I just returned from a grueling 12 day trip. I traveled to multiple cities far and wide including Hollywood California, Washington D.C., and Orlando Florida meeting with powerful global leaders and people of great influence on behalf of the Jesus Alliance. There is no doubt that God will use these meetings to accomplish a great work; however the highlight of my trip was this past Friday and Saturday when I, along with 18 times world Champion Slalom water skier Kristi Overton Johnson, went into four prisons with several hundred teammates from Inmate Encounter to give those who had no hope, the love of Jesus Christ.
There were no lavish homes or elegant boardrooms, no expensive dinners with salmon and prime rib, and no silk ties and $2000 suits inside the razor wire compounds that we visited. We met with men who had absolutely nothing including their freedom. They had sad eyes and most listened intently as to how I had been in similar circumstance at one point, and yet through Jesus Christ been able to find joy and a way out of that hellish existence.
Kristi told her story of falling every day of her life while water skiing and yet she forced herself to get up time again yelling to the boat driver, “Hit it!” as she tried again and again until she finally achieved world champion status. It was an excellent point as to why we should never give up in spite of trials.
The harvest was great. Inmate Encounter is not as organized nor as sophisticated as the Bill Glass Behind the Walls Prison Ministry at this point, so determining accurate numbers as to how many people made decisions for Christ like they do proved to be impossible, but in one prison yard in which we spoke, every inmate on the yard came forward to pray with our counselors. It was a good harvest for the Lord. God knows every last inmate that received His Son and I’m sure the Holy Spirit who moved mightily through those prison yards drawing them to Jesus was smiling from ear to ear.
I suppose the thing I will remember the most from this trip occurred in a canteen as we awaited our scheduled time to go into the next prison yard. There was an old shoe shine chair inside and I jumped up in it to rest in a comfortable chair instead of the hard metal benches. The chaplain asked if I would like a shine. One look at my beat up boots and I said sure. So he summoned an inmate and told him I wanted a shine.
He came over and proceeded me to give me the best boot shine I ever had and best of all it only cost me a dollar. I engaged in conversation with him along with a buddy of mine, and we asked him what he believed would happen to him when he died. He was asked point blank if he believed in Jesus. His answer was he believed in God, but he wasn’t sure beyond that.
So I explained the plan of salvation to him in terms he could understand, and then I asked if he would like Jesus to come into his life. He said yes and right then and there with people milling around in that little room we prayed together and he received Christ. When we finished I told him that the Bible assures us that the angels were singing in heaven at that very moment to celebrate his decision. His name was Christopher and he literally beamed the brightest smile probably of his entire lifetime, and I shall never forget it. I encouraged him to get with some of the other inmates who were believers and pray, study the Bible and encourage each other, and to talk to the chaplain about attending church and staying strong in his walk.
I received the best boot shine I’ve ever received, but I can tell you it looked dull compare to the brilliant shine that was on Christopher’s face after he received Christ. He thanked me at least ten times and told me that no one had ever taken the time to explain it to him. I have no doubt that is why he ended up in that place. Shame on us. The church must do more.
Hey why not start today. Instructions detailing how to lead someone to Christ can be found on our website, www.thejesusalliance.org It’s not difficult which makes it all the more inexplicable as to why more people don’t engage in it.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.
November 16, 2015 – Click here to listen