One of the guys at our prison Bible study loves to do acronyms. He is coming up with this form of "Alphabet Soup" all the time. Sometimes he shares them with me and other times he will share them with the entire group. Good stuff! I hope you enjoy these.
"Every sinner has a future, because every sinner has a past."
Sinner
Accepted
Immanuel's
Never-ending
Treasure
Saint
Ignoring
Notably
Needed
Eternal
Redeemer
(See how he flipped those two around?)
Here's one more.
Marvelous
Emmanuel
Reconciling
Carnal
Yearnings
Spotlight
on Jesus
I'm
not sure what experience you've had with spotlights. Maybe you've seen spotlights at a car
dealership shining a bright beam of light across the night sky. The idea is to get your attention so that
you'll be drawn in to the large inventory of brand new trucks, cars, and SUV's
fully equipped with four wheel drive so that you don't slip and slide through
the holiday streets. Hoping to sell you
a shiny new automobile or two, the car dealership uses the spotlight to make
you as mesmerized as a moth moving in on a light bulb in your garage.
The
marketplace may focus our attention on products to purchase but God calls us to
place the spotlight on Jesus. This call
didn't start in the last year or in the last decade or even in the last century. In fact, two thousand years ago John the
Baptist received God's call to put the spotlight squarely on Jesus, the Savior
of the World. Here are a few words in
John 1:8 about John the Baptist: "He himself was not the light; he came
only as a witness to the light."
It's an important point of clarification. It wasn't about John. It was all about Jesus Christ, the Good News
from God. And John fulfilled his mission
to call the people to repentance so they could fix their eyes on Jesus. That's where the spotlight belongs!
Certainly
we can learn a thing or two from the example of John the Baptist. It's not about us. It's all about Jesus. We also need to aim the spotlight directly on
the Savior. On a regular basis
volunteers enter prison to shine the Spotlight of Jesus in a very dark
place. Just this past weekend a group of
volunteers went into the Fort Dodge prison for a Brothers-in-Blue weekend. On this four day spiritual retreat, 49 men
were able to set aside their normal routines in order to focus their attention
squarely on Jesus. That's the focus of
New Life Prison Community volunteers too: the spotlight is on the One at center
stage. His name is Jesus.
Even
in these last few days before Christmas, God continues to call each one of us
to place the spotlight on Jesus. The
Christmas holiday season has a million and one distractions: Frosty the snowman
and Santa Claus, cookies and candy canes, gift wrap and ornaments, colorful
lights and giant inflatables on our front lawns. These things are not bad in and of themselves
but can sometimes distract us from focusing on the Babe born in Bethlehem. How
you will shine the spotlight on Jesus this Christmas? Maybe you'll take a few moments to reflect on
the Gift from Heaven before opening your Christmas gifts piled under the
tree. Maybe you'll sing Silent Night or
Joy to the World before devouring your Christmas dinner. Maybe you'll read the Christmas story in Luke
2 for your family devotions. These are
just a few ideas. Don't limit
yourself. Instead think creatively as to
how you and the ones you love can focus your spotlight on Jesus.
Rick Admiraal is the pastor of New Life
Prison Community, a prison congregation in Newton, Iowa. New Life is wrapping up its fourth year of
ministry to men in prison. New Life certainly appreciates its
powerful prayer team, dedicated volunteer force, and loyal support base. Rick & his wife Rose live in Pella with
their daughter. Their son attends Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Yesterday I attended the High School Graduation at the prison. One of the teachers in the education department at the Newton Prison invited me to attend. Formerly this was called the GED program but now it's called the HiSET - high school equivalency test. Anyway I'm glad I attended. I'm proud of all the graduates for what they've accomplished. It's a big deal for guys who are locked up to finally finish what they've started. It gives them a feeling of satisfaction that they can overcome obstacles in order to realize their goals. One of the men graduating had recently been baptized at our November worship service. He was one of the keynote speakers and emphasized "perseverance" in his talk. Perseverance is so important in the Christian life too! Two other graduates had made profession of faith at the November worship service in the prison gym. One of them was actually the valedictorian of the class having scored quite well. This man is very quiet in our New Life small groups but if you look at him it appears from his face that he is processing things internally all the time. His brain is engaged even though he doesn't contribute much to the discussion. His teachers are encouraging him to go to college because his mind is sharp. When I spoke with him afterwards I asked him what his best subject was in school. He said mathematics - that was always a strong point for me too. Overall it was a feel good moment to attend the graduation ceremony - the men were in cap & gown and also had family members there to witness the proud moment. I really enjoyed it and hope to attend in future years!
On November 20, New Life had a Thanksgiving Service in the Newton Prison Gym. Featured prominently were baptism and profession of faith. A high-water mark was reached in both: 11 men were baptized and 5 men professed their faith in Jesus Christ. Glory be to God!
Here are some words from two men who participated. Denny was the last in line to be baptized. As it says in the Word, "The first will be last." Denny had to wait a LONG TIME to be baptized. He said he first believed when he was 10 years old out in Oregon but his family was not religious. So he waited until now… Here are Denny's words: "I wish to thank everyone from New Life. I was truly blessed by my baptism. I had wished to be baptized for FORTY YEARS. Thank you to my extended New Life family. They truly are a light in a dark place. For the giver of new life truly is Jesus Christ. Jesus answered, 'Verily, verily I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.' (John 3:5) Thank you to everyone that attended my baptism. The transformation is amazing. Sincerely a Spirit-filled believer at the Newton Prison."
Matt was one of the 5 guys to make a stand for Christ and profess faith in Christ. He reads from Psalm 27:1-5 every day as it is a great encouragement to him. Here is the first verse of that Psalm ~ "The LORD is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?" Matt understands that the reason for these worship services is "to plant seeds in people's hearts to bring them to Christ." He took encouragement in seeing two men who were recently baptized reading the Word of God together back at their housing unit. Here are a few more words from Matt: "When I professed my faith, it helped me in so many ways. For a long time, I never wanted help with anything and at times felt unworthy. Though I sometimes struggle still, God makes me feel worthy. God has shaped me in ways I myself can't understand. I don't think I'm supposed to understand it but just live as he's making me into a better man so that I can be fulfilled in His name. Thank you all! Thank you Lord for everything including my memories of loved ones. You are a blessing to me. Love you all. Thank you for all your help and prayers."
