Set the Captives Free
Michael Posey and Greg Howse
As I sat in the cafeteria of the corporation where I worked before entering the ministry, I couldn't help but
overhear the two men talking. One fellow in particular wanted me to hear this conversation since I am black. “No,
I didn't get the promotion, even though I was the most qualified. They passed all of us over except Bill. Out of
the five spots available three blacks and one Hispanic got the other jobs. Man, I'm telling you the average white
man doesn't stand a chance in this country with these affirmative action quotas. No matter how hard you work they
give the jobs to some minority.”
Melissa is a black divorcée with three children. She feels much the same way the white guy does. The
father of her children never provides financial support, because he doesn't work. For a long time Melissa worked
minimum-wage jobs, but she couldn't make enough to support her family. She tried working and going to night school
so she could get a better job. Her kids' grades went down and they starting getting in trouble in school. So Melissa
stays home raising her kids and draws public assistance. Melissa voices her feelings of hopelessness and rejection:
“I'm a black woman with three children and few skills. The system is set to keep me down.”
Maybe neither of these illustrations pertains to you. But perhaps you have been denied a job or home based on
your race and you feel powerless. Perhaps you can't seem to get started into the economic life of your community
and you feel held down. It appears we are fast becoming a society of victims. If we aren't careful, our every thought
and attitude can be shaped by the assumption that life-killing injustices have been perpetrated against us.
Warning that the victim syndrome can be a spiritual problem does not minimize the seriousness of the injustice.
It acknowledges the injustice but recognizes the power of God to transform victims rather than leaving them mired
in self-pity. Left to itself the victim mentality often aligns itself with the spirit of racism and fiercely opposes
efforts aimed at reconciliation.
The Problem With Pain
There is pain associated with discrimination. If we are not careful we can be so consumed by the pain that it
dictates how we view and live our lives. Anyone who has lived on the earth for very long is experienced with the
problem of pain. Pain results from anything which causes suffering, distress, agony, anguish, or despair. People
who feel like victims hesitate to be spontaneous in the things of God.
At a Glance
The eighth chapter of Romans gives us some insight into the workings of pain.
DIVINE COUNSEL FOR OUR PAIN
REFERENCE: Romans 8:1
The Workings of Pain:
Pain comes from accusation.
God’s Counsel to Us:
Live according to the Spirit
REFERENCE: Romans 8:18
The Workings of Pain:
Pain causes us to be short-sighted.
God’s Counsel to Us:
Look for the glory that will be revealed.
REFERENCE: Romans 8:26
The Workings of Pain:
Pain obscures the possibilities of hope.
God’s Counsel to Us:
The Holy Spirit ministers to us and through us in prayer.
REFERENCE: Romans 8:31
The Workings of Pain:
Pain tends to convince us that we are by ourselves.
God’s Counsel to Us:
Realize the presence of God in our lives.
REFERENCE: Romans 8:37
The Workings of Pain:
Pain causes us to be stopped by undesirable circumstances.
God’s Counsel to Us:
Realize that we are more than conquerors through Jesus.
Jesus once healed a man who had been ill and bedridden for 38 years (John 5:1–15). Perhaps the interesting feature
about this incident is that Jesus asked, “Do you want to be made well?
What effect do you think 38 years of helplessness and hopelessness had had on this man's expectations for the
future? (John 5:7)
The answer to Jesus' question would seem obvious. Why do you think Jesus asked this man if he wanted to be made
well? (John 5:6)
How do you think some people arrive at a point where they become attached to the self-pity or anger that accompanies
their sense of being a victim of life or society?
Jesus phrased His question to solicit a “yes” or “no” response (John 5:6). What unasked question did the lame
man answer instead? (v. 7)
What does this man's response say about how he felt victimized by unfairness? (John 5:7)
Why do you think Jesus didn't help the bedridden man to his feet? Why did Jesus require him to act on his own?
(John 5:8)
What do you think Jesus wants to do for those who feel victimized by life or society? What does He demand of
them? Why does He expect more determination and effort of some than others?
The man Jesus healed by the pool didn't know who had healed him until later (John 5:13, 15). Then Jesus warned
him not to misuse his new health and liberty from pain (v. 14). Why do you think those Jesus has delivered from
pain need to be careful to follow Him and not fall back into a victim mentality?
Responding to the pain felt by a victim is a spiritual task because the pain first and foremost is a pain of
the heart. Proverbs 18:14 tells us, “The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, but who can bear a broken
spirit?”
Word Wealth
A broken spirit is one's personhood which has been crushed by life's difficulties. It is often accompanied
by depression (Prov. 15:13; 17:22). Healing such wounded personalities is part of Jesus' ministry (Luke 4:18).
[Spirit-Filled Life® Bible (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1991), 907–908, note on Prov. 18:14.]
The Power of Prayer
In the middle of one of those dusty, long genealogies in 1 Chronicles, the chronicler introduces for just two
verses an intriguing character named Jabez (1 Chr. 4:9, 10). Jabez's father isn't named, and it's been suggested
that he may not have been honorable. [Jack Hayford, “The Prayer of Jabez, A Fresh Breath of Prayer,” Tape 03791
(Van Nuys, CA: Sound Word Tape Ministry).] Jabez was singled out as the most honorable among his kin. His mother
named him Jabez because pain would be his companion in life.
When someone sets out to live a more godly life than anyone in his or her family has for a long time, what problems
will he or she face?
What pain does that person invite into his or her experience?
Jabez had a four-part prayer that outlined his goals in life. What were the four things Jabez prayed for? (1
Chr. 1:10)
1.
2.
3.
4.
Who do you know who tends to regard himself or herself as a victim of life?
If you were going to translate the four parts of Jabez's prayer into a prayer for your acquaintance, what specifically
would you pray for in each part?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Hope and Restoration are in Jesus
When men and women become aware that they do not have to remain victims and live in spiritual pain, some will
flock to places where they will be accepted and received and will see their potential realized. These people will
not all look good and they will bring lots of baggage with them from years of bondage. What will the church do
with them?
Believe it or not, David had to decide what to do with a cave full of victims shortly after he escaped King
Saul's attempts to murder him.
What kinds of people gathered to David in the cave of Adullam? (1 Sam. 22:2)
Why do you think these people gathered to David and allowed him to be captain over them (1 Sam. 22:2)? What
was it about him? Why did they feel comfortable with him?
What do you think would have been the greatest hardships and benefits associated with a large group of people
living together in a cave?
• Hardships
• Benefits
Through the remaining chapters of 1 Samuel these men got a chance to see how David lived. His life was an open
book before them. What do you think it did for these men as they watch David deal with Saul? (1 Sam. 24:1–22; 26:1–25)
Faith Alive
These distressed, indebted, and discontented people who gathered to David at the cave of Adullam in later years
became David's mighty men (2 Sam. 23:8–21). Association with David, faith in the living God, and experiences of
success in His service had transformed despondent victims into assertive heroes.
What do those in our midst who feel like rejected victims of society need to experience in each of these areas
to rise above the trap of victimhood?
• Spiritual leadership
• Personal faith in Christ
• Success in their local church
When Peter and John went to the temple to pray in Acts 3, they encountered a lame man at the Beautiful gate
of the temple. If there was ever a biblical character who had a right to feel like a victim, this was the guy.
What physical right did this man have to feel like a victim? (Acts 3:2)
What social structures must have added to his sense of hopelessness and worthlessness? (Acts 3:2)
Word Wealth
Ask translates a Greek verb which usually describes a suppliant making a request of someone in a higher
position, such as an individual asking something from God (Matt. 21:22), a subject from a king (Mark 6:25), a child
from a parent (Luke 11:11), or a beggar from a person of substance. The word denotes insistent asking without qualms.
[Spirit-Filled Life® Bible, 1416, “Word Wealth: Matt. 7:7, ask.”]
What do you think the lame man's immediate reaction was when Peter told him he wasn't going to give him help
from his wallet but help from Jesus? (Acts 3:6)
After being in his condition for so long, the lame man wouldn't have thought about getting up if Peter hadn't
grabbed him and pulled him erect (Acts 3:7). The strength wasn't there until Peter reached down and connected with
him. How can we make contact with people in our community who feel like victims?
How can we become agents through whom the power of the name of Jesus can restore victims to spiritual strength
and hope?
Kingdom Extra
In general, name signifies the term by which a person is called. However, it was quite common both in
Hebrew and Hellenistic Greek to use this term for all that the name implies, such as rank or authority, character,
or reputation. Occasionally name was synonymous with the person himself. [Ibid., 1598, “Word Wealth: John
12:13, name.”]
In this first recorded miracle performed by the disciples, we are given the key for use by all believers in
exercising faith's authority (Acts 3:1–10). When commanding healing for the lame man, Peter employs the full name/title
of our Lord: “Jesus Christ [Messiah] of Nazareth.” “Jesus” (“Joshua” or “Yeshua”) was a common name among Jews
and continues to be in many cultures today. But the declaration of His full name and title, a noteworthy practice
in Acts, seems a good and practical lesson for us (see Acts 2:22; 4:10).
Let us be complete when claiming our authority over sickness, disease, or demons. In our confession of faith
or proclamation of power, confess His deity and His lordship as the Christ (Messiah); use His precious name, as
Jesus (Savior). Call upon Him as Lord Jesus, or Jesus Christ, or Jesus of Nazareth, there being no legal or ritual
demand intended in this point. But it is wise to remember, just as we pray “in Jesus' name” (John 16:24), so we
exercise all authority in Him—by the privilege of power He has given us in His name (Matt. 28:18; Mark 16:12; John
14:13, 14). [Ibid., 1629, “Kingdom Dynamics: Acts 3:6, Jesus' Name: Faith's Complete Authority.”]
Faith Alive
In some way Peter perceived that the lame man was prepared to put his faith in the name of Jesus (Acts 3:16).
What factors may have made him ready to believe in Christ?
What can we do to lay the groundwork for faith in the lives of men and women who feel they are victims?
How might you try to encourage a person on welfare who can't find a way to get off?
How might you try to encourage a person embittered by feelings of being a victim of racial quotas in local hiring
practices?
Faith Alive
When in your life have you felt like a victim of forces or people you had no control over? What spiritual factors
do you think operated in that situation?
Could you do much to help yourself as the Lord moved you in that situation or did He have to reach down and
lift you up Himself?
At the depths of your unhappiness as a victim, if the Lord had asked you, “Do you want to be made well?” what
would you have said? Why?
What “victims” in our culture do you feel the greatest compassion for? How has God equipped you to be a rescuer
or an encourager for them?
Faith Alive
As a result of working through the materials of Race and Reconciliation: Healing the Wounds, Winning the
Harvest, what is the most important change the Lord has produced in your attitudes toward racial reconciliation?
What is the one thing you would most like to see your church do to advance racial reconciliation as a result
of this study?
What is the key thing you think God wants you to commit yourself to do as your part in His ministry of reconciliation?
From Race & Reconciliation: Healing the Wounds, Winning the Harvest by Jack W. Hayford with Greg Howse and Michael Posey. Copyright 1996 by Jack W. Hayford.
