It is amazing the things that I am seeing go on while ministering in the Durham County Jail. This is also happening at our headquarters and out on the streets of East Durham. What it is, is the fruit of over six and a half years of planting the Word of God into people's lives. I am seeing what were heavy hitters in gangs out on the streets now sitting and listening to me for long periods of time while I minister the Word of God to them.

I have one who was known as a heavy shooter on the streets of East Durham. This meaning he was involved in many gang shootings. He has been affiliated with The Crips. This young man has a steel plate in his forehead stemming from a shooting a few years ago. He also has a scar of where the bullet entered his head very close to his temple. I actually ministered to a group of people when we were doing our Friday Night services in The Mac in the exact spot where he laid bleeding in a parking lot of "The Mac" the night before. Everyone thought he was going to die. One lady who was a witness told me of how his brain matter was spilled out on the lot.

Today he is mentally sharp. I joke with him that he is going to be much sharper when as we pour more Jesus into him and when we get rid of all the devilish thoughts He really is doing good. He is preparing a letter to his 13 year old cousin who I am working with who is following right in his foot steps. He is warning him that he needs to change his behavior before he ends up like him or dead.  He is obedient in reading what I tell him to read and also he reads the Bible on his own. He told me this week of being offered a plea for 76 months. I asked him what he was going to do. He said "I didn't do it". I said "well go to trial".  I then started talking to him about how I council other inmates. I tell them that  there are definitely two that know for sure whether they did the crime or not. The two are them and God. I tell them that if they are guilty not to let some slick attorney attempt to get them off or a lesser charge. I tell them to stand before the judge and say that they are guilty. Also, I tell them that if they were involved in any other crimes that they did not get caught in to go ahead and confess to that sin also. I tell them that one day they will have to give account of everything that have done while in the flesh. I told him that I would be back in tomorrow (Friday) to discuss his charges and I told him that I would be praying that he would make the right choice according to God. I told him to think about what would be best, 76 months in jail or eternity in hell. We didn't talk any more about it. I am looking forward to tomorrow to see what he is thinking.

Another inmate asked how he could see me as I was getting ready to leave that pod. I felt a nudge from the Holy Spirit to meet with him right away so I said that I had time now. I asked him his name and he gave me the last name of someone else that I have been discipling for the last year and a half who is doing time in prison. I asked if they were related and he said very surprised that the one in prison was his uncle. I told him of our relationship and that opened to door for me to minister into his life. I asked him about his charges and he had some very heavy ones! I then asked him if he was guilty and I was shocked to hear him say that he was guilty of every one of them. I complimented him for his honesty and said that if you believe most inmates say they are innocent. He said that he knows that he needs to get his life right. He said that his mom who is a Christian said that he is going to have favor on his charges. He then started telling me how his attorney thought he could get some of the charges dropped. I started giving him the same council that i give others. I said that the only way he was going to get favor is to give his life to the Lord and live his life for the Lord!! I told him that he had just said that he wanted to do the right thing and now he is leaning toward deception. I said "you are going to pay now or you are going to pay later. Later will be a sentence of eternal hell! Before I left he was in agreement that he was going to tell the judge everything! Even the things that he was not caught doing!

This is just a small portion of the awesome things that are going on in phase of the ministry! Praise the Lord!

The Lord is moving mightily in this ministry! So many things are going on which I will explain more soon. Many times by the time that I get back to the house I am too wiped out to be able to post anything. Angie said that I need to be delegating things out so that I can get more done while down at headquarters and I believe she is right.  There are so many exciting things going on and I really want to get the news out to all those that follow the ministry.

For those of you that do not know Chaplain Vinny is one of  our very dedicated leaders. He has such a heart for reaching the lost and less fortunate. He spends time five and six days a week ministering to those on Holloway Street in East Durham. He is also part of the team that goes into the McDougald Terrace Projects which we call "Late Night in the Mac". He is a real blessing to the ministry!

Here is what took place today at our headquarters.....

Glory to God!!! Jesus is Lord of all!!!

This is Sarah. I just finished counseling with her for an hour. I informed her that if she did not change and repent that she would spend eternity in hell. I also informed her that Jesus loves and cares for her. I have been interceding for her. She asked if we had clothes because she did not have any and working the streets provided for her. I told her if she decided to repent that God would provide for her. I prayed for her and about five minutes later brother Tommy from Olive Branch church shows up with a pickup full of clothes. I took Sarah out to the truck and she left with two huge bags of clothes and 5 pairs of shoes all her size. Brother Henry Harris observed and left to get her 8 boxes of shoes from his daughter all her size. She looked at me with tears in her eyes saying we just prayed and JESUS answered the prayers. I gave her a new bible and said to go home and ask Jesus to cleanse her. She said Vinny I am no longer for sale and will be at bible study in the morning. I am weeping for joy!!!

OUR GOD IS AN AWESOME GOD!!!I

In my time with the Lord this morning the Holy Spirit laid this heavily on my heart to share because of all the deceit that I have been witnessing. Please feel free to share this with others.

All of us that are truly in Christ know people who claim to be Christians but clearly by examining their fruit we know according to scripture that they are not.

Matthew 7:20  Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions. 21 "Not everyone who calls out to Me, 'Lord! Lord!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of My Father in heaven will enter. 22 On judgment day many will say to Me, 'Lord! Lord! We prophesied in Your name and cast out demons in Your name and performed many miracles in Your name.' 23 But I will reply, 'I never knew you. Get away from Me, you who break God's laws.'

It sickens me and has to be a stench in the nostrils of God to see how man lowers the standards of righteousness then still professes to be “of Him”! So many times in this country man will find his “customized church or denomination” that fits his sin then will claim to be a Christian or follower of Christ. How sickening! This is what scripture says pertaining to how we should walk…..

1John 2:6 Whoever says he abides in Him ought [as a personal debt] to walk and conduct himself in the same way in which He walked and conducted Himself.

It rings in my ears that there will be many more pastors in hell than there will be in heaven. They will be there will blood dripping from their hands because they have failed to be the watchmen that they were entrusted to be. They have operated “social clubs” and “feel good clubs” instead of true Word of God teaching churches. In this country if you want to go against the Word of God and be a homosexual, a drunk, a drug addict, a fornicator or adulterer, etc. you can find a church that will welcome your sin and not confront you on it. I pity the pastor that runs these “dens of iniquity” when they have to stand before the Lord if they do not repent! It rings in my ears that the high majority of “church goers” in American churches will one day find themselves in hell. Many have been deceived by their “man-made denominations” and they would rather stand with their denomination than stand with what the Word of God says. So many are like dumb sheep, one following another off of a cliff that will one day drop them into the depths of hell!

Luke 6:39 And He also spoke a parable to them: "A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit?

I picture the devil and his demons laughing at how easy it is to lead “professing Christians” straight to hell. They prefer to line their behavior up to their sin filled fellow church members than lining themselves up with the Word of God. Somehow the devil has deceived the masses into this type of thinking. They deceive each other into thinking that they are no worse than the others so that they are ok. They tell each other that they are saved and are foolish enough to believe it. They follow the ignorant deceived thinking of so many in this country that because they repeated a prayer one time in their lives that they are all lined up for heaven. The devil and his demons belly laugh at this! So many professing Christians will lift their eyelids one day to find themselves in hell for all eternity if they do not REPENT and wake up to what the scriptures say! The Word of God warns us over and over regarding “being Holy”. This is how Webster’s Dictionary defines “Holy”…..

HO'LY, a.

1. Properly, whole, entire or perfect, in a moral sense. Hence, pure in heart, temper or dispositions; free from sin and sinful affections. Applied to the Supreme Being, holy signifies perfectly pure, immaculate and complete in moral character; and man is more or less holy, as his heart is more or less sanctified, or purified from evil dispositions. We call a man holy, when his heart is conformed in some degree to the image of God, and his life is regulated by the divine precepts.

2. Hallowed; consecrated or set apart to a sacred use, or to the service or worship of God; a sense frequent in Scripture;

 

1Peter 1:14 [Live] as children of obedience [to God]; do not conform yourselves to the evil desires [that governed you] in your former ignorance [when you did not know the requirements of the Gospel]. 15 But as the One Who called you is Holy, you yourselves also be Holy in all your conduct and manner of living. 16 For it is written, You shall be Holy, for I am Holy.

Leviticus 11:44 For I am the Lord your God; so consecrate yourselves and be Holy, for I am Holy; neither defile yourselves with any manner of thing that multiplies in large numbers or swarms. 45 For I am the Lord Who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God; therefore you shall be Holy, for I am Holy.

Revelation 22:11 He who is unrighteous (unjust, wicked), let him be unrighteous still; and he who is filthy (vile, impure), let him be filthy still; and he who is righteous (just, upright, in right standing with God), let him do right still; and he who is Holy, let him be Holy still. 12 Behold, I am coming soon, and I shall bring My wages and rewards with Me, to repay and render to each one just what his own actions and his own work merit.

1Thessalonians 4:7 For God has not called us to impurity but to consecration [to dedicate ourselves to the most thorough purity]. 8Therefore whoever disregards (sets aside and rejects this) disregards not man but God, Whose [very] Spirit [Whom] He gives to you is Holy (chaste, pure).

For many that refuse to listen the following scripture describes a day that they will wish that they had listened to the warning to strive to live a HOLY life. At this time it will be too late. The sentence will be hell for all eternity!

2Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will vanish (pass away) with a thunderous crash, and the [material] elements [of the universe] will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up. 11 Since all these things are thus in the process of being dissolved, what kind of person ought [each of] you to be [in the meanwhile] in consecrated and Holy behavior and devout and godly qualities, 12 While you wait and earnestly long for (expect and hasten) the coming of the day of God by reason of which the flaming heavens will be dissolved, and the [material] elements [of the universe] will flare and melt with fire? 13 But we look for new heavens and a new earth according to His promise, in which righteousness (uprightness, freedom from sin, and right standing with God) is to abide. 14 So, beloved, since you are expecting these things, be eager to be found by Him [at His coming] without spot or blemish and at peace [in serene confidence, free from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts].

I refer to the following scripture on nearly a daily basis. How much more clearly can it be than this? If you are not striving for Holiness then you are NOT going to heaven! His Word is crystal clear but people refuse to take heed.

Hebrews 12:14 Strive to live in peace with everybody and pursue that consecration and Holiness without which no one will [ever] see the Lord. 15 Exercise foresight and be on the watch to look [after one another], to see that no one falls back from and fails to secure God's grace (His unmerited favor and spiritual blessing), in order that no root of resentment (rancor, bitterness, or hatred) shoots forth and causes trouble and bitter torment, and the many become contaminated and defiled by it--

Leviticus 20:26 And you shall be Holy to Me; for I the Lord am Holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.

The word “consecrated” is mentioned many times in referring to Holiness also.

CONSECRATE, v.t. [L., to consecrate, sacred. See Sacred.]

 

1. To make or declare to be sacred; to appropriate to sacred uses; to set apart, dedicate, or devote, to the service and worship of God;

 

Leviticus 20:7 Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be Holy; for I am the Lord your God.

2Corinthians 7:1 THEREFORE, SINCE these [great] promises are ours, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates and defiles body and spirit, and bring [our] consecration to completeness in the [reverential] fear of God.

Ephesians 1:4 Even as [in His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be Holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love.  

1Thessalonians 4:3 For this is the will of God, that you should be consecrated (separated and set apart for pure and Holy living):

He also calls us to be perfect. We have the lame excuse that so many say, “no one’s perfect” but we must strive daily for that perfection of Christ!

Matthew 5:48 You, therefore, must be perfect [growing into complete maturity of godliness in mind and character, having reached the proper height of virtue and integrity], as your heavenly Father is perfect.

James 1:4 But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing.

He calls us to be pure!

1John 3:3  And everyone who has this hope [resting] on Him cleanses (purifies) himself just as He is pure (chaste, undefiled, guiltless).

He calls us to imitate Him!

Ephesians 5:1 THEREFORE BE imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father].

He calls us to be blameless!

Job 1:1 THERE WAS a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who [reverently] feared God and abstained from and shunned evil [because it was wrong].

Deuteronomy 18:13 You shall be blameless [and absolutely true] to the Lord your God.

Genesis 17:1  WHEN ABRAM was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, I am the Almighty God; walk and live habitually before Me and be perfect (blameless, wholehearted, complete).

There is so much more that the Word of God says about the way we are to live. People must quit listening to the lies of their denomination and the lies of man. They must start searching the scriptures like the people of Berea in Acts 17:11…..

Acts 17:11 And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul's message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.

Anyone that has read to this point will not be able to stand before THE RIGHTEOUS GOD and say that they were not warned of what lies ahead. You will have no excuse! You will not be standing with your pastor or any other person. You will be standing by yourself before Him and you will have to give account for everything that you did on this earth.

Romans 14:11 For it is written, As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God [acknowledge Him to His honor and to His praise]. 12 And so each of us shall give an account of himself [give an answer in reference to judgment] to God.

It is our responsibility to search the scriptures and to show ourselves approved before God.

2Timothy 2:15 Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.

I pray that people will wake up before it is too late!