How are we going to make this jail stand a little bit easier? I've told
you all the things you need to take care of and those thoughts that
are unlawful in jail. But what can you do positively to make
it a little bit easier? You can resolve in your mind your reason for
making a jail stand. Inmates are always coming up to you and asking:
"What are you in here for?"
"I don't have a driver license."
"Don't you know it is against the law to drive without a license?"
Driving without a driver license is a poor excuse for being in jail. No one thinks you are making a stand for Christ - they think you are trying to avoid your responsibility. I know, I've been there. It's no fun saying, "I'm a Christian and as a Christian I don't believe I should have a State driver license." I haven't converted one person using that argument. They think I'm a criminal. "You deserve it," they say.
To prepare yourself for evangelizing in jail, you need words that people can understand. When the pressure is on, you need a thought you can always come back to. You better establish a homebase. Homebase is a thought you can keep returning to. There are many things you could say, but most people have no ears to hear. You have heard about a person with a chest full of tools and another person with only one tool. The person with the one tool can accomplish more than the person with the chest full of tools because he doesn't waste time trying to decide which tool to use.
Homebase is that one tool you want. You want a thought that is the only thought you need. One individual's home base is, "I am a citizen of Heaven." Philippians 3:20 That was his homebase. It kept his mind focused on what was important. It allowed him to extend out in other directions, all based on the premise that he was a citizen of Heaven:
"Why won't you get a State driver license?"
"Because I am a citizen of Heaven. I have a Heaven driver license."
"Why don't you have a Certificate of Title on your vehicle issued by the State?"
"Because I'm a citizen of Heaven. I have a Certificate of Title issued by my Church and it's all issued out of Heaven."