Barb and I went to Pine Bluff this past week for two days to take classes for continued prison ministry qualification. Since the prisons we visit are state institutions, it is important that we keep informed and compliant to the state policies for visiting and ministering in these facilities. Plus, prison is a whole society in itself, with its own unwritten laws, codes, signals and language. Having never been incarcerated, we must be taught the ways of the prison society. Some of this wisdom is included in the instruction. Also, there are constant changes in drugs and other contraband that people get into the prison and to the inmates. As long as we are operating within policy, we are legally protected by the state in case of a lawsuit. And there are lawsuits. In prison, we are ministering to a multi-religion, multi-denomination audience. There are state guidelines on how to present the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to this audience. These are things about which we need to be aware. About drugs, it has been discovered that a Bible page can be soaked with a drug, and once the inmate has been given the Bible (sounds innocent and good), he can turn to page such and such and process that page and get higher than a kite. That’s the twisted version of getting high on the Lord. I like the version of opening the Word and getting filled with the Holy Ghost and joy and telling the world about Jesus. But in prison, just like out of prison, it takes a heart revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ for a person to get filled with the Spirit and joy of the Lord. The early disciples were in a prison of fear before the day of Pentecost, but after they were filled with the Spirit, they were high on Jesus and three thousand people got saved. But back to the prison system in Arkansas. After we have gone through the classes, we are then issued a badge that has our name, picture, level of religious volunteer, and a computer bar code. With that bar code, and prior authorization from the chaplain over our unit, we can go into any state prison for ministry purposes. But the bottom line is this: if we are not badged, we cannot get in. If we are not compliant to the policy, we can be kicked out. The “badge” to get into the kingdom of God is the blood sacrifice and the righteous offering of Jesus Christ to God on our behalf. Without Him as Lord of our life, there is no entry into the kingdom of God and heaven. If God’s “policy,” is not followed, we can be refused staying in God’s kingdom. “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father” (Matthew 7:21). Thank God we can surrender all to Jesus and live in God’s kingdom eternally.