They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed. Psalm 34:5
As I have been writing about, the inmates and I, in the jail, have been really focusing on the verses in Scripture about prayer and answered prayer. I gave a list in a recent email blast: 1 John 3:22, Mark 11:24, 1 Cor 4:18, Isaiah 45:22 (this is one the inmates have really focused on a lot), 1 Pet 5:7, Isaiah 7:11, John 9:31, 2 Cor 5:7, 1 Tim 2:8, and Matt 17:20. Myself and a few of the inmates, in really centering on those verses, really doing what they say, in pure faith, have been feeling GOD’s presence vividly during prayer times together: looking to GOD, looking right at His presence, and feeling Him with us. A few of us have been having experience of light, in our minds, our souls, when our eyes are closed, in prayer. For me, a few times, I was just praying to Jesus with the inmates, in the darkness of my eyes being closed, but where all of a sudden my inner world, of my eyes closed, became all lit up, and flooded with light. This has happened a few times to me and a few inmates, where we’ve been seeing His light in our innermost moments of prayer. It also happened to me in church one time also, since this started. I have had experiences of GOD that are very powerful, as many of you have, but this one is a new nuance, and it appears to be a group salvation event, perhaps like Damascus Road, in the Bible:
And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me. Acts 22:9
The light of Christ was seen together, on Damascus Road. That is what I thought of regarding some of these recent prayer events in the jail, with the inmates: that they were an episode of seeing the light of Christ together. And perhaps what is going on has been discussed in other places in Scripture. Look at these verses:
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 1 John 1:7.
Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. Isaiah 60:1.
I think we live in an age where, sadly, people do not believe that this sort of thing happens anymore, and that it is not really real–where people do not believe that some unknown jail inmates in Kalamazoo can be lit on fire by the Fire of GOD, whose name is the Consuming Fire (Heb 12:29), and see His presence. But Scripture describes this phenomenon, as the verses of this blog post show. And our coinherence with Jesus (see John 15:5) also reveals this, when one surrenders all to Jesus: we are lightened (Ps 34:5). And this is what happened to a few of the men of prayer inside the Kalamazoo County Jail. Our motto at Kalamazoo Jail Ministry, which is on our logo, is this verse:
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. John 1:5
The world does not yet know the power of Truth (Jesus, the Logos, John 1:1), but soon they will, when every knee bows, and every tongue confesses:
10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. 12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Romans 14:10-12.
GOD is beyond words (see Col 2:2).
Jeff Grupp, Lead Chaplain
NOTE: the picture for this blog is a depiction of a homeless church, from a Christian movie.
