Special Features
Pennsylvania's Own Evangelist Anita Y. Dixon [PA Gospel Contributor]
Prison Ministry: The Mandate, The Misson, The Message
Hebrews 13:3: Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body
We silently watch as the prison population increases by 1,000 inmates per week with women becoming the fastest growing segment in prison population in the United States. We must create a working strategy for dealing with the shame, humiliation, hurt and loneliness of the incarcerated and their families by reaching their inner man. It is enjoined upon us to produce a functional approach to forgiveness and reconciliation within a combination of Pastoral Counseling, Christian Education, Bible Studies and Worship Services to present Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and to help the inmates increase their self esteem and self worth through our ministry. There are vital issues that must be dealt with facing juveniles and adults in the criminal justice system (victimization, rejection, under stimulation, homosexual rape etc.) This advocates the creation of nonthreatening circumstances that can help inmates cope with their situation and move forward to forgiveness and reconciliation.
Our objective must be to impart prison ministry in the fullness of its expression. It is more than just going into the prisons and telling men and women about Jesus. We must have highly structured strategic programs with Jesus as the foundation to minister to inmates and their families while preparing them for re-entry into society. We must present the Gospel of Jesus Christ, share the love of God, express the meaning of faith and show the power of prayer. Our social objectives must be to provide a link between the community and those confined in correctional institutions, to prepare inmates for re-entry into society (physically, mentally, morally and spiritually), to serve the families of persons confined in correctional institutions and help inmates and families find a redeeming experience. People need to realize that through Christ every inmate is redeemable, and our focus is to reconstruct the whole person and to bring to the inmate's family a new lifestyle based on Christian living.
The MandateOne of the first to be set free by Christ's death was a prisoner, THE THIEF ON THE CROSS. Many people say that Jesus stopped dying to save the thief but He never stopped the process of dying for you and me. He kept on dying and while doing so He set the prisoner free. Which lets us know that even in our circumstances and in the middle of our situations we can still set the captive free.
We have discovered that many people are bound in prisons that have no physical bars. They reside in prisons of sin, addiction, providential circumstance, fears, bondage and much more. Jesus came to set us free from the shackles that bind us so tightly and to give us victory.
The last thing Jesus did before ascending to His father was to commission us to Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Matthew 28:19 - 20
We are not just Soul Winners: The Great Commission is our mandate, however, the command was to "GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS" NOT JUST TO "GO" OR EVEN TO "GO AND TELL PEOPLE ABOUT JESUS". Ahh but we were commissioned to make disciples of every nation and tongue all around this great globe. The Great Commission, therefore, takes us beyond leading people to make a decision to receive Jesus as Savior. It commissions us to bring people to a point where they publicly identify with Jesus Christ and then we must teach them how to make Him lord over their lives.
In essence Jesus was saying "Go, into all the world; carry the glad tidings into every land and to every ear, and don't stop until all nations shall have embraced the Gospel and signed up to be My disciples."
Now, this was not meant to be done by the Eleven alone, nor even to be completed in their lifetime! The Lord was addressing every person who, in every age, should take up the mantle and do the work of an evangelist. This is a mandate to all His servants of then, now and in every age to come. Set the seal of visible discipleship upon the new convert, by baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
He finishes the commission with a great promise, "And lo! I am with you all the days" not only to perpetuity (continuously), but without one day's interruption, I will always be with you" even to the end of the world," AMEN!
The MissionRESTORATION - Our first mission is to touch the lives of inmates through the message of God's love and redemption and to lead prisoners into the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, to confess Him as Savior and Lord.
REHABILITATION - The second part of this mission is to "take the prison out of the prisoner". This is done through structured Bible Studies and follow-up care within the prison facility as well as after the prisoner's release.
REINTEGRATION - The last part of the mission is to help them return to society as members of the body of Christ, gainfully employed, housed and walking in newness of life. When we do these things the God of Glory is magnified.
We must fulfill this mission at all cost. It must be the depth of what we do and why we go into all the world. Dying nations are in need or Restoration, Rehabilitation and Reintegration. I call it R to the third power!
The MessageOur Message is one of hope enwrapped in the Word of God with an ultimate goal to reduce recidivism (the tendency to relapse into a previous undesirable behavior, especially crime) and to keep the next generation out of prison. One in three inmates return to prison after committing additional crimes and statistics show that the children of prisoners are bound to become prisoners themselves. These children are more likely to struggle with being tossed from foster care to foster care, becoming a victim of alcoholism, drug abuse, teen pregnancy and mental health issues. We have to save this generation by ministering to the families as well as the inmate.
People tend to think that everyone in prison is beyond redemption socially or spiritually, they cynically remark that anyone who comes to the chapel or asks spiritual questions is just playing games to get out of their cells or to improve their chances of parole. Certainly, this may be the case with some or even many, but prisons are fertile mission fields where people are ready to hear the Gospel. There are chances to minister in the midst of crisis as prisoners deal with bad news, such as the death of family members or being served with divorce papers or discover their family no longer supports them, etc. They appreciate that you are choosing to be there with them because you love God and love them.
We are called to bring the presence of Christ among people with as much need of that presence as anyone outside prison walls and to lovingly care for inmates in their relationship to God and society, while accepting them as men and women Jesus loved and died for. He died for the prisoner too.