Makayla came out of the cell first. With purpose.
Last Sunday at 7 a.m., female inmates at the county jail milled into the multi-purpose room for Bible study. It was coffee day, so they made a line for freshly brewed coffee with flavored creamer. There were also Little Debbie cakes. (They know I want to woo them to Jesus with coffee and cake, but that’s the work of the Holy Spirit.)
It was Ladonna’s turn to teach the lesson. (She had driven an hour and a half in the dark to get there.) This morning’s study was from Numbers 13 and 14 about how wrong choices can leave you wandering in the wilderness. The girls, sitting on the floor, took turns reading the Bible verses. Thoughts and comments were welcomed and shared throughout the lesson.
Makayla was antsy. At one point, she stood. “I don’t want to leave. I just can’t sit for long,” she announced, then explained that she had tried to run from police and was tased. She is reminded of it every time she remains seated for long lengths of time. (Lesson learned.)
After one of Ladonna’s points, Makayla suddenly blurted out, “Do you mean the only way I can go to heaven is if I get saved?”
“Actually, yes,” we told her. The lesson was temporarily interrupted and the plan of salvation laid out. Everyone was listening.
Makayla then asked, “Do I have to get baptized to be saved?” Great question! And no. We explained that baptism is an outward expression of faith. That it’s an important display to show what has happened inside someone’s heart. New believers want to be baptized. There was discussion all around about times in the past when their family members had been baptized in the river or lake, sometimes breaking ice to get into the water.
Makayla had good questions. The only church she knew was the Old Regular Baptist Church her grandmother attended. We talked about why there are different translations of the Bible. Makayla had read an NIV New Testament we had left at the jail but was more familiar with the King James Version.
At the end of the lesson, we went through the plan of salvation. Several prayed to accept Christ! We are so thankful! Makayla, still standing and hand raised, had prayed the loudest. She is going to need Jesus. Not just while she is at the county jail but for the future. She was just sentenced to 10 years in prison. She will be sent there soon.
Before we left, we gave out more New Testaments. Makayla asked if we had a KJV Bible. She wanted to compare it to the NIV. It just so happened that some Georgia Disaster Relief volunteers helping with flood relief had brought us some used Bibles to distribute. I only had one left.
It was a KJV, worn and plenty used. Brought from Georgia just for her.
You don’t have to be incarcerated to need Jesus. In “Chain Breaker,” Zack Williams sings,
“If you need freedom or saving, He’s a prison-shaking Savior. If you’ve got chains, He’s the chain breaker…” It’s the gospel truth!
Please pray for Makayla as she begins her journey as a new believer and as she begins a long, hard chapter of her life.