John 11:25 "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die." (NIV)
Job 19:25 I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. 26 And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; 27 I myself will see him with my own eyes--I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! (NIV)
Appearances Can Be Deceiving
It is in the seed that we find the potential for life. The seed, however, appears to be dead. Death hurts because of its apparent finality. In death, there is no more opportunity to interact, to love, to hate, to share, to turn away, to come together, or to come apart. It is this apparent finality, among other things, that inflicts so much pain when death occurs. However…
Things are not always what they seem. If we have the courage and if we look past the present moment, we can see that we will all die. When you look at the future from this realistic viewpoint, the future is not good. However, things are not what they seem. Instead of a future of hopeless darkness, Christ came to get us to build a future and strive for a future full of infinite Light and overflowing hope. By turning away from our hopeless present, turning away from our inner darkness and sin, accepting Him and His love into our lives, and then by living holy and devout lives we build a bridge to infinite paradise. With Christ, we have the opportunity to individually shape, mold, and determine our future, even if our present life is difficult. Even if we have a present life that is bound by chains that enslave us we still have a future full of freedom and emancipation. Even in profound grief over a personal loss, with Christ in us, we are not helpless for we can build a bridge to the future where there is no more death or tears. Things may look dark now, but appearances can be deceiving or things are not always what they seem, because everyone's future can hold joyful paradise.
1 Corinthians 13:12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (NIV)
When We Are Separated
When the darkness falls, we will be separated from people, things, ideas, and old but comfortable surroundings that give us security. There may be a torment of the soul, and pain in our body. For the person who has no faith there is no future, only a dark tunnel that has no light at the end. What a tragic future! What a terrible present! Without Christ, without an abiding love of God through Christ springing up within us when the separations of life come, there is a horrible ripping of the soul. Even with Christ, when times of separation come we are in deep pain. Even Christ wept at the tomb of a friend. So none of us is immune from the grief of separation. Yet we can all be healed from this grief. Oftentimes we cannot do anything about the separations here on earth. Separations come as surely as night follows day. However, we have a way to deal with separations. When we surrender our life and our soul to Christ, we can look up to heaven and look within ourselves, both at the same time, and find the love of God pouring down upon us. In Christ, with Christ, and because of Him, there is always a unity or bond between us and Him. No matter what kind of separations we must undergo here on earth, Christ comes to comfort us and console us if we open our life to Him. We must not deny that separations hurt. We must express our sorrow, especially to God. For when we are torn apart, it is always God who listens and it is He who is always working to help us.
Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NIV)
When We Lose
When we lose everything and have nothing left we can still sing about His Amazing Grace with a lump in our throat because we believe. We believe in a future of hope, promise, and love. Our future here on earth is always limited. There is always the darkness of death in our future. When we experience a loss we can all cling to the promises of Christ. We have a great future. Our great future is full of infinite riches, infinite glory, and infinite joy. When we experience a loss here on earth we must push ourselves to see that the things of earth or transitory, and when we see this reality, the things of earth do grow dim, because we can see Christ. None of us is a loser if we have Christ in our hearts. It is Christ who calls us to abandon the things of earth and to follow and focus only on Him. When we lose we are grief stricken. This normal response is a part of our nature. However, when we lose we must remember that there is another day. There is another game to be played. There is always another chance to win. In addition, we must all realize that the outcome of the game has already been decided by us and by the decisions we make. When we have a loss, as badly as a loss hurts us, we must all accept the ultimate victory in the end. Although we may be blind to the spiritual realities of our present moment, those realities connect us to ultimate victories in Christ. The darkness may roll in and take our families, our friends, and all our possessions. Yet we are still winners. We possess within us the infinite love and healing power of Christ. We have already won the greatest prize. We have already defeated the enemy. We have a future of promise and victory. Realistically, we must concede that our future on earth is not a good one. Our future on earth always has the reality of death and its long shadow hanging over us. Those of us who have the victory through Christ believe in Christ so firmly that if we had a future full of darkness or even a future tinged with darkness, that we know He would have told us. Yet Christ told us we have mansions in our future.
John:14:1: Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. :3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. (KJV)
What Do We Do When We All We Have Left Is Our Grief?
What we do is dig deep to find the treasures of life. With Christ, the earthly treasures of life as well as the heavenly treasures that await us, can be found in our times of loss. If we did not grieve, life would be worth nothing. Our grief is a sign that we treasure life. In reverse, what we miss when we lose someone can show us what is important in life. When we find what is important in life, we must then share this with others. What we find that is so important is that life matters, love for others matters, being unselfish and selfless matters, relationships built upon respect and admiration matter, and that forgiveness that sweeps away personal hurts matters. In the bitter depths of sorrow, we can, if we want to, find the glory of life. In the terrible heartbreak of losing, we can find that there is a time ahead of us when we will never lose again. We can find this time where we will never lose again because we have Christ pouring His love and His promises into our minds, our hearts, and our souls. What we must do is absorb the awful hurt, pray and prostrate ourselves before God, and then search for His overflowing love in our hearts. His boundless love is always in us if we would but open up to it. His boundless love is what heals us. His boundless love puts a bandage on our heart and He tends to our hurts until the healing process is underway.
John 10:14 "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me-- 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father--and I lay down my life for the sheep. (NIV)
Christ is the great shepherd. As long as we are willing to stay in His flock He will lead us and guide us. When we have been injured or we have fallen down, Christ comes to tend to our injuries. When we have experienced a terrible loss He picks us up and carries us through the deep darkness and through the troubled waters of our lives. When we get lost He will come and find us. When we are afraid He comes to take away our fears. When we are anxious His voice assures us that we have nothing to fear. When we are vulnerable, He tells us to be calm while He beats back the predators that would destroy us. Christ is gentle and will not force us to go where we do not want to go. His is always present in us and His love surrounds us.
May His peace and love be with you this week.
Missionary Michael J. CarneyBBFI missionary to Hungary
Philippians 3
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing
ye are otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this to you.
At the beginning of each New Year many people will make new commitments
and promises. They will try to think of something that will improve their life or
how others think about them. They will try to think of one thing that they need
to do or stop doing that will make them a better person.
In this passage in Philipians I believe that Paul has a similar idea. Paul says
that the one thing that he wants to do above all else is to serve the Lord better:
-"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended"
--Paul says I have not completely grasped everything I can for Christ. I have
not yet learned all that I can learn, I have not yet done all that I can do for Christ.
Paul was a very Godly Christian, but even in his life he knew he could do more
for God.
-"forgetting those things which are behind,"
Paul said forgetting those things which are behind, meaning forgetting all the
works he has done for God in the past. -- Sometimes we think about what we
have done for God and we feel we have done all we need to do. Now we can
rest. Paul said I am not going to think about what I have done, I am going to
thing about what I can do.
I have met good Christians that have felt that they have been serving the Lord
a long time and now they just need a little rest from the work. Usually when that
happens the get backsliden. They allow sin to creep into their lives. We must
realize we are in a never ending Battle. When you are in the middle of a war
you can not rest, because if you do the enemy will attack and destroy you. We
have an enemy and he wants to destroy us, destroy me and you.:
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring
lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
--He is seeking the opportunity to destroy you and he will if you let him.
This church has seen a great year. People have been saved. This church
building has been built. Now what will you do with the building God has provided?
You must decide how can you best use the things God has given you.
-"and reaching forward to those things which are before, I press toward the mark
for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
--Paul says I will commit myself to do all that I can to have a better realationship
with Christ and glorify Him more.
What can you do to have a better relationship with Jesus Christ? What can you
do to help others hear about the gospel? Jesus died so that people might be
saved, what will you do to help?
I. You can have greater Faith.
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh
to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently
seek him.
A. Without faith it is impossible to please God.
We must learn to trust God. To believe that He is in control of all things. His
word, the Bible, is true and that God knows what is best for our lives.
In the Old Testament the Children of Israel always looked at the things the
other nations had, and many times they complained to God because they
didn't have what the world had. In Malachi 3 the bible tells us that they stopped
giving their tithe to God because they felt there was no benefit to serving God.
We must believe that the things we receive from God are far better than the things
we can get from the pleasures of this world.
B. First you must believe that He is.
This is more than just knowing that God exists. James 2:19 Thou believest that
there is one God; thou doest well: the demons also believe, and tremble.
You must have a personal relationship with him. You must receive Him as your
savior. Mt. 7 tells us that on the day of judgment many people will stand before
God and say Lord we have done many good works in your name, but He will say
depart from me into everlasting fire because I never knew you.
--No matter how many good things you do, if you do not know Jesus as your
personal Savior you will spend eternity in hell.
II. You can communicate to God more.
A. We communicate to God with through prayer:
Philipians 4:6,7 Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer
and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your
hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
B. He communicates to us through His Word:
Psalm 119:11 Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee.
III. We can Love the Lord more.
There are many people that I love and care for, but I love my wife more. If I had
to choose who I would rather live with it would be my wife, because I love her
more. If someone I loved wanted me to do something that would hurt my wife
I would not do it, because it is more important that I please my wife than that
I please others. As much as I love my wife I must love Jesus more. Is it more
important to you what the Lord knows about you or what others think? Who do
you want to please? Who is more important to you? Love the Lord more.
Ministering To Death Row Inmates
KEY VERSE:
Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee; according to the greatness
of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to die. (Psalms 79:11)
OBJECTIVES:
Upon conclusion of this chapter you will be able to:
•Explain how to start a ministry to death row inmates.
•Discuss guidelines for ministering to death row inmates.
•Explain how to help a death row inmate prepare to die.
INTRODUCTION
Some prisons have "death rows"--special units where prisoners are housed who have been
condemned to death by the legal system of their nation, state, or province. These inmates are
usually kept in segregated or maximum-security facilities. Death row is a unique segment of the
penal institution, and this chapter is designed to help you minister effectively in this
environment.
HOW TO START A MINISTRY TO DEATH ROW INMATES
A ministry on death row—as any prison ministry—must be approved by the chaplain or
administration of the institution. In most instances you will not immediately be allowed access
to a death row. A chaplain or administrator will want to observe you in other settings in the
prison--in group or individual ministry to general population inmates.
Some institutions do not allow group ministries on death row because of the security risks.
Don’t be discouraged--you may be allowed to minister on a one-on-one basis through visiting or
writing a death row inmate. This can be very effective, both in terms of fostering genuine
relationships and sharing the Gospel message. It may also lead to the possibility of group
ministry later on.
If group meetings are not allowed, explore alternative ways of ministering on death row. For
example, in one institution where group ministry was not permitted a video player was approved
to be taken in and the chaplain and volunteer ministries supplied Christian videos to the row.
Some modern institutions have closed circuit television capabilities and perhaps these could be
used to air video-taped services. Christian audiotapes may also be permitted. You may also be
able to match death row inmates with a Christian visitor who will minister one-on-one to them.
MINISTERING TO DEATH ROW INMATES
If you are ministering by writing or visiting one-on-one with a death row inmate, review Chapters
Four and Five of this manual for guidelines on writing and visiting. If you are conducting group
ministry, see Chapters Six, Eleven, and Twelve. The general guidelines in these chapters are
applicable to death row also.
Unique to death row are the following guidelines:
•There are sometimes different rules for visiting, writing, or conducting group services on
death row because of security issues. Inquire about these regulations and abide by them
religiously!
•If a death row inmate maintains innocence, it is not your place to challenge it. There are
many instances where inmates have been released from death row after it was proven
without doubt that they were innocent. If they maintain their innocence, pray with them
that God will undertake and justice be done.
•Feelings of isolation, depression, and hopelessness are very common because death row
inmates are usually segregated, confined more often to their cells, and very limited in
options as to what prison programs they can participate in. You can help by being an
uplifting friend and providing ways to fill their time (puzzles, games, arts and crafts,
reading material, correspondence courses, etc.--whatever is permitted by the institution).
•People are usually sentenced to death row because of the violent nature of the crimes of
which they have been accused and convicted. Some may admit their guilt, but not show
any remorse for their crime. You must have the ability to accept them just as they are and
then--through love and the life changing power of God--lead them to the place they need
to be.
•You must have a real understanding of Biblical regeneration: " . . .if anyone is in Christ,
he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new"
(2 Corinthians 5:17). Society may still require the inmate to pay for his crimes with his
life, but God has forgiven him/her and they are a new creation. They are not the same
person who did the crime.
•Be sure the death row inmate understands that turning to God does not necessarily mean
He will deliver them from death. Share Hebrews 11 with them. Many godly people were
•delivered from death, but others were killed. Some were delivered out of prison; others
were not. God wants to give them dying faith as well as living faith.
•Continue to hold on in faith with a death row inmate until all legal appeal options have
been exhausted--but then don’t be afraid to help him prepare if death is eminent.
•Is there someone they need to forgive? Guide them in the process.
•Are there those to whom he needs to apologize and seek forgiveness—
victims, their families, his own family or friends? Guide them in the
process.
•If they have young children, encourage them to write a special letter to the
child to be given to them when they are older.
•Do they have any practical business matters that need to be concluded?
•Discuss death openly, and the fact that as a believer, there is nothing to
fear. Everyone has an appointed time to die. The only difference between
them and other believers is, they know their date. This can be a positive
thing, for it gives them time to do and say what needs to be said and done.
For the believer, death is swallowed up in victory:
Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be
changed--in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.
For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible,
and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on
incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this
corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on
immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written:
"Death is swallowed up in victory." "O Death, where is your sting? O
Hades, where is your victory?" (1 Corinthians 15:51-55)
Death releases us from the sins, trials, and burdens of this life:
For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have
a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the
heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with
our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed,
we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being
burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed,
that mortality may be swallowed up by life. (2 Corinthians 5:1-4)
When a believer dies, it is precious in God’s sight:
Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints.
(Psalm 116:15)
At death, the believer immediately enters the presence of the Lord.
We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body
and to be present with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:8)
•Help them focus on eternity and the tremendous things that await in
Heaven. See Revelation chapters 21 and 22.
If a death row inmate asks you to be present at their death to provide spiritual support, do so if
the prison permits it. You can help make it a glorious home coming instead of a frightful
experience--for truly, the death row inmate who has become a new creature in Christ will go
right from that death chamber into the presence of God!
There Are No Door Knobs Here
By Catherine Thompson
California Death Row For Women
"I have been approached several times by friends and associates to put my thoughts on paper.
Until recently, I shunned the idea. But a few days ago an outsider looking into our unit asked how
I handle being on death row and facing the state possibly taking my life. Another individual
asked if I was okay because I never complain and always have a smile.
"What no one realizes is that I had my last true smile on June 13, 1990. The next day, my best
friend, my confidant, and the love of my life was taken from me by a very violent crime. That
was the last day I can truthfully say I felt sincere happiness and exhibited a true smile. Through
this experience I have learned what I call the daily three Ps of my existence: Patience,
perseverance, and purity. I take one day at a time and there are some days I have to take one hour
at a time.
"There are things I took for granted all my life that I now consider a privilege, such as a phone
call, going out for sun and fresh air, or even simple things like turning a door knob or opening a
window. There are no door knobs here. My door is electronically controlled by a correctional
officer from a control booth.
"As a productive citizen of society, I voted against the death penalty. I feel God has numbered all
our days on earth and does not give man the authority to change that. No one--be it a criminal or
society--has the right to murder. I sit and wait on the state to appoint an attorney to represent me
on appeal because I cannot afford to buy justice. In our society, justice--as everything else--comes
with a large price tag.
"In the meantime, I spend my days upholding my dignity. My freedom was taken, my heart was
broken, my smile destroyed--but no man can take my dignity."
A Light On Death By Michael RossRow
Connecticut Death Row
"Death row can be a very dark and lonely place. As a condemned person, you have been told
by society that you are not worthy of even life itself. You are automatically deemed too
dangerous to be placed with the general prison population, and are isolated from all the other
prisoners by being housed in a separate special unit called death row. Finally, this isolation
goes even further for, many condemned men and women eventually lose contact and/or are
abandoned by their own families.
"How do I know this? It's because I'm a condemned man myself, on Connecticut's death
row. But I'm one of the lucky ones. I still have contact with some of my family and I have
several pen pals . . . However, I'm the exception, and certainly not the rule . . . I personally
know of inmates who receive no letters and have no visits.
"I even know of persons who were executed and had no one to claim the body. They were
buried in a pauper’s grave with no one at the services but the prison's chaplain--that's if they
were lucky enough to have services at all--and with the final indignity of having a prison
number on the grave marker instead of a name. They were just faceless convicts executed by
the state and buried in nameless graves, with no one to even notice their passing, never mind
mourn their deaths.
"Yes, death row can be a very lonely place. But you have the power to change that. You have
the ability to bring a ray of light and hope to the dismal darkness of death row isolation. And,
at the same time, that ray of light just might touch your own heart, and teach you things that
you never imagined. It's as easy as writing a letter. You see, in prison, letters can be that ray
of light and hope to someone who might otherwise be totally alone.
"The experience of writing often has a profound effect on the individuals involved--on both
sides of the correspondence. The person on death row knows that someone is concerned
about them and are better able to deal with the difficulties of life on death row. Those on the
outside find that to know just one inmate can dispel some of the misconceptions and fears
about prisons and those locked away there.
"Jesus' call for us to visit those in prison is clear. Perhaps correspondence with a death row
inmate can be your way of visiting."