Youtube (Castità): Service de culte du jeudi reconnaissant – Nuit 1 – Dr Marcus D. Cosby

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La vidéo dure 01:55:43 secondes, porte le titre Thankful Thursday Worship Service – Night 1 – Dr. Marcus D. Cosby et provient de [vid_author_name]. La description qui suit mérite également votre attention :« JEUDIS DE REMERCIEMENT 2025 – NUIT 1 PRÉDICATEUR INVITÉ : Révérend Dr. Marcus D. Cosby Pasteur principal Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church Houston, TX ST. ÉGLISE BAPTISTE PAUL – CHARLOTTE, Caroline du Nord Révérend Dr Robert C. Scott, pasteur principal Jeudi 6 novembre 2025, à 19h00 (EST) Adresse e-mail de prière : prière@spbcnc.org Connectez-vous avec St. Paul Email : connect@spbcnc.org Liens donnant : Site Web de l’église : https://stpaulbaptist.church/online-g… Givelify : https://bit.ly/Givelify-StPaul St. Paul LIVE ET EN PERSONNE les dimanches à 10h00 St. Paul en ligne les dimanches à 10h00 et 17h00 – DIFFUSION EN DIRECT EN LIGNE ET TÉLÉPHONIQUE TNT en ligne : jeudi midi/nuit Enseignement les jeudis à 12h00 et 19h00 – DIFFUSION EN DIRECT EN LIGNE ET TÉLÉPHONIQUE Rejoignez-nous également pour « The Quick 15 : Méditations et prières du mercredi avec le pasteur Scott – TÉLÉCONFÉRENCE ET TÉLÉPHONE EN DIRECT STREAMING@ 20h15 Numéro d’appel par téléconférence (425) 585-7753 – AUCUN CODE NÉCESSAIRE Numéro de diffusion en direct par téléphone (844) 671-7214 Licence de droit d’auteur : CCLI) #3050587 et (CCS) #33474 Licence de diffusion : (CCLI) #CSPL099010 et (CCS) #33473 ».

Grâce à sa portée mondiale, YouTube permet à chacun de découvrir des vidéos captivantes traitant de multiples thématiques tout en garantissant un environnement sécurisé. C’est une plateforme idéale pour explorer des idées originales et dialoguer de manière constructive.

L’avènement des ceintures de chasteté pour hommes.

Les XVIIIe et XIXe siècles sont les périodes durant lesquelles les ceintures de chasteté pour hommes semblent avoir émergé. Elles étaient principalement destinées à des raisons médicales, à l’éducation des jeunes adultes et à la prévention de la masturbation, des relations sexuelles avant le mariage, de l’infidélité, et également par amour pour Dieu, quelle que soit la religion. Ce don de chasteté, guidé par la vénération divine, symbolise un engagement pour une vie plus pure et sanctifiée.

La chasteté conjugale est souvent perçue comme une manifestation d’amour profond entre partenaires. Elle est souvent liée à un engagement mutuel et à une volonté de préserver l’intimité du couple. Elle peut également représenter une profonde vénération des valeurs communes entre les partenaires.

La chasteté conjugale contribue à renforcer l’amour et la confiance au sein du couple. La flamme réciproque est maintenue grâce à la chasteté, même si seul l’homme la pratique. L’Église de Vatican II considère la chasteté comme une vertu essentielle du mariage et du service divin. L’engagement dans la chasteté est un don sacré, une offrande à Dieu et un respect des saints, fortifiant l’amour conjugal et le dédiant à la sainteté.

La pratique de la chasteté est une discipline personnelle fondamentale pour les hommes. Pour les hommes, la chasteté est souvent vue comme une forme rigoureuse d’autodiscipline. Une forte implication personnelle et des principes sont nécessaires pour garder la chasteté. En pratiquant la chasteté, l’homme renforce son autodiscipline ainsi que sa volonté et son caractère.

Maintenir la chasteté conjugale aide à garder la flamme réciproque vivante, même si seulement le mari la pratique. L’Église catholique continue de voir la chasteté comme une vertu essentielle de la vie. Cette vertu est un don de soi au Christ, à Dieu et à l’autre, comme l’illustrent les vies des saints. En imitant le Christ, beaucoup de saints ont intégré leur chasteté à un don total de leur vie à Dieu. L’époux de la Vierge Marie, Saint Joseph, est souvent présenté comme un modèle de chasteté conjugale. Une histoire de Saint Bernard de Clairvaux, moine cistercien du XIIe siècle, raconte qu’il se jeta dans un buisson d’épines pour réprimer ses désirs. Avant de se consacrer pleinement au Christ et à Dieu, Saint François d’Assise vivait dans le luxe et le plaisir. Après avoir ressenti un appel profond de Dieu, il choisit de vivre dans la pauvreté et la chasteté. Sa famille tenta de détourner Saint Thomas d’Aquin de la vie monastique quand il était jeune. La légende raconte que Saint Thomas d’Aquin repoussa une femme envoyée pour le séduire en utilisant un tison ardent. À 11 ans, Sainte Maria Goretti préféra mourir que de céder au péché.

La chasteté au sein du mariage est au service de l’amour.

Beaucoup de couples établissent des règles de vie et de sexualité pour garantir la fidélité et la chasteté de l’homme. La femme ne bénéficie pas de plus de liberté pour des aventures extraconjugales, mais elle a en général une confiance plus élevée. En pratique, la chasteté conjugale est principalement celle du mari dans 95 % des situations. L’utilisation d’une cage de chasteté est obligatoire pour l’homme, bloquant son pénis et interdisant toute activité sexuelle. En matière d’efficacité, la cage de chasteté est irréprochable. Une fois que la cage est verrouillée autour des organes génitaux, le pénis reste en position de repos, replié sur les testicules. Contraint d’abandonner toute pensée sexuelle, l’homme se concentre sur le moment de libération et sur la jouissance avec son âme sœur. Le sacrifice effectué est un don de soi, un acte d’amour présenté devant Dieu.

La fidélité et la chasteté constituent un engagement sincère envers l’autre.

La fidélité, pour l’époux, est intimement connectée à la chasteté conjugale. La fidélité implique de garder la pureté de ses pensées, regards et actions, en plus d’éviter les relations extraconjugales. La relation de confiance avec son épouse est intimement liée à la gestion des pulsions sexuelles. La thématique de la chasteté conjugale est largement couverte dans cet article qui traite de la chasteté conjugale .

Cela peut inclure le combat contre la pornographie, la prudence vis-à-vis des relations trop proches avec d’autres femmes, ainsi que le rejet du flirt. La chasteté devient ainsi un acte de don de soi, préservant l’époux et son corps, ainsi que la famille, l’enfant et le foyer des dangers externes.

L’image de l’homme volage.

En essence, l’homme est souvent perçu comme plus enclin à la volage et aux pratiques masturbatoires hors du cadre conjugal. Par conséquent, il est impératif qu’il respecte des règles de chasteté plus rigoureuses pour obtenir la confiance de son partenaire. Par amour, il est capable de donner toute son énergie, son désir et son amour, comme un acte divin guidé par Dieu. Ce don de soi est un engagement profond, reflétant la sainteté que chaque homme est censé incarner.

Avant le mariage, la chasteté est généralement perçue comme une valeur admirable. La pratique de la chasteté avant le mariage est souvent guidée par des croyances religieuses ou culturelles. Le respect de cette norme est couramment interprété comme un signe de contrôle de soi. La chasteté avant le mariage est souvent enseignée dans le cadre des programmes éducatifs religieux.

Avant le mariage, la chasteté représente un engagement essentiel pour un couple, indépendamment de sa foi. La pureté corporelle avant le mariage est souvent regardée comme un précieux don pour une femme. Dans l’Islam comme dans d’autres religions, la virginité de la mariée représente une immense fierté pour elle, sa famille et son mari. Maintenir la chasteté avant le mariage peut être particulièrement ardu pour un garçon. Pour un garçon, rester abstinent jusqu’à l’union est difficile sans l’aide de dispositifs comme une cage de chasteté. La maîtrise de soi est un véritable acte d’amour, préparant le couple à une relation respectueuse. Le respect de la continence avant le mariage implique plus que la pureté corporelle; c’est également une préparation spirituelle pour une union conjugale harmonieuse. Suivre cette voie aide à construire une sexualité forte pour les futurs conjoints.

Histoire de l’évolution de la chasteté.

Le concept moderne de la chasteté est distinct de celui du Moyen Âge. À cette époque, le doute se concentrait principalement sur la femme. Il est souvent rapporté, bien que la véracité soit variable, que les maris imposaient des ceintures de chasteté à leurs femmes quand ils étaient absents. Les situations de chasteté réciproque sont rares dans les descriptions historiques.

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Retranscription des paroles de la vidéo: [Music] [Music] [Music] What do you say? You better say it out there. I need you. [Music] Is that my phone? [Music] [Music] [Music] Don’t let me get right. [Music] [Applause] [Music] I want [Music] you [Music] to climb. Please finish. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] Testament one, two. Testing one, two. Good evening. Good evening. Good evening. Come on, let’s give the Lord some praise. I think we could do a whole lot better than that. Let’s give the Lord some praise. [Music] Hallelujah. Testing one, two. We’re getting ready to start our worship experience. I want to say good evening to all of those who are here tonight as well joining us online. If you’re on Facebook, YouTube, or engage in our live chat room on our church website. Welcome to St. Paul online. Our digital ministers and social media influencers are ready to engage you this evening. So, real quick, if you want to share this experience with others on Facebook, you can tag people to invite to your post on YouTube, subscribe to our channel, and text the link of this worship service to your personal network and in the church chat room on our website. Click the invite button on the chat window and share this experience with others. And also, if you don’t mind, just let us know where you’re watching us from on Facebook, YouTube, as well as our church website. Put the city and state. And if you want to, you can put a picture as well. Those you are able, if you would, let’s stand. Put those blessed hands together. Give the Lord some praise. I think we can do a whole lot better than that. Let’s give the Lord some praise. Let me try that one more time. Let’s give the Lord some praise. Reverend Kelly Baptist is going to come. She’s going to lead us as far as our worship experience is concerned. This is how we’re going to flow. We’re going to sing that opening hymn, Lift Him Up. And after we sing the opening hymn, then you can take your seat as she reads the scripture and have invocation. And then we’ll have a song from our choir. But at this particular time, Reverend Baptist, would you come and lead us? The book of Revelation says, « To him who sits on the throne and unto the Lamb be all blessing and glory and honor and power forever. » Take your pick. Bless God. Give God glory. Give God honor for how God has taken care of you forever and ever and ever and ever. You ain’t got to wait till revelation to bless our God. Hasn’t God taken care of us? Hasn’t God heard our cry? Hasn’t God kept us when other folks had it in for us? And that’s why we gather on a thankful Thursday. It does not have to be the fourth Thursday in November for us to tell God, « Thank you. Thank you, Lord, for your provision. Thank you, Lord, for your protection. Thank you, Lord, for your mercies. Fail not. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness, Lord. We bless your name. Let nothing stop you from blessing your God. So now we’re going to join with the choir in singing our opening hymn on this verse, thankful Thursday. We’re going to lift up the Lord. Are you ready to lift him up? I said, are you ready to lift up the Lord Jesus Christ? Then come on, let’s do that together. Come on, choir. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat up here. Heat up here. Yeah. Heat. Yeah. Heat. Oh, [Music] heat, heat. Oh, heat, heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] We lift up our savior. That’s where the praise come. Oh, magnify the Lord with me. Magnify means to make something bigger. Right? When you got the magnifying glass out, you can see things a little clearer, right? For some of us whose eyes have gotten a little bit uh wiser, we need a little help seeing clearly. Well, when we lift up the Lord Jesus Christ, when you magnify the Lord, sometimes that’ll help you see things a little bit more clearly. So, so ever things getting cloudy for you, getting a little blurry, just remember to lift up the Savior, magnify our God, and to let God help you see stuff a little bit clearer. Sometimes a hand will remind you. Lift up our God. Magnify. Girl, don’t get me started, y’all. You were supposed to bring Spank with you. That’s all right. I got enough for us all. We are so glad to have each and every one of you here in the house today. For those who are in our St. Paul online congregation, welcome, welcome, welcome. We want you to share on your timeline so that others can join us in worship while we are live together. We know the spirit can move from heart to heart and breast to breast and across the airwaves. But it’s helpful when you tune in when the fire is burning hot. Are you with me? So let us know online where you’re watching where you’re worshiping with us from. Put your city and state in there. We would love to see you and to greet you. But to those who are in the house, good evening family. It is good to worship our God today as we move forward in our thankful Thursday service. The word of God this evening is come from the book of Ephesians chapter 1 and I’m going to start at verse 15. I am going to be reading from the New Revised Standard Version. You can follow along in any version that you have handy. So, we’re going to look at Ephesians chapter 1. You may be seated if you want to. I can’t quite sit down yet. Ephesians chapter 1. I’m going to be reading verses 15 to 23 in the New Revised Standard Version. And the word of God reads as follows. I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love towards all say all. All the saints. And for this reason, I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom. Say wisdom and revelation. Say revelation. As you come to know him, so that with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope. Say hope to which he has called you. What are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints? And what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe according to the working of his great power? God put this power, say power, power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places. far above all. Say all, all rule and authority and power and dominion and above every name. Say every name that is named not only in this age but in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church. Are you the church? which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. The word of God is blessed, relevant, and mighty in this place. You may be seated as we move forward in prayer. And as we gather together, ushers, please allow people to come in to join in prayer so that they can come in and be a part of this. We’re joining hearttoheart and breast to breast. You know, a lot of times people look at what is happening in the news, right? People who are flying are wondering if their flights are going to take off because the government is shut down, right? Work government workers are wondering how they’re going to pay their bills. Contractors haven’t been haven’t had their contracts honored. There’s a lot going on. And sometimes people can look at the church and feel like, « What are you still worshiping for? Are you delusional? Do you just think that your God is going to pop up a tissue box of dollar bills? » But what they don’t understand is that we do have a hope in glory. And it’s and it’s an eternal life, but it’s also right here, right now. Because there were plenty of times that I might have been miserable. That I shouldn’t have had enough money to make ends meet. That there shouldn’t have been enough food in the cupboard. That the check shouldn’t have made it all the way through and paid all the bills. And every time that it should have, could have, wouldn’t have happened, that God spared my life, spared my finances, spared my behind, spared my tongue. That’s a reason to give God a thank you. And that’s a reason to stand on something that when the next thing comes rolling downhill, when the next pile drops, that you don’t faint right away. You remember how he kept you. You remember how God blessed you. And you remember how you are still alive. You survived the sickness. You got another job. You got gas in that tank. Even though it went up to $5 a gallon, everything that you needed, our God has supplied. So, we’re not delusional. We’re standing on faith. We’re standing in hope. We know how to rejoice not just based on what we see but what is unseen. We serve a God who is moving in the earth realm and moving in the supernatural and has not forgotten about you or you or you or me. And that’s why we gather. That’s why we praise God. That’s why we honor and glorify and thank him. Somebody tell God thank you. Thank you God. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. It could have been another way, but thank you. You wouldn’t let it be so. So, we thank you. We bless you, our God, in the name of Jesus. We come together, oh God, according to your word, in one place, on one accord, just here to bless your holy and righteous name. God, before we ask for anything, we just want to thank you. Thank you for covering us. Thank you for keeping us. Thank you for being our God. You didn’t have to adopt us, but you adopted our unworthy selves and made us your sons and your daughters, God. We bless your name because we’ve learned how to trust you, God. And when it gets tough, we learn a new lesson in how to trust you, God. Lord, if we haven’t done it already today, for every heart that is tuned in and ready to receive of your presence, God, we confess every sin and stain, God, knowing that you’re faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. God, we thank you that you’ve been our keeper and our mind regulator. that you sent us to the therapist to do mental health work and then you sent your Holy Spirit to deliver us from the spiritual stuff that needed some work. God, we bless you that even as there are folks who are struggling with diseases, God, we pray for those in the hospitals. We pray for those who are recovering, God, cuz cancer is still out there. COVID is still out there, the flu and the RSV and every other initial they can come up with. But the good news is, God, that there are plenty of f who had cancer in the past and they have been healed. God, there are plenty who’ve had COVID in the past and they are still healed. And so we know that you have the power to see to our needs. God, bless those who are yearning. We pray for our workers, God, that you will help them to make ends meet. Provide for them as only you can do. And God, we stand on your word when we can’t stand on ourselves. When we’re not sure about our faith, God, we standing on your word that you are able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we can ask or think according to your power at work within us. God, grow your power in us. Grow your word in us. And we’re going to use all of that to worship you all the more so that our lives are a light to the nations. That you might be glorified and that men, women, boys, and girls would be drawn to you, our father, and be healed and be delivered and be saved. God, we trust you tonight. We love you, and we bless you. It’s in Jesus’ name that we pray. And together, we all said, « Amen. » Amen. Amen. Come on, choir. Let’s bless the Lord. [Music] [Music] [Music] Oh, I thank Yeah. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Oh, when I was down, Lord, you [Music] Lord, oh Lord, I Oh Lord, I thank you Lord, thank you. Oh Lord, I thank you. Oh Lord, I so glad that the Lord save me. I’m so glad that the Lord save me. [Music] Oh, I’m so glad. Oh, I’m so glad that the Lord saved me. I’m so glad that the Lord save me. Oh, if he help me. Oh, I’m so glad. He saved me. He saved me. He saved me. Yeah, he saved me. Oh, he gave me Jesus. I’m so He saved me. He saved me. He saved me. He saved me. He saved me. He saved me. Oh, this Jesus would be. I’m so Oh Lord, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Oh Lord, I thank you. Thank you. Oh Lord, I thank you for all the days of my life. Oh Lord, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Oh Lord, I thank you. Thank you. Oh Lord, I thank you. Thank you. Oh Lord, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Oh Lord of my life. Oh Lord. [Music] Oh Lord. Lord. Oh Lord. Oh Lord. I thank you all for my life. [Music] [Applause] I know that’s right. All the days of my life, you know, as as time goes on, them days get a little shorter. But even if my days are a little shorter, I still got to thank you. Thank you. We are so glad that each and every one of you has made it into the house tonight. There are some things that we want to make sure that everyone is aware of. You know, I mentioned it in prayer. COVID is still on the rise, right? Folks are still getting sick. So, we just want to remind everybody to be as safe as you can, right? If you’re feeling sick or you got a little sniffle or cough, you know, please stay home. And and and if you are feeling great, but you have been around some folk, you can wear a mask and we will not look sideways at you. We want you to be healthy and we want everybody else to be healthy, too. So, just be aware that there are options on the table. You can watch us online. You can call in. Actually, I think there’s still a call-in number if you need to call in during service, but there are plenty of ways for you to worship as the family without endangering yourself or anybody else. Is that all right? Come on, let’s give the Lord some praise. At this particular time, we’re going to have a video. I want to uh as far as thankful for Thursday are concerned, we want to highlight a family that has been dealing with some struggle. And so at this time, we check out this video and then after that, I’ll come with further observation. Sometimes life changes in a single moment. On September the 23rd, 2025, flames swept through the Harrison family’s home. And in just over half an hour, everything they owned was gone. But even in the midst of smoke and sorrow, God’s hand was steady. No lives were lost, and his grace carried them through what could have easily broken them. Today, only weeks later, Ariel and David Harrison stand with hearts full of gratitude, holding their beautiful daughters, Harper and little Hinsley, to share what it truly means to be thankful for grace. Because when the fire faded and the ashes settled, God was still faithful. We are the Harrison family. I am Ariel. I’m David Harrison. This is Harper. This is Hinsley. Well, I think for myself, you know, I grew up at St. Paul in the old church under Dr. Drummond. Um, became a new member again uh with Pastor Scott probably around 2019. Uh, it may have been a little bit before that. And then R. You joined around what year? I joined in 2021. I used to be a part of the choir, which I am so excited to get back to. Um, having these two at church is a little much right now, but um that’s one thing that I love. Just ministering through music is like my um favorite thing that I feel like is something that um is a calling from from the Lord and I just am excited to get back to it when I can. Harper, you know, I think she wants to join the the children’s choir at some point. She loves to sing. Yes, Jesus loves me, as you can hear. Um, but I think for me, um, it’s been connecting, uh, with the men of valor. Um, being able to do that. We just recently had the men’s prayer breakfast. Um, and that was a huge blessing for me, just to be able to get around the other brothers, especially as we go through different challenges in life. Um, I was able to talk to a lot of the guys. That was the week of the fire. Um, and I was able to talk to a lot of the guys and get some words of encouragement just kind of being able to see different people’s perspective and also um, drawing commonality. There were other guys that have been in house fires and being able to show um, that empathy and that love for each other was huge to me and I think that that meant a big deal to me. So that’s that’s that’s been something that I’ve been able to help be a part of. Um, so it was September 23rd. Um it was early afternoon a little after uh little before 3:00. I heard a loud bang at the door and we get solicitors at our door all the time. So I didn’t even go to the door and then I heard yelling outside and I looked out the window and I saw my neighbors like pointing at our house and I’m like, « Oh my gosh, like somebody must need help. Um let me run out and see what’s going on. » So I went to the door and my neighbor just yelled, « Your house is on fire. Your house is on fire. » And uh thank you Lord that day. Um, Hinsley’s usually in her bassinet around that time, uh, taking her day nap, but she was in my arms at that time. And I just ran out of the house, no shoes on, her in my hands. And I just ran out of the house and just looked up and just saw flames um, just engulfed in the house and rising up to the trees. And I just saw our house just falling to the ground. and um to thank God that my neighbors were home at that time. Mhm. Um I’m just thank God that they were there to just let me know that the house the fire was happening cuz I didn’t know. I was in the house. Didn’t smell anything. Didn’t hear anything. Smoke detectors never went off because of where the fire started. Mhm. It started um in our utility closet and went up through our attic. So, it was over me the whole time and I didn’t know. And I’m just so grateful and thankful that somebody was there to tell me because this could be a different story. Yeah. Yeah. I was out um going to coach, you know, everybody knows how to do that. And I was actually about to pull up to where I was going at the school I was at and Arya called at that point and just said, you know, the house is on fire. The house is on fire. And the first thing I asked was, « Where’s the baby? » Um because in my mind, I know she’s talking to me and as long as I can make sure the humans uh between her and my daughter was safe, that’s all that really mattered to me. And um you know I immediately went into saying thank God. Um y’all are good. We good. Let it burn. And um you know in the time you just so I mean I remember the gratitude that just overwhelmed me to know that she was safe. I didn’t even I didn’t even process the fact that the house was on fire. I didn’t even like fathom the fact that we were in that type of situation because all I could think about was that you’re good and Hinsley is good. That woman that came out to knock on the door never comes outside. And the fact that she looked in that direction, which is opposite from a direction she even looks at to acknowledge that, it was just it to me was the amazing strength of God. You know, to me, it’s no coincidence in it at all. You know, it was a it was a reason that she saw that God sent her on assignment to that door to make sure uh that Ar got out of there unscathed and to be able to see, you know, when she ran out the house, the flames engulfed over her. You know, I just kept seeing that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego moment where the flames were all around her, but she was able to walk through them and she didn’t have a sense of smoke on her. Her and the baby were unharmed totally. Um and and just being able to pull up to the house and hug him. It’s funny. It’s funny now um cuz y’all know how he it rejoices in church and how uh his praises in church and when he saw Hinsley and I outside, he just started yelling, « Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. » And all the firefighters came running out of the house thinking that something was wrong. And it was really him just giving God all the glory and praise. And that there was a aspect of us being able to praise God in a situation like that that I think even our neighbors that weren’t believers were able to notice. You know, when a house gets on fire, everybody comes. Whether you are the neighbor right there or you see the smoke from the street and even the people that you would probably may say don’t believe they had such a sense of curiosity about their faces when they saw the praising of God that you know it stirred up something in their spirit to figure out and say what is it that they have in this moment that allows them to be able to celebrate in the midst of a tragedy After I finished hugging Har finished hugging Ari and Hinsley and we cried and you know sat there tears of joy. That was it. I I started walking towards the house to go and look at the actual damage of the house and the fireman met me at the top of the driveway and he said, « Mr. Harrison, and I’m so sorry for your loss, man. » I said, « Turn around and look that way. » And I pointed at Ari and Hinsley. I said, « That right there is all I need as long as I got them. I can replace a building. I can’t replace the people in it. » And right after that, fireman comes walking up, had his head down, and he gets to me, looks up, he said, « David Harrison. » And it was my high school teammate that was first on the scene. I just remember what he said. did. He said, « Hey, man. I hate I’m seeing you under these circumstances cuz I ain’t seen you since we graduated, man. » But when I got on the scene and I went through the door to assess what was going on in the house first, he said, « I went in the first room and I saw the office and I saw your pictures on the wall and I knew immediately, oh man, this is my high school teammates’s house. » And he said because he knew the office and the rooms went that way behind the house, he ran outside to tell the other guys, « No matter what we do, do everything in our power to make sure we shut the flames off before it hits this office. » And when you looked at the devastation, the flames stopped right at the living room. None of them actually went to my office, to our bedroom. Now, the smoke and all that, you know, was was true, but we were able to recover the sentimental things that made that house a home. Memorabilia from stuff from our father, um, special stuff from the girls when they were born, uh, important documents for her to study, stuff in the office with my patent and all that information. And so you look back at in the midst of all of this, you know, some of the things that we even held as pre as precious items, we were covering them. We were covered. They were protected in the midst of all of that. And so it just so many blessings within a situation that could have went so wrong, it still showed God’s divine protection and covering over my entire family. And not only them, the things that were important to us in the home. And so I just can’t say enough about who Big God is, man. I stand on that thing so strong. I’ve seen his power and his sovereignty show up in such a mighty way to protect my family and to be able to provide provision for us that I’ll never ever doubt. And I’ll always believe because I’ve seen him work. And if you try for yourself, you going to see them work, too. It ain’t got to be a house fire. It could be whatever reality you facing. It could be whatever situation you facing. I dare you to try and watch your own see disaster as um like the end. Yeah. But we kind of see it as a new beginning. And we’re just so thankful that God even is here for us. And we’re so thankful that we are a part of a church that moved immediately. Moved immediately. Like I I don’t Deacon Brenda, we got to say name dropping, but showed up with the smoke still going on. She did not she didn’t hesitate. She came running to us and she still calls us and still checks on us. Deacon Dot Barnes, um Deacon Mercy Lewis, like Pastor Scott for me, Pastor Scott. I mean, he he reached out and called me just checking in on me. I mean, I mean, it we could really go down the list. I mean, it was a it was an overwhelming amount of support. um from our church family and for everybody watching this, we just thank you. Like we really truly thank you because you guys came into our lives in a time where we really needed some support. And when you sitting there and you you take a second to step back and you realize, man, you know, we’re going to be replacing everything. Yeah. Uh that’s not easy, you know, and I and I think that because of the support that we had, it was it made it easier to stay present in the moment, to stay grateful, and to stay optimistic of everything God was about to do. You know, we looked at this now as an opportunity where it’s like, hey, God is about to show up in a miraculous way. And whatever we thought we had, he about to bless us above and beyond what we had before. And so this is the time uh to really really share those thanks to each and every one of you uh who has reached out, who has donated. Um the church had to quick on that just you know what he need right now. And it was like whatever we needed, food, diapers, clothes, like the church family just I I can’t say enough about what St. Paul means to us. It meant a ton before this, but I think after this, my level of gratitude for this entire church community is just unmatched. And I just I I really have to scream that to the mountain tops. People talk about support. All right? And people talk about what they would do in the case of something happening, but then there’s a reality that happens when it actually does go down. And what I saw was action. and and I can appreciate from the top down Pastor Scott and our church family leading the charge to be there to support us in a time where we needed you guys the most. So, we love you. We love you. Our kids love you. Uh we going to continue to do everything we can to show that support and love to St. Paul. [Applause] Come on, let’s give God praise. [Applause] Yeah. God is to be praised um for being a keeper, for being a shade at our right hand, and for the Harrison clan. I just I just thank God for this church family. And of course, you all heard them say that so poignantly. Uh, and this is what Thankful Thursday is all about. This is what Thankful Thursday is all about. And um and and we continue to do that. So, let me say good evening disciples of St. Paul. Good evening. And good good evening to those who are visiting with us as well as those who are watching us online. I’m going to ask Darius if you can get me right. I would appreciate that. We welcome each and every one of you. I apologize for the system that was glitching, but uh thank you all so much for being so faithful and so uh attentive to the words that were being said. Um that video, even though it was kind of glitching and I was seeing what was going on, we were having some system issues. That’s why faith does not come by seeing hearing. Faith comes by hearing. and through the glitching you were able to hear such a powerful testimony about what God is doing with the Harrison family. So, thank you all so so very much. Before uh I share just a couple of observations, I just want to thank uh our caterers and our hospitality ministry for a wonderful job this evening. Thank you all so very very much. Also want to thank our ushers for being so faithful on duty tonight. Let’s give our ushers a round of applause. And can we celebrate our incredible music ministry? Give God praise for them. Amen. Our media ministry as well as our parking team and our medical team. Thank you all so very, very much for being on post. Let’s give God praise for each and every one of them. Listen, uh, as we move forward because I’m ready to get this preacher up. I’m ready to hear some great preaching tonight. I want to acknowledge all the preachers that are in the house and pastors, would you please stand? Uh let’s give God praise for all the preachers that are in the house. Amen. Amen. There’s a ton of folks in here. Thank you all. Thank you all so much. There was a rowdy bunch that came from Winston Salem. Uh the Sanhedrin Council. Amen. Um uh the brothers of the Rowan Baptist Association, their officers. Thank you all so much for taking time out. We have a new pastor that was installed uh a few days ago. Uh Reverend Chadwick, good to see you. God bless you. As well as Reverend Maya. It’s good to see you as well. And of course, uh my moderator is here, moderator, Pharaoh. Amen. Stand up, man. Stand up. God bless you. God bless you. And my vice moderator, I think I saw him in the house as well. Amen. Good to see you, man. Good to see you as well as the associate ministers here at this church. Um for disciples of this church, you should have received either a phone call, text message, or email from my office. Um and it is outlining that if any of you all have lost SNAP benefits for the month of November, that there are certain things we would like for you to do so we can be a blessing to you. If you did not if you did not receive that phone call and you are a disciple here at the St. Paul Church, call the office. Let us know that you didn’t get a call and we will call you back and let you and let you know what we need for you to do. Now, before um uh before we go on, let me just say this is for persons who have lost SNAP benefits. Amen. And this is for persons who need help. Persons who have lost SNAP benefits, persons who need that help. Um, we want to be a blessing to you. And so, we’re going to need you to help us help you. If you have lost SNAP benefits and you want our help, we may have to ask you for some documentation. because uh you know uh you know yeah you know we we ain’t we ain’t even trying to play that game of you taking 200 and trying and taking a 100 and trying to get 200. It ain’t it we ain’t playing the game. And some folks know what I’m talking about. We want to be a blessing to our brothers and sisters who have lost those benefits and we want to do whatever we can to connect the dots to make sure that you’re going to be good for the month of November. So that’s going to require you to help us help you. Now I ain’t going to lie. If I was in a desperate fix, whatever you needed me to bring, I would bring it. That’s right. Amen. Don’t don’t don’t be so proud that you go hungry. and your stomach be touching your back. Amen. Amen. So, let us be a blessing to you all as far as that’s concerned. Um, we’re going to go ahead and get this preacher up because I know that he’s going to bless us with a word on tonight. But before we do that, we want to receive the Lord’s offering at this particular time. And so, as you prepare to receive the Lord’s offering, there are several ways you can give here at St. Paul Church. The first one is by mail and check a money order to the church at 1401 Allen Street, Charlotte 28205. Or you can drop off check, cash, and money order here at the church Monday through Thursday between the hours of 9 to 4. And we will receive your offering and place it in the safe. You can also give uh online through ACS and church life. And then you can give through the app called Giblify. You give through the app called Giblify. So, if you have a physical offering, in just a moment, I’m going to ask our account team will come down as well as with our ushers to receive your offering. But I want you to do me a favor tonight. Uh I am sewing $100 uh as far as our thankful Thursday revival is concerned. And we’re looking forward to the Lord blessing this particular time. Uh but if you would either get your offering or your instrument in your hand and we want to lift it to the heaven with our right hand. We want to give God what’s right, not what’s left. Amen. Let’s go to the Lord in prayer. God, we come and we thank you for this wonderful opportunity to partner with you in the act of giving. Not grudgingly, nor out of necessity, but cheerfully. Why? Because you love the cheerful giver. Lord, would you take these gifts of ours and bless them in a Godful way? Let us show our generosity and appreciation for all that you have done, for all that you are doing, and for all that you will do. We sew into great ground here at the St. Paul Church. Take these offerings, bless them in a godful way so that your word, your work, your witness, and your worship will go forth through the tribe known as St. Paul. It is in Jesus’ name we pray. And in his name we claim it done. Let everybody that truly believes say, « Amen. » For those of you all that on the outer edges of the aisle, you ought to look down. There ought to be a basket. If you would take that basket, pass it inward. Our account team will receive your offering. And before our choir blesses us, we will have the video introduction of my friend and brother, the Reverend Dr. Marcus D. Cosby. This November, as we begin our thankful Thursday worship services, we open the season of gratitude with a voice of wisdom, passion, and power. The Reverend Dr. Marcus D. the senior pastor of Willer Avenue Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, and a distinguished preacher in St. Paul’s 125th Church Anniversary Great Preacher Series. A proud native of Chicago, Illinois, the Reverend Dr. Cosby is a scholar of the word and a servant of the people, a graduate of Fisk University, the Moore House School of Religion at ITC and Northern Baptist Theological Seminary. Since 2004, he has led the historic Wheeler Avenue congregation with extraordinary vision and compassion, founding schools, creating housing for single mothers, and extending ministry from Houston to the villages of South Africa. a mentor to preachers across the nation. He is the founder of Preaching with Power and Authority Ministries, equipping voices to proclaim the gospel with clarity, courage, and conviction. Yet, beyond every title, the Reverend Dr. Cosby is a devoted husband, a loving father, and a proud grandfather. A man whose life reflects the heart of a true shepherd. And tonight we give thanks for his presence, his ministry, and the power of his preaching. Get ready, St. Paul. The preacher is here, the Reverend Dr. Marcus D. Gazi. [Applause] Before the choir comes, um, in the the ray of hope, someone left a bag with your telephone. Who is missing a bag with your telephone? Don’t be ashamed. Amen. Who is missing your bag with your telephone? Anybody? Now, I can’t I can’t tell who phone this is, but it’s going to be up here in the pull pit um after service. uh if you want your bag and then we’ll put it in the office. But please come get this because I ain’t trying to worry about who bag this is overnight. Amen. All right, let me do something else real quick. Bring um testing one two testing one two testing one two. All right, do me a favor. A little bit more in the monitors. Testing. One, two. One, two. One, two. All right. [Music] I will sing your praise [Music] for you’ve done such a marvelous [Music] thing. [Music] for someone so rich. Yet my soul you have redeemed. [Music] No one else could do it. No one could care half as much. Yet you thought my soul [Music] was worth it. So you gave your only son [Music] that I [Music] gave that high peace and free your mind. [Music] What a marvelous [Music] [Music] Lord. You see my accomplishments. Yeah. [Music] Even the works you have done in me. You also see my finish. Do not have done. [Music] Every battle is already won. I can’t help but praise you, Lord, for the things that you’ve done. You gave my peace. You peace. You [Music] a [Music] You [Music] gave I [Music] You [Music] what a wonderful what glorious [Music] day. What the marvelous you marvelous [Music] marvelous so marvelous marvelous when you save me it’s marvelous it was marinated marvelous when you delivered me. It was so marvelous. And then you changed me, Lord. It’s marvelous. You rearrange me. You set me free. Free from sin. I want to thank you. [Music] Thank you, Lord. Make me free. You broke the sh [Music] my [Music] son. [Music] [Music] Yeah. [Music] This is the Lord’s doing. There’s nobody like it. Nobody. Nobody like it. [Music] What a wonderful thing. What a wonderful thing. Yes. What a glorious thing. What a glorious, glorious thing. What a marvelous thing. [Music] You’ve done [Music] [Applause] heat. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] Well, to God be the glory for the great things our God has done. Yes sir. Our God has done marvelous things. Yes sir. Whereof we are glad. How we honor the Lord tonight for this wonderful privilege to gather together as the people of God in the house of God known as St. Paul and how we celebrate the opportunity that is ours to fellowship with one another to worship with one another and to be revived in the presence of the Lord. It is good for us to be here and we thank God for this opportunity tonight. To the imminent and esteemed pastor of this church, my beloved brother and friend at Robert Charles Scott. I thank God for you, sir. Bless your name. Let’s celebrate. To God be the glory. and a stellar gentleman and I thank God for the gift of friendship that he has within him that he shares so generously with so many people. I’m grateful that he has gifted me with the privilege to come again this year to be a part of this experience of worship on thankful Thursday. To God be the glory. To the Reverend Baptist who shares with us in the pull pit. And to all of the Reverend clergy, pastors, and preachers who have come to be with us tonight. God bless you one and all. It’s a joy to see all of the women and men of God who have come to be a part of our experience of gratitude tonight. I agree with pastor that this has been a blessing and music ministry tonight. And I want to thank God for these singing saints. God bless you one and all. I praise God for the music ministry that has lifted us tonight and has helped us to worship the Lord in the beauty of his holiness. Yes, sir. I’ve been blessed this week to be in North Carolina since Monday. Uh been this is my third city in North Carolina since Monday. And I thought the pastor Tuesday would have gotten enough of me, but he drove from Winston Salem to be here. Dr. Miller, it’s good to see you, sir. We appreciate you’re coming and sharing with us. Glad I’m not preaching the same thing. Amen. I listen to the Lord. I listen to the Lord. Amen. I’m delighted to see one of the deacons of the Wheeler Avenue Church who is here. He has come back to North Carolina to reside, but we still claim him as a deacon of the Wheeler Avenue Church in Houston. Deacon Lloyd Sigler, I want everybody to see you. He’s such a gentle man of God. I thank God for him coming today. God bless you, dude. Praise God for you. Thank you so much for being here. The Wheeler congregation who gathers with us tonight. I see you and I thank God for you one and all. Well, there’s a word from the Lord tonight. And if you have your Bibles, I invite your attention to the New Testament Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ at that’s found in Matthew chapter 20. The New Testament Gospel of the Lord at Matthew chap 20. We’ll begin our reading at verse 17. The New Testament Gospel is recorded by the writer Matthew at chapter 20. We’ll begin our reading at verse 17. If you have that passage of scripture, say amen. Amen. If you don’t, say wait for me. It looks like we’re all there. Matthew chapter 20 beginning at verse 17. I’m reading tonight from the New International Version of the Holy Word of God. And this is what it says. Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. That’s enough. Amen. Praise God for his holy word. Amen. That’s enough. Amen. You may be seated. That’s all. That’s that I promise that’s all. Now, as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, sir, for the time that it’s our share together tonight, I want to talk from the subject following Jesus. Following Jesus. There are some who’ve been around the church long enough that the next words that I share with you are quite familiar. They’re words that have been sung throughout the generations to remind us of our responsibility to stay connected to our Christ. I grew up at the Emanuel Baptist Church, 8301 South Damon Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 60620, where Dr. LK Curry was my pastor. And in that space, we learned and regularly sang the hymns of the church. I heard you singing one of them tonight while before I came into this worship space. But those hymns have become quite significant in my Christian development and my disciplehip journey. One of those hymns that we sang back in that time was a song that went a little something like this. I have decided to follow Jesus. I have decided to follow Jesus. I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back. No turning back. Though no one joined me, still I will follow. Though no one join me, still I will follow. Though no one join me, still I will follow. No turning back, no turning back. Yes, sir. The world behind me. The cross before me. The world behind me. The cross before me. The world behind me. The cross before me. No turning back. No turning back. Those words, my brothers and sisters, have reverberated in my ears across the years, and they remind me of what the Lord Jesus said to those who would follow him. Yes, sir. Jesus said, « No one who puts his or her hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of heaven. » All of us tonight who have made up in our minds to follow Jesus need to know that there are some stipulations, some requirements, some realities that accompany those of us who have decided to follow Jesus. That following Jesus does not mean that you’re just going to glide to glory. That’s right. There will be some rough realities along the way. Yes, sir. There will be some challenges that each of us faces. But I’m so grateful that following Jesus brings to our reality a joy, a fulfillment that cannot be found anywhere else. So tonight, there’s somebody on your road right now who has decided to follow Jesus. And you can say like our elders, our ancestors would say that every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before. that there’s something about following Jesus that brings a joy, a fulfillment to one’s life that cannot be found anywhere else. Well, Jesus is headed toward Jerusalem according to Matthew 20:17. And as he’s going, he needs those who are his followers, those who have committed themselves to being his disciples to understand that there are some realities that go along with that accompany following this man named Jesus. Well, church family, this is this is Jesus last time headed to Jerusalem. As a matter of fact, he’s told his disciples in no uncertain terms what’s about to take place. He didn’t started in chapter 20 to be sure. He started in chapter 16. Listen to what he says. The son of man has to go to Jerusalem and he’s going to be delivered into the hands of sinful men. He’s going to be crucified, but on the third day, he’s going to rise again. He said that to them in chapter 16 and they didn’t necessarily get it. They thought for sure they were about to have a good time with Jesus. He had just founded the church. He said to Peter, « Upon this rock I’ll build my church and the gates of hell won’t prevail against it. » They thought they were about to have a church in good times. And Jesus then says that I’ve got to go to Jerusalem and be crucified, delivered into the hands of sinful men, but on the third day I’m going to rise again. Well, that was chapter 16. And to be sure, those of us who follow Jesus don’t always get it the first time Jesus says it. So, he repeats himself in chapter 17. Listen to how he puts it. Son of man is going to go up to Jerusalem, going to be betrayed into the hands of wicked, sinful, evil men, but going to be crucified, but on the third day, he’s going to rise again. That was the second time Jesus told them what was about to happen as he made his way to the holy city of Jerusalem. But like most of us, we don’t get it the first two times the Lord tells us what we need to hear. So by the time we get to chapter 20, I suspect the third time is the charm because Jesus says to these same wouldbe followers, these same disciples, the son of man is headed up to Jerusalem. He’s going to be delivered into the hands of sinful men. He’s going to be crucified. And on the third day, he’s going to rise again. Well, well, now, church family, I suspect he’s got their attention. I suspect they figured this man Jesus is serious about this. They’re headed to Jerusalem. I don’t know if you heard, but all the devout pious Jews would go to Jerusalem for the Passover. It was there that they would celebrate what God did for their ancestors. Exodus chapter 12 tells us that there were some ancestors of these Israelites who who who heard the admonition of the Lord to put some blood of a lamb on their doorposts and on the side frames of their houses and the death angel was going to pass over through pass through that night. And those who had the blood of the lamb sprinkled on their doorpost, the death angel would simply pass over and they would be spared. Now Jesus is going up to the holy city of Jerusalem for the last time. And although these would be disciples don’t quite understand it. He is now going to become the new Passover lamb. His blood is going to be shed. He’s going to give his life as a ransom for many. And all of us who tonight have the blood of the lamb on us can thank God that some stuff has passed over us. And we have been we have been spared. We have been saved by the blood of the lamb. Now, church family, I don’t know if that makes you happy, but it makes me happy to know that the Lord Jesus has become for us the Passover lamb. There’s no other sacrifice that needs to be made. He made the sacrifice once and for all. And tonight, I celebrate that tonight. I’m thankful for that on this Thursday because I recognize he didn’t have to do it, but he did. And every time you think of your salvation, you ought to get happy if nobody around you gets happy because he looked beyond your thoughts and saw your need. I I like what’s happening here. Jesus in the preceding chap chapter 19 has been talking about entering into the kingdom of God. And uh Peter asked the question, Lord, who can be saved if the rich folk ain’t going to be saved? Because he had talked about a rich young ruler and now all the rich folk in the room are feeling some kind of way. But Jesus said, « No, no, don’t worry about it. You need to understand that there are certain stipulations, certain requirements that accompany following this man named Jesus. » And if you read chapter 20, you might be blessed to know that following Jesus, watch this, reveals the scandal of grace. That that that following Jesus reveals the scandal of grace. Doc Scott, I’m real clear that most folk don’t put scandal and grace in the same sentence. That most folk don’t suggest that scandal and grace ought to go round with one another. But I I like the scandal of grace that Jesus shares with us in this first little vignette in chapter 20. If your Bible is still open, if your app is unlocked, or if you just trust your boy, you’ll find out that in Matthew chap 20, Jesus begins to let these fellas know some things about following him that is interesting, that is necessary for all of us who would follow him today. He says in no uncertain terms that if you’re going to follow me, there’s a grace that is associated with following me. But it’s scandalous. It’s scandalous. This business of grace literally offends human propriety. It makes sisters clutch their pearls. It makes the brothers say, « I don’t believe it’s going down like this. » And to make sure that we all got the picture, Jesus decided to paint the picture with a beautiful parable. Listen to how he lets it go down. He says, « Listen, there was a a land owner. He’s a man who had a a vineyard, and he had need of someone to work his fields. » And so he went out early one morning, a little bit before 6:00 a.m., and he found some fellas standing out there, and he said, « Listen, would you like to go work? And if you go work, I’ll give you a daenarius at the end of the day. He says, « Your work day is going to be from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. And if you work, I’ll give you a denarius at the end of the day. » Well, there were some fellas out there who said, « I need to work. Thanksgiving’s coming up. » And so, they made sure that they made their way into the vineyard and they began to work. Well, around 9:00, your Bible says that the landowner came back, found some more fellas who were out there and he said, « Now listen, you all want some work. I got a day job for you, and if you go out there and work, I’ll give you what’s right. » They said, « Yeah, that orange man has shut the government down, so I need to go out and work. » And so they went out and they began to work. Well, he came back around 12 noon, did the same thing. Found some fellas and said, « Listen, if you want to work, I’ll let you work. » Yeah. They said, « Man, our SNAP benefits have been reclaimed, so we need to get out there and work. » And so, they went out and worked. And at 5:00 p.m., he did the same thing. 6 a.m., 9, 12, noon, 300 p.m., and 5:00 p.m. He did the same thing. and found some fellas at 5 and they said, « Yeah, we need a little gravy to put on our dressing, so let’s make sure that we get out there and get this work done. » He says, « If you go out there, I’ll give you what’s right. » And by the time 6:00 rolled around, church family, he called his field man in. He called the guy who was overseeing them. He said, « Now listen, go back out there and get those fellas and pay them what I said I was going to give them. Start with the 5:00 p.m. crowd. Start with the 5:00 p.m. crowd. And so he did. That foreman went out there. He said, « Five crowd, come here. » And he gave them a daenarius. A daenarius is one day’s wage for a common worker. A daenarius is what you’re supposed to get for working a whole day’s wage. He said, « Give them a daenarius. » They got one. Then he went to the 3:00 crowd. You know what they got? They got a daenarius. He gave them one day’s work of wages. He start went on back to the 12 noon crowd and the 9:00 crowd. Gave them one day’s wages. Can you imagine what the 6:00 a.m. crowd is thinking now? They’re rubbing their hands together. We about to get way up in here. They are sure that everything is going to go in their favor. And your Bible says that when he called in the 6 a.m. crowd, you know what? They got a daenarious one day’s wage and now they’re ready for some furniture moving. Now they are they got a little attitude because they thought for sure that if the folk who started one hour ago got a daenarius that if we have worked 12 hours, we’re going to get so much more than they did. And they now have an attitude so much so that the landowner comes out says, « Hold up. Wait a minute. Can’t I do with my money what I want to do with my money? He said, « Hold up. Didn’t I promise you a daenarius? Just because you worked longer does not mean that you’re supposed to get something other than what I told you in the first place. » He says, « No matter when you came in, I’m still giving you what I told you I was going to give you. It does not matter when you showed up. You still get what I promised you when I sent you out into my vineyard. Child of God, as I look at it, it’s a beautiful picture of grace. Cuz all of us who are in the kingdom right now, we have the beautiful privilege of receiving the unmarited favor of the Lord. No matter when we showed up to be a part of this kingdom’s enterprise, I need to talk to the folk who’ve been saved for a long time. And then I need to talk to the folk who got saved Sunday. And the same grace that those who’ve been in here for decades is the same grace that those of us who’ve been here for a day. Is there anybody in here who is still excited that your heavenly father loves you so much that he gives you exactly what every other member of the family receives. There are no big eyes and little ‘s in the kingdom. All of us got access to the exact same grace. And you and I have to be careful, don’t we? Looking with a jaundice eye at those who just showed up last week and it seemed like the Lord is blessing them. Absolutely. The Lord is blessing them cuz they belong to the kingdom just like you and I belong to the kingdom. I need somebody who is still excited that the same grace that gets go toward the deacon is given toward the drug dealer. Somebody ought to thank great God that the same grace that the preacher gets, the prostitute and the pimp get. Is there anybody in here that know the same grace that you the one you call holy gets is the same one the one you call hypocrite gets? I need somebody to testify. I’m so grateful for the grace of God that I’m not going to look down on anybody else cuz I realize I don’t deserve it. Don’t deserve it. I don’t deserve it. I hear that song reverberating in my ears now. Amazing grace shall always be my song of praise. For it was grace that bought my liberty. I do not know just why he came to love me so, but he looked beyond my fault and saw my need. Is there anybody in this church who can testify? I don’t deserve it, but I’m grateful he gave it to me. He looked beyond my faults and saw my need. Where the folk in here who know you messed up more times than you want anybody in church to know about, but he keeps looking beyond your fault and seeing your need. I need to find the folk who can testify. I’m not perfect, but I’m being perfected. He looks beyond my fault and sees my need. Is there anybody in here who can say I’m grateful for his forgiveness and I’m grateful for his favor because his grace is unmmerited in my life. They, your Bible says in verse 15, they looked at these brothers who just been out there for a few hours and they had what uh what we now call a side eye. Bible says they’re envious. They’re looking at these fellas who just got blessed with a side eye. And you and I have to be careful, don’t we? Yes, sir. Just cuz we know somebody’s past, just because we know somebody’s issues, just because we know somebody’s dirt, we can’t look at them with a side eye because the same grace. Woo! Thank you, Jesus. That’s been given to us, has been given to all of them. And just cuz your stuff didn’t go public, don’t mean your stuff ain’t your stuff. Somebody ought to thank God for the scandal of grace. Scandals, scandal of grace. Can I go a little farther? If you keep reading this, Jesus, I don’t know if you heard, but Jesus is going up to Jerusalem. Had you heard? He’s going up for the last time. All the devout Jews are heading up cuz all of them go up for the celebration of the Passover. They remember what God did in their ancestors lives. I wish most more of us would remember how God blessed our ancestors, how God took care of our ancestors, how God spared our ancestors. They’re going up. And while they’re going up to Jerusalem, this crowd is now following behind Jesus. And Jesus is teaching his disciples what it’s going to mean to follow Jesus because they’re now going to have to take his ministry and turn it into a movement. I don’t know if you heard, but this is the last time Jesus is headed toward Jerusalem. Uh the Bible says that he’s going up and he’s going to be delivered into the hands of wicked, evil, sinful men. He’s going to be crucified. And on the third day, what’s going to happen? He’s going to rise again. You ought to know that if you’re a good Baptist, you know that story. He’s going to rise again. Well, child of God, this is what happens beginning around that next vignette. Your Bible says around verse 20 that not only does this following Jesus reveal the scandal of grace, but following Jesus, watch this, resists the sin of grandiosity. Following Following Jesus resists the sin of grandiosity. Somebody say grandiosity. Grandiosity. There is no place for grand in the kingdom. Ah, that should have been 100% class participation with a amen right there. I’m going to say it again just in case the microphone dropped out on me and you missed what I said. I I said there’s no place for grand in the kingdom. Wh There’s the church I was looking for. No place for grand in the kingdom. I know you’re gifted. Yeah, I know you’re anointed. I know. Can’t nobody do it like you do it. And there’s still no place for grand in the kingdom. I I uh I find it out in this second vignette round about verse 20 of chapter 20. Your Bible says that the mother of James and John, Zebed’s sons, the mother of Zebed’s sons comes to Jesus. And when she comes to Jesus, she makes a request of Jesus. She said, « Now listen to him in Mr. Jesus. Um, my boys have been following you. They’ve been with you all this time. Uh, they’ve been doing everything you told them to do. As a matter of fact, they in the inner circle of disciples. They’re not just regular old fellas. They get to see stuff that other fellas don’t get to see. They get to do stuff the other folk don’t get to do. They get to hear things that the others don’t get to hear. They’re in the beat three. It’s Peter, James, and John. These are my boys. And I I I’ve been watching you over these three years. how you’ve been taking my sons on some special missions. They got to Gyrus’s house and they got to watch you raise that 12year-old girl from dead from the dead. I They went up on the mountain of transfiguration with you. They saw you transfigured before their very eyes. They’ve been hanging with you, Mr. Jesus. They’ve seen some things that the other nine didn’t get to see. They’ve experienced some things that the other nine didn’t get to experience. And so since I’m told you going into your kingdom, this what I need you to do, Mr. Jesus, when you come into your kingdom, let my son sit one on your right hand and the other on your left when you come into your kingdom. That’s what I need you to do. My boys been ride or die for you all this time. My boys have been hanging with you and they deserve something for all the effort they’ve been putting into your ministry. They deserve to have some prominence. They need to be co-leaders in your kingdom, Mr. Jesus. They need to be the co-h when you come into your What y’all look about that let If you don’t know, ask your roommate. They know. Watch this. They need to be in prominent positions when you come into your kingdom. I need you to let them be at your right hand and at your left hand. After all of the effort they put into this, after all the service they’ve given to this, I want my sons to get something out of this. And Jesus does not respond to the mother of James and John. He looks at the disciples and he says to the disciples, « Can you drink the cup that I’m going to drink? C can you handle the expanse, the enormity of the assignment that’s been placed on my life? It’s rhetorical, but to be sure, they all know the answer is no. They know they can’t handle it. What Jesus is about to go forth and deal with, I don’t know if you heard, but Jesus is headed up to Jerusalem. And when he gets there, the son of man is going to be delivered into the hands of wicked, evil, sinful men. He’s going to be crucified. And on the third day, he’s going to rise again. And he says, « Can you handle that? » These preachers over here will tell you that the cup is a metaphor for suffering. Cup is a metaphor for strain and struggle. The cup is a metaphor for all the wickedness that Jesus is going to have to deal with on the last night of his life. And Jesus says, « Can you handle that? You’re looking for stardom. You’re looking for the spotlight. But you need to understand that I didn’t come here for spotlight. I came here to serve. Now, don’t miss this church family because too many of us have been have been have been duped into believing that if you’re gifted enough, if you’re if you’re anointed enough, everybody’s supposed to pat you on the back and tell you how wonderful you are. That might happen a time or two, but that is not the point of being in the kingdom. I need six or seven folk in here who can testify development into disciplehip does not happen in the spotlight. Development happens in the dark room. Oh, that’s a new that’s a old school kind of word. New school folk may not know that, but that’s not that’s how they used to develop the pictures that we used to have. You didn’t just take a selfie back in the day. No, you had to wait on that thing for a little while. You had to put it in the dark room and let that thing get developed. It had to go through some stuff for the developmental process before it came out as a beautiful glossy picture. And there’s somebody in here tonight who can testify. Just because you see me looking good on this Thursday in November does not mean I haven’t had to go through some things through many dangerous toils and snares. I have already come. Is there anybody who can testify? The Lord will develop you. And sometimes development might feel a little difficult. It might feel a little hurtful, but somebody can testify. If we suffer with him, we shall reign with him. Is there anybody in here who knows your Bible? The Bible says in this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer. Jesus says, « I’ve overcome the world. [Applause] Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. [Applause] Bible says many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers them out of them all. Is there a witness in this building who can testify? I’ve had some good days. and I’m trying to move. I’ve had some hills to climb. I’ve had some weary days and some lonely nights, but when I look around and think things over, all of my good days out weigh my bad days, so I won’t complain. Can I get a witness? God has been good to me. [Applause] Hey, he’s been good to me more than this world could ever be. Dries my tears away. Turn my midnight into day. So I lift my hands and say, « Thank you, Lord. » Come on, it’s Thankful Thursday. Thank you, Lord. I won’t complain. Jesus says, « Until you learn to drink this cup, Yeah. Don’t even be thinking about sitting at my right hand and my left hand. That’s not my positions to give. That’s for the father to give. Watch this. He says, « You can’t be grand, but you can be great. » Come on, man. Can’t be grand, but you can be great. I’m in your Bible. He says, « Listen here. I can make you great if you learn how to serve. » See, I just lost all the amens I had. Everybody all over the church was like, « Yeah, yeah. » I said, « Sir, » you’re like, « Well, you know, » he says, « I won’t make you great grand, but I will make you great. » That’s that’s why Dr. King says, « Anybody can be great because anybody can serve. » He got it right out of here in Matthew chapter 20. As a matter of fact, back there in that home church of mine, Im Church in Chicago, they said, listen, this is a little song they sang. They saying, « To serve this present age. » Yes, sir. My calling to fulfill. Oh, may it all my power engage to do my master’s will. And I wonder if there’s anybody in here who can testify with me that serving the Lord will pay off after a while. Oh yeah. Come on, church family, help me preach here. Encourage your pew partner. Tell them serving the Lord will pay off. You may as well go ahead and serve the Lord with gladness cuz serving the Lord will pay off after a while. He’ll make your name great. Bring me before great people. Somebody can testify. I’m still amazed at the way the Lord has blessed my life and turned my circumstances around. I still can’t believe that I’m where I am doing what I do, knowing what I know, have what I have. It’s because of his goodness in my life. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Woo. Glory to his high name. Glory to his high name. He said the kind of man did not come to serve to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. That’s right there in Matthew chapter 20. But there’s another vignette. I’m trying to let you out of here. But it gets good to me. Every as long as I preach it, every time I get to one part, the next part say, « Preach me. Preach me. » I’m trying to stop. It’s blessing me. is blessing my socks off right about now. I like this thing. Uh uh I want to submit tonight that following Jesus reveals the scandal of grace. Following Jesus resists the sin of grandiosity. Maybe that’s why the Bible says humble yourself under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time. But I close this little message, Dr. got when I tell the saints of God who are here tonight that following Jesus re rewards the steadfast with a grant. Yeah, I didn’t get it at first either. Let me give it to you again. I said following Jesus rewards the steadfast with a grant. If the third time is the charm, let me tell you again. Following Jesus rewards the steadfast with a grant. I’m still in your Bible. I just dropped to the third and final vignette that’s given here because as Jesus is heading up to Jerusalem. Had you heard? He’s heading up to Jerusalem. I don’t know if you heard, but he’s going up there to the Passover. And the Bible says he’s going to be handed over into the hands of sinful men. He’s going to be crucified. And on the third day, Come on and help me preach. I don’t mind. On the third day, he’s going to rise again. Now, this is good because while he’s going, your Bible says there are two blind men on the side of the road begging and they heard that Jesus was passing by. Now, you got to understand these two blind men because of their preexisting condition are relegated to the side of the road. There are some lawmakers that don’t want them to have access to Medicare and Medicaid and so they are relegated to the side of the road. They are dealing with the reality that some people want to keep everybody beneath them and only raise those who are like them. And so they are relegated to the side of the road. They they have to deal with the reality that just because they have some malady. Folk think there is inferiority in their lives. And no, we got to understand malady and inferiority are not synonymous when it comes to the divinity of our church Jesus. And so your Bible says that they’re hollering out after Jesus. Mark says that while they’re hollering out that that the folk in the crowd, as a matter of fact, Mark’s gospel says the leaders in the crowd told them to be quiet. Don’t miss that. That the leaders are telling them to be quiet. It don’t take all that. Sat down somewhere. We don’t do that here. You know, I know that’s never been said anywhere in this Lord’s church, but there are some people who when they’re making noise, other folk get an attitude and they don’t want them to make the noise beyond for Jesus that they are making. And so, here it is. Here’s the problem. These guys are holling out after Jesus. And your Bible says that Jesus stood still. You got to catch it. Don’t miss all the details of the text. These leaders are telling them to be quiet. It don’t take all that. It’s interesting that the ones who already have what they need don’t want other folk to get what they need as well. You got to be careful when somebody is needing something from the Lord that you already have. And you don’t want them to get what you already have. If you blessed with it, why can’t somebody else be blessed with it as well? And so they’re crying out to Jesus. And your Bible says Jesus stood still. Call them to him. He said, « What you want? » Okay, that’s not in your Bible. That’s not the way it’s written in your That’s the hood version. What you want? The King James version says, « What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? » But ain’t none of y’all talking like that anyway. You like me. What do you want? And uh Jesus says, « What you want? » And and when when when when they respond, they said, « Well, we want we want our sight. We want our sight. » Makes sense. We we want our sight. We’ve been out here begging because we want our sight. Now, what’s intriguing to me is that when they’re told to be quiet, your Bible says they got louder. Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. They got louder because they needed what the Lord and only the Lord could provide. They They knew he was the one who could heal. They knew he was the one who could deliver. They knew he was the one who could set them free. And so, they got louder. And that loudness made Jesus stop in his tracks. It literally is the pace from which we get that beloved hymn of the church. Pass me not, oh gentle savior, hear my humble cry. While on others thou art calling, do not pass me by. Savior, Savior, hear my humble cry. While on others thou art calling, do not pass me by. You want your sight? I’ll give you your sight. And your Bible says that now they have sight. Now, I like Matthew’s gospel, but I really do like Mark’s version because Mark’s version says, « As soon as they received their sight, they started praising God. » That was good for about 45% of the room. Your pastor got loud, but everybody else looking at you like, « Okay, I said as soon as they got their sight, they started praising God. » This mic still on? I said, as soon as they got their sight, they started praising God. And I wonder if there’s anybody in church today who’s ever received something from the Lord that you know you didn’t deserve, but God gave it to you anyway that makes you praise God. I call it a grant. Y’all know what a grant is, don’t you? A grant is something you get without any necessary responsibility to pay it back. I don’t know who Mr. Pale is, but I got a Pale grant all the way through college. And I want to thank him so much that I didn’t have to pay it back. And somebody in here understands that when you get a grant from your God, even if you don’t have to pay it back, you ought to pay it forward. E flat, please. And somebody in church this evening ought to help me close this message and begin to testify after all the blessings the Lord has given to me that I know I don’t deserve. I cannot keep this to myself. Every time I think of his goodness, it makes me want to holler and throw up both my hands. Y’all know that one. Is there anybody in church tonight who can testify? Every time I turn around, he keeps on blessing me. So, please excuse me, but you didn’t even have to call it thankful Thursday for me to give him thanks. When I woke up this morning and realized I had brand new mercy, that was reason enough to tell him thank you. When goodness and mercy followed me all day long, that was reason to tell him thank you. When I found out his grace is sufficient for me, that was real enough to tell him thank you. And these men begin to praise God. And your Bible says in Mark’s gospel that after they praise God and after they began to celebrate, everybody else began to celebrate because they realized that God had just granted them something that nobody else could provide. I need you to look back over your life and think about two or three grants that you gotten this week. You don’t have to go back to 1980. You don’t have to go back to 95. You don’t have to go back to 2000. I need you to think of some grants that the Lord granted you this month, this year. And if you’re not too ashamed, if you don’t mind, will you take a page from these blind men and begin to praise God for every mountain he brought you over? For every trial he’s seen you through, uh, for every blessing, somebody ought to shout hallelujah. For this, I give you praise. Is there a witness in the building that God’s been too good for me not to tell him thank you. But it gets even better cuz Luke’s gospel says when the boys started praising that everybody else started praising. But they’re not praising God for what God did for them. They’re praising God for what God did for those other men. And I need you to find somebody seated close to you on a Thursday night and begin to tell them that this praise is not about me. But this praise is because you made it to church tonight. This praise is because you don’t look like everything you’ve been through. this praise is cuz you’re still standing after all the hell you caught and the drama you had to deal with. Is there anybody in this building who can help me praise God? Not just for yourself, but for somebody else. I said, is there anybody in this church who can give God praise? That God healed your pew partner. that God’s taking care of your pew partner’s children that God has raised them up as a testimony that God blessed that family right over there. Is there anybody who can thank God that they didn’t get snuffed out with all that other stuff that got snuffed out, but they’re still here to testify? If it had not been for the Lord who was on my side, I don’t know where I would be. So I feel like giving him glory on a Thursday night cuz he’s been good. I said he’s been good. He’s been kind. He’s been merciful. He’s been longsuffering. He’s blessed me when I didn’t deserve it. So I’ll be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. For as much as you know, your labor is not in vain in the Lord. Is there anybody in this church who give him glory? Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And the say that when those men got their sight, watch this, they follow Jesus. [Applause] They follow Jesus. They follow Jesus. Tonight, somebody came to thankful Thursday. Hallelujah. And if he never does anything else, you ought to be thankful that he saved you. He spared you. He included you. And now you have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back. [Applause] Come on, those who are able to stand on your feet all over this place. Let’s give the Lord some praise. I need all the followers of Jesus that don’t mind giving God some praise. My God. My God. Can we celebrate this preacher tonight? I think we do a whole lot better than that. Who needed that reminder word? Who needed that reminder word? Deacons come. Deacons come. Deacons come. Take your seat if you’re able. Deacons come. What a word. What a word. What a word. What a word. What a word. What a word. What a word. What a word. What a word. What a word. Marcus D. Cosby is one of the most gifted preachers of this generation. [Applause] And uh our relationship goes back 35 years. Um and he’s been doing this and just been getting better and better. And as we said in the back, good and good. What a preacher. And what a word. I want to take this opportunity for any man, woman, boy, or girl that may be here under the sound of my voice that if you don’t know who Jesus is, you have the opportunity to connect and to follow. Um, there is something to be said. There’s something to be said about being part of community. covenant community. There’s something to be said about being part of the church. And don’t buy into the scandal of the culture that tells you you don’t need church. You need the church and the church needs you. And so I want to invite you first of all to a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Now, I want to lead you in a short prayer for those of us that know that have that relationship. As we say this prayer, it’s a reminder of the covenant that we made with him. But if this prayer hits you tonight, I want you to make a decision for Christ or his church. All heads bowed, all eyes closed, repeat after me. God, I come because I realize I need you in my life. I believe you sent Jesus to go up to Jerusalem and to be taken in the hands of wicked evil men to be crucified on a cross and three days later you raised him from the dead. I believe that. I believe you are a forgiver of all my sins. I believe that and I believe that you are the granter of my salvation. I believe that. So I want all of that tonight and I believe it’s a gift of grace to me. So I come to you and I thank you for the gift of your salvation. Forgive me. Help me be the person you want me to be in Jesus name. I pray this prayer. Amen. Keep those heads bowed just for a moment. Hear my voice. If you’re under the sound of my voice or you’re watching us online, you prayed this prayer for the very first time in your life and it makes sense. The light has come on. You believe in your head, in your heart, your mind, and your spirit that you have a relationship with God. If you believe that by faith, it is yours. You can’t work for it. It’s given to you by grace. If I’m speaking to you in the house and that prayer was meant for you, do God the wonderful pleasure. Just hold up your hand. Hold up your hand. Hold up your hand. Hold up your hand. Hold up your hand. Hold up your hand. If you’re online and that prayer was meant for you, I want you to do me a favor on Facebook and YouTube. Would you type in salvation in the chat? One of our digital ministers going to reach out to you and let you know what the next steps are. Now, for those that are saved, for those that know who Jesus Christ is, but you don’t have a church home, you’re not connected to a church, I want to offer St. Paul to you. And if St. Paul is not what you want, I got several other pastoral friends in the house that I could send you to. Got one of my sons in the ministry, got several friends in the ministry that we can send you to in this area to get connected to a local church. So if I’m talking to you right now, you don’t have a church home. A Christian without a church is like a fish out of water. You’re still a fish, but you’re drying up because you’re not in right environment to develop. There’s no perfect church. All of us are doing life together. So if I’m talking to you right now, you don’t have a church home, I would love to be your pastor. And I’m going to ask all the pastors in the Charlotte area stand up. If we you don’t want to come here, y’all stand up. All the pastors in Charlotte, stand up. We can send you to another church as well. Amen. We can send you to another church as well. If you don’t have a church home, if you don’t have a church home, if you don’t have a church home, if you don’t have a church home, if you don’t have a church home, if you don’t have a church home, we want you to get connected to a place be planted in good soil. Amen. Amen. We’ve done as commanded. You may be seated. And yet, the Lord is pleased. Let’s give God praise for an incredible night. Who was that sermon for? Who was that sermon for? Who was that sermon for? You all know I believe I believe in the practice of sewing. I believe in the practice of sewing. And so you’re sewing in the good ground. And so we’re not going to pass a basket. We’re not going to, you know, say we want you to go ahead and receive what we call this particular offering. However, if this word blessed you, if this word blessed you, uh I just want you to come and sew. You sow little, you reap little, you sow much, you reap much. We’re not going to pass a basket. You can come wherever you are. If you want to do it on Gilify, you can do it on Giblify. Just put it under offering. Um but you go ahead and if you feel led, you go ahead and come and sew right now. Uh, here you go, Jared. [Music] Good to see you, Jeff. Good to see you, son. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. Hey, sis. How you doing, dear heart? It’s good to see you. Good to see you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. If you want to do it online, you can give online. Just put it under offering on givey or our uh website. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. What a preacher. What a preacher. What a preacher. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. Listen, we’re getting ready to go. We’re getting ready to go. We’re getting ready to go. We have heard from heaven in a very clear way. Next Thursday, I’m not going to say we going to go higher because it ain’t about competition. Amen. Um, we just going to go. Amen. Amen. Uh, my friend and brother Dr. William Houston Curtis will be our preacher on next Thursday and uh, you don’t want to miss him. Uh, he will bless you immensely. Uh, to David and Ariel is so glad you all were able to make it to the house of the Lord. We thank God for you today. Thank God for you. We get ready to get out of here. Um, getting ready to get out of here. Getting ready to get out of here. The memorial service for brother Curtis Howard is Saturday at noon, quiet hour at 11. And so for those that want to come and share in his homegoing, you can come and do that as well. Uh, let’s celebrate this preacher one more time. Amen. If he bless you, go ahead and give God praise. [Applause] Thank you. Thank you, friend. Thank you, friend. Um, he has just been consistent like that. Um, and um, I still remember when you preached at Hampton a couple of years ago, how you blessed us and you continue to do it all over this country. We’re going to go ahead and stand. Going to go ahead and stand. Oh, thank you, Kelly. Again, someone in the uh gym, you left your bag and your phone. Anybody missing a bag and a phone? Anybody missing a bag? Don’t be shamed. Amen. You going to need this phone. And I ain’t trying to figure out what’s in your bag. What’s that tweet? Okay. All right. Okay. Look like they got some tennis shoes. All right. I ain’t going to be that nosy. All right. All right. We’ve come to worship. We now depart to serve. Thank you choir for giving us incredible music. Thank you musicians. [Applause] Thank you Scott. And thank you Mike. Thank you all so much. All heads bowed. All eyes closed. God, we have heard from heaven in an incredible way through your servant, Dr. Marcus Cosby. Thank you for granting him traveling grace and mercy on this week. And as he prepares to go back to Houston and to the Wheel Avenue church, but more importantly to his family, give he and his son the traveling grace that is so necessary, especially in uncertain times like these. And then God, as we leave from this place and space, but never from your power nor your providential care, keep us until we come back together again. It is in Jesus name we do pray and in his name we claim it done. Let every heart that truly believe say amen. Amen. God bless you all. You all have a safe night. I think you’re waiting until .

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52.16 say it out there.
68.4 I need
77.759 you.
83.61 [Music]
95.759 Is that my phone? [Music]
105.22 [Music]
113.29 [Music] Don’t let me get right.
120.08 [Music]
133.75 [Applause] [Music] I want
139.96 [Music] you [Music]
163.12 to climb. Please finish.
172.06 [Music]
201.76 Heat. Heat. [Music]
211.519 Heat.
216.6 [Music]
227.04 Heat. [Music]
234.159 Heat. Heat. [Music]
260.72 [Music]
276.0 Testament one, two. Testing one, two. Good evening. Good evening. Good evening. Come on, let’s give the Lord
281.919 some praise. I think we could do a whole lot better than that. Let’s give the Lord some
287.919 praise. [Music] Hallelujah.
297.36 Testing one, two. We’re getting ready to start our worship experience. I want to say good evening
303.12 to all of those who are here tonight as well joining us online. If you’re on Facebook, YouTube, or engage in our live
309.12 chat room on our church website. Welcome to St. Paul online. Our digital ministers and social media influencers
314.88 are ready to engage you this evening. So, real quick, if you want to share this experience with others on Facebook,
321.199 you can tag people to invite to your post on YouTube, subscribe to our channel, and text the link of this
326.639 worship service to your personal network and in the church chat room on our website. Click the invite button on the
332.8 chat window and share this experience with others. And also, if you don’t mind, just let us know where you’re
338.639 watching us from on Facebook, YouTube, as well as our church website. Put the city and state. And if you want to, you
344.32 can put a picture as well. Those you are able, if you would, let’s stand. Put those blessed hands together. Give the
349.52 Lord some praise. I think we can do a whole lot better than that. Let’s give the Lord some
355.36 praise. Let me try that one more time. Let’s give the Lord some praise.
365.199 Reverend Kelly Baptist is going to come. She’s going to lead us as far as our worship experience is concerned. This is
371.039 how we’re going to flow. We’re going to sing that opening hymn, Lift Him Up. And after we sing the opening hymn, then you
376.96 can take your seat as she reads the scripture and have invocation. And then we’ll have a song from our choir. But at
382.72 this particular time, Reverend Baptist, would you come and lead us? The book of Revelation says, « To him who
389.28 sits on the throne and unto the Lamb be all blessing and glory and honor and
396.88 power forever. » Take your pick. Bless God. Give God glory. Give God honor for
404.639 how God has taken care of you forever and ever and ever and ever. You ain’t
411.28 got to wait till revelation to bless our God. Hasn’t God taken care of us? Hasn’t
417.52 God heard our cry? Hasn’t God kept us when other folks had it in for us? And
423.199 that’s why we gather on a thankful Thursday. It does not have to be the fourth Thursday in November for us to
430.319 tell God, « Thank you. Thank you, Lord, for your provision. Thank you, Lord, for
435.599 your protection. Thank you, Lord, for your mercies. Fail not. They are new
441.039 every morning. Great is your faithfulness, Lord. We bless your name.
447.68 Let nothing stop you from blessing your God. So now we’re going to join with the
453.919 choir in singing our opening hymn on this verse, thankful Thursday. We’re going to lift up the Lord. Are you ready
460.319 to lift him up? I said, are you ready to lift up the Lord Jesus Christ? Then come
467.84 on, let’s do that together. Come on, choir. Heat.
481.759 Heat.
491.68 [Music]
504.0 Heat up here.
526.959 Heat up
537.92 here. Yeah.
548.08 Heat.
563.519 Yeah.
569.519 Heat.
580.399 Oh,
588.25 [Music]
599.76 heat, heat.
605.04 Oh,
626.399 heat, heat.
635.7 [Music]
642.16 Heat. Heat.
648.09 [Music]
670.8 We lift up our savior. That’s where the praise come. Oh, magnify the Lord with me. Magnify means to make something
677.6 bigger. Right? When you got the magnifying glass out, you can see things a little clearer, right? For some of us
682.88 whose eyes have gotten a little bit uh wiser, we need a little help seeing clearly. Well, when we lift up the Lord
688.64 Jesus Christ, when you magnify the Lord, sometimes that’ll help you see things a little bit more clearly. So, so ever
696.0 things getting cloudy for you, getting a little blurry, just remember to lift up the Savior, magnify our God, and to let
702.959 God help you see stuff a little bit clearer. Sometimes a hand will remind you. Lift up our God. Magnify. Girl,
710.399 don’t get me started, y’all. You were supposed to bring Spank with you. That’s all right. I got enough for us all. We
717.12 are so glad to have each and every one of you here in the house today. For those who are in our St. Paul online
723.2 congregation, welcome, welcome, welcome. We want you to share on your timeline so
728.959 that others can join us in worship while we are live together. We know the spirit can move from heart to heart and breast
735.279 to breast and across the airwaves. But it’s helpful when you tune in when the fire is burning hot. Are you with me? So
742.639 let us know online where you’re watching where you’re worshiping with us from. Put your city and state in there. We
748.24 would love to see you and to greet you. But to those who are in the house, good evening family.
755.279 It is good to worship our God today as we move forward in our thankful Thursday
760.959 service. The word of God this evening is come from the book of Ephesians chapter
766.16 1 and I’m going to start at verse 15. I am going to be reading from the New
771.92 Revised Standard Version. You can follow along in any version that you have handy. So, we’re going to look at
778.959 Ephesians chapter 1. You may be seated
784.16 if you want to. I can’t quite sit down yet.
789.2 Ephesians chapter 1. I’m going to be reading verses 15 to 23 in the New
794.88 Revised Standard Version. And the word of God reads as follows. I have heard of
801.04 your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love towards all say all.
807.2 All the saints. And for this reason, I do not cease to give thanks for you as I
814.639 remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
821.68 father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom. Say wisdom
827.519 and revelation. Say revelation. As you come to know him, so that with
833.36 the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope. Say hope
840.24 to which he has called you. What are the riches of his glorious inheritance among
846.56 the saints? And what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who
853.6 believe according to the working of his great power? God put this power, say
860.48 power, power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his
867.199 right hand in the heavenly places. far above all. Say all,
872.56 all rule and authority and power and dominion and above every name. Say every
879.6 name that is named not only in this age but in the age to come. And he has put all
886.72 things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church.
893.279 Are you the church? which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in
899.839 all. The word of God is blessed, relevant, and mighty in this place. You
905.6 may be seated as we move forward in prayer. And as we gather together, ushers, please allow people to come in
912.079 to join in prayer so that they can come in and be a part of this. We’re joining hearttoheart and breast to breast. You
918.72 know, a lot of times people look at what is happening in the news, right? People
924.399 who are flying are wondering if their flights are going to take off because the government is shut down, right? Work
930.079 government workers are wondering how they’re going to pay their bills. Contractors haven’t been haven’t had their contracts honored. There’s a lot
936.72 going on. And sometimes people can look at the church and feel like, « What are
942.48 you still worshiping for? Are you delusional? Do you just think that your
948.0 God is going to pop up a tissue box of dollar bills? » But what they don’t understand is that we do have a hope in
954.959 glory. And it’s and it’s an eternal life, but it’s also right here, right
960.48 now. Because there were plenty of times that I might have been miserable. That I shouldn’t have had enough money to make
966.32 ends meet. That there shouldn’t have been enough food in the cupboard. That the check shouldn’t have made it all the
972.24 way through and paid all the bills. And every time that it should have, could have, wouldn’t have happened, that God
978.959 spared my life, spared my finances, spared my behind, spared my tongue.
985.759 That’s a reason to give God a thank you. And that’s a reason to stand on
992.079 something that when the next thing comes rolling downhill, when the next pile
997.279 drops, that you don’t faint right away. You remember how he kept you. You
1002.959 remember how God blessed you. And you remember how you are still alive. You
1008.72 survived the sickness. You got another job. You got gas in that tank. Even
1014.72 though it went up to $5 a gallon, everything that you needed, our God has
1020.72 supplied. So, we’re not delusional. We’re standing on faith. We’re standing
1027.199 in hope. We know how to rejoice not just based on what we see but what is unseen.
1034.959 We serve a God who is moving in the earth realm and moving in the supernatural and has not forgotten about
1042.079 you or you or you or me. And that’s why
1047.12 we gather. That’s why we praise God. That’s why we honor and glorify and
1054.16 thank him. Somebody tell God thank you. Thank you God. Thank you, Lord. Thank
1061.84 you, Lord. It could have been another way, but thank you.
1067.919 You wouldn’t let it be so. So, we thank you. We bless you,
1074.96 our God, in the name of Jesus. We come together, oh God, according to your word, in one place, on one accord, just
1083.84 here to bless your holy and righteous name. God, before we ask for anything,
1090.64 we just want to thank you. Thank you for covering us. Thank you for keeping us.
1096.88 Thank you for being our God. You didn’t have to adopt us, but you adopted our
1102.72 unworthy selves and made us your sons and your daughters, God. We bless your
1108.64 name because we’ve learned how to trust you, God. And when it gets tough, we learn a new lesson in how to trust you,
1116.0 God. Lord, if we haven’t done it already today, for every heart that is tuned in
1121.679 and ready to receive of your presence, God, we confess every sin and stain, God, knowing that you’re faithful and
1128.32 just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. God, we
1134.08 thank you that you’ve been our keeper and our mind regulator. that you sent us
1139.28 to the therapist to do mental health work and then you sent your Holy Spirit to deliver us from the spiritual stuff
1146.32 that needed some work. God, we bless you that even as there are folks who are
1151.52 struggling with diseases, God, we pray for those in the hospitals. We pray for those who are recovering, God, cuz
1158.32 cancer is still out there. COVID is still out there, the flu and the RSV and every other initial they can come up
1164.72 with. But the good news is, God, that there are plenty of f who had cancer in
1170.0 the past and they have been healed. God, there are plenty who’ve had COVID in the
1175.36 past and they are still healed. And so we know that you have the power to see
1180.48 to our needs. God, bless those who are yearning. We pray for our workers, God,
1186.0 that you will help them to make ends meet. Provide for them as only you can do. And God, we stand on your word when
1194.08 we can’t stand on ourselves. When we’re not sure about our faith, God, we standing on your word that you are able
1201.36 to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we can ask or think according
1207.2 to your power at work within us. God, grow your power in us. Grow your word in
1213.12 us. And we’re going to use all of that to worship you all the more so that our lives are a light to the nations. That
1219.36 you might be glorified and that men, women, boys, and girls would be drawn to you, our father, and be healed and be
1226.799 delivered and be saved. God, we trust you tonight. We love you, and we bless
1232.24 you. It’s in Jesus’ name that we pray. And together, we all said, « Amen. » Amen.
1239.44 Amen. Come on, choir. Let’s bless the Lord.
1249.79 [Music]
1257.71 [Music]
1263.28 [Music]
1269.679 Oh, I thank Yeah. Heat.
1281.34 [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music]
1293.55 [Music]
1306.799 Heat. Heat.
1313.43 [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music]
1329.28 Heat. Heat.
1336.43 [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat.
1343.41 [Music]
1349.36 Heat. Heat. Heat.
1357.7 [Music] Oh, when I was down, Lord, you
1367.67 [Music]
1379.039 Lord, oh Lord, I Oh Lord, I thank you
1387.919 Lord, thank you. Oh Lord, I thank you. Oh Lord, I
1397.28 so glad that the Lord save me. I’m so glad that the Lord save me.
1408.03 [Music] Oh, I’m so glad. Oh,
1414.72 I’m so glad that the Lord saved me. I’m so glad that the Lord save me.
1422.559 Oh, if he help me.
1427.76 Oh, I’m so glad. He saved me. He saved me.
1435.84 He saved me. Yeah, he saved me. Oh, he gave me
1443.2 Jesus. I’m so
1450.24 He saved me. He saved me. He saved me. He saved me.
1455.919 He saved me. He saved me. Oh, this Jesus
1462.88 would be. I’m so
1468.08 Oh Lord, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Oh Lord, I thank you. Thank you. Oh Lord, I thank you for all the days of
1475.44 my life. Oh Lord, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Oh Lord, I thank you. Thank you.
1481.679 Oh Lord, I
1487.52 thank you. Thank you. Oh Lord, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Oh Lord
1493.279 of my life. Oh Lord.
1499.91 [Music]
1508.72 Oh Lord. Lord.
1515.44 Oh Lord. Oh Lord. I thank you all for my life.
1523.78 [Music] [Applause]
1531.279 I know that’s right. All the days of my life, you know, as as time goes on, them
1536.4 days get a little shorter. But even if my days are a little shorter, I still got to thank you.
1541.76 Thank you. We are so glad that each and every one of you has made it into the house tonight. There are some things that we
1548.159 want to make sure that everyone is aware of. You know, I mentioned it in prayer. COVID is still on the rise, right? Folks
1555.52 are still getting sick. So, we just want to remind everybody to be as safe as you can, right? If you’re feeling sick or
1563.039 you got a little sniffle or cough, you know, please stay home. And and and if you are feeling great, but you have been
1569.12 around some folk, you can wear a mask and we will not look sideways at you. We want you to be healthy and we want
1574.799 everybody else to be healthy, too. So, just be aware that there are options on the table. You can watch us online. You
1582.159 can call in. Actually, I think there’s still a call-in number if you need to call in during service, but there are plenty of ways for you to worship as the
1589.039 family without endangering yourself or anybody else. Is that all right?
1594.88 Come on, let’s give the Lord some praise. At this particular time, we’re going to have a video. I want to uh as far as
1602.72 thankful for Thursday are concerned, we want to highlight a family that has been dealing with some struggle. And so at
1608.159 this time, we check out this video and then after that, I’ll come with further observation.
1620.64 Sometimes life changes in a single moment. On September the 23rd, 2025,
1628.24 flames swept through the Harrison family’s home. And in just over half an
1634.08 hour, everything they owned was gone. But even in the midst of smoke and
1640.0 sorrow, God’s hand was steady. No lives were lost, and his grace carried them
1646.4 through what could have easily broken them. Today, only weeks later, Ariel and
1652.88 David Harrison stand with hearts full of gratitude, holding their beautiful
1658.4 daughters, Harper and little Hinsley, to share what it truly means to be thankful
1664.0 for grace. Because when the fire faded and the ashes settled, God was still
1670.88 faithful. We are the Harrison family. I am Ariel.
1676.88 I’m David Harrison. This is Harper. This is Hinsley. Well, I think for myself, you know, I
1683.44 grew up at St. Paul in the old church under Dr. Drummond. Um, became a new member again uh with Pastor Scott
1691.039 probably around 2019. Uh, it may have been a little bit before that. And then R. You joined around what year?
1697.36 I joined in 2021. I used to be a part of the choir, which
1702.88 I am so excited to get back to. Um, having these two at church is a little
1708.32 much right now, but um that’s one thing that I love. Just ministering through
1713.76 music is like my um favorite thing that I feel like is something that um
1720.64 is a calling from from the Lord and I just am excited to get back to it when I
1726.32 can. Harper, you know, I think she wants to join the the children’s choir at some point. She loves to sing. Yes, Jesus
1733.679 loves me, as you can hear. Um, but I think for me, um, it’s been connecting,
1738.799 uh, with the men of valor. Um, being able to do that. We just recently had the men’s prayer breakfast. Um, and that
1745.2 was a huge blessing for me, just to be able to get around the other brothers, especially as we go through different
1750.559 challenges in life. Um, I was able to talk to a lot of the guys. That was the week of the fire. Um, and I was able to
1757.039 talk to a lot of the guys and get some words of encouragement just kind of being able to see different people’s
1762.24 perspective and also um, drawing commonality. There were other guys that have been in house fires and being able
1767.52 to show um, that empathy and that love for each other was huge to me and I think that that meant a big deal to me.
1774.0 So that’s that’s that’s been something that I’ve been able to help be a part of.
1779.039 Um, so it was September 23rd. Um it was early afternoon a little after uh little
1786.559 before 3:00. I heard a loud bang at the door and we get solicitors at our door
1792.24 all the time. So I didn’t even go to the door and then I heard yelling outside
1798.72 and I looked out the window and I saw my neighbors like pointing at our house
1804.0 and I’m like, « Oh my gosh, like somebody must need help. Um let me run out and see what’s going on. » So I went to the
1811.44 door and my neighbor just yelled, « Your house is on fire. Your house is on fire. » And uh thank you Lord that day.
1819.44 Um, Hinsley’s usually in her bassinet around that time, uh, taking her day nap, but she was in my arms at that
1826.88 time. And I just ran out of the house, no shoes on, her in my hands. And I just
1832.96 ran out of the house and just looked up and just saw flames um, just engulfed in
1838.0 the house and rising up to the trees. And I just saw our house just falling to the
1845.44 ground. and um to thank God that my neighbors were
1853.12 home at that time. Mhm. Um I’m just thank God that they were there to
1861.279 just let me know that the house the fire was happening cuz I didn’t know. I was in the house.
1868.48 Didn’t smell anything. Didn’t hear anything. Smoke detectors never went off because of where the fire started. Mhm.
1875.36 It started um in our utility closet and went up through our attic. So, it was over me the whole time and I didn’t
1881.76 know. And I’m just so grateful and thankful that somebody was there to tell me
1889.2 because this could be a different story. Yeah. Yeah. I was out um going to coach,
1895.44 you know, everybody knows how to do that. And I was actually about to pull up to where I was going at the school I
1900.72 was at and Arya called at that point and just said, you know, the house is on fire. The house is on fire. And the
1907.679 first thing I asked was, « Where’s the baby? » Um because in my mind, I know
1913.519 she’s talking to me and as long as I can make sure the humans uh between her and
1918.72 my daughter was safe, that’s all that really mattered to me. And um you know I immediately went into saying thank God.
1927.44 Um y’all are good. We good. Let it burn. And um you know in the time
1935.6 you just so I mean I remember the gratitude that just overwhelmed me to
1940.96 know that she was safe. I didn’t even I didn’t even process the fact that the house was on fire. I didn’t even like
1947.2 fathom the fact that we were in that type of situation because all I could think about was that you’re good and
1953.919 Hinsley is good. That woman that came out to knock on the door never comes outside. And the fact that she looked in
1961.039 that direction, which is opposite from a direction she even looks at to acknowledge that, it was just it to me
1966.88 was the amazing strength of God. You know, to me, it’s no coincidence in it at all. You know, it was a it was a
1972.64 reason that she saw that God sent her on assignment to that door to make sure uh
1978.0 that Ar got out of there unscathed and to be able to see, you know, when she ran out the house, the flames engulfed
1984.159 over her. You know, I just kept seeing that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego moment where the flames were all around
1991.36 her, but she was able to walk through them and she didn’t have a sense of smoke on her. Her and the baby were
1998.08 unharmed totally. Um and and just being able to pull up to the house and hug
2003.76 him. It’s funny. It’s funny now um cuz y’all know how he it rejoices in church and
2010.399 how uh his praises in church and when he saw Hinsley and I outside, he just
2016.399 started yelling, « Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. » And all the firefighters came running out of the house thinking
2022.64 that something was wrong. And it was really him just giving God all the glory and praise. And that
2028.64 there was a aspect of us being able to praise God in a situation like that that
2034.559 I think even our neighbors that weren’t believers were able to notice. You know, when a house gets on fire, everybody
2039.84 comes. Whether you are the neighbor right there or you see the smoke from the street
2045.279 and even the people that you would probably may say don’t believe
2050.48 they had such a sense of curiosity about their faces when they saw the
2057.28 praising of God that you know it stirred up something in their spirit to figure out and say what is it that they have in
2063.679 this moment that allows them to be able to celebrate in the midst of a tragedy After I
2070.399 finished hugging Har finished hugging Ari and Hinsley and we cried and you
2075.44 know sat there tears of joy. That was it. I I started walking towards the house to go and look at the actual damage of the house and the fireman met
2082.72 me at the top of the driveway and he said, « Mr. Harrison, and I’m so sorry
2089.04 for your loss, man. » I said, « Turn around and look that way. » And I pointed at Ari and Hinsley. I said, « That right
2096.079 there is all I need as long as I got them. I can replace a building. I can’t replace the people in
2103.359 it. » And right after that, fireman comes walking up, had his head down, and he
2110.8 gets to me, looks up, he said, « David Harrison. » And it was my high school
2115.92 teammate that was first on the scene.
2123.119 I just remember what he said. did. He said, « Hey, man. I hate I’m seeing you under these circumstances cuz I ain’t
2128.56 seen you since we graduated, man. » But when I got on the scene and I went
2134.0 through the door to assess what was going on in the house first, he said, « I went in the first room and I saw the
2140.16 office and I saw your pictures on the wall and I knew immediately, oh man,
2145.44 this is my high school teammates’s house. » And he said because he knew the office and the rooms went that way
2152.079 behind the house, he ran outside to tell the other guys, « No matter what we do, do everything in our power to make sure
2159.52 we shut the flames off before it hits this office. » And when you looked at the devastation,
2166.24 the flames stopped right at the living room. None of them actually went to my
2173.92 office, to our bedroom. Now, the smoke and all that, you know, was was true,
2179.28 but we were able to recover the sentimental things that made that house a home. Memorabilia from stuff from our
2187.2 father, um, special stuff from the girls when they were born, uh, important
2192.8 documents for her to study, stuff in the office with my patent and all that information. And so you look back at in
2198.48 the midst of all of this, you know, some of the things that we even held as pre as precious items, we were covering
2205.599 them. We were covered. They were protected in the midst of all of that. And so it just
2212.24 so many blessings within a situation that could have went so wrong,
2218.0 it still showed God’s divine protection and covering over my entire family. And not only them, the things that were
2224.48 important to us in the home. And so I just can’t say enough about who Big God is, man. I stand on that thing so
2230.8 strong. I’ve seen his power and his sovereignty show up in such a mighty way to protect my family and to be able to
2236.4 provide provision for us that I’ll never ever doubt. And I’ll always believe because I’ve seen him work. And if you
2242.96 try for yourself, you going to see them work, too. It ain’t got to be a house fire. It could be whatever reality you
2248.0 facing. It could be whatever situation you facing. I dare you to try and watch your own
2255.359 see disaster as um like the end. Yeah. But we kind of see it as a new
2262.96 beginning. And we’re just so thankful that God even
2268.72 is here for us. And we’re so thankful that we are a part of a church
2273.839 that moved immediately. Moved immediately. Like I I don’t Deacon Brenda, we got to say name
2280.48 dropping, but showed up with the smoke still going on. She did not she didn’t hesitate. She
2287.68 came running to us and she still calls us and still checks on us. Deacon Dot Barnes,
2294.0 um Deacon Mercy Lewis, like Pastor Scott for me, Pastor Scott. I mean, he he reached out and called me
2300.8 just checking in on me. I mean, I mean, it we could really go down the list. I mean, it was a it was an overwhelming
2308.0 amount of support. um from our church family and for everybody watching this, we just thank you. Like we really truly thank you
2315.28 because you guys came into our lives in a time where we really needed some
2322.079 support. And when you sitting there and you you take a second to step back and you realize, man, you know, we’re going to
2329.28 be replacing everything. Yeah. Uh that’s not easy, you know, and I and I think that because of the
2335.76 support that we had, it was it made it easier to stay present in the moment, to
2341.04 stay grateful, and to stay optimistic of everything God was about to do. You know, we looked at this now as an
2346.88 opportunity where it’s like, hey, God is about to show up in a miraculous way. And whatever we thought we had, he about to bless us above and beyond what we had
2353.2 before. And so this is the time uh to really really share those thanks to each
2359.76 and every one of you uh who has reached out, who has donated. Um the church had
2365.04 to quick on that just you know what he need right now. And it was like whatever we needed, food, diapers, clothes, like
2372.8 the church family just I I can’t say enough about what St. Paul means to us. It meant a ton before this, but I think
2379.68 after this, my level of gratitude for this entire church community is just unmatched. And I just I I really have to
2385.52 scream that to the mountain tops. People talk about support. All right? And people talk about what they would do in
2390.56 the case of something happening, but then there’s a reality that happens when it actually does go down. And what I saw
2396.8 was action. and and I can appreciate from the top down Pastor Scott and our
2402.24 church family leading the charge to be there to support us in a time where we needed you guys the most. So, we love
2407.68 you. We love you. Our kids love you. Uh we going to continue to do everything we can to show that support and love to St.
2413.76 Paul. [Applause]
2419.04 Come on, let’s give God praise. [Applause]
2426.96 Yeah.
2436.96 God is to be praised um for being a keeper,
2443.28 for being a shade at our right hand, and for the Harrison clan. I just I just
2450.4 thank God for this church family. And of course, you all heard them say that so poignantly. Uh, and this is what
2457.359 Thankful Thursday is all about. This is what Thankful Thursday is all about. And um
2465.92 and and we continue to do that. So, let me say good evening disciples of St. Paul.
2471.04 Good evening. And good good evening to those who are visiting with us as well as those who are watching us online. I’m going to ask
2476.56 Darius if you can get me right. I would appreciate that. We welcome each and every one of you. I apologize for the
2483.2 system that was glitching, but uh thank you all so much for being so faithful and so uh attentive to the words that
2491.119 were being said. Um that video, even though it was kind of glitching and I
2496.56 was seeing what was going on, we were having some system issues. That’s why faith does not come by seeing
2505.28 hearing. Faith comes by hearing. and through the glitching you were able
2511.44 to hear such a powerful testimony about what God is doing with the
2516.88 Harrison family. So, thank you all so so very much. Before uh I share just a couple of observations, I just want to
2523.52 thank uh our caterers and our hospitality ministry for a wonderful job
2528.72 this evening. Thank you all so very very much. Also want to thank our ushers for
2534.64 being so faithful on duty tonight. Let’s give our ushers a round of applause.
2539.92 And can we celebrate our incredible music ministry? Give God praise for them. Amen.
2547.44 Our media ministry as well as our parking team and our medical team. Thank you all so very, very much for being on
2553.68 post. Let’s give God praise for each and every one of them. Listen, uh, as we move forward because
2560.16 I’m ready to get this preacher up. I’m ready to hear some great preaching tonight. I want to acknowledge all the
2566.319 preachers that are in the house and pastors, would you please stand? Uh let’s give God praise for all the
2572.319 preachers that are in the house. Amen. Amen. There’s a ton of folks in here.
2579.52 Thank you all. Thank you all so much. There was a rowdy bunch that came from Winston Salem. Uh the Sanhedrin Council.
2587.839 Amen. Um uh the brothers of the Rowan Baptist Association, their officers.
2593.44 Thank you all so much for taking time out. We have a new pastor that was installed uh a few days ago. Uh Reverend
2601.28 Chadwick, good to see you. God bless you. As well as Reverend Maya. It’s good to see you as well. And of course, uh my
2608.88 moderator is here, moderator, Pharaoh. Amen. Stand up, man. Stand up. God bless you. God bless you. And my vice
2616.48 moderator, I think I saw him in the house as well. Amen. Good to see you, man. Good to see you as well as the
2622.88 associate ministers here at this church. Um for disciples of this church, you
2628.88 should have received either a phone call, text message, or email from my office. Um and it is outlining that if
2638.8 any of you all have lost SNAP benefits for the month of November, that there
2645.839 are certain things we would like for you to do so we can be a blessing to you. If you did not if you did not receive that
2652.96 phone call and you are a disciple here at the St. Paul Church, call the office. Let us know that you didn’t get a call
2660.079 and we will call you back and let you and let you know what we need for you to do. Now, before um uh before we go on,
2669.119 let me just say this is for persons who have lost SNAP benefits.
2678.24 Amen. And this is for persons who need help.
2685.599 Persons who have lost SNAP benefits, persons who need that help.
2691.68 Um, we want to be a blessing to you. And so, we’re going to need you to help us help you. If you have lost SNAP benefits
2699.839 and you want our help, we may have to ask you for some documentation.
2708.56 because uh you know uh you know
2714.24 yeah you know we we ain’t we ain’t even trying to play
2719.359 that game of you taking 200 and trying and taking a 100 and trying to get 200. It ain’t it we ain’t playing the game.
2725.76 And some folks know what I’m talking about. We want to be a blessing to our brothers and sisters who have lost those
2733.68 benefits and we want to do whatever we can to connect the dots to make sure
2739.68 that you’re going to be good for the month of November. So that’s going to require you to help us help you. Now I
2746.0 ain’t going to lie. If I was in a desperate fix, whatever you needed me to bring, I would bring it.
2751.04 That’s right. Amen. Don’t don’t don’t be so proud that you go hungry.
2757.839 and your stomach be touching your back. Amen. Amen. So, let us be a blessing to
2763.68 you all as far as that’s concerned. Um, we’re going to go ahead and get this preacher up because I know that he’s
2770.319 going to bless us with a word on tonight. But before we do that, we want to receive the Lord’s offering at this
2775.44 particular time. And so, as you prepare to receive the Lord’s offering, there are several ways you can give here at
2780.56 St. Paul Church. The first one is by mail and check a money order to the church at 1401 Allen Street, Charlotte
2786.4 28205. Or you can drop off check, cash, and money order here at the church Monday through Thursday between the
2792.72 hours of 9 to 4. And we will receive your offering and place it in the safe.
2797.76 You can also give uh online through ACS and church life. And then you can give
2802.88 through the app called Giblify. You give through the app called Giblify. So, if
2808.079 you have a physical offering, in just a moment, I’m going to ask our account team will come down as well as with our ushers to receive your offering. But I
2815.359 want you to do me a favor tonight. Uh I am sewing $100 uh as far as our thankful
2821.2 Thursday revival is concerned. And we’re looking forward to the Lord blessing this particular time. Uh but if you
2827.68 would either get your offering or your instrument in your hand and we want to lift it to the heaven with our right
2833.119 hand. We want to give God what’s right, not what’s left. Amen. Let’s go to the Lord in prayer. God, we come and we
2839.599 thank you for this wonderful opportunity to partner with you in the act of giving. Not grudgingly, nor out of
2845.68 necessity, but cheerfully. Why? Because you love the cheerful giver. Lord, would you take these gifts of ours and bless
2852.079 them in a Godful way? Let us show our generosity and appreciation for all that
2857.28 you have done, for all that you are doing, and for all that you will do. We sew into great ground here at the St.
2864.56 Paul Church. Take these offerings, bless them in a godful way so that your word, your work, your witness, and your
2870.48 worship will go forth through the tribe known as St. Paul. It is in Jesus’ name we pray. And in his name we claim it
2877.52 done. Let everybody that truly believes say, « Amen. » For those of you all that on the outer edges of the aisle, you
2883.599 ought to look down. There ought to be a basket. If you would take that basket, pass it inward. Our account team will
2888.72 receive your offering. And before our choir blesses us, we will have the video introduction of my friend and brother,
2895.44 the Reverend Dr. Marcus D. Cosby. This November, as we begin our thankful
2902.0 Thursday worship services, we open the season of gratitude with a voice of
2907.359 wisdom, passion, and power. The Reverend Dr. Marcus D.
2913.04 the senior pastor of Willer Avenue Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, and a
2919.44 distinguished preacher in St. Paul’s 125th Church Anniversary Great Preacher
2926.8 Series. A proud native of Chicago, Illinois, the Reverend Dr. Cosby is a
2932.96 scholar of the word and a servant of the people, a graduate of Fisk University,
2939.28 the Moore House School of Religion at ITC and Northern Baptist Theological
2946.079 Seminary. Since 2004, he has led the historic Wheeler Avenue congregation
2953.359 with extraordinary vision and compassion, founding schools, creating
2960.079 housing for single mothers, and extending ministry from Houston to the
2966.16 villages of South Africa. a mentor to preachers across the nation.
2972.16 He is the founder of Preaching with Power and Authority Ministries,
2978.079 equipping voices to proclaim the gospel with clarity, courage, and conviction.
2984.559 Yet, beyond every title, the Reverend Dr. Cosby is a devoted husband, a loving
2992.0 father, and a proud grandfather. A man whose life reflects the heart of a true
2999.04 shepherd. And tonight we give thanks for his presence, his ministry, and the
3006.4 power of his preaching. Get ready, St. Paul. The preacher is here, the Reverend
3013.28 Dr. Marcus D. Gazi. [Applause]
3022.319 Before the choir comes, um, in the the ray of hope, someone left a bag with
3028.079 your telephone. Who is missing a bag with your telephone? Don’t be ashamed.
3034.8 Amen. Who is missing your bag with your telephone? Anybody?
3042.8 Now, I can’t I can’t tell who phone this is, but it’s going to be up here in the pull pit um after service. uh if you
3050.319 want your bag and then we’ll put it in the office. But please come get this because I ain’t trying to worry about
3055.68 who bag this is overnight. Amen. All right, let me do something else real
3060.8 quick. Bring um
3070.079 testing one two testing one two testing one two. All right, do me a favor. A little bit more in the
3076.72 monitors. Testing. One, two. One, two. One, two. All right.
3083.22 [Music]
3110.319 I will sing your praise
3117.8 [Music] for you’ve done
3124.0 such a marvelous [Music] thing.
3132.25 [Music] for someone so
3139.2 rich. Yet my soul
3145.119 you have redeemed.
3151.42 [Music] No one else
3157.599 could do it.
3164.0 No one could care half as much.
3176.8 Yet you thought my soul
3182.41 [Music] was worth it.
3190.16 So you gave your only
3197.359 son [Music]
3205.52 that I [Music]
3211.92 gave that high peace and free
3222.8 your mind. [Music]
3229.92 What a marvelous [Music]
3242.72 [Music] Lord. You see my
3249.2 accomplishments. Yeah. [Music]
3254.8 Even the works you have done in me.
3262.8 You also see my finish.
3271.599 Do not have done.
3277.25 [Music] Every battle
3282.8 is already won.
3288.72 I can’t help but praise you, Lord,
3296.8 for the things that you’ve done. You
3303.76 gave my peace. You
3315.28 peace. You
3320.42 [Music]
3327.599 a [Music]
3334.079 You [Music]
3343.44 gave I
3348.53 [Music] You
3357.16 [Music] what a wonderful
3371.359 what glorious
3377.03 [Music] day. What the marvelous
3385.52 you
3392.64 marvelous [Music] marvelous
3399.119 so marvelous marvelous when you save me
3404.88 it’s marvelous it was marinated marvelous
3410.799 when you delivered me. It was
3417.92 so marvelous. And then you changed me, Lord. It’s marvelous.
3423.839 You rearrange me.
3428.96 You set me free. Free from sin.
3436.559 I want to thank you.
3442.38 [Music] Thank you, Lord.
3450.64 Make me free. You broke the sh
3461.37 [Music] my [Music]
3467.44 son. [Music]
3477.73 [Music] Yeah.
3483.67 [Music]
3489.2 This is the Lord’s doing.
3497.68 There’s nobody like it. Nobody. Nobody like it.
3506.2 [Music] What a wonderful thing.
3513.119 What a wonderful thing. Yes. What a glorious thing.
3520.559 What a glorious, glorious thing.
3525.599 What a marvelous thing.
3533.56 [Music] You’ve done
3545.92 [Music]
3552.38 [Applause] heat.
3560.16 [Music]
3566.07 [Music]
3574.43 [Music]
3579.97 [Music] Well, to God be the glory for the great things our God has done. Yes sir.
3587.28 Our God has done marvelous things. Yes sir. Whereof we are glad.
3593.68 How we honor the Lord tonight for this wonderful privilege to gather together as the people of God in the house of God
3600.4 known as St. Paul and how we celebrate the opportunity that is ours to
3606.24 fellowship with one another to worship with one another and to be revived in the presence of the
3612.48 Lord. It is good for us to be here and we thank God for this opportunity
3618.559 tonight. To the imminent and esteemed pastor of this church, my beloved brother and friend at Robert Charles
3624.72 Scott. I thank God for you, sir. Bless your name. Let’s celebrate.
3635.04 To God be the glory. and a stellar gentleman and I thank God
3641.2 for the gift of friendship that he has within him that he shares so generously
3647.52 with so many people. I’m grateful that he has gifted me with the privilege to
3653.28 come again this year to be a part of this experience of worship on thankful
3659.2 Thursday. To God be the glory. To the Reverend Baptist who shares with us in the pull pit. And to all of the
3666.16 Reverend clergy, pastors, and preachers who have come to be with us tonight. God bless you one and all. It’s a joy to see
3672.319 all of the women and men of God who have come to be a part of our experience of
3678.0 gratitude tonight. I agree with pastor that this has been a
3683.359 blessing and music ministry tonight. And I want to thank God for these singing saints.
3692.4 God bless you one and all. I praise God for the music ministry that has lifted us tonight and has helped us to worship
3699.68 the Lord in the beauty of his holiness. Yes, sir. I’ve been blessed this week to be in
3704.72 North Carolina since Monday. Uh been this is my third city in North Carolina
3711.04 since Monday. And I thought the pastor Tuesday would have gotten enough of me, but he drove from Winston Salem to be
3718.16 here. Dr. Miller, it’s good to see you, sir. We appreciate you’re coming and sharing with us. Glad I’m not preaching
3724.88 the same thing. Amen.
3730.64 I listen to the Lord. I listen to the Lord. Amen. I’m delighted to see one of
3735.92 the deacons of the Wheeler Avenue Church who is here. He has come back to North
3741.76 Carolina to reside, but we still claim him as a deacon of the Wheeler Avenue Church in Houston. Deacon Lloyd Sigler,
3748.319 I want everybody to see you. He’s such a gentle man of God. I thank God for him coming today. God bless you, dude.
3755.92 Praise God for you. Thank you so much for being here. The Wheeler congregation who gathers with us tonight. I see you
3761.92 and I thank God for you one and all. Well, there’s a word from the Lord tonight. And if you have your Bibles, I
3767.28 invite your attention to the New Testament Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ at that’s found in Matthew
3772.72 chapter 20. The New Testament Gospel of the Lord at Matthew chap 20. We’ll begin
3779.119 our reading at verse 17. The New Testament Gospel is recorded by the writer Matthew at chapter 20. We’ll
3785.76 begin our reading at verse 17. If you have that passage of scripture, say amen. Amen.
3791.04 If you don’t, say wait for me. It looks like we’re all there. Matthew chapter 20
3796.64 beginning at verse 17. I’m reading tonight from the New International Version of the Holy Word of God. And
3801.839 this is what it says. Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem.
3808.24 That’s enough. Amen. Praise God for his holy word. Amen.
3814.799 That’s enough. Amen. You may be seated. That’s all. That’s that I promise that’s
3820.48 all. Now, as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem,
3828.0 sir, for the time that it’s our share together tonight, I want to talk from the subject following Jesus.
3835.039 Following Jesus. There are some who’ve been around the
3840.16 church long enough that the next words that I share with you are quite familiar.
3845.92 They’re words that have been sung throughout the generations to remind us of our responsibility to
3852.96 stay connected to our Christ. I grew up at the Emanuel Baptist Church,
3858.96 8301 South Damon Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 60620, where Dr. LK Curry was
3864.4 my pastor. And in that space, we learned and regularly sang the hymns of the
3871.52 church. I heard you singing one of them tonight while before I came into this
3877.28 worship space. But those hymns have become quite significant in my Christian
3882.319 development and my disciplehip journey. One of those hymns that we sang back in
3888.319 that time was a song that went a little something like this. I have decided
3894.079 to follow Jesus. I have decided to follow Jesus.
3899.359 I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back. No turning back.
3905.28 Though no one joined me, still I will follow. Though no one join me, still I will
3911.52 follow. Though no one join me, still I will follow. No turning back, no turning
3917.52 back. Yes, sir. The world behind me. The cross before me.
3922.96 The world behind me. The cross before me. The world behind me. The cross before me. No turning back. No turning
3931.76 back. Those words, my brothers and sisters, have reverberated in my ears across the years, and they remind me of
3939.28 what the Lord Jesus said to those who would follow him. Yes, sir.
3944.559 Jesus said, « No one who puts his or her hand to the plow and looks back
3950.24 is fit for the kingdom of heaven. » All of us tonight who have made up in our minds to follow Jesus need to know
3957.52 that there are some stipulations, some requirements, some realities
3962.64 that accompany those of us who have decided to follow Jesus.
3968.16 That following Jesus does not mean that you’re just going to glide to glory. That’s right.
3973.68 There will be some rough realities along the way. Yes, sir. There will be some challenges that each
3978.72 of us faces. But I’m so grateful that following Jesus brings to our reality a
3985.119 joy, a fulfillment that cannot be found anywhere else.
3990.24 So tonight, there’s somebody on your road right now who has decided to follow Jesus. And you can say like our elders,
3997.839 our ancestors would say that every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before. that
4003.839 there’s something about following Jesus that brings a joy, a fulfillment to one’s life that cannot be found anywhere
4011.68 else. Well, Jesus is headed toward Jerusalem according to Matthew 20:17.
4017.76 And as he’s going, he needs those who are his followers, those who have committed themselves to being his
4024.319 disciples to understand that there are some realities that go along with that
4029.68 accompany following this man named Jesus. Well, church family, this is this
4034.88 is Jesus last time headed to Jerusalem. As a matter of fact, he’s told his
4040.4 disciples in no uncertain terms what’s about to take place. He didn’t started in chapter 20 to be sure. He started in
4047.599 chapter 16. Listen to what he says. The son of man has to go to Jerusalem and he’s going to
4053.76 be delivered into the hands of sinful men. He’s going to be crucified, but on the
4060.319 third day, he’s going to rise again. He said that to them in chapter 16 and
4065.44 they didn’t necessarily get it. They thought for sure they were about to have a good time with Jesus. He had just
4071.28 founded the church. He said to Peter, « Upon this rock I’ll build my church and the gates of hell won’t prevail against
4078.0 it. » They thought they were about to have a church in good times. And Jesus then says that I’ve got to go
4083.92 to Jerusalem and be crucified, delivered into the hands of sinful men, but on the
4089.599 third day I’m going to rise again. Well, that was chapter 16. And to be sure,
4096.08 those of us who follow Jesus don’t always get it the first time Jesus says it. So, he repeats himself in chapter 17.
4103.759 Listen to how he puts it. Son of man is going to go up to Jerusalem, going to be betrayed into the hands of wicked,
4109.92 sinful, evil men, but going to be crucified, but on the third day, he’s going to rise again. That was the second
4117.92 time Jesus told them what was about to happen as he made his way to the holy city of Jerusalem.
4124.159 But like most of us, we don’t get it the first two times the Lord tells us what
4129.199 we need to hear. So by the time we get to chapter 20, I suspect the third time
4134.88 is the charm because Jesus says to these same wouldbe followers, these same
4140.56 disciples, the son of man is headed up to Jerusalem. He’s going to be delivered into the hands of sinful
4147.12 men. He’s going to be crucified. And on the third day, he’s going to rise again. Well,
4152.799 well, now, church family, I suspect he’s got their attention. I suspect they
4158.799 figured this man Jesus is serious about this. They’re headed to Jerusalem. I don’t know if you heard, but all the
4164.799 devout pious Jews would go to Jerusalem for the Passover. It was there that they
4170.239 would celebrate what God did for their ancestors. Exodus chapter 12 tells us
4175.6 that there were some ancestors of these Israelites who who who heard the admonition of the Lord to put some blood
4182.96 of a lamb on their doorposts and on the side frames of their houses and the
4188.719 death angel was going to pass over through pass through that night. And those who had the blood of the lamb
4194.56 sprinkled on their doorpost, the death angel would simply pass over and they
4200.0 would be spared. Now Jesus is going up to the holy city of Jerusalem for the
4205.36 last time. And although these would be disciples don’t quite understand it. He
4210.56 is now going to become the new Passover lamb. His blood is going to be shed. He’s
4217.04 going to give his life as a ransom for many. And all of us who tonight have the
4222.4 blood of the lamb on us can thank God that some stuff has passed over us. And we have been we have been spared. We
4230.08 have been saved by the blood of the lamb. Now, church family, I don’t know
4235.44 if that makes you happy, but it makes me happy to know that the Lord Jesus has become for us the Passover lamb. There’s
4243.12 no other sacrifice that needs to be made. He made the sacrifice once and for
4249.52 all. And tonight, I celebrate that tonight. I’m thankful for that on this Thursday
4255.92 because I recognize he didn’t have to do it, but he did.
4261.36 And every time you think of your salvation, you ought to get happy if nobody around you gets happy because he
4268.64 looked beyond your thoughts and saw your need. I I like what’s happening here.
4274.4 Jesus in the preceding chap chapter 19 has been talking about entering into the
4279.6 kingdom of God. And uh Peter asked the question, Lord, who can be saved if the rich folk ain’t going to be saved?
4285.6 Because he had talked about a rich young ruler and now all the rich folk in the room are feeling some kind of way. But
4290.88 Jesus said, « No, no, don’t worry about it. You need to understand that there are certain stipulations, certain
4298.239 requirements that accompany following this man named Jesus. » And if you read
4303.36 chapter 20, you might be blessed to know that following Jesus, watch this,
4309.12 reveals the scandal of grace.
4314.8 That that that following Jesus reveals the scandal of grace. Doc Scott, I’m
4320.48 real clear that most folk don’t put scandal and grace in the same sentence.
4326.0 That most folk don’t suggest that scandal and grace ought to go round with one another. But I I like the scandal of
4334.08 grace that Jesus shares with us in this first little vignette in chapter 20. If
4340.0 your Bible is still open, if your app is unlocked, or if you just trust your boy, you’ll find out that in Matthew chap 20,
4347.44 Jesus begins to let these fellas know some things about following him that is
4353.36 interesting, that is necessary for all of us who would follow him today. He
4359.04 says in no uncertain terms that if you’re going to follow me, there’s a
4364.32 grace that is associated with following me. But it’s scandalous. It’s
4370.56 scandalous. This business of grace literally offends human propriety. It makes sisters clutch
4378.96 their pearls. It makes the brothers say, « I don’t believe it’s going down like this. » And to make sure that we all got
4386.08 the picture, Jesus decided to paint the picture with a beautiful parable. Listen
4391.36 to how he lets it go down. He says, « Listen, there was a a land owner. He’s a man who had a a vineyard, and he had
4398.48 need of someone to work his fields. » And so he went out early one morning, a
4403.76 little bit before 6:00 a.m., and he found some fellas standing out there, and he said, « Listen, would you like to
4409.36 go work? And if you go work, I’ll give you a daenarius at the end of the day. He says, « Your work day is going to be
4416.0 from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. And if you work, I’ll give you a denarius at the
4421.6 end of the day. » Well, there were some fellas out there who said, « I need to work. Thanksgiving’s coming up. » And so, they made sure that they made their way
4429.12 into the vineyard and they began to work. Well, around 9:00, your Bible says
4434.4 that the landowner came back, found some more fellas who were out there and he said, « Now listen, you all want some
4440.32 work. I got a day job for you, and if you go out there and work, I’ll give you
4445.36 what’s right. » They said, « Yeah, that orange man has shut the government down, so I need to go out and work. » And so
4452.48 they went out and they began to work. Well, he came back around 12 noon, did
4457.679 the same thing. Found some fellas and said, « Listen, if you want to work, I’ll let you work. » Yeah. They said, « Man,
4463.52 our SNAP benefits have been reclaimed, so we need to get out there and work. » And so, they went out and worked. And at
4470.56 5:00 p.m., he did the same thing. 6 a.m., 9, 12, noon, 300 p.m., and 5:00
4477.84 p.m. He did the same thing. and found some fellas at 5 and they said, « Yeah, we need a little gravy to put on our
4483.84 dressing, so let’s make sure that we get out there and get this work done. » He says, « If you go out there, I’ll give
4490.64 you what’s right. » And by the time 6:00 rolled around, church family, he called his field man
4497.92 in. He called the guy who was overseeing them. He said, « Now listen, go back out there and get those fellas and pay them
4504.56 what I said I was going to give them. Start with the 5:00 p.m. crowd. Start
4509.679 with the 5:00 p.m. crowd. And so he did. That foreman went out there. He said, « Five crowd, come here. » And he gave
4516.32 them a daenarius. A daenarius is one day’s wage for a common worker. A
4523.52 daenarius is what you’re supposed to get for working a whole day’s wage. He said,
4528.64 « Give them a daenarius. » They got one. Then he went to the 3:00 crowd. You know what they got? They got a daenarius. He
4535.92 gave them one day’s work of wages. He start went on back to the 12 noon crowd
4541.199 and the 9:00 crowd. Gave them one day’s wages. Can you imagine what the 6:00
4547.04 a.m. crowd is thinking now? They’re rubbing their hands together. We about to get way up in here. They are sure
4554.96 that everything is going to go in their favor. And your Bible says that when he
4560.56 called in the 6 a.m. crowd, you know what? They got a daenarious one day’s
4566.56 wage and now they’re ready for some furniture moving. Now they are they got
4572.0 a little attitude because they thought for sure that if the folk who started one hour ago got a daenarius that if we
4580.0 have worked 12 hours, we’re going to get so much more than they did. And they now
4586.32 have an attitude so much so that the landowner comes out says, « Hold up. Wait
4591.6 a minute. Can’t I do with my money what I want to do with my money? He said, « Hold up. Didn’t I promise you a
4598.56 daenarius? Just because you worked longer does not mean that you’re
4603.76 supposed to get something other than what I told you in the first place. » He says, « No matter when you came in, I’m
4611.679 still giving you what I told you I was going to give you. It does not matter
4617.12 when you showed up. You still get what I promised you when I sent you out into my
4622.96 vineyard. Child of God, as I look at it, it’s a beautiful picture of grace. Cuz
4628.08 all of us who are in the kingdom right now, we have the beautiful privilege of
4633.28 receiving the unmarited favor of the Lord. No matter when we showed up to be
4639.04 a part of this kingdom’s enterprise, I need to talk to the folk who’ve been saved for a long time. And then I need
4645.92 to talk to the folk who got saved Sunday. And the same grace that those
4651.04 who’ve been in here for decades is the same grace that those of us who’ve been here for a day. Is there anybody in here
4657.76 who is still excited that your heavenly father loves you so much that he gives
4663.199 you exactly what every other member of the family receives. There are no big
4668.56 eyes and little ‘s in the kingdom. All of us got access to the exact same
4674.4 grace. And you and I have to be careful, don’t
4681.28 we? Looking with a jaundice eye at those who just showed up last week and it
4686.8 seemed like the Lord is blessing them. Absolutely. The Lord is blessing them cuz they belong to the kingdom just like
4693.679 you and I belong to the kingdom. I need somebody who is still excited that the same grace that gets go toward the
4701.44 deacon is given toward the drug dealer. Somebody ought to thank great God that the same grace that the preacher gets,
4708.56 the prostitute and the pimp get. Is there anybody in here that know the same
4713.6 grace that you the one you call holy gets is the same one the one you call hypocrite gets? I need somebody to
4720.88 testify. I’m so grateful for the grace of God that I’m not going to look down
4726.56 on anybody else cuz I realize I don’t deserve it.
4734.0 Don’t deserve it. I don’t deserve it. I hear that song reverberating in my ears
4740.159 now. Amazing grace shall always be my song of praise. For it was grace that
4746.96 bought my liberty. I do not know just why he came to love me so, but he looked
4754.64 beyond my fault and saw my need. Is there anybody in this church who can
4760.239 testify? I don’t deserve it, but I’m grateful he gave it to me. He looked beyond my faults and saw my need. Where
4768.32 the folk in here who know you messed up more times than you want anybody in church to know about, but he keeps
4774.32 looking beyond your fault and seeing your need. I need to find the folk who can testify. I’m not perfect, but I’m
4781.36 being perfected. He looks beyond my fault and sees my need. Is there anybody
4786.8 in here who can say I’m grateful for his forgiveness and I’m grateful for his
4792.4 favor because his grace is unmmerited in my life.
4802.0 They, your Bible says in verse 15, they looked at these brothers who just
4808.64 been out there for a few hours and they had what uh what we now call a
4814.48 side eye. Bible says they’re envious. They’re
4819.84 looking at these fellas who just got blessed with a side eye. And you and I have to be careful, don’t
4826.4 we? Yes, sir. Just cuz we know somebody’s past, just because we know somebody’s
4831.52 issues, just because we know somebody’s dirt, we can’t look at them with a side eye
4837.6 because the same grace. Woo! Thank you, Jesus. That’s been given
4842.88 to us, has been given to all of them. And just cuz your stuff didn’t go public, don’t
4848.32 mean your stuff ain’t your stuff. Somebody ought to thank God for the scandal of grace.
4858.88 Scandals, scandal of grace. Can I go a little farther?
4864.8 If you keep reading this, Jesus, I don’t know if you heard, but Jesus is going up to Jerusalem. Had you heard?
4870.239 He’s going up for the last time. All the devout Jews are heading up cuz all of them go up for the celebration of the
4875.52 Passover. They remember what God did in their ancestors lives. I wish most more of us would remember how God blessed our
4882.08 ancestors, how God took care of our ancestors, how God spared our ancestors. They’re going up. And while they’re
4888.56 going up to Jerusalem, this crowd is now following behind Jesus. And Jesus is teaching his disciples what it’s going
4894.48 to mean to follow Jesus because they’re now going to have to take his ministry and turn it into a movement.
4901.12 I don’t know if you heard, but this is the last time Jesus is headed toward Jerusalem. Uh the Bible says that he’s
4906.96 going up and he’s going to be delivered into the hands of wicked, evil, sinful men. He’s going to be crucified. And on
4913.199 the third day, what’s going to happen? He’s going to rise again. You ought to know that if you’re a good Baptist, you
4918.719 know that story. He’s going to rise again. Well, child of God, this is what happens beginning around that next
4925.84 vignette. Your Bible says around verse 20 that not only does this following Jesus reveal the scandal of grace, but
4934.08 following Jesus, watch this, resists the sin of grandiosity.
4942.8 Following Following Jesus resists the sin of grandiosity. Somebody
4948.96 say grandiosity. Grandiosity. There is no place for grand in the
4954.8 kingdom. Ah, that should have been 100% class
4960.96 participation with a amen right there. I’m going to say it again just in case
4968.32 the microphone dropped out on me and you missed what I said. I I said there’s no place
4974.4 for grand in the kingdom. Wh There’s the church I was looking for.
4980.32 No place for grand in the kingdom. I know you’re gifted. Yeah, I know you’re anointed.
4986.88 I know. Can’t nobody do it like you do it. And there’s still no place
4992.4 for grand in the kingdom. I I uh I find it out in this second vignette round
4998.719 about verse 20 of chapter 20. Your Bible says that the mother of James and John,
5004.159 Zebed’s sons, the mother of Zebed’s sons comes to Jesus. And when she comes to
5009.84 Jesus, she makes a request of Jesus. She said, « Now listen to him in Mr. Jesus. Um, my boys have been following you.
5016.56 They’ve been with you all this time. Uh, they’ve been doing everything you told them to do. As a matter of fact, they in
5021.679 the inner circle of disciples. They’re not just regular old fellas. They get to see stuff that other fellas don’t get to
5027.76 see. They get to do stuff the other folk don’t get to do. They get to hear things that the others don’t get to hear.
5033.44 They’re in the beat three. It’s Peter, James, and John. These are my boys. And I I I’ve been watching you
5040.88 over these three years. how you’ve been taking my sons on some special missions. They got to Gyrus’s house and they got
5047.52 to watch you raise that 12year-old girl from dead from the dead. I They went up on the mountain of transfiguration with
5054.239 you. They saw you transfigured before their very eyes. They’ve been hanging with you, Mr. Jesus. They’ve seen some
5061.52 things that the other nine didn’t get to see. They’ve experienced some things that the other nine didn’t get to
5067.679 experience. And so since I’m told you going into your kingdom, this what I need you to do, Mr. Jesus, when you come
5073.84 into your kingdom, let my son sit one on your right hand and the other on your
5079.52 left when you come into your kingdom. That’s what I need you to do. My boys been ride or die for you all this time.
5086.159 My boys have been hanging with you and they deserve something for all the effort they’ve been putting into your
5092.719 ministry. They deserve to have some prominence. They need to be co-leaders in your kingdom, Mr. Jesus. They need to
5099.44 be the co-h when you come into your What y’all look about that let
5107.28 If you don’t know, ask your roommate. They know. Watch this.
5112.48 They need to be in prominent positions
5117.76 when you come into your kingdom. I need you to let them be at your right hand
5123.12 and at your left hand. After all of the effort they put into this, after all the service they’ve given to
5130.4 this, I want my sons to get something out of this.
5136.239 And Jesus does not respond to the mother of James and John. He looks at the
5141.52 disciples and he says to the disciples, « Can you drink the cup
5147.36 that I’m going to drink? C can you handle the expanse, the enormity of the
5154.639 assignment that’s been placed on my life? It’s rhetorical, but to be sure, they all
5159.84 know the answer is no. They know they can’t handle it. What Jesus is about to go forth and deal
5164.88 with, I don’t know if you heard, but Jesus is headed up to Jerusalem. And when he gets there, the son of man
5170.4 is going to be delivered into the hands of wicked, evil, sinful men. He’s going to be crucified. And on the third day,
5176.32 he’s going to rise again. And he says, « Can you handle that? » These preachers over here will tell you
5182.4 that the cup is a metaphor for suffering. Cup is a metaphor for strain and
5189.36 struggle. The cup is a metaphor for all the wickedness that Jesus is going to
5194.48 have to deal with on the last night of his life. And Jesus says, « Can you handle that?
5201.12 You’re looking for stardom. You’re looking for the spotlight. But you need
5206.159 to understand that I didn’t come here for spotlight. I came here to serve.
5212.32 Now, don’t miss this church family because too many of us have been have been have been duped into believing that
5219.28 if you’re gifted enough, if you’re if you’re anointed enough, everybody’s supposed to pat you on the back and tell
5226.4 you how wonderful you are. That might happen a time or two, but that is not the point of being in the kingdom. I
5232.719 need six or seven folk in here who can testify development into disciplehip
5238.32 does not happen in the spotlight. Development happens in the dark room.
5245.44 Oh, that’s a new that’s a old school kind of word. New school folk may not know that, but that’s not that’s how
5251.679 they used to develop the pictures that we used to have. You didn’t just take a selfie back in the day. No, you had to
5258.0 wait on that thing for a little while. You had to put it in the dark room and let that thing get developed. It had to
5264.8 go through some stuff for the developmental process before it came out as a beautiful glossy picture. And
5271.36 there’s somebody in here tonight who can testify. Just because you see me looking good on this Thursday in November does
5278.32 not mean I haven’t had to go through some things through many dangerous toils and snares. I have already come. Is
5286.56 there anybody who can testify? The Lord will develop you. And sometimes development might feel a little
5293.04 difficult. It might feel a little hurtful, but somebody can testify. If we
5298.08 suffer with him, we shall reign with him. Is there anybody in here who knows
5303.92 your Bible? The Bible says in this world you will have
5309.76 tribulation, but be of good cheer. Jesus says, « I’ve overcome the world.
5316.71 [Applause] Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
5322.0 Hallelujah. Hallelujah. [Applause]
5328.08 Bible says many are the afflictions of the righteous,
5334.719 but the Lord delivers them out of them all. Is there a witness in this building
5340.4 who can testify? I’ve had some good days. and I’m trying to move. I’ve had
5345.52 some hills to climb. I’ve had some weary days and some lonely nights,
5351.28 but when I look around and think things over,
5356.56 all of my good days out weigh my bad days, so I won’t
5361.679 complain. Can I get a witness? God has been good to me.
5369.06 [Applause] Hey, he’s been good to me more than this
5374.48 world could ever be. Dries my tears away. Turn my midnight into day.
5381.679 So I lift my hands and say, « Thank you, Lord. » Come on, it’s Thankful Thursday. Thank you, Lord.
5388.4 I won’t complain.
5394.719 Jesus says, « Until you learn to drink this cup, Yeah. Don’t even be thinking about sitting at my right hand and my left
5401.44 hand. That’s not my positions to give. That’s for the father to give. Watch this. He says, « You can’t be
5407.36 grand, but you can be great. »
5412.88 Come on, man. Can’t be grand, but you can be great. I’m in your Bible.
5418.239 He says, « Listen here. I can make you great if you learn how to serve. »
5424.96 See, I just lost all the amens I had. Everybody all over the church was like,
5431.12 « Yeah, yeah. » I said, « Sir, » you’re like, « Well, you know, »
5439.76 he says, « I won’t make you great grand, but I will make you great. » That’s that’s why Dr. King says, « Anybody can
5445.76 be great because anybody can serve. » He got it right out of here in Matthew chapter 20. As a matter of fact, back
5451.6 there in that home church of mine, Im Church in Chicago, they said, listen, this is a little song they sang. They saying, « To serve this present age. »
5458.159 Yes, sir. My calling to fulfill. Oh, may it all my power engage to do my
5464.639 master’s will. And I wonder if there’s anybody in here who can testify with me that serving the Lord will pay off after
5470.56 a while. Oh yeah. Come on, church family, help me preach here. Encourage your pew partner.
5476.719 Tell them serving the Lord will pay off. You may as well go ahead and serve the Lord with gladness cuz serving the Lord
5482.88 will pay off after a while. He’ll make your name great. Bring me before great people. Somebody can testify. I’m still
5490.32 amazed at the way the Lord has blessed my life and turned my circumstances around. I still can’t believe that I’m
5497.12 where I am doing what I do, knowing what I know, have what I have. It’s because of his goodness in my life.
5505.76 Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Woo. Glory to his high name.
5510.88 Glory to his high name. He said the kind of man did not come to serve to be
5515.92 served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. That’s right there in Matthew chapter 20. But there’s
5522.0 another vignette. I’m trying to let you out of here. But it gets good to me. Every as long as I preach it, every time I get to one
5527.84 part, the next part say, « Preach me. Preach me. » I’m trying to stop.
5534.8 It’s blessing me. is blessing my socks off right about now. I like this thing.
5540.159 Uh uh I want to submit tonight that following Jesus reveals the scandal of
5545.52 grace. Following Jesus resists the sin of grandiosity.
5550.88 Maybe that’s why the Bible says humble yourself under the mighty hand of God
5556.0 that he may exalt you in due time. But I close this little message, Dr. got when I tell the saints of God who are
5562.159 here tonight that following Jesus re rewards the steadfast with a grant.
5571.92 Yeah, I didn’t get it at first either. Let me give it to you again. I said following Jesus rewards the steadfast with a grant.
5582.08 If the third time is the charm, let me tell you again. Following Jesus rewards the steadfast with a grant. I’m
5589.84 still in your Bible. I just dropped to the third and final vignette that’s given here because as Jesus is heading up to Jerusalem. Had you heard?
5596.56 He’s heading up to Jerusalem. I don’t know if you heard, but he’s going up there to the Passover. And the Bible says he’s going to be handed over into
5602.8 the hands of sinful men. He’s going to be crucified. And on the third day, Come on and help
5608.96 me preach. I don’t mind. On the third day, he’s going to rise again. Now, this is good because while he’s going,
5616.96 your Bible says there are two blind men on the side of the road
5622.88 begging and they heard that Jesus was passing by. Now, you got to understand these two
5629.12 blind men because of their preexisting condition are relegated to the side of the road. There are some lawmakers that
5636.32 don’t want them to have access to Medicare and Medicaid and so they are relegated to the side of the road. They
5642.56 are dealing with the reality that some people want to keep everybody beneath them and only raise those who are like
5649.52 them. And so they are relegated to the side of the road. They they have to deal with the reality that just because they
5656.8 have some malady. Folk think there is inferiority in their lives. And no, we
5662.96 got to understand malady and inferiority are not synonymous when it comes to the
5669.199 divinity of our church Jesus. And so your Bible says that they’re hollering out after Jesus. Mark says that while
5675.6 they’re hollering out that that the folk in the crowd, as a matter of fact, Mark’s gospel says the leaders in the
5681.04 crowd told them to be quiet. Don’t miss that. That the leaders are telling them to be
5688.0 quiet. It don’t take all that. Sat down somewhere. We don’t do that here. You
5694.0 know, I know that’s never been said anywhere in this Lord’s church, but there are some people who when they’re
5699.52 making noise, other folk get an attitude and they don’t want them to make the
5704.88 noise beyond for Jesus that they are making. And so, here it is. Here’s the problem. These guys are holling out
5711.76 after Jesus. And your Bible says that Jesus stood still.
5717.92 You got to catch it. Don’t miss all the details of the text. These leaders are telling them to be quiet. It don’t take
5723.679 all that. It’s interesting that the ones who already have what they need don’t want other folk to get what they need as
5730.4 well. You got to be careful when somebody is needing something from the Lord that you already have. And you
5736.48 don’t want them to get what you already have. If you blessed with it, why can’t somebody else be blessed with it as
5742.239 well? And so they’re crying out to Jesus. And your Bible says Jesus stood still.
5748.48 Call them to him. He said, « What you want? » Okay, that’s not in your Bible. That’s not the way it’s written in your That’s the hood version. What you want?
5755.92 The King James version says, « What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? » But ain’t none of y’all talking like that anyway.
5764.639 You like me. What do you want? And uh Jesus says, « What you want? » And and when when when when they respond, they
5770.239 said, « Well, we want we want our sight. We want our sight. » Makes sense. We we want our sight. We’ve been out here begging because we want our sight. Now,
5777.12 what’s intriguing to me is that when they’re told to be quiet, your Bible says they got louder.
5784.96 Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.
5790.4 They got louder because they needed what the Lord and only the Lord could provide. They They knew he was the one
5796.0 who could heal. They knew he was the one who could deliver. They knew he was the one who could set them free. And so,
5801.52 they got louder. And that loudness made Jesus stop in his tracks. It literally
5806.639 is the pace from which we get that beloved hymn of the church. Pass me not, oh gentle savior, hear my humble cry.
5814.88 While on others thou art calling, do not pass me by. Savior, Savior, hear my
5822.08 humble cry. While on others thou art calling, do not pass me by. You want
5827.92 your sight? I’ll give you your sight. And your Bible says that now they have sight. Now, I like Matthew’s gospel, but
5835.36 I really do like Mark’s version because Mark’s version says, « As soon as they received their sight, they started
5841.52 praising God. » That was good for about 45% of the room.
5847.36 Your pastor got loud, but everybody else looking at you like, « Okay, I said as soon as they got their sight, they
5854.56 started praising God. » This mic still on? I said, as soon as
5860.32 they got their sight, they started praising God. And I wonder if there’s anybody in church today who’s ever
5866.239 received something from the Lord that you know you didn’t deserve, but God gave it to you anyway that makes you
5872.88 praise God. I call it a grant. Y’all know what a grant is, don’t you? A grant
5879.119 is something you get without any necessary responsibility to pay it back.
5885.36 I don’t know who Mr. Pale is, but I got a Pale grant all the way through college. And I want to thank him so much
5891.04 that I didn’t have to pay it back. And somebody in here understands that when you get a grant from your God, even if
5898.32 you don’t have to pay it back, you ought to pay it forward. E flat, please. And
5903.36 somebody in church this evening ought to help me close this message and begin to testify after all the blessings the Lord
5910.239 has given to me that I know I don’t deserve. I cannot keep this to myself.
5916.8 Every time I think of his goodness, it makes me want to holler and throw up
5922.32 both my hands. Y’all know that one. Is there anybody in church tonight who can testify? Every time I turn around, he
5931.119 keeps on blessing me. So, please excuse me, but you didn’t even have to call it
5936.8 thankful Thursday for me to give him thanks. When I woke up this morning and
5942.719 realized I had brand new mercy, that was reason enough to tell him thank you.
5948.0 When goodness and mercy followed me all day long, that was reason to tell him
5953.04 thank you. When I found out his grace is sufficient for me, that was real enough
5958.08 to tell him thank you. And these men begin to praise God. And your Bible says
5964.08 in Mark’s gospel that after they praise God and after they began to celebrate,
5970.239 everybody else began to celebrate because they realized that God had just
5975.76 granted them something that nobody else could provide. I need you to look back
5981.04 over your life and think about two or three grants that you gotten this week.
5986.719 You don’t have to go back to 1980. You don’t have to go back to 95. You don’t have to go back to 2000. I need you to
5994.0 think of some grants that the Lord granted you this month, this year. And
6000.08 if you’re not too ashamed, if you don’t mind, will you take a page from these
6005.76 blind men and begin to praise God for every mountain he brought you over? For
6013.28 every trial he’s seen you through, uh, for every blessing, somebody ought to
6019.28 shout hallelujah. For this, I give you praise. Is there a witness in the
6025.76 building that God’s been too good for me not to tell him thank you. But it gets
6031.28 even better cuz Luke’s gospel says when the boys started praising that everybody
6037.44 else started praising. But they’re not praising God for what God did for them.
6043.28 They’re praising God for what God did for those other men. And I need you to
6048.48 find somebody seated close to you on a Thursday night and begin to tell them
6054.48 that this praise is not about me. But this praise is because you made it to
6061.04 church tonight. This praise is because you don’t look like everything you’ve been through. this praise is cuz you’re
6068.8 still standing after all the hell you caught and the drama you had to deal with. Is there anybody in this building
6077.84 who can help me praise God? Not just for yourself, but for somebody else. I said,
6084.48 is there anybody in this church who can give God praise? That God healed your
6090.56 pew partner. that God’s taking care of your pew partner’s children that God has raised them up as a testimony that God
6098.639 blessed that family right over there. Is there anybody who can thank God that
6105.6 they didn’t get snuffed out with all that other stuff that got snuffed out, but they’re still here to testify? If it
6114.32 had not been for the Lord who was on my side, I don’t
6120.48 know where I would be. So I feel like giving him glory on a Thursday night cuz
6127.84 he’s been good. I said he’s been good. He’s been kind. He’s been merciful. He’s
6135.84 been longsuffering. He’s blessed me when I didn’t deserve it. So I’ll be
6142.159 steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the
6148.239 Lord. For as much as you know, your
6153.36 labor is not in vain in the Lord. Is
6158.96 there anybody in this church who give him glory?
6170.239 Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
6184.639 Yeah. Yeah.
6189.84 Yeah.
6198.88 And the say that when those men got their sight,
6206.56 watch this, they follow Jesus.
6211.86 [Applause] They follow Jesus. They follow Jesus.
6218.0 Tonight, somebody came to thankful Thursday. Hallelujah. And if he never does
6224.08 anything else, you ought to be thankful that he saved you. He spared you. He
6232.8 included you. And now you have decided
6238.159 to follow Jesus. No turning back. [Applause]
6252.96 Come on, those who are able to stand on your feet all over this place. Let’s give the Lord some praise. I need all
6258.48 the followers of Jesus that don’t mind giving God some praise.
6264.8 My God. My God. Can we celebrate this preacher tonight?
6271.28 I think we do a whole lot better than that. Who needed that reminder word?
6278.719 Who needed that reminder word? Deacons come. Deacons come. Deacons come. Take your seat if you’re able. Deacons come.
6285.52 What a word. What a word. What a word. What a word.
6290.88 What a word. What a word. What a word. What a word. What a word.
6298.56 What a word. Marcus D. Cosby is one of the most
6304.639 gifted preachers of this generation.
6309.96 [Applause] And uh our relationship goes back 35
6319.199 years. Um and he’s been doing this and just been getting better and better. And
6324.639 as we said in the back, good and good. What a preacher.
6330.639 And what a word. I want to take this opportunity for any
6337.36 man, woman, boy, or girl that may be here under the sound of my voice
6342.719 that if you don’t know who Jesus is, you have the opportunity
6348.719 to connect and to follow. Um, there is something to be said.
6355.679 There’s something to be said about being part of community. covenant community.
6363.199 There’s something to be said about being part of the church. And don’t buy into the scandal of the
6369.92 culture that tells you you don’t need church. You need the church and the church needs
6376.32 you. And so I want to invite you first of all to a relationship with God through Jesus
6382.639 Christ. Now, I want to lead you in a short prayer for those of us that know that
6387.92 have that relationship. As we say this prayer, it’s a reminder of the covenant that we made with him. But if this
6395.36 prayer hits you tonight, I want you to make a decision for Christ or his church. All heads bowed, all eyes
6403.199 closed, repeat after me. God, I come because I realize
6408.4 I need you in my life. I believe you
6413.6 sent Jesus to go up to Jerusalem and to be taken in the hands of wicked
6422.239 evil men to be crucified on a cross and three days later you
6429.28 raised him from the dead. I believe that. I believe you are a forgiver of all my
6436.96 sins. I believe that and I believe that you are the granter
6443.679 of my salvation. I believe that. So I want all of that tonight and I
6450.159 believe it’s a gift of grace to me. So I come to you and I thank you
6457.199 for the gift of your salvation. Forgive me. Help me be the person you
6464.0 want me to be in Jesus name. I pray this prayer. Amen. Keep those heads bowed
6470.719 just for a moment. Hear my voice. If you’re under the sound of my voice or you’re watching us online, you prayed
6476.96 this prayer for the very first time in your life and it makes sense. The light has come on. You believe in your head,
6482.32 in your heart, your mind, and your spirit that you have a relationship with God. If you believe that by faith, it is
6488.239 yours. You can’t work for it. It’s given to you by grace. If I’m speaking to you
6493.76 in the house and that prayer was meant for you, do God the wonderful pleasure. Just hold up your hand. Hold up your
6499.119 hand. Hold up your hand. Hold up your hand. Hold up your hand. Hold up your hand.
6504.639 If you’re online and that prayer was meant for you, I want you to do me a favor on Facebook and YouTube. Would you
6509.84 type in salvation in the chat? One of our digital ministers going to reach out to you and let you know what the next
6516.08 steps are. Now, for those that are saved, for those that know who Jesus Christ is, but you
6522.56 don’t have a church home, you’re not connected to a church,
6528.88 I want to offer St. Paul to you. And if St. Paul is not what you want, I got several other pastoral friends in the
6535.199 house that I could send you to. Got one of my sons in the ministry, got several
6540.32 friends in the ministry that we can send you to in this area to get connected to a local church. So if I’m talking to you
6547.44 right now, you don’t have a church home. A Christian without a church is like a
6552.48 fish out of water. You’re still a fish, but you’re drying up because you’re not in right environment to develop.
6560.239 There’s no perfect church. All of us are doing life together. So if I’m talking
6565.679 to you right now, you don’t have a church home, I would love to be your pastor. And I’m going to ask all the
6570.719 pastors in the Charlotte area stand up. If we you don’t want to come here, y’all stand up. All the pastors in Charlotte,
6576.719 stand up. We can send you to another church as well. Amen. We can send you to another church as well. If you don’t
6583.28 have a church home, if you don’t have a church home, if you don’t have a church home, if you don’t have a church home, if you don’t have a church home, if you
6589.84 don’t have a church home, we want you to get connected to a place be planted in
6596.4 good soil. Amen. Amen. We’ve done as commanded. You may be seated. And yet,
6602.0 the Lord is pleased. Let’s give God praise for an incredible night.
6607.6 Who was that sermon for? Who was that sermon for? Who was that sermon for? You all know I believe I believe in the
6614.32 practice of sewing. I believe in the practice of sewing. And so you’re sewing in the good ground. And so we’re not
6620.88 going to pass a basket. We’re not going to, you know, say we want you to go
6626.56 ahead and receive what we call this particular offering. However, if this
6632.88 word blessed you, if this word blessed you, uh I just want
6639.28 you to come and sew. You sow little, you reap little, you sow much, you reap much. We’re not going to pass a basket.
6645.679 You can come wherever you are. If you want to do it on Gilify, you can do it on Giblify. Just put it under offering.
6652.48 Um but you go ahead and if you feel led, you go ahead and come and sew right now.
6659.28 Uh, here you go, Jared.
6664.65 [Music]
6675.92 Good to see you, Jeff. Good to see you, son. God bless you. God bless you. God
6681.44 bless you. God bless you. Hey, sis. How you doing, dear heart? It’s good to see
6686.8 you. Good to see you. God bless you. God bless you.
6692.159 God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. If you want to do it online, you
6698.48 can give online. Just put it under offering on givey or our
6706.4 uh website. God bless you. God bless you. God bless
6711.52 you. God bless you. God bless you. What a preacher. What a preacher. What a
6718.08 preacher.
6725.44 God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. Listen, we’re getting ready to go. We’re getting ready
6732.159 to go. We’re getting ready to go. We have heard from heaven in a very clear way.
6740.639 Next Thursday, I’m not going to say we going to go higher because it ain’t about competition.
6746.639 Amen. Um, we just going to go. Amen. Amen. Uh, my friend and brother Dr.
6752.719 William Houston Curtis will be our preacher on next Thursday and uh, you
6757.92 don’t want to miss him. Uh, he will bless you immensely. Uh, to David and
6763.84 Ariel is so glad you all were able to make it to the house of the Lord. We
6769.28 thank God for you today. Thank God for you.
6774.88 We get ready to get out of here. Um, getting ready to get out of here. Getting ready to get out of here. The
6780.56 memorial service for brother Curtis Howard is Saturday at noon, quiet hour at 11. And so for those that want to
6787.52 come and share in his homegoing, you can come and do that as well. Uh, let’s
6792.56 celebrate this preacher one more time. Amen. If he bless you, go ahead and give
6798.96 God praise.
6806.04 [Applause] Thank you. Thank you, friend. Thank you,
6811.599 friend. Um, he has just been consistent like that. Um, and um, I still remember
6818.96 when you preached at Hampton a couple of years ago, how you blessed us and you continue to do it all over this country.
6825.52 We’re going to go ahead and stand. Going to go ahead and stand.
6833.92 Oh, thank you, Kelly. Again, someone in the
6840.639 uh gym, you left your bag and your phone. Anybody missing a bag and a
6847.04 phone? Anybody missing a bag? Don’t be shamed.
6854.88 Amen. You going to need this phone. And I ain’t trying to figure out what’s in your bag.
6861.52 What’s that tweet? Okay. All right. Okay. Look like they got some tennis
6867.92 shoes. All right. I ain’t going to be that nosy. All right. All right. We’ve come
6875.44 to worship. We now depart to serve. Thank you choir for giving us incredible
6880.48 music. Thank you musicians. [Applause]
6885.76 Thank you Scott. And thank you Mike. Thank you all so much. All heads bowed. All eyes closed. God, we have heard from
6891.28 heaven in an incredible way through your servant, Dr. Marcus Cosby.
6896.88 Thank you for granting him traveling grace and mercy on this week. And as he
6902.56 prepares to go back to Houston and to the Wheel Avenue church, but more importantly to his family, give he and
6909.04 his son the traveling grace that is so necessary, especially in uncertain times like these.
6915.52 And then God, as we leave from this place and space, but never from your power nor your providential care, keep
6922.239 us until we come back together again. It is in Jesus name we do pray and in his
6927.84 name we claim it done. Let every heart that truly believe say amen. Amen. God bless you all. You all have a
6934.56 safe night. I think you’re waiting until
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