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LIFE IN CHRIST
Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Prison inmates awarded ministry degrees
Associated Press
PARCHMAN, MS - New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary has awarded bachelor's degrees in Christian Ministry to 28 inmates at the Mississippi State Penitentiary.
With caps and gowns draped over their prison stripes, the new ministers -- many of them convicted rapists and murderers -- accepted their degrees.
Their graduation speaker was Burl Cain, longtime warden at the Louisiana State Penitentiary. He urged the new ministers to help transform prison culture through their faith.
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary first began offering prison courses to Louisiana inmates in 1996 and now works with correctional systems in Mississippi, Georgia, and Florida.
A similar program administered by Columbia International University operates in South Carolina. It graduated 15 inmates in December.
On behalf of all prison ministries, I shout as loud as I can to Heaven, “Praise the Lord!!!”
Over the years I’ve written about my friend, Saul, who I’ve said has more freedom behind bars than all of us on the outside. He has handed his life over to God and will someday join those in the article.
Right now, he is in the 3rd tier of studies at Crossroad Bible Institute, or CBI. CBI only offers the higher levels of study to very serious students, and Saul is as serious as they get.
His goal is to be a pastor but he will serve the Lord in any way God allows. He has pledged his life to God and every bit of effort, even in menial tasks, he gives his very best and praises God and says, “I’ve given my best and my life is in your hands, Lord!” To an onlooker, it sounds corny or seems like an act but I can tell you for a fact, Saul is the genuine article.
To many, prison does no good. They join gangs, commit more crimes on the inside than in their past and they may never be rehabilitated; which is the original reason for prisons. They have a tough persona but in reality they live in fear.
They fear death and some fear living each day because they miss the chains that bound their silly existence before they were incarcerated. They have an insane need to wear bling and show idiot buddies how cool they are by indulging in the most drugs. They get knots in their psyche fretting about stuff that really means nothing but a trip to prison anyway. They live in mental chains.
Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him!
Proverbs 26:12
Saul had those chains around his neck when he first went in. Over the years I’ve written about his transformation and it never ceases to amaze me. But I’m not recommending prison for anyone.
Prison without an open mind is just Hell on Earth. The Hell you see in movies and documentaries is there and it’s not for the timid. But open the mind with a Bible and Hell disintegrates in an instant. Though it may be sad that it took prison to give some the time to read the Bible, at least they read it. The rest is up to the individual as we are all given freedom of choice.
I’ve read witnesses of CBI graduates that have moved on to seminaries and their stories are incredible and will move even the strongest, most stubborn man to tears. I can’t wait until I can read Saul’s witness. It will knock anyone who reads it to their knees with a hearty, “Praise the Lord!!!”
I know there are some in prison that will never see the light of day because of their past. They have stepped into an abyss without remorse and I will pray for their souls and more so for their victims. By their choice, it’s too late for them but when I see a story of the change only God can offer, I praise the Lord and cry in joy.
I have faith that those graduates will do well. There will be many that shun them because of their past but I’ve seen the meaning of the words I mentioned from 2nd Corinthians. When anyone gives their life to Christ, they are indeed a new being. All that is old has passed away. Forget about it!!! It’s gone!!! Forever!!! Everything is indeed new. How cool is that?
The men and women that have made it through prison ministries have no past in my eyes. God has given them only a future for they truly have given their lives to Christ.
