Participants: Aaron Chancy (Host), Johnnie Duncan, Leo Tate
Series Code: TNJ
Program Code: TNJ000005
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00:01 The following program discusses sensitive issues.
00:03 Parents are cautioned that some material 00:05 may be too candid for younger children. 00:11 Welcome to "The New Journey," 00:12 the program where we'll meet real life people, 00:15 with real life testimonies, 00:16 with real life working ministries for Jesus. 00:18 Today we'll meet two more gentlemen 00:20 from Memphis, Tennessee, 00:21 which both have a passion for prison ministries. 00:24 We'll find out how they're working to establish 00:26 Seventh Day Adventist transitional housing 00:28 for ex-offenders 00:30 and how you the viewer 00:31 can share this dream along with them. 00:32 I'm you're host Aaron Chancy. 00:34 Come join us on The New Journey. 01:05 Welcome back to the program. 01:07 We have two exciting guests for you today. 01:09 We have Elder Leo Tate 01:11 and we have Brother Johnnie Duncan. 01:12 Brother Johnnie Duncan, 01:14 we want to spend some time talking to you first. 01:16 How long have you been involved actively in prison ministries? 01:19 I've been involved in prison ministry 01:21 for approximately four years. 01:23 Okay, about four years in prison ministries. 01:25 Now what led you to want to get involved in prison ministries? 01:29 Well, when I came back into the church, 01:31 the Holy Spirit led me into going to prison ministry. 01:35 Okay, okay. 01:36 You know, it's always good to heed 01:38 what the Holy Spirit tells us to do. 01:40 So you heeded call. 01:41 God called you to prison ministries' work. 01:43 You've been involved in it for about four years. 01:45 Now you have a team entitled, "Search and Rescue." 01:47 Tell me a little bit about this Search and Rescue team. 01:50 The Search and Rescue team that we have 01:52 is a team put together to go back, 01:54 search and rescue, find the lost. 01:56 Inside of the jail. Okay. 01:58 What's it like for those who have never been in prison 02:01 or have never been involved in prison ministries? 02:03 What's it like going into, into the prisons? 02:06 Well, when you are on fire with the Holy Spirit, 02:08 you don't have any problem. 02:09 The only thing you try to do is listen to the Holy Spirit 02:12 and that was a... 02:15 my first time, was going in there was working, 02:17 but... 02:19 just under the Holy Spirit you'll go. 02:20 Okay, now what some of the work 02:22 that you do while you're in the prison? 02:24 Well, when we go in there the first thing that we do is... 02:27 we open up with prayer 02:29 then we'll come with the singing, testimonies, 02:33 after that we'll open up with a Bible study. 02:36 Okay, now what kind of Bible studies do you use 02:38 when you minister to the inmates in there? 02:40 Amazing facts. Okay. 02:42 Steps to Christ Bible studies. Okay. 02:44 Home and Health education, 02:46 Bible reading and Bible answers. 02:48 Okay, so in giving these Bible studies have you seen 02:52 that it's had a profound effect up on the ones 02:54 that you've given the Bible studies to? 02:55 Yes sir, yes sir. Okay. 02:57 It has had, had a main effect 02:59 on the people inside of the jail. 03:01 Okay, now with that said, how about, 03:04 you know, often in times 03:05 when we're involved in ministry work, 03:07 we're receiving the blessing as well. 03:09 Not only as the one 03:10 that you've given the Bible study 03:12 to receiving the blessing, but for your own spirituality. 03:14 I want you to speak about how prison ministry work 03:17 has impacted your own spiritual life. 03:20 What a prison ministry work does for me is, 03:22 it keeps me on fire, keeps me focused. 03:25 Okay. On doing my Father's will. 03:27 He told, Peter, 03:28 that before he left he asked him three times, 03:30 "Do you love me?" 03:31 And then He close it off with him he said, 03:33 "If you love me," do what? "Feed my sheep." 03:34 Amen. 03:36 So that's the ride I'm on. 03:37 That's the roll that I'm on, to go back, 03:39 search and rescue, find one of His children 03:41 before, before midnight falls down in. 03:43 So you're seeking the lost? 03:44 Yes, seeking the lost. Amen, seeking the lost. 03:46 Now you go inside of male facilities 03:49 as well as female facilities. 03:51 Talk about the difference of going into 03:53 male verses female facilities. 03:55 On Saturdays we enter into the female facilities. 03:58 Sundays we go into the male facilities 04:01 and the only difference is the sex. 04:02 Okay. I guess 04:04 that's the only difference because 04:05 both the male and the female, they're receiving the blessing 04:09 or for matter of fact, they look forward. 04:10 There are at the bars, there're at the gate 04:12 or at the door, waiting on us... 04:14 Expecting you'll come. 04:15 Yeah, they call us by our name. 04:16 Okay, now you've been in prison ministries 04:18 for about four years. 04:20 I know you've got a whole stuff of success stories 04:22 or stories that you want to talk about 04:24 that you have gone through your program. 04:26 Tell us a little bit about someone 04:28 that has had a success story 04:30 based upon you're prison ministry work. 04:31 Well, we've had one, where we went to the third, 04:35 well, we've had more than one 04:36 but we've had one that in mind that I'm thinking about. 04:39 We went up on the third floor in 201 Poplon. 04:42 And he say he heard, he came in that night 04:45 and he was just thirst and then when we looked up there 04:49 he was when he got out, 04:51 he came inside of a Longview Heights, 04:53 Seventh Day Adventist church. 04:54 And he's been there ever since. 04:55 Amen, Amen. 04:57 You know, it's got to be a good feeling to... 04:59 to know that people being touched 05:00 and blessed by your ministry work, 05:02 that has to be a great feeling. 05:04 A beautiful feeling. 05:05 What makes me cry is when I'm at the store 05:07 or out in the street and somebody say Elder Duncan, 05:10 do you know me and a couple them I remember and some... 05:13 Some you just don't. 05:14 I don't and he or she will say, Elder Duncan, 05:18 keep coming, keep coming. 05:20 And it makes me break down and cry 05:22 because they let me that what? 05:23 Something good is going on. Amen. 05:25 Now are there ones that you tend to work with 05:28 that you notice, that you spend time 05:30 working with them in prison, 05:32 they get out of prison they get out of jail, 05:34 whatever it may be and you know, 05:36 they are on fire for the Lord while they were in prison, 05:38 but then they get out and some thing happens. 05:40 They end up back sliding 05:42 because of certain circumstances. 05:43 Do you find that there are some or large number of them 05:47 that back slide because of lack of resources? 05:49 Yes sir, quite a few 05:51 because they need a facility, they need a job, 05:53 they need help when they get out, 05:55 they need help when they get out, 05:57 someone to reach out and help them 05:58 to keep them up on their feet. 06:00 So with these lack of resources, this lack of housing 06:04 this tends to be the underlined factor 06:06 why people are repeat offenders. 06:08 Right, yes sir. Okay, okay. 06:10 Now what we want to do right now is, 06:11 we want to transition to, elder Leo Tate. 06:13 We want to talk to Elder Leo Tate 06:15 about something special that he has, 06:17 the program that he has going. 06:19 But first we're going to find out about you, 06:22 Elder Leo Tate, 06:23 how long have you been involved in prison ministry work? 06:26 Forty years plus. Okay. 06:27 Forty years plus. 06:29 Now you are the director of this prison ministry team 06:32 at the Longview Seventh-Day Adventist church. 06:34 How has that been being the director 06:36 of this great team that you have? 06:37 Well, it has it's good times and has it's bad times, 06:42 we have about twenty... 06:44 plus people that not only coming out of Longview Heights, 06:48 Seventh-Day Adventist church 06:49 but they are ten Adventist churches 06:51 in the city of Memphis. 06:53 And most of them had someone that's in their church, 06:57 that's involved with us in prison ministry. 07:00 We like, normally meet once in the month 07:03 to try to get everybody on, on the same page. 07:06 Okay, okay. 07:08 Now there's others besides, brother Duncan and yourself 07:11 that are involved in this prison ministry work. 07:13 Talk a little bit about some of the others 07:15 that are involved in your prison ministry thing. 07:16 We have a couple of other elders 07:19 that, Elder Yates or Wilson and... 07:23 And some of the... 07:24 some deacons and some... 07:27 other people that's really, really involved. 07:30 Like, Elder Duncan said, we go on Saturday 07:34 to two institutions on Saturday and go to one on Sunday. 07:40 So that's been a blessing to us to have enough people to go. 07:45 But one of the things about that, 07:47 they don't always stay, you know. 07:50 Sometimes we got to pray and ask God 07:52 to send other workers in the vineyard 07:54 because that sometime they, you know, 07:57 stay there for a while and then, but it has to be, 08:00 you have to have a passion for this, you know. 08:02 Yeah, you got to have a passion. 08:05 You know, the thing about it 08:06 involved in any kind of ministry work, 08:08 that's, that's a real key, is having a passion 08:10 for what you're doing, you know. 08:12 That's what Jesus had, 08:13 as He went about lavering on earth 08:15 he had a passion for humanity and we have to have that same, 08:19 same exact passion as we minister it to others. 08:21 Is Memphis, is the area of Memphis, Tennessee, 08:24 is it a high crime area? 08:26 Speak about that. 08:27 Yeah, it's a high crime area... 08:31 and actually it's a high crime area 08:33 in every state that you go in, you know. 08:36 Yeah, especially in the city. We're living in our last days. 08:40 And, anything's going to happen and, you know, 08:43 so there are lot of other people 08:45 that's been involved in crime and whatever. 08:48 Only God, something has to happen to you, 08:51 drastic has to happen to you, 08:53 you know, for you to get the knowledge. 08:54 You know, to realize that hey, 08:56 you know, I got to make 08:58 some drastic changes in my life whatever. 09:00 Okay, okay. 09:01 Now I want to talk a little bit about The L.I.A house. 09:04 You told me about the L.I.A house. 09:05 I want to talk to you some more about it. 09:07 I want the viewers to understand 09:09 what the L.I.A house is. 09:10 First of all, what does "L.I.A" stand for 09:12 what does that actually stand for? 09:14 L.I.A stands for Laymen In Action. 09:17 Laymen In Action. That's okay. 09:19 So they are so they're not sitting down. 09:20 They're working, they're in action. 09:21 They're not sitting down, we're not going to sit down, 09:23 we can't sit down. 09:24 The time is short. Okay. Time is short. 09:26 We got to continue to search and rescue 09:28 as, elder Duncan, has said. 09:30 To get out and try to, 09:32 you know, bring God's children that are lost, back. 09:36 Because there's a lot of people that's incarcerated. 09:40 They don't really know the word of God. 09:41 Yeah, that is true. 09:43 And, you got a lot of false profits 09:46 that... telling people-- 09:49 But main thing is that you got to study 09:52 to show yourself approved. 09:53 That's true. You know, unto God. 09:55 God is holding you accountable for the opportunity 09:58 that you have to come in and study the word. 10:01 And it's all about choices. 10:02 We make good choices or we make bad choices, 10:05 but God is asking us, 10:07 "If you love me keep my commandments. 10:10 You do what I say." 10:11 And that's the basis of it. It's love. 10:13 "If you love me," Jesus says, "keep my commandments." 10:15 It's not to forced allegiance or anything like that. 10:18 It's all based out of love. 10:19 Now dealing with the L.I.A house, 10:20 you seemed to have a passion for this kind of work. 10:23 What is your vision for the L.I.A house? 10:26 Well, the vision for L.I.A, 10:27 I've had this vision for approximately 10:30 for four, four or five years. 10:32 That when ex-offenders, 10:37 homeless veterans they have no place to go. 10:41 When we minister to the people 10:44 that's incarcerated and they get out, we baptize. 10:47 We baptized a lot of people, well, we lose a lot of people. 10:50 Is because if we don't had a facility 10:53 to bring these people in the end, 10:55 to let them have get, you know, let them have peace of mind, 10:59 being able to-- now in the morning 11:01 when they wake up, 11:02 they know they going to have breakfast, 11:04 you know, they got a place to take a shower. 11:05 So you're just tying to provide basic necessities and things. 11:08 Basic necessities, that's what it take 11:10 and this is what God is expecting out of us. 11:12 You know, and some of us have a little more than the others. 11:15 But God, we all on the same level, 11:19 none of us, 11:21 I don't care how much money you have or education whatever 11:25 God still look at all of us the same and He'll say, 11:29 " I love you, with the everlasting love." 11:32 "And with loving kindness have I drawn you," 11:35 in His prison so that I can get your attention 11:38 and when I get your attention, 11:39 then your mind start to wondering 11:42 what must I do to be saved. 11:43 Yeah, that's true, that's true. 11:45 And God is just so good, man. Oh, yeah, He is, He is. 11:47 You know, we actually have some pictures of the L.I.A house 11:50 that we're going to show in a few seconds. 11:52 But first of all, I want you to talk 11:53 a little bit about the baptisms. 11:55 You mentioned baptisms that you have going on 11:57 in your prison ministry work. 11:59 And I'm sure you noticed that 12:01 when certain ones are coming out, 12:02 they are on fire for the Lord but they tend to backslide. 12:05 But I wanted you to talk about the baptisms 12:07 that are going out inside of the prisons. 12:10 The Seventh-Day Adventist, 12:12 you know, there are other the denominations coming in. 12:15 And they kind of have a problem with the Seventh-Day Adventist 12:19 because we study the word we about the word of God. 12:22 Yeah, about the word of God. 12:23 And the other denominations are approached all the time 12:28 with the word of God and this is why 12:30 there a lot of the other ministers 12:32 are having problem with us. 12:34 But in the mean time 12:35 we have these lessons studies that we go through. 12:38 But main thing is that I want you to know the word of God, 12:42 so I'm going to put something in your hand. 12:44 And to know it for yourself. 12:45 Yeah, we, we want to read this together 12:47 and it's had been a great impact upon the inmates 12:52 is because of they are being able to stand up. 12:54 I present something to them, Bible reading for home, 12:57 and some of the other lessons studied that we have prepared, 13:00 that they will take part in. 13:02 I say, now what does this, 13:04 what does this script mean to you 13:06 tell me about it and you know, some they start often 13:10 you know, some they don't really go, 13:11 but in turn we will go and explain 13:14 that particular text to them, 13:16 but then when they leave 13:17 they know hey, I understand it now. 13:19 So you're not just preaching to them, 13:20 you're making sure that they actually 13:22 understand the Bible for themselves. 13:23 That's right. That's good. That's good. 13:26 Our agenda is so structured. Okay. 13:28 It's pathetic, but we know, we know what we have. 13:34 We know what God have blessed us with. 13:37 And we know what God would do for us being shown. 13:41 No, I don't believe there's any other church 13:43 in the conference that had baptized 13:46 as many people that we have baptized. 13:48 And it's all about the Grace of God. 13:49 He's all him. Amen. 13:51 It's not, it's not us. Yeah, it's God. 13:53 It's Christ that's in us that calls us to go out 13:57 and it's the thing that 13:59 you have to be consistent with God. 14:01 These 40 plus years that I've been in it, 14:04 you know, there's been ups and downs 14:06 but I've been consistent. 14:08 And it's just something about God 14:10 but I have a family but my wife know 14:14 when Saturday evening comes or when Sunday evening comes, 14:18 you know, it's all about me going to the jail. 14:20 Amen. 14:21 I tell some of them, I've been in jail 14:23 longer than you've been in jail, you know. 14:25 And, but it's a blessing, it's a passion that I have. 14:29 And I can tell both of you seem to have a passion 14:31 for prison ministries' work, that's good 14:34 you know, God has set a firefs in both of you to do this work. 14:38 I wish many more people would get involved in this work. 14:40 Do you both encourage others to get involved in this work? 14:44 Brother Duncan, 14:45 do you encourage others to get involved in this work? 14:47 All the time, 24,24. 14:48 24,24 I like that 24,24. 14:51 How about you, Elder Tate? 14:52 All the time, we had a new family 14:56 that came in to church last Sabbath 15:00 and they were from Dothan, Alabama. 15:03 Okay. 15:04 And as soon they walked into the door, they're just, 15:07 looked like a beautiful couple, young couple 15:10 and the first thing that I said, 15:11 man, we have the greatest prison ministry anywhere, 15:13 you got to be a part of it. 15:15 And we just started talking. 15:16 Most of the people that come in church, 15:18 they got to get involved in some thing 15:20 because if you don't get involved in something 15:23 that is in a church of soul winning ministry, you know, 15:26 it seem like you're living is really ain't right. 15:28 Yeah, that's true. You got to do something. 15:29 God put us, He put us here for a reason. 15:32 He put us here to glorify Him, no other reason. 15:35 No other reason. No other reason. 15:37 Is to glorify God and when you do that you know, 15:41 you'll have that peace within and I just love it. 15:46 I love it. I understand. 15:48 Now I asked brother Duncan earlier 15:49 what effect prison ministry has had on his spirituality, 15:54 how about your spirituality? 15:55 What kind of effect does it had on you? 15:56 You know, 40 plus years, 15:58 you know, it has done something. 15:59 You know, what I believe is, 16:01 no, it has been beautiful to me and I'm learning how to, 16:05 you know, to humble myself more 16:08 and start giving more love for people 16:11 and being concerned about, you know, this ministry. 16:14 And just really getting out and this L.I.A house, man, 16:18 it's exactly what we need. 16:21 It's exactly what we need. It has 128 rooms in it. 16:25 It has two floors, it has east wing, west wing. 16:28 And we're dealing with homeless veterans 16:31 and ex-offenders and male and female... 16:35 Okay, male and female facilities. 16:36 Man, and I love it. 16:38 I'm asking God to give it 16:40 because I claimed it through years 16:41 and everybody in the ministry that we-- 16:44 the prison ministry that we have 16:45 they all are praying for it, we're all on one accord. 16:48 Okay. You know what? 16:49 Now what we're going to do, 16:51 we're gonna show some pictures of the L.I.A house 16:52 and as we show these pictures I want you to describe 16:55 what's going on in these pictures. 16:58 What area we're at, 16:59 talk a little bit about the various different pictures 17:01 so people can get a idea of what the L.I.A house is. 17:04 Okay. 17:06 That particular picture right there 17:07 is one of the auditorium that this particular house has. 17:11 That's a big auditorium. Yeah it's a large auditorium. 17:14 That's a chapel, we could hold pretty much about 350 people. 17:18 Wow, 350 people. That's amazing. 17:20 And that's the building right there, 17:24 that building cost 1.3 million dollars. 17:27 Okay. 1.3 million dollars. 17:28 There's nothing too hard for God. 17:29 That's true. That is true. 17:31 And it's a beautiful building, that's the kitchen there. 17:34 We want to feed the people. 17:36 We want them to know this is God's program 17:39 and this is what we are all about 17:42 is bringing people to Christ. 17:44 God said, "I will provide all your needs." 17:46 Okay, that is true. And we're asking God. 17:50 It has the big lounge in there and big, have hall down there. 17:53 And God, it's everything that's in that building we needed. 17:59 I'm claiming it. Amen. 18:01 I'm claiming it. Amen. 18:02 And I know that God will give it to us. 18:04 Okay, I want to talk to about the cost in a second 18:06 but I want to come back over Brother Duncan. 18:08 Brother Duncan, you've seen the building, 18:10 I'm sure you've been out to in the real life. 18:12 You've seen the pictures of it. 18:13 Do you think that this is the key, 18:16 to the underlining key of what people need 18:19 to have better success out there in the world? 18:22 Yes, sir, they need that, 18:24 they need help when they come from out from behind those bars 18:27 they need that help. 18:28 Okay, so as you all are working actively inside of the prisons 18:32 when God blesses you with the L.I.A house 18:35 you will do Bible studies there, you will-- 18:37 What some of the other things 18:39 that you all do inside of that cell? 18:41 We'll do Bible studies, we'll do counseling. 18:44 One other thing is we really, really want to do, 18:48 we're going to focus on getting families back together. 18:51 Okay, that's the real key. 18:52 Because you know, that when 18:54 some time these guys get incarcerated 18:57 and they didn't leave home right, you know, 18:59 and so we are trying to get the families back together. 19:02 We would invite the families, have the counseling sessions. 19:05 We have GED classes, we have nutrition classes 19:08 and there's art and graphic and arts 19:13 and lot of other programs that we have 19:16 that's gonna make this thing really, really global 19:19 because we want to educate the people 19:21 but we want them to feel accountable. 19:23 And we know that we want them, 19:27 we want to prepare them for Christ's coming. 19:32 Yeah. Amen. 19:33 And to really indoctrinate them that God love them. 19:36 Amen. And He has chosen them. 19:38 He has allowed things to happen where they will come to Him. 19:43 You know, make a choice. 19:44 Yeah. That's what it is. 19:45 You either making a choice for, 19:47 it's either for the good or either just for the bad. 19:49 Yeah, that's what the Bible says, 19:50 "Choose you this day who you going to service." 19:52 It's all about choices. It's no in between. 19:54 I tell them all that there's no in between. 19:57 "It's you either for me or you're against me 19:59 and I drew you in this prison 20:02 because I wanted to get your attention." 20:04 Okay, one interesting thing that I find, 20:07 you stated that, you're gonna be working 20:09 to bring families back together, 20:11 you know, what's interesting in a lot of homes these days 20:13 is the father is not present, he's absent. 20:16 And what Satan has been able do with that is, 20:19 you know, in the Bible God is viewed as our Heavenly Father. 20:22 Right, right. 20:23 So what Satan has strategically done is 20:25 moved the earthly father out of the home. 20:27 So when it's time for male or the female 20:29 to relate to our Heavenly Father, 20:31 that connection is not there. 20:33 Simply because how can you relate to the Heavenly Father 20:36 when you have no connection with an earthly father 20:38 and the Heavenly Father, you can't see. 20:40 And for most young people, 20:41 they don't see their earthly father on a regular basis. 20:44 You know, so that is very key to provide that resource 20:48 that bringing families back together 20:50 because the husband is the house-man. 20:51 He's the priest of the home 20:53 and he is needed there to help with the family. 20:55 And not only that. 20:57 He said, "Go ye therefore into all the world 20:59 and teach and preach." 21:01 And this is, we gotta teach these men how to be fathers. 21:05 And the wives, how to be mothers, you know, 21:08 and how to take care of these kids, 21:09 you know, some of the parents, they're cutting the heads off. 21:13 They doing it and throwing them in a dumpster. 21:16 But see, they don't know Christ, 21:18 most of them, this is why these things are happening 21:21 because they don't know Jesus. 21:22 Okay. 21:23 Once they've introduced to Jesus 21:25 then they can live a productive life. 21:27 Okay. 21:29 This is why God wants you to depend upon Him. 21:31 He don't want you to depend on anybody else. 21:34 So, when we depend on God 21:35 then things will start running smooth. 21:37 "I will not put no more on you than you can stand." 21:40 Than you can bear And God love me. 21:42 That's right, now you've stated a few minutes ago 21:44 that L.I.A house would be about 1.3 million dollars. 21:48 Talk about the total cost of this facility. 21:51 The total cost with renovation and really preparing yourself, 21:55 the beds and everything, 21:56 we're running about 5.5 million dollars. 21:59 5.5 million dollars. Okay. 22:01 You know, nothing's too hard for God, bottom line, 22:03 nothing's too hard for God, you know, 22:05 it's easy to sit back and say, wow, 5.5 million dollars, 22:08 stomach starts cringing and things like that. 22:09 But nothing is too hard for God. 22:11 We have to move out by faith 22:13 and the Bible says in Hebrew 11:6, 22:15 "Without faith it's impossible to please him." 22:17 Amen. We have to step out in faith. 22:18 We serve a big God. Amen. 22:20 You know, I heard people say, 22:22 when you trying to start at too small, 22:23 I start out the way that God impressed upon my heart. 22:27 He tells me what He'd do for me. 22:29 "I'll give you to desires of your heart." 22:31 Okay. Yeah. 22:32 And this is why I know this is God. 22:35 But we're living in the last days, 22:37 we don't have time on this earth 22:38 to be playing around and doing things. 22:41 What we got to do, we go to do it quickly. 22:43 And God said, "I'll be there for you, 22:45 I won't leave you and I wont forsake you." 22:47 That's right. 22:48 And that's what I'm depending on. 22:50 Amen. Amen. 22:51 Now I want to come back to you, Brother Duncan, 22:53 being involved in prison ministries work for a while, 22:57 you've worked with the younger community, 22:59 you've worked with older folks, 23:01 tell about the experience of working 23:02 with young people like 19, 20 years old, incarcerated. 23:06 Talk a little bit about that experience. 23:08 Going back in there working with them 23:10 is like working is like working with a little child 23:12 that's beginning to walk up and they want to feel loved. 23:16 Most of them have never picked up the Bible. 23:19 We take Bibles in there to them 23:21 and then begin to just talk to them like I would to my son. 23:24 Okay, do the young people seem receptive 23:26 to the work that you all are doing? 23:28 Very receptive, I have to say 23:29 and what would make you cry again 23:31 is when you go into the big prison 23:33 three or four years later and they say, "Elder Duncan, 23:36 you remember me from the juvenile? 23:37 Wow. 23:39 Yeah, that's totally a different story. 23:40 Yeah, wow! 23:41 You know its interesting that, you know, 23:43 often times God has able to reach us at our lowest points. 23:45 I know for myself, I had to hit rock bottom. 23:48 Now I had already spent time incarcerated. 23:50 It was a few years later, but I had hit rock bottom. 23:53 So a lot of times the young people maybe 23:55 be reached by hitting rock bottom 23:58 by being incarcerated in terms of 24:00 when you look around at a lot of churches today 24:01 the young people just non-existent. 24:03 They're non-existent 24:05 because a lot of them, they want to go out 24:06 and experience life, maybe they haven't hit rock bottom yet, 24:09 but they are ones that you've met in prison, correct, 24:12 that have hit rock bottom and want, they desire a change. 24:15 Right. They desire a change. 24:17 Okay, what I want you do, Brother Duncan, 24:18 is look into the camera, 24:20 I want you to talk to the viewers, 24:21 those who have not chosen Jesus, chose to serve Him, 24:25 the Bible says, "Choose you this day whom you will serve." 24:28 And I want you to speak some words of encouragement 24:30 to the mothers, to the fathers, 24:32 to the sons or the daughters out there, 24:34 that are, that are struggling on a daily basis. 24:36 Speak, speak to them. Right. 24:37 What I really like you to tell is, 24:40 "So the body without the spirit is dead, 24:42 faith without the works is dead." 24:44 John 1:12 tells me, "As many has received Him, 24:48 He gave them power to become sons of God, 24:51 even to them that believed on His name." 24:53 So the only thing I can tell you 24:55 while we still have time down here, stop! 24:58 Turn back around run back to Jesus, come back to Jesus. 25:01 Amen, Amen. 25:03 Powerful short sermon, powerful. 25:05 Elder Tate, I want to come back to you 25:06 for a few moments, 25:08 also give a word of encouragement 25:10 to the many viewers out there, 25:12 that maybe watching, 25:13 that may have sons or daughters as well struggling. 25:16 Speak some words of encouragement to them as well. 25:18 My encouragement is to, Christ is the answer. 25:21 Okay. 25:23 Without Christ we can't do anything. 25:25 So many times the people are relying on other things. 25:31 Yeah, that is true. 25:33 And the younger people, I have a problem with people, 25:37 well, they need to, the kids need to do is they need to, 25:39 they need to know Jesus. 25:41 When they need to know Jesus 25:42 and then the parents are not stepping up to the play. 25:45 Yeah. 25:46 He said "train up a child in a ways to go 25:48 and when he get old he won't depart." 25:49 He didn't say that the child wouldn't astray. 25:52 But He said, if he astray he won't stay. 25:54 So when we actually start really doing 25:57 what Christ would have us to do as parent, 26:01 we will see the results. 26:03 Amen. God is able to deliver. 26:06 You don't have to compromise to the world 26:09 in order for your children to do that which is right. 26:11 If you're doing your part, these things won't happen. 26:15 That's true, you know, that's interesting 26:17 that you sure mentioned proverbs 22:6, 26:19 "train up a child in a way that he should go, 26:20 when he's old he won't depart from that path." 26:23 You know, for years I thought that text was saying, you know, 26:26 you train them up and they're not gonna leave the church 26:28 and then I'm looking around and saying, well, you know, 26:30 they're constantly leaving the church in droves, 26:32 until a while ago I understood the text to say, 26:35 not that they won't leave the church 26:37 but they've gotten a foundation to where they'll come back 26:40 and the light of that is shown 26:41 in the story of The Prodigal Son. 26:43 In verse 13 of Luke, Chapter 15, it simply says, 26:47 "And when he came to his senses he went back home." 26:50 That's what happened to me. 26:51 Because he had a foundation, 26:53 he had a foundation and he knew where to come back to. 26:55 And that's what so many of our young people need, 26:58 is a foundation in Jesus Christ. 27:01 They may leave but just like the prodigal son 27:03 they will know where to come back to 27:05 and the beauty of it all is with that story is that, 27:08 Jesus stands with open arms 27:09 to put you right back into that same position. 27:11 Everlasting love. 27:13 That you had when you left 'cause the son said, 27:14 "look I'll take any position, you know, make me a servant," 27:17 the father said, "no, you're still my son." 27:19 That's the beauty of it, that is great news, 27:21 that's the gospel. 27:23 That is the gospel. That's good news. 27:24 Now I want you to talk briefly about 27:26 some of the needs of the ministry, 27:27 some of the needs. 27:29 We need laptops, we need Bibles and we need funds. 27:34 For those who are watching this telecast, 27:37 we'll make an appeal to you, 27:39 please, make your donation 27:41 to Longview Heights Seventh Day Adventist Church 27:44 in care of L.I.A House, 685 East Mallory, 38106 27:50 Memphis, Tennessee. 27:51 Thank you so much, looking to hear from you. 27:53 God bless you. Amen. 27:55 Thank you so much for being on this show. 27:57 I encourage you to continue to press forward 27:59 in prison ministries work. 28:01 Viewers, you've seen and heard for yourself this awesome, 28:05 awesome ministry for God. 28:07 You also can be involved in prison ministry work 28:10 or whatever ministry work God maybe calling you to. 28:14 I encourage you to heed that voice, 28:16 get up, get out and get out there 28:18 and do some work for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 28:20 Amen. |
Revised 2015-09-28