Greetings,

Week 23 of the lockdown 😞.

COVID cases at Dixon, 3 staff 0 inmates, at Sheridan 4 staff 0 inmates. Sad to see active cases amongst the staff but zero on inmates is a blessing. It looks like both facilities are doing a good job of preventing it from entering the prison population.

Michelle and I made it back from my mom’s memorial safe and thus far (Friday evening) neither of us are having symptoms of COVID, praise God! Per CDC though, it can take up to 14-days before symptoms to appear, I talked to my doctor Tuesday for my 3-month video visit and he said in most cases symptoms start 5-6 days after exposure. We’re quarantining, we seldom go out anyways and will continue trusting God, but prayers are appreciated.

As for my mom’s memorial itself, it was nice, though that sounds a bit awkward since the purpose was burying my mom’s ashes. It was quick, chapel service and graveside all within 30-minutes. It was nice seeing my sister’s family and meeting my great-nephew Hart (his birth name is Robert Hart, I call him little Robert). We did have a ‘social distancing’ dinner together at a county club my niece and her husband belong to. The only disappointment is Cameron did not make it. Long story, but in short he relapsed a couple of days before. He still had intentions of coming and that is where it gets long, but I’ll just say communication was very stressful. I talked to him a couple of times since, he too is sad that he missed it, but seems to be taking ownership of it. Still need prayer for him. Through it all, I found out he lives next door to a church. Praying God puts it in Cameron’s heart to check it out.

For reasons unknown to me, there was no midweek message this week. In place of sending notes from the midweek message, I sent an article on Biblical repentance. The article and a short note preceding it to my students are below.

I’ve still don’t have a reply from the chaplain at Sheridan as to how the DVDs are going. Nor have I heard back from Jay at Voddie Bauchman Ministries (VBM) on the permission for presenting Voddie’s messages. Pray the messages are being well received, I do get a reply from VBM granting permission to use Voddie's messages and that the DVDs are indeed glorifying God.

SOPCM on ZOOM is making progress. Our first study is scheduled for September 1st. I decided to go with a study on 2 Timothy. Though I have my anxieties, God has given me plenty of resources to utilize in my teaching. I may have some prayer requests form the participants. Only four thus far, I still have two open invites but as I told a pastor I know through FB whose church is dying and weekly attendance has fallen to the mid-’20s my struggle when I would show up to teach a class and only one student would showup, God told me there may only be one, but what I will have you teach the one who did show up matters more to me than the number you think are needed to make the teaching worthy.’ So, I need to recall God’s words to me on the number of attendees. Pray for my preparation on my first teaching and that the four participants and myself gel. I will include the happenings of SOCPM on ZOOM in the weekly newsletter.

Yesterday, I was asked by Chaplain Thomas of Dixon if I'd be willing to make a 1 to 3-minute video (I believe for his Sunday service). I told him I'm camera conscious, he said, not to worry it will only be viewed 2,000 men 😳, but he added it's unlikely all of them will be watching. I'm assuming it will be played on Dixon's internal network. I wanted to give a sound and solid Gospel but in order to have it completed for viewing Sunday, I struggled to get a sound and solid sharing of the Gospel I was pleased with down to 3 minutes. Something I'll need to work on. I'm still debating as to whether to post it to YouTube for your viewing. It's clear I'm not gifted when it comes to recording myself giving a message. Trusting God can still use for His glory.

One final thing, this Thursday, August 20th, was my wife Michelle’s birthday. Outside of salvation, she is my greatest blessing. Because of COIVD and our having to quarantine we are unable to celebrate this special day by going out for a nice dinner but I ask you if you are connected to Michelle via social media be sure to send her a belated Happy Birthday if you haven’t already.

To Him be the glory in ALL things and to Him alone!

Scott Kalas
Soldiers of Christ Prison Ministries

Weekly Message

Hey guys; I don’t know why, but I did not find a midweek teaching posted to my church’s website. What am I going to provide you guys? Then I recalled my devotion from Tabletalk this past Monday (17th) ‘Esau’s Negative Example’. It was on Esau and his lack of true repentance (Hebrews 12:16-17) in the selling of his birthright (Genesis 25:29-34, 27:1-45). It reminded me of a book I read by A. W. Pink ‘Repentance- What sayit the Scriptures’ It opened my heart and my eyes to what true ‘biblical’ repentance looked like. Boy, did I fall short, I still don’t have it down perfectly, no one can, until the day we are glorified, but it is something we should strive for. I can’t provide you the A. A. Pink’s ‘Repentance’ (It’s on Amazon for 99¢ or Google it for a free download). However, I wanted to provide you something. So, I went to a few websites & found this one & it would fit on 1-page. As always to God be the glory in ALL things – Love ya! Scott - Romans 12:1-2

Question: "What is repentance and is it necessary for salvation?" (Printed from Got Questions Ministries)

Answer: Many understand the term repentance to mean “a turning from sin.” Regretting sin and turning from it is related to repentance, but it is not the precise meaning of the word. In the Bible, the word repent means “to change one’s mind.” The Bible also tells us that true repentance will result in a change of actions (Luke 3:8–14; Acts 3:19). In summarizing his ministry, Paul declares, “I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds” (Acts 26:20). The full biblical definition of repentance is a change of mind that results in a change of action.

What, then, is the connection between repentance and salvation? The book of Acts especially focuses on repentance in regard to salvation (Acts 2:38; 3:19; 11:18; 17:30; 20:21; 26:20). To repent, in relation to salvation, is to change your mind regarding sin and Jesus Christ. In Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost (Acts chapter 2), he concludes with a call for the people to repent (Acts 2:38). Repent from what? Peter is calling the people who rejected Jesus (Acts 2:36) to change their minds about that sin and to change their minds about Christ Himself, recognizing that He is indeed “Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). Peter is calling the people to change their minds, to abhor their past rejection of Christ, and to embrace faith in Him as both Messiah and Savior.

Repentance involves recognizing that you have thought wrongly in the past and determining to think rightly in the future. The repentant person has “second thoughts” about the mindset he formerly embraced. There is a change of disposition and a new way of thinking about God, about sin, about holiness, and about doing God’s will. True repentance is prompted by “godly sorrow,” and it “leads to salvation” (2 Corinthians 7:10).

Repentance and faith can be understood as two sides of the same coin. It is impossible to place your faith in Jesus Christ as the Savior without first changing your mind about your sin and about who Jesus is and what He has done. Whether it is repentance from willful rejection or repentance from ignorance or disinterest, it is a change of mind. Biblical repentance, in relation to salvation, is changing your mind from rejection of Christ to faith in Christ.

Repentance is not a work we do to earn salvation. No one can repent and come to God unless God pulls that person to Himself (John 6:44). Repentance is something God gives—it is only possible because of His grace (Acts 5:31; 11:18). No one can repent unless God grants repentance. All of salvation, including repentance and faith, is a result of God drawing us, opening our eyes, and changing our hearts. God’s longsuffering leads us to repentance (2 Peter 3:9), as does His kindness (Romans 2:4).

While repentance is not a work that earns salvation, repentance unto salvation does result in works. It is impossible to truly change your mind without that causing a change in action. In the Bible, repentance results in a change in behavior. That is why John the Baptist called people to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8). A person who has truly repented of his sin and exercised faith in Christ will give evidence of a changed life (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 5:19–23; James 2:14–26).

To see what repentance looks like in real life, all we need to do is turn to the story of Zacchaeus. Here was a man who cheated and stole and lived lavishly on his ill-gotten gains—until he met Jesus. At that point he had a radical change of mind: “Look, Lord!” said Zacchaeus. “Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount” (Luke 19:8). Jesus happily proclaimed that salvation had come to Zacchaeus’s house, and that even the tax collector was now “a son of Abraham” (verse 9)—a reference to Zacchaeus’s faith. The cheat became a philanthropist; the thief made restitution. That’s repentance, coupled with faith in Christ.

Repentance, properly defined, is necessary for salvation. Biblical repentance is changing your mind about your sin—no longer is sin something to toy with; it is something to be forsaken as we “flee from the coming wrath” (Matthew 3:7). It is also changing your mind about Jesus Christ—no longer is He to be mocked, discounted, or ignored; He is the Savior to be clung to; He is the Lord to be worshiped and adored.

Recommended Resource: What Is Repentance? by R.C. Sproul