New Life, New Community | Message Title: Counterfeit Community | Pastor Bryan Powe

Thank you, collective worship, right? I want

to say it was Thursday. You know, I was praying

about this moment and envisioning this moment.

And this song came on and I just immediately

just broke down weeping in tears. And I can look

across the room and see some of you guys get

the message. But just so that we can come together

in this moment. This song. It resonated so deeply.

Because if there's one thing that you want to

do when you find yourself where God wills you

to be, is you want to slow down. That you don't

want to miss what God is doing. And today we're

starting a new sermon series, new life, new community.

objective of this message in this series is to

get us to really perceive what God is doing.

And that's my prayer that many of you guys will

realize that you're actually in the middle of

what God is doing. That you haven't been randomly

going through life and you didn't accidentally

end up here today, this Sunday morning, that

the decisions were the right or wrong. that God

hasn't mismanaged your life. And when you start

to realize that in his great love, his great

care, his sovereignty, that you are where God

wants you to be, you start to look at life differently.

And you stop thinking about the next thing you

can do, you start slowing down that ambition

a little, and you start to really say, you know

what, God, I don't wanna miss Where you designed

for me to be I? Told him in first service that

one of the reasons regret Hurts so much. It's

because regret is just evidence that you mismanaged

something you thought was going to be in plentiful

supply and It turns out it was sacred It turns

out it was sacred. So now you're looking back

regretting because you thought you were gonna

have more conversations You thought you were

going to have more opportunities and you realized

that moment I was in was actually precious. And

so the aim of this moment, this time, is to get

for some of us to realize that guess what? You're

actually where God wants you to be. Now whether

or not you got stories of victory spewing out

of your mouth or you're presently pressing through

situations You're where God wants you to be And

I woke up I was sitting in that room I was in

my office at my home and just thinking about

what I had on my agenda that day I was thinking

about you know, all the problems that were gonna

be solved the prayers I was asking to be answered

and God said boy slow down I'm here. We're here.

You're in the midst of what I'm doing. Enjoy

my presence. Enjoy this time. You don't want

to get two months from now and realize that this

was precious. That this was beautiful. I'm looking

around this room right now and I'm just seeing

things that are beautiful to me. I'm seeing.

Husbands and wives worshiping next to each other

Seeing kids families together He gripping his

wife this couple's matching and y 'all look fly

God slows down But let's let's appreciate the

moments that are precious let's appreciate your

presence and let's appreciate what you were doing.

And so I want to bring you guys into this moment

because this series is predicated upon us really

slowing down in some moments. Being thankful.

Being thankful. Thankful for what, Pastor Brian?

That you're no longer doomed to damnation. thankful

that you've been resurrected into an eternal

life, that joy truly is coming in the morning,

whether that morning is here on earth or that

morning is heaven, joy is my future. Slow me

down and let me not lay down the greatest gift

I was given, which was salvation. Listen, look

around, you're looking at a bunch of redeemed

people. You're looking at a bunch of people who

were doomed on the path to death Jesus stepped

in Made them righteous Covered them forgave them

redeemed them brought them into his marvelous

light A bunch of people who are no longer lost,

they are found. Woo! Woo! Gotta slow down sometimes

and see what God is doing. See what God has done.

The Bible tells us that we enter into his case

with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise.

And I'm just giving you something to be thankful

about this morning. is done look what the Lord

has done look what the Lord has done some of

y 'all never thought you would step foot in a

church and here you are look what the Lord has

done now you may be here curious and wondering

this new day yeah he's doing a new thing have

you slowed down to see it to perceive it to embrace

it and to enjoy it I gotta talk about you cuz

I seen you this week Deacon Andre he just won

his live and he just said I love it, too. He

just was talking about how good God's been. And

you've seen the joy rise up on him. He was sitting

there. He was talking. He just said, woo! Woo!

I'm not going to tell his testimony. He'll tell

his own testimony. But look what the Lord has

done. Slow us down, God. Open up our eyes of

understanding. Just one more time. Just give

it to us one more time. about to rise up say

everybody stop everybody stop everybody pause

check this out follow me I'm gonna say something

we we all arguing right now I need y 'all to

stop and I need y 'all to look at what the Lord

has done there's people alone in hospitals but

we're here together our text we have in them

in. I know some of y 'all forgot when you was

praying for the marriage you complained about

right now. You forgot what you'd have forgotten.

It was the gift from the Lord. Slow me down,

God. Let me not forget what you've done. Let

me not forget what you've done. Let me appreciate

what you've done with hopes of what you're going

to do. I thank you for this moment and I thank

you for this time to come and to minister your

word. I pray that your Holy Spirit illuminates

your truth. We cannot expect to come to your

word in our own understanding with our own minds

and in our flesh. So in this moment, God, we're

asking for your Holy Spirit to lead the way,

to be the guide, to illuminate what you have

for us today. And we pray that as a result that

we are edified, that we are sharpened, and what

we produce will bring glory to you. But then

more than anything, God, we are thankful. And

we say thank you. We say thank you. We say thank

you. We say thank you for calling us out of darkness

into this marvelous light, for redeeming our

souls from damnation, for giving us an inheritance

that we didn't earn nor we deserve. And we thank

you. for calling us sons and daughters of yours.

A title we don't earn, we couldn't earn, and

we don't deserve. But you, out of your kindness

and your love, have given us the most precious

gift. And we say thank you. In your precious

name, we pray the name above all names. Y 'all

say with me, Jesus, amen, amen. We'll love on

somebody next to you. We about to get into this.

I love this. Look at your neighbor say, new life,

new, new life, new community. And this moment

is a prophetic moment. that God told us that

we would enter into this time and this part of

the year. And he said, it's because he, and he

gave some frames, some time frames. He said,

this fall, saw August, that he was going to begin

to enlarge his church. That he was gonna begin

to enlarge his church. And with that, We took

that word of the Lord serious and said well,

how are we to prepare? his people for what he's

going to do and The first step in that it was

our truth collection called follow me Because

the worst thing that can happen When new people

are coming into the body is for people in the

body not to have the boldness to say follow me

People are coming in lost broken confused yet

those who truly have something to be thankful

for are unwilling to just say something as simple

as follow me and The truth of the matter is many

of us Won't say it because we're unwilling to

slow down To bring somebody into what we've been

the beneficiaries of We're thinking about schedules,

our agendas, and we just don't see space to allow

somebody to get that close. Y 'all know, you

done moved from ceramic tile to custom hardwood

floors. No scratch easy, pastor. Can't just have

everybody in here with their shoes on. But look

at your neighbor and say, do you remember when?

When what, pastor? When someone who was bigger

than you slowed down for you. None of us have

got to where we are alone. All of us have had

people who were willing to slow down, give a

word of encouragement, slow down, invite us in.

slow down and give us opportunities to understand

things we did not know. And then the greatest

concern became, man, how are we supposed to row

the church while remaining unwilling of doing

what really won many of us? It wasn't so much

the messages on the stage, but the interactions

we had with people in the aisles. Once the message

was taught, truthfully, it was the holy conversations

around that message that began to transform our

lives. People with incredible marriages was willing

to talk to you in your raggedy marriage. They

invited you out to dinner to expensive restaurants

at the risk of ruin a good meal over your bad

conversation, yet they did it. You know, in your

single season, a season seen you getting wild

up in the church was like, boy, if you don't

slow down, you're gonna find yourself entering

into relationships before you actually see the

one. We do things a little different in the body.

Y 'all rocking with me. And I know that as God,

begins To call on people to draw in their hearts

to come to his body we as his body Have to do

our assignment Be those people that realize it's

impossible for someone to experience new life

without being surrounded by new community That

many of us are going to have to you know Do some

things y 'all know we don't like You know, no

new friends. But unfortunately, people desperately

need your friendship. I already turned here and

I forgot to tell y 'all. Go to Acts 2 in 42 because

we're gonna be looking at this text as we begin

this journey. Y 'all know I like a good journey.

But this year has been all about new life, that's

why it's on the wall. And God said that he's

gonna take us from graves to glory, graves to

glory, that as this year progressed, that he

would show us graves, which are just symbolic

places of death for a believer, and show us how

to go from that grave into glory, what he wants

to see us do. And so every time we get to a new

series we talk about what was promised and then

we begin to discuss the path of how we go from

graves to glory I'm gonna see if y 'all been

remember this statement because to every promise

there's what? Boy, I love y 'all. Whoo. I love

y 'all. I Love y 'all to every promise. There

is a path and many believers They come into churches

and they hear promises and never stick around

for the path The Bible would describe that as

misguided zeal, misdirected zeal. Anytime you

hear what God can do and you don't stick around

to hear how he wants to do it with you, you are

running off of what we would call a hype, but

no substance. And so we know what God has promised

is that we should have a spiritual family. Here

at Reveal the Truth Ministries, our spiritual

family is founded on Jeremiah 33 and six. so

on the wall peace prosperity security stability

health healing and truth that that was a promise

that was given to new jerusalem jeremiah gave

that prophecy of what the church would experience

as a result of the resurrection of jesus christ

and so our vision is that people would experience

all those things but here's the problem church

i want to hear the problem you're supposed to

experience that collectively not individually

That that promise is given to a group of people

not an individual But we haven't slowed down

enough to realize that I may need you When I'm

not feeling the peace that God has promised so

that you can remind me of the peace God promised

That truthfully there's people that represent

those things those reality those spiritual truths

in your life That receiving that isn't an individual

journey. It's a group project Y 'all rocking

with me that Unfortunately many people have turned

a we gospel into a you message That they're hearing

truth and they're thinking about themselves Not

the part they play and how it brings together

wholeness for us all Y 'all rocking with me.

I'm seeing how much I can go before y 'all start

checking out y 'all doing good And it says and

they look at that they Devoted themselves to

the Apostles teaching and the fellowship into

the breaking of bread and the prayers and all

Came upon how many souls church? Every soul And

many what, church? Wonders and signs were being

done through the apostles. And all who believe

were worth church together. And they had all

things in common. I wanna pause right there because

this is where you're starting to see the framework

of spiritual community. Many people hear that

as spooky community, but it's spiritual community.

Because here's the truth the way you become a

part of any family unit is three ways right that

you're either married into a family Born into

the family and check out this last one adopted

into a family That the only way you can become

part of anybody's family is marriage birth or

adoption and Guess what? The Bible says we've

been we've been adopted So look at your neighbor

and say, what's up, cuz? That we have all been

adopted into a spiritual family. A spiritual

family that isn't united by different bloods,

but by one blood. That isn't united based on

the color of their skin or where they were born.

That they're united based on a deposit That the

same Holy Spirit that lives in me lives in you

And so we all have far more in common than we

ever have different because the same power I

have you have The same wisdom I have access to,

you have access to. The same spiritual blessings

I have access to, you have access to. Why? Because

we all have been adopted into what is called

a spiritual family, and the Holy Spirit is that

united agent amongst us all. That's how you can

know somebody, you know naturally for five years

and y 'all ain't on the same page then you meet

somebody in the church in one month and y 'all

just start sharing things that you never told

anybody before but they've heard from the Lord

you've heard from the Lord and you find out that

God has been speaking to both of you via the

Spirit about the same things and now you have

a deeper connection with someone you just met

there's someone you know for five years Church

that's not an accident is divine that is God

calling you into a family calling you into a

community that truthfully upon saying yes to

Jesus knows more about who you are than sometimes

the mama that raised you your mama might be like

that's a bad business idea Because the only reason

you have to do it is you've heard from the Lord

She's thinking about the optics You go sheriff

one of your brothers and sisters of Christ. God

told me to start this business. They say God

told you That same word With your spiritual command

the community says you better go do that thing

now But what about this what about you better

throw all them butts out the door if God has

told you to do a thing look at me Do it My mama

said I shouldn't yo mama don't know She don't

your daddy Some of y 'all your best friends You

know, I was supposed to save this example to

another week, but I'm gonna put it here It turns

out that church is the only institution Where

we expect to go from level to level without changing

who's around us It's amazing because at this

time of the year we're having to pray over Elementary

kids who are going to middle school and middle

schoolers who are going to high school because

by default elevation means new surroundings Church

is the only place where you figure you can go

from glory to glory Surrounded by people telling

that same story. No Look at him say, new life,

new community. So he says that all things in

common, not sameness, but spiritual realities,

spiritual truths, and they can talk about what

God is doing, what God is saying. Check this

out and they were selling their possessions and

belongings and distributing the proceeds to all

as any had need and day by day Attending the

temple together and breaking bread in their homes

I love this because it speaks about the repetition

the rhythm if you notice that they went to the

temple and in their homes So when speaking of

they didn't just worship together on Sunday,

they ate together on Mondays. And they gave as

each one had a need. What are you saying, Pastor

Brian, that it's expected that as spiritual family,

that man, anything my brothers and sisters are

in need of, I should be willing as spiritual

brothers and sisters to make sure they have what

they need. But you gotta catch the minor notes

here, is they weren't getting away everything,

because they still have food to eat, they still

had houses to go to. It was speaking of those

who have access, excess, that there are times

that as a family, some family members is doing

better than other family members. And I know

you get mad at your natural family because they

can't seem to catch the clue. That this is your

struggle season. Why is there overcoming season?

Some of y 'all cousins can win the lottery and

you still got to ask them for $5 Do they remember

you still owe them $10, right? You just won the

lottery. What is wrong with your heart? Y 'all

would talk about this. Maybe you the one that

won the lottery, huh? What I'm saying is that

we do feel and I don't want you to hear these

things strange Hopefully over these weeks you'll

understand that we should feel a greater inclination

to give towards our spiritual family than at

times our natural family. Some of us have ended

up in that problem. Y 'all know the words, how

you up to serving them like that and you ain't

been to 10 Thanksgivings? Because every time

I get around y 'all I forget who I am Now you

don't want to hear that And I'm trying to maintain

grace for your redemption. I don't want to be

your stumbling block But you remind me of who

I used to be don't want to be ain't looking to

be no more But many of us I'll stay in pace They

receive I know They were that was good they received

some people saying oh, but how slow you know

They receive their food with glad and generous

hearts praising God Check this out having favor

with all people And the Lord added to their number,

day by day, those who were being saved. What

promises are we seeing here about biblical community

is that the promises of God, favor, miracles,

signs, and wonders were never meant to be experienced

in isolation. That they were always experienced

amongst, look at your neighbor say, community.

And here's the truth. Many people don't need

another sermon. They need holy conversations.

That moment here we're looking into was the birthing

of the church. The birthing of the first community

of people who will come together and say, I believe

that the Lord Jesus Christ died in me. He rose

again. And they knew how precious that was, how

necessary it was for them to dwell amongst each

other, to be with each other. They understood

that there are things that we have in common

that people who have no relationship with God

don't know anything about. And so the title of

my message today is simply this, counterfeit

community. Because the reality is many of us

believe that we are amongst the community that

Jesus wants us to be amongst and the truth is

we aren't and many people are like Abraham understanding

where the promised land is understanding that

it's yours to possess understanding what God

can do but unable to enter in because the community

you're supposed to enter in isn't ready. The

promised land wasn't just for Abraham. It was

for his community. And when the community wasn't

ready, the journey paused on the outside. I'm

saying this because I've seen so many believers

So full of ambition, so I got an incredible work

ethic and I'm like, that's great But where are

your people Boy y 'all really not rocket would

be on this one some y 'all like I don't know

where they at You tell me your guess is as good

as my guess pastor In short, your community is

actually surrounding you right now. But for many

of us, we don't even know the people in this

room. No, I know who your natural family is.

I'm talking about who are the spiritual people

God has called you to be surrounded by? To experience

everything he promised I'm saying where them

folks Y 'all rocking with me It's amazing and

I totally put this up Put this image up on the

stage, I don't know how many of you guys have

been paying attention to what's been going on

in the world right now Seem I like nothing not

at all pastor lion Y 'all got y 'all got my image

they're gonna put it up, but if you notice over

the over the weekend something Crazy has been

going down right that Y 'all know y 'all ever

heard of AP watches Some y 'all like what's the

AP watch well an AP watch This watch over here

on this left -hand side the one that's surrounded

by all them diamonds some of y 'all like is that

what is that them diamonds? AP watches have a

wide range Entry -level prices start around $20

,000 to $30 ,000 to get an AP watch some of y

'all right now. That's why I don't know what

that is You could have said that that's right

While more popular versions $45 ,000 to $120

,000. And rare ones, like the one that's in this

image, cost a half a million dollars. If you

see somebody with an AP watch on, they either

have arrived or have enough to pretend they have

arrived. But either way, they doing all right.

But over the weekend AP decided to do a collaboration

He me all ever heard of swatch The mobile is

upstairs the International Mall next to the Apple

Store, you know what I'm talking about Nice -looking

watches great deals past them Well AP decided

to do a collaboration watch with swatch and They

announced this week That the prices would start

at $400 now For everybody who's been wanting

an AP watch this sounded like the opportunity

of a lifetime But to anybody who already had

an AP watch this sounds like the most devaluing

moment that could have ever arrived. I paid that

much because people didn't have access to it.

I paid that much because the real thing only

increases in value. It's precious. It's worth

having. It's worth sacrificing for. It's worth

giving more than what you normally would because

it will only increase in value over time. So

I put my life savings in a watch because it carries

increasing value all the way up to the introduction

of counterfeits and so while some people were

celebrating check this out the lowering of standards

While some people were celebrating compromise

while some people were celebrating The availability

and easy access to what was precious another

group was nervous And so this weekend when y

'all in line I Knew some y 'all knew So this

weekend, they released them. $400. People were

in line since Thursday, sleeping outside of the

stores so they can get their hands on one of

these watches in hope that the counterfeit could

be just as valuable as the real thing. Y 'all

be working. And so. They found out on Friday

that the ones that were going to be released

on Saturday ain't have straps on them. That was

hit number one. Because how am I going to have

an AP watch if I ain't got no strap to put it

around my wrist? People were upset, got out of

line. There's spots in line. But some people

stuck around to see if the real, the counterfeit

could ever be as good as the real thing. Saturday,

stores opened up. People get the watches. I wanna

see, put it back up. By Saturday afternoon, they

were sold out everywhere. If you had. one of

these four hundred dollar watches they actually

Increased anywhere between seventeen hundred

and twenty six hundred dollars, so they were

right It did increase in value But the people

who had the real thing Breathe the sigh of relief

Realizing that although the name carries some

value it couldn't duplicate all value Why are

you saying this, Pastor Brad? When you got saved,

you were introduced to real family that has immense

value. Can't be duplicated. It gives you access

to the experience of God's precious promises.

Favor, mercy, grace, redemption. These things

can't be duplicated. Yet many of us have stayed

subscribed to the counterfeit version because

it still has some value. We yet to realize it

doesn't have ultimate value. What are you saying

Pastor Bryant? I'm not saying that you should

get rid of your family. I'm just saying you should

reorganize the priority. Now I know I'm on thin

ice. But I need you to hear this. The church

is the only place where people think they can

go from glory to glory without having to change

what's around them. And like I say, it's not

a matter of getting rid of people, but it's time

for some of you guys to reprioritize your community.

There are people who you've never met that know

more about what God is gonna do in your life

than people who have known you your whole life.

And God is waiting on you to slow down and start

prioritizing what's around you so you can enter

into what he's promised you. for saying that.

Thank you. Thank you. I'm just doing it for myself.

Thank you pastor for opening our eyes of understanding

and giving us clarity of what's been going on

in our lives because we've been trying to take

elementary school level friends to college. And

you're somewhere in between the real AP and the

swatch. Asking somebody to value it like it's

real. Woo! So. I'm gonna give you something.

It's a audit of your circle. I'm asking you to

slow down this week and consider these questions

I'm about to give to you. I want you to think

about the five people you communicate the most

with, not the ones we see you talking to, the

ones you Actually talk to the most think about

the five people you spend the most time talking

to And ask yourself these questions Who is helping

me obey the truth I Know y 'all know a lot about

each other I know y 'all can talk about stories

from way back when. Are any of these stories

stirring up where God is taking you? Because

until they are, you got to swatch baby. The counterfeit.

It got some value, but it ain't got all value.

Ask yourself, who is normalizing compromise?

Who every time I talk about I did something I

wasn't supposed to do, they'd be like, you know,

sometimes it happens to us all. Why are you normalizing

compromise? Why are you making it seem like it's

OK for me to keep failing at the same thing over

and over and over again? And I'm not saying I'm

done talking to you. I'm just say you moved out

of the top five. urbanizing you Hey, and our

phones are so sophisticated now, you can literally

have top friends You can unfriend people they

didn't even know you unfriend them You can set

up your newsfeed to only see the people you want

to see this is amazing As of who sharpens My

convictions. Every time I'm like, man, I really

got to stop doing that. Who says you should?

And I'm thinking today. You got any of them,

folks? Because if they like, hey, you know, you've

been redeemed from the curse girl. That's true.

But the application of it in this context, It's

keeping me in elementary. Can we talk? I already

know my life has been redeemed from destruction.

Thank you. Can we get some meat into this conversation?

Are we gonna keep drinking this milk? Boy, y

'all looking at me like. Pass the cold bro, can

I get another week? I Had plans this week and

ain't none of them in that top five I Asked my

daughter something the other day. I'm just doing

this to help y 'all swallow this message As my

daughter this the other day, um, she's in the

third grade she's going to fourth grade And she's

already nervous about the fifth grade. I said,

why Amber? She said, because then I have to leave.

I said, leaving is a part of growing. She said,

she says, no daddy, I'm going to have to make

all new friends. I said, you might, but you're

a friendly girl. Stay friendly. We got to do

this. Look at your neighbor. Don't look at me.

Maybe you're nervous because you stop being nice.

I'm not afraid of new people because I'm a nice

person I'll walk in the room. Well ready to love

on everybody I'm not caring the trauma of what

happened to me from people that are no longer

a part of my surroundings I'm not fearing new

relationships because I'm so bent out of shape

out of past relationships Jesus has set me free

and who the Sun set free is free indeed I'm asking

some of y 'all to exercise your freedom walk

in your healing happen again it could you know

what you do you dust off your feet but you have

to refuse to believe that you can get to where

God is taking to you to while staying surrounded

by everything he's trying to grow you from I

said Amber and answer this question I said Amber

You like your school, don't you? She says, yes.

She says, all my friends are there. I say, yeah.

I said, OK. I said, can I ask you something?

She was like, what? I said, how many sixth graders

do you see walking around your elementary school?

I'm like, nah, I don't see no middle schoolers.

Walking around the elementary school. I said

you wouldn't know why They discovered something

look at your neighbor The best is yet to come

Some y 'all moved out the neighborhood why you

don't come by no more You don't swing by like

you used to You don't let me ride with you no

more. Uh, why you ain't calling me up after you

did that? I'll never forget this last thing.

I'm gonna say that we'll go home last question

last one is and Who keeps softening them talking

about your convictions? Who is helping me obey

the truth? who is normalized and compromised,

who sharpens my conviction, and who keeps softening

me. Slow down this week, ask yourself those questions

of the top five people you talk to on a weekly

basis, and then that will let you know whether

or not you have a godly community or whether

you've been operating in a counterfeit version.

And it's not that you're getting rid of people,

you're reorganizing your communication. Because

you don't need another sermon. You need hold

of your conversations that are going to draw

the God in you straight up out of you Bible tells

us that we are to motivate ourselves To works

good works But I'll never get it My father which

I'm excited, right? Talk about graves to glory,

right? This is one of those moments. Every time

I feel like there's a big shift happening spiritually,

I just do something that's significant to me.

Because if you're wondering why I'm dressing

a little different today, this is like my daddy's

time. And I was like, I'm just going to add a

little modern spin to it. But you know, I truly

felt that there was a major shift in where he's

taking us. I embody things like that. But my

father Had such a reputation Where he was from

Mobile, Alabama? That he truly realized he couldn't

return Mind you our family reunion was in Mobile,

Alabama every year Almost our crime because I

I remember seeing his face and what he was saying.

I realize now, at my age, how hard it was for

him to say what he said. When I say they've said

so many things about him, and I'm saying this

knowing that some of them could potentially be

listening, but y 'all, y 'all, we family, right?

Because I might lose some of them telling y 'all

the truth I'm just being real that's what it

is sometimes And so but it's my life It's truth

It was so bad We as his kids Never experienced

a family reunion And I remember we were talking

to him because we felt as though He was keeping

us from our family. And we weren't connecting.

The worlds. The hurts, the pains that we couldn't

do it, we weren't weren't old enough, mature

enough to understand that. But eventually, through

so much pressing. He said, I'll make a phone

call. And if you knew my daddy, you probably

imagine how this phone call went. He called him

up. He said, I'm still unwilling to go to Mobile,

Alabama. But on behalf of my kids, I will pay

to bring all y 'all to Tampa, Florida. If you

want to see me. You gonna have to meet the new

me. The things they called him, he was genuine

in what he was saying. That's exactly what we

expected you to say. You think you done got rich

and ran off and now you can just push your money

on all of us and they didn't realize he didn't

even want to call you then. He was just trying

to oblige his kids. He was done. But he always

kept the door open. You could come to Tampa,

Florida whenever you want. God continued to bless

him in such a way that he told him, if you come

to Tampa, Florida, I'll pay for your move and

I'll get you jobs. God continued to bless him

Listen not just you I'll get your husband a job

your wife a job. I'll make sure your kids are

set up He said but I'm not going to Mobile, Alabama

Some of y 'all know my auntie Lucretia my uncle

T They said we ready to leave Mobile, Alabama,

too They came on down turned out the offer was

real He meant every word But just to give y 'all

a funny story right eventually I Want to say

maybe five years after that moment He finally

said y 'all want to go see where I'm from. We

said sure He flew us to Mobile, Alabama At this

point, you know, we we was pretty deep as pose

He had rented two black Denali Suburbans They

pull up to the airport we walk out there looking

like Targets We hopped in these blacked out Suburbans

We riding around I gotta tell y 'all this piece

I Was in the one with him. He said I want to

take y 'all To where I grew up And so he starts

driving to that side of the town He said guys

it's funny like now people say you grew up on

the other side of the tracks He said it was literal

tracks. We drove over the tracks. He's like man.

He's like listen, it's so we drove the tracks

He's like, yeah, he said man when I lived here,

we will wait For people to come across them tracks

that didn't belong here And as soon as they came

across the tracks, they didn't realize that you

can't just get up out of here There's like a

u -turn there a you as he's talking He was like

y 'all we got to go he realized I'm the target

now Get us up out of here He went to take us

on a memory trip and realized bro. You don't

fit in here no more You the target He said man

he swung us by that family reunion Never ate

fish and grits so fast before my life He said

y 'all We got to go but we knew he was out of

water anyway When he told us the list of hotel

accommodations and we was all like we got to

stay there He's like this is what I was trying

to tell y 'all for the last 20 years y 'all don't

belong here I Know I'm adding a little a little

levity, a comity to this, because I understand

the context of what is being asked of you. I

just pray that you are perceiving what God is

saying and doing. And respecting, hear what I'm

about to say, respecting what God has done with

your life. There may not be a lot of natural

evidence, but you know the transformation. Respect.

what God is doing. And command that the people

around you respect what God is doing. Father,

we thank you for this moment.