Prison Ministry
 Our Ministry Purpose:
To bring the Word of God and the message of salvation to those who are incarcerated, and by means of group studies and personal counseling to help them find hope, change and newness of life in Christ Jesus.
For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me. Matthew 25:35-36, NASB
It is with these words that Jesus taught us the profound meaning and the importance of serving those who are in need or afflicted as if we were serving Jesus Himself, without judging them or making distinctions as to the cause or source of their pain. Perhaps nowhere more than in a prison you can find people who are afflicted and suffer due to their own sins. Yet even there we are called not to judge, but to serve as if we were serving our very Lord and Savior. After all, we are sinners, too. It is just that our sin is not as evident to our society, but before God we are all equally guilty, and it is only by the grace of our Lord who gave Himself for us that we can be forgiven and redeemed. It is God's work of grace, not ours.
Every week, when I walk inside the walls of a prison, I am reminded of my own captivity, and that I can easily be held prisoner in life by my own sin. Yet, by the grace of God manifest in Jesus I can walk out and be truly free. What a powerful reminder of where we stand! Then, when I enter the chapel where I conduct a weekly Bible study, I am reminded that even there, the brokenness we share in Christ and the renewal we experience in Him is vividly present. I have seen people who were regarded as calloused criminals break down and cry, overwhelmed by the grace of Jesus and His forgiveness. One of them reminded me how he had been able to resist everything, but that forgiveness. It was the only thing that had ever been offered to him for free, and the idea that a total stranger, Jesus, God in the human flesh, would be willing to give His life for him was too much for him to resist. It was that unmerited forgiveness, that act of grace that could reach through a shell that had been hardened by life and sin and touch him at the core. That man is now changed, and that inner change is beginning to affect his shell, too. A radical surgery has taken place in his life: a very sharp scalpel has reached the innermost parts of his being and has removed a spiritual cancer that was consuming him from within. He is now healing in the grace of Jesus, a new being, transformed by grace. What more could we ask? What more could we show in our own lives, but the same change and transformation that is taking place in him?
As I counsel people from all walks of life as part of my prison ministry, I often come across individuals from a different theological background, who may not share all my views about the Bible and Christianity. It is in them that I can see the great power of Jesus, for beneath the surface we often discover that we love the same Lord, we are saved by the same blood, and are united by the same Spirit, and that all this is not of our own effort or conviction. God is gracious and merciful indeed.
I would like to share with you some writings I have received from inmates who have given their hearts to the Lord and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus. What was written may not be entirely in agreement with our doctrinal positions, or our statement of beliefs, but that is where they are at this point, and who they are. If you can read beyond the differences, you too may discover the same love and appreciation for the one Savior who gave His life for all. Let's never forget that it is Jesus who makes us free and makes us one before the Father, often despite our misunderstandings and our theologies. You may discover how the love of Jesus has touched a life that had been trashed by sin; you may see in their words a new hope and a joy that reaches beyond one's limitations to embrace the grace of our loving Father. In fact, you may see that some of them who never met their physical father have finally come to peace in their hearts, for they met their spiritual and perfect Father who loves them and cares for them as no one else could. They respond to the overwhelming joy of forgiveness and salvation in the best way they can, but from the heart.
As you see this, as you appreciate the transformation that God is working out in their lives, take a moment and think of what He can do with you, and how He can transform your life, too. Not because you and I are better than they are, but because we are just as human, and just as much in need of His grace.
May God bless you through these readings, and keep you in His eternal love.
|
Copyright © 2008 Living Hope Christian Fellowship - All Rights Reserved