Chaplain at Kirkconnell Correctional Centre
Like life on the outside, it can sometimes be so frustrating as a Christian Chaplain when you obey Jesus’ command to take the Gospel to all nations or people (Matthew 28:19).
You can have great opportunities to share the good news about Jesus and the other person seems receptive. You get a good shot at it. You think you have been reasonably clear. You’ve opened the Bible together. And the other person seems to accept the message over several encounters.
But then they say something that seems to counter everything you’ve been trying to help them see. How could they say or think that given they seem to have heartily embraced so much about Jesus?
A couple of inmates from different backgrounds have recently made me feel that way.
With one guy I got so excited when he wanted to do the Positive Christian Lifestyle course I offer one on one with me, even though he is listed as coming from a different faith background. My excitement only grew further when a strong Christian inmate, who I was blessed to baptise a year ago, had also been reaching out to this inmate, even bringing him along to Group Bible Discussion. This inmate seemed to lap up the Christian input from both angles and still comes to the Group Bible Discussion.
But then he mentioned the other day in the last session of the course how he would make sure he went to the Temple with his wife when he got out in 6 months to further cement his desire to go forward in his life with God’s help. I gently encouraged him to think about the contradiction with this, that Jesus wants us to just look to him. But I’m not sure it’s sunk through yet.
The other guy was similar, doing the same one on one course and even coming to Chapel services, asserting his need to link up with a local Church at release in a few months. But then he asked me the other day if I could get another Chaplain to send him some pictures of other gods to pray to? A gentle challenge there as well, reminding him that God says there’s only one God, like in the 10 commandments, to which he responded it’s just his culture for both religions somehow to co-exist – so postmodern, yet so ancient when the history of the Israelites came to mind.
So frustrating… till I remember that without the Holy Spirit, no one can say Jesus is Lord (1 Corinthians 12:3). And, that I used to be like that before I became a Christian, blind to the truth of God (1 Corinthians 2:14). And that it’s all in the timing – maybe the pieces in the puzzle will fit later, like they did with me? And what a privilege to have these opportunities to simply pass on the great news of Jesus… “how beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news…” (Isaiah 52:7)
When we remember our place, the frustrations dissipate.
Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
