To give just a brief update with what’s going on in our jail ministries, and no we are not residents, J just ministers. I (Seth) have been going on Monday evenings to talk one-on-one with many guys where I can question them on the previous lesson we taught to see what they are getting from it. Also with one guy, I am doing a book study. All of these things are going very well. On Thursday afternoons, I go to the local county jail where two other guys from the school and I hold a Bible study. In this setting, we have over one and a half hour with the men (usually we have 10-30, mostly high 20’s). We start off with prayer. This is a great time for the men to open up and just leave their request at our Father’s heavenly home. God is gracious at times, and shows us His greatness by answering a request in less than a day! Some of these men see that evidence, and are blown away with God and His care for His people. Most people down in Missouri believe in God and have gone to church for a time in their life, but they all see God as distant, not wanting a close personal relationship with each and everyone of His children. Over the past month, some men have “experienced” God and their eyes have changed, and they are exited to know God in a deeper way.
There was a mini-revival a couple weeks ago with many men just crying out to God asking God for forgiveness. Men, crying before other men? Truly that is God working in them. These men are in jail, and they “have to” put on a tough persona, but everything they “have to do” seems to disappear when they experience God. Needless to say, Prayer has become one of, if not the main avenue of encouragement and challenge for these men.
Last week, I had the daunting task of teaching on Ephesians 5, and to teach marriage between man and wife. I am the youngest of the 3 men that go to the jail with me, and the one man has been married longer than I have even been alive. I lack in experience on this topic, but God reminded me, its not necessarily experience that makes a Godly marriage, it’s how closely both spouses cling to God’s Word as Truth for their lives, and that is something I can focus on. This is a very touchy topic with most men in the jail, who most/if not all are living in sin. They have a baby with a woman that is not their wife; they are on their 2nd, 3rd, and 4th wives. That is my audience. And to start it all off, one of the prayer requests that began that service was for a man’s girlfriend. He was in there because his girlfriend filed something against him because she was mad at him. The week before four men asked for prayer for their wives, and three men for their girlfriends (which they sometimes call their wife and have kids with them, but they are not married to them). That is the setting and my audience.
I used several illustrations from my wedding. The wedding charge focused on the mans perspective and kept going back and forth with the perspective of Christ’s union with the church and how Christ is our Groom, how are we doing submitting to Him as His bride? That really connected with the men, and gave many examples of how we are to love, encourage, build up, and serve our wives. I really emphasized the “God ordained” model for the family of husband and wife, two becoming one, and forsaking all others. I did not tip toe around that topic, I did not want a single person to leave there without knowing God’s Word says MARRY THE WOMAN YOU LOVE! Identify with her, be right before God, take that step and don’t be ashamed to show her you love her through that ceremony! Once you marry her, forsake all others and serve her selflessly. God showed up and they all just had their eyes on me the whole time nodding. To top it all off, the guy who had that prayer request, the one who was kicked out of his house and his girlfriend lied and put him in jail… was the one who was most verbally appreciative, and said “man that makes so much sense, I never looked at it like that”. That is what Satan has done; he has attacked the sacred union between man and woman, now many people have a distorted and even disgusted view of marriage. We as the church, must fight and emulate God’s desire for this union to show through our lives, so that all can see what God has for His people, first in our relationship with Christ as His Bride, and secondly with our spouse!
Over the past couple weeks at Laclede County Jail, I (Nicole) have also seen God show up in really cool ways. There have been several ladies who have really been grasping the gravity of the Gospel message. We focused on baptism two weeks ago and the beginning of Christ’s ministry. There has been some great feedback from the ladies that told us they are really gleaning from this format of studying (using the Stranger on the Road to Emmaus book) through the scriptures. One lady named Kristie in particular, has really been blessing me. One night she teared up and just thanked us for coming weekly and teaching. She said that she can feel the Lord in our teachings and can almost feel the pain that Christ bore on the cross for us. Kristie and another girl Danielle (her cellmate) have been asking us deep questions. Last week Kristie asked about original texts and translations of the Bible. She has been reading the book we are going through from the beginning on her own and praying with Danielle. Kristie has been telling her husband about this book and is encouraging him to pursue the Lord.
Stoking The Fires 