Get With It
by Henry Braun
I have been to Africa several times on behalf of the Gideons. I was in Madagascar. The Gideons over there wanted us to go to a prison to distribute Scriptures. Now this was a large, large prison. By the way, foreigners are not allowed in foreign prisons for a very good reason. They had secured permission for me to go so I went with them. There were 14- 15 of us and we were going to present the Gospel and distribute Scriptures to them. Now there were 5,000 prisoners. It was divided into quadrants about 1200 in each one. Their prisons are very different than ours. They have a compound which is dirt. They live in shacks or sleep in bunks around it. They make their own meals. If somebody doesn't bring them food they don't get food. It is destitute in those prisons.
The way they sat down was very interesting. They sat on the ground with their knees pulled up and the prisoner ahead of them would sit between those knees. That was there for security reasons – it is very difficult to get up that way. They were sitting rows of 50.
We told them who we were. Then we told them about the New Testament we wanted to give them, and then about Jesus Christ. We gave them our testimony and then gave them the Scriptures. And they gladly received the Scriptures. Not just carelessly.
As we were walking out we heard about 1200 men in another quadrant singing in beautiful four part harmony some Christian hymns. I asked my group, "What is this all about?" They said, "We have been here before. Many of these men have come to know Jesus Christ. That is real rehabilitation. Therefore the prison officials are glad to see us come because it's going to affect their lives." The Word is what God will use it touch the hearts of all of us.
God is doing great work and we need to get with it. The way we get with it is to commit ourselves to Him and submit ourselves, simply humble ourselves before Him and let Him use us.
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