us news
‘Jesus Is the Answer’: 700 Inmates Worship God in Oklahoma Prison, 400 Give Their Lives to Christ
The Spirit of God moved powerfully through salvations, baptisms, and life-changing moments during an outreach at an Oklahoma prison last week. More than 700 inmates worshipped Jesus and were “touched by the presence of God,” one of the organizers told.
Pastor Paul Daugherty has been leading Victory Christian Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for more than 10 years, succeeding his parents, Sharon and the late Billy Joe Daugherty, who founded the church.
It is one of the city’s largest churches, and while more than 7,000 worshippers participate in services each week, the Holy Spirit spoke to Daugherty just three short months ago, asking him to reach an unlikely group with the Gospel message.
“I was like, man, I really feel like there’s a harvest of people in the prisons that we could reach with God’s love that [only a few] churches in our city [are] really going after,” he told CBN News. “I really want[ed] to reach almost every prisoner we can in an outreach.”
Daugherty says God gave him favor with Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt and his staff, including a timely connection with Brian Bobek, the state’s chief operating officer.
“He happened to be a Christian and said he was looking for a church to go to and started coming to our church,” the megachurch pastor shared.
Bobek advised Daugherty to make the prison outreach an event that would draw men out of their cells.
“I said, ‘I don’t wanna just do a small service for 10 or 20 guys….I want to reach almost every prisoner we can,'” Daugherty told Bobek.
The pastor and his team decided on creating an outreach that would allow the prisoners to get outside, enjoy hamburgers and hot dogs, receive free pamphlets, and a Bible.
They held the first outreach at John H. Lilley Prison in Boley, Oklahoma on June 23rd.
“We showed up last Monday and we weren’t sure if we would get 100 guys or 200,” Daugherty admitted to CBN News.
To his surprise, the dry brown field began to flood with men in orange prison uniforms. In total, 751 inmates showed up that day to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ preached.
As Daugherty watched the inmates file out of the prison, the Lord spoke to his heart.
“When I saw them getting out of their pods and walking towards the field…I just started weeping because I was like man this looks like a picture out of the Bible when Jesus saw that village of Samaritan people. He said the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.”
With the help of just 32 volunteers, 1,000 hot meals were served, 700 Bibles were distributed, and 1,300 Bible study books were handed out.
Daugherty says many lives were changed. More than 400 people accepted the call for salvation, and 41 inmates were baptized on the spot.
The pastor said he saw hardened criminals changed by the love of God.
“I saw all these [inmates] walking towards us like zombies…literally coming out of [the prison with] depression and despair and discouragement and shame,” he explained.
“A third of these guys are locked up in there for sexual crimes and then another third are locked up in there for violence and murder, and then another third are locked up in there for drug-related offenses…We had guys in there that we met that were 25 years old and then one guy that was you know 70 years old and you’ve been in there for 27 years,” Daugherty recalled.
“But I felt like God said, just walk between them, show them the love of God, shake their hands, give them a hug, preach into the crowd,” he said.
Daugherty admits he had to let go of the fear of being in the “middle of 751 prisoners with no handcuffs,” but he knew God called him to “preach the love of Jesus.”
“I just started hugging them and shaking their hands and praying for him and then I did an altar call and I was like, ‘Hey if any of you want Jesus to be Lord of your life and to walk in His victory for your life and receive His grace and mercy, then you raise your hand.’ And over 400 hands went up.”
Daugherty says those who are locked up behind bars “need to know that God still loves them, and God’s not done with their story.”
The Oklahoma pastor recounted an incredible encounter he had with one inmate who got saved at Victory Christian Center when his father was a pastor.
“He said, ‘I got saved at your church when your dad was the pastor in the ’90s’ and he said, ‘I was part of the choir and I sang in the worship (team).’ And then he said, ‘I made some really bad choices and…I got locked up in the year 2000.'”
Daugherty said his mind immediately began to race trying to figure out, “What did he do? What is going on here?”
But then the Lord spoke to him and said, “Paul I’m less concerned about this man’s past and I’m more concerned about his future.”
“I just looked at him and I said, ‘Sir, I don’t know what you did, but I just want you to know God loves you and we love you.”
The inmate told Daugherty he thought he would never see the church he once called his home church, ever again.
He explained that the first person to visit him in prison, was Paul’s father, Billy Joe, before he died from cancer. “He told me that he loved me and forgave me and that God forgave me,” the inmate told Daugherty, adding he thought he would never see anybody from that church again.
“He said, ‘Here you are…the son of my pastor that saved me, [now] ministering in my prison,'” Daugherty recalled of the conversation.
“I’m getting teary-eyed like, ‘man, God, what a story grace.'”
Daugherty adds that there are many stories of grace that are waiting to be told and there are more people hungry to hear the truth of the Gospel.
“I think people are really waking up to the reality that our world and everything in our world is so, it’s so broken,” he explained. “It’s so broken…and there’s just so much shallowness.”
Daugherty says people are being consumed by social media and the idea of false connection, while at the same time being drawn to pornography, drugs, and alcohol to quell feelings of anxiety.
He believes many people are finally waking up and wanting “something that’s real.”
“Jesus is that answer,” he said. “I do think there is this awakening of [people saying] ‘Man, I want Jesus. Jesus is the only thing that is going to change my life and heal my heart and bring me peace.'”
Victory Christian Center’s initial, huge prison outreach is just the beginning of reaching the lost who are locked up.
“We’ve already lined up the prisons for the fall and the winter,” he told CBN News. “Prisons started calling that they want [us] to come.”
Daugherty says he is looking forward to this new endeavor.
“Praise God. Let’s keep doing this,” he expressed.
Sources:CBN News
ഡാളസ്: ശാരോന് ഫെലോഷിപ്പ് ചര്ച്ചസ് ഓഫ് നോര്ത്ത് അമേരിക്കയുടെ എസ് എഫ് സി എന് എ ദേശീയ എക്സിക്യൂട്ടീവ് നേതൃത്വം 2025-2027 വര്ഷത്തേക്ക് തുടരും.ശാരോന് ഫെലോഷിപ്പ് ചര്ച്ചസ് ഓഫ് നോര്ത്ത് അമേരിക്ക 2025 ഫാമിലി കോണ്ഫറന്സിനോടനുബന്ധിച്ച് നടന്ന ജനറല് ബോഡി മീറ്റിംഗിലാണ് ഈ തീരുമാനം അംഗീകരിച്ചത്. ശാരോന് ഫെലോഷിപ്പ് ചര്ച്ചസ് ഓഫ് നോര്ത്ത് അമേരിക്ക സമൂഹത്തെ ശക്തപ്പെടുത്തുന്നതില് ഈ ടീം നിര്ണായക പങ്ക് വഹിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ട്.
പാസ്റ്റര് ടിങ്കു തോംസണ് (പ്രസിഡന്റ്) പാസ്റ്റര് സന്തോഷ് താരിയന് (വൈസ് പ്രസിഡന്റ്) ജോണ്സണ് ഉമ്മന് (ജനറല് സെക്രട്ടറി) എബ്രഹാം വര്ഗീസ്(ജോയിന്റ് സെക്രട്ടറി) എബി കെ ജോണ് (ട്രഷറര്)പാസ്റ്റര് ബാബു തോമസ്(മിഷന്സ് ഡയറക്ടര്)പാസ്റ്റര് റെന് ഫിന്നി(യുവജന ഡയറക്ടര്)പാസ്റ്റര് തേജസ് തോമസ്(സണ്ഡേ സ്കൂള് ഡയറക്ടര്) ഷെറിന് കെ ജോര്ജ് (മീഡിയ ഡയറക്ടര്) എന്നിവരാണ് 2025-2027എസ് എഫ് സി എന് എ ദേശീയ എക്സിക്യൂട്ടീവ് കമ്മറ്റി ഭാരവാഹികള്.
United States — A trend of churches being attacked throughout the United States appears to be emerging.
On April 24, a Texas woman, identified as Natasha Marie O’Dell, pleaded guilty to intentionally setting fire to Seattle Laestadian Lutheran Church (SLLC) in Snohomish County, Washington, on Aug. 25, 2023.
The blaze destroyed much of the church, and damage to the property was placed at $3.2 million. According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), O’Dell admitted to telling “various acquaintances that she was angry about churches and specifically with SLLC. Later, she told another acquaintance that she planned to burn a nearby church.”
An Arizona man, identified as Zimnako Salah, was found guilty of a hate crime on April 3, 2025, after he targeted Christian churches with bomb threats. Salah intentionally attempted to intimidate Christians because of their faith, according to a special finding from a federal jury.
After visiting four churches in Arizona, California, and Colorado, Salah left backpacks at two of them to cause fear among congregants. Although there were no bombs in the packs, improvised explosive device (IED) components were found in Salah’s storage unit. The man had also consumed on social media violent videos of the Islamic State group (ISIS) killing people.
Michele Beckwith, acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of California, said Salah purposefully targeted Christians.
“[Salah’s] actions were designed to threaten and intimidate the congregation because he disagreed with their religious beliefs,” Beckwith stated.
On June 18, Rui Jiang of Fairfax, Virginia, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for an attempted mass shooting at Park Valley Church in Virginia on Sept. 23, 2023. After Jiang posted disturbing content online, including him burning a Bible and threatening the church, police were alerted. The church’s security also became concerned.
On the morning of the intended shooting, church security stopped Jiang just before Prince William County police officers arrived to investigate. According to the DOJ, “Jiang was armed with a semiautomatic handgun, two magazines of ammunition, and two knives. He [also] had additional ammunition, knives, and a canister of bear spray in his nearby car.”
U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia stated that Jiang went to “a church during a religious service armed with the intent to murder innocent parishioners.”
Jiang’s motives appear to be a mental health issue. According to the Associated Press, Jiang “had recently joined the church but indicated he was mad at God and at men for blocking him from having romantic relationships with women.”
On June 22, 2025, Brian Browning attempted a mass shooting at CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne, Michigan, but was stopped before he could harm anyone. Church security shot and killed the would-be attacker before he could reach the inside of the facility.
According to the Detroit Free Press, the man “was carrying several weapons, including an assault-style rifle, more than a dozen fully loaded magazines, a semiautomatic handgun with an extended magazine, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.”
Browning’s motive remains to be uncovered, though it’s been speculated that he was suffering from mental health issues. Browning’s mother is a member of the church, and Browning had attended services a few times in the past year, according to the Wayne Police Department.
In February, President Donald Trump formed a task force, called “Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias.” In a press release about its formation, Trump stated that anti-Christian acts, such as “hostility and vandalism against Christian churches and places of worship,” had surged between 2018 and 2023.
Trump continued, saying that “the number of such identified acts in 2023 exceed[ed] by more than eight times the number from 2018.”
The Family Research Council, in February 2024, released a report stating that “American culture appears increasingly hostile to Christianity.”
Sources:persecution
You were given a voice to worship.
Yes, you!
Maybe you think singing is for somebody else and that no one wants to hear you sing, but the Bible says otherwise. The Lord delights in the praises of His people. Or, as Psalm 22:3 puts it, He is “enthroned” upon them.
In the scriptures, singing is not optional or only for the select few. Over 400 times is singing mentioned. There are 50 direct commands to sing. The Bible is clear that our singing has purpose beyond enjoyment or performance.
Colossians 3:16 urges us to allow the word of God to dwell richly in us, with wisdom, as we sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.
Singing has a purpose: to plant the word of God in our hearts, remind us of the Gospel and draw us closer to Christ our Savior.
God desires our singing and praise. Singing reminds us of the good news of Jesus. Singing plants the word in our hearts. But is singing as an act of worship considered a spiritual discipline?
In short, yes.
Donald Whitney defines spiritual disciplines as “Biblical practices (things you do) that promote Spiritual health, take us deeper into our understanding of the gospel and lead us closer to Jesus.” He goes on to say that spiritual disciplines are the means to a greater end, that being holiness.
So, how does singing, both personally in private and corporately with the church, make anyone more holy?
Singing as an act of worship draws us closer to the heart of God. The Psalms are filled with personal cries to God. Cries for help, cries for mercy, cries of celebration, cries of remembering. God is a personal God who drew near to us and longs for us to know Him.
Singing God’s word lets us preach to ourselves. The Psalmist in Psalm 42 is singing to himself, reminding his own soul that his hope is found in the Lord. Singing as an act of worship is also preparation for the eternal song we see in Revelation 5.
Singing God’s word helps us remember God’s word. Our brains are wired to retain what we sing long after we remember just about anything else, and they’re activated in remarkable ways when we sing or hear singing.
Music activates the entire limbic system — the group of brain structures responsible for fundamental processes like emotional regulation, learning, loving, desiring and remembering. Music even has therapeutic applications for emotional, cognitive and psychological disorders. It has the power to console and encourage the families of Alzheimer’s patients who have forgotten their loved ones, but can still remember a song from their childhood.
Singing grows us in holiness by engaging, uplifting and educating us. It brings us closer to God, closer to each other and closer to the beauty of God’s creation.
Consider how much your experience of a beautiful songbird would be changed if you could only see it but not hear it. You need to hear them sing to experience the fullness of their created beauty.
The same is true for our worship and for the Word of God: We are commanded to sing not only for the sake of discipline but also to enjoy the beauty of song. For the distant or wandering soul, oftentimes, it’s the singing of God’s word that stirs the affections for the Lord again. Singing the truth will help us remember it and experience it in its fullness, even in our very last days, when everything else is fading.
My work at the Worship Initiative is an attempt to make song in worship just as universal as it was meant to be. We aim to equip everyone — at every level of confidence, experience and ministry involvement — to sing. Every voice is necessary. Every voice is beautiful and can become ever more so.
God wants to hear your voice. He wants to hear your voice singing His word back to Him, every day of your life — and every day of eternity. So let Him.
Sources:Christianpost
‘A Walking…Miracle’: Singer Should Be Dead, but Believes God Saved the Day
Christian singer Emerson Day doesn’t waste a moment when asked to reflect on the most incredible miracle she’s experienced. Day,...
Minno Launches First-Ever American Sign Language Bible Series for Kids
NASHVILLE- Minno, the #1 source of Christian content for kids, announces it will launch American Sign Language (ASL) versions of...
HMI പാലക്കാട് ജില്ല കമ്മറ്റി പുതിയ ഭാരവാഹികളെ തെരഞ്ഞെടുത്തു
ഓലവാക്കോട് :HMI പാലക്കാട് ഡിസ്ട്രിക്റ്റ് ജില്ലാ കമ്മിറ്റി 7/7/2025 10: 25 ന് ഐപിസി പ്രയർ സെന്റർ കല്ലടിക്കോട് വെച്ച് പ്രസിഡന്റ് കെ റ്റി തോമസിന്റെ നേതൃത്വത്തിൽ...
പോസ്റ്റോഫീസില് പോയി സമയം കളയണ്ട; ഇനി വീട്ടിൽ ഇരുന്ന് സ്പീഡ് പോസ്റ്റും പാഴ്സലും അയക്കാം
സ്പീഡ് പോസ്റ്റും പാഴ്സലും ഒക്കെ അയക്കാൻ ഇനി പോസ്റ്റോഫീസിൽ പോയി ക്യൂ നിൽക്കേണ്ട. എല്ലാം വീട്ടിൽ ഇരുന്ന് തന്നെ ചെയ്യാം. എങ്ങനെ ആണെന്നല്ലേ. തപാൽ വകുപ്പിന്റെ ഒരു...
ഇൻഡോനേഷ്യയിൽ കർഷകനെ പെരുമ്പാമ്പ് വിഴുങ്ങി
ജക്കാർത്ത: ഇൻഡോനേഷ്യയിൽ 63കാരനായ കർഷകന്റെ മൃതദേഹം 26 അടി നീളമുള്ള കൂറ്റൻ പെരുമ്പാമ്പിന്റെയുള്ളിൽ കണ്ടെത്തി. സൗത്ത് ഈസ്റ്റ് സുലവേസി പ്രവിശ്യയിലെ സൗത്ത് ബട്ടൺ ജില്ലയിലാണ് സംഭവം. തോട്ടത്തിലേക്ക്...
അപ്കോണ് സിസ്റ്റേഴ്സ് ഫെലോഷിപ്പിന് പുതിയ ഭാരവാഹികള്
അബുദാബി:അബുദാബിയിലെ പെന്തക്കോസ്ത് സഭകളുടെ സംയുക്ത കൂട്ടായ്മയായ അബുദാബി പെന്തക്കോസ്തല് ചര്ച്ചസ് കോണ്ഗ്രിഗേഷന് സിസ്റ്റേഴ്സ് ഫെലോഷിപ്പ് പ്രവര്ത്തന വര്ഷത്തേക്കുള്ള ഭാരവാഹികളെ തിരഞ്ഞെടുത്തു.പ്രസിഡന്റ് പാസ്റ്റര് ഡോ.അലക്സ് ജോണ് അധ്യക്ഷത വഹിച്ചു....
-
Tech12 months agoചിത്രങ്ങൾ എഡിറ്റ് ചെയ്യാം; വാട്സ്ആപ്പിലെ ‘നീല വളയം’ സ്മാർട്ടാകുന്നു, കാര്യമായ മാറ്റങ്ങൾ
-
Movie8 months agoFor KING + COUNTRY Stars’ Big Plan to Bring Message of Jesus, ‘Redemption of Humanity’ to People Across America
-
Movie8 months agoFor KING + COUNTRY Stars’ Big Plan to Bring Message of Jesus, ‘Redemption of Humanity’ to People Across America
-
world news5 months agoമ്യാന്മറില് സായുധസംഘത്തിന്റെ വെടിയേറ്റ് കത്തോലിക്ക വൈദികന് കൊല്ലപ്പെട്ടു.
-
us news4 months ago‘The Lord Spoke’: A Mother Heard God’s Warning — Doctors Were Shocked When She Was Right
-
Articles10 months ago7 reasons you need the Holy Spirit
-
world news11 months ago‘Thank you, Jesus’: Kenneth Copeland praises God for Bentley with Breitling clock as seed offering from dying man
-
Sports7 months agoSoccer Star Reprimanded for Writing ‘I Love Jesus’ on Pro-LGBT Rainbow Armband