In Behalf of a Brother You Can Bless

If you could visit Jesus in prison, would you? I was in prison, and you visited me (Mat. 25:37) Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. (Heb. 13:3) Likely most of you reading this have not been to prisonas an inmate, or as a visitor. A few of you, perhaps, have been to prison to visit someone or have been involved in a local jail or prison ministry. Most of us, however, will likely go through life and never have direct contact with a prisoner. But even if you cannot make the trip to a jail or prison to see someone face to face, you can make a profound impact on an incarcerated soul. By doing something as simple as writing a letter, you can visit an inmate. By offering a written word of encouragement, you can show a precious soul behind bars that you care, and so minister to the Lord himself. I would like to tell you about such a soul, a brother in Christ who is worthy of your concern and encouragement. His name is Justin Taylor. I met Justin when I was preaching in Cleburne, Texas. He was incarcerated in the local jail, and through another congregation had completed a Bible-correspondence course. When he finished the course he indicated that he wanted to be baptized into Christ to become a child of God. The church which had issued the correspondence course sent his name to me and asked if I would check on this seeking soul and assist him in his desire to receive forgiveness of sins and become a new creature in Christ. When I went to see him in the jail he was a bit surprised and apprehensive. He had been in jail for nine months without receiving a visit from anyone, and I was a total stranger to him. Also, certain obnoxious false teachers who were active in the jail made him wary of people claiming to be teaching the truth. Understandably, it took some time to build up trust between us. I eventually learned that he was from Florida, and due to a troubled family life, had run away when we was a teenager. For ten years or so he moved from place to place, living in a number of states before ending up in Texas. He had been living a rough life, associating with some unsavory folks, and ended up being falsely charged of a crime. While he was in the county jail waiting to go to court, I helped Justin learn the gospel and he was baptized for the remission of sins by a prison chaplain. I got to know him personally and soon we became more than brothers in the Lord. We became good friends. Sadly, Justin only had a court-appointed attorney who gave little attention to him or his case (Im told this is all too common), and under intimidation from the District Attorney

prosecuting his case, took a plea bargain rather than going to trial and risking a stiffer sentence. He was sentenced to twenty years in prison, thinking he would only have to serve a few years. He soon learnedafter it was too latethat he would have to serve most, if not all, of his time. He has now been in prison for sixteen years, and unless he makes parole, will still have to serve four more years. He went to prison when he was twenty-five. He is now forty-one years old. I will not here go into detail regarding the many hardships Justin has faced in his time in the Texas Department of Corrections. Suffice it to say that he has endured physical and emotional trialsnot only from other inmates, but from corrections officers and prison personnelthat we cant imagine. But in his suffering he has grown closer to God and his faith has flourished. Because of his trust in the Lord, the grace and power of God has sustained him, and the peace of Christ has guarded his heart and comforted his soul these many years through many tribulations and troubles. I wish I could convey to you how faithfully Justin has continued to pursue the will of God and follow Jesus Christ while in prison. He has used his time well and given himself to diligent and exhaustive study of Gods word. Driven by an insatiable desire for knowledge and a relentless determination to improve himself and prepare for a new life in the free world one day, he has pursued a rigorous regimen of reading and study. Not only has he learned and lived the truth of God, but he has taught it to many others. Ive been impressed with his knowledge of the Bible and his commitment to serve the Lord in the midst of circumstances which constantly test his faith. The Devil has tried to use his negative and hostile environment to wear him down and crush his spirit, but through the strength of Christ he has endured and continues to stand fast in the faith to this day. Though he is surrounded by gray walls and cold steel, he is free in Christ, and is walking victoriously in that liberty each day. Ive been impressed as well with the way in which Justin has defended the truth. The prison system is flooded with false religionists who, though they may have the best of intentions and do some good for some of the inmates, lead many inmates into bondage to denominational errors of all kinds. Time and time againmore than we can appreciateJustin has wearied himself opposing the spiritual ignorance and false teaching that abounds in prison and which confronts him at every turn. He has also faced discrimination from prison chaplains who are hostile to the churches of Christ. On top of all of that, he has had to battle weak and watered-down teaching and outright error brought into prison by members of the Lords church involved in prison ministry who have compromised biblical truth, sometimes to gain greater access to more inmates (or so it would seem). The failure of some of our own brethren involved in prison work to teach the whole counsel of God is perhaps the thing that most frustrates Justin about his situation. Since he himself has endured much ridicule and rejection for standing up for the truth, he understandablyand commendablyhas little tolerance for cowardly compromisers in the prison system who may mean well, but who do not share his conviction for the truth.

Justin and I both appreciate that you have taken time to read all of this about him. Before I close, let me say this. Justin is more than a brother in the Lord to me and my family. He is like a brother in the flesh as well. He is now a part of our family. My home is his home. If you are a member of the church of Christ, he is your brother as well. He is a fellow member of the body, a fellow heir of salvation, a fellow worker for Christ. I have complete confidence in him. I would trust my life with him. There is no doubt in my mind that he is worthy of your prayers and your encouragement. I believe the Lord brought us together in his providence, that through our relationship he might bless us both. And he hasin numerous and immeasurable ways, for time and eternity. You can be a blessing to this worthy brother. If you are interested in sending a card or a short note of encouragement to our brother (see information below), either on an ongoing basis, or as a one-time act of kindness, I know it would be a great blessing to him. And through it, God will surely bless you as well. Your visit by way of a letter or note will be an act of service to the Lord himself, who told us that as much as you did it unto one of these least, my brothers, you did it unto me. Its easy to forget about those behind bars. So once more, I remind us all to Remember those in prison, as though in prison with them. Thank you for reading this, and God bless you for caring about Justin, a precious soul, a beloved brother, a faithful friend, a fellow-servant of Christ. Tyler Young _________________________________ To write Justin, you can conveniently do so via the Internet by setting up an account at a site called Jpay.com. Once you set up an account, you can look him up by his name, Justin Nicholas Taylor; the state, Texas; and his TDCJ number, which is 852025. Through Jpay.com you can also make monetary donations to his accountwhich neither Justin nor I are asking of you. But for those who may be interested in doing so, even a small contribution of a few dollars is a huge blessing to him. But again, please understand that I am not soliciting funds for him. Im just sharing the information for those who might like to do so. To write him by way of regular mail, his address is: Justin Taylor #852025 Wynne Unit 810 FM 2821 Huntsville, TX 77349 Please note: You cannot send money or stamps or books to Justin through the regular mailonly letters, cards, or photos.