Tag Archives: Incarceration

Incarcerated


Isaiah 61:1 (ESV) The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

As we embark on this journey of our 40 days of Lenten season, today we will be praying and discussing Incarceration.  When I hear the word incarceration I immediately began to think of a person that is not free.

Many of us have loved one’s that are behind prison walls… It tend to be a pretty common place for most of our black and brown men of today and yesterday… I encouraged each of you to begin to pray for someone you may or may not know that is incarcerated.   Also, pray those loved one’s that are free but has imprisoned their minds to the mental capacity that they have given up on life.. I believe, if we began to intercede on their behalf, lives will be change right where they are and the captives mind will be set free, which gives them another chance at life.   No matter what a person has done, Jesus still loves them in spite of their mistakes or intentions.   If a person is honestly sorry, repent and or ask the Lord for forgiveness, he  is a faithful and just God and will forgive you of all your sins.

 

Please, if  you will… Take time out of your busy schedule and go pay a surprise visit to a love one or friend that  is incarcerated.. .You never know, you might be that face that will change their mindset forever… Most of all, it’s a matter of them feeling free withing themselves… Locked away, yet free… The bible says: whom the son set free, is free indeed…

 

The Disciples Cross: The Message Behind the IHVS Christian

The first discipline is Obedience and faith, it is the central focus of book one, What Does the Bible Say? Obedience and faith is what binds all the other spiritual disciplines together. Without them the cross can not support itself. In the pages of the Bible, Jesus instructed: “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (John 13:15). Obeying God’s Word is not easy. History has shown that our human nature is prone to resist authority. We see that in Genesis chapter 3 when man disobeyed the Heavenly Father and the result was devastating. Man was separated from God. Disobedience has a similar affect upon our relationship with the Lord today. But God is faithful. He will forgive us our sins and restore our relationship if we will confess our sins and return follow His instructions (1 John 1:9).

Witnessing is another Christian discipline and will be the central focus of book two,Fishers of Men. Witnessing is not an option for a Christian. Jesus commanded the preaching of the gospel to all nations (c.f., Matthew 28:19-20), and it is the duty of every child of God to seek constantly to win the lost to Christ by verbal witness under girded by a Christian lifestyle in harmony with the gospel of Christ. Jesus also reminded us that God is pleased when we witness. “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (John 15:8).

Prayer will be the central focus of book three, Move Mountain. Is has been said that prayer is to the Christian what breathing is to the body. More specifically, prayer is both talking and listening to God. At the same time, prayer is recognizing the presence of God (Psalm 118:18) as we claim promises of God (2 Peter 1:4). Equally important, prayer is the Christian’s source of strength and power, a means of discovering the will of God, and biblically mandated means of having our needs met (Philippians 4:19). Jesus promises, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (John 15:7).

Fellowship will be emphasized in Love One Another. Based on what I like to call The Eleventh Commandment, Jesus’ instructions in John 13:34-35 is clear, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” We are to love others because Jesus loved us first. His model is our inspiration and his legacy is the defining quality of our new life as disciples.

Service will be the focus of IHVS book five, You Are My Friend. A New Testament church is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers that can affect lasting, positive change in the lives of others. Both men and women are gifted to serve and be friends to others. One of my favorite passages in all of scripture is John 15:13. There we read, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.” It is fascinating to me to realize that Jesus considers me to be his friend. Being a friend to others has a similar impact on people.

Finally, the focus of the last book in the IHVS series, Show Thyself Approved, will bediscipleship. This is the all-encompasses discipline that expands the entire cross. Christianity is the faith of enlightenment and knowledge and in Jesus Christ rests all wisdom. Thus, all sound learning is a part of our Christian faith, and Christian education is a necessary component to a complete spiritual program for Christ’s people. Once again, Jesus teaches, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock (Matthew 7:24).

Isaiah 42:1-25 (ESV)Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law. Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it: …

Incarceration is the detention of a person in prison, typically as punishment for a crime (custodial sentence).

People are most commonly incarcerated upon suspicion or conviction of committing a crime, and different jurisdictionshave differing laws governing the function of incarceration within a larger system of justice. Incarceration serves four essential purposes with regard to criminals:

  • to isolate criminals to prevent them from committing more crimes
  • to punish criminals for committing crimes
  • to deter others from committing crimes
  • to rehabilitate criminals

Incarceration rates, when measured by the United Nations, are considered distinct and separate from the imprisonment of political prisoners and others not charged with a specific crime. Historically, the frequency of imprisonment, its duration, and severity have varied considerably. There has also been much debate about the motives for incarceration, its effectiveness and fairness, as well as debate regarding the related questions about the nature and etiology ofcriminal behavior.

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Bible Versus on Prison / Incarceration

Isaiah 61:1 ESV

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

Ezra 7:26 ESV

Whoever will not obey the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be strictly executed on him, whether for death or for banishment or for confiscation of his goods or for imprisonment.”

Leviticus 24:12 ESV

And they put him in custody, till the will of the Lord should be clear to them.

Acts 12:5 ESV

So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.

Luke 23:19 ESV

A man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 ESV

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Philippians 1:27 ESV

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,

Numbers 15:34 ESV

They put him in custody, because it had not been made clear what should be done to him.

Genesis 39:20 ESV

And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison.

1 John 2:1-29 ESV

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: …

2 Timothy 2:9 ESV

For which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound!

John 3:16-17 ESV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

1 Corinthians 2:13 ESV

And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

Acts 16:24 ESV

Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

John 1:1-51 ESV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. …

Psalm 91:1-16 ESV

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, …

1 Chronicles 17:1-27 ESV

Now when David lived in his house, David said to Nathan the prophet, “Behold, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of theLord is under a tent.” And Nathan said to David, “Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.” But that same night the word of the Lordcame to Nathan, “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: It is not you who will build me a house to dwell in. For I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up Israel to this day, but I have gone from tent to tent and from dwelling to dwelling. …

Numbers 3:1-51 ESV

These are the generations of Aaron and Moses at the time when the Lord spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whom he ordained to serve as priests. But Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord when they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests in the lifetime of Aaron their father. And the Lordspoke to Moses, saying, …

Genesis 42:16-19 ESV

Send one of you, and let him bring your brother, while you remain confined, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you. Or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies.” And he put them all together in custody for three days. On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God: if you are honest men, let one of your brothers remain confined where you are in custody, and let the rest go and carry grain for the famine of your households,

Genesis 6:1-22 ESV

When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. …

Revelation 22:19 ESV

And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

Revelation 11:1-19 ESV

Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. …

Jude 1:6 ESV

And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—

Hebrews 1:14 ESV

Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

Romans 14:1-23 ESV

As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. …

Romans 8:29 ESV

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

Acts 12:4 ESV

And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people.

Acts 5:18 ESV

They arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison.

Acts 4:3 ESV

And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening.

Luke 16:19-31 ESV

“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. …

Mark 13:8 ESV

For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.

Matthew 25:46 ESV

And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Matthew 25:41 ESV

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

Matthew 5:21-22 ESV

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

Daniel 10:13 ESV

The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia,

Daniel 7:10 ESV

A stream of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.

Jeremiah 52:11 ESV

He put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in chains, and the king of Babylon took him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death.

Jeremiah 33:1 ESV

The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still shut up in the court of the guard:

Isaiah 42:1-25 ESV

Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law. Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it: …

Isaiah 6:2 ESV

Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

Isaiah 6:1-13 ESV

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” …

Psalm 150:1-6 ESV

Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! …

 

Prison incarceration rates by country

Incarceration rates of selected nations

Posted by:  Minister Evelyn Thomas
Cited:  Open Bible / reference scripture  http://www.openbible.com
Cited that an insert was used from http://ihvsbooks.com/2012/03/03/disciplescross/#more-936
Cited:  Wikipedia was  used for some reference material  http://www.wikipedia.com