Potter's House (Part 3)

I wanted to find a video of this online somewhere since my description will not do it justice, but Potter’s House has pretty much rigged up their own miniature news program for announcements, which might be a little over the top, but it’s also cool.  A “PH News” logo flashed onto the screen as a recorded announcer welcomed us to the Potter’s House, after which a series of video announcements played.  A promo for the marriage ministry rolled on the screen, followed by an announcement about “Girl Talk,” a women’s ministry in which Serita Jakes herself was involved.  After this, other announcements rolled on the screen with different announcers telling us the details of each ministry/event.  Set to elegant classical music, clips began to play that advertised the upcoming Debutante Cotillion and informed us that the First Lady encouraged us to attend this traditional event and purchase our tickets ahead of time at the table in the lobby.  Next was a promo for the “Woman, Thou Art Loosed” conference that the Potter’s House would be hosting at Lakewood in Houston, and the announcement mentioned that attendees could register now and ride with other women from Potter’s House on chartered busses to the event.  (I still don’t know much about the Woman, Thou Art Loosed conference, but I have to admit that something about the passive voice in that title makes me squirm with unease.  I guess my little inner cynic is piping up and asking, “Loosed by whom?  Who exactly was binding these women to begin with, and by whose authority are they then loosed, and how exactly do male voices like mine and Bishop Jakes’s fit into this?”  Still, given the incredibly inspirational things that T.D. Jakes had to say about the struggles of women in Reposition Yourself, I’m withholding judgment.)  After this came a video promoting ManPower, which turned out to be a weekend conference for men of faith.  The video featured short testimonials from men who had previously attended; registration for the conference was only $40, and it would be taking place the 11th through the 13th (i.e. the weekend of my ordination).  The video wrapped up, and I was still contemplating the whole “thou art loosed” thing as we jumped back into singing.

This song really blew the roof off of the place.  It was loud-- even louder than the churches that offered earplugs at their doors.  There were amazing harmonies and call and response choruses between the various sections of the choir.  The organ and the drums dominated this song, but the many voices of the choir held their own volume-wise.  In fact, even without the microphones, that choir would’ve still shaken the walls.  It was amazing.  People in the congregation were standing and clapping and bobbing around; a few even danced in the aisles.  A walking bass line permeated the room, and guitar and horns served as an accent to the choir and organ’s melodies.

How can I say thank you
For all the things you’ve done for me
How can I say I love you
You’ve given me the victory
How can I describe you
There aren’t enough words I can say
Even in my trials
You’re always there to make a way

I will bless your name
Let all heaven and earth proclaim

We serve an awesome God
We serve an awesome God
We serve an awesome
God (Awesome God)
God (Awesome God)

How can I say thank you
For all the things you’ve done for me
How can I say I love you
You’ve given me the victory
How can I describe you
There aren’t enough words I can say
Even in my trials
You’re always there to make a way

I will bless your name
Let all heaven and earth proclaim

We serve an awesome God
We serve an awesome God
We serve an awesome God
We serve an awesome God
We serve an awesome God
We serve an awesome God
We serve an awesome
God (Awesome God)
God (Awesome God)

He’s a friend to the end
He’s an awesome God He’s an awesome God
Saved my soul made me whole
He’s an awesome God He’s an awesome God

Out onto the stage walked a figure whose presence evoked cries of excitement from the congregation, a strong and confident figure familiar to anyone who’s turned on a television or picked up a magazine any time in the last decade.  I half expected a voice to come over the loudspeaker to announce the arrival of Bishop T.D. Jakes!  Clad in a suit and a . . . hmm, is that technically an ascot or a jabot?  Eh, whatever, he was pulling it off in a way that only T.D. Jakes could.  Bishop Jakes stepped to the pulpit and instructed us, “Tell Him He’s an awesome God!”  The choir led the congregation in singing a reprise:

He’s awesome, He’s an awesome God

He’s awesome, He’s an awesome God

He’s awesome, He’s an awesome God

He’s awesome, He’s an awesome God

Bishop Jakes started sing/shouting his own descant over the congregation, “HE’S AWESOME!”  His voice was slightly higher than the recorded audiobook of Reposition Yourself had indicated, but then again, he was projecting now, whereas the audiobook had been a little more meditative in tone.  It seemed that, when speaking at full volume, Bishop Jakes was a bit more baritone than bass.  Bishop Jakes shouted an interjection: “I feel like having church this morning!  He’s awesome!”

He’s awesome, He’s an awesome God

Bishop Jakes called for a witness, and my inexperience with predominantly black churches was probably immediately apparent to the people around me.  I should give a witness, right?  Witness is a good thing, right?  How do I even give a witness anyway?  Go with the flow, Lewis.  Go with the flow.  There was some shaking of hands and a few shouted responses, so I just imitated the people around me and went with that.

He’s awesome, He’s an awesome God

Shake the dust off your feet . . .

Bishop Jakes instructed us to shake off whatever burdens were resting on our shoulders and to shake off whatever tough stuff had happened to us the previous week.  “Shake It Off” would turn out to be the title of his sermon for the morning.

He’s awesome, He’s an awesome God

Bishop Jakes again spoke to us, “If your god isn’t working for you, try mine!  HE IS AN AWESOME GOD!”  He asked that we clap our hands in celebration and rejoicing.

He’s awesome, He’s an awesome God

“Haven’t we been having a blessed week this week?” Bishop Jakes asked, and he asked playfully that we remind him not to choke as he gave the sermon, which was greeted with the response of, “Don’t choke!” from the congregation.  He was pumping us up and getting us excited.  “Am I right this morning?!  I’m right this morning!  He is AWESOME!”

He’s awesome, He’s an awesome God

“You know, some people go to a club to get filled up, but me-- I’m old school; I was lit before I even got there!”  People stood and clapped as Bishop Jakes continued, “It’s happy hour in the House of God!”

He’s awesome, He’s an awesome God

“I want to thank God that our First Lady is back with us this morning!”  This was greeted with shouts and clapping, and Bishop Jakes then moved into a litany to which the congregation responded.  He described God as awesome, and the crowd shouted, “YES!”  He talked about how God saves us from trouble, and the crowd shouted, “YES!”  Bishop Jakes then explained to us how we draw forth the living water of Christ with joy.  Joy is the bucket with which we draw from that well, and the enemy longs to steal our bucket.  The enemy wants us to go to the well empty-handed so that we will be unable to draw from it.  “Well, this morning, I’m gonna get me some water!” Bishop Jakes shouted.

He’s awesome, He’s an awesome God

There was standing and clapping and dancing as Bishop Jakes told us, “Give Him some praise this morning!  You know, we have to make our own misery, but we can always just go get some joy!  Talk to me, somebody!”  “YES!”  “Get you some water!”  “YES!”  The organ, piano, and horns vamped out the melody for a bit before Bishop Jakes again spoke to us.

The Promo and the Offering

He told us about how watching the news at night worries us since we hear so many bad things about what’s going on in the world, but the B-I-B-L-E tells us plainly that everything is going just fine!  Bishop Jakes welcomed us into the presence of the Lord and assured us that God is willing and able and pours out blessings, a litany which he summarized by saying, “I’ve got a feeling that everything’s gonna be alright.”  Bishop Jakes then paused for a second before explaining that he needed to record a promo for Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), and he needed our participation-- mainly just applauding and making some serious noise on his cue.  Looking directly into one of the cameras, Bishop Jakes began . . .

He started with a word about “preaching behind closed doors” and continued by talking about his upbringing in West Virginia and how he was discovered and put on television.  He explained to the viewers that the Potter’s House’s daily broadcast on TBN is back, and he repeated as he pointed dramatically at the camera, “The Potter’s House is back!”  The audience began cheering and clapping.

With the promo out of the way, Bishop Jakes mentioned that there was also a special visitor in the building: the First Lady of Kingsway Christian Church in London was visiting, so we gave her a round of applause.  Bishop Jakes also gave another announcement about ManPower, asking all the men in the audience to stand up and make some noise.  (I complied, but then I slipped on my own messenger bag, and quickly found my backside back in the pew . . . and slightly sore.)  Following these announcements, Bishop Jakes began speaking a little more freely, telling us to make sure that we don’t wait for someone else to build us up, giving an impression of a sad individual looking for attention from others.  His point was greeted with a chorus of amens.  “People treat you the way you treat yourself!”  It was an interesting inversion of the golden rule, but I know that T.D. Jakes doubles as a motivational speaker, so I guess this was some of the language from that sphere seeping into the church setting.  He then explained how we need to have a style that tells people, “This is who I am,” rather than waiting so much for others to tell us how we should look, dress, or act.

Bishop Jakes explained that we were in a “season of giving,” and that he has pretty much stopped focusing on much of the rest of the world --Washington in particular-- just because you need to have a right focus, and there’s such a disconnect between the news today and the Spirit.  He also explained that a blessing was on its way so large that God’s promise came in the form of telling us not to choke on it!  Of course, he was careful to explain that he was speaking of supernatural blessings, the kind that tend to appear in people’s souls when they’re going through the roughest times.  “Throw me a trouble, and I’ll make you a testimony!” he declared.  The Church grows most when the Devil has brought the most afflictions against it.  We are delivered an abundance of spirit even in a shortage of everything else, and we are made strong in our faith.  The Devil tries to convince us that God is not on our side, but the Devil is a liar!  Bishop Jakes told us flatout: “Look at my experience!”  (Having read Reposition Yourself, I knew that Bishop Jakes did indeed have a tough time growing up in West Virginia and really does have something of an up-by-his-own-bootstraps story.)  The time had come now for the offering though.

Hey now, the Devil isn't everyone's enemy.

Bishop Jakes instructed us to give God a praise before giving anything else, and then he gave one of the most interesting explanations of the tithe I have ever encountered, though I guess it was quite appropriate given his own background.  He explained that we have entered into a business relationship with God.  We are partners with God in the work of the Kingdom, and we have been given all these resources, and while most partners might demand 50/50, God only asks 10%.  God is one lavish business partner, and Bishop Jakes explained, “I wouldn’t do a deal like that!” a comment which got much laughter.  Like a caring parent, God is in business with His own kids and giving us the better share of the profits.  At this point, anyone bringing an offering was encouraged to stand up and hold the envelope high, so I sat awkwardly in the pew as a flock of white envelopes waved about in the air over my head.  “The blessing of the Lord makes us rich,” Bishop Jakes explained, but from his other writings, I knew that he was talking metaphorically; he’s actually been a very adamant opponent of the prosperity gospel, which is one reason I find his interactions with Joel Osteen so perplexing.  Bishop Jakes called on us to stand and give as the buckets were passed, even if our offerings were nothing more than a song.  We stood together and sang.  It was a traditional hymn set to new instrumentation:

My faith looks up to thee,

thou Lamb of Calvary,

Savior divine!

Now hear me while I pray,

take all my guilt away,

O let me from this day

be wholly thine!

May thy rich grace impart

strength to my fainting heart,

my zeal inspire!

As thou hast died for me,

O may my love to thee

pure, warm, and changeless be,

a living fire!

While life's dark maze I tread,

and griefs around me spread,

be thou my guide;

bid darkness turn to day,

wipe sorrow's tears away,

nor let me ever stray

from thee aside.

When ends life's transient dream,

when death's cold, sullen stream

shall o'er me roll;

blest Savior, then in love,

fear and distrust remove;

O bear me safe above,

a ransomed soul!

The woman standing directly behind me was exceptionally tone-deaf, but I still admired her willingness to sing out and sing out loud.  The organ and drums were the dominant instruments in this arrangement, and following the song’s conclusion, Bishop Jakes led us in prayer, using the lyrics and themes of the hymn and calling the tithes the “sweet sacrament of thanksgiving.”  He asked that God bless this House and all who are attached to it, and turning his attention to the monetary offerings themselves, he asked that God “move on it.”  A male soloist stepped forward and asked us, “Is anyone in the House expecting great things this morning?!”  He was greeted with an enthusiastic response as he launched into the next song, during which he would say the words and then have us repeat them in an energetic call and response.

This is just the beginning
The Year of refreshing
His plan now unfolding
The time of your great blessing

Expect nothing but Victory
That’s the promise of our King
To do exceedingly, abundantly
Above what you ask or think

Expect the great

Expect the great

Expect the great

Anticipate, faith activates
This is your year
Your moment is here

Expect the great blessing now
Expect the great blessing now
The blessing is on you

The blessing is on you

You know, I’m still a little fuzzy on that “faith activates” part of the equation, and I’m still trying to figure out exactly what is intended with that wording-- sounded a little too Prayer of Jabez for my tastes.  Of course, you could do all sorts of studies on what exactly is meant by blessing and how all the different preachers around the world handle this topic.  Last weekend, I heard blessing used to refer to unexpected financial windfall, but the definition at Potter’s House was quite different, and even though I was a little leery at first, Bishop Jakes would ultimately say a lot of things with which I agreed.

Potter's House pulpit (with choir in loft)

A few people who had taken their seats stood back up as Bishop Jakes’s austere figure reentered the pulpit.  He announced that he was preparing to read that morning’s scripture (Luke 10:1-12), and he looked out at the crowd and added with a threatening intensity: “We have a custom of standing for the Word of the Lord; if you would honor that, we would be most appreciative.”  Any who had lingered in their seats were certainly standing after an intimidating remark like that!  Bishop Jakes is a man of rather imposing stature after all.

After this the Lord appointed seventy others [“HOW MANY?” Bishop Jakes interjected, to which the congregation answered, “SEVENTY!”] and sent them on ahead of him two by two [“HOW MANY?”  “TWO!”] to every town and place where he himself intended to go.  He said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.  Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves.  Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road.  Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house!'  And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you.  Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house.  Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.’  But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 'Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. [Bishop Jakes repeated this line several times for emphasis.] Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.'  I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town.  (Luke 10:1-12, NRSV)

Bishop Jakes announced that the title of his sermon was “Shake It Off,” and he said a quick prayer inviting the Holy Spirit to come into the room and make barren grounds fertile.  I checked my watch.  We had been in the room for roughly an hour and twenty minutes.  The sermon would be an additional hour and a half with an extra twenty minutes of announcements and benediction tacked on after that.  How Bishop Jakes managed to speak that long without ever leaving me bored is something I’m still trying to understand.