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Appendix E: Planting Seeds

A real moment at Encounter Church in Liberty County, transcribed and lightly edited for clarity. A fifteen-year-old, brought to the front by his older brother, is led to Christ by Apostle Delmar. Only the young man's first name is used.

Cinematic biblical comic in deep royal-navy and holy-white linework, sacred pale-gold and cyan ethereal glow (never orange flame). Four vertical panels. 1. THE FRONT ROW: a fifteen-year-old boy sits at the front of a dark sanctuary, guarded and unsure; his older brother's hand rests on his shoulder; banner BROUGHT TO THE FRONT. 2. THE HONEST DOOR: a distinguished older Black apostolic preacher in a suit kneels to the boy's eye level, one hand open, telling his own story; a thin thread of pale-gold light begins to pass between them; banner IF HE'S REAL, HE'LL SHOW YOU. 3. THE CHOICE: the boy opens his mouth to speak; the darkness clinging to him tears away like torn cloth; the pale-gold-and-cyan fire settles on his head; banner ALL YOU GOTTA DO IS SAY IT. 4. THE FAMILY: the boy stands up new, a small flame of his own resting on him, his brother beside him, the apostle smiling; banner WELCOME TO THE FAMILY.

The Way of Fire is not only a sermon from a platform. It is what happens when one person turns to another and refuses to let them leave the room the same way they came in. This is one of those moments.

His older brother had spent the whole service pouring into him, then brought him up to the front. What follows is the lecture the Apostle gave him. There is no altar-call formula here, no pressure. There is a man telling a fifteen-year-old the truth about who he is, and handing him a choice.

The Lecture​

Apostle: You are a spirit being. You have a soul, and you live in a body. And right now, you are not at peace. I can see it. God wants you at peace. Complete peace. Whatever it is, a worry, a concern, fear, anxiety, not sleeping well, bad dreams, bad memories. You have been hurt. I can break that off of you, and you can be free. You want that? There is no reason to leave here with it.

All it takes is for you to say it. If nothing else, you can do it the way I did it. I said, "God, I do not know if you are real or not. If you are real, show me." How old are you right now?

Nasir: I'm fifteen.

Apostle: Just fifteen. I was eighteen when I did that. I did not believe in God, and I asked that question. I said, "You have got to show me, because right now I do not believe you." And He began to show me. He began to order my steps. I could not have made the right decisions on my own, but God will lead you and direct you far better than you ever could.

He created you and formed you in your mother's womb. Before you even came out, He had a purpose and a plan for you. And the only way you are going to fulfill that is through Him. Everything else is just following what the world is doing. Following friends, following girls, following money, whatever it might be. I am telling you, that is not the way. Those are distractions.

Satan wants to kill you. That is a real thing. He is not joking. I have seen a lot of stuff, and I can already tell there is something on you, but you have got to let it go. Nobody can make you release it. You can hold onto it, and Satan will use it.

Your brother cares enough about you to bring you up here to the front. That is a big deal. Look how much time he has spent with you. More than everybody else that was up there, combined. Satan does not want you to just say, "Lord, You got this." But it is very, very easy. All you have got to do is say it with your mouth, and then you will begin to do it, and you will begin to see Him working in your life. And you will go, "Oh, that was God. That must be God." And your brother is going to remind you. You are going to grow, and God will begin to direct your steps.

Life is designed to be easy with Him. We were never created to do it on our own. The world will tell you different. Alright. I am going to leave you alone now. I am just planting seeds, man. You are important like that. So there you go.

The young man said yes. What follows is what the Apostle spoke over him afterward.

The Welcome​

Apostle: We take you right now as part of Encounter. We welcome you in. That is a covering. A body fitly joined together, compacted by that which every joint supplies. We are strong when we are together.

Fifteen years old. Man, Jesus started at twelve. I started at about fifteen, sixteen. Age does not determine your spiritual maturity. Time in the presence of God does. You start spending time in the presence of God, you are going to go up, and there will be nothing that can stop you. Nothing on earth can overrule what God has done with you today.

You become the son of the living God. That is who you are. Your name is written above. When you say, "No weapon formed against me shall prosper," your angels say, "I got that," and they step out in front of you and take care of your heavy lifting. You need God to lead you and guide you. Father, Your word says You will go before me and lead me into the path of righteousness. Believe His word. Declare His word. And then you just start stepping, and He will order your steps.

You are wearing some new clothing now. No darkness can penetrate it. That is a real thing. I have had witches, warlocks, satanist priests come up to me, and when it was all over, they wanted what I had, because it was way more than anything they could produce. I have been through the worst prisons, and they could do nothing, and I had zero fear. I do not fear what men can do unto me.

When you know it like that, and you declare it like that, just walk. Speak the word. Let the angels do their job. They have got you. Amen. Welcome to the family. Welcome to the family, fifteen-year-old.

The Seed and the Soil​

Notice what the Apostle did not do. He did not argue the boy into the Kingdom, and he did not perform a spectacle. He told the truth about the young man's worth, named the thing clinging to him, pointed to the brother who had already loved him toward the front, and then he stepped back: "Nobody can make you release it." A person's will is their shield. See The Will Is the Shield.

He also refused to let age be a disqualifier. "Age does not determine your spiritual maturity. Time in the presence of God does." The fire does not check identification at the door. It rests on whoever will receive it.

This is the ordinary way the Nation of Fire grows. One brother spends the time. One apostle plants the seed. One young man opens his mouth and says it. And heaven records a new son. See How to Receive a Miracle and Faith Is Always Now.