If you're a friend of mine on various social sites, you may have seen some celebratory posts about a ministry weekend I was a part of recently called KAIROS. This program, that ministers to incarcerated persons around the world, was an incredible blessing to me and I wanted to share a bit about my experience and testify that THE LORD IS GOOD AND LOVES THE PRISONERS.
To start, check out this passage from the gospel of Matthew:
Matthew 25:37-43
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The
King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the
least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
“Then
he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I
was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you
did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after
me.’
Convicting, right? Believe me, I'm no great example of self-sacrifice or faithful service to the broken and destitute, but I know from even a little firsthand experience that there is so much power and love in Jesus for the ones the world forgets.
Though I'll go into much more detail (as any of you that read this blog may be expecting haha), I could almost sum up the Kairos ministry experience with this: SHOWING THE "UNLOVABLE" THE LOVE OF JESUS CHANGES EVERYTHING! I know I'll get distracted and unorganized so feel free to contact me if you want more details, stories, or prayer about anything.
Seriously, that's a massive revelation to me. If you've lived a spoiled life like I have, it can become so easy to be desensitized to the "Jesus Loves You" stuff we hear everyday in a church environment. BUT I've never seen transformation so obvious/absolute/emotional/freeing as I did on the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex last weekend, and from something as simple and profound as genuine love for the men there.
THINK ABOUT IT, if you're told (like these men have been) that you're scum, worthless, evil, disgusting, and worthy of condemnation for years and years then that's what you'll believe about yourself. These men live in a world of fear with almost no control over what they do, all within the confines of a glorified cage. NOW I'M NOT SAYING A JUSTICE SYSTEM IS BAD, there are a lot of biblical reasons a society should have a system of punishing crimes within that society, I'm just saying it's a tough environment (especially for any kind of redemption to grow).
But when some of the participants saw genuine smiles on the team's face, or received hugs, good food, laughs, and sincere fellowship, you can't imagine the change that came upon many of the men. And you may be surprised by how much love you receive in return. The men in that group of Kairos participants showed more kindness and grace than the team could've ever showed them. God is awesome!
IF YOU EVER WANT TO GET INVOLVED WITH PRISON MINISTRY remember this: Jesus died for us while we were still sinners and He loves those incarcerated as much as you or me. Showing someone that they are loved by Christ and His church can kick the door to salvation and transformation wide open!
And even though Christ's forgiveness is the same level of miraculous for all of us weary sinners, there is something indescribable about watching a person with decades of regret and suffering believe, for the first time, that JESUS STILL WANTS HIM AND HAS A PLAN FOR HIM!
I know I'm word-vomiting and just typing sporadically, IT'S JUST DIFFICULT TO ORGANIZE MY THOUGHTS OR WRAP AROUND ALL THE COOL THINGS THAT HAPPENED! I'm not exaggerating when I say that every single person (team or inmate) was drastically changed by the gospel love of Jesus last weekend.
To find some way to stop rambling in excitement, I'll make a little list below of things you should know and celebrate about ministry to prisoners:
1. YOU ARE NO DIFFERENT OR MORE INNOCENT THAN PRISONERS.
2. Jesus is the ONLY WAY TO BE SAVED for any of us so the playing field is even here.
3. We are called by God to set the captives free, showing someone Jesus is the free-est free there is!
4. DON'T BE AFRAID, God gives us the words to say and sometimes a bag of cookies or a real hug is all you need.
5. DON'T FOCUS ON WHAT THEY DID, what's important is Jesus' forgiveness and the NEW life!
6. Make a friend and be a friend. Having an agenda is nothing compared to genuine relationship with a person (a good rule for any encounter, not just with a prisoner)
7. ENCOURAGE AND PRAY CONSTANTLY, these men and women live in a harsh world where persecution as a believer is real and often violent. Pray for their safety and ministry to other inmates.
To close I'll just ask you to celebrate with me that there is so much life-changing ministry happening within the world's prisons BECAUSE OF THE PRISONERS. There were some men I met in the program that were hardcore believers that are already fighting the battle for their brothers' lives, so pray these people up all around the globe.
LET US ALL PRAY THAT EVERY PRISON BECOMES A SANCTUARY FOR THE GOSPEL AND ASK THE LORD WHAT HE NEEDS US TO DO.
None of this is intended as a guilt-trip, I just want to testify (as a noob) that prison ministry is nothing but a blessing to everyone involved. Pray and ask Jesus boldly if there's anything He wants you to do for the souls that live behind bars. We were all sinners in need of Christ, so let His grace go past any wall, cage, or barrier to reach the lost.
Ask me questions on facebook or otherwise. God is good. Praise Him for lives changed forever!
-----Grady Milligan
