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
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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
00:11:59.18\00:12:03.39
and said to me: "Listen... "
00:12:03.62\00:12:05.92
she said, "just
recently I joined a book club. "
00:12:06.05\00:12:09.52
As if I would be interested
in something like that?
00:12:09.66\00:12:12.36
Of course not.
00:12:12.69\00:12:13.83
And I was like: that
was sort of rude of her
00:12:14.13\00:12:17.27
to just totally ignore me
00:12:17.40\00:12:19.50
and start talking
to me about books!
00:12:19.63\00:12:22.14
So she said:
"Guess what I purchased? "
00:12:22.47\00:12:24.94
And I said: "What's that? "
00:12:25.07\00:12:26.47
She said: "A Bible. "
00:12:26.71\00:12:28.44
I said: "Oh, she's got to
be joking now. What would she
00:12:28.58\00:12:31.01
be telling me about the Bible?
00:12:31.15\00:12:32.45
I'm not religious; I'm
not a spiritual person.
00:12:32.58\00:12:35.48
Why is she telling
me about the Bible? "
00:12:35.62\00:12:37.32
And she said: "In
fact, I need you to help me
00:12:37.69\00:12:40.89
to maybe translate or
understand this passage. "
00:12:41.02\00:12:45.23
And I was like:
"Is she kidding me? "
00:12:45.46\00:12:47.76
And she turned to this
scripture, passage of scripture
00:12:48.90\00:12:52.73
over there in the book
of Matthew where it says:
00:12:52.87\00:12:54.84
"And pray ye that your
flight be not in the winter
00:12:54.87\00:12:58.34
neither on the Sabbath day. "
00:12:58.47\00:13:01.18
Now I was a little
taken aback when she said that
00:13:01.88\00:13:05.35
because... I'm older now
but I went back in my mind
00:13:05.48\00:13:09.48
to the age of 7. My
mom, she used to make us
00:13:09.62\00:13:12.32
stay upstairs on Sundays after
church and read the scriptures
00:13:12.35\00:13:16.19
and keep Sunday holy.
00:13:16.22\00:13:19.09
And I was really
angry about that because
00:13:19.13\00:13:22.30
sometimes the windows
would be open and you would hear
00:13:22.43\00:13:24.97
all the street fun, you
know, coming through the window.
00:13:25.00\00:13:27.47
People playing skelsy,
stick ball, butterscotch,
00:13:27.60\00:13:30.77
and just seemed like they
were just having a world of fun
00:13:30.81\00:13:33.04
out there while I've got to
be upstairs praying and reading
00:13:33.07\00:13:36.68
the scriptures. So I was
so upset one day that I took
00:13:36.71\00:13:40.58
the Bible and I sort of
slammed it down on the bed.
00:13:40.62\00:13:42.78
And it popped open
to Exodus chapter 20.
00:13:43.02\00:13:47.16
And my eyes landed on
verse 8... dead smack on verse 8
00:13:47.39\00:13:51.03
where it say: "Remember the
Sabbath day to keep it holy.
00:13:51.26\00:13:54.83
Six days shalt thou
labor and do all thy work
00:13:55.06\00:13:57.23
but the seventh day is the
Sabbath of the Lord thy God.
00:13:57.47\00:14:00.20
In it thou shalt
not do any work. "
00:14:00.34\00:14:02.00
So I was 7 years old.
00:14:02.04\00:14:04.44
And amazingly enough at
7 I went into the kitchen
00:14:04.57\00:14:07.68
to verify which day indeed
was the 7th day of the week
00:14:07.81\00:14:10.71
only to my surprise
to discover that Sunday
00:14:10.85\00:14:15.75
was the 1st day of the week
and Saturday was the 7th day
00:14:15.88\00:14:19.75
of the week. So with
the calendar in my left hand
00:14:19.79\00:14:22.79
and the Bible in my right hand
00:14:22.92\00:14:24.79
I proceeded to
march into her room
00:14:24.93\00:14:26.83
and I said: "Ma... " I
said... "with all due respect
00:14:26.96\00:14:29.56
to you, " I said,
"do you realize that we
00:14:29.70\00:14:33.23
are worshiping
on the wrong day? "
00:14:33.27\00:14:35.34
And she said: "What
are you talking about? "
00:14:35.67\00:14:37.71
I said: "Well the Bible
says Remember the Sabbath day
00:14:37.84\00:14:39.67
to keep it holy. Sunday
is the first day of the week.
00:14:39.71\00:14:43.48
Saturday is the
seventh day of the week.
00:14:43.61\00:14:46.61
So Sunday
cannot be the holy day.
00:14:46.85\00:14:49.48
Can I go outside to play? "
00:14:49.62\00:14:51.02
Yvonne, I could really
technically care less about the
00:14:54.09\00:14:57.13
sanctity of the day.
Whether it was right or wrong
00:14:57.16\00:15:00.10
didn't matter to me. I just
wanted to get out of that house
00:15:00.13\00:15:03.40
and get with the other
kids out there on the streets.
00:15:03.53\00:15:06.27
Some skelsy, stick ball,
whatever it was they were doing.
00:15:06.40\00:15:09.50
I did not want to be upstairs
reading any dead, dry, boring
00:15:09.64\00:15:12.97
literature
called the Holy Bible.
00:15:13.01\00:15:15.18
Isn't that amazing
how your perspective
00:15:15.61\00:15:19.75
on it has changed so much?
00:15:19.78\00:15:22.15
Like at that point you
felt like it was dead, dry,
00:15:22.28\00:15:24.99
and now you
can't get enough of it.
00:15:25.12\00:15:26.92
Well because
between then and now
00:15:27.66\00:15:30.33
something happened to me.
00:15:31.49\00:15:33.16
A very traumatic
personal encounter
00:15:33.40\00:15:36.80
and that's why we call it
"the ultimate encounter. "
00:15:36.93\00:15:39.97
Yes, yes, yes...
Before you go there, though,
00:15:40.20\00:15:42.14
we have to know - 'cause I
know my viewers are going to
00:15:42.27\00:15:44.01
want to know - what did your
mom? How did she react to that?
00:15:44.04\00:15:48.04
How did she react to
your saying the first day
00:15:48.38\00:15:51.11
is Sunday and the
seventh day is Saturday?
00:15:51.25\00:15:54.28
Well she simply
drove me out of the room
00:15:54.42\00:15:58.09
like Hurricane Sandy.
00:15:58.22\00:16:00.79
I'm surprised you didn't get
a little paddling behind that.
00:16:04.23\00:16:08.16
No... no, she didn't paddle
me but she was very upset.
00:16:08.30\00:16:11.30
Yeah... yeah,
yeah, yeah. OK, so now
00:16:11.53\00:16:15.57
you are in the
room with your sister
00:16:15.70\00:16:19.31
and your sister has asked
you to interpret this passage.
00:16:19.44\00:16:23.28
You're going there with
a theological question like
00:16:23.41\00:16:26.25
Why am I delivered all the time?
00:16:26.28\00:16:28.68
Why do these supernatural
things keep happening?
00:16:28.82\00:16:31.45
and your sister asks
you to interpret a text
00:16:31.79\00:16:36.09
which then carried you
back to when you were seven.
00:16:36.12\00:16:39.36
So now - yes - what did you do
00:16:39.69\00:16:41.60
when your sister asked
you to interpret the text?
00:16:41.73\00:16:44.70
OK, I said: "Now I don't
know where it's found... "
00:16:45.70\00:16:48.54
I said: "I'm not religious
you know. I'm not no...
00:16:48.57\00:16:50.57
no Bible student and I
wouldn't be able to tell you
00:16:50.71\00:16:53.51
where this particular
passage of scripture is located,
00:16:53.64\00:16:55.84
but, " I said,
"somewhere in there it says
00:16:56.08\00:16:59.01
'Remember the
Sabbath day to keep it holy'
00:16:59.05\00:17:01.08
and the seventh
day is the Sabbath day
00:17:01.22\00:17:04.22
but I don't know where it
is. " I said: "It's somewhere
00:17:04.25\00:17:06.65
in there and it's a
part of those commandments. "
00:17:06.69\00:17:09.09
So I began to search
for the Ten Commandments
00:17:09.42\00:17:13.16
and I felt a little like
ignorant that I didn't know
00:17:13.29\00:17:16.33
exactly where it was to
show her what book it was in,
00:17:16.36\00:17:19.73
what verse, chapter, whatever.
I just didn't... I had no
00:17:19.77\00:17:22.37
knowledge of the
scriptures. None at all.
00:17:22.40\00:17:24.17
She was making us read every
Sunday, but I was never really
00:17:24.51\00:17:26.78
paying attention
to anything in there.
00:17:26.81\00:17:28.78
You know, my head was
not there at the time.
00:17:29.11\00:17:30.95
Right, right. So I began
to feverishly look for that.
00:17:31.08\00:17:35.62
And somehow in the process
of trying to track down that
00:17:35.75\00:17:39.62
text I began to
discover some other things.
00:17:39.65\00:17:44.09
I went to the book of
Revelation where it talked about
00:17:44.99\00:17:47.46
the scorpion that had power
in its tail to destroy 1/3 of
00:17:47.60\00:17:52.63
the population of the earth
and many other passages that
00:17:52.67\00:17:55.94
I began to interpret literally
00:17:55.97\00:17:58.87
that were supposed to be
- of course - interpreted
00:17:58.91\00:18:00.84
spiritually...
that were figurative -
00:18:00.88\00:18:03.58
but I took them literally.
00:18:03.61\00:18:05.48
So they actually scared
the living daylights out of me.
00:18:05.71\00:18:09.25
So I thought that these things
were really going to happen,
00:18:09.48\00:18:12.89
you know, to us... to mankind.
00:18:13.12\00:18:15.72
And so I began to
seriously read the scriptures.
00:18:15.86\00:18:19.29
At this point, it
began to take on new meaning.
00:18:19.53\00:18:22.23
And then eventually I
started trying to understand
00:18:22.56\00:18:25.87
better who God is.
00:18:26.10\00:18:29.00
OK, this is
wonderful because you see how
00:18:30.17\00:18:35.71
God used your sister to
draw you into an interest
00:18:35.84\00:18:40.92
in the scriptures. You had
to answer something for her
00:18:40.95\00:18:45.32
and so He drew you
into this dialogue with her
00:18:45.45\00:18:50.16
which then drew you further
into searching the scriptures
00:18:50.29\00:18:54.03
for yourself. Right.
And you developed a real
00:18:54.20\00:18:58.43
passion for the scriptures.
00:18:58.67\00:19:00.97
How did you have
the ultimate encounter?
00:19:01.10\00:19:05.27
Because in the process
of studying the scriptures
00:19:05.71\00:19:08.84
God began to
reveal Himself to me.
00:19:09.18\00:19:11.48
My sister said:
"There must be a true church
00:19:13.28\00:19:16.69
somewhere. " And she began
to go to different churches.
00:19:16.82\00:19:19.52
And I said: "Well,
if there's a true church
00:19:19.55\00:19:21.29
it has to be in
harmony with God's will
00:19:21.42\00:19:24.46
at this
particular point in time. "
00:19:24.79\00:19:27.23
And I said: "So it has to
be in harmony with the plain
00:19:27.40\00:19:30.20
teachings of the holy scriptures
from Genesis to Revelation. "
00:19:30.23\00:19:33.60
So she went to different
churches, and she would come
00:19:33.74\00:19:36.30
back and tell me about this
one, that one, the other one.
00:19:36.34\00:19:38.34
I just stayed... I just kept
reading, reading, and comparing
00:19:38.47\00:19:41.71
what she was sharing with
me with what was plainly taught
00:19:41.88\00:19:45.68
in the holy scriptures.
And then eventually she
00:19:45.81\00:19:48.12
said... you know, she
began to tell me about one
00:19:48.15\00:19:51.05
that was observing
what I perceived to be
00:19:51.19\00:19:54.66
all of the
commandments... all ten of them.
00:19:54.79\00:19:56.93
And I said: "Well let me
go down and check it out. "
00:19:57.69\00:20:00.50
It was the Ephesus
Seventh-day Adventist church
00:20:00.53\00:20:02.50
located in Harlem Manhattan.
00:20:02.63\00:20:04.30
And I went down there.
The pastor got up and he
00:20:04.43\00:20:06.97
started preaching and
I felt the Spirit of God
00:20:07.00\00:20:09.17
like very heavily upon him.
00:20:09.30\00:20:11.77
And he was speaking as
if God was speaking directly
00:20:11.91\00:20:15.78
through him to me...
00:20:15.81\00:20:17.55
which challenged me to re-
investigate the holy scriptures
00:20:17.68\00:20:21.32
but from a
different perspective.
00:20:21.45\00:20:22.85
I began to seek for God.
00:20:22.88\00:20:24.89
I began to look for Him in
every book and every chapter
00:20:25.09\00:20:28.99
and every verse and every line.
00:20:29.12\00:20:31.63
Studying His
providence... the way how He
00:20:31.76\00:20:34.63
reveals Himself through
circumstances and the way how He
00:20:34.76\00:20:38.43
orchestrates the
affairs of the lives of men.
00:20:38.47\00:20:41.84
And then I came to a realization
that this was the power
00:20:42.20\00:20:47.28
that had been with me all along.
00:20:47.41\00:20:49.31
Protecting me,
delivering me, shielding me.
00:20:49.54\00:20:52.38
Now all the pieces of the puzzle
began to topple into place
00:20:52.61\00:20:55.72
for me. And so I made up
my mind to follow Christ.
00:20:55.75\00:20:58.89
I accepted Him and made
up my mind to follow Him
00:20:59.02\00:21:01.76
all the way through the
watery grave of baptism.
00:21:01.79\00:21:04.79
So that was really a turning
point for you, was it not?
00:21:05.16\00:21:08.93
Big time. And I said
that from this day forward
00:21:08.96\00:21:12.40
"I am Your servant. "
00:21:12.73\00:21:15.67
And trust me, God chose to
just max out on that pledge.
00:21:16.71\00:21:21.61
One day I was in
my room in my bed
00:21:23.01\00:21:26.28
and I heard a voice say to me...
00:21:26.41\00:21:28.25
I'm over there at 1125
University Avenue in the...
00:21:28.38\00:21:31.85
in the West Bronx now
over in the Highbridge region.
00:21:31.99\00:21:35.46
In my room on my
bed and God said to me:
00:21:35.62\00:21:38.69
"Get up. Walk
over to the window.
00:21:39.03\00:21:43.23
Draw back the drapes
and pull up the blinds. "
00:21:43.37\00:21:47.00
And He said: "As
far as your eye can see
00:21:47.24\00:21:50.67
is your field of ministry. "
00:21:50.81\00:21:53.74
God said: "Go work for Me. "
00:21:53.98\00:21:55.78
He said: "Because the fields
are whited unto the harvest. "
00:21:56.01\00:21:59.55
And He said to "Pray that
the Lord will send workers
00:21:59.58\00:22:02.25
into the harvest. But I
need you to work for Me. "
00:22:02.28\00:22:05.72
And of course it
became chillingly clear to me
00:22:05.95\00:22:09.12
that He wanted me to try
to evangelize all of those
00:22:09.26\00:22:11.89
projects round about that area.
00:22:11.93\00:22:14.00
And so back at the ranch
the church that I was attending,
00:22:14.30\00:22:18.33
I had gotten baptized
at: Ephesus SDA church
00:22:18.37\00:22:22.24
in Harlem Manhattan. In
the basement of the church
00:22:22.37\00:22:25.91
they had just I
can't even tell you
00:22:26.04\00:22:29.84
how many family Bible course
Bible study lessons there.
00:22:29.98\00:22:35.72
And I was collecting
them just by the droves
00:22:35.88\00:22:39.12
and just going from one
project to the next - all 13
00:22:39.25\00:22:42.96
floors all 8 doors trying
to enroll people in personal
00:22:43.09\00:22:46.26
Bible studies. And I
literally covered every project
00:22:46.29\00:22:50.13
in that area from top to bottom
00:22:50.17\00:22:53.84
and the buildings in between.
00:22:54.07\00:22:57.37
And I did this with the
Holy Spirit in the presence
00:22:57.61\00:23:00.74
of the holy angels every chance
I got between school and work.
00:23:00.78\00:23:05.18
And I could sense them being
in the room. You could sense
00:23:05.31\00:23:07.55
the Holy Spirit in my room.
You could sense the holy angels
00:23:07.68\00:23:10.55
in my room as I began this
new trek ministering to people.
00:23:10.69\00:23:13.99
Guiding me to them; giving
me exactly what to say to these
00:23:14.12\00:23:16.73
people. Some were in
the process of dying.
00:23:16.76\00:23:19.13
Some have virtually died,
but the Lord was able to use me
00:23:19.26\00:23:23.10
to reach these people
on time. So He delivered me
00:23:23.13\00:23:27.04
to use me, and He saw
me doing what I was doing
00:23:27.17\00:23:30.31
then... He saw me doing
that while He was delivering me
00:23:30.44\00:23:34.58
in the world. Amazing! And
that's such an important point,
00:23:35.64\00:23:40.28
pastor, because so many
people right now listening
00:23:40.32\00:23:45.35
might be caught up into a
lifestyle that they don't want
00:23:45.49\00:23:49.69
to be in. Right. And they
feel like they're too far gone
00:23:49.72\00:23:52.83
for God to love
them. They're too far gone
00:23:52.96\00:23:55.83
for there to be a plan for them.
00:23:55.96\00:23:57.97
But what you're telling us and
what your life has demonstrated
00:23:58.10\00:24:02.07
is that you're not too far gone.
00:24:02.20\00:24:04.77
That God can take
you... If you're in a gang,
00:24:04.91\00:24:07.11
if you're in a
lifestyle, if you're on drugs,
00:24:07.24\00:24:09.51
if you're using alcohol,
if you're doing whatever...
00:24:09.64\00:24:12.78
God can take that
life, wash it clean,
00:24:12.91\00:24:16.08
and set you in service for Him.
00:24:16.22\00:24:18.92
Which? What is
there better than that?
00:24:19.05\00:24:21.62
There's nothing better
than that. I don't know if it's
00:24:21.86\00:24:24.39
literally possible to go
too far for God to save you.
00:24:24.53\00:24:29.40
Come on pastor! I
believe much of that kind
00:24:29.53\00:24:31.87
of thinking is literally
imaginary. Come on; come on.
00:24:31.90\00:24:35.54
And the reason why I
would dare say all such
00:24:35.57\00:24:38.97
is because if I have to
believe that I can reach a point
00:24:39.11\00:24:43.18
where God can't save me
00:24:43.31\00:24:46.21
then I would have to believe
that His death on the cross
00:24:46.35\00:24:49.62
for me was a total farce.
00:24:49.75\00:24:52.32
Because why would He
come from the third heavens
00:24:52.55\00:24:56.69
through deep space, against
the gravitational forces of
00:24:56.83\00:25:00.13
our solar system to
be born of a virgin?
00:25:00.16\00:25:03.16
To live, bleed, suffer, die?
00:25:03.30\00:25:06.67
Give up the ghost;
shed His precious blood
00:25:06.80\00:25:09.57
to show me how much He loves me?
00:25:09.70\00:25:11.94
Then because of a
few bad habits in my life
00:25:12.17\00:25:15.41
or some moment or
period of rebellion
00:25:15.54\00:25:18.68
He just turns His back on
me and closes out my probation.
00:25:18.81\00:25:22.98
No more mercy;
no more forgiveness.
00:25:23.12\00:25:25.59
No opportunity to
be delivered and saved.
00:25:25.72\00:25:28.69
I don't believe that.
00:25:29.59\00:25:30.79
I believe that so long as
there is life there is hope.
00:25:30.93\00:25:35.13
Yes, yes. So
pastor, in one minute
00:25:35.36\00:25:40.07
look into your camera
and tell someone out there
00:25:40.40\00:25:45.47
how they can have
the ultimate encounter.
00:25:45.61\00:25:48.61
I think the most important thing
00:25:48.94\00:25:51.58
in this world
for people to realize
00:25:51.71\00:25:53.85
is that before you turn
off the scene of human history
00:25:53.98\00:25:57.79
you have to come to know
your Creator for yourself.
00:25:57.92\00:26:00.22
I'll never forget one day
I was out there in Brooklyn
00:26:00.26\00:26:02.82
on Ocean Avenue
at 11:30 at night.
00:26:02.86\00:26:05.33
I was standing there on the
platform waiting for the train
00:26:05.46\00:26:07.66
to pull in. This tall
fellow was standing next to me,
00:26:07.66\00:26:10.73
and I began to strike up a
conversation to introduce him
00:26:10.77\00:26:13.64
to Jesus. And he said:
"Don't try to preach to me.
00:26:13.67\00:26:16.67
I don't believe in
God; I'm an atheist. "
00:26:16.81\00:26:19.24
I said to him: "I can tell
you in less than three minutes
00:26:19.41\00:26:21.51
and prove to you that
you are not an atheist. "
00:26:21.64\00:26:24.35
He said: "That's
impossible... I'm an atheist. "
00:26:24.48\00:26:27.15
I said: "Let me
ask you a question. "
00:26:27.32\00:26:28.88
I said: "From the day
that you were born did you ever
00:26:29.02\00:26:32.12
sink to your
knees and say 'Dear God,
00:26:32.15\00:26:34.36
if You exist
reveal Yourself to me?
00:26:34.49\00:26:37.36
I need... You owe
that to me as my Creator.
00:26:37.49\00:26:40.60
Before I leave this world You
owe that revelation to me. ' "
00:26:40.63\00:26:43.16
I said: "Did you ever
from since you were born
00:26:43.30\00:26:46.10
give Him an honest
clear shot at your life? "
00:26:46.23\00:26:49.57
He said: "No, I
have never done that. "
00:26:49.90\00:26:52.31
The train pulled
in. We boarded the train
00:26:52.44\00:26:54.98
and for the rest of the time
from Brooklyn into the Bronx
00:26:55.21\00:26:58.81
he stood there holding on
to the handle of the train
00:26:58.95\00:27:02.48
staring at me,
peering through the window
00:27:02.62\00:27:05.52
wrestling with that
disturbing question:
00:27:05.65\00:27:08.22
"No, I've never really given
Him a honest shot at my life. "
00:27:08.36\00:27:11.89
There are countless number
of hearers out there today
00:27:12.03\00:27:14.46
who have never
given Jesus a chance
00:27:14.56\00:27:17.23
for the ultimate encounter.
00:27:17.37\00:27:21.40
You need to think about that.
00:27:21.54\00:27:23.07
Yes. Give God a
honest shot at your life.
00:27:23.20\00:27:25.97
Yes. God bless
you. Thank you so much.
00:27:26.11\00:27:28.58
Thank you so much
for sharing that with us.
00:27:28.71\00:27:31.31
Thank you for just
giving us your journey.
00:27:31.45\00:27:35.12
It's been such a rich testimony.
00:27:35.25\00:27:37.55
We really appreciate it.
00:27:37.59\00:27:38.95
Well, that's the end
of our program for today.
00:27:39.29\00:27:42.49
We sincerely hope that you ex-
perience the ultimate encounter.
00:27:42.62\00:27:46.33
Thanks for tuning
in. Join us next time
00:27:46.56\00:27:48.70
'cause you know what? It
just wouldn't be the same
00:27:48.83\00:27:51.33
without you.
00:27:51.47\00:27:53.80