The Worst Of Sinners

Introduction

            I encounter all sorts of people in the course of my ministry and I can usually categorize them generally as those who are very conscious of their sins and seek forgiveness with humility and sincere contrition; those who are, more or less, ambivalent about their sin who seek forgiveness but rarely contemplate the gravity of their sins; and those who could care less about their sins. However, in the course of meeting people and talking to them about sin and forgiveness, I realize that there is another group—people who are convinced that their sins are so egregious that there is just no way God would ever forgive them. Now before you’re too harsh on this last group, I have been in that place—not for long—but I’ve been there. The sad thing is that a person who believes that there is no way God would ever forgive them, and holds fast to that belief, forfeits the opportunity of being in a relationship with God and forfeits the opportunity for God to use them to demonstrate how far He will go to forgive. Some of the greatest stories of redemption are told by those who one might have thought had just gone too far to be forgiven. For example:

            “Abbot Iscu lay quietly awaiting death in the Targu Ocna prison as a result of the tortures he had endured at the hands of his Communist captors. He spoke very little and looked serene as he felt heaven draw closer. If he did speak, his words carried the weight of eternity, and all attention in the cellblock suddenly focused to listen to him. Yet each breath he took revealed the pain that wracked his body.

            “Across from him, horrified at the sight of the abbot, lay another prisoner near death. He was once a Communist officer, and it was at his hands that the abbot had been tortured to the point of death. He had been a faithful Communist, and for this he now shared the cell of those he had been told to make ‘recant the Christian superstition’ for the sake of the party. As a result of something none of the other prisoners ever learned, he had been imprisoned as well and tortured by his own comrades.

            “Though he, too, was at the point of death, he could find no peace in death. He awoke in the middle of the night in a heavy sweat and grabbed the arm of the person nearest to him. He knew most in the cellblock were Christians, so he begged prayer. ‘I have committed horrible crimes. I can find no rest. Help me, please.’

            “Because of the damp cold and never really knowing when it was day or night, many in the cell were still awake. At the Communist torturer’s words, Abbot Iscu motioned for two other believers to come and help him. With their help, he was lifted from his bed and brought over to the officer, where he was set down on his bedside. The abbot reached out and laid a comforting hand on his torturer’s head. ‘You were young and did not know what you were doing. I forgive you and love you, as do all the other Christians you mistreated. And if we sinners who have been saved by Jesus can love like this, how much more is He himself ready to erase all the evil you have done, to cleanse you fully. Only repent.’

            “So in that common cell, others heard the confession of a murderer to one of the men he had murdered. They also heard the murdered absolving the murderer. They embraced at the end of their prayers and gave each other a holy kiss, as was the custom of the Christians in Jesus’ time as well as behind the Iron Curtain.

            “They both died that night and must have entered heaven together. It was Christmas Eve.”[1]

Abott Iscu, Romania—c.1951

            This is the power of God! And this is just one of many lives that tell the story of how far God will go with his offer of redemption and salvation. However, there is one story of redemption that laid the foundation for much of our New Testament. Like the Communist torturer, the Apostle Paul had a similar story to tell and look how God used someone who considered himself The Worst Of Sinners.

Subject Text

1 Timothy 1:12-17

            ¹²I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. ¹³Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. ¹⁴The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

¹⁵Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. ¹⁶But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.

Context

            Paul is writing to his young apprentice, Timothy, who led the Church in Ephesus. It would appear that there were some in the church in Ephesus who had set themselves up as teachers. However, in their attempt to present themselves as “teachers of the law” they are actually misleading the people with false doctrines. Historians believe that the church in Ephesus was plagued by the same heresy that other churches were battling against as well—Gnosticism. Gnostics believed that a person could only experience the full reality of God if they are able to ascertain a special hidden knowledge. Paul teaches that the law is only useful for those who are lawbreakers. These false teachers failed to understand that the law was not primarily intended to provide a detailed list of does and don’ts for every occasion but to highlight sin and the need for God’s forgiveness. These false teachers seemed to be leading people away for the truth of the gospel and salvation by faith in Jesus Christ alone. Paul was entrusted with the truth of the gospel and all teachings (doctrines) must conform to the gospel in its entirety. And specifically, that God in his gracious mercy sent Christ as the perfect and final sacrifice for humanity’s sin and that salvation is available only through faith in Jesus Christ. Paul is the perfect spokesperson because it was precisely this gracious mercy that transformed Paul from persecutor and murderer to an Apostle who gave his life for his witness to the truth of Jesus Christ.

Text Analysis

            V. 12 isn’t the first or only time that Paul gives credit for his life, faith and ministry to Jesus. Paul always understood his task was to point people to Jesus and provide them with a sound theological foundation as something Jesus called him to and gave him the strength and wisdom to fulfill. It definitely wasn’t something he was looking for. In fact, let’s remember what Paul was doing when he was confronted by Christ—he was on his way to Damascus with written orders in hand to hunt down Christians and throw them into prison. It is important to note that Paul is not saying that God chose him because he was faithful. Instead, “‘God does not choose anyone who is worthy, but in choosing him renders him worthy’…Paul is probably saying that God knew that he would be trustworthy in the future and therefore appointed him to service in the present. Paul’s faithfulness was a potential yet to be realized.”[2]

            An extended version of Pauline history beyond what I identified above is necessary to understand what Paul is saying in v. 13a. We are, of course, quite familiar with Paul’s conversion on his way to Damascus but that’s not the first time we read about Paul. Actually, if a person didn’t know anything about Paul’s history, then God’s selection of Paul to be one of his greatest messengers wouldn’t be all that spectacular even if the method of Paul’s calling was quite miraculous. However, let’s not forget the scene where we met Paul for the first time. You can find Paul, or should I say Saul as he was formerly called, at the end of Acts 7 where the crowd has just dragged Stephen out of the city to stone him because of his witness about the prophetic fulfillment, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. But it seems that some needed to first remove their coats to be more comfortable as they killed Stephen. So they removed their coats and placed them under the watchful care of, you guessed it—Saul! Yes this is our introduction to Paul. Not as an innocent bystander to a grizzly murder, but a willing participant as the text tells us that “Saul was there, giving approval to his [Stephen’s] death (Acts 7:60c).” This is how the story of Paul demonstrates God’s tremendous wisdom, power, mercy and grace. “Paul recognized that he had not been an ideal person prior to becoming a Christian and says that he had obtained mercy…If God could show mercy to such a one as Saul the persecutor, he can show it to anyone! At the same time Paul recognizes that his ignorance was a mitigating factor.”[3] Don’t overlook the significance in this verse; it is a clear illustration that God’s objective is not to condemn anyone if possible. God’s goal is for those whose unbelief is founded on ignorance to learn the truth about mercy and forgiveness that is available through Jesus Christ. It is only ignorance that is forged in the fire of willful unbelief that is condemned.

            It is clear, based on what we know of Paul’s past, that Paul did nothing to earn God’s merit or favor. In fact, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to insist that Paul deserved condemnation. However, Paul doesn’t receive what he deserves—condemnation, and receives what he doesn’t deserve—grace; the definition of mercy! Along with God’s gracious mercy, Paul receives the gift of faith and love rooted in Jesus (v. 14). Faith and love, “Together the two terms encompass the vertical relationship of trust in God and the horizontal outworking of this in service to others.”[4]

            Vv. 15-16 are the pinnacle of our subject text. These two verses identify the primary purpose behind Jesus’ life, death and resurrection and how God’s awesome power is on display when someone like Paul, The Worst Of Sinners, is transformed by God’s gracious mercy when he receives the forgiveness purchased by Jesus on the cross. “God’s redemptive plan is imperturbable, as Paul’s own experience taught him. It reaches to the depths of depravity. Paul’s self-confessed pre-Christian history, a reference to his persecution of Christians made him, ironically, the perfect illustration of the effectiveness of the gospel, the boundless grace of God and the inexhaustible patience of Christ.”[5]

Application

            In case you’ve missed it, at the top of this webpage you’ll find a number of permanent headings: the mission and vision of this ministry, God’s personal message to each one of you and my personal disclosure statement. I included my personal disclosure for a couple of different reasons: 1) I confess that I am among The Worst Of Sinners and I want people to know that I will never get used to the idea that God could possibly use someone like me. I know who I’ve been and I know what I’ve done yet God has decided to use what I thought was broken and useless, and 2) “Each Christian's spiritual history is filled with poignant reminders of God's grace and mercy. While it will not do to live in that past, from time to time we must take our bearings from it as we move forward on a path that may not be clear.”[6]

            Nothing demonstrates God’s power more than the transformation of lives who resolve to put their faith and trust in him. Even The Worst Of Sinners can change the world once he or she makes the decision to accept the salvation made available through Jesus Christ and surrender their life to His lordship. As a pastor, I have the privilege of hearing many of these stories first-hand. Let me just say that no experience is any more miraculous than any other. From a theological standpoint, no person’s sin can separate that person any farther from God than any other person’s sin. All sin is forgiven through the same sacrifice Jesus made on the cross. Nevertheless, the road travelled by some people on their way to the cross highlights Jesus’ teaching that no one can come to Him without the Father’s call to that person. When a person hears that call, their journey to the cross begins and for some, that journey creates a story that can inspire others to begin the journey as well. I want to share that kind of story with you.

            Many years before God called me to begin this ministry, I heard an interview on the national syndicated sports talk show called The Jim Rome Show. Jim’s interview guest was Michael Franzese. When I heard Michael’s story, my first thought was that I wished everyone could hear his story. I never forgot that interview and a few months ago as I was praying about lesson ideas, I sensed God’s leading to do a lesson on redemption. I immediately thought of the interview with Michael I heard years ago. I figured it was a long shot but I emailed his office to see if Michael might be willing to provide some of his story for my lesson. After I sent the email, I pretty much forgot about it thinking there was no way that someone like Michael would even bother to respond let alone contribute to one of my lessons. However, after a few weeks, I received a reply to my email from Michael’s manager, Joe Silva, asking for more details about what I was looking for. After explaining what I hoped to get from Michael and after Joe talked to Michael about it, Joe asked if it wouldn’t be easier to just interview Michael. What I thought about so many years ago when I first heard the interview with Michael on The Jim Rome Show, God was orchestrating to accomplish—I was going to be able to bring Michael’s story to you! After coordinating our schedules, I had the privilege of talking to Michael for nearly an hour on the phone. Before I share our conversation, let me tell you a little about Michael.

“As a sworn member of La Cosa Nostra [the Mafia], I knowingly took an oath; a blood covenant, that obligated me to live my life in conflict with both the laws of God and of man. Although the Lord Jesus was known to me, at the time, I chose to give authority over my life to the boss of the Colombo crime family. Today, there is no doubt in my mind that I was doomed to spend an eternity in hell had I continued to reject the authority and live outside of the grace of my true boss, Jesus Christ. Mark 14:24 tells me that the blood of the covenant of Jesus set me free from the covenant with the mob.”–Michael Franzese

Michael Franzese was one of the biggest money earners the mob had seen since Al Capone, and the youngest individual on Fortune magazine’s survey of the “The Fifty Biggest Mafia Bosses,” (Vanity Fair magazine), ranking #18, just 5 behind John Gotti. His autobiography, Blood Covenant, tells his story from the early days in the mob and rise to power through his Damascus road experience that changed his life forever and led him to do the unthinkable, the unexpected, and by some, the unbelievable—quit the mob and follow Jesus.

            Today, Michael is a follower of Jesus Christ, dubbed “The Born Again Don” in a January 1991 feature article in Vanity Fair Magazine. He found his own Damascus Road that began with a beautiful woman, Cammy. The story of his conversion is a testament of God’s willingness to reach into the heart of any man regardless of their past or the present condition of their lives. Law enforcement officials and mobsters say that the only way to leave the mob is in a coffin. Over ten years ago, Camille led Michael to accept the Lord and it was at that time that he renounced his life in the mob. His conversion experience to Christian faith completed the transition for Michael from a kingdom of darkness into a kingdom of light. One covenant bound him to the mob, the other, the covenant in Christ, set him free. Cammy’s role in the transformation of Michael cannot be overstated, leading media to call her “The woman who changed the face of organized crime.” Her role is a story of inspiration for women everywhere. That God used the power of love to penetrate the heart of a mafia captain, and be instrumental in Michael leaving the mafia and coming to Christ is nothing short of inspiring.

            Michael is now a man on a mission. Determined to use the compelling experiences of his former life for the benefit of at-risk youth, professional and student athletes, corporate executives and for anyone seeking the inspiration to beat the odds and make positive changes in their lives, he has become a highly regarded motivator and a source of invaluable information. Michael candidly describes how he survived dozens of grand jury appearances, 3 major racketeering indictments, 5 criminal trials, 7 years in prison and a Mafia death sentence. He tells how he engaged bankers, corporate executives, union officials and professional and student athletes in a wide variety of financial scams. His open and honest presentations are fresh and unique. Audiences are captivated by stories of his personal experiences in organized crime and genuinely affected by his powerful anti-crime messages and eye opening revelations, particularly Church and faith-based events who hear his testimony of faith. Whether on tour with Sonic Flood, speaking at a Church, or through his ministry partnership with Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Michael tells how there are two truths –You can’t escape the long arm of the law – and you sure can’t escape the longer arm of the Lord.

            Michael’s compelling story of transformation has been featured through both Christian and general high profile media. He has been featured on the 700 Club; 100 Huntley Street; Billy Graham’s Decision Today Radio; Family Network “Open House;” Daystar Network; LeSea Broadcasting “Harvest;” TBN Praise the Lord & Damascus Road; and Life Today with James Roberson. He has also been featured in Life Magazine; Fortune Magazine; Vanity Fair; Sports Illustrated; GQ; L.A. Times; 48 Hours; The Today Show; Nightline; ABC Primetime; NBC Nightly News; ESPN; HBO Real Sports; The Jim Rome Show; PBS “All Things Considered;” and PBS “The Eleventh Hour” with guests Dennis Weaver and Jeb Magruder.

Michael Franzese Interview

Me:     Can you give me a synopsis of what it was like for you growing up?

Michael:         Yeah, I mean, it was certainly different growing up with my father being the underboss in the Colombo Family one of the 5 New York Organized Crime Families. My dad was a very, very high profile figure; kind of like the John Gotti of his day. He was always under investigation; always a major target of law enforcement; quite often in the media quite prominently. And so I grew up a lot differently. I grew up, honestly, hating the police and hating government; hating law enforcement mainly because of what I witnessed not because I was taught that way. You know, I looked at my dad as a victim at times. I loved him very much. He was sort of my hero in life. He was a great father and a great husband to my mother. He would never bring anything into the house that was going on outside and so I always looked at my dad as the one that was being harassed. We had many incidents with law enforcement because back then he was under constant surveillance for several years as I was growing up. So I mean it was difficult but as a family we tried to make the best of it. Obviously, when my dad got arrested several times and then went off to prison, that was kind of pretty hard to accept especially when he was convicted in federal court and got a 50 year prison sentence and went off to prison when I was about 18. So it was tough and we had a lot of issues as a family to deal with his life constantly infringing on our life. So it was tough.

Me:     At what point did you get involved in organized crime?

Michael:         Well originally my dad didn’t want it for me. He wanted me to go to school; be a professional; you know be a doctor as a matter of fact he had that in his head. Both him and my mom were hopeful that that would happen with me. But when he was first sentenced to 50 years in 1967 and then shipped off to Levenworth Penitentiary in 1970 to do his time, I was a premed student at Hofstra University in New York and I was devastated when my dad went in. You know he was 50 years old when he got into prison. Add 50 on top of that and he’d never come out of prison alive. So Joe Colombo, who was the boss of the family, he took me under his wing. I started to meet a lot of my dad’s friends and associates; they started telling me: “You know Mike, if you wanna help your father out…he’s gonna die in prison.” So I was very affected by that. I started to be influenced by all of those men and I went to see my dad in Levenworth Penitentiary and we were in the visiting room and I told him I wasn’t going to school; that I needed to really help him get out of prison. He wasn’t happy at first; we kinda argued about it but he knew my mind was made up; I was pretty head-strong as a kid. And he said, “Ok, but if you’re gonna be on the street I want you to be on the street the right way.” In his mind, the right way was to become a member of his life. So he told me to go home and that he was gonna send word downtown and just do whatever I was told. I was about 21 at that point and that’s when things started for me.

Me:     What was your responsibility as a Mafia Boss?

Michael:         Well when you come into the life, you come in as a soldier. You first have to go through kind of a pledge period. After my dad sent word downtown, the boss sent for me and I sat with him and he said, “Mike, I got word from your father that you wanna become a member of our life. Is that true?” I said, “Yes.” He said, “From now on, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, you’re on call to serve this family;” meaning the Colombo Family. He said, “If your mother is sick and dying and you’re at her death bed and we call you to service, you leave your mother’s side and you come and serve us. From now on we’re number one in your life.” And he said, “When and if we feel you deserve the privilege to become a member we’ll let you know.” And that was kind of how he ran it down for me. I was in the pledge period for about a year and a half where I had to do anything and everything I was told to do to prove myself worthy. It could have been something menial; it could have been something serious. You’re really at their beckon call at that time and kinda learn the mob ropes a bit. You just do what you’re told. And if they feel you’re worthy then you take the next step and the next step is to take an oath and become a made member.

Me:     Are you able to tell me some of the things you were responsible to do during that time?

Michael:         Basically you learn the mob business a little bit. A lot of the tasks are very menial, I had to drive the boss around quite a bit to meetings; basically just sit with him while he did his thing. I was assigned a captain at the time that I had to answer to and you’re told if there’s any money-making opportunities you bring them into the family and you put all those things on record, you learn a little about the gambling business, a little shylocking (loan sharking). Listen, I’m gonna be honest, you know the life, there is violence and if you’re called upon for something you gotta do it. Some people were called upon a lot more than others, others felt I had an ability to earn money, I kinda showed that at an early age so I was steered in that direction; to bring in money to the family and that’s what I became good at.

Me:     Fortune had you as the youngest member of the “50 Biggest Mafia Bosses.” How did you get to that point?

Michael:         Well I was fortunate I knew how to use that life to benefit me in business and I went out to make a lot of money. I was very aggressive; I got involved in many different things, I had, I guess, a skill in choosing a good deal; in choosing the right people to implement it and using what the mob life afforded me in order to excel dollar-wise. I ended up bringing in a lot of money; a very substantial amount of money. At one time I was pulling in close to $10M a week and that makes you pretty popular.

Me:     Was that money you brought into the family or money that you brought into yourself personally?

Michael:         It’s both. You have to kick up to the family and you take what’s due to you and you gotta pay your expenses so the family was earning very well with me; extremely well and I was earning very well myself so everyone benefits in that regard.

Me:     Going in a little different direction, I know your wife, Camile, is a very special lady and played an important role in changing your life. Tell me a little about Camile and role she played in your story.

Michael:         She was huge. I definitely believe God put her in my life. She was a young Christian girl when I met her. I was attracted to her because she was a dancer in a movie I was producing. Among many things I was doing at the time, I had a production company; I was producing movies. I met her on the set of a movie and I was immediately attracted to her because she was beautiful. As we started to get to know each other, I was falling in love with her; she was a strong person of faith as was her mother. I realized at some point in time if I wanted this young girl in my life I had to make some changes because my life was a direct contradiction to what she believed in. Even though I wasn’t buying into her faith, I respected her for what she believed and I guess selfishly I wanted her in my life. It really had nothing to do with God at that point. It was just my respect for what she believed. As time went on, she kinda won me over and her mom would constantly talk to me about the Lord and accepting Christ and you know it took a long time for me before it sunk in but eventually it did.

Me:     What was that point in time like for you personally when you accepted Christ?

Michael:         Well honestly, I accepted Christ more as a…wanting my sins forgiven. I was thoroughly surprised that your sins would be forgiven and obviously I was a sinner and I wanted that. I had a hard time with the second part of that process which I believe is just as important and that is surrendering to Jesus. I couldn’t process that because I wasn’t accustomed to surrendering anything. I was a mob guy; I was in control of my life; I made decisions. My initial acceptance of Christ was more like, ok, I’ve got cleansing here. I felt better. I went to church as a catholic and came out of the confessional and so I was clean for a week. So it was more like that feeling. It wasn’t until God brought me to my knees when my acceptance of Christ became real. But that was years later.

Me:     I’m trying to put a little bit of the timeline together. I know there was a conflict between what you were doing and your Christian faith, but did you immediately decide you needed to leave the mob?

Michael:         I did but I didn’t do it because of my Christian faith. I did it because a number of things. You know there are a lot of factors that play into this which proves something to me: God doesn’t just hit us over the head and everything changes. He allows us to go through a process as humans and all of these things together result in, I believe, us coming to Christ and fulfilling a purpose in life. So what happened with me is I became a major target of law enforcement. I got indicted several times. You know, I experienced some drama in my life with my own people. I had an incident with my dad that I thought was an act of betrayal on his part. And, you know, then I meet Camile. And so it was, ok, this girl’s my way out. You know, she’s Christian, I want to marry her; I’m in love with her; I’ll do what I can to walk away from the life quietly; I don’t want to upset anybody but I’ll try to get away from the life and I’ll move out to California and live happily ever after with Camile. It was more self-serving then. It wasn’t because of God at all. So my initial leaving of the life, there was nothing noble in it with respect to my faith. It wasn’t till years later, again, I think my faith became whole when I not only accepted Christ but surrendered to him.

Me:     It’s not like you give the mob a resignation letter so how do you leave the mob?

Michael:         You know, there’s not a blueprint for walking away from that life publicly like I did especially. Usually when somebody separates themselves from that life it’s because they become an informant, join the government and normally testify against people and enter a witness protection program and then they’re gone. But I wasn’t interested in doing that. I didn’t want to betray—I didn’t want to hurt anybody I should say. Betray my oath—yes I did, but I didn’t want to hurt anybody so I refused the government. I refused the witness protection program. I refused to testify against anybody. And I just tried to make it on my own and that was extremely difficult because I didn’t call them up and say I’m done, I just left. And obviously nobody was happy about that; not my dad; not my boss; not anybody. And so I had a lot of trouble as a result.

Me:     So you never testified against anyone?

Michael:         No. No, I refused to testify against anyone. I testified in one trial but it wasn’t a guy from organized crime and it was because I was subpoenaed to testify but that was it. But that person didn’t go to jail and it wasn’t a result of anything I did. I didn’t give information to get him indicted, I just was called in to testify. Again, he didn’t go to jail and I didn’t cause it and that was it. They wanted me to testify against a number of my former associates and the feds gave me a very hard time; they really leaned on me and gave me a tough time. When I was in prison; when I came home, I just wouldn’t do it.

Me:     What was life like for you in prison as a former mob boss?

Michael:         Well, you know, prison is prison. I mean I got, initially, obviously a lot of respect from guys not only because I was involved in the life, because I had been successful and was highly publicized; you know, that I was a big earner. But then it was very difficult because when it became public I was walking away, the government said I had a contract out on my life; my life is in danger so they kept locking me down and moved me to different prisons. I was in the federal system so they moved me around quite a bit and they kept me locked down. I was actually in the hole, in solitary for almost three years. So that was tough.

Me:     Is your life still in danger?

Michael:         Let’s put it this way, I can’t walk into a social club and say, “Hey guys, how about a cup of coffee;” I’d be in deep trouble. I wouldn’t walk out of there. But is anybody actively looking for me? No. The reason is that just about everybody I knew from the life is either dead or in prison. New guys coming in, they resent what I’m doing but they’re not actively coming after me. But you know, you’re never totally out of the woods. Because of the fact that I’m public, I just did a show on the History Channel last week; two hours that caused a little stir and I’m in a church every weekend. I’m pretty highly publicized. If you Google me you’ll see a ton of articles, it happens quite a bit. I’m sure people get irritated about it and you never know when somebody could say you know I’ve had enough and another attempt is made [on my life]. I’m not really worried about it. I don’t live in fear. I don’t act silly but I watch myself when I’m supposed to and I think I need to but I don’t live in fear.

Me:     Is doing this interview going to cause trouble for you because of how widely it will be publicized and read?

Michael:         You never know. Honestly Joe, you never know what people are thinking. I hear some things and every once in a while law enforcement will come to me and they say, “Hey we got word from our informants that people are getting upset with you again.” I take it as I should and when I should be cautious in certain places that I go then I’m cautious. But again, I don’t believe anybody’s actively after me. Remember I’m just walking. I never hurt anybody. There’s a big difference in that. Now, my former boss whose doing life in prison, if he had an opportunity to come at me he would because he took it very personal when I walked away; he’s very upset with it; he’s an old-timer; he’s that kinda guy. There could be some people that could be upset but like I said, I think they got other things to worry about. I’m not out there hurting anybody. I never put anybody in prison nor will I put anybody in prison and I think they know that at this point.

Me:     What’s your life been like since you accepted Christ? What’s been the cost?

Michael:         You know, there are a lot more benefits than costs for me. I’ve been extremely blessed. I’ve been granted a ministry that I’ve worked pretty hard at over the years to build. And the satisfaction of having people encouraged and blessed and having the Holy Spirit be able to reach the people through my testimony, it’s been the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me other than my wife and children. It’s been amazing and I wouldn’t trade that for anything and that’s why I continue to do this. I’m in a different church and a different ministry every week and that’s become my life. So the benefits have been tremendous. I have my life, I have my freedom, I have my wife and kids so it’s been great. So I don’t think there’s been any downside to me accepting Christ at all. Now, do I still have baggage that I carry? Sure. Do I still have issues from my former life? Yeah. Do I have things that I still have to deal with? Yeah. But so does everybody. So my life just happens to be a little bit different because of where I came from. But we all have our crosses to bear in life. I don’t think accepting Christ has made it any more difficult for me. I think it’s made it only that much more rewarding and blessed.

Me:     This interview is part of a lesson on redemption and the extent God will go to reach somebody with his offer of salvation. Some of my readers think there’s no way God would ever love them or forgive them because of what they’ve done or what they are currently doing. What would you say to them?

Michael:         Well that’s what my ministry is all about. I’ve spoken to, oh gosh, hundreds of thousands of people personally, maybe even a million I don’t keep count. I’ve been doing this for a long time and I tell people all the time: I spent 20 years on the street in a sinful life and whatever I did, I did knowingly and willingly. I don’t pass the buck on to my dad or anybody else. People that do that I think are a cop out because, at any point in time, we can refuse to do something. There are consequences but we can do that and if we chose to do sin then we chose to do sin; there are no excuses. At one point in time I was the worst person in the room; I don’t care what anybody has done. God can forgive me, and I believe he has. If I deny that he’s forgiven me then I’m denying the whole message of the cross. What I’m saying, basically, is that Jesus, you suffered and died a horrible death, you were thrashed, you were belittled, you were spat upon, you were crucified, and God tells me you did it for my sins. [However, if I say I can’t be forgiven then I’m saying] that wasn’t good enough. And that’s how I look at it. I would never dishonor what the Lord did by saying that I was too bad a person for him to forgive.

So I also know this, he knows my heart. I can’t pull a scam on God. I can’t make believe I’m sorry and go out and continue to sin knowingly and willingly all the time. I think I’m a better person than I was way back when because when you get closer to God, sin doesn’t become the pattern in your life and I’ve seen that happen to me. At times when I would have done things I won’t do them now. And in times when I’m tempted to do things I pray and sometimes I beat that temptation and sometimes I don’t. But I never want to do it. You find these things out when you continue to read the Bible and you continue to understand what the Lord has done for us. You start to understand this is real; Redemption is real; Grace is real; Forgiveness is real. Jesus suffered and died really for all of our sins and we can’t demean what he did by saying we’re too bad and his suffering and death didn’t cover that. So I’ve come to terms with that and that’s why when people say: “You really believe you can be forgiven? You’ve lived a horrible life.” I say, “Yeah.” I can say that with all confidence because of what Jesus did for me. And you know, I say this all the time Joe; It hit home for me, I’ve watched the Passion of the Christ once. I can’t watch it again. I take it now very personal. After I saw it the first time, you know what, it just became very personal for me what Jesus did. I know about suffering, I know about death, I’ve seen my share of stuff on the street and I can’t watch it a second time. I try to tell people the same thing. Don’t ever demean what the Lord did for you. You get your heart right with him, you ask for forgiveness. There’s no doubt about it that the Lord has forgiven you. And you gotta get confidence in that by knowing him more and by getting closer to him. He builds that confidence in you and then he can direct you to fulfill his purpose in your life. I think that’s exactly what he’s done to me as an example. He’s built confidence in me, he’s let me know that I am forgiven and that I have a purpose in life and I try to fulfill that.

I have to share what the Lord has done with my life. It’s been a process for me. I also try to encourage people because when they slip back into sin, and they get discouraged, I tell them: When you come to the Lord, you don’t get a lobotomy. You don’t forget; I don’t forget 20 years of street life. I don’t forget how to implement things that are sinful. Once in a while, you get tempted; quite often you get tempted. We live in a world where temptation is all around us every minute. The enemy is at work constantly on us and it’s not always easy to resist temptation. But when you do fall, you gotta know that you can pick yourself up and that the Lord is ready to forgive you; Be clear how many times he will forgive. His arms are always open and he’s always ready for you. I always say this, Joe, I can’t cop out on anything about when I lived in that life. There were things that made me very uncomfortable that I did and things that I saw that made me uncomfortable and I think the Lord knew my heart and must have said, “You know what, there’s something in this guy that I can work with.” And as a result, here’s where I am today. I never pass judgment on anybody because of the fact that only God knows a person’s heart. But on the exterior, I’ve seen people that were happy about doing things that were pretty harsh. I’m sure God knew something I didn’t but I never had that heart. I always was very uncomfortable with things that I had to do and I did. But I look at it this way, maybe God saw something and said, “Ok, it’s gonna take a lot; you’re a tough case but I’m gonna work with you; I’m gonna break you down and I’m gonna use you later on. I think people gotta look at that. I tell drug addicts, and I tell gambling addicts and I tell people stuck on pornography: Who better can God use to minister to somebody that’s going through the same issue that you have, than you? You have credibility. You’ve been there. You’ve done that. I know from talking to people on the street, when I talk they listen because they know I’ve been through it. I talk through experience; I’ve been down that road and have credibility. That’s why God used somebody like Paul. Paul went through a lot and look what he did in his life.

Every message and everything we have is in the Bible, we’ve just gotta look for it. There are so many examples of the Lord’s forgiveness everywhere. People sometimes don’t know their Bible; they don’t read it; they don’t look at it; they don’t study it; So they don’t know these things. But I had an opportunity to read my Bible when I was in the hole; they had me in the hole straight 29 months and 7 days. I became a student of the Bible. When I say student, I don’t mean that I can recite verses and quotes, there’s guys that have photographic minds like that; I don’t. But I know my Bible because I spent three years with it and I continue to read it. So, every answer to everything is there! Everybody that’s worried about forgiveness, if you read your Bible, the Lord forgave the worst of us. And Paul is such an example. Jesus has been my hero in life but Paul has been my inspiration. If the Lord can work with Paul, who am I to say he can’t work with me.

Conclusion

            I am so thankful that Michael took time out of his very busy schedule to talk to me and, more importantly, allow me to share his story with you! Please visit Michael’s official website at www.michaelfranzese.com for a complete list of products he has available to purchase including the books he has written. You can also contact him to arrange for him to speak at your church, business organization, school, or other event. Michael has a TV special on National Geographic coming out this summer and is working on a documentary feature based around a movie he produced back in the 80's called Knights of the City. Michael is also working on another book called Mafia Democracy, and a movie about his life. Follow Michael on Facebook and/or Twitter.

            The most important thing to remember is that whether it is me or you or Paul or Michael, no one has sinned beyond God’s ability to forgive. In fact, there is no greater display of God’s awesome power and amazing grace and mercy than when his forgiveness reaches into the heart of The Worst Of Sinners.

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[1] dc Talk and Voice of the Martyrs, Jesus Freaks, Vol. II, (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 2002), pp. 122-123.

[2] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles—Word Biblical Commentary, Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2000), p. 51.

[3] Gerald F. Hawthorne, Ralph P. Martin, Daniel G. Ried, eds., Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), p. 602.

[4] Philip H. Towner, The Letters to Timothy and Titus—The New International Commentary on the New Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2006), p. 142.

[5] Philip H. Towner, 1-2 Timothy & Titus—The IVP New Testament Commentary Series, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1994), p. 55.

[6] Ibid., p. 56.