Ministering in the Prison

A few weekends ago I was given the great opportunity to serve with a group of about 60 men and women in one of the most difficult places to serve the Lord, inside the walls of a closed security prison. The ministry team was and is made up of men and women from many different denominations and Christian traditions. We are able to lay aside our differences and focus on the things that we all agree on and that is that Jesus loves people and He gave His life to save sinners, of which I am the chief. (I Timothy 1:15) This is the second time I have had this opportunity to spend the entire weekend inside the walls ministering to men that are incarcerated. It is amazing to see how the love and grace of God penetrates the steel and concrete of the prison, but it is even more amazing to see how He penetrates the steel and concrete hard hearts of people, mine included.

I could certainly tell you of many stories about the weekend, but first that would take a great deal of time and secondly I will not divulge any details to preserve the confidentiality of the men we served while in the institution. There are many similarities between serving in a prison and serving outside on the streets. There are the same questions about truth, about the exclusivity of salvation in Jesus Christ alone. There are many men that are confused or have believed lies about the nature and person of God. Many men very easily mix their religions together as to meet their perceived needs and many times to just survive.

Every false teaching there is, is present inside the prison. Many times it is difficult to refute false teachings in a way that is both direct and necessary and still attempt to maintain a relationship so that the truth of the gospel can be proclaimed. I have learned a great deal about how effective it is to just simply stick with the foundational truths of the faith, and let others see the falsity in their beliefs when confronted with the truth. When asked about a certain belief, I have learned first hand that it is very effective to state the truth, and allow the Word of God to refute the falsehoods rather than try to dismantle other arguments.

I have learned another very important lesson. God's people are everywhere. I have made some good friends inside the walls of the prison. These men have made mistakes, some of them very serious mistakes, crimes of every nature, but the power of repentance and seeking the forgiveness of the Lord makes a visible difference in lives. Many of the men we encounter, not only during the weekends, but also on a weekly bases are very well versed in the Bible. They are challenging to talk with, and very knowledgeable of the Word. I wish I were at their level of Bible understanding.

These special men have also taught me what it means to depend on the Holy Spirit. When you are incarcerated there is nothing or no one else. You can either join a gang or die. But those that have placed their faith and trust in Christ have a special joy and peace about them. They are often times serving as missionaries to fellow inmates, and the gospel is being heard because these Christian men are sharing their faith and living under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

There is one last point that I want to share about what I have learned from being a part of these men's lives. There seem to be two recurring themes from many of their lives. The first one is that most, and I mean almost everyone of them, share that their fathers were never part of their lives. I cannot tell you how many times I have had a man on the inside tell me that they never heard their father tell them that they loved them, cared for them, and too many time they never even knew Him. Now I am not blaming the decisions that these men made on an absent father, but I can not help but believe that if a father, or some man acting as a father figure could have intervened and invested in their lives early on, that something might not have been different. So many of these men do not know how to accept the love of Christ because they have never had anyone love them in their lives. My encouragement is this: MEN, take time to tell your kids, and in this case your sons that they are loved, that you love them, and then take care to invest in their lives. Secondly, there is some young boy in your church, community, on your kids baseball team or somewhere close to you that needs you to show an interest in him. Take him fishing, take him to get ice cream, talk to him and share the love of Jesus Christ with him. We never know what God will do with our meager efforts.

The second blaring truth that I learned from these men in prison is that nearly all of them had been hurt or abandoned by a church or a pastor. As a matter of fact many of the inmates were very surprised that I, a pastor would even come into a prison and talk to incarcerated men. They have been written off by the religious leaders in their lives and told that now they were worthless and useless. Again, I am not discounting the seriousness of their crimes, but we are all made in the image of God and God has called us to reach every man, woman, and child regardless of their pasts. Just imagine what our Bible would look like if God did not use murders like Moses, David and Paul or rapists like David and Judah, or thieves like Jacob or a liar like Abraham. I really don't think I need to go on. God loves these men, and He is calling us to love them too.

I am learning everyday about the nature of ministry. I am learning some of this from the great seminary that I am honored to study at. I am learning some of this from the amazing church God has gifted me with to pastor. I am also learning a great deal about ministry, and love, and grace, and mercy, and hope, and Holy Spirit led lives, and so much more inside the walls of a prison.

Blessings and Pray for the Incarcerated