OUR FATHER’S PERSISTENT LOVE MINISTRIES
“AN OUTSIDE PERSPECTIVE”
My Dear Family in Christ,
Ever precious greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! It is my great honor and privilege to share my heart with you once again. Despite all of my past wickedness, and by grace, all of God’s continuous goodness – I have had an amazing life! Having just turned 68 years old, I was unsaved “in Adam” for 34 years; and now, I have been saved “in Christ” for 34 years. Thus, I cannot help but to compare the difference between blessings and cursings, life and death, light and darkness, good and evil, and love and hate. We know “all things work together for good” in God’s redemptive recipe. . .He makes us what we aren’t!
I had a 34-year season in the flesh. I was “…without hope and without God in the world” (Eph. 2:12). The cursing, death, darkness, evil, and hate were disguised by the world as good to veil their lethal sting. In it, I learned obedience, but not to the Lord. I was obedient to the “depths of satan” – these, too, were ingredients in the redemptive recipe of God. (Rev. 2:24)
Amazingly, at the end of my sinful descent, the Lord met me. Indeed, Jesus was waiting for me there. He that touches sinners” touched me. He reached into the dumpster of my life and pulled me up and out! That is why Debbie and I always wear our uniforms when in the prisons – simple tee-shirts: one from our home church that states…”There is Hope!” and another one that reads: “Hope Dealer!” Is there a better shirt that I could possibly wear? I think not! I was a dope dealer with no hope, and now I am a hope dealer with no dope! I love that, and I just cannot stop saying it!
More so, now by grace, I have experienced 34 years of a gloriously abundant Life! I am reminded of a verse that I memorized in 1991. I was right off the proverbial turnip truck of sin. It is written, “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly Life.” (1 Tim. 6:18-19 NIV) All these seasonings – blessings, life, light, good, and love – are the very earthly, spiritual appetizers of Heaven. Make no mistake, they are not without trial, but in God’s wisdom, they are the necessary elements the Lord slowly stirs into the recipe of our redemption. Wrapped up in all of this, for me, was an amazingly beautiful, sweet, godly wife with impeccable character. Lovely as the morning sun, she lives a lamb-like, servant-minded life for her Lord that never ceases to slay me. It is my great weakness for her. I am most grateful for the foretaste of the wedding supper of the Lamb in my Deborah Ann. I stand in awe! You cannot make this up! He daily loadeth us with benefits! (Ps. 68:19) But if I might – it’s all in the Book! 🙂
Behold our God! He enabled me to meet the woman of my dreams and to marry her 27 years later. When Debbie and I reflect on the sovereign trajectory of our lives, by the prevenient grace of our King, we are like those who dream! Is it possible that I actually did 30 years in maximum security prison? Was there ever a better missionary field? How is it possible that Debbie, of all women, wandered into Trenton State prison and met me? How is it that the Lord kept us, all those years by grace through faith? Why did Debbie wait 26 years for my release? As she likes to chime, “I wasn’t just sitting around knitting, you know!” Contrarily, we were both all in, sold out, denying self, carrying our cross daily while loving not our life unto death! If I told you some of the things I went through in prison, you yourself would fall off the proverbial turnip truck! 😁
How is it that the Lord allowed us to serve and love the men there, the worst of the worst, and to love them deeply? Alas, when the Lord turned again our captivity and set me free, we were indeed like those who dream! My mouth was filled with laughter and Debbie’s tongue with singing! Still, we worship daily, by faith, declaring – “The Lord has done great things for us, whereof we are glad!” We sowed in tears for 30 years because we knew that they that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing their sheaves with them! (Ps. 126:6) Through it all, we learned obedience by the things that we suffered. Today, we kiss and honor the Hand that mixed the recipe!
Our life is now a plethora of relationships beyond our own understanding. The Lord has woven into our lives innumerable, precious souls, all through the prison ministry that He Himself birthed in us. Delightfully, we have been given children (and even children’s children) in the Lord. We have pushed through in opposition to all odds and decried all the doubting hearts of men. We have proclaimed, “Give us this mountain!” (Josh. 14:8-12) We intentionally leaned not on our own understanding, but opened our mouths wide – and He filled them! We hoped against hope, and in hope, we served the gospel of Light in the darkness. The darkness and the light are both alike to Him! (Ps. 139:12)
It is written, “When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongue was singing: then said they among the heathen, the Lord hath done great things for them. The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad. Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” (Ps. 126)
The Lord also had a season in the flesh, for it is written, “Who in the days of His flesh. . .” (Heb. 5:7) He willingly incarcerated Himself in the flesh and dwelt among us to deliver us from our prison of sin! That’s what Debbie and I do. We put ourselves in prison to set prisoners free. We fight our way in. It is dark warfare. The servants are not above their Master. In the flesh, Jesus learned obedience by the things which He suffered. It was a necessary ingredient to bring about the Father’s good purpose in the recipe of redemption. While speaking of the “days of His flesh,” the writer is referring to His pre-cross, yet unglorified flesh. Jesus our Christ is still in the flesh today, but the difference is that now, after going through the cross, He is in eternally glorified flesh. He is a glorified man, albeit fully God. He is the One and Only glorified God-Man forever, and He has the keys of hell and death! This is a mystery that saints and angels desire to peep into. 😇 (1 Pet. 1:12)
Perhaps the Israelites may one day say, “Were we really that disobedient?” Then, looking upon Him Whom they have pierced, they will lament with a great lamentation, “Did we really crucify our own Christ?” Maybe it feels like a dream to the Lord too. Perhaps the Lord thinks, “Did I really become flesh and dwell among them? Did I really go down to earth and willingly let them crucify Me?” Still, Christ will doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing His sheaves with Him! Beloved, it’s all part of God’s great. . .
“RECIPE OF REDEMPTION!”
JOYFULLY IN JESUS,
LOVE, PHILIP
“REMEMBER THOSE IN PRISON AS IF CHAINED TO THEM.”
