Jesus Came to Set the Captives Free
Shared and Written by M.H. and D. Bradshaw
Jesus is the vine and we are the branches and the only way for us to produce good fruit is to live in Jesus Christ and to act the way we believe that the Lord would act in our place. Without the Lord we can’t do anything. See John 15:1-8 King James Version15 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
We have to forget ourselves and to love our neighbour and only serve God by putting him in first place and obey His Commandments.. See Matthew 4:10 King James Version10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
We need to be there for our neighbour in whatever circumstances we are in. We have to be out of religion and not like the Pharisees, but instead our focus has to be on Jesus Christ, rather, than on a whole set of rules and regulations that bind us in chains. Jesus Christ has set us free so that he is the one who reaches people through us so that loving becomes a spontaneous act.
If we love Jesus Christ and do things out of love for him we have to refuse to be manipulated and bullied by men who are in control of structured churches and who want to trample on our gifts and talents, and who try to take the place of Jesus Christ of Nazareth the Son of God. Jesus came to set the captives free and so we are free and not bound by men. See John 8:36 KJV36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. If we are free it is to put God in first place so if someone prominent in the Church tells you to do something wrong or harm a person from another denomination you have to refuse and go to the higher authority who is God and obey his Commandment of love. If people had done that in the past there wouldn’t have been all these wars of religion.
Church leaders need to accept people’s talents and encourage them for they are not there to be served but to serve others with love. See Matthew 21: 33-46 (KJV)33 Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:34 And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.35 And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.36 Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.37 But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.38 But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.39 And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.40 When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?41 They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.45 And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.46 But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.
Our motivation must be to do everything we do throughout the day for love of Jesus Christ, rather than through obligation or fear.
You are not saved through going to church or prayer groups, but only through Jesus Christ, and you are saved when you repent of all your sins, turn away from your sins with a sincere desire never to sin again, for there is no other way to be saved because only Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and no one can come to the Father except through him as only Jesus died for our sins. See King James Version6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me and King James Version18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Some people say prayers to get promises, rather than for love of Jesus Christ. Instead pray because you love Jesus Christ, rather than want to get something in return from him and focus on the promises of the Bible.
I knew some people who made sacrifices all year round to abstain from things or give up chocolates, but in return they showed a terrible lack of love in their household, so what was the point of these sacrifices? God wants the heart, rather than sacrifices. See Hosea 6:6King James Version6 For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
Some people make a vow to love, but isn’t that creating an obstacle and putting yourself under obligation, rather than asking the Holy Spirit to help you love and being linked to the vine so that loving becomes a spontaneous action so that the Lord’s love flows from you like rivers of living water? See King James Version38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
Don’t just pray to the Lord and ask for prayer requests, but have a personal intimate relationship with the Lord and quiet prayer time where you surrender yourself to Jesus Christ and listen to his voice and have a conversation with him.
Written by M.H. and D. Bradshaw
