Will you serve our Lord?

I was raised in a small church where my dad served as Lay Leader. Because our church body was small, and definitely not wealthy, whenever the pastor was out of town, for any reason, my dad filled the pulpit. When Dad was choosing the hymns he almost invariably chose the hymn “Are You Able”.

The first verse of this hymn, taken from Mark 10:35-40 where Jesus asks His disciples just how committed they are to Him, begins: “Are ye able said the Master to be crucified with Me?”

The second verse is taken from Luke 22:39-42 when, Jesus from the cross, tells the repentant thief that “today you will be with Me in paradise” begins with: “Are ye able to remember when a thief lifts up his eyes that his pardon soul is worthy of a place in paradise”.

This second verse, to me, is very much applicable to us as OJPM volunteers. It points out just how serious are the eternal consequences of our work when visiting with inmates in jails across the state of Oklahoma.

I think we all know that we, as human sinners cannot bring anyone to faith in Christ, only the Holy Spirit can accomplish that. But we, humbly, are the essential tools that the Lord uses to accomplish His purposes. I know we all take great joy when our proverbial thieves lift up their eyes to Christ and gain eternal salvation, if they are sincere. And, of course, only God can know their hearts.

OJPM board president George Rennix has already stressed prompting inmates, who claim to already be believers, to pray a prayer of recommitment. This prayer can, and probably should, closely resemble the prayer of salvation, with a commitment to Christ clearly implied.

The OJPM Board of Directors has been made aware of a fairly large number of volunteers who do not plan on coming back to the ministry after this long layoff.

While this attitude is more than understandable, the mission field in our backyards still remains. Inmates are still just as lost and definitely haven’t lost their need for Christ and volunteer care.

Covid 19 has reaped some terrible harvests throughout the U.S. and the world. Let us rekindle our zeal for the lost souls and get back to ministering to this very needy group of individuals who are precious in God’s sight. And, if you can, bring along another new volunteer when you come.

Will you come to serve the Lord?  Remembering that He told us to be ready (Matthew 24:44) for we do not know when He will come for us and we should minister to others until He comes (Matthew 25:35-40).  Need more information call 405-917-2242 or email ojpm@ojpm.org.

Serving His Kingdom

Dave Seibel