of air but of spirit was blowing. And then it burst upon me that I was a free man. Slowly the ecstasy subsided. I lay on the bed, but now for a time I was in another world, a new world of consciousness. All about me and through me there was a wonderful feeling of Presence, and I thought to myself, “So this is the God of the preachers!” A great peace stole over me and I thought, “No matter how wrong things seem to be, they are still all right. Things are all right with God and His world.”
Then, little by little, I began to be frightened. My modern education crawled back and said to me, “You are hallucinating. You had better get a doctor.” Dr. Silkworth asked me a lot of questions. After a while he said, “No, Bill, you are not crazy. There
(If you have gone to many A.A. meetings, I am sure you have heard that alcoholism is progressive. Since Bill Wilson, Dr. Bob and others know that without God we can not recover from alcoholism, here is what I believe God shows us in His Word why alcoholism is progressive. For someone who has had any length of sobriety to drink again is to have alcoholism worse then it was before he stopped drinking. Here is the spiritual answer to this phenomenon.)
It has been some basic psychological or spiritual event here. I’ve read about these things in the books.”
In the A.A. World Conference Approved literature written by Bill Wilson, entitled, “Pass It On.” Here is Bill’s own words on his experience. Page 120-121, (This
is after Bill’s experience at Calvary Missions and the altar call.) “As the effects of the alcohol wore away—it had not been one of his worst binges—he fell into a deep depression and rebellion. He wanted the sobriety Ebby had found, but he couldn’t believe in the God Ebby had talked about. His own feelings experienced at the mission had faded with the alcohol.”…..”He was filled with guilt and remorse over the way he had treated Lois, Lois who had stood by him unwavering throughout. He thought about the miraculous moments they had shared.”……”He thought about Winchester Cathedral, and the moment he had almost believed in God.”
“Now, he and Lois were waiting for the end. Now, there was nothing ahead but death or madness…..In his helplessness and desperation, Bill cried out, ‘I’ll do anything, anything at all!” He had reached a point of utter deflation—a state of complete, absolute surrender. With neither faith nor hope, he cried, ‘If there be a God, let Him show Himself!’ Page 121 Pass It On, “What happened next was electric. ‘Suddenly, my room blazed with an indescribably white light. I was seized with an ecstasy beyond description. Every joy I had known was pale by comparison. The light, the ecstasy—I was conscious of nothing else for a time.‘Then in the mind’s eye, there was a mountain. I stood upon its summit, where a great wind blew. A wind, not of air, but of spirit. In great, clean strength, it blew right through me. Then came the blazing thought ‘YOU ARE A FREE MAN.’ I know not at all how long I remained in this state, but finally the light and the ecstasy subsided. I again saw the wall of my room. As I became more quiet, a great peace stole over me, and this was accompanied by a sensation difficult to describe. I became acutely conscious of a Presence which seemed like a veritable sea of living spirit. I lay on the shores of a new world. ‘This, I thought, ‘must be the great reality. The God of the preachers.’
‘Savoring my new world, I remained in this state for a long time. I seemed to be possessed by the absolute, and the curious conviction deepened that no matter how wrong things seemed to be, there could be no question of the utimate rightness of God’s universe. For the first time, I felt that I really belonged. I knew that I was loved and could love in return. I thanked my God, who had given me a glimpse of His absolute self. Even though a pilgrim upon an uncertain highway, I need be concerned no more, for I had glimpsed the great beyond.’….He always said that after that experience, he never again doubted the existence of God. He never took another drink.” (Bill, wrote with such beauty, this experience that Bill is describing is what as known as being in the spirit. Bill had a HOLY GHOST experience! When God shows up, people change!)
Bill Wilson wanted everyone to have this experience that he had. Dr. Bob wanted to have this experience. Bill went to great lengths to duplicate this experience, including experimenting with LSD at a university in California with some doctors and a couple of other AA people. They soon gave that up, knowing it wasn’t going to be duplicated with man’s effort. Bill was desperate to reach those suffering with alcoholism who would not be reached by A.A. Bill and Dr. Bob had a great compassion for the suffering alcoholic.
It wasn't until the publication of the Second Addition of the Big Book did A.A. add the William James writing of an 'Educational Variety' of a spiritual experience. Most of the newcomers back then and today of course did not have the experience that Bill Wilson had at Towns Hospital. MOST OF US HAVE HAD TO WALK OUT OUR HEALING AND DELIVERANCE FROM ALCOHOLISM. BILL WILSON'S DELIVERANCE FROM ALCOHOLISM WAS IMMEDIATE AND DRAMATIC. THIS IS TRUE TODAY FOR MANY PEOPLE. I KNOW SOME OF THESE PEOPLE PERSONALLY.
Page 197 Pass It On “Bill wrote the Twelve Steps, he said, while laying in bed at 182 Clinton Street with pencil in hand and pad of yellow scratch paper on his knee. “As he started to write, he asked for guidance. And he relaxed. The words began to tumble out with astounding speed. He completed the first draft in about half an hour, then kept on writing until he felt he should stop and review what he had written. Numbering the new steps, he found that they added up to twelve—a symbolic number; he thought of the Twelve Apostles, and soon became convinced that the Society should have twelve steps.”
On page 14 of the Big Book, Bill W. describes his Holy Ghost experience. “Simple, but not easy; a price had to be paid. It meant destruction of self-centeredness. I must turn in all things to the Father of Light who presides over us all “These were revolutionary and drastic proposals, but the moment I fully accepted them, the effect was electric. There was a sense of victory, followed by such peace and serenity, as I had never known. There was utter confidence. I felt lifted up, as though the great clean wind of a mountain top blew through and through. God comes to most men gradually, but His impact on me was sudden and profound.”
.” (Ephesians 5:8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light)
(Acts 2:2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.)
Immediately after his experience with God’s Spirit (The Holy Ghost). Bill Wilson is quoted saying, “While I lay in the hospital the thought came that there were thousands of hopeless alcoholics who might be glad to have what had been so freely given me. Perhaps I could help some of them. They in turn might work with others.”
On page 87 of the Big Book the first hundred wrote about a big promise to all of us. This promise comes in around steps 10 and 11. The more time we spend in His Presence (Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, step 11). This promise on page 87 is that of inspired thinking. “Nevertheless, we find that our thinking will as time passes be more and more on the plane of inspiration. We come to rely on it.” To have an inspired is a thought to come from God. This thought that came to Bill while he lay on that hospital bed at Towns hospital. This thought was the beginning of the wholesale miracle of healing from the dread of alcoholism.
INSPIRE: (Webster’s) to influence, move, or guide by supernatural inspiration.
SPIRIT: (Webster’s) a supernatural being or essence: HOLY SPIRIT
On page pg. 84 of the Big Book around the 10th step it plainly says, “We have entered the world of the Spirit.” Please note that the authors of the Big Book did use a capital S. Make no mistake about it, when they used a capital S they were referring to God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit (I like saying the Holy Ghost). How else would you hear from God? God is a Spirit. In ancient writings it has been recorded in history that several people say they saw this man called Jesus ascend into the sky. As He was ascending He said to these men and women that it was to their benefit that He go to the Father. However, He said I will not leave you comfortless. He said I will send you a new Comforter, He will teach, guide and direct you. This is the Spirit referred to on Pg. 84 of the Big Book.
Page 127 “Pass It On” “After Bill’s release from Towns on December 18, he and Lois started attending Oxford Group meetings at Calvary House, adjacent to Calvary Episcopal Church. The rector, Dr. Sam Shoemaker, was a leading figure in the Oxford Group. In time, Bill would come to regard this man as one of his closest personal friends.
It started well for the Wilsons. At the Oxford Group meetings, they found a kind of enthusiasm and friendship that Bill described as ‘manna from heaven.’ (He and Lois were probably experiencing what many of us today and our spouses experience when we come to A.A. for the first time—warmth, succor and a feeling of at last ‘coming in from the cold’) They were impressed and inspired by the Oxford Group’s success in helping people change their lives. ‘On the platform and off, men and women, old and young, told how their lives had been transformed,’ Bill recalled.
It appeared to Bill that social, class and racial barriers were almost nonexistent in the Oxford Group, and even religious differences had been forgotten. ‘Little was heard of theology, but we heard plenty of absoulute honesty, absolute purity, absolute unselfishness, and absolute love’—the four principles of the Oxford Group. ‘Confession, restitution, and direct guidance of God underlined every conversation. They were talking about morality and spirituality, about God—centeredness, versus self centeredness.”
As you go on and continue to read the story of Bill’s experiences in this you learn how the practice of ‘sharing’ came to be, early morning prayer and mediation. Standing up in front of your peers, at meeting and “telling your story” is also known as “giving your testimony”. Things that today many of us take for granted as just everyday common AA meeting procedures. However, these people, back then, the alcoholics of Wall Street, the surgeons and nurses in the operating rooms, the back ally drunks, had no idea how to live sober one day at a time. All good gifts come from heaven. Sobriety, recovery and staying sober are definitely a great gift from heaven and the Father of Light.
Remember on Pg. 164 of the Big Book they said, “We realize we know only a little. God will constantly disclose more to you and to us.” Beware, there are many voices that we hear, in our minds. How do we know for sure if what we heard was from God or from another voice? On page 87 in the Big Book it says, “We might pay for this presumption in all sorts of absurd actions and ideas.” Further down Pg. 87 of the Big Book they said, “There are many helpful books also. Suggestions about these may be obtained from one’s priest, minister or rabbi.”
If Dr. Bob and Bill Wilson were sitting at the kitchen table with us having a cup of coffee and we asked them what they meant by that statement on Pg. 87 of the BB. What helpful books a priest, minister or rabbi could suggest. I believe they would have said to us what they said on Pg. 147 of the book written by Bill Wilson, “Pass it On”…”As Dr. Bob described it, they were “convinced that the answer to our problem was in the Good Book. To some of us older ones, the parts that we found absolutely essential were the Sermon on the Mount, the 13th chapter of First Corinthians, and the Book of James.” Please note here, they did not mean Sermon on the Mount as interpreted by Emmett Fox. We are to study these books of the Bible for ourselves, as we should with the Big Book. This is an individual journey, and a we program.
On page 170 of ‘Pass It On’, there is a description of the Oxford Movement. The Oxford Movement was very influential with Bill W., Dr. Bob and the other pioneers of A.A. “The Oxford Group has no membership, no dues, no paid leaders. It has no new creed nor theological theories. It does not even have regular meetings. It is merely a fellowship of individuals who seek to follow a certain way of life. A determination, not a denomination, they say, First-century Christian principles in 20th-century application. Identified with it are Roman Catholics, Episcopalians, Methodists, Presbyterians, Baptists—members of all churches and none.” (I believe this is what God wants, all of us together, no division, no walls between us. That why Jesus came, so that all of us Jew, Gentile, Greek, everyone could enter into the Holy of Hollies.)
Page 191 ‘Pass It On,’ Ruth a woman hired as office help with Bill and Hank, “A few days later, she was astonished to discover Bill, Hank, and a stranger kneeling at a desk in the private office and praying! (In both Akron and New York, early members followed the Oxford Group practice of kneeling together in prayer.) There are also historical records that the pioneers of A.A., Dr. Bob and Bill W. and others, “laid hands” on the one that was doing his 3rd step. The original 3rd step prayer was the ‘sinner’s prayer’. The sinner’s prayer is a prayer of confession, acknowledging that (the one doing the 3rd step) is a sinner, and that we have acknowledged that we are powerless and that we need God in our lives.
Making reference to the God they understood, on page 229 of ‘Pass It On,’ Hank (one of the first one’s to get sober after Bill W. in New York City) writes a letter to Bill about opening or not opening a central office in NYC. Hank says to Bill, “Did Jesus Christ have an office? Was there a central clearing house?” (To me this says who they believed as to be their higher power. It is very important to know who your higher power is, for there are other voices and other higher powers. Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.)
On page 264 of ‘Pass It On’; ‘During the days of the Oxford Group meetings, the Wilson’s had started the practice of holding a ‘quiet time’ each morning….Lois described these quiet times: “They’d last 15 minutes or so. We were in bed and we’d get up and I’d make coffee and we’d have coffee in bed, and then we’d say a prayer together. And then we’d be quiet for a little while…..This is the prayer composed by Bill and recited by the Wilson’s at these times: “Oh Lord, we thank Thee that Thou art, that we are from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be Thy holy name and all Thy benefactions to us of light, of love, and of service. May we find and do Thy will in good strength, in good cheer today. May Thy ever-present grace be discovered by family and friends—those here and those beyond—by our Societies throughout the world, by men and women everywhere, and among those who must lead in these troubled times. Oh Lord, we know Thee to be all wonder, all beauty, all glory, all power, all love. Indeed, Thou are everlasting love. Accordingly, Thou has fashioned for us a destiny passing through Thy many mansions, ever more discovery of Thee and in no separation between ourselves.”
One of the favorite books used by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob for prayer and meditation, is the Christian Classic written by Oswald Chambers, “MY Utmost for His Highest.” This book can still be purchased in any Christian bookstore.
Getting back to know if it is God’s voice, our voice or another voice. When we want to know what is God’s will for us, or what we believe or think we heard or sensed in our mind or conscience, we can check it out in God’s Word (The Holy Bible).
There are so many books written over the ages. Today there are bookstores and books everywhere you look. A few years ago when I was given a thirst and hunger for God I went out and tried to buy a big old used bookstore in Ft. Worth. I mean, this was a big bookstore. There are so many books, so many opinions, so many ideas, so many philosophies, and so many religions. Isn’t this where all the fighting, arguing and confusion comes from? God is not the author of confusion. Our program (the A.A. program) teaches us to “Keep IT Simple”. I believe that is what God is saying to us. He says in His Word, My yoke is easy. If what you think might be from God does not line up with His Inspired Word, the Scriptures, then that voice is not of God. How else then would we know if it is from God? Do we just accept that it is from God because we want it to be, or because it feels good, or because it is convenient? The Big Book tells us we must get rid of old ideas. In the Big Book on pg. 58, “Some of us tried to hold onto our old ideas and the result was nil until we let go absolutely”. We must be very careful about these things as the Big Book points out on Pg. 87.
This God, the God of AA tells us to keep it simple, worship only Him. Look to Him for all of your needs.
page 63 of the Big Book it On says after step 3 (Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God, as we understood Him). “When we sincerely took such a position, all sorts of remarkable things followed. We had a new Employer. Being all-powerful, He provided what we needed, if we kept close to Him and performed His work well. Established on such a footing we became less and less interested in ourselves, our little plans and designs…. As we felt new power flow in, as we enjoyed peace of mind, as we discovered we could face life successfully, as we became conscious of His presence, we began to lose our fear of today, tomorrow or the hereafter. We were reborn.”
Please notice that the authors used the words, “felt new power flow in”. This feeling is of the spirit. This feeling is of God’s Spirit, (the Holy Ghost) as they talk about on pg. 84 of the Big Book. The Big Book says that powerlessness was our dilemma. We, I was powerless over alcohol. We had to admit this to ourselves, to our inner most selves. Then later on in the 11th step we find ourselves praying for the power to carry out His will for our lives. That power to do God’s Will for my life and that what we could not do for ourselves. That power is the power of God, that power is the power of His Holy Ghost. This is the very power we pray for in the 11th Step.
6-24-98
A few years ago I was at an AA convention at a small beach resort in Mexico just south of Tucson, AZ. At this convention there was a speaker from California. He pointed out the word power in the 11th step. I then began to think about this power. We are to pray for in the name of Jesus Christ, the power to carry out His will for our lives. This power I know now is not the power of self but of the same power that brought me out of alcoholic living. This power is the power of God. The power of God is His Spirit. The power of God, His Holy Spirit (Holy Ghost) is what is missing from many of us. This power is what is missing from many churches! However, I can not truly have this power present in my life, if I continue to live a life of self-will and SIN.
On page 65 of the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (12n12, an A.A. conference approved book, that can be read at A.A. meetings and is, in most A.A. groups and with A.A. members all over the world) “That is the measure of our character defects, or, if you wish, of our sins.”
Even after we are born again, (as in the fellowship and following of Jesus Christ, claiming Him as my Lord and Saviour, that HE did die for my sins and was raised again after three days, and that He is the Son of God born of a virgin Jewish girl named Mary) even after this miraculous event it is up to me to do what I can to grow in His image and likeness. Please see page 63 of the 12n12, “Step6; Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.” “This is the Step that separates the men from the boys.’ So declares a well-loved clergyman who happens to be one of A.A.’s greatest friends. He goes on to explain that any person capable of enough willingness and honesty to try repeatedly Step Six on all his faults—without any reservations whatever—has indeed come a long way spiritually, and is therefore entitled to be called a man who is sincerely trying to grow in the image and likeness of his own Creator.” This was written by Bill Wilson’s spiritual sponsor, a Catholic Priest of the Jesuit Order. His name is Father (father) Ed Dowling. Ed was instrumental in starting the first A.A. group in St. Louis. (Matthew 23:9 “And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.”)
Phillippians 2:12, “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence, only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” This is the Apostle Paul talking to the church of Phillipians.
Words are powerful (God spoke the world into existence, Genesis chapter 1) Words are also misunderstood and used by us with the wrong intent of its meaning. (2 Timothy 2:15 “Study to shew thyself approved unto God”) The word fear in the context of our relationship with God is misunderstood and has kept people from truly knowing God. From the writings of Jack W. Hayford, Litt. D. and others. Reference Phillippians 2:12. “In view of the obedience of Christ and His lordship, the Phillipians should show a like obedience. Paul does not teach that salvation is dependent on one’s continued works, but that salvation must express itself in progressive Christian living and upright character, not only individually, but in its initial resolution and in its subsequent progress.” ( In A.A. recovery is also progressive.) “Commit yourself to obedience. Allow God’s work of salvation to have its full work in you. Recognize that your whole Christian life, from being willing to doing it is all God’s work.”
Page 84 Big Book “This thought brings us to Step Ten, …….We vigoursly commenced this way of living as we cleaned up the past. We have entered the world of the Spirit.” Page 85 Big Book “If we have carefully followed directions, we have begun to sense the flow of His Spirit into us. To some extent we have become God-conscious. We have begun to develop this vital sixth sense. But we must go further and that means more action.” His, being God, Spirit is a Holy Spirit, The Holy Spirit, or as I like to say the Holy Ghost.
Page 262 “AA Come of Age.” “I take it that it bean to be clear quite early in the life of A.A. that Dr. Jung’s simple declaration that science had no answer, and ……” “came Step Two: We came to believe in a power greater than ourselves that could restore us to sanity. The basis of that belief was not theoretical; it was evidential. Right before us were people in whose lives were the beginnings of a spiritual transformation. You could question the interpretation of the experience, but you couldn’t question the experience itself.”
Page 263, “Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age.” “In the third and fourth chapters of Acts is the story of the healing of a lame man by Peter and John. A lot of the ecclesiastics wanted to know how this came about. The Apostles told them that it was through the name of Christ that this man was healed. The story says, ‘And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.’ Now you can fight a theory about an experience, but you’ve got to acknowledge the experience itself.
A.A. has been supremely wise, I think, in emphasizing the reality of the experience, and acknowledging that it came from a higher Power than human, and leaving the interpretation part pretty much at that. It would have been easy and must have been something of a temptation to go into the theological side. Here was evidence of spiritual power. All right then, let’s define the power. But that would have run several possible difficulties. If A.A.’s had said more, some people would have wanted them to say a great deal more and define the power. But that would have run against several possible difficulties. If A.A.’s had said more, some people would have wanted them to say a great deal more and define God in a way acceptable and congenial to themselves. It would have taken only two or three groups like this, dissenting from one another, to wreck the whole business. Moreover, there were people with an unhappy association with religion, a dead church or a dull parson, or some churchgoing people whose workaday weekday lives did not support their Sunday professions.”
”For an outfit like A.A. to become dogmatic would have been fatal, I think. So they stuck to the inescapable experiences and told people to turn their will and their lives over to the care of God, as they understood Him. That left the theory and the theology, as Father Ed has just been saying to us, the churches to which people belong.”
Page 264 “AA Comes of Age” “If God is what Christ said He is, He is more eager to help us than we are to be helped. He does not trespass on man’s freedom, and we can reject Him and deny Him and ignore Him as long as we like. But when we open the door on a spiritual search with our whole lives thrown into it, we shall find Him always there ready to receive our feeblest approaches and our most selfish and childish prayers and our always entirely unworthy selves.” Beautifully written by one of the founders of A.A.
1998 Happy 4th of July!
Did you know that the people that came to America from Europe came because of religious persecution? These people wanted to study the Bible on their own and worship Jesus Christ. The King of England had other plans. He did not want them to have their own Bibles, as was true with religions of that time. Did you know that we are a Republic and not a Democracy? There is confusion about this very important fact. “My people perish for lack of Knowledge.”
July 9, 1998 Back again, just got off the phone with Wild Bill, he sure is a good friend. He has been collecting AA and other literature for the guys at the House of Isaiah.
On page 70 of ‘AA Comes of Age’ describes how Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob and the pioneers did their 11th step. This is Bill Wilson writing. “How well I remember our morning mediation, when Anne would sit in the corner by the fireplace and read from the Bible, and then we would huddle together in stillness, awaiting inspiration and guidance.” Remember, the inspiration and guidance that Bill was talking about here is the inspiration and guidance of God’s Spirit the Holy Spirit (Holy Ghost)! It was true then for them as it is true for us today. Jesus Christ is the same now as He was then. Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever" ! !
I discovered in ‘AA Comes of Age’ that Bill Wilson did receive Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. Bill asked Jesus in his heart just before his Holy Ghost experience at Towns Hospital. On page 58 it says, “Remembering that Sam Shoemaker’s Calvary Church had a mission where Ebby’s Oxford Group friends had lodged him, I thought I would go and see what they did down there. I left the subway at Fourth Avenue and Twenty-third Street, so I began stopping in bars. I spent most of the afternoon in the bars and forgot all about the mission. At nightfall I found myself in excited conversation in a bar with a Finn named Alec. He said he had been a sail maker and a fisherman in the old country. Somehow that word “fisherman” clicked. I thought again of the mission. Over there I would find fishers of men. Oddly enough it seemed like a wonderful idea.
I sold Alec on coming along, and soon we reeled in the front door of the mission. Tex Francisco, an ex-alky in charge, was right there to meet us. He not only ran the place; he proposed to run us out of it. This made us quite sore as we thought of our good intentions.
Just then Ebby turned up, grinning. He said, “What about a plate of beans?” After the food, Alec and I had slightly clearer heads. Ebby told us there would be a meeting in the mission pretty soon. Would we like to go? Certainly we would go; that’s why we were there. The three of us were soon sitting on one of those hard wooden benches that filled the place. I had never seen a mission before and I shivered a little as I looked at the derelict audience. There was a smell of sweat and alcohol. I could well imagine how much suffering was represented in this gathering.
There were some hymns and prayers. Then Tex, the leader, exhorted us. Only Jesus could save, he said. Somehow this statement did not jar me. Certain men got up and made a testimonials. Numb as I was I felt interest and excitement rising. Then came the call. Some started forward to the rail. Unaccountably impelled, I started too, dragging Alec with me. Ebby reached for my coattails, but it was too late. I knelt among the shaking penitent, too. Something touched me. I guess it was more than that. I was hit. I felt a wild impulse to talk. Jumping to my feet, I began.”
So here is the proof, Bill Wilson was truly ‘Born Again’, Re-Born. Ebby told him he had then turned his entire life over to God. When Bill was “hit”, he was touched by the Spirit of God (God’s Holy Spirit, The Comforter, The Teacher, THE HOLY GHOST). This is when Bill said, “Afterward I could never remember what I said. I only knew that I was really in earnest and that people seemed to pay attention”.
August 24, 1998 Anytime two or more believers are reading the Word and praying the Holy Spirit is always there.
The following is from the research work of Dick B. and a book he wrote titled;
“The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous”
Dick B. c/o Good Book Publishing Co.
2747 S. Kihei Rd., #G-102
Kihei, Maui, HI 96753
1-808-874-4876
email: 103075.767@compuserve.com
Internet Home Page: “http://www.bookzone.com/dickb/”
This book written by Dick B. has a foreword written by Former Congressman John F. Seiberling of Akron, Ohio. Congressman Seiberling’s mother was the one who connected Dr. Bob and Bill W. In addition Dick got interviews with Dr. Bob’s son and daughter, as well as many old-timers of A.A.
The events that occurred shortly before Mother’s Day, 1935 have been told so many times in so many books that they do not need to be detailed here. However, many might see God at work in the rush of events that began with the Wednesday night meeting at the home of T. Henry and Clarance Williams shortly before Mother’s Day, 1935.
Anne Smith’s friend and fellow Oxford Group member, Delphine Weber, had apprised Henrietta Seiberling of Dr. Bob’s drinking problem. Henrietta felt guided by God and the Oxford Group members should have a meeting for Bob Smith. T. Henry and Clarance provided their home. Dr. Bob confessed to his being a “secret drinker,” and all present joined him on his knees in prayer on T. Henry’s living room carpet. The assistance of God was asked for the solution to Bob’s drinking problem. Next morning Henrietta asked God for guidance and help; (Nick’s note: see the 11th step and the promise to us on page 87 of the BB RE: Inspired Thinking) and said, “Something said to me—I call it ‘guidance’: it was a voice in my head—‘Bob must not touch one drop of alcohol.’ “ In a matter of weeks, Bill Wilson was in Akron, troubled, but anxious to maintain his sobriety by seeking out another alcoholic with whom to talk."
(Nick’s note: Remember, while Henrietta Seiberling was praying for Dr. Bob, God was preparing Bill Wilson in Towns Hospital. Bill and others cried out to God to help Bill. While Bill Wilson laid up in his room at Towns Hospital, he totally accepted he was helpless left to himself. Bill’s doctors told him he was helpless beyond human aid.)
“Oxford Group member Bill Wilson was led to call Oxford Group member Henrietta Seiberling’s phone. Henrietta welcomed the call as “manna from heaven.” With some difficulty, she arranged for Dr. Bob to come to her home the next day, Mother’s Day, to meet with Bill. What Dr. Bob had grudgingly scheduled as a “15 minutes tops” meeting turned into a mutual sharing between two drunks for some six hours. The result was electric. Dr. Bob and Bill saw mutual deliverance in their teaming up. Dr. Bob was Bill’s first evangelistic talk and simply shared his own experience. His deliverance by God, and his own need to help others.
All the previous experience of Bill and Dr. Bob with the Oxford Group and all the Bible study and spiritual reading in Akron began at once to gel. The two set out to help drunks recover. After Dr. Bob’s Atlantic City “slip,” Dr. Bob resolved, on June 10, 1935, to go through with the Oxford Group program. After sobering up that day with Bill’s help, Bob and Bill began again. Dr. Bob never drank thereafter. And A.A. was founded!” (pages 113 & 114 of Dick B’s. book)
The following information comes from page 75 of the research writing of Dick B. “Anne wrote at length on biblical principles—principles that certainly were not the exclusive province of the Oxford Group. There is a more complete discussion of these Bible verses and ideas at pages 67 & 71 of our book, Anne Smith’s Spiritual Workbook; and we refer to them in various portions of this book. In any event, Anne placed great stress on the Bible as the most important reading item. She read it herself each day. She read it to Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob each morning while Bill was staying at the Smith home in the summer of 1935. She read and quoted from it to the people she helped in her home. Her workbook is surfeited with the Bible references and quotations.
Some were to such concepts as:
love;
forgiveness of sins;
confession;
speaking the truth in love;
sharing as a Gospel concept;
witness;
regeneration through the power of Christ;
the power and direction of the Holy Spirit;
rebirth;
the beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount;
salvation through obedience;
God’s will that believers should prosper and be in health;
Patience, tolerance, and humility; and
Courage, faith, peace, power, joy.
She certainly mentioned living “one day at a time.” At page 9 of her workbook, she suggested: “Be willing to live a day at a time, an hour at a time. That idea is, of course, a foundational approach in Alcoholics Anonymous. Dr. Bob once commented that the A.A. motto “Easy does it” means you take it a day at a time. And he informed his sponsee, Clarence S., that the concept of “one day at a time” came from Matthew 6:34 in the Sermon on the Mount:”
“Anne (Smith, Dr. Bob’s wife) urged her audience to read at least one book a year o the life of Christ, saying that more would be better. And she recommended well-known books on Jesus Christ by Stalker, Barton, Glover, and Speer.”
Page 72 of Dick B’s. research writing “The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous”;
“The following , with footnotes references to page numgers assigned to a copy of Anne’s workbook by A.A. Archives in New York, are some significant words and phrases—many of which were used by the Oxford Group.
God as God, Spirit, the living God, Father;15
Sin as:
Anything that blocks God,16 and
Independence toward God—living without Him;17
Surrender of self-will, anger, resentment, pride, fear, dishonesty, sins, and wills;18
The 5 C’s—Confidence, Confession, Conviction, Conversion, and Continuance;19
“Decision” as a concept connected with surrender;20
The “moral test’ in connection with self—examination;21
Confession;22
Power greater than ourselves;23
Removal of sins;24
Daily surrender;25
Daily quiet time;26
Guidance;27
Fellowship;28
15 Anne mentions God with a capital “G” on almost every page. The Big Book contains similar usages 132 times in its first 164 pages and appendices. Anne mentions with great frequency HOLY SPIRIT and SPIRIT, with the Big Book using the word "Spirit” (See the Big Book, pp. 46, 66, 84-85, 164). On page 42, she refers to “the living God,” as do the Bible and the Oxford Group and the Big Book—the latter, when it refers on page 28 to “a living Creator.” The author inspected an earlier draft of the Big Book at Stepping Stones, Chapter #1, which at that point, was entitled “There is a Solution,” referred at page 12 to “the living God.” On pages 8 and 11 of her workbook, Anne refers to God as “Father,” as does the Big Book in several places (See Big Book, pp. 14, 62, 181, 260).
16 Anne uses this expression on page 38; and the Big Book several times speaks of the things in ourselves that block us from God (See Big Book, pp. 64, 71, 72).
17 On page 4, Anne uses the expression, “living without God,” while the Big Book speaks on pages 28 and 29 of discovering and establishing a relationship with God. The Big Book multilth version of the language on page 29 speaks of finding or rediscovering God.
18 She speaks of these on pages 17—18, 25, 37, 43, 61—62; and the Big Book speaks of getting rid of or turning these over to God on pages 14, 59—60, 62, 64, 67—68, 70, 84, 86.
19 Anne devoted all of page 4 of her workbook to the 5 C’s. And see Dick B., The Oxford Group & Alcoholics Anonymous (Seattle: Glen Abbey Books, 1992), pp. 144—145 and elsewhere, for a discussion of these Oxford Group concepts and their corresponding ideas in the Big Book.
20 Anne discussed the “decision” idea at pages 4, 37, and 42; and the “decision” idea is the heart of A.A.Step Three.
21 Anne twice spoke of making the “moral test” in connection with self-examination (pp. 4, 14); and the idea finds it’s A.A. counterpart in Step Five.
23 Anne spoke at page 37 of: (1) “lack of power” (Compare Big Book, p. 45), and (2) the need for “a stronger power” which God provided through Christ (Compare Big Book, pages 45-46, which says “We had to find. . . . . a Power greater ourselves.” It calls the “Power”: which is God”).
24 Anne speaks a page 36 of Christ removing them, and the Big Book speaks in Steps 6 and 7 of God’s removing these “defects of character” and “shortcomings”—which were called “sins” in earlier versions of the Steps.
25 See Dick B., and Anne Smith’s Spiritual Workbook pp. 37-43, 75.
26 See Dick B., Anne Smith’s Spiritual Workshop, pp. 44-47; and compare Steps Ten and Eleven.
27 Anne wrote frequently of her belief in the Guidance of God (pp. 2, 8-10, 15-16, 27, 31); and the Big Book frequently speaks of asking God for direction (pp. 68-69, 80, 86-87, 100, 164).
28 Anne wrote much on the Oxford Group and biblical idea of Fellowship, quoting 1 John 1:3 (pp. 11, 16, 26, 49-51); and A.A. often speaks of a Fellowship (Big Book, pp. xv, 45, 90, 164).
Page 124-125 The Akron Genisis of Alcoholics Annoymous, “In 1975 (Nick’s sobriety date is 12-10-74) Bob E. an Akron oldtimer whom Dr. Bob sponsored, wrote A.A.’s then arch-
ivist, Nell Wing, and described a typical Akron meeting as follows:
The general set up (of) a meeting was done by Dr. Smith and a few others in an upstairs bedroom just before the regular 8:30 meeting and it usually followed a page of the Upper Room which was supplied to us by Ernie G.’s mother (@ 5 cents a piece) and we all carried them. They fit in our side pocket, they were the size of a Reader’s Digest only not so thick. Each page was called a “thought for the day,” 1st there was a short quote of scripture, next a short prayer, next the short story for the day was read. Next if the group was still small enough we would hold hands in a circle and have a short quiet time during which we silently asked God for guidance. Then we shared or witnessed whatever we felt guided to talk about, a problem or an experience with a point worth sharing. If it didn’t help anybody it helped you. Then came instructions from Dr. Smith and announcements and asking for help or suggestions in handling a new man.”
Page 122 ‘The Akron Genesis of AA,’ “The connection between A.A. and the Book James is well documented. Dr. Bob said older members considered James an absolutely essential part of the recovery program. (Dr. Bob, pg 96) The Book of James was a favorite with early A.A.’s. It was one of the three books of the Bible on Dr. “required reading list.” Some early A.A.’s favored “The James Club” as a name for the A.A. Fellowship. In the Smith home, Anne often read to Dr. Bob and Bill (Wilson) from the Book of James. Bill Wilson said, “We much favored the Apostle James.” And the Big Book itself several times quotes “Anne Smith’s favorite verse” which was from James—
“Faith without works is dead.” But there is a new point that needs to be explored here.
James 5:13-16 reads as follows:
“Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing plalms.
Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray
over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if
he shall have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him
Confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another, that ye may be healed.
On page 123 of ‘The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous’ it says, “Clarence S. also provided his sponsee, Mitch, with a three-page description of how to take the 12 Steps and said it was based on the method used by Dr. Bob and the Akron oldtimers from the Book of James. As to Step Three, with both on their knees, the sponsor directed the sponsee to repeat:
“Jesus, this is__________. He is coming to you in all humility to ask you to guide and direct him. ________________, realizes that his life is messed up and unmanageable. ______________ is coming to you Lord in all humility to ask to be one of your children—to work for you, to serve and dedicate his life to you to turn his will over that he may be an instrument of your love.”
“Lord, I ask that you guide and direct me, and that I have decided to turn my life and will cover to you. To serve you and to dedicate my life to you. I ask all this in the name of Jesus Christ. I thank you Lord. I thank you Lord. I believe that if I ask in prayer, I shall receive what I have asked for. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus. Amen. Amen. Amen.”
The Step Seven procedure was described by Clarence in writing as: Pg. 124 of The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous, 5/23/11 4:36 PM
“Both on knees: Lord, here is your child ______________. He is coming to you in all humility to humbly ask your forgiveness, believing that anything he asks in prayer, he humbly shall receive.
“I ______________ humbly ask you oh Lord, to remove my shortcomings and forgive me my sins and trespasses and ask in all humility that you will remove my defects and shortcomings because I am one of your children and I truly believe. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus. Amen. Amen. Amen. (Sponsor—Your sins are removed in the name of the Father , the Son, and the Holy Spirit—if you truly believe. Healing Baptism oil) Both—Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus. Amen. Amen. Amen. (The author of The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous, Dick B. has a copy of the three-page, Twelve Step instruction sheet given to Mitch K. by his sponsor, Clarence S. It is entitled, “GOING THROUGH THE STEPS TO RECOVERY.”)
On pg. 127 The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous, we can see another of a HOLY GHOST connection. “Dr. Bob and Bill decided to look for alcoholics down at Akron City Hospital. The admissions nurse told them of Bill D., the lawyer who had been hospitalized many times, and was in an almost hopeless state. Prior to this, Bill D.’s wife had prayed with her pastor “that someone her husband could understand would visit him in City Hospital.” The admissions nurse phoned Henrietta D., Bill’s wife, and told her that Dr. Bob had found a way to help men with a drinking problem and wanted to talk to her. The wife agreed. Bill and Dr. Bob met with her at the hospital and learned some details of Bill D.’s life and drinking problem. With that, they arranged for Bill D. to have a private room at no expense to the patient. Bill and Bob, visited him and heard his drinking story, told him of their own experience, and asked if he could quit drinking of his own accord.”
Pg. 128, “Bill D. pointed out that Bill Wilson was grateful for his release from alcoholism, had given God the credit, and wanted to tell others about it. He said that Bill Wilson’s sentence became “sort of a golden text for the A.A. program and for me.” He concluded his story in the Big Book by stating, “I came into A.A.soley for the purpose of sobriety, but it has been through A.A. that I have found God.” (BB pg. 61)
Pg. 129, “BILL WILSON: He (Dr. Bob) went up to his room three times a day on the hour. I think it was about 9, 11, and 4, as I recall, that he prayed not only for his own understanding but for a different group of people who requested him to pray for them. I was always glad that I was included in those prayers and sort of depended upon him to get into heaven or something or other.”
“Paul S. described Dr. Bob’s own morning quiet time as follows:
Dr. Bob’s morning devotion consisted of a short prayer, a 20-minute study of a familiar verse from the Bible, and a quiet period of waiting for directions as to where he, that day, should find use for his talent. Having heard, he would religiously go about his Father’s business, as he put it.” (Transcript of taped interview of Henrietta D., on file in A.A. Archives in New York)
Pg. 131, “Dr. Bob read the Bible from cover to cover three times and could and did quoted favorite passages verbatim.(pg. 70 Dr. Bob) Dr. Bob’s “required reading list” had the Bible at the head of the list.(Bill Pittman, AA The Way It Began—Seattle: Glen Abbey Books, 1988, pg. 197) As we have said, he felt the Sermon on The Mount, the 13th chapter of First Corinthians, and the Book Of James were absolutely essential parts of the A.A. recovery program.(Dr. Bob 228, 96) He believed the Oxford’s Group’s Four Absolutes, which were derived primarily from the Sermon on The Mount, were the only and the proper yardsticks early A.A. had for behavior consistent with God’s Will.(Dr. Bob pg. 54) He believed the basic ideas for the Twelve Steps came from A.A.’s study of the Bible. (Dr. Bob pg 97) In fact, Clarence S. recalled, and told his sponsee, Mitch K., that Dr. Bob said that the Sermon on The Mount was the source of two of A.A.’s best known slogans. Dr. Bob told Clarence S.:
“First Things First” came from Matthew6:33 “But seek ye first the
kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall
be added unto you.”
“One Day At A Time” came from Matthew 6:34: “Take therefore no
thought (be not anxious) for the morrow: for the morrow shall take
thought for things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”
(Interview of Mitch K. by author, Stan B.)
Mitch K. supplied the author (Dick B.) with a pamphlet written and edited by members of Alcoholics Anonymous Akron Group No.1, popularly known as the King School Group. Akron Group No. 1 is the original chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous and includes in its active membership one of the organization’s founders, the first person to accept the program, and a large number of other members whose sobriety dates back five, six and seven years. The text of the pamphlet has been approved by the membership.” The pamphlet states on pg. 9, “There is a Bible you haven’t opened for years. Get acquainted with it. Read it with an open mind. You will find things that amaze you. You will be convinced that certain passages were written for you in mind. Read the Sermon on The Mount (Matthew V, VI and Vii,) Read St.Paul’s inspired essay on love (I Corinthians XIII) Read the Book of James. These readings are brief but so important.”
Page 135 “No one knew better than Bill himself that “nobody invented A.A.” “Everything in A.A., is borrowed from somewhere else,” he often said.” Quoted from Neil Wing.
Bill himself said:
As a society we must never become so vain as to suppose that we are authors and inventors of a new religion. We will humbly reflect that every one of A.A.’s principles has been borrowed from ancient sources."” Pg 223 “As Bill Sees It”.
Think about this, at a divine point in time, when Bill Wilson laid up in Town’s Hospital in New York again, he cried out to God. Bill was given the verdict by his doctors, he was hopeless and helpless. This is the exact position many of us have found ourselves in. To have God move in, to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. While Bill was crying out to God, God came upon Bill in that hospital room. In Bill Wilson’s own words he is describing a classic Holy Ghost experience! When the Holy Spirit of God shows up the person or persons are never the same again!
These are Bill Wilson’s own words found on page 14 of the Big Book of AA. “While I lay in the hospital the thought came that there were thousands of hopeless alcoholics who might be glad to have what had been so freely given me. Perhaps I could help some of them. They in turn might work with others.”
After having just read Bill’s own words in the previous paragraph think now what it says in the Big Book of AA on page 87, “Nevertheless, we find that our thinking will, as time passes, be more and more on the plane of inspiration. We come to rely upon it.” God gave Bill that thought (thinking) to share with another suffering alcoholic and then he could share with another. Confessing their faults one to another, praying for each other and seeking others who they could help. We sober ones seeking who we can help, never looking for anything in return. Doing 12 step work like this we are never looking for pay, glory or any recognition. It is God who gets the one’s we sponsor sober. If we take the credit for getting people sober then we have to take the blame when they get drunk or commit suicide.
In the A. A. text book Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers on page 311 it is written that in the late 1930’s, Doc would talk for hours to a fellow named Roland J., “who believed in anything that came down the pike when it came to spiritualism. He could hypnotize you,” and Elgie. Roland had studied many faiths in his search for sobriety, but never did stop drinking until he met Doc.
I believe the reason that Roland could not stay sober until he met Dr. Bob was because Dr. Bob knew things of the Holy Spirit, truths that Dr. Bob learned from the Word of God in his studies of the Bible. Remember, the Big Book says that no man, no medicine etc could help us. The only One who could help us was God. God is a Spirit, therefore the solution for permanent sobriety is of the spirit. Each of us is a spirit with a soul in a human body.
Continuing on page 311 of Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers, “I had several experiences with Roland J-----, his wife, Doc and Anne, and Ruth T------in Toledo,” Elgie recalled. “We had a spiritualist seance one night, and an amazing thing happened: I became controlled, as it were. I was telling Doc about his father, who was a judge, and I didn’t know anything about it.
Page 312 Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers, “A lot of us believed in the spiritual thing,” said Clarence S. “We’d go to Roland’s on a Sunday night. He’d call in the spirits. It got spooky after a while beyond what we should be monkeying with. Doc backed off, too.” Here we see where the A.A. Oldtimers and founders were dabbling in the things of the spirit world. They were searching as many of us are today. There is a scripture where God says to His people that His people perish for lack of knowledge.(Hosea 4:6). Remember too, in the Big Book on page 164 (written by the Oldtimers and founders of A.A.) “We realize we know only a little. God will constantly disclose more to you and to us.” God has disclosed more to some of us. The Bible and Big Book both say that if we will draw closer to Him, He will disclose Himself to us.
Page 308-309 Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers; “According to Paul S., there was a period when Dr. Bob’s faith wavered to the point that he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. ‘There was gossip, some sanctimonious people were citing his alcoholic experience to discredit him and have him removed from the staff at City Hospital,’ said Paul.
“He went with Paul, against doctor’s orders, to see the dean of Bible studies at Wooster College. ‘We learned there,’ said Paul, ‘that man will foresake us, but God never. We learned what was meant when Christ said, ‘Therefore, if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee, leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.’
The Oldtimers spoke often of making their decisions based on what they felt like they were being guided to do. This practice was probably picked up from their affiliation with the Oxford movement, this is where the Oldtimers would use the power of prayer and meditation. The Old Timers wrote about it in the Big Book on page 86 & 87. Here the Big Book says page 86 “In thinking about our day we may face indecision. We may not be able to determine which course of action to take. Here we ask God for inspiration, an intuitive thought or a decision. We relax and take it easy. We don’t struggle. We are often surprised how the right answers come after we have tried this for a while.” Page 87 Big Book, “What used to be the hunch or the occasional inspiration gradually becomes a working part of the mind. Being still inexperienced and having just made conscious contact with God, it is not probable that we are going to be inspired at all times. We might pay for this presumption in sorts of absurd actions and ideas. Nevertheless, we find that our thinking will, as time passes, be more and more on the plane of inspiration. We come to rely upon it.”
This is where living more in the Spirit/spirit and less in the flesh. Over on page 84 of the Big Book the Old Timers wrote that after we have gone through step 10 and began to practice this way of living we began to stay in constant conscience contact with God through His Holy Spirit. “We have entered the world of the Spirit. Our next function is to grow in understanding and effectiveness.” This is what Jesus told His disciples, that it would be better for Him to go up to the Father, that He would send us another comforter, a teacher, a guide, the HOLY GHOST! This is the reality of A.A. We, the real alcoholic were totally helpless outside the help of God. We had to have spiritual help. It is clear that no medicine no amount of psychological counseling no amount of electric shock treatments, no amount of will power could relieve us of alcoholism. Nothing but God, the Spirit of the universe could and would if He were sought. This God the Old Timers spoke of was the God of the Bible.
If you read the quote from Dr. Bob and Bill Wilson on page 147 of the book written by Bill Wilson, “Pass it On” , As Dr. Bob described it, they were “convinced that the answer to our problem was in the Good Book. To some of us older ones, the parts that we found absolutely essential were the Sermon on the Mount, the 13th chapter of First Corinthians, and the Book of James.” The Book of James was considered so important, in fact, that some early members even suggested “The James Club” as a name for the Fellowship.” The God of the Bible is Jesus Christ, God the Father and The Holy Ghost, the triune God.
Have you ever wondered why God chose to give this simple program of recovery to us in this generation in this country. Prior to 1935 people like most of us (the real alcoholic) had no chance at a normal, happy, productive life. We were thrown away, out of society. They threw the keys away. We were helpless all of those generations prior to 1935. The doctors told the Oldtimers back then they did see the occassional case of someone having a revolutionary change of personality, thinking and behavior. This change the doctors knew they could not produce in us, but it took a supernatural expereince. The One who performs the things of the supernatural is the One who created the natural and supernatural and that is the same universal Creator, the God of the Bible.
There is another, who operates in the supernatural. He is so devious, slick, cunning, baffling and powerful (but, God has more power) He is so devious He tells our intellect that he really does not exist. He blinds us to the spiritual truth, and has since his beginning.
2 Corinthians 4:3,4 (Amplified) “But even if our Gospel (the glad tidings) also be hidden (obscured and covered up with a veil that hinders the knowledge of God), it is hidden (only) to those who are perishing and obscured (only) to those who are spiritually dying and veiled (only) to those who are lost. For the god of this world has blinded the unbelievers’ minds (that they should not discern the truth), preventing them from seeing the illuminating light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ (the Messiah), Who is the Image and Likeness of God”
“It is the only disease, that tells you, you do not have a disease.” (Talking about alcoholism)
When Moses of the Old Testament asked God, “And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you”. (Exodus 3:14-15) Here God is telling us to keep it simple, He just is.
I believe it is because we the “rapture generation”, I believe we will see the return of Jesus in this generation. The United States of America WAS originally found and founded on the spread of the Good News, the Good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This country was built on those principles. I believe this proves that God, His Holy Spirit does not need much room, He does not need much of an open door. God remembers His Promises He made to His people.
Remember early on in this writing, we found that Dr. Bob and Bill Wilson both had accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior at a certain point in time in their lives. They had made that contract (altar call) with Jesus (God) to do His will the original 3rd step prayer, to be God’s agents. Dr. Bob and Bill Wilson had a God given passion to help suffering alcoholics and their families. God, the Father, too, wants His people to be free from anything that would be used by the Enemy to keep His people from seeking His Face and doing His will.
I believe, like the Big Book says, on page 133, “We are sure God wants us to be happy, joyous, and free.”
Some of you reading this may be saying to yourself, “well, I do not believe in Jesus or the Bible and I am sober and happy.” This may be true, if so, this just proves that we are in the period of history called GRACE. But, for the Grace of God. The Grace of God is a gift from the God of the Universe. We have not done a thing to deserve it or get it. God just gives it to us, out of love, God is love. But, do not be mistaken, God is also a righteous and just God..
Further on in the book “Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers,” on page 313 and 314, it says, “Dr. Bob also played a part in obtaining at least one spiritual healing, according to Virginia MacL., Dorothy S.’s sister, who had recommended that Dorothy take Clarence to see Dr. Bob in Akron. (Virginia, too, later joined A.A.)
The daughter of the MacL.’s, then four years old, had been ill since birth. ‘I had driven to Cleveland to take her to a children’s clinic for an operation,’ said Virginia. ‘Roland had been instrumental in healing some children, and my sister Dorothy, wanted me to see him first---to give him a chance at effecting a spiritual cure. I didn’t have any belief in that sort of thing, and I thought she was too sick. Then Dr. Bob came in. This was the first time I had met him. I was impressed immediately---he was a doctor and knew what he was doing. Meeting him made all the difference.
‘He took my daughter’s temperature and said she was a very sick child. She couldn’t even keep water down. Dr. Bob said he thought it (spiritual healing) would be worth trying. If it didn’t work, she could still go to the clinic.
I hadn’t met Roland J---before, either. He asked about my belief. I told him I didn’t have any. He said I should go to a movie and keep my mind off it, so there wouldn’t be interference from negative thoughts and they’d have a free field.
“When I came back two hours later, I could hear my daughter laughing before I even got into the house,” said Virginia. “Then she called out to me, ‘Oh, Mother, we’re having such fun.’ My daughter seemed completely healed, and she stayed well from then on.”
“Prayer, of course, was an important part of Dr. Bob’s faith. According to Paul S., “Dr. Bob’s morning devotion consisted of a short prayer, a 20-minute study of a familiar verse from the Bible, and a quiet period of waiting for directions as to where he, that day, should find use for his talent. Having heard, he would religiously go about his Father’s business, as he put it.”
Elgie R. recalled, “Doc told me that when he had an operation and wasn’t sure, he would pray before he started. He said, ‘When I operated under those conditions, I never made a move that wasn’t right.’
On page 314 they go onto say about Dr. Bob, “He prayed, not only for his own understanding, but for different groups of people who requested him to pray for them,” said Bill Wilson.
“I was always glad to think that I was included in those prayers,” said Bill. “And I sort of depended on him to get me into heaven. Bob was far ahead of me in that sort of activity. I was always rushing around talking and organizing and ‘teaching kindergarten.’ I never grew up myself.”
I want to point out here that the healing of this child was not totally scriptural. What I mean is, as far as I have read, Jesus Christ always had the parents with the child when His Power and Love healed them. Roland referred to no negative thoughts, no negative thinking so that there would be no interference in the field. However, it is scriptural, one way to receive healing is to have faith to be healed. This young child probably did not have any preconceived ideas. She trusted Roland and Dr. Bob, because her mother did.
Some of the confusion and lack of knowledge with Roland and Dr. Bob shows here. I believe innocently and ignorantly that Dr. Bob and Roland J. and others were trying to be like Christ, in many ways. However, they were confusing some occult and eastern religious beliefs into their lives. This is evidence of the eastern culture, slipping into our culture. I will discuss this in detail further on.
The Bible talks about physical healing as part of the promises God made to us. The story of the woman who had been suffering with passing blood for 12 years. The story tells how she crawled through a crowd of people just to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment. And when she did, Jesus felt the power flow from Him. Jesus told the women that it was her faith that healed her. When Jesus ascended to heaven He told those men and women that were with Him that it was best for them that He go to heaven. When He got there that He would send another Comforter. Jesus promised to send us The Holy Ghost, and He did!! Each one of us are, can be The Temple for the Holy Spirit.
Again, I refer the reader to page 84 and 85 of the Big Book of A.A. “We have entered the world of the Spirit.” The founders used a capital S for a reason. On page 85, “If we have carefully followed directions, we have begun to sense the flow of His Spirit into us. To some extent we have become God-conscious. We have begun to develop this vital sixth sense.” To me this is exciting news!! This is an exciting promise from God in the Big Book and the Bible!! This is for me and for you!!
2Corinthians 4:3,4 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ who is the image of God, should shine unto them. (2Corinthians 4:4, SATAN, the god of this world (see John 12:31), blinds the minds of people, but they choose not to believe, resulting in their inability to see the glorious gospel of Christ.)
1Peter 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed.
Isaiah 53:4,5 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisements of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Healing Prophesied Through Christ’s Atonement, DIVINE HEALING. Is. 53 clearly teaches that bodily healing is included in the atoning work of Christ, His suffering, and His Cross. The Hebrew words for “griefs” and “sorrows” (v.4) specifically mean physical affliction. This is verified in the fact that Matthew 8:17 says this Isaiah text is being exemplarily fulfilled in Jesus’ healing people of human sickness and other physical need.
Further, that the words “borne” and “carried” refer to Jesus’ atoning work on the Cross is made clear by the fact that they are the same words used to describe Christ’s bearing our sins (see v. 11; also 1Peter 2:24). These texts unequivocally link the grounds of provision for both our salvation and our healing to the atoning work of Calvary. Neither is automatically appropriated however; for each provision—a soul’s eternal salvation or a person’s temporal, physical healing—must be received by faith. Christ’s work on the Cross makes each possible; simple faith receives each as we choose.
Incidentally, a few contend that Isaiah’s prophecy about sickness was fulfilled completely by the one-day healings described by Matthew 8:17. A close look, however, will show that the world “fulfill” often applies to an aciton that extends throughout the whole church age. (See Isaiah 42:1-4; Matthew 12:14-17.) (Pslam 107:20/Matthew 4:23-25) footnote from Spirit Filled Living Bible, King James Version.
Remember what it says in the Big Book on page 164, “We realize we know only a little. God will constantly disclose more to you and us.” The us in that statement is me and you! Dr. Bob, Bill Wilson, Roland J. and many other pioneers of AA were very much interested in things of the supernatural. Like many of us today. In Hosea 4:6 it says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge;”
THIS IS WHERE THE OTHER SPIRITS COME INTO MY WRITING, AA THE HOLY GHOST AND OTHER SPIRITS:
Satan takes everything of God and distorts it. Sometimes he distorts in a major way or sometimes he does it just a little at a time. Satan and his demons are insidious, he never gives up. The Big Book of A.A. tells us that self knowledge and knowledge in of itself is not enough to defeat alcoholism. The disease (Satan and his demons) are insidious, baffling and very patient. We must be on guard and have constant vigilance that Satan does not sneak up on us. The disease (Satan) will sometimes appear as an angel of light, he can make things sound good, look good and feel good! However, that does not make it good. Many of us have fallen for his insidious lies. He actually tells us that alcoholism is not a problem for us, that the Bible is not God’s Word, that we can think it through for ourselves.
Watch for Satan’s deceit in such things as mind control and mind sciences. Such cults focus on the “universal consciousness” concept that human beings: 1) are part of a vast, timeless consciousness; 2) are ultimately divine; 3) will live forever in various forms (reincarnation, and so on); 4) can communcicate with the dead or other spirits; and 5) can receive power through psychic or even bodily exercises to transcend nature, understand mysteries, and affect their own destinites or the lives of those around them.
These groups, in the name of “research and enlightenment,” “psychic research,” “transcendental meditation,” “yoga,” and so on, are actually not in touch with some great “God consciousness” or psychic power, but with Satan and demons.
The Greek word psuche is translated “soul,” from which we derive the word psychic. Most mind-science groups deal with psychic, or soulish, phenomena. First Corinthians 2:14 says the psuchikos or “soulish” person (“the natural man”) will not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to Him. Mind control and New Age movement teachings all appeal to the soulish man, because prevalent in these groups is that if a person gains sufficient knowledge, he can dominate or control events because he is part of god or is god.
We must remember that the soulish realm is the realm of demons. Demons can and often do enter into the psychic area. The people who are in touch with the dead or “the other world” are not tapping into some universal consciousness. They are in touch with demons. Demons lurk behind many of the oriental religions, as well as behind the mind control teachings. (footnote from Jack W. Hayford, Litt. D.)
The following comes from Dorothy Mason Weyman’s prayer book, “Thus Saith God’s Word.”
“Satan is the instigator of all opposition to God and is the power behind all cults and the occult. He is not a figment of the imagination; the butt of jokes; characterized as a red-suited, pitchfork-weilding, horned individual; the opposite is the truth. His original abode was heaven, with “top” position of “covering cherub,” perfect in his ways, with great wisdom and brightness,” and ‘with every precious stone covering.’ (Ezekiel 28:13)”
“Pride entered into him: ‘I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will be like the Most High.” And he became “Filled with violence.” Then God decreed, “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty. Thou hast corrupted wisdom, thou hast sinned. I will destroy thee.’ (Ezekiel 28:16)”
“God will never again allow a rebellion in heaven, so before anyone is allowed entrance, true love and unshakable allegiance to God must be proven. Thus He did not create allegiance to God must be proven. Thus He did not create man as a robot but instead with the irrevocable gift of free will of choice, not forcing anyone to love Him.”
“Therefore, Satan was allowed to retain tremendous wisdom and power, along with the violence he acquired and was given this earth as a temporary domain to try the souls of men (this is my note; when the word men or man is used, it is given that it is meant woman or women as well.) He is likened to a ‘roaring lion’ that goes about seeking whom he may devour.’(1Peter 5:8) He truly has the nature of a vicious, heartless animal but he ‘transforms’ himself ‘into an angel of light.’ He is the source of all evil, lawlessness, lies and lying wonders and his retinue of demons assist by oppressing and possessing victims who will let them in; impersonating the dead to promote reincarnation and spiritualism.”
“Satan relentlessly attacks the Bible for it reveals who he is; exposes his tactics and pronounces his doom of eternal punishment along with all those who follow him.”
“He proclaims evolution and atheism so, as an animal, man does not have to curb his lustful nature nor feel the condemnation of having to answer for it to a holy God.”
“For these thousands of years he has constantly created new religions and cults with their false teachers and false prophets to keep people in spiritual darkness and bondage.”
2 Corinthians 4:4 “For the god of this world has blinded the unbelievers’ mind (that they should not discern the truth), preventing them from seeing the Gospel of the glory of Christ (the Messiah), Who is the Image and Likeness of God.”
John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by (through) me.”
Deuteronomy 18:10-12 “There shall not be found among you any one that useth divination, (fortune telling, ouija boards, automatic writing) or an observer of times, (a person who deals with astrology & horoscopes) or an enchanter, (magician) or a witch, (one making compacts with evil spirits thus possessing supernatural powers) or a charmer (hypnotist) or a consulter with familiar spirits, (spiritist medium) or a wizard, (clairvoyant, psychic, ESP, telepathy) or a necromancer, (one who supposedly communicates with the dead, seances; voodoo).
For all these things are an abomination unto the Lord.
Yoga, transcendental meditation; Sun Moon’s Unification Church; The Way, The truth and the Life; The Children of God’ Satanism etc. All deny that Jesus Christ is God.
Death forever seals a person’s destiny. There is no second chance—no reincarnation: Hebrew 9:27 “And just as it is appointed for (all) men once to die, and after that the (certain) judgement.”
Remember God will reveal more to you and me, page 164 of the Big Book.
“Pass It On,” page 275-276-277-278 Chapter 16, “One of Bill’s persistent fascinations and involvement’s was with psychic phenomena. His belief in clairvoyance and other extrasensory manifestations arose out of his conviction that our lifetimes on earth constitute what he liked to call “a mere day in school”; that we are pupils in a “spiritual kindergarten”; and that life after life is a matter of fact as well as faith. This belief led to his attempts to get in touch with other lives in other lifetimes.” (God’s Word says “Hebrews 9:27 “And just as it is appointed for (all) men once to die, and after that the (certain) judgement.” In other words, no reincarnation.
“Its not clear when he first became interested in extrasensory phenomena; the field was something that Dr. Bob and Anne Smith were also deeply involved with. …..there are references to seances and other psychic events in the letters Bill wrote to Lois during that first Akron summer with the Smith’s, in 1935.
One of Bill’s most dramatic tales of discarnate (Websters: discarnate means; having no physical body) communication is this story, as he himself told it: ‘’Probably in 1947, my wife and I visited Nantucket…..We only knew it for its sturdy Yankees and vanished whaling trade….’Next morning, I woke early, maybe six o’clock. I tiptoed to the kitchen and made coffee. While musing over the first cup, there was a sudden ‘intrusion.’ In came the words, ‘I want to go whaling.’ Questioning the purported entity, he gave me a Scandinavian name, now forgotten. More questions developed that he didn’t realize that he was ‘dead.’ He said he saw people dimly, that nobody paid any attention when he spoke. He complained of great loneliness and misery. Said he’d been a sailor and wished he could have a drink. I explained what had happened to him and inquired if he had any faith, which he said he hadn’t. I told him there were plenty of people about him who couldn’t see or hear because he was still earthbound. Of course, this was a typical experience that our amateur circle had often had with that discarnate that seemed stuck in some sort of purgatorial state.
‘Presently, another entity came along and announced his name to be Shaw, a storekeeper on the Nantucket of a hundred years before. Shaw thanked me for trying to help the Norwegian (Whom) he and his friends had been trying to wake up and get going. Shaw then explained that he usually found several hundred old-time friends at Nantucket who liked to return there just as he did. Would I like to meet a few?
‘He forthwith presented me to one who called himself David Morrow. My conversation with David Morrow disclosed that he had been a sailor during the Civil War when he had, as he said, been killed serving under Admiral Farragut at the Battle of Mobile Bay. Note in passing the name—David Morrow.
I was then presented to another entity, who declared himself to be one Pettingill, master of a whaler out of Nantucket or Martha’s Vineyard, I now forget which. This conversation was without much significance except the name of Pettingill—not an ordinary one. Others came, whose names I now forget. I believe that one of these called himself Quigley, another whaling master.
‘So ended, for the moment, my tryst with the Nantucket ghosts in my friend’s kitchen. Every bit of the foregoing could, of course, be attributed to fantasy, or forgotten information; that is, if it hadn’t been for those names, especially Morrow and Pettingill.
‘Just for fun, I told this story at breakfast, making such pointed reference to the names I’d picked up that my host was later able to recall them. At first, though, my host thought I was ribbing him; he knew little of psychics and had heard nothing before this of my adventures. When I pressed matters, he began to be concerned for me. When I pressed more, he got downright annoyed. Here, of course, the subject was dropped.
‘On the eve of going home, our host and hostess arranged a picnic lunch. We were to be joined by others. The rendezvous was to be at the head of Nantucket’s main street, which terminated in a circle where four other streets converged. I hadn’t before visited this spot.
‘As we approached the circle, I observed in its center a small monument. Coming closer, I saw that it was dedicated to Nantucket’s fallen in the War of the Rebellion. Chiseled around its base were the names of the dead. In a moment, I spied a familiar name—it was David Morrow. I called my host. He well remembered David Morrow from my description at the breakfast table. He was astonished, to put it mildly.
‘Next day, my wife and I visited for the first time the Nantucket Whaling Museum, a place filled with relics of the bygone past. Just inside the door, we saw a large open book. It was filled with the names of ships’ masters, and sailing dates for the whole period in which the whaling industry had flourished. Imagine our surprise when our search soon discovered (the) name Peter Pettingill as master of a whaling vessel. One other name I’d received was also there. If I now remember correctly, this one was Quigley”.
And upstairs in the museum, we found a life-size painting of Admiral Farragut, and there was a plaque describing the part Nantucket sailors had played in the Battle of Mobile Bay. This confirmed Morrow’s story.
Therefore, the record shows that I had picked up pretty accurate descriptions of three quite obscure and long-dead Nantucket citizens, names no doubt gone from the minds of living people. There isn’t even a remote chance that I had at some earlier time read or heard about all three of them, ordinary former inhabitants of the island. Maybe one, but certainly not three.” (This all was written by Bill Wilson, from his personal expereinces)
“As early as 1941, Bill and Lois were holding regular Saturday “spook sessions” at Bedford Hills. One of the downstairs bedrooms was dubbed by them the “spook room”; here, they conducted many of their psychic experiments. Of one session with a ouija board, Bill wrote this description:
‘The ouija board got moving in earnest. What followed was the fairly usual experience – it was a strange melange of Aristole, St. Francis, diverse archangels with odd names, deceased friends – some in purgatory and others doing nicely, thank you! There were malign and mischievous ones of all descriptions, telling of vices quite beyond my ken, even as former alcoholics. Then, the seemingly virtuous entities would elbow them out with messages of comfort, information, advice – and sometimes just sheer nonsense.’
‘Pass It On’ page280, “Tom and his wife Ginny were regular members of the “spooking” circle. This is Tom’s story of how he became involved with them:
‘I was a problem to these people, because I was an atheist, and an atheist is, by definition, a materialist. I mean, you can’t be an atheist unless you’re a materialist, and a materialist is, by definition, someone who does not believe in other worlds. Now these people, Bill and Dr. Bob, believed vigorously and aggressively. They were working away at the spiritualism; it was not just a hobby. And it related to A.A. because the big problem in A.A. is that for a materialist it’s hard to buy the program. I had a hell of a time getting on the program. Couldn’t get it through my head that there was any God, because God was a supernatural being.…
“According to Tom, Bill never did anything that was not in some way was connected with A.A. and with his own spiritual growth. He was, as Tom put it, very “one pointed.”
Other sorts of spiritual activities also claimed Bill’s attention. During the 1950’s, he became involved with the experiments in precognition that were conducted at the time at Duke University’s Rhine Institute.
‘Pass It On’, page 284, “Whatever Bill’s personal feeling, he nonetheless recommended to many of his friends and recovered alcoholics that they either join or rejoin a church. As he himself said:
‘The fact is that I feel deeply the great power and spirituality which flows out into the world through the church. I know of no other source of like quality. Therefore, when people come to me questioning, and I see they are at loose ends, I tell them how I feel about the church – without, however, any special emphasis on my own personal difficulties.’
“In addition to his predilection for a religious or spiritual life (after all, was it not a deeply religious experience, even though he nonchalantly called it a “hot flash,” that had saved his own life?), he was closely connected with a number of men of the cloth – in other words, some of his best friends were clergymen.”
Page 285 ‘Pass It On’ “Bill never stopped seeking to improve his conscious contact with God, trying to find more direct routes to the source of healing.”
Bill never stopped seeking to improve his conscious contact with God, trying to find more direct routes to the source of healing. This search sometimes led him down strange paths, which intersected with those of some odd people. But that is jumping ahead; during the early 1940’s, he was seeking more conventional ways to make the young Fellowship more available to more alcoholics, and more effective in carrying the message.”
Please remember the scripture I quoted earlier, ‘My people perish for lack of knowledge.” Remember what Bill, Dr. Bob and the pioneers of A.A. said on page 164 of the Big Book, “We realize we know only a little. God will constantly disclose more to you and to us.”
This past year there was an article in the Dallas Morning News where Cher of Sonny and Cher said that she had a spiritual meeting with a median. In this article Cher said that this man told her things about Sonny that no one could have known unless they had talked to Sonny himself. Sonny had been dead for several months when this article came out. So Cher was deceived, as was the median. A familiar spirit deceived them.
A TV network reported that occultism in the White House is nothing new. Mary Todd Lincoln is said to have held seances in one of the upstairs rooms—a practice President Lincoln apparently tolerated with amusement.
More recently, first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton used New Age psychic Jean Houston, codirector of the Foundation for Mind Research, to talk to the spirit of Eleanor Roosevelt. Reports say that Mrs. Clinton had talks with Mrs. Roosevelt (President Roosevelt’s wife) and Mohandas Gandhi. Nancy Reagan it has been said referred to an astrologer for her husband, President Ronald Reagan.
There is much interest in the things of the spirit world. Look at the movies and TV shows. Angels, people coming back from the other side as lovers, people dying going to heaven and wanting to come back for their loved ones left back in this realm.
All around you can see the world of darkness and death. Alcoholism, drugs, hard rock, homosexuality, abortion, divorce, broken homes, kids killing other kids, kids killing their parents and the list goes on. I know first hand that the wages of sin is death. Death of relationships of loved ones, death of the human spirit and even death of a nation.
Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob had experiences with God and His Holy Spirit. In their quest for knowledge and experience they got involved in things that are not of God. Remember what time in history this all took place. Prior to 1935 the real alcoholic had been outcasts of society. I believe that Satan, and his demonic army has been destroying, distorting the truth since he was cast out of Heaven.
Satan has actually caused many of us to deny the very existence of The Holy Spirit and spirits of the other kind. The very One who created us, healed us. We really do not know Him. Many of you reading this will not believe what the Bible says, or we think we know what it says. Satan (alcoholism, drugs, sin) is insidious and baffling. Satan is very patient.
I want to give you a little Biblical background on some of these things. Assuming, you agree that God’s Word is the authority of such things.
First however, I assume you believe the Bible is God’s Word, or at least partially true as being His Word to us.
In God’s Word, He says to us, DEUTERONOMY 18:9-12 “There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee.”
DIVINATION: Fortune telling, ouija boards, automatic hand writing.
OBSERVER OF THE TIMES: A person who deals with astrology and horoscopes.
ENCHANTER: A magician.
WITCH SORCERER:One making compacts with evil spirits—thus possessing supernatural powers.
CHARMER: A hypnotist.
CONSULTER WITH FAMILIAR SPIRITS: A spiritist medium.
WIZARD: A clairvoyant, psychic, ESP, telepathy.
NECROMANCER: One who supposedly communicates with the dead; seances, Vodou (voodoo).
Astrologers, (stargazer) called by the Hebrews “dividers of the heavens.” They are mentioned with “stargazers” (Isaiah 47:13). They apparently “cut up the heavens” into certain sections in order to trace the course of them, making an effort to fortell the future. They were a part of the court of Nebuchadnezzer II (Daniel 1:20) and were characteristic of ancient courts such as that of Babylon and Chaldea. Astrology was widely practiced among heathen nations, but was accounted illegitimate among the Hebrews, being considered inconsistent with the worship of Jehovah and classified, (as in Isaiah 47:12, 13), with occultism and demon-inspired paganism.
Divination, diviners; generally speaking, “divination differs from prophecy in that the one is a human device while the other is a divine gift—the one an unwarranted prying into the future by means of magical arts, superstitious incantations, or natural signs, arbitrarily interpreted; the other a partially disclosed insight into the future by the super-
natural aid of Him who sees the end from the beginning.”
Divination by Dreams; The Hebrews, along with other Orientals, greatly regarded dreams, and applied for their interpretation to those who undertook to explain them. Such diviners were called oneirocritics and the art itself oneiromancy. Dreams were looked upon from earliest antiquity as premonitions from their idol gods to future events. Opposed to this was the command of Jehovah (God) forbidding His people from observing dreams from consulting explainers of them. Those who pretended to have prophetic dreams and to foretell future events, even though what they foretold came to pass, if they had any tendency to promote idolatry, (IDOLATRY: In a general sense idolatry is the paying of divine honors to any created thing; the ascription of divine power to natural agencies. Idolatry may be classfied as follows: (a) The worship of inanimate objects, as stones, trees, rivers, etc.; (b) of animals; (c) of the higher powers of nature, as the sun, moon, stars; and the forces of nature, as air, fire, etc.; (d) heroworship, or of deceased ancestors; (e) idealism, or the worship of abstractions or mental qualities, as justice. Another classification is very suggestive: (a) the worship of Jehovah under image or symbol; (b) the worship of other gods under image or symbol; (c) the worship of the image or symbol itself. Each of these forms of idolatry had its peculiar immoral tendency.) were put to death (Deut. 13:1-4). In opposition to the word of God no prophets were to be received although they rained signs and wonders—not even an angel from heaven (Galatians 1:8).
Enchantment; The practice of conjurors and exorcists in employing incantations or magic rigmaroles in enlisting the aid of evil spirits to effect some design or in purportedly setting free the demoniszed from their torments. (Daniel 2:2, 10) It appears as the heathen counterpart of prayer.
Exorcist; (Gr. ‘exorkistes, one who exacts an oath), one who employs a formula of conjuration for expelling demons (Acts 19:13). The use of the term exorcists in this passage, as the designation of a well—known class of persons to which the individuals mentioned belonged, confirms what we know from other sources as to the common practice of exorcism among the Jews. Among all the references to exorcism, as practiced by the Jews, in the New Testament (Matt. 12:27; Mark 9:38; Luke 9:49, 50). (Nick’s note; And we of today’s Church are to cast out demons, heal the sick and raise the dead!!)
Familiar spirits, consulter with
It is added that these phenomena of demon-inspired paganism are abominations, and that because of them the Canaanites were driven out from before the Israelites.As you see the very things of the Old Testament times is still with us today. However, because of what Jesus did for us on the Cross and His Blood that is atonement for our souls, we are in a period of Grace.
We, due to the lack of knowledge and lack of the wisdom the Lord will give us if we ask. We are a deceived people. We are embracing the very things that are destroying us. The very beliefs and demonic influences are all over us. Look at the TV shows, look at the headlines in any newspaper. Our children are committing horrible murders. I believe, if you were to investigate their backgrounds you would find the influence of demonic activity. Activity that is not of God the God of The Bible. These children may be of family/generational curses. The root of all the ills can be traced through the Bible.
We as a nation are very blessed. Do we think that we are just smarter than the rest of the world. Do we believe that our wealth, food, freedom etc is just something of luck. Do we think we are just lucky people. That it is just by chance or our hard work that we as a nation have been able to feed ourselves and other nations as well. We have these blessings as a nation because of a Righteous God. The first Congress of these United States, knelt in prayer. They all pleaded with God to guide and direct them. When two or three gather together in His name, God promises to be there with you. God has and is blessing us.
When Dr. Bob, Roland J. and Bill Wilson and others were doing their seances and calling in the dead spirits, they were, in fact, moving into the world of spirits. They were not at that moment dealing with the Holy Spirit, but with familiar spirits. Familiar spirit is a divining demon spirit present in the physical body of the conjurer.
5/23/11 Merry Christmas
Just yesterday, on the Maury Povick show, he had a 29 year old man named John Edward. John is known as a median. When asked if there was an event in his life that he knew he had this “gift” of contacting dead spirits. He replied, “yes, when I was nine years old I went to a median. This median told me I would be writing my current book, ‘(not sure of it’s title)’. I believe, this was the moment in John’s life that he was opened to these deceiving, familiar spirits, demonic spirits.
I believe, that by God’s Will certain people are picked by God to do certain things for God’s children (all of us). People such as, Pastor Bob Nichols, Joyce Meyer, Billy Graham, Moses, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John etc. The same, I believe is true for Satan and his mission. Satan is that of sorrow, pain, disease, anguish, physical and spiritual death. Spiritual death of course is to be separated from the Spirit and love of God for eternity.
During the show John Edward would (as he described it) would be talking to the spirits of family members in the audience and in particular the co-producer of The Maury Show. This lady and the other people he spoke to were hurting emotionally over the loss of their loved ones.
As you can well imagine, it was very emotional for these people, to think that this man, John is able to talk to the dead people and tell the loved ones “left behind” that they were ok and that they were over on the other side. This really is very comforting to the loved ones still here, that are grieving over their deceased loved ones. The median was able to tell them things that only someone of an intimate relationship could have known what he (John) had told them.
In reality, John was communicating with a demonic spirit.
The reason this is a demon spirit is because God has told us in His instructions to us not to facilitate a medium, Mark 13:22 “For false christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.”
Monday, May 23, 2011
Mark 11:22 “And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.” Jesus further said, Mark 9:15 “Verily I say unto you, Whosover shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter herein.” This sounds like what happens to those who come to AA for the first time and are “too smart for the program.” God wants us to live by faith (Hebrews 11) and to trust in Him for everything. Jesus said in His Book that the only way to the Father in Heaven was through Him. That He is the Way and The Truth.
My motivation to do this research and writing is to bring some of the truth of the A.A. movement to the church and some of the Truth of the Good News of The Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world of “recovery,” 12 Step programs, participants, counselors etc.
My hope is that each of us will earnestly seek the Truth. For us to love each other as we would love ourselves. This commandment was given by the Lord Jesus Christ,
Matthew 19:19 “Honour thy father and thy mother,
and, thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
As an active alcoholic how could I have possibly carried out this commandment
of love in my life? I certainly did not love myself, therefore, how could I love anyone else? Sin, Satan and alcoholism stole everything from me. I believe it is safe to say that all of us have and do fall short of the best God, Our Father, has for us.
Our world is so tormented. There are women and men, who can not look to the word of Father, as God our Father, because of the horrible experiences they had with their earthly/biological fathers and step fathers. How horrible that sin and Satan has stolen such love and innocence from our lives. Jesus can and will restore what the Enemy of our souls has stolen.
I look at all the pain in our young people. The drugs, tattoos, body piercing, the self-deprecation. It is painful to see the tormented souls. The very One who can set us all free is being denied. My prayer is that we will all come together, have our spiritual eyes open and our spiritual ears opened.
Satan has deceived much of the body of Christ. He has much of the church reject the power of the Holy Spirit. Satan has taken the power of much of the church with his invidiousness. The church is jealous and suspicious of each other. Some pastors are afraid of loosing their flock, loosing their livelihood. Many of the leaders do not want to be embarrassed by things of the Spirit/spirit world. That is fine with the Enemy, he is getting what he wants by destroying our children with drugs, sin, hatred. Go down the list of the attributes of Satan and sins. You will find it in much of the body of Christ.
Satan has been able to divide us;
for most of us in the body he has pulled the teeth out of our theology.
We have been deceived.
Much of the church is embarrassed of things of His Spirit.
If they can't stay in control they won't let go and let God!
Some even believe that the things the early disciples did are gone with them.
How sad, Satan has deceived them.
For some, they must be able to figure it out, it must make sense,
it must not be out of the norm of today.
Just like the suffering alcoholic,
much of the church, is POWERLESS!
"MY people perish for the Lack of Knowledge"
It makes me angry that brothers and sisters and leaders of our churches deny or do not understand the presence of The Holy Spirit. They would rather make fun of or try to prove that what is happening (ie Brownsville, FL) is not of God. God forgive them, many of our people (drugs, alcohol, and other demonic bondage's) are killing them! The Power of the Holy Spirit, laying on of hands, and a strong daily program of recovery, fellowship, counseling and growth in the Word and Truth of our Lord Jesus Christ is an absolute must for most hardcore addicts and alcoholics who want to stay free and be free from other addictive behaviors. Many times it takes a Holy Ghost experience like Bill Wilson had for many of us to recover and get set free from the hold that Satan has on us.
So please, do not make fun of or discount things of The Spirit, too many are suffering and too many will die, needlessly.
Matthew 3:11 “I indeed baptize you with water unto repententance: but he that cometh after me
Is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the
Holy Ghost, and with fire:”
Matthew 11:13 “If ye then being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children:
how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?”
Acts 2:1 “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.”
Acts 19:2 “He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?
And they said unto him. We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.”
Acts 19:6 “And when Paul had laid his hands upon them,
the HOLY GHOST came on them; and they
spake with tongues, and prophesied.”
Love your brother in Christ,
Born again, summer of 1995
Baptized in the Holy Ghost December 13,1995; ministered to by Wilda Evans, Linda Wahrer, Erma Mitchell.
Water baptized @ Calvary Cathedral Int’l. Church, Ft. Worth, TX
Nick Wahrer
817-354-1809 (H)
817-832-4534 (cell)