One of God's core purposes has always been to set prisoners free. Another has always been to include His people in that process. He is willing to sacrifice or require just about anything for our spiritual, emotional, and relational freedom, and asks us to treat those in prison the way we would like others to treat us. When He says "visit" them, He means to show up and work to set them free.
Series: Authentic Faith: Be The Body
Speaker: John Pryor
Notes:
Jesus wants to set us all free. The Messiah's core purposes included setting prisoners free, and God has always wanted His people to be part of this process. While our comfort and happiness at any given moment are not His first priorities, God consistently does and requires anything that can help us experience true freedom.
Genesis 39, Matthew 4:12-17, Acts 8-9 & 16, Luke 4:14-30, Isaiah 42 & 61, Psalm 147, Ephesians 2:10
We must visit prisoners. Whether their prison is spiritual, emotional, relational, physical—or any combination of these—we must meet them where they are. “Visit” means show up and go there. It's an action verb.
Matthew 5:21-30 & 25:31-46, Jude 20-23
We must work to set prisoners free. Sometimes isolation may be necessary as a means to an end, but it's never innately good or healthy for long periods of time. We must work together to help others become spiritually, emotionally, and relationally free, and help our fellow believers stay that way.
Matthew 25:40, Galatians 6:10, Hebrews 13:3, Mark 12:28-34
Lord, I will visit _______ this week.