PASS THE WORDChristian Outreach Ministry
"To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world."
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." Ezekiel 36:26
ABOUT US
Did you know that the heart can take you to places our feet can not travel? In the Gospel of Matthew 25: 35-40, Jesus clearly tells us that we are to visit those who are in prison. It is with fervent prayers and hope that you will feel the call to do exactly that as you search through our pages and get to know who we are and what we believe. We are looking for volunteers to become pen-pals to many of our brothers and sisters who are incarcerated in our prison systems. A volunteer must be willing to provide Christian friendship and encouragement to those behind bars who need a prayer, a compassionate heart, a listening ear, an encouraging word. We not only need people who can communicate in English. Due to the rapid growth of incarcerated Hispanics, we desperately need volunteers who can read and write in Spanish as well. With no intent to belittle our prison system, nor the men and women who work hard and put themselves at risk day in and day out, I think it is safe to say that real "restoration" and "reformation" can only begin from within. From the inside. It begins with an acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Savior and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to start those changes. Due to the continuous hard work of those already working as Chaplains in our Correctional Facilities, there are many who have made a commitment to living for our Savior. But they still need a friend to encourage them in their studies and daily walk. No different than those of us who are living on the outside of those prison walls. There are yet many others who are still searching for Him and His love. Those who are on the very fringe of making that decision and perhaps only needs the gentle urging of a friend. A simple act of kindness is, sometimes, all it takes. Yes, Jesus tells us to visit those who are in prison and I strongly believe, as a Christian community, we need to call upon His strength and ask to be filled with an urgency and a tenacity to get that task done. An urgency and tenacity that will be stronger than those used by others who use the guise of "religion". "Religions" and/or "cults" that are rising in numbers each and every day. I don't know about you, my brothers and sisters, but I don't want to be someone standing before the Lord trying to explain how I just dropped the ball when I had the opportunity of sharing the message of Salvation and Redemption. Each day that passes is a missed opportunity to share the Jesus we love.
Jesus definitely knew what he was talking about when he told us to visit those who are in prison. Because most people who are in prison are "forgotten" people. Most often times deserted by family, friends, and former loved ones. They have become the least, the lost, and the lonely. I know there are many who wouldn't consider a prison to be a "vineyard" because it is "full of criminals" or "full of sinners." But whatever the sin, is it any less forgivable than those we carry or struggle with? I believe that the 9th chapter of Matthew's Gospel has two verses that speak directly to this. Verse 13 says, "For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."and verse 36-37 says, "When He (Jesus) saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." My brothers and sisters, I am asking and will continue to ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers into this harvest field. I believe we need to move, even into the darkest of places, to bring the message of salvation through Jesus Christ to all people. "Salvation through Christ is not a religion; Salvation through Christ is a relationship" and there are plenty of people living behind those prison walls who need that relationship. Won't you consider being a messenger to help show the way? The scriptures tell us that all of heaven rejoices at the repentance of one sinner. (Luke 15:7) Join us in the task so that we can make all of heaven rejoice.
If you feel compelled to becoming a volunteer. Please take it up in prayer and feel free to contact us with any questions you may have. Simply visit our "Contact Us" page and give us a shout.
FAITH STATEMENT
We believe in, and live by, God the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth and in Jesus Christ,
His Son, Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
Through the Word of God and born of the virgin, Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried.
He descended into Hell and He stripped Satan of his power.
Upon the third day He rose again and ascended into heaven
Where He is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the worldwide body of Christ (His Church),
The forgiveness of all sins, the resurrection of the body,
The communion of the saints, and life everlasting.
We believe that through a daily profession of faith and trust in the shed blood of Jesus Christ, His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension; one may become a partaker of their inheritance in Him.
1. We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God written by holy men as they were instructed by God. It is the inerrant Word of God. (11 Tim 3:15)
2. We believe that Man was created good and upright, for God said, “Let us make man in Our own image, after Our likeness.” But man, voluntarily transgressed against God, and God has provided man with his only hope of salvation and redemption which is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. (Gen. 1:26-31, 3:17, Rom. 5:12-21)
3. We believe that Jesus came as a man, was born of a virgin, and His father is God. We believe that Jesus was born without the inherited sin of Adam and, during his entire life, committed no sin. Jesus was the eternal Father made visible, apart from whom there is no God .
(I Tim. 3:16, John 10:30, Is. 9:6, Luke 2:11, Rev. 1:8)
4. We believe in the personal salvation of believers through the confession of sins, recognizing that Jesus Christ is the substitute for our sins, through His shed blood. It is by the grace of God, through faith in Jesus Christ and His shed blood, that we become an heir of God. (Rom. 10:9,10, 1 John 1:9, Eph. 2:8,9)
5. We believe that the New Birth is a direct witness of the Spirit and is an inward confession of Jesus Christ (Rom 8:16). We believe that following salvation through Jesus Christ you should be baptized...as commanded by the Lord Jesus. This was the last command He left His apostles. “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matt. 28:19) reads, “He that believeth, and is baptized, shall be Saved...” (Mark 16:16)
6. We believe in divine healing through faith and that healing is a benefit of the atonement.
7. We believe in the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit and that these gifts are given throughout the Body of Christ and are in operation today. (I Cor. 12)
8. We believe in the imminent return, second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ for His Church (His bride).
9. We believe that there is a heaven and a hell. Heaven is a place of eternal rest for the righteous (those who have accepted Jesus Christ as atonement for their sins) and hell is a place of eternal damnation for the unrighteous (those who do not accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior). (Matt. 28:19, Mark 16:16)
10. We believe in the millennial reign of Jesus – the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ from heaven, and the millennial reign of Christ and His followers on earth. (11 Thes. 1:7, Rom. 11:26,27, Rev. 20:1-7)
11. We believe in the Great Commission – to minister God’s saving grace and to reach out to the poor and lost in spirit (Mark 16:15). And foremost, to honor and obey God’s command, “take the gospel into all the world.”
