THE TRUTH OF IT

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God’s existence confronts us with the reality that there is an ultimate, secure truth from outside ourselves that has something decisive to say about who each of us is. We cannot escape this truth. We can only submit to it or rebel against it.

  1. We are made by God (Genesis 1:26). Nothing makes itself, particularly a Cosmos as intricately designed as it is to sustain all forms of life.
  2. We are made to bear God’s image (Genesis 1:27). There is a high calling for our lives, which involves putting God’s character on display through a holy life and righteous actions.
  3. We are made with a breath of life from God (Genesis 2:7): “The Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.“
  4. We have a spirit: “Thus declares the Lord, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him” (Zechariah 12:1), “For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? (1 Corinth. 2:11). This is an important verse: human self-awareness, intellect, creativity, personality, and temperament – everything that enables human accomplishment come through the unseen presence of the human spirit. “Man is going to his eternal home… and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.” (Ecclesiastes 12:7), “The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all his innermost parts.” (Proverbs 20:27). When a person accepts Jesus as their Saviour and Lord, they receive the Holy Spirit from our Heavenly Father so that the spirit of man can truly be the lamp of the Lord. A lamp cannot function without oil (Holy Spirit). Our spirit was always meant to be indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
  5. We are made from the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7). This means that even though we were made in God’s image, we are not gods. We are creatures—finite, lacking certain power and knowledge, and wholly dependent. We are not immortal. “He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality,” (1 Timothy 6:15-16)
  6. We were made for dominion (Genesis 1:26)—to bring God’s will to God’s world.
  7. We were made to live up to a design as either a male or a female (Genesis 1:27). This is the calling for our lives.
  8. We are fallen in Adam (Genesis 3, 5:1–3; Romans 5:12). Because of the fall, our identity contains sin and death. Our inner selves are corrupt. Our eternity is an eternal second death. This is the great tragedy of the modern identity worldview. It traps people in themselves. It traps us in our sin.
  9. We can be restored to glory and eternity through the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:49), the true image of God in the “dust” of human flesh (Colossians 1:15). When we accept Jesus as our Saviour and Lord our Heavenly Father sends the Holy Spirit to indwell our spirit, so it can once again be the lamp of the Lord.

GOD IS ALWAYS ON THE MOVE WITH THOSE TOTALLY COMMITTED TO HIM: FATHER, SON & HOLY SPIRIT.

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There’s a whole lot of baptism going on these days. Signs of revival have been ongoing around the U.S. since February when a spiritual awakening began at Asbury University. Initially, the awakening seemed to be happening mainly among college students. But the latest evidence is being seen in the form of hundreds of salvations and baptisms of all ages at churches across the country in just the last two weeks alone, not to mention over the past two months. From scores of souls being baptized at churches, to dozens being baptized at one prison, pastors across the U.S. are declaring that God is on the move. Pastor Eric Petree of Citygate Church in Cincinnati, Ohio posted online, “Over the past two weeks at Citygate we have seen 650 people give their life to Jesus, 93 baptized, and yesterday hundreds of people filled the altars seeking the baptism of the Holy Spirit.”

Sam Rainer, lead pastor, at West Bradenton Baptist Church in Florida, tweeted on Sunday, “Today we baptized 21 people at the beach. God is good! What a blessing!” At the Crossroads Church Jersey Shore Campus, 17 people professed their faith in Christ through public baptism. At the University of Houston, several students chose to be baptized in a public fountain after a Bible study. And Regent University in Virginia Beach just baptized nine students last week. A revival event was reported in mid-April in Damascus, Maryland at Difference Makers Church with non-stop worship that lasted for several days, with young people dedicating their lives to Christ. Jeremy Tucker posted the following photo, saying, “Worship has been going for 41 hours straight! Young people from churches all over Maryland/Virginia/DC are gathering to unite the bride of Christ for non-stop worship! We thought we’d never see it, but the Holy Spirit is finally breaking out in Maryland! Come, Lord Jesus!”

The GOSPEL is still the power of God to all who believe!” Many are also declaring their freedom in Christ, even behind prison walls. The God Behind Bars ministry reports, “First Baptisms Inside of this Prison in 7 years”. 35 men in a prison in Reno, Nevada were baptized!! What a powerful moment.” A recent conference at Trinity Baptist Church in Lancaster, South Carolina, reports, “Many were saved over the 2 days, and even more were encouraged to Keep on for Jesus!  …at the close of the Service, God moved on my heart to ask for prayer for those teens battling suicidal thoughts and over 20 raised their hands for prayer.”

And the list goes on and on. For weeks, churches have been reporting multiple baptisms, including people spontaneously choosing to join in. Christ Fellowship in Miami recently reported 14 baptisms. For the last few weeks, Faith Assembly Church in Winterville, North Carolina has reported baptism after baptism, week after week. Hope Missionary Church North Campus in Ossian, Indiana reported 31 baptisms just a few weeks ago. And two weeks ago, 14 more baptisms were reported at Revival Church in Modesto, California. A student-led evangelistic event based in Oklahoma quickly became one of the largest outreaches in the country after more than 80,000 people signed up for tickets within a matter of days.  Fill The Stadium (FTS) was a gospel outreach being held at the University of Oklahoma’s football stadium and happening in late April.

Source: CBNNews Robert Furman

A MESSAGE OF HOPE INSIDE PRISON

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Prison Fellowship partnered with Riding High Ministries to present the hope of Christ through the powerful, hands-on experience of breaking a wild horse. What a great way to deliver the message of Christ to these prisoners. It should be a challenge to us all to determine what the good works are that God has prepared for us to do.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

“For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13

If you’re a believer in Jesus and don’t know who Chuck Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship was, the good news is that you will meet him in God’s presence. But before you meet him there, I recommend you become familiar with this remarkable man. Here he is giving a presentation to the Veritas Forum where he tells his fascinating story of his radical conversion to Christ.  If you want to know that story from other sources, read his bestselling Born Again, or Jonathan Aitken’s Colson biography.

GOD ALREADY AT WORK IN PRISONS

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THE RADICAL TRUTH

About four years ago, Lori Hayter scoped out the empty front lobby of Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility (WHV) in Ypsilanti, Michigan. She, a volunteer, and Denise Harris, a Prison Fellowship® field director, had arrived at the facility with Prison Fellowship Academy® curriculum in hand.

It was Lori’s first time doing something like this. She wondered who else might be joining them, since the curriculum indicated they would have some helpers. “So, who are the other volunteers?” she asked in earnest.

“It’s the women,” Denise replied, speaking of the prisoners. “The women are the volunteers.”

Looking back, Lori says, “I sort of had an idea what I was getting into. But I had so much to learn.”

Comprehensive online training sessions prepared Lori to serve behind bars. Soon she had the knowledge, skills, and confidence to start facilitating Prison Fellowship classes with Denise.

“I feel like I get to watch God at work when I go in there,” says Lori. “[People] have this perception that we’re going to go in there, and we’re going to make something happen—we’re going to bring the Lord to them. But God is already at work there, and we get to watch Him, and that’s amazing.”

Lori and Denise on the left

Lori adds, “I just feel like that’s really freedom: Because of the power of Christ, you can see that you’re not imprisoned even though you are physically. Spiritually, God has set you free.”
Lori is always amazed to see radical transformation on display. And it’s a group effort—an exchange of sorts. Not a group of volunteers swooping in to save the day, but a group of people walking alongside each other to seek Christ and grow together.

This, Lori realizes, is the radical truth of prison ministry. Whenever she walks through the gates of WHV, it’s clear that God is already there.