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.
Bible Versus on Prison / Incarceration
Prison incarceration rates by country
Incarceration rates of selected nations
Cited: Open Bible / reference scripture http://www.openbible.com
Cited: Wikipedia was used for some reference material http://www.wikipedia.com