Legendary actor Mr. T preached at his home church on Sunday for the first time.
Mr. T, whose real name is Laurence Tureaud, preached a message of faith at Cosmopolitan Community Church in Chicago, Illinois. He shared a message called "Doubting Thomas," which focused on the scripture passage John 20:24-25. In this passage, one of Jesus' disciples, Thomas, doubted the resurrection of Jesus Christ until the Lord appeared to him.
"But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came," the text reads. "The other disciples, therefore, said unto him, we have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe."
Mr. T used the King James Version of the Bible in his sermon.
During the sermon, he noted that Christians, like Thomas, can sometimes doubt the Lord.
"Let me set the record straight right here, Thomas was not the only disciple that doubt. As a matter of fact, many of you are doubting Jesus right now!" Mr. T told the congregation.
At that, the actor turned the congregation's attention toward Thomas' doubt. He noted that Thomas did not doubt Jesus' power but distrusted the people who told him that Jesus had risen.
"Thomas did not doubt the Power of Christ," Mr. T said. "Oh no, no way. Thomas had seen Jesus do too many miracles. Thomas knew and felt that Jesus was capable. Had the inward ability of rising from the grave. The thing that Thomas doubted was what they was telling him. Not what was being said, but who was saying it."
"Thomas did not doubt Jesus," Mr. T continued. "Thomas doubted the disciples who was telling him about Jesus because Thomas knew the disciples were not credible witnesses."
Mr. T then offered a list of grievances Thomas had against the other disciples before sharing that Thomas said he would need to see Jesus with his own eyes to believe he had indeed risen.
At that, Jesus entered the room, and Thomas believed in his resurrection because he had seen Christ.
Making his final point, Mr. T read John 20:19, in which Jesus says to Thomas, "Because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed."
According to The Christian Post, Mr. T described his opportunity to preach at his home church for the first time as "a great honor" and "an awesome responsibility." He has preached at other churches.
"Being Invited to Preach at My Own Church Next Sunday, October 9. It's a Great Honor and A[n] Awesome Responsibility. Which I Don't Take Lightly. God Willing, I'll plan to do my very Best!" he tweeted a couple of days before Sunday.
On Tuesday, he elaborated further on how he felt after preaching to his church.
"I am Resting and Reflecting on Sunday Sermon. I was full of Emotions after Hearing "Amazing Grace" song in Honor of my Mother, before I Preached. #TuesdayMotivaton," he tweeted.
While he admitted that he was "a little nervous" while preparing to preach, he also shared that he let the Holy Spirit "move me and guide me."
"Thank You, Jesus," he said.
"I must admit, it took a lot out of me because I was Spiritually Drained after the Sermon. But I felt so Good knowing that I Gave it My All!" he added.
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Brad Barket/Stringer
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.