Flying to Richmond, Virginia for a Worship in Spirit and Truth Seminar (WIST), I came across a passage in 2 Peter 2.  Expressing what he wanted to make sure people remembered after his death, Peter described himself and the other Christ-followers as “Eyewitness of His majesty.”   That phrase became my prayer as a team of four people led a WIST in the Greensville Correctional Institution near Jarratt, Virginia: “Lord, I want to be an eyewitness of Your majesty.”

God answered that prayer as inmates, numbering 110 at one of the sessions, gathered in a gymnasium to worship, to learn and to receive ministry.  Seasons of worship through song were led by the in-house praise band and also by team members.

Was I an eyewitness to God’s majesty?  Absolutely!  Saturday morning, a cavernous gym filled with men was brought to complete silence for about 25 minutes as what I could only describe as the weight of God’s glory rested among us.  There was a clear sense that God was ministering to the inmates and to the team.  Saturday afternoon, the men were agents of God’s grace as they ministered with the Scott Foote song “You Are My King.”  Changing the pronouns in the lyrics, I had the men declare to one another, “You’re forgiven, because He was forsaken.  You’re accepted – He was condemned.  You’re alive and well, His Spirit is within you, because He died and rose again.”  Inmates wept and stood alongside one another resting their arms on the shoulders of one another as they ministered words of forgiveness and assurance to one another.  One man expressed that while he had heard about the Scripture to “speak to one another with spiritual songs,” he had never understood what that meant until that moment when he encountered God in a powerful way.

To visualize the experience of the high priest Joshua in Zechariah 3, I used a black robe with accusations of the enemy attached to it.  Following the example of the passage, I then had the robe removed and then had a white robe covered with the declarations of who God says we are in Christ.  At the end of the talk, along with opportunity for prayer ministry, I offered those who wanted an opportunity to literally wear a robe of righteousness – royal garments that identified who they are in Christ.  Inmate after inmate came forward as I wrapped them in a white robe and spoke words of life and Truth over them, declaring who the Scriptures say they are in Christ: chosen, treasured, redeemed, pure, holy, righteous, forgiven, and on and on.  I was an eyewitness to transformation as lies were replaced with truth.

The WIST closed with more prayer ministry and an opportunity for the participants to release their questions to God and choose to worship “the God of unanswered questions.”  Again, God was at work as men flowed to the front, literally laying question marks on a makeshift altar and receiving an exclamation point with a Scripture that declared God’s promise of peace.

Were we witnesses to His majesty?  Absolutely yes!  The next ARM team to minister at the correctional facility will bring the Lord, Teach Us to Pray Seminar.  We invite you to continue to pray that we would be eyewitnesses to His majesty and inmates are equipped to minister in the power of the Holy Spirit.