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Live Blog First Fruit Party |
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To see pictures from The Church in Norcross, GA click here.
To see pictures from the dedication ceremony click here.
June 11th - Dedication party and release of the DVD
Arthur in Norcross, GA
The service has begun. The worship team led the congregation in singing a song that Pastor Jasper wrote called "It is Done." While the team and congregation were celebrating, Pastors Jasper and Alecia carried the box of DVDs in and placed it on the ornately decorated table that was awaiting it.
Standing behind the table was a large group of people who will be blessing the master DVD this evening. They received the deposit of the first fruits DVDs, then went to sit in the front row until the time for them to bless the master.
After introductions, Pastor Jasper began to interview people who were here when it was first recorded. A grandmother in the house named Helen Moss shared how impacted she was by what I said about rhythm being a core, godly part of the African people.
Mike Sumlin was next. He is a young man who runs the parking ministry each Sunday morning. Mike brought the house down by saying one thing he learned that day was that "This ain't your Mama's church." People loved it. He spoke about how amazing it was to see sex presented as a spiritual heritage. The idea of redeeming sex into a spiritual thing was a huge new idea to him.
Pastor pressed in and challenged Mike, asking what it was like to hear a White man talking to Black men about sex. He responded by saying he has learned to accept that God can speak through anyone.
Pastor introduced me with a glory story about the first time I came, then I spoke. I shared the history of our trying to learn about how to do first fruits. I talked a bit about the first two then shared how excited I was to see them raising the bar, doing things bigger and with different kinds of pageantry than the other groups have had.
Then I talked about how the tool of dignity could go far to heal many of the wounds of the African Americans. It would not completely resolve the problem, but it is foundational for all healing. This DVD is about receiving dignity from the hand of God.
While I was teaching on this, I had the pastors take a paring knife and carve up an apple to determine how many seeds were in the apple. When I was done with the background, I asked them how many seeds they had. There were five. I gave one seed to each of the pastors, then wandered through the congregation asking the question "How many apples are in the seed?"
I spoke with passion about all the different soil that they could sow their seed in. They could take the DVD home, listen to it, eat it like an apple and gain the benefit of dignity in their lives. Or they could take it home and treat it like a seed and sow it into a key life to produce more apples.
I challenged them hard about their responsibility. I pointed out bluntly that I could not go to most of the people they could go to because I am White. I am limited. So I produced the seed. I am duplicating it and giving it to them for free. I called heaven as witness and told them that they would have to answer to God Almighty for how they sowed these seeds.
After I gave them the charge, the pastors and I came to the box and opened it together like couples cut a wedding cake. We pulled out the first pack of 100 DVDs, peeled the bubble wrap off, peeled the shrink wrap off, and filled a dozen or so black slim line jewel cases with the first batch of DVDs and placed them on the table in front.
They played the one track of the DVD relating to Azusa Street, then pastor brought up two children who walked in the gifts of the Spirit and had them hold the master as he prayed for their generation to bring forth many apples.
Then Dr. Cooper and Prophet John Nash (The pastor's uncle) came to hold the master and bless it. They represent the ability of the African Americans to meditate on Scripture and learn things we can't learn. They blessed the master and sent it out to the academic world.
The ushers took the big box to the foyer to begin to fill the jewel cases for all the people who would receive them. After blessing the DVDs, the two academic men handed back the master and received from Pastor Jasper their own copies of the DVD -- the first two sent out.
Next was Minister Debi Dixon who stood in for music. She celebrated God's design for music while holding the master and she prayed passionately about the specific sound that Black people have which the angels cannot sing but that Blacks can. When they get that sound, it will be redemptive and transformational.
Rick Ross and his wife came to address the issue of clothing. Pastor spoke out his abhorrence of demonic clothing. He spoke strongly about how important it is to redeem clothing. This couple has just released a new clothing line all about Jesus. They blessed the master with passion. They overtly used the image of taking a baton in a race. They willingly received the baton with the plan to hand it off to others.
Charlie Speight came next with Frankie Vega and Isaiah Robertson. Pastor spoke about redeeming sexuality and the importance of it. Charlie is an elder in the church who has a great heart for men. He works through Navigators in discipleship. Charlie prayed for the DVD. Isaiah is a youth pastor in the church. Frankie is Peurto Rican from NY and has a passion for helping pastors start youth ministries in their churches.
Prophetess Brankston came next to address the African American's innate ability to establish protocol appropriate for welcoming in a King.
She vigorously bound every devouring spirit that would seek to devour the new birth. She blessed the seeds into becoming well watered orchards.
Prophetess brought people to their feet with her passion for prayer in blessing. She clearly is a woman who knows her God and can see the world through the eyes of a great God, not through the grid of human woundedness and need. The musicians were right with her as the intensity rose and fell. It was powerful synchronization.
She shifted from praying into prophesying, looking at the transformation, not just the process. She sees the heart of God.
The congregation is spontaneously erupting in passion and prayer. Pastor is leading them in proclaiming "It is done."
There are 30 or so letters which had been written ahead of time to leaders of all kinds across the Black culture. The envelopes are addressed and they are preparing to send these introductory letters with DVDs to those movers and shakers. Everyone stood and extended their hands to the letters. Pastor called for the right person at each address to open that particular letter.
They blessed the DVDs and the people who would receive them that they would receive, listen and act on it.
Next was Liquid Soul Media represented by Tirrell. He designed the website for the church. They do major work for other clients, but still give the church high honor and great help. They are involved in every kind of media. They have a high moral standard for what they do, but they serve the greatest clients like CNN. He is going to pray over this DVD that it would find access to every place where it needs to go. Pastor Alecia prayed for it this time, and asked God to open doors for this message in every single medium.
Pastor Alecia prayed powerfully for transformation to take place in a supernatural way for each listener. She blessed it with hope that far transcends the natural realm. Supernatural hope.
While Arthur read the text, Hanna updated the next page.
We repeated this for all three web pages, then Hanna sent out the newsletter around the world.
Pastor explained to the people the offering they were taking and the fact that each person was given a note card when they came in. They were asked to write a note to Arthur about how the evening had touched them. This was put in a treasure chest of gifts for Arthur which they church had prepared.
People came in a line to drop off their offering, their cards and then to touch the master and impart their blessing to it. They filed out to the foyer to pick up their own copies of the DVD.
The first order came in from Grand Haven, Michigan. We celebrated the beginning of a huge thing.
People were dancing and singing in the aisles, instead of going out to get their own DVDs. Energy was high as was faith.
Pastor went to the Prophetess and had her lead the crowd for a time. She is leading in a responsive singing and they are responding with great joy and intensity.
Pastor has dismissed them but the dancing is only increasing. Only a few people are leaving.
California and Rhode Island have ordered!
Maryland ordered five and gave us a blessing as well.
The musicians are going strong as are the dancers and singers.
One of the fun things the church put in the treasure box for Arthur is a copy of all the correspondence between Pastor and Arthur from the beginning to the present. What a fun trail to travel over again a year from now when we celebrate the results of this dedication.
It is 10:05. They are finally winding down the dancing and singing although a lot of people are visiting and celebrating. This is all for tonight.
To order the DVD "Treasures of the African Americans" click here.
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