Bass: disciple in the making

Bass grew up in a religious family. He was baptized at the age of seven and tells me that he was serious in his desire to walk with God. He never really understood how to grow in his walk with God--didn't get much training or discipling and, as a teenager, he began to fall away. By the age of 17, he was heavily into drug and alcohol abuse as well as the decadent lifestyle that typically comes with it. By age 18, Bass was in prison for the first time, this time for 12 years. While in prison, he felt he had to be meaner than anyone else there in order to survive and he developed a tough-guy attitude that is still dominant in his personality. He also got involved in Islam, which is very common among African-American men in prison.

Bass finished his sentence and after only a few months, ran afoul of the law again. This time, he went to prison for 15 years. When he finished this sentence at the age of 44, he had spend most of his life behind bars and didn't know how to function in the "free world." He has been on the street essentially ever since.

Bass has a lot of natural intelligence and a broad knowledge of many subjects including a reasonable amount of biblical knowledge. The one thing he has not learned to do is to give his past over to God and let God enable him to start anew. He is so bound with bitterness and resentment toward the legal system, toward religious systems, toward white people, and really toward the world in general.

When Bass began to talk about the inequity that exists in the legal system, I really couldn't argue against his point. I could only say to him, "There is no perfect system of justice in this world. In fact, there is only one just and righteous judge in the whole universe and that is God. And, Pass," I said to him, "God will not give you justice--he will do much better than that--he will give you mercy. If you will just ask him, he will wipe away every sin you have ever committed! He will blot them out as though they never happened and write your name in the Book of Life and guarantee that you will have a new life here and now, and a perfect life for eternity with him."

Bass allowed me to pray with him. He promised to pray everyday and ask God to guide and direct him. He also promised to come to the Bible study in the park next Wednesday.

I might consider Bass a "tough case" but God knows no difference. The tougher they are, the more God's grace shows up. Pray for Bass--for his total deliverance and healing.