Storming The Gates Podcast Episode with Bishop Eugene Taylor
Storming the Gates Podcast with Bishop Eugene Taylor
Welcome to the "Storming the Gates" podcast, hosted by Bishop Eugene Taylor, designed for believers seeking to deepen their understanding of spiritual victory. This podcast serves as a guiding light for anyone looking to navigate the challenges of life with faith and resilience.
In each episode, Bishop Taylor and his guests delve into biblical principles that empower listeners to confront and overcome the attacks of the enemy. Through insightful discussions, personal anecdotes, and scriptural teachings, he provides practical strategies for walking in victory and embracing an abundant life as promised in scripture.
Listeners can expect a blend of theological insights and actionable advice that encourages them to strengthen their faith while equipping them to face adversities with confidence. Whether you’re seeking comfort, inspiration, or practical guidance, "Storming the Gates" aims to foster a community of believers committed to thriving in their spiritual journeys.
Join us as we explore how to stand firm in faith, wield the power of prayer, and declare victory in every area of life. Tune in and start your journey towards living victoriously today!
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Storming The Gates Podcast Episode with Bishop Eugene Taylor
Storming the Gates with Bishop Aaron B. Lackey Sr.
Things are changing very quickly in the church world. Are all of these changes good? In this powerful chat between two experienced church leaders, Bishop Eugene Taylor invites Bishop Aaron B. Lackey, who is his pastor and mentor, to talk about what's going on in modern Christianity and what we should be worried about passing on to the next generation.
Bishop Lackey has been a Pastor for 37 years and over 40 years in ministry, also has been married for 40 years. He brings wisdom that only comes from faithfully enduring. "Talent is good for the short term," he says, "but it's the consistent walk that brings great dividends with God." He has led Temple of Prayer Family Worship Cathedral and the United Churches of God in Christ for decades based on this concept.
Well, god bless you. This is Bishop Eugene Taylor. You've tuned into the Storming the Gates podcast, where we teach believers how to walk in the victory that God has for their life, particularly in all the strategies of the enemy. I'm so honored and so blessed tonight. This is a special broadcast. I'm so blessed to have our guest on tonight.
Speaker 1:My guest on tonight is a man that I've been knowing for a long, long, long time. This is my pastor. This is Bishop Aaron Lackey, and when I say my pastor, I want you to understand I mean this is my pastor. This is the church that I came out of. This is the man that raised me in ministry. This is the man that I started preaching under, and I'm so blessed to have him with me all tonight.
Speaker 1:I'm going to tell you a little something about him. It's funny because a lot of stuff I'm talking about I already know it. I'm going to let him introduce himself, but he's the senior pastor of the Temple of Prayer Family Worship Cathedral. He is the presiding bishop of the United Churches of God in Christ. He is the husband of First Lady Lakita Lackey. The Temple of Prayer was started back in 1988. He's been pastoring for a long time, raising up leaders from all around the world. Now I'm not going to tell everything because I want him to be able to explain some things himself, but he's been married for 40 years, he's a grandfather and he's certainly a blessing to so many. I want to introduce to you all tonight Bishop Aaron B Lackey, and we want to say welcome to you to the Storming the Gates podcast, bishop Lackey. God bless you, sir.
Speaker 2:Well, God bless you, Bishop Taylor. What an honor it is to be with you all tonight. God bless.
Speaker 1:Yes, it is an honor, I tell you. It seemed like that devil didn't want us to get started on tonight.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he threw a lot of obstacles in our way, but greater is he that is within us than he that is in the world. God bless you, man.
Speaker 1:I'm obsessed about, like the old saying, but we're still here. But we're still here. Yes, sir, mr Bishop, I gave him a brief overview of you, but I always like to start off like this I want to talk and I want you to tell the people on today, now, bishop, you're an educated man, several degrees, doctorate degrees, and you have a lot of accolades, and I know that myself. But I want you to talk a little bit and tell us who is Bishop Aaron B Lacking.
Speaker 2:Well, I'm who you said I was, and the only thing that's really important, man is I'm saved and I love God. I love my wife and family and I love the people of God, and I think that's pretty much the most important part of who I am. Yes, sir, I'm just saved and love the Lord, amen.
Speaker 1:But I will tell you, you've been a blessing in my life for almost 40 years, and many others. I appreciate your ministry, so so, so much.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you, and you don't have to keep echoing 40 years and all of that stuff You're telling both of our ages, man, let's just chill with some of that 40 years stuff.
Speaker 1:Those years go by so fast. It's unbelievable that you're talking about. Now we're coming and we've been doing ministry. I've been pastoring for 30 years and it seemed like you're just getting started. But you know, james talks about how life is just like a vapor. Time just goes so fast.
Speaker 2:It really does. And my wife and I, back in March of this year, we celebrated 40 years of marriage. Back in March of this year, we celebrated 40 years of marriage. Yes, just celebrated with our local church 37 years of pastoral ministry. I mean, man, it's amazing. It's just echoing what you're saying. Been a bishop what? For 20 years? I believe. Yeah, it's just amazing Just to see what God has done.
Speaker 1:21 years really 21 years, that's what I'm saying.
Speaker 2:21 years been a bishop. You know I do very well with those dates. Yes, you do, yeah, you know, but it's just amazing. But we're still consistent and that's what I respect so much about you and your, your wife and your ministry. You've been consistent. So many people will say they've been pastoring for 37 years, but they pastored for two years, then they shut down and then they started back up three or four years later, shut down and then they started back up three or four years later, but they were still calling themselves pastor. But we've been pastoring for 37 plus years. We've never missed a service, never missed a Sunday. You know I haven't been at every service. You know, especially as I've gotten older, I travel and do more vacationing now, but the church has never missed the Sunday of worshiping. We've never missed a Wednesday of worshiping, and even if it was virtual and during the pandemic. But we have never stopped offering the word of God to God's people and I thank God for that.
Speaker 1:Amen. I tell you that consistency, it is so important. Sometimes people put a lot of focus on talent and how talented they are and I know how to do this and I know how to do that. But I've learned something that many times, consistency, it surpasses all of that. And I'm saying many times, that's really an understatement. Most of the time, yeah, consistency, it's consistency, it surpasses all of that. And I'm saying many times, that's really an understatement. Most of the time, yeah, consistency is consistency, it surpasses all of that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the talent is good for the short term. Yes, that talent will get old, you know you're tired of seeing the same thing, but, but, but, but. It's the consistent walk, that's what's going to bring great dividends, with God, that's what's going to bring great dividends with God.
Speaker 1:Now I know we're talking about something else, but I've known you to be consistent all of the time I've known you. Where did this principle of consistency, how was that established in you? Through whom?
Speaker 2:I don't know who it was established through. The only thing I can think of, perhaps it was just a character trait, because I've been that way as far as I can remember. If I put my hands to something, I'm going to see it through, and then, you know, if it's something I ain't feeling, I'm just not going to touch it, because my philosophy is if my heart is not going to be in it, I'm not going to be in that particular fight. If I can't do it well, I'm not going to do it at all. I've been like that as long as I can remember. So I don't know who I would attribute that to, perhaps my mother and father, maybe, but it's not like it came through a sermon or somebody laying hands on me. That's just been a character trait all of my life.
Speaker 1:Yes, sir, yes sir. Well, with that being the case, I want to talk a little bit about something in particular. I want to talk about some of what we're seeing now. I brought you on the podcast today specifically for a certain purpose. Like I brought you on the podcast today specifically for a certain purpose, like I brought people on the past, talk about generational curses and talk about strongholds and talk about these things, and those things are wonderful and I think they're needed, because the focus of this podcast is to show people how to walk in the victory against all of the attacks of the enemy One of.
Speaker 1:As I'm getting older Bishop, one of the things that I'm concerned about is what we're passing down to the next generation. I realize that I've got more years behind me than I have in front of me and there's an obligation. The Bible says in Acts, the 13th chapter, that David served his generation well and laid down with his fathers, and I want that to be my testimony as I come to an end. What am I passing? What kind of baton are we passing to the next generation? I'm seeing a lot of shifts, to say the least, and changes in the church over these last few decades, so I guess I'm going to start off asking you I'll just say this mildly how has the church changed in these recent decades?
Speaker 2:You're talking about decades, man. It's changing week by week. Yeah, absolutely, absolutely, absolutely. And you know, I listen to pastors, guys now and thank God for those who want to be church planters during this time. But I thank God that God put that in my spirit almost 40 years ago, because unless the Lord himself came down from heaven and said Aaron, you're starting this church and you're going to start it this week, you know, I just I can't see myself starting a church in this climate.
Speaker 2:But some of the changes I've seen, first and foremost, especially as of late, is that there is no urgency for people to even attend church anymore. And I'm not talking about people in the world, I'm talking about people who the world. I'm talking about people who are saying they're saved and sanctified, filled with the Holy Ghost. And one of the biggest changes I've seen, bishop Taylor, is people really don't get up on Sunday mornings or whatever day they worship. They don't really get up to go to church. Now, please hear what I'm saying. Most people, even the ones who attend, they are not really going to church. They stopped by the church either after they left where they really had to go, or they stopped by church but they might have to leave early on their way to where they're going. And that's a major shift, because when I was coming along Sunday it was considered the Lord's day.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, I had a day like that a few weeks ago, had to minister up in Cartersville, and you're always getting on me, you know, because I've gotten a little lazy. I must say I've gotten lazy as I've gotten older and you know, like I'm coming to you, I don't do a lot of evening services anymore, stuff like that. I've gotten lazy, I don't know how else to put it. So so I'm coming to you. I'll be coming to you for your church anniversary, yes, for an evening service. But this particular Sunday we did our morning service at Temple and then I had to drive out of town up toward North Georgia for an afternoon service and then after that service, a lot of the saints that had come with me, we went and broke bread together. But by the time I got back home that evening it was about 10 o'clock at night and it felt so good.
Speaker 2:I had not had a Sunday like that and I'm the bishop, I mean, I had not had a Sunday where that entire day it was just the Lord's day, and I felt guilty. I said, lord, I'll be shaming myself, you know, but it's just a major shift man. People come to church. They're expecting us to start at 10 and be out by 10.30. I had my choir laughing, I told them. I said it's going to be hard for us to get out in an hour hour and a half when you all sang for the first hour of the service. You ain't going to shorten me. We can sing and shout and everybody can dance and fall out.
Speaker 1:And you speak in two minutes.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but when it comes to the words, you know we need to be out at a certain time, not me. You want to get out at a certain time? Give me the mic early, yes, and so that's the major shift, and I think it's very detrimental that no one really is putting the things of God first. Yes, yes, it's a very disturbing trend. Another, another change I'm seeing is even with the virtual piece. And the virtual piece, quite naturally, it has its place. What we're doing now is virtual, yes, and it certainly has its place, but I think a lot of people are allowing virtual ministry to replace in-person ministry.
Speaker 2:Yes, and I like to think of virtual ministry. The Bible talks about it in 1 Corinthians, how first natural, then spiritual, not meaning that natural things were made before the spiritual, but it's talking about the way we process and the way we understand. Sometimes it's easier for us to understand something if we can relate it firstly to something that is natural, then bring it over to spiritual, and so I like to think of the virtual as being a supplement. But whenever you take a supplement or a vitamin, it instructs you to take it with food, because it is a supplement, it is not a substitute. Yes, and if you take vitamins and don't eat food, they're going to make you sick. But if you take them with food, what it does is it will enhance the vitamins and attach itself to the vitamins that are in the natural food and give you a vitamin boost.
Speaker 2:But a lot of people are taking this virtual piece and, instead of it being a supplement, something that they are using if something happens, if life happens and they can't be in person. You know that's fine, but most people today have taken the virtual and it's not a supplement anymore. Rather, it has become a substitute for in-person worship, when the Bible yet teaches us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. There's something about being in the midst of God's people, not just even in the presence of the Lord, but just around God's people. Sometimes your deliverance yeah, you can get the word virtually, but you can't get that hug virtually. Sometimes your deliverance will come through a hug. Sometimes your deliverance will come through somebody giving you a smile. Sometimes your deliverance a victory or a blessing will come through somebody giving you a loaded handshake. So you can't get these things virtually. You interrupt me now, man, because I can just keep on talking.
Speaker 1:I'm going to tell you something. As you're talking, I'm going to tell you what I'm thinking about. It's just like you ever been in a service and the atmosphere of that service was so weighty. And then you look at the service, you see the video of the service and the video was good, but you say, oh no, no, that's, that's not what that service was.
Speaker 1:No, that video can't capture what actually took place. And as you talk about that, I've seen, I've seen prayer warriors praying and I've watched that. I look at Mother Elsie Shaw and powerful women of God and I look at the video and the video is like man, she's powerful, but the video doesn't capture what you get when you're in the service.
Speaker 2:No, it does not. It just does not. It's something about that atmosphere and sometimes you can't create that atmosphere in your living room or your bedroom or in your kitchen. Sometimes you need to really be in the house of God, among the household of faith.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, you know, paul talks in First Timothy, the fourth chapter he talks about. He said the Holy Spirit speaks expressly so in the last days he sees a great fall in the way people giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. I did a blog. You know, bishop, I'm at a funny place in my life now. I still preach out, I preach out, I preach revivals and I put a lot of focus on overseas and foreign lands. But I'm really starting to enjoy doing things like this podcasting, writing blogs. I wrote a blog talking about the doctrine of devils because I'm seeing heresy be released in this last day like a bold heresy. Back in the day they wouldn't have been audacious enough to even suggest some of the things that are being suggested. I want to ask you, from your perspective, do you see First Timothy, the fourth chapter, really being fulfilled in this generation? And I want to talk about that a tad.
Speaker 2:I definitely see it happening. We are seeing it. I definitely see it happening, we are seeing it. One of the major things people try to brush over. A lot of these heresies began to take root back in the 90s Through what people thought was a great thing at the time, but through that word of faith teaching and not here to bash any churches or any pastors, but a lot of that teaching on faith. In my opinion it was so damaging and it's so, it was so heretical until it set the stage for a lot of other things to creep in, a lot of other things to creep in.
Speaker 2:I'll never forget a conversation I had with a Word of Faith pastor, maybe 20 years ago, and they had done a. You know how they would twist Mark 11, talking about have faith in God, and they twisted that thing to have the God kind of faith. And they were and I don't want to make this a technical show but they were changing the genitives of the interpretation. And when anyone that has studied the scripture and understands proper hermeneutics, you know when you read these passages it was in the objective genitive, meaning you have faith in the object that is being mentioned. But the way they were trying to interpret it. It was you have faith in the subject or the same kind of faith that the subject has. Have faith in faith, yeah, have faith in faith and have the God kind of faith. And they would take scriptures like Hebrews 11, talking about, as you kept reading, how, how God gave us faith to believe that the worlds were finished, were framed by God, but they would preach it that the Bible says by faith, god framed the world. And the Bible doesn't say that the faith was for us to believe Because we weren't there. We weren't there, yeah.
Speaker 2:And so I asked this pastor. I said how? I said do you really believe that God is sovereign and do you believe he's omnipotent? I'm not present and you know all powerful and all knowing. Of course I do. Bishop or pastor, I was. I think I was a pastor at the time. He said of course I do. I say now, according to Hebrews 11 and 1, faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence or the proof of things that are not seen. I think that if you really believe that God is sovereign and he's omnipresent and he's omniscient, he knows everything, what could God be hoping for?
Speaker 1:Right, right, right. I like that.
Speaker 2:What could God be hoping for where he needs proof of something he has not seen? I love it If he's everywhere, past, present and future, if he's eternity what has he not?
Speaker 2:seen, right. So how could he have this kind of faith you're talking about? And the brother just stood there and years later I ran across him and he let me know. He said that day I planted a seed in him and he said for the first time somebody said something to him. And he said for the first time somebody said something to him. And when he thought about it he was like what I'm teaching just doesn't make sense, right, right, right. And it led a journey for him to eventually come out of that teaching.
Speaker 2:Because that was damnable heresy, yes, just damnable. That was damnable heresy, just damnable. And it started causing people, when they couldn't manifest these things, that they were speaking, so to speak. The implication was the person didn't have enough faith. They didn't provide enough faith Instead of relying on the sovereignty of God and man, we're faith people, bishop Taylor.
Speaker 2:We believe in the miracles and the miraculous power of God, man. God has used both of us in healing and the laying on of hands. We believe in faith, but we also understand that there is a sovereignty to God and sometimes God does things for folk who don't believe. Faith is the rule, it's the norm, but God can do what he wants, when he wants, however he wants, for whomever he wants, and it has nothing to do with us, it's up to him. And so that was one of the major shifts I saw. Now, one of the major shifts I'm seeing that's manifesting First Timothy, chapter four, with these false teachings and the doctrines of devils, is how this gay agenda yes, has crept into the church, this homosexual agenda, and it's at my heart.
Speaker 2:I was looking at YouTube a few weeks ago and I saw this service and the music was all crock man and you know, I was like all right, who is this? And then they did a zoom in and I looked and it was a guy standing in the pulpit exhorting the people, with a female blouse on, and come to find out he was the first. He was the pastor's husband. The pastor is a man, this was the pastor's husband and you know he was exhorting the saints or the people on that service, just like our wives would do. And you know, and I'm like this is, this is. This is something, it's just something, it's heartening, it really is. And when we preach against this, we're the ones vilified, we're the ones people will say we're archaic. We're the ones people will say man, you guys are legalistic. You're this, you got people in bondage, and that is just not true. Any person, I don't care what they have done, they are welcome to Temple of Prayer, absolutely.
Speaker 2:I've been to your church. It doesn't matter what a person has done or what they're even doing now. They're welcome to the Lord's house. Yes, but people will say we are legalistic because we love people enough to tell them you can come as you are, but my job is to make sure you don't leave the same way you came.
Speaker 2:Yes, sir, but it's sad, bishop Taylor. People are coming as they are and they are leaving worse than they were when they came to many of these churches, because the Spirit has already spoken expressly about these false teachings that are going to be in the church. And they are here, man, and they are manifesting themselves, and when you're, you're going to have to stop me, man, because you know what.
Speaker 1:I mean.
Speaker 2:Stop, stop, stop. You know I can go. What people don't know about the two of us? You know we've been knowing each other a long time outside of the pulpit or talking about the things of God. Both of us are pretty introverted, right, right.
Speaker 2:So you know it's not like we just go around just talking all the time. You know, I'm normally pretty quiet, but when I start talking about the things of god and the lord's church, it brings something out of me that's just not out of. You know, I ain't not just talking to be talking, but when I start talking about god man, it brings, it brings something out of me. But they'll have people thinking that men like you and men like me are mean or we don't show love. But love takes away fear. And I'm listening to a lot of these people preaching all of this sugar cane gospel. They couldn't love people, they love money. Because if you love people, you're going to tell them the truth.
Speaker 2:Yes, and I have people that come to our church that some are gay, some are struggling. Truth be told, some of them ain't struggling, some of them just want to be gay, and I've let them know. You're welcome to come, as long as you can take my teaching and like I tell them, I don't teach on that every Sunday, but I guarantee you in the course of a few months, just like I'm going to talk about the liar and the adulterer and the whoremonger and somebody else you know, at some point I'm coming down your street. Don't you be the one you know when I come down your street, oh, you're sensitive now. Oh, he's not showing any love.
Speaker 2:And it's an amazing thought, bishop Taylor, how you can preach on the gambler? Gambler will come up to you after service. Oh, bishop man, you cut me up. Oh, my God, you cut me up. You can preach on the adulterer. The adulterer, he'll just come up to you, he or she. Oh, I got to tighten up. Oh, my goodness. Oh, that word found me today. You say one thing about somebody that's homosexual or lesbian day. You say one thing about somebody that's homosexual or lesbian oh, they're ready to sue. It's like it's this spirit where they're going to just stop you from preaching the truth?
Speaker 1:A Jezebel spirit, it wants to smother the mouth of the prophet.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. And I mean I'm just I get emboldened with that. You ain't gonna stop me from preaching nothing.
Speaker 1:The lord showed me something back in 2013. He said he said I'm going to show you how some of this heresy is being established. And he said this is being established with a four step process. He said it's introduction, repetition, acceptance and establishment. And I was like OK, God, I need you to give me more. I was, I was consecrating before the Lord Back in 1967, you remember the TV show Star Trek?
Speaker 2:I don't remember it from 1967, but I do remember. Did you remember? From 1977. In 1967, I was too, so I don't remember too much.
Speaker 1:You know, during those times people didn't use profanity on TV. Oh no. Well, in 1967, they said the word hell on Star Trek and it was just an outlaw. No, no, no, oh, my goodness, I can't Now. You think I'm talking about in the 60s. Think about the 50s and 60s If you watch people on TV. Lucy and Ricky they slept in separate beds, separate beds. I don't even know how Lucy got pregnant. It was in separate beds. Listen, they never showed anything, never showed any rest bathrooms, never did that. In 67, they used the word hell. In the 70s you started hearing Archie Bunker use more loose words, james Evans used more loose words. That's all in the family and good times. In 1981, on Saturday Night Live, they used the F word. They dropped the F bomb. The country was outraged. They'd never used that ever before. Well, now you can't hardly find a TV station where they're not cussing and using profanity.
Speaker 1:And the Lord showed me this. He said first it was introduced. He said that doesn't necessarily have to be accepted at the time, but it's just introduced. He said then it's repeated. It's just like when you see somebody wear a certain type of clothes, say that thing is ugly. Or do you hear a song on the radio. I don't like that song, but the more they repeat it, the more you see people in the mall with it. Maybe it's not that bad repeated. The more you see people in the mall with it, maybe it's not that bad Culturally, it begins to change your mind to that thing. So it's first introduced, second repeated and third it's accepted. Well, maybe I'll just try it out next Friday. They say next Friday is going to be blue jean day and I think I'll do that. And the next thing, you know, it's establishing the culture.
Speaker 1:The Holy Ghost showed me this. He said the enemy is not necessarily fighting for your generation. What happens is we don't realize that we coexist with the younger generation and we think, because we're coexisting with the young generation, that their foundation is the same as ours, but their foundation is not the same as ours. But their foundation is not the same as ours, totally different. So the enemy targets them, their children and their grandchildren, through the process of introduction, repetition, acceptance, and by the time it's time for you and I to leave here for it to be established in the culture. This is why the Bible talks about us contending for the faith, wrestling for the faith. We've got to be able to, apologetically, really show what our stance is. I see 1 Timothy, the fourth chapter, in full manifestation, but it's disturbing when Paul was getting ready to die. I guess I'm doing a little talk to myself, ain't I?
Speaker 2:Oh, no man.
Speaker 1:When Paul was getting ready to die, one of I oh no man Praise the doctor. When Paul was getting ready to die, one of the last things he told Timothy he said man, you got to study to show yourself approved. There's a lot of heresy that's taking place and the onus is on you to make sure these things don't plague your generation. Bishop, I want to ask you a question. I'm really enjoying this interview and this is why I brought you on, because I consider you to be a man of sound doctrine.
Speaker 2:That's something that you've established in me. What would you say to emerging leaders as it relates to Our discussion, our discussion, but don't limit it to just that.
Speaker 1:No, no, no, I don't want to do that. What would you say to emerging leaders?
Speaker 2:My word of advice to any leader nowadays is similar to what you just stated that Paul told Timothy Make sure you really know the word of God. Study to show yourself approved. Also, be sure of your calling, because, just because you're a leader, make sure you know what you've been called, what area of leadership you've been called into people that are just branching out, wanting to be apostles, self-made bishops, prophets with no validation, just pastors with no covering, just you name it. No churches, no churches, no churches yeah, you're right, yeah, just no church. But they are pastors, you know. Make sure you know what God has called you to do. And then be vigilant, be consistent. Don't start and stop, but be consistent in your walk with God. And then, what's most important, live what you preach. Yes, sir. Live what you teach. Yes, sir. Practice what you preach.
Speaker 2:Don't be the type of man or the type of woman you're telling people to do this, but you're doing something totally contrary. The God we serve, he's a God of honor, and if you take the name of Jesus, I'm a living witness, I've seen it in my own life. I've seen God do it for you. I've seen God do it for you. You take the name of Jesus and use it wisely. Practice what you preach. The day will come when you'll have all of your temporal needs will be met.
Speaker 2:You know you want that to be the last thing on your mind, but a lot of people they sell themselves short early on in their walk because they're seeking after the money, they're seeking after the fame, they're seeking after the name recognition. But just take the name of Jesus and use it wisely. Last thing if you come up with a revelation that no one else in the history of the world has ever even remotely thought of I mean, it just hasn't even crossed anyone else's mind I want to let you know as an emerging leader, you're probably wrong. Yeah, you're off, you're off. I'll never forget one time, man, I had come up with something. I was so excited. I went and forget one time that I had come up with something. I was so excited.
Speaker 2:I went and looked in Matthew Henry. Matthew Henry, oh man, that book hundreds of years old. Brother Henry had already written about it. I was like, oh okay, I thought I had come across something. But if nobody has ever come across that revelation or that illumination, chances are your illumination is off, but there's nothing new under the sun.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. Yeah, nothing new under the sun. And that's something we really need to stress to emerging leaders, because some of these fellows, man, they're preaching some stuff that's just crazy stuff. Yes, and we need, you know, some of us that have become the fathers of the faith, yeah, yeah, ain't that crazy, taylor? Yeah, it is. We're the fathers. Yeah, it is. It's up to us to let these young guys know, young women know. Hey, that's wrong. Yes, and I'll do it, you know, because, thankfully, god has given me a certain level of influence with many ministers and I don't go bothering people. But if they ask me and they'll ask me to listen to something, or if they have a question about something they taught or planning to teach, and they ask me, I'm going to tell them the truth because you have to stick with the word man, heaven and earth is going to pass away, but not one jot or one tittle of the word of God will ever pass away.
Speaker 1:I'm going to end it on this last note and bring this last question up, and then I'm going to let you just speak to some emerging leaders. I want to talk about family. You've been married 40 years. I've been married 35 years. I've been married 35 years to Miss Diane Taylor and you've been married 40 years to Miss Lakita Lackey years to miss Lakita Lackey. And sometimes in ministry, in our zeal, we lose our priority. We say, oh man, my first priority is God. But many times what we're calling God is ministry. It's not necessarily God, it's ministry. And I want you just to take a brief moment and then I'm going to release you just to speak to some leaders. On tonight let's talk about the importance of family, because you made a comment. You talked about living a certain way. My grandmother, my grandmother she was sanctified and my grandmother used to sell Stanley Stanley products and they used to have. You know the story.
Speaker 1:I've been telling is from like from the seventies, but she was selling Stanley and they would have these celebration lunches, dinners that they would have. We got out of church one Sunday and she was selling Stanley and they would have these celebration lunches, dinners that they would have. We got out of church one Sunday and she was getting ready to go to a function and I said Grandma, can I go with you? And she said I don't know. Wait a minute, let me check. And she came back and I asked her. I said are you going somewhere, to a place that I couldn't go to? And this is what she said to me. She stopped and turned around and she said grandma, don't go to no places you can't go to.
Speaker 1:And that thing stuck with me because she was saying grandma lives a life that any place I can go to, you can go to Bishop. I wanted that to be my testimony that I could say to my children dad, don't go to the granddad, don't go to any places that you can't. I wanted that to be my testimony that I could say to my children Dad, don't go to the granddad, don't go to any places that you can't. I wanted them, if they couldn't see Christ through things that they saw with other people that they'd be able to see. Well, I do see it with my mother and father. Bishop, talk to me about family and then I'm going to release you to talk to the people.
Speaker 2:Well, family for me is everything. I didn't realize that my family was an anomaly. Maybe 15, 20 years ago I had invited a couple of people in for some different functions and they saw my children at the church. And they saw my children at the church and so I just thought everybody's children, if you were pastoring, were part of your church and I just thought that was the way it worked. But they were asking how did I get, how did I keep my kids in the church, and this, that and other. And so I'm like what do you mean? And so I began to study that thing and I found that so many pastors live this double life. Yes, they're good to everyone's children in the church, but they are the worst fathers or mothers to their own children.
Speaker 2:Yes, I've seen how, and I'm speaking more from the male perspective. So if we got female pastors watching, please don't think I'm discriminating, because I'm not so if I slip and talk just in the male gender, I'm talking more as a man myself. But I've seen how pastors would be sweet and kind to all of the sisters in their church but treat their wives like she was a slave and like she was just a second-class citizen. And your kids will grow up seeing this stuff and then, when they become of age to make some decisions for themselves. Many times they won't even go to church period.
Speaker 2:And if they do go to church, they're certainly not going to the church that's led by their parents, because they feel like both of you. They feel like the one that was perpetrating the evil and the one that was enduring and covering up the evil. They feel like you're nothing but hypocrites and they don't want to be in a religious setting with you, knowing that you're hypocrites at the helm. And I've seen this Bishop. I've seen it tear, just tear ministries apart, tear families apart, tear churches apart because pastors won't respect the sanctity of family. I don't know if you want to come in on that, because what I'm going to just kind of segue off on is going to be a continuation of this.
Speaker 1:OK, well, I'm going to release you to talk to the people.
Speaker 2:All right, you know we're in this age now where seemingly everyone is wanting to be a bishop, everyone is wanting to be an apostle, everyone is wanting to have one of these high offices in the church. But they forget biblical qualifications, not organizational qualifications as to how many churches do you have must you have, how many people must be under your charge. But I'm talking biblical qualifications. And when you look at the qualifications for the bishop, the qualifications for the elder over in Titus, when you look at these qualifications, it's not about how many folks you run and dock. It's not about how many members you got and how many pastors you got, how many churches you got. The foundation is what type of family man are you? In 1 Timothy, chapter 3, it talks about the bishop must be blameless, the husband of one wife, one wife. And we're not going to dig off into that. I'll do that on my own podcast one day. But some of you you know some of y'all swapping wives like you swap cars. I found the true meaning of that when I went overseas many, many years ago. He's talking about one at a time because even if you're in a polygamous situation or in a polygamous society, if you're going to be a bishop in the Lord's church, you must answer to a higher standard. But even coming back to America and places where we can only marry one at a time, it is not God's will for you to be a bishop and you're changing wives annually. At some point you got to have some discipline. What can you tell the flock of God? And so I'm just here to encourage you if you're going to really be a leader in the body of Christ. Today you got sober of good behavior.
Speaker 2:Down in verse 4, it talks about one that rules your own house well. Always think of your home life as the practice field for the church. If you can't manage your home, you're wasting your time. Trying to be a pastor and trying to be the pastor of a church or wanting to be the bishop over a diocese, you're wasting your time. It starts at the home. You got to be one that rules your own house well and have your children under some type of subjection. When those children are small, you got to have them where they obey you. And even when they get older, once they become adults, they got to be even in a mindset where they respect you and honor you as their father or as their mother, you, and honor you as their father or as their mother.
Speaker 2:Bishop Taylor, if you can chime back in because you're a witness to what I'm about to talk about as I close, you can remember many, many years ago when our church was extremely small and we were located on Deal Avenue, talking about having your children under gravity. We were getting ready for a service that night at that storefront and my daughter had come with my wife and they had parked across the street and my daughter she was real small at the time and when she got out of the car and saw me, and when she got out of the car and saw me, she took off running trying to come to her dad and a car was coming up Deal Avenue, going pretty fast, and I yelled to the top of my lungs Alan, stop. And she stopped in her tracks and that car passed her by and all of us that were standing out there just sort of exhaled. It was quiet, just looking around like, wow, because if I didn't practice this the importance of family, if I was the kind of dad my children only saw me at church, because I'm hanging out all night, I'm running the streets with the boys, I'm hanging out with the women. My daughter would either be dead now or severely injured, but because I have my children under gravity, my children are still alive, both of my adult children. They're good and grown Families of their own, and if I ever want to see my children, all I have to do is come to church. Same testimony with you, bishop, and I commend you for that.
Speaker 2:And yet there'll be people who live such raggedy lives. Families are in disarray. They will look at me, they'll look at you. They will talk so negatively about men like us who are meeting the biblical qualifications. They'll talk about us like we're the scum of the earth when, at the end of the day, we are fulfilling the calling according to Bible standards. Yes, sir, not an organizational standard, but Bible standards. Our families are in order.
Speaker 2:That doesn't mean our children have never done anything wrong. No, it does not mean that our children are angels who float one inch off of the ground, but we have them under some type of subjection, even as adults. There are just certain things our children are not going to say to us, certain things they're not going to do to us because of the way we reared them, and that's the sign of a real leader, I wouldn't go to a church. I wouldn't go to a church Not necessarily saying that the children were not there, because all of us have adult children. Then they can go. They might have to relocate job or anything. So please understand what I'm saying. But I would not want to go to a church where that pastor does not have any kind of relationship with his children, because how can you be my spiritual father when you've proven you're not even a good natural father and the first natural being is spiritual? That's it for me, bishop Taylor, amen, amen. Appreciate this opportunity today.
Speaker 1:This has been a good broadcast, bishop. I've enjoyed you so much and I know that some of these that are listening have enjoyed you. If they want to know more about your ministry, if they want to follow your ministry, I know the information, but I want you to tell them what do they need to do?
Speaker 2:You can actually find us on Facebook Temple of Prayer, family Worship Cathedral, or you can also find me personally, bishop Aaron B Lackey. Some of our ministry pages Aaron B Lackey Ministries. Presiding Bishop Aaron B Lackey. They're on Facebook, very similar on Instagram. My media team got me on all of these social media things, but when you find me, just search me, you'll find me. I don't know a lot of them by heart. I'm not like you, man. I'm not as technical as you. I'm not as techie as you. You're going to have to bring me up to date. You got to bring me up to 2025. I think I'm not as technical as you, I'm not as techie as you, and you're going to have to bring me up to date. You got to bring me up to 2025.
Speaker 1:I think I'm techie until I get around some of these young people in my church oh boy, and I realize I'm just getting started. But it's funny because there used to be a time when you have an interview like this. You say I want to find you what I need to do, my address is such and such, my phone number is such and such, but I'm listening to you talk to it. Just search me on Facebook. This technology is phenomenal, and I think about the apostles. If they saw what we're able to do in this 21st century, their mind would be blown away. How do we sit in front of a computer and reach everybody around the whole?
Speaker 2:world. Yes, sir, it is. It's an amazing piece of technology and, thank God, me and like you are using it for the upbuilding of the kingdom of heaven. God bless you.
Speaker 1:Well, bishop, I thank you so much. Our time is gone, thanks to God. Listen, we're so blessed to have you on the Storming the Gates podcast. Remember that we're here every Monday. You can find us on Spotify. You can find us on YouTube podcasting and some of the other podcasting platforms. We're reaching people all around the world, but the Storming the Gates is designed to help believers walk in the victory against every strategy that God has for every strategy the enemy has against them, but every purpose that God has for their life. Listen, I want to say to you before we go, let's stick together and let's watch God get the glory out of this. God bless you, god bless.
Speaker 2:Thank you again for this opportunity.