Pentecost in the Local Jail

In 2007 over 75 men in the local jail – comprising more than a forth of those incarcerated in the “modular” building – had a dramatic encounter with God.

For some time, I’d been feeling that we were falling short with the men who were coming to the Lord or re-dedicating their lives through various outreaches in the jail. God was bringing men to salvation on a weekly basis, and over the previous months I’d been involved in scores of men become Christians. Others involved in ministry at the jail were having similar reports.

We were being successful in leading the men to Christ and were doing a good job teaching them God’s principles. The men had a heart to follow the Lord, and a basic understanding of how God wanted them to act and live. The problem, however, was that they lacked the power to do so effectively, and when they got out, they were falling prey to old habits and circumstances. Although they had hearts that want more of God, and had understanding, they lacked the power to be overcomers.

As a result, I approached the chaplain and asked for permission to hold a special service in the jail. With only a few day’s notice, he found a time and a room for me to bring a team of mature brothers, with proven gifts, to the jail. My intent was for us to minister to the men about, and pray for them to receive, the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives. (The chaplain also had been receiving requests from men in the jail for teaching on the Holy Spirit, so the timing was right.)

Heeding the Call

Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful at attracting interest or any response from the pastors and elders I was relating to at the local Assemblies of God church I was attending at that time, despite my pleas for help. Some brothers in Maryland, however, heard what I was planning and contacted me to ask if they could stand with me and help minister to the men. They were sensitive to God’s call, and obeyed His leading, for which I will be eternally grateful. This task was going to be too big for one person, and I needed other mature men of proven gifts to help.

Lanny Clark, who pastors in St. Mary’s county, Maryland, and two other men from his church, drove over two hours during the evening rush hour to have dinner with me and then minister together at the jail that night. While having dinner in Manassas, Pastor Seymour Jordan (a local Manassas pastor with a small, new church who occasionally ministered with me in the jail) ended up joining us unexpectedly at the Golden Corral. As I shared with him our plans for the evening, he, too, became excited and insisted on joining us – which we readily agreed to. Again, he heard and heeded God’s call.

The Prelude

The day before, I had circulated some flyers to inmates that I knew in the facility who have been impacted by some of my prior ministry there. I asked them to spread the word and get other men to attend. They did so with enthusiasm and anointing!

That night, as we were setting up for the meeting, it was amazing as men kept streaming into the room – they kept coming and coming. It quickly grew into largest meeting I’d seen at the jail in the five years I’d been ministering there. The guards overseeing the gathering, who happened to be strong and committed Christians (God knows how to bring together the right people!), were doing all they could to help, but started to get nervous because of the unprecedented turnout. Soon the room was full, and we had just about standing room only. Nonetheless, the guards had a heart to help and organized the men into a seating arrangement that allowed even more to be crammed in. In all, more than one out of four men in that building came to the meeting!

We started late because of the time it took to get everyone into the room and seated, but the inmates were ready! I had spread the word previously, and boldly stated in the fliers, that they should come expecting an encounter with God – and they did!

From Impetuous Peter to Mighty Apostle

We finally started, and I taught for about 45 minutes on the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives. I used the life of Peter as my focus and showing how he had many of the same struggles experienced by men in jail – he was a man of passion and was impulsive and often got himself into trouble, but Jesus still called him. Peter knew the Lord and walked with him for three years, yet ended up denying Jesus and became a broken man. Peter also saw the empty tomb, and met the Lord soon after His resurrection, but in Peter’s brokenness and feeling of being unworthy, he nonetheless continued to turn his back on the Lord and returned to his old profession – fishing. Even though Jesus said Peter would be a rock, and would build His church on Peter’s profession of Christ’s Lordship, Peter’s life alternated between being a rock and being Simon – a reed blowing in the wind.

Jesus didn’t give up on Peter, and even after Peter’s denials and turning away, the Lord called him again, by the Sea of Galilee, to follow Him. The Lord healed Peter’s broken spirit when He asked Peter three times, in response to having been denied by Peter three times, if Peter loved Him. Even after all this, however, Jesus told Peter he had to wait in Jerusalem for the power that he needed, which eventually came in the form of the Holy Spirit falling upon him at Pentecost.

The difference between the impetuous and wavering Simon and Peter the Apostle was Pentecost – and the power he received that day through an encounter with the Holy Spirit. He finally became an effective witness (meaning, I think, a man who now was able to conquer the circumstances and issues in his life, and thus exhibit and speak from the authority of a transformed life that had become immersed in the Holy Spirit).

The story of Peter’s life seemed to resonate with the men as they hung on every word. It was an amazing time of teaching.

The Outpouring of the Holy Spirit

I ended with the story in Acts of Peter going to Samaria, after Phillip had led many to Jesus and water baptized them, to lay hands on the new believers so they might also receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. I then said that just like in Acts, God wanted to do the same today, and invited Lanny and his men, as well as Pastor Jordan, to come up and begin laying hands on the men.

Modern Day Pentecost

The power of God then fell on the place – I turned it over to Lanny as he ministered healing and prayed over the men. Dozens of men gave immediate testimonies of being healing from various acute and chronic pains, along with visible healings of men who were in braces and had other infirmities. As God continued to move, men started crying out with loud voices in repentance and asking for God’s mercy, and men started speaking in tongues. To a man, every one of them – without a single exception – asked to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit as we circulated among them and laid hands on them. Men started falling on their faces before God, and men were trembling in the presences of God’s sovereignty as the Holy Spirit fell on them with power and grace. It was one of the most amazing times of ministry I’ve experienced in my forty years with the Lord.

As God continued to supernaturally minister to the men, they started assembling in small groups and praying for one another. They continued calling out to God and repenting, while the Holy Spirit continued to touch them and immerse them in His presence. Men were being delivered before our eyes from oppression with cries of joy and deep weeping. We didn’t need to do anything other than simply letting God have His way. Men were being healed and touched by God as they encountering the power that had been lacking in their Christian walk.

Stop Looking for Revival!

Our churches pray for revival, and we wait for God to break out in our Sunday morning services. I keep trying to tell people and pastors that I know, however, that revival is happening now – but it’s not in our pews or in our numerous church programs that seem to keep us so busy and distracted. I’m seeing it every week as I get out of the church and into the places where people are hurt and hungry and crying out for God to make them whole.

The fields are ripe for harvest, and the harvest is happening – it is now, and it is real. I pray that people will open their eyes and realize that their prayers are being answered, but it’s just not in the way or in the places where we expected it.

The Fields are Ripe for Harvest

People, let’s get out of the pews and into the fields! Let’s stop being so busy doing “church” that we miss the Kingdom! The church is not the Kingdom; it is simply where we (hopefully) are prepared for ministry and being equipped in our callings. (I pray that our churches will catch this vision and start doing so!).

Church and Sunday mornings should not be the focus of our faith, but simply a springboard. May God in his mercy likewise give our pastors and elders a heart for the Kingdom, and not just for “church”, and break out of our ruts and programs and lives that are too busy to see what God is doing right under our noises!

God is moving. As for me, I want to be where God is, even if it means jail and men who have messy lives and complicated issues. These are the people Jesus said he came to reach, and He’s stilling doing so today.

Doubtless, there are many fields ripe for harvest, and I urge you to pray, and seek, and find your place in that harvest.

(c) Copyright 2009, Fulcrum Ministries. All Rights Reserved.

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As a post-script, we need outside support for the ongoing ministry that’s happening in the local jail. If you are moved to provide financial assistance, please feel free to contact me. — Jim