First Impressions:
The first time I met Christian Farris, I admit, he wasn’t my cup of latte…so to speak. Where I come from, pastors are a whole different blend altogether, and at the time, he pastored Next Level Church, in Tampa, Florida.
My husband, Jay, and I met Christian through dear friends. Since then, our relationship with him and his wife Trish has grown alongside the vegetables, cows, and goats on our friend’s farm in Georgia. It is here we both have homes and come together to rest in creation, lend a hand, share a meal, or attend one of the Bible retreats hosted there. Today, I admit Christian is like drinking coffee without sugar; the more I’m around him the more I savor his pastoral flavor.
Currently, Christian Farris works as a mentor to high-level leaders through Elite Warriors, whose mission statement is, “forging high level leaders to become marketplace apostles.” One of the ways Farris mentors these leaders is in letting go of strongholds. I set out to interview Farris regarding the things that enslave us, versus living in the freedom of the gospel. (Please note: This was an article previously printed in a magazine while Christian was still pastoring for Next Level Church)
The Calling:
TCA: “When did you know you were called to be a pastor?”
CF: “I felt the call on my life as a boy. My father was a pastor of a Baptist church at the time, and I was raised in such a rigid, strict religion that I couldn’t see how I fit into that arena. I left home once I graduated from high school and turned away from God for a short time. I felt I didn’t fit into the mold of what a Christian was supposed to be. At nineteen, I went to Bible college and experienced a paradigm shift. Later, my father, brother, and I, along with several others, began to examine the first century church and how it operated within the scope of freedom and grace. In Mark 7, Jesus points out man’s tendency to cling to tradition in religion and that man’s love for tradition and rules was stronger than their love for Christ. It wasn’t until we broke out of the rules and regulations of religion, that I saw my place in the arena God called me to.”
TCA: “How would you describe your congregation?”
CF: “The great thing about my congregation is it’s very diverse socially, economically, and racially. We have wealthy business owners who worship alongside those that ride a bike to church. I see our church as a great example of the first church, members of all sorts of brokenness coming together to worship the one true God.”
TCA: “You don’t look like the typical pastor or what most people would imagine a pastor to look like. Do you think this helps people with addictions trust you to help them?”
CF: “I don’t think trust is what I gain right off from my appearance, but I do think people are more intrigued when they find out I’m a pastor. At first, they don’t believe it, and then it strikes their curiosity, and they want to see what type of pastor I am.”
TCA: “I notice you have what looks like some sort of flag tattooed on your arm. What does it symbolize?”
CF: “The tattoo is of black stripes representing sin fading into the red stripes of Christ’s blood. It was inspired from Isaiah 53:5 ‘…by His stripes we are healed.’ It is by His stripes we have freedom. Hence, why it resembles a flag.”
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.”
The Personal Struggles:
TCA: “Have you ever personally struggled with addictions?”
CF: “There’s not one person who hasn’t struggled with some sort of addiction. Addictions are not just chemically dependent there are also biological addictions. The biological addictions I’ve struggled with such as the approval of others or lust.”
Biblically Based Program versus AA:
TCA: “What is different about your addiction program when compared to Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous?”
CF: “The first difference is our program is, of course, Biblically based. It introduces others to Christ. Another pitfall for AA or NA is that people aren’t addicted to substances as [much as] they’re addicted to self-medicating what they can’t heal. Substances just happens to be the tool by which they choose to self-medicate. This is where AA and NA go wrong, they put all the focus on the what and very little on the why.”
Choosing Not To:
TCA: “You’ve stated to overcome any addiction one must change their mindset from, I can’t, to, I choose not to. Can you explain that?”
CF: “There’s a difference between shall not and cannot. God told Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden “Thou shall not eat.” He didn’t tell them they cannot eat. He warned them of the consequences of eating the fruit and left it open to their free will. When you live in the conflict of can’t, you put yourself into a prison which is in complete violation of free will.
What is the purpose of free will? I am free to do what I want to do, but not everything I am free to do is good. If you try to imprison me, my nature is I’m going to try to find a way to escape. You immediately place someone in bondage when you tell them they can’t do something. When you do that, you are placing your belief system on them. You want to create an environment to help someone choose what’s best and give them the freedom to choose that best.”
“In Colossians 2:22, Paul states you cannot add more religion or rules to your life and expect that to help the sin problem. Rules don’t work. Jesus used sheep as an illustration for us and that was no accident. I’ve worked with sheep. My father had a farm with sheep. If you run a barbed wire fence through a sheep’s pasture, the sheep will tear themselves up to get to the other side that has the same grass as the side they are on. Same with us, if we try to imprison ourselves within can’t, we will find a way out and justify sinning to ourselves.”
“When I changed my perspective from I can’t to I choose not to it was life-transforming for me and has been for others.
If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations–Do not handle, Do not taste. Do not touch (referring to things that all perish as they are used)–according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.” Colossians 2: 20-23 (ESV)
The Result:
TCA: How can this change of attitude and perspective magnify Christ in us?
CF: “I’m actually living out the call of God on my life as a human. Bondservant is a choice. I’m choosing to place myself under God’s authority, and I’m magnifying the very purpose of the gospel of Christ. The gospel was not to enslave me but to set me free. I’m living out the gospel which is freedom. We magnify Christ through walking in freedom.”
TCA: “Is there a verse you like to refer to on the topic of freedom?”
CF: “Yes, it’s Galatians 5:1 “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” (English Standard Version)
For other articles on Freedom on The Hallelujah House:
Addicted to Porn? So is Half the Church!
Jesus and Seltzer: Life Without Vodka
Tammy Carter Adams is founder and Editor in Chief of The Hallelujah House. She’s happily married to Jay Adams and they have four children. She resides in Orlando, Florida, but escapes the onslaught of tourist at her farmhouse in the sticks of Georgia. Beyond the blog, Tammy enjoys painting in her studio and is currently writing a memoir. You can reach out to Tammy personally by clicking the About us tab on the top of the homepage.
