A Con or Not?
If someone were to examine your walk with Christ, would they see the real deal or a knockoff?
I grew up in Newark, NJ, during a time when your identity was often tied to your sneakers. While some wore Pumas, Pro-Keds or Adidas, the bullseye was the Converse All-Star—the “Chuck Taylor.” The logo on that shoe was the gold standard of authenticity. It was a sign of respect, famously captured in the movie The Last Dragon when the villain Sho’nuff demands the hero “Kiss my Converse!” You have to watch the movie!
My parents, however, were practical people from rural North Carolina who prioritized necessities over status. We lived on the third floor with no air conditioning; my mother simply told us to “be still and feel the breeze.” Fancy sneakers weren’t an option when the local department store sold perfectly good “Jeepers” for $5.99. For the uninitiated, “Jeepers” were the budget-friendly shoes of the day, complete with its own urban jingle that poked fun at the price and quality: “Jeepers, they cost a $1.99, Jeepers they make your feet feel fine…”.
One day, a near miracle happened, my sister and I found a pair of “Cons” at the discount store. They looked like Jeepers, but they had the Converse logo on the back. We convinced Mom to pay the extra dollar for them, but the neighborhood kids weren’t fooled. They came over to “inspect the merchandise,” looking to see if we had the real deal or a cheap knockoff.
The Knockoff Gospel
This question of authenticity hit me recently in a hallway. A young lady in a full hijab walked past me toward the elevator. It was the fourth time I’d seen her, but I’d never spoken to her. In that moment, the Holy Spirit challenged me:
“Are you pulling back from greeting her because you think the Gospel can’t reach her?”
I realized then that my inaction was essentially saying the Gospel wasn’t powerful enough to save someone who appeared different from me. I was becoming satisfied with a knockoff Gospel—a version that prioritizes comfort and complacency over real change. A knockoff Gospel might look right on the surface, but it cannot stand up to scrutiny. It might produce a little fruit, but it will never produce a harvest.
The Power of the Message
The Bible is clear that the true Gospel isn’t a fragile or exclusive brand; it is the “very power of God” (1 Cor 1:18).
- Romans 1:16 reminds us: “For I am not ashamed of this Good News… it is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes.”
- 2 Corinthians 5:16 challenges our perspective: “So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view.”
When we carry the real deal, we stop looking at people through the lens of their differences and start seeing them through the lens of God’s power to transform anyone. We see ourselves as His ambassadors.
Authenticity Under Pressure
Back to the “Cons”: the neighborhood kids walked away unimpressed. The shoes had the logo, but they lacked the substance. They were just Jeepers in disguise.
My prayer is that my walk with Christ is authentic, not a brand I wear to look the part. I want my faith to be like gold—so that no matter how deep life scratches the surface, there is only gold underneath. I want to be the real deal, not just for me for Him and all of those that I come in contact with.
We are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making His appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” (2 Cor 5:20, NLT)
EM