Free Indeed--Illegal Immigrants, Saul, Muslim Grace

Free Indeed--Illegal Immigrants, Saul, Muslim Grace
By Chris Anderson and Leonard Parkison

On Monday, April 14, 2008, Leonard Parkison and I visited the Fayette County jail in Vandalia, IL. We went from room to room to discuss Jesus with the inmates. In all, we had in-depth discussions about Christ and the Bible with five different cell blocks, ministering to approximately 25 inmates.

For literature, we handed out several KJV Bibles, a Spanish Bible and matching baptismal tracts, three books on anger management, several guidebooks on Bible basics, two books from Word Aflame's Elective Series (The Bible: Its Origin and Use, and Your New Life), and two prayer guidebooks, while one inmate salivated over the latest edition of Endtime magazine.

A Different Start
The night started differently from our usual trips. In preparing for the visit, Leonard felt compelled to pick up Spanish tracts on baptism, and I felt motivated to bring a Spanish Bible.

We always begin our night by looking at a board with pictures of the inmates in their respective blocks. We noticed new faces, three Latino women, in the women's block. The deputies informed us that they were illegal immigrants and were about to be deported.

Leonard and I don't feel comfortable ministering to the ladies' block, but this night we made an exception. The deputy walked us into the ladies' dorm. Three sad and scared Mexican girls were huddled in a corner of the cell. Although we do not speak fluent Spanish, the ladies nodded their head in thankfulness as we handed them the Spanish tracts and Bible and said, “Glory a Dios!”

The other female inmates, to whom we were speaking for the first time, said they would gladly sit down for a Monday night Bible study if someone would give them the time. As we wrapped up our discussion with the ladies on their bunks, we were startled by a thundering flush behind us. The entire time we were talking, we were unaware that right behind us, one of the inmates was on the toilet. The girls laughed. This proves why it is an unacceptable place for men to minister. So we are calling out to a woman who hears God's call . . .

Hard Luck Story
In F-Block, instead of speaking with the entire block at once, we ministered to inmates one-on-one. A new inmate stepped forward when I offered reading material. He informed me that he was already a Christian, and then continued to tell me his hard luck story. He counted on his fingers, “In the last two years, I've lost my wife, my twins, my mom and my dad, . . . and my grandma.”

I asked, “When you say 'lost,' do you mean . . . ?

“Dead,” he replied. “I've lost six people in the last two years, but I just keep holding on, wondering why. I believe in Jesus, and I feel Him when I pray. So I've kinda been under a lot of pressure, the financial stress from paying for all of these funerals . . . and then I got a fine for driving on a suspended license and I don't have the money because of all the funerals, so that's why I'm here.”

We prayed together and definitely felt the move of the Spirit. When he gets out, he is going to contact the church, and we are going to try to get him connected to people that can help him get his life back in order.

Saul Of Tarsus, Is That You?
One of the prisoners, who has always mocked us while he was in A-Block, had been moved to B-Block. In the past when we arrive, he would usually greet us in his boxers, saying, “Hey Pastor! Do I look handsome behind these bars?” Then he would mull around in the background, looking for opportunity to throw out occasional jabs.

Now that he was in B-Block, he grabbed a front row seat with his Bible in hand. We asked him why the sudden change. He responded, “When I did time before, I always went to Bible study, but then I messed up again and so I was afraid to go to God . . . But when I was moved into B, I told one of the guys from your Bible Study that I was afraid to go to God, and he said, 'I'd be afraid not to go to God.' I thought about this, and he was right, so I got my act straight, and now I'm ready for Bible study.”

Throughout our study, the message of grace penetrated the hearts of six willing inmates, who zealously explored the word of God. The reformed mocker led us in prayer at the end.

Pop! Bang! Shwizzle!--The Grand Finale
As we wrapped up our discussion in B-Block, we prayed and the Spirit moved visibly across the room. As Leonard and I grabbed our things to leave, in one accord the inmates said, “Hey, you need to pray for Rory. He's leaving tomorrow for the pen and we need to pray protection and blessing over him.” Two of the prayer warriors grabbed an unsuspecting man out of his bunk. Rory had been sleeping.

I asked, “Rory, do you want us to pray for you?” He nodded his head. “Do you believe in the Lord?” ory responded shyly, “I believe in God.”

The inmates were eager to begin prayer, but I felt an unction from God to probe further. “I asked whether you believed in the Lord, and you corrected me by saying you believe in God. What did you mean by doing that? Don't worry about offending me.”

He shifted nervously, saying, “I don't believe . . . like Christians.”

“Are you a Muslim?” He nodded affirmatively. “Rory, I'm not going to tell you not to be a Muslim, and I am going to pray with you, but, before I do, I want you to consider something, something very serious.

“You've studied the Quran, yes? One thing you'll notice about the Muslim faith is that they claim to know God, but they have no concept of God's grace and mercy. They tell you to live obediently and faithfully, but the message of Islam is that once you mess up, you're going to suffer.

“As we pray, I want to challenge you to ask God for mercy, something you won't find in the Quran. In the Quran, it talks about Jesus, yes? It says that He was born of a virgin, that He was a Prophet of God, and even that He was the Son of God. It does not call Him a liar, but says that He spoke on behalf of God. And Jesus said that He came, not to judge the world, but to show God's mercy. So we are going to pray the blood of Christ over you, and His protection as well, and, as we do, you need to ask God for mercy and forgiveness. Seek God's face and ask Him for mercy, and you will see Jesus.”

Rory consented. At that moment, the inmates went into intercession for Rory's future, pleading for mercy, and as we did, God's Spirit moved profoundly. When we finished prayer, you could see a glory cloud around Rory and he had a smile on his face from ear-to-ear. He said he was feeling the Holy Spirit, and you could tell that his burdens had been lifted.

The rest of the inmates praised God for what they were seeing and feeling. I trust God will continue to work in Rory's life.

Freed--Physically, Then Spiritually

Several weeks ago, one of our study group, Zack, was released. The following Sunday morning, he went to the Patoka, IL church with his fiancé, where he was baptized by the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues. He came to Christ Tabernacle's 2 p.m. service, clearly beaming, to tell Leonard and I the good news. We thank Terry White for his assistance in this ministry.

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Chris Anderson and Leonard Parkison love to minister in prison for God's glory.