we love you Jesus we cry [Music] come on let's lift up that hand and worship Him Lord we praise you we live by fans we praise you lord [Music] MacLaren's lot we pray sonarak rage [Music] we give you everything we crossing Lord we praise not we pray we say the Lord [Music] [Music] come on clap your hands if you love are gone come on Easter zillions of more than that help yourself come on clap like you're glad that God brought you through September clap your hands like you're excited about October would you do me a favor would you just embrace 2 or 3 people around you tell them something good is gonna happen to you something good is gonna happen to you something good [Music] something good is gonna happen to you there lujah let's say music ministry outstanding today thank you so very much good morning empowerment temple this is the day the Lord has made we will rejoice and be glad in it come on don't be seated saying we got work to do thank you would you get your Bibles in your hand make your way to first Samuel 25 I'm beginning a new series this morning that will take us through the month of October that series is called beast month what to do when wild things happen in your life how many of you have ever had something wild happen that was I mean you just have to stand back say that's crazy for Samuel 25 and I want to illuminate just Clause a of verse number 1 for Samuel 25 verse 1 once you founder want you declare I got it if you can't find it say lord help me you went to second Samuel you went too far you're in third Samuel that's not a Bible you read Samuel 25 verse one Clause a watch what the writer is informing us now Samuel died you may be seated now Samuel die I want to preach for a little while this morning using as a subject I didn't see that coming would you look at the person beside you and tell them that's my testimony didn't see that coming described as the most powerful platform in politics the United Nations is the epicenter over 100 world leaders who deliberate over global policy divert international crises and mitigate world affairs following in the tradition of every commander in chief President Trump went to address that August body when in his opening remarks he made the bow propagandistic Proclamation that he was the most successful and effective leader in this nation's history the diplomats and dignitaries broke out in uproarious laughter when they heard that level of absurdity the pitch was so feverish that it interrupted the speech in which Trump inadvertently blurted out this was not the reaction I was expecting politics aside all of us at some point or another have felt like that after sharing something we were passionate about convinced of or promoting the one in whom we were sharing it with dismiss our conviction almost as if they were in the Judiciary Committee of the Senate hearings they laughed at us like a late-night monologue or denied our merits as if we were an 81 year old retired sitcom after living an utter denial while the rest of his address was largely ignored in a subsequent press conference in typical Trump fashion he'd had deluded himself into believing and announcing they were not laughing at me they were laughing with me some things can be so damaging and hurtful that you invoke cognitive dissonance as a defense mechanism so most akin to a battered wife in shock that she's been strong claims I shouldn't have made him mad it's almost like a radio talking head trying to convince urban blacks that police brutality would not exist if you would have just complied with the order coming a little bit closer to home is like a robbed relative in defense of an addicted loved one blaming themselves maybe I shouldn't have left the money out you can't believe that it's happened and as a consequence you begin to make up excuses for them and even for yourself in the first volume of Samuel in the fifth chapter we learn something insightful that the Prophet has died to call this a disruption to David's life is a gross understatement this is the man that came to his father's house and announced that the successor lives at this address he wouldn't let anybody except the mantle until David walked in the house and he's the least likely candidate Samuel anoint him when the rest of the family is trying to ignore him hear this and now he has died they're far too many in this room who can bear witness that when the most critical and pivotal voice or person in your life died it was like a shot in the arm a kick in the face a knife to your gun all at the exact same time and what is all the more alarming is that this was the person who saw your virtue your value and your potential when other people couldn't see it and sometimes when you couldn't see it for yourself and God use them to speak into your life and without warning they died in an amazing that is just a blip on the screen of the text and then Samuel died you would think there would be more of a memorial for him after all the book is named after him this is not first David I'm reading from this is first Samuel and the church people just give him one verse to honor his accolades and his accomplishments never mind the fact that the book is named after him and Samuel died it is amazing how some people will minimize the life of somebody you Revere so they rush you to get over it trying to figure out why you still weeping why are you still contending with depression why won't you move on with your life they act as if this is just a Hallmark card remedy that a slice of pound cake will fix this them stopping by the house for 10 minutes on their way to another errand it's going to resolve all of your internal pain and Samuel died and of course it further it's not just Samuel it's the Prophet that died what happens with the one person that spoke into your future is no longer available the one person that pulled on your potential has now been muted and you're expected to go on with the rest of your life as if nothing has happened and the Prophet died and off the top of your head you can think of three other people that should have died in there say and the Prophet died and without warning mama was good one day and just like that she declined you remember dad laughing at me next thing you know you at the hospital never in a million years did you think you were gonna have to bury your own spouse and it leaves a gaping hole you have a wild moment that's not followed up by an aha moment and God just let them die and leave you to bury you the thing about God is that God will never let your destiny ride on one personality because if everything is connected to that one personality you will confuse them with him maybe you forgot that God comes with a warning label I am a jealous God so sometimes God will move people out of your space out of your life not because they've done anything wrong but because he needs more of you y'all not saying anything this morning admittedly hear me very carefully admittedly while it sounds enlightening you can also be frustrating when God removes the voice you need that one person knew how to encourage you when you were down in the dumps knew how to breathe life support when you felt like you couldn't get out of the bed could talk to you on the phone and instinctively know something is out of sorts and now that voice is gone their presence is gone abiding cheerleader is no longer on the field so david has got a look at his family who don't believe in his call his family who doesn't see his gift the family that does not acknowledge his assignment and the one person who saw it is now dead do you remember that day you remember when you got that call you remember when you had to leave the hospital and you were in a daze and dizzy and discombobulated do you remember how you felt do you remember the five stages of denial you went through in ten minutes and you walk out of that you don't know whether you're coming or going don't know whether you need to sit down or have a drink don't know whether you should pray or whether you should cuss don't know whether you should just contemplate meditate or just keep driving you don't know whether you've got the wherewithal or the temperament to even think about funeral arrangements and Samuel died what now are you supposed to do David so David acts like many of us David calls his old job cause man by the name of the ball and tells the ball I need my old paycheck cuz I watched your scene none of them came up missing I stayed overtime because the person who was supposed to replace me didn't show up and the ball sends back an email and says I ain't paying you nothing there is no separates with this job you no longer work here I don't owe you anything for what I promised and now David is incensed I gotta say this maybe it's not for you maybe it's for somebody who's watching online but even if true to form that a lot of people underestimate the grace on your life because they think because you're anointed you don't get irritated they think because you're nonny you don't get frustrated they think because you got favored you don't know how to fight david says oh no you don't came at me the wrong day my mentor has just that the voice of reason over my life is no longer available and now you coming at me sideways tells the whole posse come on y'all mount up I'm going down to the balls out some give me a go postal I'm gonna shut it all the way down watch this and I'm annoying you [Applause] and I got faithful and I got destination but I got all of this on me and I gotta get it all right I gotta talk to 15 to y'all real quick please I'm I'm pulling up a chair next to you I said sometimes folks don't know I love God but I do have bad days I I worship you but they're moments that might you manatee kicks in and I try to be spiritual but you catch me on the wrong day [Applause] no I'm usually good but when I got come compounded pain when I'm dealing with an amalgamation of my own emotions and and now you trying to play me when I'm really not asking you for nothing extra I'm asking you for what you owe me and because you owe me don't act like you doing me a favor this is what I'm supposed to have and I I am NOT going to be guilted into making demands on what is do to me you could've did it to me a couple of years ago but today I am like a tree planted by the river I shall not be moved David it had enough I'm tired my true colors are now in neon I'm giving a go all the way off and you don't even know you can make it the full brunt of stuff that ain't even connected to you can I talk to five of y'all I really just needed an outlet god help me in the back of my mind I was hoping you was gonna be crazy today but I just needed somebody to pull all of this into because that's my therapy y'all acting like y'all don't know who I'm talking about I'm talking about you Nick bro then there are some people you unload so much you gotta go in the repentance I feel bad for how bad I'll let them have it but they got no idea that saved as I am I can't apologize [Applause] David mounts up he mounts up it starts heading to the balls house and something unexpected takes place right in the middle of Menlo Drive he 2 blocks from the house there's a woman standing in the Senators street waving him down and he has no idea who this is but she's waving down the entourage practically her name is Abigail and and unbeknownst to David this isn't a balls wife and something crazy happens that I wanted to give you on the day is that as soon as David rolls the window down to the car and as how may I help you I need you to here watch this how she addresses him stay with me impalement as soon as he rolls down the window do you know what Abigail says today but she says to David here it is love I think I lost you she calls him Lord now you have to understand it Elizabethan English of that Lord is the same word what's this as king he still the shepherd and Abigail calls him King he don't have the assignment yet he's not sitting in the throne god help me in here he's not living in the palace but she calls him King pester what're you trying to say to me I have my coffee yet this morning I'm trying to help you is that God raised up a stranger to affirm the call on his life here's your shout in the same chapter that his voice died I tend to tell somebody who can handle it this Sunday morning that him the month of October God is the razor or stranger who will speak to who you are in the earth realm and prophesy the call and the assignment over your life why it is that you a little bit reticent to worship because in the first personality of how it is that you have deduced the text you have falsely assumed that you were David you have readily embraced the idea of being the victim for the last 20 minutes you have sat in David's seat crying out woe is me and God had you come to this 7:30 service to give you this man blowing announcement hear me you are not David I know you want his favor I know you want to be right after God's own heart but that's not who you are today and I'm telling you most of you won't even respond to it but 20 of you are gonna grasp it say you are not David whether my pastor you carries the oil of Abigail what does that mean God says I am anointing you to encourage strangers the anointing on your life is not just for folks that are in your inner circle but I am gonna make people who are broken and yes and creeped me come across your path and because of the oil that's in you they will not fall apart we see the places I feel this glow right now hallelujah I need you to operate in your oil of Abigail and look at the person beside you and tell them you will receive everything that's promised hallelujah thank you God I just got cleared for takeoff that's the wrong person tell them better is coming hallelujah find somebody behind you and tell them you won't miss a thing hallelujah some of you you don't need therapy you don't need a prescription all you needed was in catchment you needed somebody that can see the best in you even when you couldn't see it in yourself what's this honor is the medication for the discouraged honor is the medication of the discouraged the problem with being strong is people are never equipped for your weak moment so they call on you for prayer for advice for wisdom for counsel and they so are used to you being equipped that they never think to ask how are you doing god I can't hear nobody and so you keep denying yourself the support other people and don't realize how broken and fractured and wounded you are I know that the church is now acclimate the shouting of material goods and wealth and prosperity but for the matura believers God said what you need is encouragement that the race is not given to the Swift Lord to the strong but to those that endure to the end can I tell you be in cherish he may not come when you want them to come hallelujah some of y'all don't know how to play your part I said you got the oil of abigaile would you find somebody on your roll in your section who you don't know and just tell them it's gonna get better hallelujah that that's the wrong neighbor then you'll receive that word find somebody else tell them it's gonna get better [Applause] hallelujah I don't know who needed to be encouraged this morning but you know what I like about David David said if I can't get to Samuel if Abigail don't show up do you know what David says I will encourage myself and I need somebody in this room that has learned this year how to encourage yourself would you do me a favor and give God glory for yourself for your overcoming powerful for your stick-to-itiveness for your perseverance in care thank you in carriage yourself handle it thank you hold agape see them in carriage yourself I deserve better than this in carriage yourself if the devil was don't give me it would have happened in July in carriage yourself with what I've been through I should be under bridge right now in carriage yourself that Sookie slag me cherish yourself he may not come where you want on the car but he said on [Applause] [Applause] I feel something just broke up off here I want to make an announcement and I want 50 universe for the rest of you can eavesdrop you sent your message but 50 y'all I want to just say this to you you are not what they expected god I can't hear nobody in here you are not what they expected they thought you are pushover they thought you are gone the path you are [Laughter] [Applause] God loves the tension he loves the tension watch this of the unknown God loves the tension of the unknown I said this in Bible study of bears repeating today that's the opposite of faith is not doubt the opposite of faith watch this is certainty if it is certain you don't need faith but when you don't know how it's gonna work out that's when you gotta trust God the most I'm talking to those of you that have the clear enough understanding that if God don't get involved in this it's gonna be another epic fail but I'm thankful that God always gets in my business I don't know why he does it but he always does it in a way I would have never expected him God operates in the element of surprise some with theologians call mysterium tremendum he likes operating in the Shroud of the uncertain watch his language behold I show you a mystery we we won't all sleep hallelujah the trumpet will sign where will the trumpet sound no man knows the day or the hour he he wants you living on edge so so that whenever I hear the sound I'm prepared to make the move some some foolish virgins and there was some wise virgins an amazing thing is both of them had oil I wish I was that impoundment out I don't know who y'all are my my church got Bible readers they knew that they had to sleep light because the groom was coming god help me but the foolish virgins wasted their oil God young me so been the broom was prepared to come they ran out of oil and they asked for the wise virgins let me have some of y'all and and they were not being selfish they just understood only 15 y'all I keep telling you they understood I got a secure my Oreo I cannot waste my oil on people who are foolish it don't make me mean it don't make me stuck-up but you don't understand how long I've been holding on to this all your huh waiting for my assignment to come aha because I was prepared for the unexpected I can't be anointed without an assignment so I'm frustrated cuz I know where I carry I just don't know where I'm the bore and I keep waiting for God to give me a signal this is the place I got too much to use to not be utilized and I'm sick of begging for opportunity when I know what my capability years and so folk who have never lived in my frustration pursue me falsely to be ambitious I'm not looking to take your job I'm just trying to find my place and God told me to tell you 7:30 I just needed something in you to die I needed you to get to the place where you can say not my will but your will and here is the unexpected God will never have you born where you planned I'm here what'd I just say you'll never have you poor where you planned when this next assignment comes only fifty yarmulke she'll win this next assignment comes you ain't gonna show you ain't gonna be givin nobody a high five you ain't gonna be running across the front all you gonna be able to say is I didn't see it coming because God will assign you to something watch this you didn't know you knew how to do but he'll drop you in it and you'll stop functioning in it even without the training of the preparation because you don't know everything you will too in your life October comes with a warning label and the warning label for October is expect the unexpected y'all just missed it expect the unexpected we used to sing a song for those of us that grew up in the church in the eighties we used to sing a song that says anyway you bless me Lord we don't say net no Mormon yeah yeah y'all remember that anyway you bless me ah be satisfied we didn't have praise things back then but you safe choir robes y'all y'all might say it was only two choirs the Gospel Choir youth choir in the man squad y'all remember that anywhere you bless me I'll be satisfied and many of you will break the demon of disappointment if you would stop expecting God to bless you the way you dictate but when you open yourself up say God I trust you wherever you got from my life I will I want you to lift up that hand please she lift up that hand right where you are because him Bible study I've been dealing with the five stages of grief and it was my intention to just deal with it on Tuesday and God disrupted me in meditation last week and said pastor tell the people of God some of my missing them moment their ministry and their assignment cuz they haven't been able to move on since somebody died and they have put the sum total of their existence what's this in somebody's casket and they buried a part of themselves and haven't been able to move forward because somebody died I would open up this altar amazingly on this communion sunday for somebody who is smack dab in the middle of the grieving process and because of the absence of that prophetic voice you don't lost your equilibrium you know had your focus thrown off you know you called you know you're anointed you know you are sand but it's hard to hear direction when the person that used to point me is no longer present that's where you are I want you to come meet me at this altar your pastor wants to pray for you come on as quickly as you can't forget about what these people think I want you to hear my heart hear my intents and I telling you get over it I'm not telling you that it's not impactful I'm telling you you still got a lil are y'all gonna be shout better than that huh I'm telling you take your foot off the brake you still got a move forward [Music] [Applause] still waiting for three more you to come just cuz you ain't wearing black don't mean you're not grieving just cuz you don't pull over to the side of the road don't mean there's not an empty just till you ain't sitting up with the funeral program in the bed that mean that they're not challenging movements I'm waiting on three more you to come you holding up the whole service I need you to come if my man watch this there to mourn wait no I need you to come cuz you know what God told me to tell you I need you healed before the holidays I can't yell no my I said I need you healed before you go into another holiday I'm waiting on one more person to come when it is that you are whoever it is that you are I need you at this altar please sir please ma'am hallelujah dr. Samuel DeWitt Proctor says that the power of fellowship is it remind you you're not the only fellow on the ship that there's somebody else that's going through with you how much did you take that neighbor by the hand if you're at this altar family would you stretch your right hand to faith towards them I'm not praying for you to get checks in the mail I'm not praying for raises and promotion and increase in new homes all of that is good both of you who are at the altar I am praying for you the God will raise up somebody to encourage you this week god help me some somebody will give you the word that you need just for you to be able to move forward and to go on I'm praying that somebody you would have never expected will identify the grace that rest on your life I want to say to you what your soul has yearned to hear but your mouth did not know how to articulate God brought you to this altar just to tell you this in empowerment I want you to join me and Thanksgiving when I make this pronouncement I'm telling you whoever that voice was God sent you here on the first Sunday in October and I'm telling you you better give God your best shout for the because what is heaven wanted you to know they are proud of you god I can't hear anybody I said happen wanted you to know y'all I gonna shout better than that you've gone further than what they expected you've accomplished more than what they would have ever imagined happen is proud of you those of you your faith mirrors and matches my faith would you do me a favor please all over this room I need everybody sending all over this room would you just embrace three or four people and just tell them expect the unexpected this month [Music] see the [Music] you see me I need you to do me a favor please would you celebrate our God for strength come on I said celebrate God for strength I want to open the doors of this amazing ministry there's somebody who needs to join this church today somebody who needs to get right with God and they need to do it right now there's somebody in this place you cannot go home the same way that you can wherever you are I so desperately want to be your best but more than anything I want Jesus to be your Lord if you're here and you're saying better you got no idea how cathartic this was for me how he like this was for me how therapeutic this was for me this is the kind of ministry I need to be under this is what I need to be connected to if you're here serve you're here ma'am I want you to excuse yourself come give me your hand but more than anything I want you to give God your heart if you here today come on and you're saying pastor you were talking to me and don't even know I don't know how you got the password to my cell phone I got no idea how you broke into my email and read all my business this morning that's who you are that's where you are I want you to come I want you to meet me at this altar I want you to meet me at this altar I want to see you safe don't want to see you growing thriving evolving and developing in this household of faith come on join me please I haven't done what I can I need you to help me I got a preach three more times a day you get me going on come on help me put some work in I need every person but you move in find two people who you don't know and ask them are they saying find out if they ever find out if they've given their life over to God [Music] we're videos that you walk come on come on on this the first Sunday in October don't go home the same way you can forget your neighbor ask him are you sure you say you sure you got a church home this is funny impoundment give God some praise for saying house come on here comes somebody the Bible says that the angels are rejoicing if there's somebody else would you come to ride him to faith repeat after me you're in the right place at the right time John in the right church serving the only God and I know that's right if you know I'm right come on give God your best shelter Thanksgiving you may be seated in the presence of our conquering king how many of you were blessed by the word on this morning [Applause] I'm so grateful thankful and appreciative that God has kept all of us through the month of September the truth of the matter is he been better to us than we've been ourselves is that anybody else's testimony he's been better to us than we've been ourselves the reality of the hurricane could have come and rocked your house how many of you know your house could have flooded last month you could have lost everything in one day yep because of the grace and the mercy of God you're standing and not floating amen I am so pleased I'm proud I'm privileged to Pastor who I believe piously are the most powerful people on the planet I got to be the happiest pastor in the world because there has never been anything I've charged you to do that we have failed in everything that we have attempted not only did we do it we did it in an exemplary manner and for that I'm appreciative and I'm grateful I've got put something burdensome on my heart a few weeks ago for us to do something a little bit different over this season on that I need your partnership in and for those of you who watching online those of you who are streaming please don't log off just yet I need your buy-in I need your help I need your support over the last five or six years we've been doing a project called give love give food and as a consequence every Sunday I asked you to bring canned foods and bring them to the altar I and the week of Thanksgiving we pulled out all of these chairs and turned our sanctuary into a supermarket and people were blessed by the droves because of your random acts of selflessness how God says why says you don't have to keep doing something just because it's a success hallelujah sometimes you need a new challenge and so empowerment as your leader I want to or give us a new challenge for this holiday a new challenge that I believe that we are strong enough to take on and big enough to a few weeks ago was the one-year anniversary of the natural disaster of that rampage through Puerto Rico and still a year later this administration this White House this Senate has done nothing substantive to build up the infrastructure of now that dilapidated island you know now within the last three weeks hurricane ripped through the Carolinas and then only then that we find out that the money from FEMA that should in fact be used for disaster relief was the money that this president used to buy cages to hold brown and black children at immigration borders and as a consequence FEMA is almost bankrupt because of all that's been taking place in the news and because America now has a very short attention span we've forgotten about Puerto Rico and not even a blip on the screen for all of the damage that has happened in North and South Carolina you remember that we're not natural disaster earthquake are came to Haiti that we brought in Bishop by field and we were a blessing to the 16th Episcopal district and we packaged five thousand meals in one day and sent it over to Haiti somebody give God a hand clap of praise we walk it like we talk it amen are we not just talking about missions but we flowe operate and function in missions i contacted that organization by which we did their partnership with and god said to whom much is given much is required I'm so empowering temple I need you to please buckle up we get ready to go when no other Church has ever gone before how we're going to be for Thanksgiving holidays we're gonna be feeding in Puerto Rico and I hope you all will be as excited as I am after Thanksgiving in Puerto Rico we are feeding 10,000 people of the Thanksgiving somebody give God handclaps or y'all gotta shout better than that but but that ain't it we gonna feed 10,000 people in Puerto Rico and I hope y'all a shout about it on Thanksgiving not only 10,000 in Puerto Rico we're gonna feed 10,000 in North Carolina somebody give God a real hey I'm talking about your church we're partnering with an organization called food aid and they had to transparently apologize why since because they couldn't believe y'all not gonna believe it they couldn't believe this was a black church doing it because all of the mission outreach initiatives they have partnered with one with churches that didn't look like us so when they found out this was a black church they were head over heels a maze and enamor what kind of people are this that would in fact give of themselves to make a global impact even while being a local ministry how they are in fact matching what it is that we do Bishop Davis is coming to be with us on November 11th let me tell you what is going to happen I need you to hold mark your calendars November 11th all of us are in dressed down clothes November 11th put it in your calendar put it in your phone plays dress down clothes wear nothing to you on November 11th places put nothing cute on I'm telling you on November 11th I want you to go find your old Morgan sweatshirt I need you to go whatever we don't do throwback empowerment t-shirts whatever you guys I need you to wear non cute clothes on that day so I said I don't have non cute clothes I don't want we're too close Rice's you don't mind getting dirty out wide because on that day we're gonna be doing food prep of 20,000 meals in one day did y'all hear what I just said we're gonna be doing food prep of 20,000 meals in one I am so excited system app that our Bishop Bishop James Lee Burke Davis and our pistol sir supervisor are coming on that day just to serve with us he's not preaching on that day she's not speaking on that day they said we want to be on the assembly line ought to see this level of ministry take place and so if our Episcopal leadership is doing it other than we've got to be in lockstep to get that done for us to be able to do that is an expense that I am believing that we're going to be able to muster in that is within 30 days within 30 days I'm gonna collect twenty thousand dollars for twenty thousand meals you don't think we can do that you know I don't know what is wrong with this 7:30 service y'all still man I went here last week I'm bad so let's make up I don't like us fighting thank you okay so uh we gotta raise $20,000 within 30 days this is over and beyond our tithes and our offerings of those of you who are part of our streaming family those of you who are part of our cyber sanctuary I need your partnership I need your aid I need your assistance as a consequence brother Britton what I am gonna ask for is that in every section we're having two baskets in every section we're having two baskets please leaders of one is for our tithes of our offerings and above and beyond that I'm gonna challenge you for our a project that I have called the calm after the storm the calm after the storm and so I'm one on you to please prepare yourself beyond what it is that you're giving for your tithes I've got to raise this $20,000 in under 30 days because I can't wait until the 11th to buy the food hello there's a lot of food help or the person beside you tell them we can do it we can do it to whom much is given much is required of those of you who are watching online I'm gonna challenge your faith on today if you're gonna give my cash app you can do so at to be empowered come on media ministry help me to be empowered by your cash yep if you're on gibla fine I want you to please put in the memo section calm before the storm how those of you who are watching on livestream go to empowerment temple org help me in this initiative there are those of you who are in this room hear your pastors voice there are those of you who are in this room who are beyond that your tithe can give a seed of $200 towards this initiative some of you can just give 20 and I receive that it's not equal giving it's equal sacrifice amen I said every person would you stand to your feet right where it is that you are every person is sending every person is standing bless the name of our God come on leaders I need you in every section yesterday we had an amazing Health Fair here at the church an amazing health fair here at the church I'll be partnered with the Urban League and I was telling mr. Henderson who is outgoing a chairman of Urban League about our project about our initiative and he said the Urban League wants to be a part of pastor Bryant of what empowerment temple is doing we've never heard anything like it on this wise taking place empowerment temple I want you to join me and thanking God that the first person to give to this calm after the storm is the National Urban League and they have given us this morning a check for $2,500 oh come on y'all gotta shout better than that check of $2,500 all other organizations that want to meet that and exceed that we challenge you to please do that any aren't entrepreneurs in the name of your business you want to be able to so you wanna give we challenge you just be a part of that lift up that seed above your head I'm mindful that many of you didn't know I was gonna raise this offering today and so if you want to give on either side of the sanctuary I challenge you to please do that I want you to do it on either side of the sanctuary your debit card or your ATM card lift up that seat above your head repeat after me Lord thank you for what you did last year for what you did last month for what you did last week for what you did yesterday but the seed in my hand is an expectation for what you're gonna do in the next 30 days amen let's look give me a favor softly please do me a favor please leaders who are accepting the tide would you lift up your hand or your basket our leaders who are receiving ah your offering for the calm after the storm lift up your basket so that our parishioners will know where it is that they're targeted giving is aimed come on every person come on choir [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] all have sinned and fallen short of his glory the Bible is elusively clear that if you confess your sins he's faithful but not only is he faithful but he's just to cleanse you from all unrighteousness here's what I want to challenge you to do please sir please ma'am we're going to pray together under the directive of Reverend Franklin the prayer of general confession the leaders stand before you not because we're perfect but because we're forgiving with God's runway model for what grace looks like that it looks beyond our faults and he meets us at our needs and so Franklin is not praying for you she's praying with you come on everybody with uplifted voices Almighty God Jesus Christ maker of all things judge of all men we acknowledge and bailed our manifold sins and wickedness which we from time to time most grievously have committed by thought word or deed against your divine majesty provoking most justice your wrath of indignation against us we do earnestly repent and are heartily sorry for these are misdoings the remembrance of them is previous unto us have mercy upon us have upon us most merciful father for your son our Lord Jesus Christ's sake forgive us all that is past and grant that we may hereafter serve and praise you in the newness of life to honour and glory of your name through Jesus Christ our Lord amen amen would you do me a favor please episode carefully would you pull back the first level of your receptacle lifting it above your head September you almost broke almost crashed hit a brick wall barely kept it together but Jesus told the disciples this is my body it's broken for you would you break it right in your hand that's what we're supposed to happen to you but the love and the blood of God is what kept you together would you please take a knee ever so carefully please careful we are not paying your dry-cleaning bill careful ever so carefully pulling back this second lever your receptacle would you lift it above your head Master what should we do on them days when we miss the boys when we miss the person when we miss the presence some of those dark and difficult days when you feel like you need a drink the one you need is already in your hand for the blood that we shared for sinners like you and me will you please take a drink the master master how are we pray on days when we ain't in church when folk trying to provoke us try us play us when we feel like emotions beginning to flare up he said in moments like that I want you to pray the Lord's for you come on let's pray together our Father [Music] amen do me a favor please would you just embrace two people and tell them be encouraged be encouraged [Music] [Music] [Applause] gives power couple of things that I want to share with you in terms of housekeeping those of you who are graced and blessed of God that you were born in the month of October would you saying you're born in the month of October want you to stand remain standing for just one moment is a great month this is the month my mother was born in our last day of October is a blessed sacred day for my entire family I am us excited about your future I pray for you often I don't know why God wouldn't let you get born in May but in spite of that God still blessed you I need you to do me a favor I empowerment would you embrace somebody stand and tell them the rest of your life it's gonna be the best of your life as I aforementioned October is preaching series beasts mode when wild things happen in your life a Book of the Month for October however a book of the month is the new Jim Crow mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness by Michelle Alexander that clock that cover of the book is on your closest screen I Millennials asset you just screenshot in our senior Saints just pass your phone down to one of our younger people and they will capture the image for you but we believe forthrightly that readers are leaders and so we want all of you to please read this book in the month of October I share with you that ordinarily October is our men's emphasis month however God has redirected my path and so our focus for the month of October is going to be on re-entry re-entry and so the last Sunday of October I need all of you to invite returning citizens to the sanctuary on that day because that is the undiminished - demographic of our populace and I believe that we have a responsibility on the last Sunday of October we're gonna be doing expungement of records the last Sunday of October we're gonna be affording opportunities for education for job training and for job placement somebody give God a hand clap of praise you have agencies that are partnering with us to do appropriate job placement and so I've asked us that we would in fact gather and collect 3,000 tithe in the month of October 3,000 times in the month of October because we want to adorn all those gentlemen with ties to get them ready for their next chapter of their lives I shared with it in Bible study I'm abreast of it many of you did not know but those of you that happen to have I brought ties to church on this day would you bring them to the altar for me now those of you that point our ties to church give God a hand clap of praise come on y'all can clap better than that come on clap your hands please [Applause] thank you I've now a mindful that this is our first Sunday in collecting I was in here on last Sunday so many of you were not aware that this is what it is that we would do it I bet on Tuesday night and sit you bring them Sunday I ask that you would please or bring them those of you who are watching online if you will mail them to us and 4217 primrose avenue baltimore maryland are two one two one five if you please mail them to us I would be most elated and delighted to be able to receive them from you on this coming Tuesday I am continuing in our series on living with loss the five stages of grief how many of you were blessed and empowered by the message this morning I get is hard for me to believe y'all we are on the fourth stage of grief we almost there I'm we're on the fourth stage of grief and so Tuesday night at 7:30 I need all of you in worship at 7:30 it's just one hour we start at 7:30 and I'm finished by 8:40 is one hour of worship you come late so I'm running over time Amen if you would get here on time we could get out on time amen look at your neighbor say he talking about you so please make sure that your present our next Sunday we begin our fall revival our next Sunday Monday and Tuesday October 14th through the 16th our prophet Hall is going to be with us I need you to make sure that you are present Sunday Monday and Tuesday of next week would you pull out your calendars your phones those of you who are not technologically savvy pull out your funeral home calendar amen whatever it is that you got to keep your schedule October 21st October 21st is Breast Cancer Awareness Sunday October 21st is Breast Cancer Awareness Sunday I were asking ladies that you will wear pink even if you are Delta wear pink on that day place for breast cancer I know it's gonna make you break out in hives Delta's but y'all can make it one day we won't tell nobody we have pink and red they've gotta make you feel better and then we're asking all of the gentlemen to wear pink ties or pink shirts this is empowerment temple no pink suits just friend ties or pink shirts on that day I'll just stand in agreement with breast cancer awareness a day out last but not least our Solomon school of success is enrolling for their fall semester also those of you who have been entrepreneur you're in state and we want you to please register soon their service I would have concluded I cannot tell you how honored elated and delighted I am humbled really to have one of our general officers here on with us on today really literally he could be anywhere are in the connection but he woke up with good since this morning I and says I want to be reelected one day so I better get to impoundment temple you a wise man I brother John is that you police saying would you please help me thank God for one of our general officers elected by our connection of church and we're just appreciative for his presence if this your first time at empowerment temple would you say in your first time at empowerment temple what you saying please in person until my own line thank you hey thank you so very much thank you very much she and I went to middle school high school together don't tell nothing walk right out the building thank you sir thank you so don't speak to anybody I'm honored to have you on today I ask that you would please saying you don't steal laughing amen take your neighborhood by the hand I uh I was trying to get through the service and I don't think I'm gonna be able to I was trying to get through whole service and not say the name Cavanaugh I was trying to do it I was promised I said Lord I ain't gonna deal with I bet I want to say publicly on a record that yesterday was a black eye on democracy a black eye on this nation and not just an affront to women I bet affront to anybody that came out the wound for us to be in other rejection of somebody who has been victimized by sexual assault is in fact an eroding of the moral fiber and character of this nation and I call into accountability of the evangelicals who have stood with this president I had said that he represented the tenets of our faith and was God's man this is an affront I enters a dark date but the good news is Election Day is coming III need us pledged to arm ourselves after this midterm election or we can shift everything whatever has happened in the White House in the Senate or in the house it happened watch this because of representation so all the y'all that went out and voted for Obama go back to the polls again and we got a polls on November 6 is election day of course we're gonna be leading the city by example on souls to the polls also ask that you will please arm yourself we're gonna be participating on in the early voting I'm gonna be campaigning of this week we've been jealous and with my dear sister Stacey in Georgia and I'm going down to Florida to help our AME brother brother Gilliam who's running for the state to be the governor for the state of Florida so call all of your relatives around the nation I can tell them we need for them to vote would you lift up that neighbor saying right where you are I want to applaud publicly dr. Ford who came and testified before that house I'm the reason why I want to do that is I want to equip and empower all of you who have been victims that you can't sit silent on your testimony now the Bible says that we overcome not just by the blood of the Lamb but by the word of your testimony be encouraged the world has not turned against you but if God be for you who can be against you now when the hill moves absolutely able to do anything but fail may God make you sleepless until you help somebody
