Are you ready for
the ultimate encounter?
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Well stay tuned to meet the man
that wants to take you there.
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My name is Yvonne Lewis and
you're watching Urban Report.
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Hello! And
welcome to Urban Report.
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My guest today is
Pastor Lionel Martell,
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pastor of the Omega and Shalom
SDA churches in Connecticut.
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I know Pastor Martell personally
and I know that he loves to
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present the gospel
at every opportunity.
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Some of our viewers
have never experienced Jesus
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or don't know
anything about Him.
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If that's your situation,
this program is for you.
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If you're already a believer,
you're going to get some new
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insights into the
Word of God today.
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Welcome Pastor Martell.
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Well, it is certainly a real
joy and a really great privilege
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to be able to share what I
perceive to be one of the most
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amazing, miraculous,
life-changing experiences
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of my life: that is my personal
encounter with my Lord and
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Savior Jesus Christ.
Well we can't wait to hear it.
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We can't wait to hear
it. Let's talk a bit about...
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about your journey
and where you're from.
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Where were you born? I
was born in Harlem Hospital
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in Manhattan, New York City
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and raised partially in
Spanish Harlem, South Bronx,
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West Bronx... all round about.
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So you were raised in
the "hood" so to speak.
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Yep. In the "hood. " And
so coming up as a child...
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Let's first look
at your childhood
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coming up as a young
boy in the inner city.
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What was that like for you?
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Well, there's one word that
encapsulizes it all, and that
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one word would be
wild. At that time I was...
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I was like... "up to no
good in the hood" you know.
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Running with gangs. Into
everything under the sun.
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All of that was mad fun to me
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and, you know, until you
come in contact with Jesus.
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But I'm going to let you
take a little lead on that
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and then I'm going to go
into that in more detail.
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OK, so when you say you
were "up to no good in the hood"
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which I love that phrase.
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I might have to
borrow that from you.
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You can have it.
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"Up to no good in the
hood... " unpack that.
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Like when you went to school...
Let's start with elementary
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school. When you were in school,
were you applying yourself?
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Because you express yourself
really well as an adult.
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Were you reading?
Were you applying yourself
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when you were in
elementary school?
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I was always very interested
in intellectual pursuits
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as a kid. I did exceptionally
well in elementary school
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but then as I started to tran-
sition onto the higher levels
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of education - high school -
of course we got off the beaten
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path. And I got involved in
gangs and just the deterioration
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that you would find
in the average ghetto.
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Yeah, you know, one of the
things, Pastor Lionel, that...
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that we see so often
is that our young boys
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are in a situation where
they don't have a really good...
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they don't have a father image
or they don't have a mentor
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or they don't have anybody
to teach them about being a man.
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Were you an only child?
Did you have other siblings?
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Were you in a
two-parent household?
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What was your household like?
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Well, I wasn't the only child
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but indeed I was
a fatherless child
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and more or less just left to
the mercies of the environment
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which at that time
in the early 1970's
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in that era was highly terri-
torial with different gangs.
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Those were the days of the Black
Spades, the Glory Stompers,
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the Javelins, the Peacemakers,
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the Social Sevens, the
Spanish lords... all over.
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I mean, the Black Spades
alone had like 103 divisions
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and they were right... all the
way almost up into my apartment
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practically. But
it was days of war:
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of rumbles, of shooting and
killing and stabbing and drugs.
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And I didn't get involved
in everything under the sun
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but I did get involved in
the gangbanging part of it.
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And I'm only here
today because of a miraculous
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marvelous experience of
deliverance that was wrought
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through my Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ.
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Yes, and I want you
to unpack that for us.
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I just want to kind of take
us up to that point a little bit
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further. So in the inner city...
because, you know, if you're not
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raised there, if you
don't have that experience,
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you don't really know the
dangers of just getting up
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and going outside. The
dangers that you confront
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as especially a young male.
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Because the gangs
are trying to pull you in
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and you have street life
that's trying to pull you in.
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And so all of that
was converging upon you
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and you made certain
choices as a young male.
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Correct? You decided to
get involved with the gangs.
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It's almost like
survival, though, isn't it?
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Well that was really the
name of the game: survival.
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Because in those days
because the areas were...
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were predominantly territorial
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you felt the need to
have some kind of protection,
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some kind of security, so
you associated with a gang.
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This way if
anything would happen to you,
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one of your family members,
you would have some kind of
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serious backing. So I tried
to associate with the strongest
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gang in existence at
that time in the area.
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Yeah, I mean, it is such
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a crisis and it's
such a systemic issue
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in the inner city because
there aren't a lot of options.
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And you choose... you
tend to choose the option
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for survival... that
you feel is the best - yes -
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option for survival.
So... And that's what you did.
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So you got involved in
gangs, in that lifestyle.
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Unpack that a little bit
more for us before we find out
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how you were taken out of that.
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Well in that lifestyle means
that once you get involved with
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the gangs, of course, you
know you're subject to rumbles,
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fighting, killing, stabbing,
shooting. All that kind of stuff
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you're subject to. And you know
just one day something happened
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really crazy and I
felt that God delivered me.
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A bright light
actually shone on me.
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In fact, it
covered that entire block
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and I felt it. To me it was
perceived as a frozen frame.
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And it seemed like every time
I was supposed to be stabbed,
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shot, killed...
something of this order...
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like I was
supernaturally delivered.
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And so eventually
it came to a crucible
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and a critical
point or apex in my life
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where I had to make a decision.
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Wow! That is to follow
God's way or to continue the way
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I was going only to
interface premature death.
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Wow! So you knew that if you
continued along that same path
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you were going to
die or go to prison
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because that was what
was happening all around you.
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Correct? Yes... sudden death
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and certain death
would have occurred.
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But I was
miraculously delivered.
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How? And every day my
song is plenteous redemption.
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Oh, because one
time I went up against
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a certain group... I'm not
calling names of individuals
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or groups, but a
certain group by myself
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because of something that was
done. And they were prepared.
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They had guns out on me
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and I didn't have a gun
at the time. I just had...
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Actually I had a slat
from underneath my bed.
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And they were
pointing the guns at me
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and this soft light covered...
flooded the entire area
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and I walked away untouched.
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And so since I had been
like getting delivered all along
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I was wondering what...
I became very curious about
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this power that
seemed to keep delivering me
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at the last moment and
snatching me out from the
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auspices of
premature death and the grave.
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So I realized afterwards that it
was... that it was Jesus Christ.
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Now look at... Oh man,
Pastor, look at what God did.
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God all along
had a plan for you.
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Yes, yes. All along there was...
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You... I was
talking to a guest recently
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and he was talking
about his experience in gangs
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and that lifestyle, and
he said he was not a mistake.
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You were not a mistake.
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None of us were mistakes.
God had a plan for all of us.
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And so this plan
that God had for you
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you had no idea. You
were out there gangbanging
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but you saw this light. This
light came into the situation
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and you were able
to just walk away?
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While people were pointing
guns at you, you were able
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to walk away. In the same area
where maybe hundreds of friends
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were killed. Wow!
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And that's why I'm really
touched up to this very day.
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Now the thing that really amazes
me about those experiences
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back then is that while I was
doing what I was crazy enough
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to do back then, what I
saw myself doing back then
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back then God saw me
doing what I'm doing now.
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That's right; that's right.
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In other words, while I
was gangbanging back then
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God saw me teaching and
preaching the gospel now.
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God saw me
visiting the sick now.
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God saw me doing evangelism
now trying to win souls
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and build up the
kingdom. So He saw me doing now
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what, you know, I
was doing back then.
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What I saw
myself doing back then.
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I would never have dreamed
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of doing now back then.
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You know, if someone
had told you that in 2014
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you were going to be
preaching the gospel,
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you were going to be
on fire for Jesus Christ,
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you were going to be a
pastor you would have said:
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"What? Are you
crazy? No way! " Am I right?
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Yes, I would have said: "You're
totally out of your mind.
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I'm not religious. I'm not
going to say that there's no God
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in the sky but I don't see
myself doing that in the future
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at all. " So... OK.
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So now, take us back
to... You had this experience.
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You realized that
something is up here
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'cause there's no reason
why some light should shine down
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on me and the guns
that were pointed at me
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didn't go off and I was
able to walk out from there.
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Did you at that
point begin to seek God?
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What was going on with you?
At that point... At that point
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the very next day I
went up to my sister's house.
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She lived... We were
living at 511 East 150th Street
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between Brook and St
Anns in the South Bronx.
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She lived on the 5th floor;
we lived on the 3rd floor.
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My cousins lived
on the 1st floor.
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The very next day I went up to
her apartment on the 5th floor
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and I... We were very close.
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My sister was like
a second mother to me.
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And I said to her: "You know,
something strange happens to me.
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Every time it's time
for like to go for a rumble
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or some crazy thing
happens where somebody is shot,
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stabbed, killed, I'm
almost like not around.
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Without trying to duck
it, without trying to dodge it
00:11:46.89\00:11:50.22
it's just like the
circumstances just seem to be
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maneuvering me elsewhere.
And whenever I am there
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I'm supernaturally protected. "
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And my sister practically
ignored what I was saying
00:11:59.29\00:12:03.40
and said to me: "Listen... "
00:12:03.70\00:12:05.96
she said, "just
recently I joined a book club. "
00:12:06.16\00:12:09.56
As if I would be interested
in something like that?
00:12:09.76\00:12:12.37
Of course not.
00:12:12.77\00:12:13.85
And I was like: that
was sort of rude of her
00:12:14.25\00:12:17.32
to just totally ignore me
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and start talking
to me about books!
00:12:19.76\00:12:22.17
So she said:
"Guess what I purchased? "
00:12:22.58\00:12:24.97
And I said: "What's that? "
00:12:25.17\00:12:26.53
She said: "A Bible. "
00:12:26.83\00:12:28.49
I said: "Oh, she's got to
be joking now. What would she
00:12:28.69\00:12:31.05
be telling me about the Bible?
00:12:31.25\00:12:32.47
I'm not religious; I'm
not a spiritual person.
00:12:32.67\00:12:35.51
Why is she telling
me about the Bible? "
00:12:35.71\00:12:37.34
And she said: "In
fact, I need you to help me
00:12:37.77\00:12:40.93
to maybe translate or
understand this passage. "
00:12:41.13\00:12:45.24
And I was like:
"Is she kidding me? "
00:12:45.54\00:12:47.77
And she turned to this
scripture, passage of scripture
00:12:49.04\00:12:52.77
over there in the book
of Matthew where it says:
00:12:52.97\00:12:54.89
"And pray ye that your
flight be not in the winter
00:12:54.99\00:12:58.39
neither on the Sabbath day. "
00:12:58.59\00:13:01.20
Now I was a little
taken aback when she said that
00:13:01.98\00:13:05.38
because... I'm older now
but I went back in my mind
00:13:05.58\00:13:09.50
to the age of 7. My
mom, she used to make us
00:13:09.71\00:13:12.34
stay upstairs on Sundays after
church and read the scriptures
00:13:12.45\00:13:16.22
and keep Sunday holy.
00:13:16.32\00:13:19.10
And I was really
angry about that because
00:13:19.20\00:13:22.34
sometimes the windows
would be open and you would hear
00:13:22.54\00:13:25.03
all the street fun, you
know, coming through the window.
00:13:25.13\00:13:27.51
People playing skelsy,
stick ball, butterscotch,
00:13:27.71\00:13:30.76
and just seemed like they
were just having a world of fun
00:13:30.90\00:13:33.09
out there while I've got to
be upstairs praying and reading
00:13:33.19\00:13:36.70
the scriptures. So I was
so upset one day that I took
00:13:36.80\00:13:40.61
the Bible and I sort of
slammed it down on the bed.
00:13:40.71\00:13:42.83
And it popped open
to Exodus chapter 20.
00:13:43.13\00:13:47.17
And my eyes landed on
verse 8... dead smack on verse 8
00:13:47.47\00:13:51.06
where it say: "Remember the
Sabbath day to keep it holy.
00:13:51.36\00:13:54.87
Six days shalt thou
labor and do all thy work
00:13:55.17\00:13:57.27
but the seventh day is the
Sabbath of the Lord thy God.
00:13:57.57\00:14:00.26
In it thou shalt
not do any work. "
00:14:00.46\00:14:02.06
So I was 7 years old.
00:14:02.16\00:14:04.49
And amazingly enough at
7 I went into the kitchen
00:14:04.69\00:14:07.73
to verify which day indeed
was the 7th day of the week
00:14:07.93\00:14:10.74
only to my surprise
to discover that Sunday
00:14:10.94\00:14:15.78
was the 1st day of the week
and Saturday was the 7th day
00:14:15.98\00:14:19.77
of the week. So with
the calendar in my left hand
00:14:19.87\00:14:22.82
and the Bible in my right hand
00:14:23.02\00:14:24.81
I proceeded to
march into her room
00:14:25.01\00:14:26.85
and I said: "Ma... " I
said... "with all due respect
00:14:27.05\00:14:29.62
to you, " I said,
"do you realize that we
00:14:29.82\00:14:33.28
are worshiping
on the wrong day? "
00:14:33.38\00:14:35.39
And she said: "What
are you talking about? "
00:14:35.79\00:14:37.74
I said: "Well the Bible
says Remember the Sabbath day
00:14:37.94\00:14:39.72
to keep it holy. Sunday
is the first day of the week.
00:14:39.82\00:14:43.51
Saturday is the
seventh day of the week.
00:14:43.71\00:14:46.66
So Sunday
cannot be the holy day.
00:14:46.96\00:14:49.53
Can I go outside to play? "
00:14:49.73\00:14:51.04
Yvonne, I could really
technically care less about the
00:14:54.18\00:14:57.16
sanctity of the day.
Whether it was right or wrong
00:14:57.26\00:15:00.13
didn't matter to me. I just
wanted to get out of that house
00:15:00.23\00:15:03.44
and get with the other
kids out there on the streets.
00:15:03.64\00:15:06.30
Some skelsy, stick ball,
whatever it was they were doing.
00:15:06.50\00:15:09.55
I did not want to be upstairs
reading any dead, dry, boring
00:15:09.75\00:15:13.01
literature
called the Holy Bible.
00:15:13.11\00:15:15.23
Isn't that amazing
how your perspective
00:15:15.73\00:15:19.77
on it has changed so much?
00:15:19.87\00:15:22.17
Like at that point you
felt like it was dead, dry,
00:15:22.37\00:15:25.02
and now you
can't get enough of it.
00:15:25.22\00:15:26.94
Well because
between then and now
00:15:27.76\00:15:30.36
something happened to me.
00:15:31.59\00:15:33.18
A very traumatic
personal encounter
00:15:33.48\00:15:36.86
and that's why we call it
"the ultimate encounter. "
00:15:37.06\00:15:40.03
Yes, yes, yes...
Before you go there, though,
00:15:40.33\00:15:42.18
we have to know - 'cause I
know my viewers are going to
00:15:42.38\00:15:44.06
want to know - what did your
mom? How did she react to that?
00:15:44.16\00:15:48.07
How did she react to
your saying the first day
00:15:48.47\00:15:51.14
is Sunday and the
seventh day is Saturday?
00:15:51.34\00:15:54.30
Well she simply
drove me out of the room
00:15:54.51\00:15:58.10
like Hurricane Sandy.
00:15:58.30\00:16:00.80
I'm surprised you didn't get
a little paddling behind that.
00:16:04.33\00:16:08.23
No... no, she didn't paddle
me but she was very upset.
00:16:08.43\00:16:11.35
Yeah... yeah,
yeah, yeah. OK, so now
00:16:11.65\00:16:15.60
you are in the
room with your sister
00:16:15.80\00:16:19.36
and your sister has asked
you to interpret this passage.
00:16:19.56\00:16:23.30
You're going there with
a theological question like
00:16:23.51\00:16:26.27
Why am I delivered all the time?
00:16:26.37\00:16:28.73
Why do these supernatural
things keep happening?
00:16:28.93\00:16:31.49
and your sister asks
you to interpret a text
00:16:31.89\00:16:36.11
which then carried you
back to when you were seven.
00:16:36.21\00:16:39.38
So now - yes - what did you do
00:16:39.78\00:16:41.65
when your sister asked
you to interpret the text?
00:16:41.85\00:16:44.76
OK, I said: "Now I don't
know where it's found... "
00:16:45.82\00:16:48.58
I said: "I'm not religious
you know. I'm not no...
00:16:48.69\00:16:50.60
no Bible student and I
wouldn't be able to tell you
00:16:50.80\00:16:53.56
where this particular
passage of scripture is located,
00:16:53.76\00:16:55.89
but, " I said,
"somewhere in there it says
00:16:56.19\00:16:59.04
'Remember the
Sabbath day to keep it holy'
00:16:59.14\00:17:01.10
and the seventh
day is the Sabbath day
00:17:01.30\00:17:04.26
but I don't know where it
is. " I said: "It's somewhere
00:17:04.36\00:17:06.69
in there and it's a
part of those commandments. "
00:17:06.79\00:17:09.10
So I began to search
for the Ten Commandments
00:17:09.50\00:17:13.17
and I felt a little like
ignorant that I didn't know
00:17:13.37\00:17:16.39
exactly where it was to
show her what book it was in,
00:17:16.49\00:17:19.79
what verse, chapter, whatever.
I just didn't... I had no
00:17:19.89\00:17:22.41
knowledge of the
scriptures. None at all.
00:17:22.51\00:17:24.21
She was making us read every
Sunday, but I was never really
00:17:24.61\00:17:26.83
paying attention
to anything in there.
00:17:26.93\00:17:28.82
You know, my head was
not there at the time.
00:17:29.22\00:17:30.98
Right, right. So I began
to feverishly look for that.
00:17:31.19\00:17:35.66
And somehow in the process
of trying to track down that
00:17:35.86\00:17:39.65
text I began to
discover some other things.
00:17:39.75\00:17:44.10
I went to the book of
Revelation where it talked about
00:17:45.08\00:17:47.48
the scorpion that had power
in its tail to destroy 1/3 of
00:17:47.68\00:17:52.67
the population of the earth
and many other passages that
00:17:52.77\00:17:55.99
I began to interpret literally
00:17:56.09\00:17:58.92
that were supposed to be
- of course - interpreted
00:17:59.02\00:18:00.96
spiritually...
that were figurative -
00:18:00.99\00:18:03.58
but I took them literally.
00:18:03.72\00:18:05.50
So they actually scared
the living daylights out of me.
00:18:05.80\00:18:09.29
So I thought that these things
were really going to happen,
00:18:09.59\00:18:12.91
you know, to us... to mankind.
00:18:13.21\00:18:15.76
And so I began to
seriously read the scriptures.
00:18:15.96\00:18:19.32
At this point, it
began to take on new meaning.
00:18:19.62\00:18:22.28
And then eventually I
started trying to understand
00:18:22.69\00:18:25.92
better who God is.
00:18:26.22\00:18:29.05
OK, this is
wonderful because you see how
00:18:30.28\00:18:35.74
God used your sister to
draw you into an interest
00:18:35.94\00:18:41.03
in the scriptures. You had
to answer something for her
00:18:41.06\00:18:45.34
and so He drew you
into this dialogue with her
00:18:45.54\00:18:50.17
which then drew you further
into searching the scriptures
00:18:50.37\00:18:54.07
for yourself. Right.
And you developed a real
00:18:54.27\00:18:58.49
passion for the scriptures.
00:18:58.79\00:19:01.03
How did you have
the ultimate encounter?
00:19:01.23\00:19:05.33
Because in the process
of studying the scriptures
00:19:05.83\00:19:08.88
God began to
reveal Himself to me.
00:19:09.28\00:19:11.53
My sister said:
"There must be a true church
00:19:13.39\00:19:16.70
somewhere. " And she began
to go to different churches.
00:19:16.90\00:19:19.55
And I said: "Well,
if there's a true church
00:19:19.65\00:19:21.31
it has to be in
harmony with God's will
00:19:21.51\00:19:24.47
at this
particular point in time. "
00:19:24.87\00:19:27.28
And I said: "So it has to
be in harmony with the plain
00:19:27.49\00:19:30.24
teachings of the holy scriptures
from Genesis to Revelation. "
00:19:30.34\00:19:33.65
So she went to different
churches, and she would come
00:19:33.85\00:19:36.34
back and tell me about this
one, that one, the other one.
00:19:36.44\00:19:38.39
I just stayed... I just kept
reading, reading, and comparing
00:19:38.59\00:19:41.74
what she was sharing with
me with what was plainly taught
00:19:41.97\00:19:45.70
in the holy scriptures.
And then eventually she
00:19:45.90\00:19:48.15
said... you know, she
began to tell me about one
00:19:48.25\00:19:51.07
that was observing
what I perceived to be
00:19:51.27\00:19:54.68
all of the
commandments... all ten of them.
00:19:54.89\00:19:56.96
And I said: "Well let me
go down and check it out. "
00:19:57.78\00:20:00.50
It was the Ephesus
Seventh-day Adventist church
00:20:00.60\00:20:02.56
located in Harlem Manhattan.
00:20:02.76\00:20:04.34
And I went down there.
The pastor got up and he
00:20:04.54\00:20:07.02
started preaching and
I felt the Spirit of God
00:20:07.12\00:20:09.21
like very heavily upon him.
00:20:09.41\00:20:11.83
And he was speaking as
if God was speaking directly
00:20:12.03\00:20:15.80
through him to me...
00:20:15.90\00:20:17.59
which challenged me to re-
investigate the holy scriptures
00:20:17.79\00:20:21.34
but from a
different perspective.
00:20:21.54\00:20:22.94
I began to seek for God.
00:20:22.97\00:20:24.90
I began to look for Him in
every book and every chapter
00:20:25.19\00:20:29.01
and every verse and every line.
00:20:29.21\00:20:31.66
Studying His
providence... the way how He
00:20:31.86\00:20:34.67
reveals Himself through
circumstances and the way how He
00:20:34.87\00:20:38.48
orchestrates the
affairs of the lives of men.
00:20:38.58\00:20:41.89
And then I came to a realization
that this was the power
00:20:42.30\00:20:47.32
that had been with me all along.
00:20:47.52\00:20:49.34
Protecting me,
delivering me, shielding me.
00:20:49.64\00:20:52.40
Now all the pieces of the puzzle
began to topple into place
00:20:52.70\00:20:55.75
for me. And so I made up
my mind to follow Christ.
00:20:55.85\00:20:58.90
I accepted Him and made
up my mind to follow Him
00:20:59.10\00:21:01.79
all the way through the
watery grave of baptism.
00:21:01.89\00:21:04.83
So that was really a turning
point for you, was it not?
00:21:05.25\00:21:08.95
Big time. And I said
that from this day forward
00:21:09.08\00:21:12.45
"I am Your servant. "
00:21:12.86\00:21:15.70
And trust me, God chose to
just max out on that pledge.
00:21:16.82\00:21:21.64
One day I was in
my room in my bed
00:21:23.13\00:21:26.32
and I heard a voice say to me...
00:21:26.52\00:21:28.29
I'm over there at 1125
University Avenue in the...
00:21:28.49\00:21:31.87
in the West Bronx now
over in the Highbridge region.
00:21:32.07\00:21:35.47
In my room on my
bed and God said to me:
00:21:35.71\00:21:38.73
"Get up. Walk
over to the window.
00:21:39.13\00:21:43.28
Draw back the drapes
and pull up the blinds. "
00:21:43.49\00:21:47.04
And He said: "As
far as your eye can see
00:21:47.34\00:21:50.71
is your field of ministry. "
00:21:50.91\00:21:53.79
God said: "Go work for Me. "
00:21:54.09\00:21:55.80
He said: "Because the fields
are whited unto the harvest. "
00:21:56.10\00:21:59.64
And He said to "Pray that
the Lord will send workers
00:21:59.67\00:22:02.29
into the harvest. But I
need you to work for Me. "
00:22:02.39\00:22:05.76
And of course it
became chillingly clear to me
00:22:06.06\00:22:09.15
that He wanted me to try
to evangelize all of those
00:22:09.35\00:22:11.90
projects round about that area.
00:22:12.00\00:22:14.00
And so back at the ranch
the church that I was attending,
00:22:14.40\00:22:18.37
I had gotten baptized
at: Ephesus SDA church
00:22:18.47\00:22:22.29
in Harlem Manhattan. In
the basement of the church
00:22:22.49\00:22:25.96
they had just I
can't even tell you
00:22:26.16\00:22:29.89
how many family Bible course
Bible study lessons there.
00:22:30.09\00:22:35.74
And I was collecting
them just by the droves
00:22:35.97\00:22:39.15
and just going from one
project to the next - all 13
00:22:39.35\00:22:42.98
floors all 8 doors trying
to enroll people in personal
00:22:43.18\00:22:46.29
Bible studies. And I
literally covered every project
00:22:46.39\00:22:50.19
in that area from top to bottom
00:22:50.29\00:22:53.87
and the buildings in between.
00:22:54.17\00:22:57.43
And I did this with the
Holy Spirit in the presence
00:22:57.73\00:23:00.79
of the holy angels every chance
I got between school and work.
00:23:00.89\00:23:05.22
And I could sense them being
in the room. You could sense
00:23:05.42\00:23:07.57
the Holy Spirit in my room.
You could sense the holy angels
00:23:07.77\00:23:10.57
in my room as I began this
new trek ministering to people.
00:23:10.77\00:23:14.00
Guiding me to them; giving
me exactly what to say to these
00:23:14.20\00:23:16.75
people. Some were in
the process of dying.
00:23:16.85\00:23:19.14
Some have virtually died,
but the Lord was able to use me
00:23:19.34\00:23:23.15
to reach these people
on time. So He delivered me
00:23:23.25\00:23:27.07
to use me, and He saw
me doing what I was doing
00:23:27.27\00:23:30.35
then... He saw me doing
that while He was delivering me
00:23:30.55\00:23:34.62
in the world. Amazing! And
that's such an important point,
00:23:35.76\00:23:40.30
pastor, because so many
people right now listening
00:23:40.40\00:23:45.38
might be caught up into a
lifestyle that they don't want
00:23:45.58\00:23:49.70
to be in. Right. And they
feel like they're too far gone
00:23:49.80\00:23:52.85
for God to love
them. They're too far gone
00:23:53.05\00:23:55.88
for there to be a plan for them.
00:23:56.08\00:23:58.03
But what you're telling us and
what your life has demonstrated
00:23:58.23\00:24:02.11
is that you're not too far gone.
00:24:02.31\00:24:04.81
That God can take
you... If you're in a gang,
00:24:05.01\00:24:07.14
if you're in a
lifestyle, if you're on drugs,
00:24:07.34\00:24:09.56
if you're using alcohol,
if you're doing whatever...
00:24:09.76\00:24:12.81
God can take that
life, wash it clean,
00:24:13.01\00:24:16.10
and set you in service for Him.
00:24:16.30\00:24:18.95
Which? What is
there better than that?
00:24:19.15\00:24:21.64
There's nothing better
than that. I don't know if it's
00:24:21.95\00:24:24.42
literally possible to go
too far for God to save you.
00:24:24.62\00:24:29.44
Come on pastor! I
believe much of that kind
00:24:29.64\00:24:31.90
of thinking is literally
imaginary. Come on; come on.
00:24:32.00\00:24:35.58
And the reason why I
would dare say all such
00:24:35.68\00:24:39.00
is because if I have to
believe that I can reach a point
00:24:39.20\00:24:43.23
where God can't save me
00:24:43.43\00:24:46.24
then I would have to believe
that His death on the cross
00:24:46.44\00:24:49.66
for me was a total farce.
00:24:49.86\00:24:52.34
Because why would He
come from the third heavens
00:24:52.64\00:24:56.73
through deep space, against
the gravitational forces of
00:24:56.93\00:25:00.14
our solar system to
be born of a virgin?
00:25:00.24\00:25:03.21
To live, bleed, suffer, die?
00:25:03.41\00:25:06.70
Give up the ghost;
shed His precious blood
00:25:06.91\00:25:09.61
to show me how much He loves me?
00:25:09.81\00:25:11.97
Then because of a
few bad habits in my life
00:25:12.27\00:25:15.44
or some moment or
period of rebellion
00:25:15.64\00:25:18.72
He just turns His back on
me and closes out my probation.
00:25:18.92\00:25:23.01
No more mercy;
no more forgiveness.
00:25:23.21\00:25:25.63
No opportunity to
be delivered and saved.
00:25:25.83\00:25:28.70
I don't believe that.
00:25:29.67\00:25:30.81
I believe that so long as
there is life there is hope.
00:25:31.01\00:25:35.19
Yes, yes. So
pastor, in one minute
00:25:35.49\00:25:40.12
look into your camera
and tell someone out there
00:25:40.53\00:25:45.53
how they can have
the ultimate encounter.
00:25:45.73\00:25:48.64
I think the most important thing
00:25:49.04\00:25:51.60
in this world
for people to realize
00:25:51.80\00:25:53.89
is that before you turn
off the scene of human history
00:25:54.09\00:25:57.80
you have to come to know
your Creator for yourself.
00:25:58.00\00:26:00.26
I'll never forget one day
I was out there in Brooklyn
00:26:00.36\00:26:02.85
on Ocean Avenue
at 11:30 at night.
00:26:02.95\00:26:05.36
I was standing there on the
platform waiting for the train
00:26:05.56\00:26:07.68
to pull in. This tall
fellow was standing next to me,
00:26:07.78\00:26:10.77
and I began to strike up a
conversation to introduce him
00:26:10.87\00:26:13.69
to Jesus. And he said:
"Don't try to preach to me.
00:26:13.79\00:26:16.71
I don't believe in
God; I'm an atheist. "
00:26:16.91\00:26:19.27
I said to him: "I can tell
you in less than three minutes
00:26:19.50\00:26:21.55
and prove to you that
you are not an atheist. "
00:26:21.75\00:26:24.39
He said: "That's
impossible... I'm an atheist. "
00:26:24.59\00:26:27.19
I said: "Let me
ask you a question. "
00:26:27.43\00:26:28.91
I said: "From the day
that you were born did you ever
00:26:29.11\00:26:32.14
sink to your
knees and say 'Dear God,
00:26:32.24\00:26:34.37
if You exist
reveal Yourself to me?
00:26:34.57\00:26:37.37
I need... You owe
that to me as my Creator.
00:26:37.58\00:26:40.60
Before I leave this world You
owe that revelation to me. ' "
00:26:40.70\00:26:43.21
I said: "Did you ever
from since you were born
00:26:43.41\00:26:46.16
give Him an honest
clear shot at your life? "
00:26:46.36\00:26:49.60
He said: "No, I
have never done that. "
00:26:50.00\00:26:52.35
The train pulled
in. We boarded the train
00:26:52.55\00:26:55.01
and for the rest of the time
from Brooklyn into the Bronx
00:26:55.31\00:26:58.86
he stood there holding on
to the handle of the train
00:26:59.06\00:27:02.50
staring at me,
peering through the window
00:27:02.70\00:27:05.54
wrestling with that
disturbing question:
00:27:05.74\00:27:08.26
"No, I've never really given
Him a honest shot at my life. "
00:27:08.46\00:27:11.93
There are countless number
of hearers out there today
00:27:12.13\00:27:14.48
who have never
given Jesus a chance
00:27:14.68\00:27:17.28
for the ultimate encounter.
00:27:17.48\00:27:21.44
You need to think about that.
00:27:21.64\00:27:23.12
Yes. Give God a
honest shot at your life.
00:27:23.32\00:27:26.03
Yes. God bless
you. Thank you so much.
00:27:26.23\00:27:28.62
Thank you so much
for sharing that with us.
00:27:28.82\00:27:31.36
Thank you for just
giving us your journey.
00:27:31.56\00:27:35.14
It's been such a rich testimony.
00:27:35.34\00:27:37.59
We really appreciate it.
00:27:37.69\00:27:38.97
Well, that's the end
of our program for today.
00:27:39.37\00:27:42.52
We sincerely hope that you ex-
perience the ultimate encounter.
00:27:42.73\00:27:46.35
Thanks for tuning
in. Join us next time
00:27:46.65\00:27:48.75
'cause you know what? It
just wouldn't be the same
00:27:48.95\00:27:51.37
without you.
00:27:51.57\00:27:53.86