Justin prayed before going in that all the distractions and worries that we have would be put away from our minds as we came to proclaim the Gospel and the truth of God's Word to those who may have never heard it before. What a freedom I have found when laying my burdens down at the feet of Jesus! I am reminded of some of the most precious times I have had in prayer, many of which are standing or kneeling beside my friend Justin Humes. The power of prayer, the humility it brings to come before the Lord in weakness and brokenness is humbling and a necessary place for us all to be when we consider the importance of the task that lies before us. We bear the Word of God, the words of eternal life, the very oracles of God to mankind. This is a sobering task, but one that we are called to do by God's grace, for His glory!
In regard to the practical aspect of this ministry, last night I learned a bit more about myself and wanted to share that with you all. I find myself often referring to "you guys" when talking to a group. While sharing the message of the Gospel with the women at the jail, I corrected myself mid-sentence and asked the ladies to forgive me for saying "you guys" rather than referring to them as "ladies". I was amazed as they all responded to this gesture with gratitude, and paid close attention the rest of the time as we looked at 1 John 1.
We considered together how we need to approach God in humility and honesty about our sinful condition. We know that God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble, therefore when we approach God's Word for study or when praying, we ought to first humble ourselves and be reminded of the grace and mercy poured out on us that we could know God's mind and approach the throne of grace like this. There is no room for pride, nor can we honestly approach God to say that we are good, but rather if we say we have no sin, we are calling God a liar. Talk about a sobering thought!
Some weeks there is only one man ministering and the ladies cannot come out to meet with just one man. We often take men in the first of multiple groups, so the women may not get a chance to come out every week in this way.
We knew of this situation a few days ago, and when speaking to Kevan Fortier (the chaplain who schedules ministry) he asked that we be sure to take the women's group. If only these ladies knew how much they were prayed for, how much they were loved, how much we long to minister to them. I pray that they would comprehend how much God loves them and how desperately we long to see them come to Christ in faith and repentance.
I prayed this week at length about what to say and how to approach the women. I prayed about what passage of God's Word to share, and I believe the Lord revealed His plan for the night. It was the Lord who opened the door for us to go in. He gave us favor with the ladies, and His Word was proclaimed in truth. What a blessing to know that God is in control and that He orchestrates all these things for His glory and the benefit of those who will receive His Word in truth!
As Justin and I were praying in the lobby, the guard came out to let us into the jail. As often happens, I said "Good morning!" Often people ask why I say this no matter the time of day, but I have found it to be a conversation starter on dozens of occasions, thus I keep doing it, LOL. Here is the conversation we had:
Mark: "Good morning!"
Guard: "Morning? I guess it is my morning."
Mark: "It has actually been a long day for us already. Our morning started at 2:15am"
Guard: "You must be pretty tired. You should be home in bed. Why are you here doing this if you have been up since 2:15?"
Mark: "This is more important than sleep."
Guard: "You are better men than I am. I would have stayed home and slept."
Mark: "We have the chance to share the words of eternal life with those who come out tonight. I can't think of anything I would rather do than be here to do this."
Guard: [awkward silence] "Wow! I guess you're right."
He then opened the door to Room 256. I asked that since the ladies have not been able to come out in a few weeks if we could meet with them first. The first guard asked the other guard to change his plans from having the men out first to bringing out the women. The look on the second guard's face was confused, so I told the second guard also that we wanted to make sure that the women had a chance to hear God's Word tonight, that we didn't want them neglected. I didn't plan to say these things, but it was certainly what was on my heart. May God use this conversation for His glory!
When the women arrived, they came in quiet, not distracted, but sat down and seemed eager to hear what we had to say. We introduced ourselves and asked each one their names. I tried to remember properly and used their names throughout the night as we read God's Word and answered their questions. One of the women seemed especially interested and shared that she had only picked up her Bible yesterday. Since childhood, she went to Sunday School and church but the Word of God had not penetrated her heart or made any sense. I shared the story of my childhood, which was quite similar, and we got into God's Word.
"This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us."
~1 John 1
The ladies paid close attention and asked a few questions as we walked through these verses, and we told them also that there is nothing we would rather do than proclaim this "message we heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all..." The truth of God's love and mercy, His grace and His payment for sin by the blood of Christ Jesus our Lord, is so precious to me.
Justin spoke to the men from John 11, reading the account of Lazarus's death and resurrection by the power of Jesus Christ. It was a great message and I enjoyed it thoroughly, but the men seemed quite distracted. Justin outlined the fact that Jesus had a purpose in allowing Lazarus to die, that His glory and power would be revealed. The Jews seemed to believe that Jesus could heal a man who was sick, but gave up hope when that man died. They believed to a point, but put limits on what Jesus was able to do. Even Mary and Martha lost hope once Lazarus died, and could only see hope in the resurrection of the last day.
What power and glory were revealed in the raising of Lazarus from the dead! What hope we have in Christ who has not only raised the dead to life, but triumphed over death and the grave! To hear this story of the power of God and not be changed is beyond my understanding, and yet we know that many reject the fact of Jesus' own resurrection, His miracles, His power and glory! How great the need to proclaim this Light in darkness, Life to those who are dead, and a living Lord who beckons whoever will come to His family through faith! Hallelujah, what a Savior!
While sleep is necessary and time with family is also precious, I can honestly say that as we walked into that jail last night, we honestly couldn't think of a better thing to do with our time than proclaim the Light to those who are in darkness. Time spent serving the Lord, whether in the great cathedrals of Christendom, the local county jail, or the jungle, is time well spent. Pray that this precious truth is accepted by those who have heard. Pray that the true Light will shine in their hearts and make new creatures out of those who will receive the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory to God the Father through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ!
