Dear Friend,
“Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them.” Most of us find it hard to imagine what imprisonment would be like, and even harder to empathize with its reality.
In the early ’70s, our college soccer team played against a team from a South London prison on their pitch in the prison yard. I remember feeling strongly that were it not for the grace of God, I might easily have been inside rather than free. The door that closed behind us as we stepped to freedom was the same door that kept them incarcerated.
During my first pastorate, members of the congregation introduced me to prison ministry. On Friday evenings, we visited a local jail to meet the inmates and share the Gospel with them. That experience helped me get an inkling of what is involved in Hebrews 13:3.
That was long ago and far away, and yet prisoners are never far from my thoughts. Every week we hear from men and women who, while serving their sentences, are regularly listening to Truth For Life and are benefiting from God’s Word through your support.
Recently we heard from someone who wrote:
“Since 2013 I’ve been serving a prison sentence. I’m writing to say thank you. With a friend two bunks away, I listen to your sermons. Although both of us are in prison, there is still a hunger for truth. I am grateful for your radio lessons to us who are often forgotten. Most of us do not deny our guilt and our sins. I believe God makes us new through His righteousness. Your ministry is wisdom that penetrates these walls and helps us inmates to divide the Word more knowledgeably. We’ll be praying for you all in here. Please continue your radio program.”
It’s impossible to miss the heartfelt cry that comes again and again in letters like this. Although only a few of us will have the privilege of visiting prisons in person, all of us can make a difference by remembering those who are “often forgotten” in our prayers and continuing to support the work of the Gospel through ministries that, like Truth For Life, reach inside prison walls.
We’ll never know the reach of Truth For Life this side of heaven. Your partnership upholds all we do to bring the message of salvation to a vast company of listeners in every nation and in every circumstance. Thank you for your steadfast faithfulness and passion to see unbelieving people become the committed followers of Jesus Christ.
With my love in the Lord Jesus,
