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"...I was in prison, and you visited me."
Matthew 25:36
Matthew 25:36
Kairos International is a Christian prison ministry that began in 1967 in Raiford, Florida. In September of 2004 the regional volunteers of Kairos brought the ministry to Lowndes State Prison in Valdosta, Georgia, for the first time. They reached out to the "unreachable" and embraced the "unembraceable." They encouraged the inmates with their speeches and their testimonies. After the event, this is what one inmate wrote about the experience...
An Act Of God
On Thursday, September 16, 2004, Lowndes State Prison was scheduled to have its first Kairos walk. I was one of the applicants selected to be one of the first 42 members to go through a Kairos weekend at this facility. I received a letter of confirmation that Wednesday from one of the Kairos volunteers, and I, along with the other 41 inmates, was eagerly awaiting the arrival of our new Christian friends. But, something else came instead. A hurricane was running rampant in the area, and the walk was canceled. It was like a stroke of adversity that wanted to keep the living gospel away from these yearning hearts and despondent souls.
But--did I say it was canceled? No, it was only postponed, because our Christian friends from the outside were all the more determined to come to our spiritual aid. Exactly one week later we were being introduced to the volunteers of this international ministry, and the hugs were just that much more meaningful. After we circled up in our seats we gave our personal info, and shared why we wanted to come to Kairos. Markell B., a.k.a. "Doc," an inmate who is no longer at this facility, and who sat at my table, the table of St. John, said he wanted "to see the Holy Spirit at work." And did we ever! That natural act of God the week before was followed by a spiritual act of God that emphasized forgiveness, redemption, and reconciliation.
To be forgiven by God, we have to be able, and willing, to forgive others. There's no room in heaven for disgruntled feelings, and unforgiveness itself is a severe spiritual hindrance. The words of the apostle Paul in Colossians 3:12-13 read as follows: "Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do."
In Ephesians 1:7 we read, "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins." The word "redemption" refers to a buying back, and this is what Christ has done through His death and resurrection, He has bought us from our slavery to sin. His blood is the means by which our redemption comes. When Adam sinned the whole human race fell into sin and depravity. Our original peace with God had been tragically broken. When Christ came, the second (or last) Adam, He restored this peace between God and man by being the one and only suitable sacrifice for our sins.
He is our reconciliation, the only way for sinful man to have a peaceful relationship with God. When we accept Christ as our personal Savior we are reconciled to the almighty Creator and saved from eternal wrath. As my bible study lesson so plainly states it: "A person becomes 'saved' when he embraces the truth and loves it, and loves Him of Whom it speaks, the blessed Son of God, Who loved us and gave Himself for us" (Emmaus Bible Study).
It has been a while now, and many other members have been able to experience this wonderful act of God known as "God's special time." The following is a testimony of my fellow Kairos member which is a reflection of his experience as he atended our most recent Kairos walk, Walk #5:
But--did I say it was canceled? No, it was only postponed, because our Christian friends from the outside were all the more determined to come to our spiritual aid. Exactly one week later we were being introduced to the volunteers of this international ministry, and the hugs were just that much more meaningful. After we circled up in our seats we gave our personal info, and shared why we wanted to come to Kairos. Markell B., a.k.a. "Doc," an inmate who is no longer at this facility, and who sat at my table, the table of St. John, said he wanted "to see the Holy Spirit at work." And did we ever! That natural act of God the week before was followed by a spiritual act of God that emphasized forgiveness, redemption, and reconciliation.
To be forgiven by God, we have to be able, and willing, to forgive others. There's no room in heaven for disgruntled feelings, and unforgiveness itself is a severe spiritual hindrance. The words of the apostle Paul in Colossians 3:12-13 read as follows: "Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do."
In Ephesians 1:7 we read, "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins." The word "redemption" refers to a buying back, and this is what Christ has done through His death and resurrection, He has bought us from our slavery to sin. His blood is the means by which our redemption comes. When Adam sinned the whole human race fell into sin and depravity. Our original peace with God had been tragically broken. When Christ came, the second (or last) Adam, He restored this peace between God and man by being the one and only suitable sacrifice for our sins.
He is our reconciliation, the only way for sinful man to have a peaceful relationship with God. When we accept Christ as our personal Savior we are reconciled to the almighty Creator and saved from eternal wrath. As my bible study lesson so plainly states it: "A person becomes 'saved' when he embraces the truth and loves it, and loves Him of Whom it speaks, the blessed Son of God, Who loved us and gave Himself for us" (Emmaus Bible Study).
It has been a while now, and many other members have been able to experience this wonderful act of God known as "God's special time." The following is a testimony of my fellow Kairos member which is a reflection of his experience as he atended our most recent Kairos walk, Walk #5:
"We don't have to be 'good enough' to have a relationship with God. If we trust God and allow Him to direct our path He will take us places we've never been before, and never thought we could travel. We can never know what God will do with us, His will is always best seen in retrospect. We just have to do what God says and have faith that at the end of the line everything will be alright".--Joey S.
That reminds me of that hurricane that preceded the Kairos debut here. Its path was rather unpredictable, it was a force to be reckoned with. It came, did its damage, and went, and, well, I don't really remember its name.* But I do remember names like Billy DeMersseman, who told us "You Are Not Alone," and Emmitt Pipkin who taught us about "Friendship With God." John Struzik talked about "Opening The Door" and "The Journey." Harvey Mays talked about "The Church." Matt Martin talked about "Discovery." Greg Sheppard talked about "Action!" Jonathan Sumner talked to us about being "A Christian." Oneal Grant talked about "Lifelines," and Tom Line talked to us about "Listening."
I remember Bob Megow, too, an elderly volunteer who was on a portable oxygen tank, and who is no longer with us, but he was quickened by the Spirit and danced for the first time in a long time out on the prison yard. I will also mention Richard Pye and James Smith, our co-leaders of Kairos #1; and, of course, Chuck Everitt, who has been the eye of the storm on many a Wednesday night at our Kairos meetings. There was also Bobby Hooker, who talked to us about "Choices." We are faced with many choices everyday, and I feel we should encourage one another to continue to choose life, by abiding in the love of Christ Jesus, our Redeemer and our reconciliation.
This sentiment is shared by my Kairos brother who went through Walk #2:
I remember Bob Megow, too, an elderly volunteer who was on a portable oxygen tank, and who is no longer with us, but he was quickened by the Spirit and danced for the first time in a long time out on the prison yard. I will also mention Richard Pye and James Smith, our co-leaders of Kairos #1; and, of course, Chuck Everitt, who has been the eye of the storm on many a Wednesday night at our Kairos meetings. There was also Bobby Hooker, who talked to us about "Choices." We are faced with many choices everyday, and I feel we should encourage one another to continue to choose life, by abiding in the love of Christ Jesus, our Redeemer and our reconciliation.
This sentiment is shared by my Kairos brother who went through Walk #2:
"The choices that we make in life are very important. They can determine our success or downfall. I know all of us have made choices we're not proud of. But, at the same time, we have made choices that were pretty good. Now, I have made plenty of bad choices in my life, too many to count. As I've gotten older, and a little wiser, I've made a very important choice that I know I can't go wrong with. The best choice I've ever made--and that is to follow Christ."--Sean M.
*It was Ivan, as in Ivan the Terrible.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." 2 Corinthians 5:17
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