How God Rescued Josh to Transform a Prison

At ARM Prison Outreach, we plant God’s Word in the hearts of prisoners so God can produce new life, renewal, and restoration through Jesus.

Josh is one of those prisoners.

I met Josh after preaching in prison. Josh is in his early thirties and is serving a 35-year prison sentence; he will be in his mid-60s when he gets out.

As he shook my hand, his TATTOOS started at his wrists and went up his neck. The tattoos were dark-themed (violence, pain, chaos).

Each tattoo was a reminder of the demons in Josh’s past.

After the first two years of his prison sentence, Josh was suicidal, feeling trapped in his misery, believing NOTHING could change his life.

In desperation in his prison cell, he prayed, “God, if you’re real, prove it.”

Various prisoners shared their testimony with Josh and encouraged Josh to enroll in ARM’s American Bible Academy, and Josh did.

The first study Josh received was on the Gospel of John. This 120-page study walked Josh through John’s Gospel verse-by-verse. Josh learned that God loved the world. Josh studied Jesus’ offer of “life more abundantly” (Jn. 10:10). After completing the study of John’s Gospel, Josh then received the study on Christian Doctrine 1, covering such topics as the Bible, sin, and repentance.

The seventh of thirteen studies in Christian Doctrine was on the topic of baptism. Josh learned what kind of person needed to be baptized:

• They must be believers in Jesus (Mt. 28:19; Mk. 16:16; Acts 18:8)

• Repentant (Acts 2:38)

• Make a public confession of faith in Jesus (Acts 8:37; Rom. 10:10)

 Josh also learned the purpose of baptism:

•  To be saved (Mk. 16:16; I Pet. 3:21)

• For the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38; Mt. 16:19)

• For the washing away of sin (Acts 22:16)

• For immersion into Jesus (Rom. 6:3; Gal. 3:26-27)

 Josh knew what he needed to do and was baptized in the prison baptistry provided by ARM donors.

When I met Josh, he was three years old in the faith. Josh shared with me that he is now a chaplain’s assistant. That means he:

• Tells other prisoners about Jesus

• He is leading other prisoners in ARM’s Bible studies

• He is pastorally caring for any prisoners who are struggling

Here is what is CRAZY.

Josh is so busy with ministry in the prison that the chaplain told me, “when I come to work, I find Josh and ask him, ‘what do you need me to do?’”

Josh is on fire for Jesus and wants all 1,600 prisoners in his facility to know Jesus.

Would you like to help reach thousands more prisoners?

Throughout Scripture, disciples of Jesus take the resources God has provided Christians with to be a CHANNEL OF BLESSING to others for kingdom impact (e.g., Acts 2::42-47; 3:1-10; 4:32-37). Dave Sutherland calls this "the Law of Channeled Resources."

One way to "channel resources" to prison ministry is through your estate plan. To learn more, watch this video by ARM Ministry Partner David Duncan. , or go to www.arm.org/legacy to download your complimentary Estate Planning Guide.