PASTOR’S CORNER, Pat Mann, Chaplain, Liberal Good Samaritan Center, Liberal
JOHN 8: 31-32, 36 KJV: 31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
There are many ways that people may be held in bondage. A person does not have to be locked in a prison or jail to experience bondage. Some are in bondage of bad relationships. Others are in financial bondage. Others are not free due to physical handicaps. There are countries today whose citizens are enslaved. Still others are indeed locked behind prison and jail walls due to their own lawlessness.
If you are truly free today, it is not because our country’s constitution says you are free, although we are thankful to God for the guaranteed freedoms our country’s law provides. If you are truly free, it is because God’s grace has made you free from the worst kind of bondage – the bondage of sin. Sin is the great destroyer, driven by slave master, Satan.
Romans, chapter 6, indicates that everyone IS a slave. Either a person is a slave to Sin that ends in everlasting destruction or a slave to Jesus the Christ Who is the believer’s righteousness, and gives eternal life to those who follow Him.
In most of the Apostle Paul’s letters in the New Testament, Paul introduces himself as a “bond slave” to Christ. Those who are enslaved to Christ are the ones who experience true freedom. They are the ones who know the Truth, which is actually a person more than a concept. Jesus has said, “I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life.” This is the kind of bondage whereby a person, by an act of his own free will, chooses to become enslaved to the Lord Jesus, Who is the very essence of truth. They answer His calling to discipleship, abandoning their former slave master, Satan, and follow a new master, the Lord Jesus Christ. They are therefore set free from the bondage of sin with its consequences.
Knowing that real truth actually does exist is a breath of fresh air in our world today where falsehood seems to reign. How does a person really know which report to believe – especially in an election year? Perhaps that was the question in the mind of Pilate, the Roman Governor who sat in judgment of Jesus, when he asked, “What is truth?”
I have been teaching Bible classes at our county jail for 35-plus years. I know what it is like to be in bondage behind locked doors, and, actually, when I meet with the inmates, I am as locked up as they are, passing through 5 doors, three of which are locked, for our meetings. They have a Bible in the library there with the words, “Free on the Inside” on the cover. Under those locked conditions, several do find their freedom when they choose the Lord Jesus as their slave-master as they abandon their old slave master, Sin, and begin to be God’s servant behind locked doors.
A female inmate of mine made a commitment to the Lord Jesus several years ago while incarcerated in the Guymon jail. At her trial she received a life sentence in an Oklahoma prison. That was 17 years ago. Every year I pray for her release, but apparently God’s answer is “No.” In the prison, my friend leads Bible studies to fellow female inmates. She encourages the women to attend worship events brought by those who come in from outside churches. She is likely the brightest light for truth in a very dark place. Perhaps God keeps her there where she is His servant, carrying out the Lord’s orders to “Tell everyone the good news.” (All paid for by the state). Now she is likely the oldest prisoner in that facility. She tells me, “The new inmates are younger all the time.” Now she is experiencing some health issues. Anyone who wants to lift her up in prayer, just pray God’s blessing on “that woman in the Oklahoma prison who is presented in this article, and who preaches truth to fellow inmates.” It would not be proper for me to publish her name and location. I’m sure our all-knowing God will know who you mean. Because of her faithfulness, many female prisoners find freedom while on the inside of prison walls – Free on the inside.
As you enjoy your Independence Day celebration, remember those who need a spiritual independence day by becoming a slave to our wonderful slave driver, the Lord Jesus Christ.
