Chapter 1: Outside Looking In: Memorable First Visit

Fact: There are estimated to be well over 2,200,000 people incarcerated in the United States. 

I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.

                                                                                      - MATTHEW 25:36

The answer to criminality is not recreation, education, or legislation; it is Jesus Christ.  If any man be in Christ he is a new creature.

                                                                                      - VANCE HAVNER


As I prepared to write this and tracked down my first ministry visit to the Greensboro jail, I was pleasantly surprised to discover this exciting ministry experience started over five years ago.  Over 50 visits have been made to the county jail since my first visit in March 2005.  Although many visits have come and gone while driving over 1,000 miles to and from the jail, my fondest memories have always been of that first visit. 

I honestly didn’t know exactly what to expect on my first trip to the county jail.  I had never been in a jail before and my only exposure to a jail setting during my lifetime had been from watching “The Andy Griffith Show” and “Cops.”  I can still see Otis sitting in a bunk behind bars as Andy and Barney Fife sat at their desks.    

As I drove down Eugene Street in downtown Greensboro on a Saturday morning, for some reason I imagined the jail being surrounded by barbed wire fences.  Perhaps it was because there were criminals locked up for a variety of reasons that could range from unpaid child support to armed robbery or even murder.  Surely this jail wouldn’t look like every other building in Greensboro.  Boy was I wrong!  After circling what I suspected to be the county jail several times, I arrived 10 minutes past the 9 am start time.  The jail ministry team had already gone up to the open floors for visitation.

Due to arriving late, I decided to leave a message for my assigned partner, Harold Ross, with the jail attendant at the check-in window.  The jail attendant asked for my name and after finding it on the approved list of visitors, to my surprise, buzzed open the door after taking my drivers license.  Once I signed the visitation list and walked through a metal detector, another door was buzzed for me to walk through.  This was quickly turning into an adventure I knew I wouldn’t soon forget.

Every door that I walked through was locked automatically behind me and I suddenly started to feel a little claustrophobic.  The next door to walk through was a locked fence opened with a key and then it was into a freight elevator.  As I stepped inside this large and dreary freight elevator, the detention officer riding with me asked which floor I wanted to visit.  I proceeded to tell him I was looking for Harold Ross so we stopped at each floor and I peaked out to look down the corridor to see if I saw him.  After we arrived at the third floor, I saw Harold and my first visit to the jail was underway.

Now before your hands start getting sweaty and your knees feel weak, let me calm your nerves.  New members of the Greensboro Jail Ministry currently meet with the chaplain of the jail prior to their first visit for a walk through and to go over the rules of visitation.  It is also helpful to know that you must be at least 21 years old to volunteer.  If you do not belong to a church with a jail ministry, a letter of recommendation is needed from the pastor of the church you attend.  If you have a strong desire to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with those in desperate need, I firmly believe there is no finer training ground than visiting your local jail.  

The details of that first visit to the third floor have always been a little fuzzy.  I can’t remember for the life of me how many inmates came out that Saturday morning, the prayer requests and praises spoken, the exact Scripture shared or even if anyone professed Jesus Christ to be their Lord and Savior.  What I do remember is how receptive those inmates were to hearing God’s Word.  It was as if they were hanging on to every word spoken.  Their attention during the course of that hour was both surprising and refreshing.  These inmates were coming to worship God in their orange jumpsuits and sandals on a Saturday morning with the sole purpose of learning from God’s Word.  There appeared to be a sincere desire to grow in their relationship with Christ.

You have to keep in mind that these are individuals who have had everything taken away.  They are confined to a small, overcrowded space with many other inmates and are no longer on their own schedule.  You often hear a jail referred to as “the devil’s playground” but it is also a place of intense soul searching.  With a lot of time on their hands and a Bible in their lap, God can work miracles in the life of inmates.

Ever since my first visit to the county jail, I’m often reminded of Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Regardless of whether or not you are behind bars, everyone has fallen short of God’s perfection.  There are obviously different consequences on Earth for the sins you commit; however, when you stumble and fall, do you stay down or get back up?  Do you keep fighting for what you believe in?  Do you recognize the true source of your inner strength?

These questions not only pertain to inmates, but also to the volunteers.  They are relevant to everyone God has created.  If you want to be blown away by the love God has for us, I dare you to share 1 John 1:9 with an inmate.  It says “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  I wonder if you believe those words today.  Notice it doesn’t say He will forgive and cleanse us from some unrighteousness or most unrighteousness.  Praise God it says all unrighteousness!    

Imagine the hope given to an inmate when they are told for the first time in their life that if they receive Christ into their heart and confess their sins, they will be forgiven of all.  I would bet a hefty sum that they feel as if the weight of the world has been lifted from their shoulders.  The smiles that often follow are so warm and inviting they could melt an iceberg.  That is the power of God sending His only Son to die on the cross for our sins.  He alone has the power to transform and renew lives that are stale and heading in the wrong direction.  Luke 1:37 says “For with God nothing will be impossible.”                   

What do you think would happen if we were to look at inmates through the eyes of Christ?  I would venture to say any ill feelings for the crimes committed would turn into compassion for their lost souls.  Instead of being focused on how they got there, maybe we would ask ourselves if they have found the only person who can forever change their lives.  Do they really know Christ?  Has anyone ever taken the time to simply ask them if Jesus is the Lord of their life?  What kind of impact could they have on their family and friends if they left the jail a new creation in Christ?

  Just like the thieves on the cross that were hanging to the right and left of Jesus, everyone has the opportunity to either accept or deny Christ.  Prior to Jesus making the ultimate sacrifice for our sins, the one criminal said “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us” (Luke 23:39).  He was immediately reprimanded by the other criminal for not showing any respect to the Son of God.  The other criminal recognized he was being punished for the sins he had committed and said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when you come into Your kingdom” (Luke 23:42).  Jesus then replied, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43).  Those must have been the most encouraging, promising and soothing words that criminal had ever heard.  He was given the same chance as the other criminal and made the right decision.  That story is a constant reminder of Luke 19:10, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”               

Through jail ministry visits God sometimes speaks to inmates individually in ways you would have to see to fully understand and appreciate.  There are moments that simply take your breath away.  I hope to capture and share some of those precious moments with you throughout the course of this book.

As I left the county jail after that first visit, there was a new appreciation for the freedom and liberties I enjoy everyday.  All those doors locked upon entering were unlocked upon exiting.  I noticed the sweet smell of the air outside, the birds chirping in the distance and felt the warm rays of sun on my face.  As I got into my car I somehow knew this small step of faith to share God’s Word with inmates was going to have a lasting impact on my life.  A prayer was about to be answered that would rock my world and intensify my passion for the Great Commission.

Discussion Questions

1)   Have you ever had a family member or friend spend time in jail?  If so, how would it make you feel if someone visited them to share God’s Word?

2)   When thinking of Romans 3:23, does it give you a different perspective of being separated from inmates behind bars knowing everyone has fallen short of God’s standard of perfection?  Who do you measure yourself against?  Is it people you know or the Son of God?

3)   Do you believe all sins can be forgiven by God except denying Christ as your Lord and Savior?  If you said no, does reading 1 John 1:9 change your response?

4)   Do you believe everyone has the same opportunity to receive Christ as their Lord and Savior?  What does John 3:17 tell us about who Jesus came to save?

5)   When reflecting on 2 Corinthians 5:17, if you have received Christ as your Lord and Savior, is there a visible difference in the way you have lived your life after making that decision?