The Bishop

Last night in Lima we were privileged to be part of a small gathering of local pastors who met with Pastor Jim Cymbala of the Brooklyn Tabernacle, a wonderful, God-blessed church located in Brooklyn, New York, USA.

At the meeting, Pastor Cymbala presented a DVD called "The Miracle of Hope." It is the story of a trip by Pastor Cymbala and the Brooklyn Tabernacle Singers to the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola.

The DVD features interviews with several prisoners, including those on death row, who have come to know Christ while in prison. One of the prisoners featured in the DVD was nicknamed The Bishop. He was imprisoned for 52 years - 52 years! - before being released in 2007 when he was more than 70 years old. The Bishop had spent practically his entire life in prison before being released into the custody of Pastor Cymbala and the Brooklyn Tabernacle church, where he now attends and serves.

The Bishop's incredible story reminded me that we must never give up on any person. The Bishop was imprisoned for 52 years, but God never forgot about him, and God never gave up on him, when he was serving all those long years in Angola. It's a little bit like the story of Moses, who killed an Egyptian, fled the scene of the crime, and hid out and tended sheep for his father-in-law for 40 years before God called him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and toward the Promised Land.

Never give up on anyone that you are doing church, ministry, or life with, no matter how recalcitrant he or she may be. He or she may wind up being like The Bishop, finding God and serving Him while in prison, and then continuing to serve Him after being set free. Or he or she may be like Moses. You never know. But don't give up on those persons like The Bishop in your life. God hasn't. Neither should you.