Pastor to Pastor
This podcast is dedicated to iron sharpening iron, current events, and culture trends. You will hear pastors perspectives on a variety of topics including leadership development, evangelism, outreach and so much more.
Pastor to Pastor
Martin Luther King Jr., Prayer, and the Power of Faith: Lessons from Selma
Can faith-driven leadership be a catalyst for societal change? Join us on a journey through history as we reflect on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s profound impact during the historic Selma to Montgomery marches. This episode introduces a vibrant new format for our podcast, aiming to inspire and motivate through powerful sermons and thoughtful reflections. We celebrate an unforgettable service where the presence of God transformed lives and marked the beginning of our inaugural MLK Day event. With heartfelt admiration, we honor the invaluable contributions of our African American church members and delve into the enduring legacy of Dr. King as a reverend and leader in the civil rights movement.
Through the lens of prayer and non-violence, we explore the strategic brilliance of Dr. King during pivotal moments like Bloody Sunday and Turnaround Tuesday. His unwavering commitment to justice, guided by scripture and faith, united thousands in a peaceful stand that forever altered the course of voting rights legislation. As we share insights on the power of collective worship and the beauty of unity across diverse backgrounds, we draw connections to how King's message continues to resonate today. This episode offers not just a reflection on history, but a call to embrace the spirit of unity and honor within our own communities.
what's up, family? We're back for another episode of pastor. The pastor got pastor jason watson next next to me here. What's happening everybody? Uh, yes, sir, you got seth right here. We're super excited for this episode and, uh, what god has used jason through this week. We're going to hear a little bit about his message this weekend and hopefully encourage you amen.
Speaker 2:Encourage you a little bit. Man, look, we had a really, really beautiful service this past. What was it? So today's Sunday, we had an amazing service today I'm going to leave that out, though I want to talk about because I didn't preach this Sunday because God just moved. People were saved, people were set free. It was an amazing service, and I heard that you guys had an amazing service as well, but we're going to talk about that. Here's the thing For those of you who are listening today, we are going to try to release two episodes a week. So we're going to do two one with a focus on one particular sermon and a focus on another particular sermon, and I'm hoping that we can release these on Monday, like we normally do, and then also a Wednesday or Thursday one or the other. We're going to see what works best. So I think we'll start with Wednesday. That way, we give somebody something to listen to on Monday and then give them something to listen to on Wednesday. That's right. I can't have too much of the word.
Speaker 1:You can't have too much all at one time, and they can't have too much of us. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2:That's what. Yeah, I mean you gotta Do that this week. It will start that this week. It's something we had talked about. That I think will bless people. They get something more to listen to throughout the week in just one episode, and we're still here recording. So here we go. So Saturday night we had our very first MLK Day celebration. Of course, if this is Monday, you're listening to it it is Martin Luther King Day, and so it's also the inauguration, which is an interesting thing. But anyway, we're going to slide past that one yeah that's right, let's keep going.
Speaker 2:But we were talking about—so Saturday we had our first celebration. Man, it was beautiful. It was a beautiful service. I was mind-blown. I can't say it was anything that I would have ever attended had it not just been here. But we had some elders in our church come to me at the end of last year and they're like, hey, pastor, can we have a MLK Day celebration? And I'm like, well, why not? You know, the truth is about Crosspoint here. One of our culture codes is that we are family, and a part of being a family is that we honor each other, we love each other, we serve and we take love on each other than to celebrate some of the work done for some of our african-american brothers and sisters. So I'm like, let's do it, let's do it so. So we had the service last night. It uh saturday night. It was an amazing service and, uh, I got to speak on something, something that really touched me and I want to kind of share it with the audience and share it with you. We haven't talked about it or anything.
Speaker 1:It's fresh, I can't wait.
Speaker 2:This will be hot out the oven. That's right. Come on, baby. Here's the thing, man, a lot of people were trying to look towards. First of all, the service was amazing in the sense that it was about what God had done through Dr King. What I did is, while a lot of people were focused on Dr King, I want to talk about old Reverend King. Come on now. So that's what we did. We talked about the Reverend right. We talked about the man of God that he was, because I think that kind of gets lost in translation, sometimes missing the fact that he done an amazing work civil rights activist, brought a lot of rights to the forefront for it to be liberated.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he was definitely a peeler, for sure, absolutely.
Speaker 2:And so what I did, what I went through and looked at some of the different situations he was involved in, and the one that touched me the most was the march from Selma to Montgomery. What happened in that scenario? It was in March 7th 1965, dr King showed up and they got a group of 600 people to march from the church that he was preaching at that morning. I think it was called Brown AME Church, and so they were leaving from there in Selma, alabama, and they were marching to Montgomery, and the reason why they were marching in protest was because the state of Alabama was and this is not just Alabama some other places where they were creating. They were making it hard for black Americans to vote and to even register to vote. So what they would do is they would give literacy tests, knowing that they did. A lot of them couldn't read because they hadn't been in the education system, they were still segregated, and so they were trying to.
Speaker 2:We're going through a period as the human race here in America where things weren't equal and they were trying to get them equal, and so, and then there was another thing that they were using a tax to prevent people from.
Speaker 2:They were using a tax to prevent people from uh, they were costing, giving them a fee or charging them a fee to register that they couldn't pay. And so they were doing whatever they could do to keep black americans from voting um for their representatives and so or for who they thought would represent them best. And so they started a march from selma north selma I'll say north carolina, because there is a selma north carolina, selma I'm going to say North Carolina, because there is a Selma, north Carolina, there is one but Selma, alabama to Montgomery, which was the capital. Where's the capital? So they started March, they left service that day at 3 o'clock and they started their march. Well, when they got to the bridge just outside of Selma, it was a 54-mile march. Oh God, I don't even want to walk one mile, man, they, I mean, it made me think of that lady who, who marched forever to get to the.
Speaker 1:To get to the service.
Speaker 2:But um, in india we talked about, she watched 36 but anyway. So they were walking 54 miles. Well, just as they get outside of selma, um, the, the state troopers and the local police met them at the, at the bridge. Now the bridge is and I'm trying to remember it was the Edmund Pettus Bridge, edmund Pettus Bridge, and so the bridge if you get any clips, if you can go, take a look at it like it is a long, a big bridge. When you get to the middle of that thing, you either got to go across or there ain't really a whole lot of retreat with 600 people. So you're going across that thing, so the whole lot of retreat with 600 people. So you're going across that thing. So that the, the law enforcement met them there and to and, and the order was from the sheriff to stop it at any cost, stop the protest at any cost. So, as they're marching there peacefully, that's one thing I want to. I I admire about um, about reverend king, when they were protesting, with them was, it was all, it was peaceful. We're not gonna fight, we're not gonna. We're not gonna loot, we're not gonna loot, we're not gonna, yeah, break into buildings. We're going to peacefully protest, a peacefully assemble, and so they they begin marching. Law enforcement met them there at the bridge and they begin to beat them with billy clubs, tear gas, running through the crowd with horses I mean it was and there's several clips and and footage you can go and look and photos you can go and look at. Um and sent 50 to 70 of them in need of medical attention and so they were having to go um so obviously that the it was broke up.
Speaker 2:Uh, people had to leave, and two days later, that was known as bloody sunday. Two days later, that was known as Bloody Sunday. Two days later, they started another march. It went from 600 to this time they got 2,500 to start a march, and so they began moving from Selma back to Montgomery. However, because there was a whole lot of legality or legal action being taken place, a judge told them told them stayed that they cannot march, they cannot peacefully assemble, they cannot protest, because there were some works with the president and some legislation, some, some things in that moment to prevent them from from marching. So, instead of king, uh, uh, dr king taking them or reverend king taking them on on the march man, he does something so powerfully. He gets 2,500 people and they march to the bridge where they all take a knee and they all begin praying. Wow, so the first time they go on the march they get beat with billy clubs. The second time they go on a march, dr King led 2,500.
Speaker 2:Reverend King led 2,500 people to the bridge and led them in prayer against evil that had been done and evil that was oppressing them. And I'm like man, dr King understood scripture. He knew what was true in 2 Corinthians, 10, 3 through 4. It says for though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are, are are not carnal, but mighty for pulling down strongholds. Dr king knew that. He understood that. So the reverend in in dr king, understanding scripture, led them into the greatest weapon that we have as christians, which is prayer. He knew he might. He knew that maybe I can't fight them and according to Scripture I shouldn't fight them with fists and with knives and guns and I shouldn't go out here and be militant like some of the other. I wouldn't even call them civil rights leaders, I'd just call them militant. I mean, anyway, I'm not going to go there, right? But he led them in the most peaceful way, in the most biblical way, and I'll have you know that by the time they gathered the third time to march, they not only—man. This is how powerful prayer is, man. This got me gassed up. I was talking about this last night. This is how powerful prayer is.
Speaker 2:They went from 600—and that Tuesday. I'm sorry, they marched on that Tuesday. So the first march was on Sunday. That's called Bloody Sunday and they marched that Tuesday. I'm sorry, they marched on that Tuesday. So the first march was on Sunday that's called Bloody Sunday and they marched that Tuesday. That was called Turnaround Tuesday because they got to the bridge and once they prayed, reverend King turned them around. He said we're going to turn around, we're not going to go. Some people were upset, they were frustrated, they didn't understand, but Dr King understood, and so when they released that prayer man, he knew that if I can touch heaven, we won't have to fight. And that's what 2,500 of them did, man, they got together, they touched heaven that day. Because here's the deal A few weeks later, after turnaround Tuesday, they begin to march on March 21st, and they arose on the 25th in Montgomery. They left Selma, they went to Montgomery and they were escorted by 2,000 men. They were escorted by 4,000 guardsmen and US Army soldiers. Boy, you tell me prayer don't work son.
Speaker 2:They went from getting beat to you, can't touch me, that's right. You can't touch me Right, I know that's right.
Speaker 2:They went marching man and the president Johnson gave them protection as they marched. They went unimpeded from Selma, Alabama, all the way to Montgomery, alabama, and were able to protest peacefully, and shortly thereafter they ended up winning the right to be able to register. They took away all the registrants and here's the thing they started with 600 people, they prayed with 2,500 people and by the time they got to Montgomery that that third time there were 25,000 people gathered pastors white, black, indian, hispanic.
Speaker 2:There were people from all races marching together. Man, that I don't know. I just when I was thinking, when I was reading the script, or when I was reading the the, uh, the scripture of second Corinthians, and then I was thinking about, um, that other scripture in Ephesians 6, 12, where it says that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of darkness of this age and against spiritual hosts and wickedness in the heavenly places. Dr King got that. He realized, he understood, yeah, he understood, like we can't fight this war with carnal weapons, with fleshly weapons. We got to have God on our side and we know that God's for justice, man.
Speaker 2:And so I just felt like those 2,500 people did what the right thing was, even though I'm willing to bet. I know because, according to the historical documents and according to history, they didn't understand it in the moment. Some were upset that he didn't push through and keep marching, regardless of what the government said. But Dr King got it, man. He understood that our weapons are not made with hands they're not, but our weapons are mighty through.
Speaker 1:God, yeah, because then you become like everybody else, absolutely. We're the difference.
Speaker 2:Yeah, how do you stand out? I mean, what changes if you're acting like the world? I changes if you're acting like the world. I mean, this was the way that God gets the glory for something that we could have never accomplished by ourself.
Speaker 1:That's when you look back and say, man, that had to be God.
Speaker 2:Had to be, god had to be God.
Speaker 1:But the beautiful thing about Reverend King was that he was so persistent man yeah. And he was persistent and consistent in his faith and prayer and showing that, hey, we can get things done without lifting a hand. Right, right, because when you're doing what God's called us to do and where God's leading us, he'll take care of the heavy lifting.
Speaker 2:Absolutely man, and you know, it was so great too to see some of his different speeches. Everybody knows the I have a dream speech, but there were so many other speeches that he gave man, it gets me upset. That he gave one man gets me upset, I guess me. Uh, terry, I thinking about it, man, he, when, cause, I, just I could see the struggle right when you, when you actually study in this, when you actually you take a moment to see another perspective, um, I, they got to where they were in 25, 25,000 people, um, dr, turned around and he gave a speech. And the speech was how long, not long, how long, not long.
Speaker 2:And he gives God the credit throughout, throughout, almost the whole thing, and at the end he says I've seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. And so even last night, man, when we were, when we were having that event here, uh, we, we, we opened it up with worship, and worship was so beautiful, I mean so beautiful. I looked at the guy next to me and I said can you imagine what heaven is going to be like where people of different nations, of different tongue, of, of different whatever is all together worshiping God? Man, it was, it was a last night was a beautiful, beautiful event and, um, and sharing this word, man, it just like I said, and even today we honored some of the people who who put the event together. Man, it, just like I said, and even today we honored some of the people who put the event together, and it was just, it was very, very powerful, man, yeah, that's beautiful, so I really enjoyed it. But anyway, what'd you think, man?
Speaker 1:I think that's great. You know, you talked about some things I didn't even know about. You know, I didn't even know about the Bridge Day, which I didn't really to something like you just did.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I've never been to when my wife Taylor told me that you were having that. I was like what the heck is that? But man, that's great, it's powerful. It's amazing how his story is still creating opportunities for people to experience the gospel and God's faithfulness and the power of prayer. And we live in a society where we need to do it ourselves, we need to put our hand on the hammer, make things work, but our greatest weapon is prayer. You said it from the beginning our greatest asset that we have is that we can pray to a god.
Speaker 1:That is in this.
Speaker 2:That's living right, one that is living. We don't have to go rub.
Speaker 1:No belly for something to happen, yeah we can pray and he hears. Bible says he hears the prayers of the righteous yeah and we avail us much. So, man, I love it. Yeah, that's great.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's great man, but all right, brother. Hey, let's wrap this one up. Let's prepare for yours, my brother.
Speaker 1:Go ahead and read it to them. We're going to bless these people. Go ahead and bless them. Numbers, chapter 6, verse 24 through 26 are May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious, give you peace. That's our prayer for you. Thank you so much for listening. Share this if you were encouraged with somebody, and we'll see you next time right here. Pastor to Pastor.
Speaker 2:God bless you.
