6 Words That Will Change Your LifeSample

Prisons come in different forms. The Evil One specializes in taking everyday things and twisting them into prisons of despair and death.  

The day the Columbine High School shootings unfolded is seared into my memory.  That day, a local high school in my city was turned into a prison of sorts. Living just minutes away from the scene of the tragedy, I watched and prayed as the horror unfolded on my TV screen. Students and teachers were trapped in the school while a pair of young gunmen brought death and destruction. Hundreds of parents waited, desperate to hear whether their teenagers were among those who’d found their way out of the school to freedom.  

In today’s Scripture, Jesus quotes an Old Testament messianic passage written by the prophet Isaiah. For centuries, the Jewish people had waited for the long-promised Messiah who they believed would come as a ruling, triumphant savior for their people. The Jews were looking for a political figure who would arrive on the scene to "proclaim freedom for the prisoners" and "set the oppressed free." 

Imagine the shock when Jesus boldly, yet simply, states, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Jesus is declaring that He is the One. He is the long-promised Messiah—the only one who can bring ultimate deliverance from the prison of sin we humans find ourselves enslaved in.  

Jesus is the One who brings real liberty. Only by putting our faith and trust in Him alone will the spiritual chains of sin and death that bind us fall off. He is the only way out of our spiritual prison, throwing the door wide open into the place of freedom we have in Christ.  He is our hope for new creation and eternal life with God. 

Now that really is good news worth proclaiming!     

The Columbine High School massacre triggered a pivotal turning point in my career. I couldn’t help but think how things might have been different if only those two troubled teenage gunmen had heard the good news of the gospel from another teen they knew and trusted.  

Following the shooting, I resigned my position as a church pastor to pursue the ministry of Dare 2 Share full-time. This shift allowed me to develop an organization that is committed to mobilizing teens to evangelize their world. We passionately desire that every teen, everywhere hears the gospel from a friend.  

While God may not be calling you to quit your job so you can do evangelism full-time, He may be nudging you to gently, lovingly share the gospel with someone living in the spiritual prison of discouragement or hopelessness. Ask God for opportunities to share about Jesus’ freedom for prisoners.