Prison Conversion
Originally scheduled for
July 26
Most
Christians will recognize the name, Chuck Colson. For those who don’t, a
little history is in order. Chuck was one of the main figures in the Nixon-era
Watergate scandal. For his part in this he was convicted and sent to prison.
Prison gives you plenty of time to think, and think he did. He became a “born
again” Christian there.
When
the news became public, the general reaction of our cynical press was that this
was a “Sahara Snowflake” conversion – meaning that once Colson left prison his
conversion would last about as long as a snowflake in the Sahara desert. It
was assumed that his motive was to get more favorable treatment in prison.
(This is an ignorant assumption; being a Christian more commonly makes prison
life worse. Prisons, too, are “of this world.”) But as he maintained that
conversion after being released, opinions changed.
The
principle is sound, though. We are to judge the truth of such a conversion by
its fruits. If you go around with a “holier-than-thou” attitude, people will
question the genuineness of your faith. If you don’t walk the talk, they will
see a hypocrite, not a real Christian. If they see your anger controlling you,
they will know that you are not under the lordship of Christ.
So how
does the world know you are genuine when you come to Communion? What signs
should you be exhibiting which show that you receive the Lord’s Supper in a
worthy manner?
Repentance
– have you confessed your sins, asking forgiveness, turning from those ways?
Reconciliation
– have you reached out to those who are not at peace with you?
Reliance
– have you placed your full trust in Christ – even to the point of facing
death?
The way to
look genuine is to be genuine.
