In his first letter to the Christians in Corinth, the Apostle Paul addressed several spiritual issues which were threatening the believers in Corinth. One of those issues was division in the congregation, as one group followed Paul while another group followed Apollos or Jesus, himself.
At a recent prison Bible discussion group, I asked the guys to introduce themselves by telling their name, how they felt right at that moment, and who they’ve been praying for lately. When it was Dan’s turn, he didn’t have to think about it: with no hesitation, he said, “I’m praying for my victims.”
Redhawk was a native American whose son was hospitalized. While his son was in the hospital, Redhawk refused to leave his room, and he even ate and slept in his son’s room. When the staff urged him to take a break outside of the room, he refused saying, “Evil spirits are after my son and I need to be here to protect him.”
Alice was an elderly lady in the hospital whom I also knew from outside of the hospital. She was very active in her church and spent many years serving. Her husband was very sick and could not visit, and her other family members were delayed in coming.
Jacob attended my Bible class for over three years. During that time, I had the pleasure of getting to know him as a person and watch him grow in his faith as a Christian. Together, we studied the gospel of Matthew and John, the book of Acts, Romans, Galatians and Jonah.
Marie was a self-confessed “tweaker” (a methamphetamine addict) that I met in jail. “I guess I’m a mix between a sinner and a saint,” she explained as she told me about her biker father and devout Catholic mother. In jest she added, “Maybe that explains some of my troubles and confusion.”