The Gospel According To "Good Trouble"

and we have to deal with that as well so we want to talk about some of the things that take place by way of public policy that we have to be aware of that we have to educate ourselves on so we can be better advocates and we can engage in activism to bring about a permanent change in our community so all of us can flourish and have access to life-giving life-sustaining resources so we left city hall where we talked about where public policies are made to impact primarily black and other communities of color and we stand down here behind me what was shingle mountain which was a toxic waste dump right here in the city that was right next door to marsha jackson's literally her backyard and so through activism advocacy and action we were able to get those shingles removed but the fight is still far from over because the city of dallas still has racist zoning policies that impact many of the residents who live here in floral farms and so while the shingles maybe have been removed we have to make sure all the toxic waste has not seeped down into the land and so for us we want to make sure we continue to be involved in environmental justice work because we want to make sure that all of us have access to fresh air and clean water and this is just one of the many places in our part of town where we have toxic waste and toxic dung that impacts the health of those that we love and so as we continue to fight for justice in terms of environmental just another area that concerns us is economic justice one of the things that proliferates our neighborhoods particularly our black neighborhoods our payday loan and auto title loan stores where they charge such excessive interest rates and rollover fees it traps people into a cycle of debt so we want to also make sure that we do our part to have right policy public policies that make fair lending practices so those that must go get small dollar loans can do so without being trapped into debt so this is yet another policy issue that we have to be concerned about and engaged in so we have talked about many issues that are taking place here in the city of dallas but it happens all across this country in many of our areas where black and brown people live and so now we conclude this tour of our city right here on this sacred ground this ground where former enslaved african americans founded this area of dallas and so for me i remember and i think about all of their tenacity their self-determination to make it in spite of what they found themselves up against by way a bad public policy and so i think it's incumbent upon all of us to do our part to engage in this ongoing struggle for justice peace love and liberation because while we may deal with so many examples of material and punishments in our communities whether it's environmental racism economic injustice police brutality and the list goes on and on food justice what we have to remember is that we still do not lack that we still have all that we need to create a world in our communities that allows all of us to flourish because we are not lacking and we don't have a deficit when it comes to our rich culture and our rich heritage we don't lack when it comes to our innovation our imagination and we suddenly do not lack in our belief in a god who cares about us who loves us and who wants to make sure that our lives between sundays is still full and allows us to flourish and be all that god has called all of us to be so we're asking you will you join us partner with us and become a justice partner today [Music] good evening good morning friendship west and this is rev jerry smith and i want to welcome you uh and welcome to such a blessed special day today is such an honor 42 years ago our senior pastor dr frederick douglass hayes iii stood up in the paul pitt and preached his very first sermon so how would we know 42 years ago that god was creating a blessing for us so can we all give wherever you are give dr haynes a hand as god has blessed to see god thought about us even when we weren't thinking about ourselves we welcome all of our guests and visitors and our members to our worship service today let's open up with a word of prayer lord how we thank you for you woke us up this morning lord you gave us an opportunity that we may bless and glorify your holy name so sanctify us right now father god that we may be uh used for your glory for your honor that all the songs bless you let all the preaching word uh bless you let all that we do bless you father god and let us not forget to pray for our community lord god who is under attack father god of their rights and their privileges afforded them in this country father god lord move the politicians father god move those in charge father got to stand up for justice to stand up for truthful we fought lord god too long for all that we tried to gain and lord that many in our family lord that are sick and shutty and lord god wondering where my next meal is going to come from lord we pray for mercy from this government we pray for mercy for those lord god who have father god open your hearts minds and souls open your wallets that we may continue to do the ministry that we've been called to so we just say thank you lord god we pray right now for our children as they prepare to get their minds prepared to go back to school lord strengthen them in a mighty way now use us lord god like only you know how in jesus the christ's name we pray lord god amen amen bless you [Music] [Music] [Music] somebody told me when you get in trouble somebody told me [Music] [Applause] [Music] i know he will bring [Music] [Applause] [Music] when you get in trouble [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] just look on your teeth [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] somebody [Applause] [Music] somebody told me [Music] [Music] always [Music] [Applause] [Music] i [Music] do you know [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] oh [Music] so much [Music] he's [Music] [Music] [Music] hey [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] wow like [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] uh [Music] yes [Music] [Applause] hey [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] please [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] hey [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] hallelujah his name is excellence in all the earth that's some good news right there because a lot of us can testify that his name jehovah's iowa he's excellent in providing his name is elohim he's excellent in creation his name is elohim he is excellent in all the earth hallelujah hallelujah [Music] hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah we praise god for our music ministry they are on fire they know something about the excellence of our god whose name is excellent in all the earth that means wherever you are god's name shows up as excellent i like that if even if you're in the zoom zone room what's up zoom zoom room god's name is excellent right there where you are god bless you and god keep you thank you so much to our music ministry i want to call your attention to a passage of scripture found in the book of nehemiah we're continuing our theme for this month on black excellence and we're lifting up today nehemiah chapter 6 beginning at the 10th verse i'm going to read in your hearing from the message translation of the 11th century hebrew text it reads now when i went into the house of shemiah the son of delia the son of who was confined to his home he said let us meet together in the house of god within the temple let us close the doors of the temple for they are coming to kill you by night they are coming to kill you by night but i said should should such a man as i run away and what man such as i could go into the temple and live i will not go in and i understood and saw that god had not sent him but god had pronounced the prophet but he had pronounced the prophecy against me because tobiah sambalin had hired him for this purpose he was hired that i should be afraid and act in this way in sin so they could give me a bad name in order to taunt me remember tobiah and sambalet oh my god according to these things that they did and also the prophetess noediah and the rest of the prophets who wanted to make me afraid so the wall was finished on the 25th day of the month elul in 52 days when all our enemies heard of it all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our god moreover in those days the nobles of judah sent many letters to tobiah and tobias letters came to them for many in judah were bound by oath to him because he was the son-in-law of shekinah the son of arah and his son jeho hanan had taken the daughter of meshulam the son of barakaya as his wife and they spoke of his good deeds in my presence and reported my words to him and tobiah sent letters to make me afraid i want to put a tag on this text and for a few moments with your prayers i'd like to use as a subject from which to preach the gospel according to good trouble the gospel according to good trouble the year was 1998 and john lewis the late congressman was on a book signing tour he came to friendship west the book was a memoir of the movement but also a chronicle of his own life story the book that john lewis was signing at friendship west on july 7 1998 is entitled walking with the wind walking with the wind is based on a stunning story in the preface of the book the stunning story speaks of john lewis as a child growing up in the country there in alabama in one particular spring john lewis testifies that he and his siblings and cousins were playing outside in front of his aunt's home when all of a sudden the clark the clouds began to darken the rain starts to fall they immediately rush into the house the moment they see lightning flashing in the diff in the distance as they run into the house suddenly they can hear the howling wind beating up against the small fragile frame of that newly constructed home there in the country in alabama according to john lewis as they huddle in a corner some 15 in total his aunt along with his cousins and siblings they find themselves afraid even john lewis says his adult aunt was afraid because the lightning was playing its zigzag games and the thunder was roaring and rolling loudly and then on top of that there was the beating the relentless beating of sheets of rain on the tin roof that let them know that the rain the storm was coming down in a way that was relentless and powerful and then to make matters worse the wind storm was blowing in such a fashion that it created beneath the floor of the small home it it it created ripples in the floor and the aunt then had john lewis his siblings and cousin to go from one end of the house where the 15 of them had gathered to the other end of the house because of the fact that the floor was rising because of the power of the wind and they've used their weight to hold that end of the small house down only to look and see at the other end of the house that the wind had caused the same effect and the aunt led them to rush to that other end of the house john lewis testified that for the duration of that windstorm that wicked windstorm they went from one end of the house using their weight in order to hold the floor down and keep the home from falling apart and then he goes on to unpack that that for him was a metaphorical message about the movement that came to be known as the second reconstruction the civil rights movement because john lewis said it's been the responsibility of persons of good will and conscience don't miss this to find themselves doing everything in their power to keep the fragile home of the democratic experiment known as the united states of america from falling prey to the wicked windstorms of fascism and a confederate mindset and as a consequence john lewis said those persons of conscience and good will whenever they see one end of the democratic house about to blow up they rush to that end of the house and do everything in their power to hold that end of the house down only to discover that another end of the house is of also experiencing that same unraveling and john lewis says that is the continuous promise of the democratic experiment known as america and that is that those of us with conscience do everything in our power to ensure that the small delicate frame stays together well let me unpack that metaphor because someone is listening to me right now i don't know you but god has me and your kool-aid about to call out your flavor because when you look at the message of the metaphor note with me that there was a small frame house that was up against a huge wicked windstorm a small home against a big storm and every now and then it feels like that in life that we are up against something that is much too hard for us to handle the wicked winds of adversity blow and our small homes appear too small to handle what it is we are up against but wait i'm not even done because lewis testified that as soon as they got one aspect of the home together another aspect of the home would be really be ready to come unglued and unravel no wonder shakespeare put it like this when he said the trouble seldom come a single century man they come in battalions when it rains it pours no wonder paul lawrence dunbar poetically put it across the bread and a corner to sleep in a minute to smile but an hour to weep in a pint of joy to a peck of trouble never will laugh but the moans come double and that is life don't miss this my sisters and brothers they small home up against a large storm and someone has tuned in and even right now god is speaking to you because that's exactly how you feel you feel like you are a small home a small frame home in the midst of a large storm too much for you to handle well don't miss the fact that john lewis was also not only speaking of life in general but specifically he was dealing with what he called a memoir of the movement i love that right there a memoir of the movement why because my sisters and brothers he was illustrating what nicole hannah jones was driving at in her classic and illuminating 1619 project the 1619 project says that before you celebrate 1776 you have to understand why 16 you have to understand why 1776 has not lived up to its full potential because it has not dealt with the reality of 1619 you see 1619 undermines the promise of 1776 1776 is a metaphor for liberty and justice for all 1776 says we hold these truths to be self-evident that all are created equal endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights that among these are life liberty and the pursuit of happiness and yet that has not been the case in this country why because 1776 failed to deal with the reality of 1619. and to this day we can't really fully experience the promise of 1776 because we're still being haunted by the pain of 1619. you don't believe it well check this out does it not blow your mind that crystal mason could get five years sentence to prison for casting a provisional ballot a vote that never did count and yet this week someone who tried to overthrow the government violently was only given the slap on a risk of eight months y'all got to understand that that has everything to do with 1776 being sabotaged by 1619 y'all still not getting it do you not understand that when we lost george floyd brianna taylor ahmad are berry and so many others too police violence it's because 1619 continues to undermine 1776 how do you build a mountain of shingles next to a neighborhood in southern dallas you do it because of 1619 sabotaging the meaning of 1776 this nation must come to grips with 16 19 if it's going to experience the promise of 1776. well my sisters and brothers that's exactly what john lewis is declaring john lewis is saying that he and his and his siblings and his cousins and aunt were walking with the wind in order to make sure that 1619 did not undermine the promise of 1776. i got to go ahead and go there because a confederate mindset of 1619 is why texas the most difficult state in the union to cash your vote has decided that they are going don't miss this to make it even harder to cash your vote and they are engaging in voter suppression down in austin led by governor greg abbott who wants to handicap those whose skin has been kissed by nature's son i'm trying to let somebody know it's because greg abbott is really he has a 16 19 mindset while trying to act like he's down with 1776 preach freddie hayes i'm doing the best i can but the shout my sisters and brothers is that there was a cargo of human beings brought over in 1619 and that cargo has spent 402 years trying to make 1776 a truism in these dis united states of america that's exactly what john lewis was testifying about as he said that he spent his life walking with the wind and stirring up good trouble good trouble is when you voluntarily involve yourself insist uh involve yourself in the fight against systems of injustice good trouble is when you stand against all forms of tyranny and treachery and wickedness good trouble is when you make up your mind that you're going to refuse to cooperate with injustice and evil that's called good trouble that's what those representatives did in austin when they got up and said i refuse to cooperate with this injustice of 1619 i'm going to go to dc and they're in dc i'm going to fight for the promise of 1776. well they are getting in good trouble john lewis got in good trouble what is good trouble john lewis testified that his mother told him when he graduated from high school when went to uh nashville tennessee to attend american baptist college there in nashville tennessee john lewis testified that his mother told him don't you go up there getting in trouble with those with that sitting movement and that civil rights movement don't you go up there getting in trouble because according to her that was trouble that was going to eventuate in threats and more trouble and john lewis then redefined it as good trouble because good trouble is when you stir up trouble in order to watch this to make the nation what the nation should become because i've discovered something that really they call you a troublemaker whenever you are standing against that witch which is unjust and so if you stand against racism they call you a race vader instead of dealing with racism if you stand against injustice they call you a troublemaker why because what they are doing is saying that they are stuck and satisfied and they benefit from the status quo and whenever you say no to the status quo you were stirring up trouble but john lewis says it ain't just stirring up trouble it's good trouble and that's what our text reveals as we see nehemiah the bible lets us know that nehemiah had heard about the ruins and the rubble there in jerusalem and he left his cushioned job there in persia and goes to jerusalem to organize the community and mobilize the people to visualize possibilities and the book lets us know that they begin to rebuild the wall of the broken city that reflected the broken spirits of a broken people and the book lets us know the wall gets completed right here in chapter 6 in a record 52 days but here is what will blow your mind chapter 6 is a hot mess of treachery it reflects an environment that's an enemy to the possibility of nehemiah and the jerusalem community that was trying to rebuild the walls don't miss it nehemiah has to deal with treachery look what happens the book says shamaya says come visit me in my home because he's supposed to be confined to his home but the book says when nehemiah gets there even though near ushamaya was supposed to be confined to his home the book says shamaya says let's go to the temple wait i got to stop right there shamaya was confined to his home but says let's go to the temple shamaya confined to his home but somehow he can lure nehemiah to his home in order to bait him to go to the temple because he says i'm trying to make sure that they don't kill you don't miss what's going on right here shamaya is using religion as a bait for his agenda in order to uh in order to sabotage the credibility of nehemiah it's some treacherous stuff going on right there and watch it using religion in order to in order to give some treacherous bait to nehemiah why because nehemiah wasn't a priest and if nehemiah had gone into that section of the temple to hide that section of the temple was reserved only for priests that would have undermined the leadership credibility of nehemiah and so nehemiah says now i ain't falling for the okie doke i ain't going out like that look at the treachery and using religion to get it done and then at the end of the chapter we note that tobiah has relatives among the nobles and they are sending letters back and forth to one another and nehemiah has to deal watch this not only with the tax from the outside but treason on the inside i think i'll park right there because a whole lot of us have got to deal with the tax on the outside but then trees it on the inside do you see the treachery and the treason do you see my sisters and brothers all that is going on in our text nehemiah is up against trouble but he stirs up some good trouble and when he does that he does that because god gave him a moral compass and the courage i love it in order to make good trouble and because he made good trouble what he started he finished and i think that's the shout right there because a lot of folk know how to start well but they don't finish well a lot of folk have starting power but they don't have staying power and nehemiah had the staying power and they finished well and when you finish well the book lets us know you experience the gospel according to good trouble what does that look like i'm almost done the gospel according to good trouble lets us know to begin with and i love this right here that when people come for you who you don't send for how you respond is a reflection of who you are i'ma do that one more time because people will come for you who you did not send for and when they come for you and you did not sin for them the text lets us know how you respond to them has everything to do with your sense of who you are don't y'all see what nehemiah does nehemiah says am i the kind of person who's going to go with you into the temple what kind of person do you think i am am i such a man to do such a thing you see nehemiah's courage is rooted in his sense of identity and knowing who he is and oh when you know who you are then nobody can tell you what to do when you have a sense of identity no one can define your itinerary when you know who you are other folk can't tell you who you are and lure you into doing something that will make you less than you are i ain't coming through i make it real plain jesus help us jesus is dying on calvary and note with me that six months before his lynching on the cross god spoke from eternity on the mount of transfiguration in the presence of moses and elijah and god said this is my beloved son in whom i am well pleased hear him six months later on the cross jesus is being lynched and the bible says there's a there's a there's a criminal on his left and a criminal on his right and the book lets us know the criminal on his left said if you are the son of god come down from this cross and save yourself but look at the sense of identity that jesus has jesus says i know myself too well to answer you jesus doesn't even respond to him because there are some folk who ain't worth responding to there are some attacks you ought to just say that's beneath me there are some attacks that aren't even worth your energy quit wasting positive energy on negative people don't you give big energy to small people jesus doesn't even respond to him because jesus knows within himself but daddy already said who i am as a matter of fact i came down from 42 generations i came down from eternity to earth and now you are telling me if i'm the son of god to show you who i am by coming down from this cross i came down through 40 and two generations i came down from eternity to earth you want me to come down three feet to prove to you who i am i know who i am i am the son of god i'm the son of god ah ah okay so so so your sense of identity i think chadwick boseman hard to believe the brother's gone but jack would bozeman testified that and i love this about how god works chadwick bozeman said that early in his uh acting career he was blessed to audition for a soap opera a soap opera so he went to audition for the soap opera and while auditioning for the soap opera chadwick boseman had the nerve after acting in one particular scene and they loved his acting skills and you understand why after acting chadwick boseman had questions he said okay i need to know where are the parents of this character tell me about the father and the mother of this character because the soap opera wanted to do a stereotype of what it meant to be a black man and because chadwick boseman was questioning what direction this particular soap opera was going in the next day they said i'm sorry sir but we're going in another direction and aren't you glad that they went in another direction because chadwick then went in another direction that eventuated in him becoming the black panther that he eventuated in him in in him playing jackie robinson and james brown because he refused to settle for what others were trying to define him as and as a consequence of the courage that came from his sense of identity he took a stand that transformed his acting trajectory all i'm trying to say when you stay true to who you are god has a trajectory that the devil in hell cannot stop god will take you places so that when one door shuts god has another direction for you and so muhammad ali i love it when he refused to go into uh the army and go to vietnam he said to the press i don't have to be what you want to be want me to be i'm free to be who i want to be and that's the word for somebody right now so so number one when folk come at you that you didn't sin for just remember who you are and that determines what you do but then the text says something else that makes me want to run out of here shouting and that is the text says that that when folk uh i love this are treacherous with you your response is it's above me now i'm gonna do that one more time when folk get treacherous with you no when people try to bring you down that's when you simply say it's above me now i think y'all know where i'm going because what was it two years ago in june a brother went viral because this karen this racist white woman had the nerve to call up and call this brother at a hotel out of his name and effing inward that's what she called him and then she had no other choice but to go to that same hotel and try to get a room and when she tried to get a room she was pleading and begging that she had had this to go wrong and that to go wrong and the brother simply said i'm sorry it's above me now i think i'll stop right there because it dawned on me when folk come at you wrong i serve a god who is so good on the one level god will prepare a table before you in the presence of those that do you wrong on the other hand god is so good that god will have the very folk who came for you all of a sudden needs you to do for them what only you can do because god will position you and use the dirt they throw at you i'ma shout right now god will use their dirt in order for you to blossom as a garden and watch what happens he said it's above me now i like that right there because whenever folk do you wrong you ain't got to spend no time fighting them back and plotting and scheming just say it's above me now it's above me now meaning somebody bigger than you and i is going to handle whatever the results are going to be that's what nehemiah does in verse 14. nehemiah prays to god god i need you to handle tobias ambulance and the prophet is noah dyer you handle them folk i can't do it you remember them and i like the word he uses he says remember them the hebrew word means record god what they've done to me and sometimes when folk are doing you dirty all you got to do is say it's above me now and ask god to record what they are doing to you because if god is recording what they're doing be not deceived god is not mocked whatsoever you sow that shall you also reap i got to go old school since y'all didn't get that if you lay down with dogs you get up with fleas what goes around comes around god it's above me now god you record you remember them that's what paul and silas did the book lets us know that paul and silas they they they had gotten in some good trouble because the book says that paul and silas they they went to philippi and they're in philippi the bible tells me that paul and silas i love this right here they they extricate they emancipate one who was being economically exploited and when they did that the book says that those who were profiting from that economic exploitation they brought paul and silas to the town square they brutally beat them and then they had them thrown in a philippian jail and they're in that philippian jail they're in stocks and bonds and and the stocks and bonds they look something like this the stocks and bonds they spread the legs out of the captives and then they stretched out their hands and and here's what happened there in stocks and they're in bonds and the book says while they're in stocks and bonds they evidently said it's above me now note with me the jailer who put them in jail did not tend to their wounds the jailer did not do anything to deal with their cuts and their bruises so there they are they are bruised and bloodied they've got cuts from being beaten but the book says they said it's above me now because at midnight paul and silas began to pray and sing and most writers agree that they were singing from the psalms because that's the hymn book of israel and maybe one psalm was psalm 46 psalm 46 is a hymn that has as its context the people of god surrounded by the enemy and they are overwhelmed but the text says god is our refuge a very present help in trouble but when you read the end of that psalm verse 10 reads be still and know that i am god my wonderful hebrew professor says that that opening word in psalm 46 is a powerful hebrew word it's harpy and here is what my hebrew professor dr joel kemp says harpy it literally means to rest it literally means to let go and so the text says let go and know that i am god i'm gonna do it one more time they're surrounded by the enemy but the text says y'all should say it's above me now let go and know that i am god and because i am god i can handle your enemies while keeping you in my hands be still and know that i am god it's above me now but finally and i love this the text says and i'm trying not to shout on this so i'm gonna say it real slow the text says oh my god here it is text says say this real slow text says that when others watch this try to move on you god will make a boss move for you i'm done when others try to move on you god will make a boss move for you do y'all see what happens in in this chapter six the text says in the midst of all this mess verse 15 says the wall was finished okay okay okay nehemiah was lied on folk tried to treacherously take him out they tried to set him up to bring him down they tried to mess him over and do him dirty but the book says the wall was finished oh y'all didn't get that the wall was finished in the midst of the mess and that's a word for somebody right there what you set out to do no one can block you from doing god can bless what other folk try to block because god says in the midst of all of that mess the wall was finished and when the wall was finished all the nations got scared they backed up they said because evidently this is an only god kind of move it's a boss move they finished in spite of foes trying to frustrate them they achieved in spite of adversaries and adversity trying to attack them they did it in spite of what was being done to them don't you know when god gives you an assignment no matter how many folk try to abort it god will bless you to accomplish it the book says they finished it they finished they finished they finished y'all didn't shout on finished i got to go to someone else who finished he finished real well didn't he because the book lets us know that one friday jesus hung bled and died and when he died the bible says he lifted up words up to heaven we call them the seven last words and that sixth word watch this we have it translated it is finished but wait the greek is not it is finished the greek is simply finished it's jesus crossing the finish line and saying finish it's jesus accomplishing the victory and declaring finish and i'm trying to let somebody know in the midst of being lynched in the midst of being light on in the midst of being beaten jesus declared finished finished finished why are we going to finish it's because god makes boss moves false moves i'm i'm done but god makes false moves y'all know that that's that's that's that's the language of the culture right and and recently recently antonio uh your wife helped me with a boss move your wife told me she was she was on vacation out of the country and she was trying to get a seat at a restaurant and and there were no seats in the restaurant but she called someone that we know and when she called who we knew she testified that that person then made a phone call and when that person made a phone call by the time that person showed up to meet your wife at the restaurant she already had a seat no wait when she got there she was told there were no seats but by the time she made a phone call she testified that our friend had made a boss move i'm done but i'm trying to let somebody know as powerful as that person is they didn't wake me up this morning they ain't got a heaven and hell to put me in they didn't die on calvary for me i serve a god who's in the business of making boss moves and is there anybody out there who wants to testify god has made a boss moves in my life and when god makes a boss moves he makes a way out of no way when god makes a boss move he touches the right people at the right time and they do the right thing and open doors that no one can shut because god makes a boss move i'm trying not to get happy but i've been preaching for 42 years about a god who makes boss moves and when god makes boss moves god overrules what your enemies try to do when god makes boss move he prepares a table before you in the presence of your hater when god makes boss moves what they intend for evil god works for good when god makes boss moves door is open when god makes boss moves your enemies become your footstool when god make the bulk move yeah yeah yeah oh yeah y'all excuse me i'm trying to calm down but you don't know like i know what the lord has done for me 15 days ago i was driving to austin to testify in a hearing against voter suppression with all of a sudden in the midst of the rain without warning my car began to lose control because a hydro plane i'm out of control the car hit a wall once it hit the wall i'm thrown back in traffic and when i got thrown back in traffic i got hit by a car and the car came to a stop but oh hallelujah god made a boss move how do i know because as soon as the car stopped a man came up to me tried to open up the door i let down the window and the man said are you okay i saw everything i'm looking at someone i didn't expect to be alive i'm looking at someone who missed call after car so many cars could have hit you but it's like there was a shield all around you it's like there was something that was protecting you i'm looking at you because i want to see what a miracle looks like yeah oh yes that man said to me i want to see what a miracle looks like if y'all want to see what a miracle looks like look at me i'm still here because god made a boss move of those moves that protected me that stripped me because all day all night angels keep watching over me god [Music] god [Music] is still in the boss move making business shadrach meshach and abednego they got thrown in some fire and god made a boss move daniel got thrown at the lion's den but god made a boss move jesus got killed on the cross but early sunday morning god made a boss move and someone is out there right now you go ahead and get in some good trouble yeah it's going to cause some trouble but i serve a god who will make a boss move when god makes a boss move god will overrule any other move [Applause] hallelujah listen every head vowed every i close christians please pray if you have tuned in and and you know you need to know this god who makes boss moves you need a personal relationship with this god who makes boss moves listen we offer a connection with jesus to you dial that number 469-498-0210 and then you're saying well my deal is this in all honesty i'm feeling laid to join this church i like this church music is fire i feel the message that's you go ahead dial that number we'd love to have you as a part of our church family a pandemic can't stop our partnership pandemic can't forfeit our fellowship we can connect even through a pandemic call 469-498-0210 do it right now do it right now and then i want to pray for any of you who have tuned in and and let's be real you you feel that small frame house in a big storm covert has been one long big storm and then when you complicated with all the stuff we've been dealing with as a people it's like we got a small home in a big storm and we try to walk with the wind but we get tired let me tell you something when you know who you are god gives you courage to respond no matter what they do let me tell you god is so amazing god will say when they try to bring you down you can testify it's above me now and then god will make a boss move folk try to move on you let me pray god thank you thank you that you're in the business making boss moves and god i'm standing in the in the gap right now especially for those who find themselves weary just worn out because of the relentless storm that continues to beat them down and wear them out and sometimes they feel so small in the midst of this big storm god i pray for you to move mightily undeniably give them the strength like john lewis to walk with the wind give them the strength and the courage to know afresh who they are and as they know who they are i pray o god that that will determine what they do no matter who comes for them i pray in the name of jesus for everyone listening who's dealing with some treacherous folk on the job a hostile environment folk who are always trying to set them up to take them out god in jesus name i pray that when they try when others try to bring them down that you'll give them a faith that says it's above me now and then god is only you can make boss moves in jesus name hallelujah and amen god bless you please dial that number right now if you need prayer dial that number right now because that that that small small house of your life is up against some huge winds down that number our prayer warriors will pray for you dial that number you want to get hooked up with jesus dial that number right now 469 498 498-0210 you want to join church dial that number 469-498-0210 god bless you it's offering time it's offering time what a great god we serve god is so good so generous and right now i encourage you to go ahead and begin to give remembering being inspired motivated by the words of jesus it's more blessed to give than it is to receive be inspired to give by the words of jesus give and it shall be given unto you good measure pressed down shaken together running over be inspired by the words of jesus who said about tithing a tenth off the top this is what you ought to do so go ahead give to the god who so generously has given to you do it right now generously and lovingly and then watch god bless you as only god can bless we don't give to be blessed we give already have been blessed and it puts us in the blessing cycle where we bless others and they bless others they bless others they bless others and before you know it what goes around has come around and you get blessed yourself and let me just say thank you thank you thank you lord friendship wes you never cease to amaze me all of you who may not even be a part of friendship west i get your mail and and i see the cards the letters and the generous gifts that you give to the ministry of this church because you appreciate what god is doing through us and it's because of your generosity that we continue last sunday i heard that our own admission ministry had a powerful time serving those who are houseless and so i just praise god for the fact that it ain't thanksgiving it ain't christmas but every week we minister to those who are houseless and it's because of your generosity i ran across someone i'm preaching about it real soon uh the other day and they were uh on the corner and and they uh when i stopped uh they recognized me and they said oh pastor ames let me pray for you as i said let me give you some money he said no no no no no no no as much as you and your church you've done for me don't y'all give me a thing i'm i'm gonna be all right pastor haynes let me pray for you and this brother without a house prayed for me as i'm driving by because of your generosity so thank you and that ain't all we do you all know we do so much so so please just know i'm grateful people are grateful those who benefit from this ministry are grateful and let me just tell you how good god is thank you veda for giving this to me but this week we received a check from a law firm the chapman's law firm owner is will chavis and will chavez has at his law firm one of the great members of friendship west an amazing brother by the name of mary and edwards and and this law firm every year they give out money to those entities that are doing the work of service in the community and so our member will chavez without us even knowing told them all about the work we do and they gave us a check for 25 000 dollars to continue the work that we do ain't god awesome god is awesome so so we praise god for that so please now give in a liberal fashion knowing that your gifts are being a blessing to others let me share a few things with you i'm going to ask you to join me tonight or this evening it's this afternoon at four o'clock p.m uh four o'clock p.m well let me share this with you as you know in full context uh we are getting into a lot of good trouble uh here trying to uh partner with our representatives who fled uh refused to cooperate and they broke quorum in austin and now they're in dc including our wonderful member jasmine crockett we're so proud of them and we're praying for them and so we're having a worship service a joint service tonight of bishop james dixon and myself uh friendship west and community of faith in houston are having a joint worship service bishop william barber is going to be the preacher it's at four o'clock today going to be on facebook live i'm asking all of you join us at four o'clock today four o'clock today for our worship experience bishop barbara will be preaching it will not be long but it will be strong i promise you so please uh look up community of faith facebook page community of faith in houston their facebook page or bishop james dixon his facebook page and we're going to have a joint worship with them uh this afternoon at four o'clock friendship west please join us so that we can have a powerful showing okay we've asked our colleagues from all over the country to join in with us and so we're going to basically have a nationwide revival service this afternoon at four o'clock p.m please join us it's going to be powerful and then beginning this tuesday uh yes this coming tuesday the march will convince commits from georgetown texas to austin texas every day will go for three to four hours until we get to austin culminating the march on saturday because i'm dealing with some physical issues of course i won't be a part of that whole thing but i promise you uh i will do my best to be a part of it especially by saturday so please please whatever you can do to join us please do so that we are selmaizing texas the eyes of democracy are on texas right now and my thing is our ancestors they refused to go down without a fight so we can do no less we cannot go down without a fight and so i'm asking you to join us if you can if you can meet us in georgetown on tuesday do that or austin on saturday do that and then on monday august the 2nd we're calling for a thousand pastors preachers and a thousand workers to go with us to washington dc we're going to assemble at the supreme court and go to the capitol engage in civil disobedience submit ourselves to a rest in the tradition of martin king and nelson mandela and fannie lou hamer and all of those civil rights warriors and we're going to call for an end to the filibuster the filibuster needs to be done with it's a relic from the jim and jane crow era that was used to fight against our rights we're going to call for for the passage of the john lewis voting rights bill and the for the people act and for the minimum wage to be raised to 15 an hour that's what we're going for so please be in prayer for us we're trying to make some stuff happen god bless you finally many of you have expressed your desire to return to in-person worship with precautions in place with that in mind we're also conscious of the delta variant that is tricky and treacherous so we're going to plan on re-entering worship on the sunday after labor day in september coming back to the house the sunday after september is the sunday after labor day in september in the upcoming weeks we'll give you information from our healthcare ministry specifics regarding our service times what we have done to to the building to so you can know it's safe because we've done stuff to the building in terms of the filtration of the air along with how we will function and flow once you come on the church grounds so be on the lookout on the website friendship west app and all of our social media platforms for that information god bless you and god keep you we do look forward to seeing you and we're going to be safe when we do it because i want to keep you safe and healthy god bless you thank you to our amazing music ministry lord have mercy jesus y'all did that thank you god bless you the lord bless you the lord keep you the lord caused god's face to shine on you and be gracious unto you the lord lift up the light of god's countenance upon you grant you peace go now in the power of god's holy spirit go ahead stir up some good truth

Channel: Friendship-West Baptist Church

Views: 1,388

Rating: 4.757576 out of 5

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Id: jwqeu6M8P6U

Length: 75min 8sec (4508 seconds)

Published: Sun Jul 25 2021