There is such a great joy over God’s continuous grace, as Anugrah Ministries are able to minister and spread His Word again in a correctional facility. Our visitat gave them hope and acceptance in a personal level. In this opportunity, the Anugrah Team served the inmates in Lapas Narkotika II A Cipinang, working hand in hand with the AbbaLove Team.
Wednesday, 23 February 2017, at 11am, we left the headquarter of Anugrah Ministries and arrived in Lapas Narkotika II A at exactly 12 pm. Upon arrival, we were not able to go in directly, but were asked to wait outside as the service was permitted to start at 1 pm. We waited in the canteen of the correction centre and entered at 1 pm. Inside the church, there were around 155 inmates awaiting us. Eight of the inmates were new comers, and we prayed for them before the service started. Some of the more senior inmates have been trained by now, so they participated in the ministry as usher, multimedia, and musician.
As the service started, praise after praise songs were sung. We felt God’s incredible power at work, as we all sang with loud voice. Some inmates were even touched by the Holy Spirit, and they brought up tearful praises. When Pastor Daniel Hendrata shared the Word of God, the inmates were listening attentively. The theme for the message that day was about “True Identity” which was taken from John 1:12, that God gave us power, so we who believe in His name can become His children. Our real identity, as sons of God, was given to us when we first followed Jesus Christ. As long as we believe in Christ and repent from all our wrongdoings, we would be more and more like Jesus. Before the sermon ended, Pastor Daniel challenged the inmates to receive forgiveness from God, and then to forgive themselves and anyone else who has ever wronged them. Around 30 inmates came forward when the Altar Call was given, and received restoration. After that, around 7 other inmates also moved forward to be prayed for specifically as they are suffering from HIV/AIDS.
After the service, we did not forget to give all the workers and congregation lunch. We hope the name of the Lord will be glorified through this ministry: reaching out to the ones suffering, kicked out, and seen as the scum of humanity. As it is written in Matthew 25:36 (NKJV), “I was in prison and you came to Me.” Amen.
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