May 22, 2009 10 17am: I enter a room with about 100 others and take a seat for one for the usual Friday worship meetings. Everyone stands and one person from the group begins singing praises to our God; the whole place fills with voices, worship, singing, and praising in a way I have not experienced in a very very long time...if ever! There was freedom in their worship; there was power in that room because of the God they were praising. I begin to look around me (not understanding the language in which they were singing yet still experiencing the powerful moments of praising our God). The passion and love for Christ in this place is overwhelming; they have a reason to sing!!!!!!! The service proceeds with testimonies from over 20 people unashamedly sharing their own personal stories of how God saved them. They are not focusing so much on the past and WHAT they were doing, but concentrating on WHY HE saved them- to tell others- and WHERE they were going. I felt so welcome and at home; no fake "How are you?" or "Glad to see you at worship today", but there was a genuine love that they had for each other ...kind of like an unspoken understanding. I realized it was almost 1pm and the service was nearing it's end. I did not want to leave, but it was time; I couldn't stay and experience this type of worship tomorrow or fellowship with these believers during lunch. It was time for us to leave....see, we were in prison. What I didn't tell you was that we walked through black revolving steel doors to get to the room which is about the size of a gymnasium. It is cold from the winter that is approaching; the walls are made of steel, and the seating is not your typical nice padded church chairs but beat up wooden benches. The audience is made up of over 100 15 to 23 year old males; however, they are not dressed in the latest Holister top, American Eagle jeans or Fubu hoodies. They all sport the same uniform, a jean jumpsuit and maroon jacket. Yes, you and I would call this a prison; they call it the institution, but I have been thinking.... what would God call this place? Would God call this home??????? There was more spiritual freedom in that place on a Friday morning than most of our churches see on any Sunday; more forgiveness being offered, love being expressed, pain being remembered, gratitude being shown. Why do I have to go to prison to see the most freedom I have ever witnessed before in worship???
....This group of young convicts who had just finished a 16 week course on Jesus and Christianity in prison IS free although you and I may not see it that way.
......would GOD be more likely to call a gated prison with a few growing believers His Home or a steepled church packed with the religiously stagnant ? ...let's wake up church; we have a reason to sing IF you are His child!!!!!
