The Great Commission compels Christians to go into all the world and minister to all people. When we consider missions, do we think about prisons as a mission field? Throughout the Bible, we find many examples of outreach to prisoners. The apostle Paul spent quite a bit of time in Roman prisons. Christ was crucified between two prisoners. Psalm 69:33 makes it very clear that “the Lord hears the needy and does not despise His own people who are prisoners.”
According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), there are more then 2.2 mission people currently imprisoned in the United States. These are men and women created in the image of God, and they need to know and understand the truth of God’s Word. Prisoners need Christ and must hear and understand His Word to set them free to a life with Christ as they serve behind bars. Prisoners need Bible-based resources and tools to transform and equip other prisoners to share the hope of the Gospel with fellow inmates.
For many years, LMW has sought to equip prisoners and prison chaplains with resources to help them deepen their faith and lead others to Christ. We regularly recieve letters from prisoners and prison staff requesting The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible® (POSB) and other Outline Bible Resources. Among the most popular resources requested are the Believer’s Handbook and the four Gospel volumes of the POSB. Requested materials are sent to prisoners on a first-come, first-serve basis as funds, materials, and manpower are available to fulfill them. We regularly receive inspiring testimonies from prisoners whose lives have been transformed by God as they serve their sentences. This excerpt from a recent letter from a prisoner in South Carolina say it all:
“I truly felt and experienced God’s love when I opened the mail. You have no idea what it means to receive a gift, letter, note, communication from a member of God’s body in the Church of Jesus. God’s Love just pours our from your gifts to me. I in turn will use these books to pour out from the overflow of your generosity and love!
Please send me a cost list for other books. I pray and ask God to bless me so I may buy Romans, Hebrews, and Ephesians, to begin my library. I will buy the remaining Bible books as I am able. Thank you again from my entire heart, soul, mind and body, for your blessing and gift. The gift has propelled me forward. Thank you for making a difference and impacting my life!”
Thanks to generous donations of time and money from our volunteers and supporters, we have had the privilege of sending hundreds of Outline Bible Resources to prisons across the country.
Please prayerfully consider supporting LMW as we minister to this important mission field and make a radical impact in the lives of prisoners across the nation.
Visit OutlineBible.org/give today to learn more.