A Victim No More

A Victim No More

A sermon by Dr. Mike Caparelli, minister, author, and founder of Unmuted a ministry that gives the oppressed their voices back

Introduction and Opening Remarks

• Welcoming the congregation, enthusiasm for the Word of God.

• Importance of receiving new revelation, regardless of Christian maturity.

• Introduction of Dr. Mike Caparelli: friend, PhD in behavioral science, passionate about God and the Holy Spirit.

• Personal anecdote: Dr. Caparelli as an excellent Italian cook, visit to beach house.

Dr. Caparelli’s Background and Ministry

• Broad ministerial reach: local, national, international.

• Upcoming trip to Ghana for a mental health seminar at a university.

• Reference to New York’s “Son of Sam” case: David Berkowitz.

  • Berkowitz's conversion in prison.

  • Caparelli’s correspondence and 100-hour interview project.

  • Book: Monster Mirror – 100 Hours with David Berkowitz.

Caparelli’s Media Involvement

• Discussion of Netflix documentary: "Conversations with a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes."

  • Caparelli interviewed as a behavioral psychologist.

  • Requirement that Berkowitz’s conversion story be included.

  • Anticipation of the documentary’s spiritual impact.

The Transformation of David Berkowitz

• Berkowitz’s violent past: serial murders, arson.

• His imprisonment and Christian conversion.

• Emphasis on the authenticity and longevity of Berkowitz’s faith.

Ministry to Other Offenders

• Correspondence with Craig Price, another infamous criminal.

  • Price now reading Monster Mirror in prison.

  • Caparelli’s belief in redemption for even the “worst offenders.”

  • Clarification: advocating spiritual, not legal, freedom.

Caparelli’s Published Works

• Overview of books:

  • Dr. Jesus – devotions on mental health.

  • Pain in the Parables – recovering from trauma.

  • Surviving Feelings – recovering from dark emotions.

Transition to Sermon: John Chapter 5

• Prayer for the congregation.

• Statement: The Bible as the greatest psychology textbook.

• Framing the passage: the lame man’s story as an allegory for everyone’s struggles.

• Prayer for freedom from emotional, spiritual, physical, and financial paralysis.

Exegesis of John 5: The Lame Man by the Pool

• Reading and explanation of John 5:3-14 (paralytic at Bethesda).

  • Emphasis on the longevity of the man’s condition (38 years).

  • Jesus’ question: “Do you want to get well?”

    • Difference between needing/wanting healing.

    • Risks of adapting to dysfunctional conditions.

Psychological and Spiritual Insights

• Human adaptability: strength and danger in adapting to dysfunction.

  • Adaptation to negative conditions can lead to a victim mindset.

• University of Adoption study: Victim mentality.

  • Scar experiment: perception of victimhood affects interactions.

• Biblical case study: Naomi/Mara in Ruth 1.

  • Transition from trauma as event to trauma as identity.

Jesus’ Approach: Healing the Mind and Will

• Jesus’ focus on engaging the man’s mind/will, not just his condition.

• Distinction between healing the sick and delivering the stuck.

The African Impala Metaphor

• Description of the animal’s physical ability but psychological captivity.

• Application: psychological and mental barriers limit freedom, not physical ones.

Behavioral Analysis: The Three Mental Traps

Trap 1: Experiences (Routine Becoming Rut)

• 38 years of relying on others, forming habits.

• Neuropsychology: habit wiring in the brain.

• Repetitive mistakes: "Pete and Repeat" analogy.

  • Example: Disciples fishing from same spot (John 21).

Trap 2: Excuses

• The man’s excuse: “I have no one to help me.”

• Analysis: Excuses as self-entrapping.

• “Hidden rescue wish” – waiting for someone else.

• Jesus’ imperative: “Pick up your mat and walk.”

• Principle: Personal responsibility for change.

  • Jesus does not do legwork for those unwilling to put in footwork.

  • Emotional exhaustion of trying to help those unwilling to help themselves.

Trap 3: Exemptions (Perks of Sickness)

• Social/financial incentives to remain unwell (begging mat, benefits).

• Jesus’ challenge: “See, you are well. Stop sinning.”

• Warning against victim identity becoming a form of exemption and entitlement.

• Modern context: proliferation of psychological diagnoses, medicalization of struggles.

Caparelli’s Personal Testimony

• Struggles with depression and institutionalization as a youth.

• Approval for SSDI (disability benefits) despite functional capacity.

• Experience of salvation and transformation—eventual choice to discontinue benefits.

• Illustration of “leaving the mat” as a metaphor for responsibility and healing.

Application and Altar Call

• Call to the congregation: recognize when conditions become mindsets.

• Central question: “Do you want to get well?”

• Invitation to the altar: for those with longstanding problems, habits, or suffering.

Specific Ministry: Targeted Prayers

• Call-outs for insomnia: prayer for sleep restoration.

• Instruction: Trust God’s wakefulness, relinquish worry.

• Call for those lacking hope: prayer for renewal of hope and dreams.

• Call for anxiety: explanation of avoidance as root; prayer for courage and confrontation.

• General encouragement: face challenges directly, break patterns of avoidance.

Encouragement for Belonging and Commitment

• Warning against running from relationships, jobs, or church.

• Affirmation of church community as a place of support rather than adversity.

Congregational Prayer for Pastors

• Praying for church leadership (Pastor Richard & Lisa).

• Acknowledgment of their role and covering in prayer.

• Upholding leaders during times of rest and service.

•