Participants: Aaron Chancy (Host), Jermaine Bentley
Series Code: TNJ
Program Code: TNJ000073A
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00:01 The following program discusses sensitive issues.
00:03 Parents are cautioned that some material 00:05 may be too candid for younger children. 00:08 Welcome to The New Journey 00:09 where you meet real life people with real life testimonies 00:12 and real life working ministries 00:14 for Jesus Christ. 00:15 I'm your host Aaron Chancy. 00:16 Come join us on The New Journey. 00:48 Welcome to The New Journey. 00:49 We have an exciting testimony today 00:51 from a young man by the name of Jermaine Bentley. 00:53 Jermaine, we want to thank you for being on the program. 00:55 It's a pleasure, thank you for having me. 00:56 All right, now you're from Louisville, Kentucky. 00:58 Tell us about Louisville. 01:00 Yes, Louisville is not a big city, 01:03 but it's not a small city, so right there in the middle. 01:06 You know, just enough to do, if you want the city life, 01:08 you can have that 01:10 but also a good place to raise a family also. 01:12 Now I don't know much about Louisville. 01:13 I have only been there one time in my entire life. 01:17 What is the atmosphere of Louisville like? 01:19 Because, of course, you have sports there, 01:22 you have crime, 01:23 you have pretty much everything that any city has. 01:26 But what are the various things 01:27 that a lot of people seem to get into, 01:29 young black males get into in Louisville. 01:30 Like I said, 01:32 like what you touched on, sports is big, 01:34 especially basketball, 01:36 also the street life is huge there too. 01:38 Okay. You know, so it's like, 01:39 you know, either you're going to be playing sports 01:41 or you're growing up, 01:42 you know, doing the street thing. 01:43 Okay. 01:45 Now talk to us about your early home life. 01:46 What was it like growing up? 01:48 And did you come from a religious background? 01:49 Ah, growing up at home, 01:51 it was pretty cool starting out, 01:52 you know, I had both parents in the household starting out, 01:55 but towards, 01:56 you know, my pre-teen, teen years, you know, 01:59 my mother was raising us as a single parent, 02:01 just three of us, 02:04 definitely grew up in a Christian household, 02:06 grew up Baptists, 02:08 so we went to church every Sunday. 02:09 Now you said you started out in a house 02:11 with your mother and your father, 02:13 they eventually went separate ways. 02:15 And I've heard many stories of young people 02:18 who are affected in a negative way by their, 02:22 you know, parents going separate ways. 02:24 And sometimes, oftentimes, it leads them down, 02:26 you know, a troublesome type of lifestyle. 02:30 How did that affect you personally 02:32 when your mother and father separated? 02:35 It definitely affected me in a way that, you know, 02:40 it led me to get in trouble at times and stuff like that 02:42 because I didn't, 02:43 you know, felt like I didn't have my father 02:45 to kind of check me on certain things 02:46 and stuff like that. 02:47 But it really wasn't in a way that I really went astray 02:50 into the streets or anything like that, 02:51 but I knew I was, 02:53 you know, looking for that male figure, 02:55 a male that... 02:56 You know, what was it like, what is it like to be a male. 02:59 You know, a black male, 03:00 and the streets were just showing me 03:02 that at some point sometimes. 03:03 Yeah, definitely. 03:04 Now your story is a little bit interesting 03:06 because most of the people that come on the program, 03:09 they have been in the streets real hard, 03:11 they've used drugs, sold drugs, 03:13 been incarcerated, a number of things like that. 03:15 But for you, 03:17 you didn't get involved in a lot of thing 03:19 that your peers got involved in. 03:21 And I wanna talk about why you didn't. 03:24 And, you know, a lot of times, it's praised because, 03:28 you know, a person who has been out there 03:29 in the streets, they come back into the church, 03:32 they've changed their life 03:33 and people are wowed by their testimony, 03:36 but yours is a bit different. 03:37 And when I first met you a couple of years ago, 03:39 I was wowed by your story 03:41 because growing up in Louisville, 03:42 you didn't get involved in a lot of things 03:45 that your peers got involved in. 03:47 What kept you from getting into a lot of things 03:50 that your peers got involved with? 03:51 Like I said, my mom... 03:53 Like I said, I grew up in a Christian household, 03:56 you know, when I was younger, my mom always told me, 03:58 you know, "Believe in Christ and believe His word." 04:00 You know, that kind of stuck with me. 04:02 And I one of the realest things I ever heard, 04:04 you know, that anybody could, especially at a young age, 04:06 you know, my mother telling me 04:07 that I can't get you into heaven. 04:09 Yeah, wow. 04:10 You got to know Jesus for yourself. 04:11 So I'm about between 8 and 10 when she told me that. 04:14 And I was like, 04:15 "Man, this is one of the realest things 04:17 that I ever heard. 04:18 You know, and I think from that point, 04:19 I was like, "Man, I got to know Christ for myself." 04:21 And with that, you know, I never really grew up, 04:23 you know, I kind of knew about superstars 04:25 and people I looked up to, 04:27 but the stories of the Bible really, 04:28 those characters really connected to me 04:30 'cause I'm like, 04:31 "Man, if the Lord can move through them, man, 04:33 He could do some things through me too also." 04:35 Praise the Lord, praise the Lord. 04:37 Now you play basketball, 04:38 you said one of the things that people do in Louisville, 04:41 they play sports 04:43 or they get involved in the crime life, 04:44 young black males for the most part. 04:46 For you, you got involved in basketball, 04:48 talk about that experience. 04:50 Man, you know, growing up basketball, 04:52 that was it, like that was what I wanted to do, 04:54 you know, especially living in the neighborhood 04:55 that I lived in, 04:57 I wanted to have a better life for my family. 04:59 You know, if I play basketball, 05:01 this could be the meal ticket out. 05:02 You know, I wanted to play for, 05:04 you know, the University of Louisville 05:05 and then go to the NBA, that was my dream growing up. 05:08 So, you know, that's what I wanted to do, 05:11 I practiced day and night. 05:12 Okay, at what age did you get heavily involved 05:14 in playing basketball? 05:16 Around six. Around six years old? 05:17 Mm-hm. Okay. 05:18 So you were playing basketball, 05:20 you were reading the Bible at a young age, 05:22 getting amazed by a lot of these stories 05:24 that you find in a Bible. 05:26 Do you think that those stories 05:29 and wanting to see God do amazing things in you 05:32 was a real big impact to keep you from doing 05:35 what everybody else is doing around you? 05:37 And I say that for this, 05:39 for me, I was big in the sports, 05:41 you know, just like most young black males, 05:43 basketball, football, 05:45 that seems to be the meal ticket for us. 05:48 And so for me, there was nothing else 05:52 that I could see besides basketball and football. 05:53 Yeah, I had a Bible and I grew up 05:55 in the Seventh-day Adventist church 05:57 and I knew the stories in the Bible, 05:58 had gone to Sabbath school and all these things, 06:01 but they still didn't have as much impact up on me 06:05 that my friends had a impact upon me 06:07 or music had upon me or sports had upon me. 06:11 So how, for you, were the stories of the Bible 06:14 and basketball able to have so much of an impact on you? 06:17 Well, first, you know, I felt like I was never the one 06:19 or the type to really follow the crowd. 06:21 You know, I was always different. 06:23 Even though I was like popular among my peers, 06:25 I was still different, I was still me, 06:28 you know, me, and I was just like, 06:29 you know, like I said, 06:31 the stories of the Bible were just so powerful for me. 06:35 And with basketball being there, I was just like, 06:37 "Man, I'm only me unless Christ shows me." 06:41 So it was just like 06:44 leaning on Him and stuff like that, 06:45 knowing Him, having that relationship 06:47 because for me 06:48 it wasn't just about going to church, 06:50 it was more than just that. 06:52 Like, it was just more than just going to church, 06:54 it was a lifestyle for me. 06:55 Yeah. Okay. 06:57 Knowing Christ was a lifestyle, at a young age, 06:59 I knew that there was a relationship 07:01 between me and Him. 07:03 Okay, okay. 07:04 Now did you play middle school ball, 07:07 high school ball? 07:08 So what levels of basketball did you play? 07:10 I made it from middle school all the way to college, so... 07:12 Okay, now in high school, 07:15 there was an article written about you. 07:17 Talk about that article that was written on you. 07:20 My senior year, 2004, 07:23 the Career Journal was the name of the newspaper 07:25 in that city, did an article on me about, 07:27 you know, standing up for my faith 07:29 and stuff like that. 07:30 In the article, it talked about, 07:32 you know, how the chance to, 07:33 you know, play Division I basketball, 07:36 even get scholarships to play college basketball... 07:39 You know, how through the years, 07:40 colleges have backed off 07:42 because I would not play on the Sabbath. 07:43 Okay. 07:44 It also, you know, showed how I played varsity 07:47 from my freshman year 07:48 to my senior year of high school 07:50 just showing that no matter 07:51 what I wasn't gonna play on the Sabbath. 07:54 You know, I had my coach at the time saying, 07:58 you know, they never seen a kid like this, 08:00 you know, who would stand up for his faith. 08:02 You know, usually kids go out there 08:04 and take the scholarship and play on the Sabbath 08:05 and stuff like that. 08:07 But then the article, even though it said that, 08:09 you know, colleges backed off, 08:11 you know, I wasn't gonna play on the Sabbath 08:14 even if that meant 08:16 that I wasn't gonna be able to play college basketball, 08:19 that was how I made up my mind. 08:20 Now you're mentioning the Sabbath 08:22 but you grew up Baptist. 08:24 At what age did you become a Seventh-day Adventist? 08:28 And how did you become a Seventh-day Adventist? 08:32 How did you learn about Seventh-day Adventism? 08:34 I became an Adventist around age 14. 08:36 Okay. 08:37 I have a big brother, 08:39 he's like six years older than me. 08:40 So he was getting Bible studies, 08:42 you know, him and like 08:44 a couple of my other best friends, 08:45 we all were like... 08:46 They were around his age, but they were like, 08:48 I'm like their little brother too. 08:49 We would always have Bible studies, 08:51 like deep intense studies, talking about the Sabbath, 08:54 you know, arguing Sunday and Sabbath 08:55 and stuff like that. 08:57 I'm just like man, just to see, you know, brothers, 09:00 you know, in the Word, 09:01 knowing the Word and doing it, man, 09:02 it was inspiring. 09:04 Like I said, I had always been into the Bible, 09:05 and that was like, 09:06 "Man, to know my Word like that, 09:08 that was more powerful than anything. 09:09 And I always wanted to be connected like that." 09:11 So, you know, being involved with them 09:14 and, you know, going to Bible studies 09:15 and stuff like that, 09:18 one of the friends 09:20 was at the Adventist church already, 09:21 and he got to do some Bible studies 09:23 and stuff like that in the Book of Revelation. 09:26 It was just like, yo, 09:27 you know, growing up as Baptist, 09:29 we didn't touch on Revelation." 09:30 We were like, "Yeah, hold up, man, 09:32 don't even mess with that." 09:33 That's real right there. Okay. 09:34 Being able to understand Revelation 09:36 and the blessings that Revelation opened up, 09:39 it was just like, "Wow, man, I can't beat that." 09:40 Yeah. 09:42 Okay, now you learned about the Sabbath, 09:43 you're in the Seventh-day Adventist church, 09:45 you get baptized 09:46 into the Seventh-day Adventist church, 09:48 you're playing basketball, the news company, 09:50 they write an article on you, 09:52 how did your team react to you 09:55 not wanting to play basketball on a Friday night? 09:58 How did they take that? 09:59 Well, you know, coach included, they threw jokes, my teammates. 10:03 You know they'd be like, Seventh-day Adventist... 10:06 Are you ready to turn into a werewolf, a vampire, 10:09 or some like that? 10:10 But they'd throw jokes and stuff like that, 10:11 but they knew that there was me. 10:13 You know, they knew what I was going to be about, 10:16 you know, even my coach, 10:18 you know, 10:20 he was getting pressure from the principal 10:23 and the AD of that time to cut me 10:25 from the team and stuff like that. 10:26 You know, I have a meeting 10:28 almost every year talking about, 10:29 you know, we ain't gonna have room for you 10:31 and none like it, but he was like, 10:32 you know, I'm going to play you. 10:34 Yeah. I'm going to play you. 10:35 And it was like, 10:36 you know, I'm gonna stand up for Christ regardless. 10:38 So if you cut me, you know, I understand, 10:40 but you know, he never did. 10:41 It was like the Lord was working through him 10:43 beyond what the principals 10:44 and the AD were telling him to do, 10:46 he allowed me to play. 10:48 Okay, okay. 10:49 How does it... 10:50 I'm really amazed by your story for the simple fact 10:52 that at 14 years old, 10:53 I wasn't thinking about anything 10:55 wanting to do with church, 10:56 but you're studying the Bible, 10:59 you love going to church, and matter of fact, 11:02 only you and your brother are Seventh-day Adventists 11:05 in your entire family, correct? 11:06 Yes, sir. Okay, talk about that. 11:11 Like, I mean, it was just the passion of that man, 11:15 just being able to know 11:17 who you are in Christ that was big for me. 11:19 You know, like I said, 11:20 nobody knows me better than He does. 11:25 You know, and then seeing my brother, 11:27 you know, from the transformation 11:28 that he had in his life, 11:29 you know, and how he impacted me, 11:31 you know, that guided me and helped me understand like, 11:33 "Well, I want to know Christ for myself." 11:35 And I knew what I was getting into, 11:37 you know, I wanted to let, 11:38 you know, everybody know that this is my decision, 11:39 that this is my life. 11:41 Like I need to know Christ for myself like, okay, 11:42 it goes back to what my mother told me, 11:45 you know, "You got no Christ for yourself." 11:46 It was that relationship building. 11:48 You know, my sophomore year, I tore my ACL, 11:51 you know, 11:53 and I guess that brought me to reality like, 11:55 "Yo, this basketball thing doesn't last." 11:57 Yeah. "Well, Christ lasts forever." 11:59 You know, He was there comforting me, 12:01 you know, guiding me in those times, 12:02 you know, even though when it was hard, 12:04 so I learned how to pray at a young age, 12:06 read at a young age, but not only that, 12:08 you know what I'm saying? 12:09 I took it... 12:11 It was real. Okay. 12:12 You know, it wasn't easy, but it was grand. 12:15 Yeah. Okay. 12:16 Now do you think that... 12:20 And this is an important question 12:21 because some people feel 12:23 that when it comes to basketball 12:25 that it cannot be used for ministry. 12:27 How do you feel about basketball 12:29 being used as an avenue 12:31 to bring people into the church? 12:33 And I say that because I coach a basketball team 12:37 and, you know, 12:38 we have different people on the team 12:39 who are not members 12:41 of the Seventh-day Adventist church, 12:42 but they come to church, 12:44 they play on the team and they learn about Adventism. 12:46 And for this, 12:48 this is a lot of times the only way 12:50 that they may learn about the truth of the Bible. 12:55 For you, in your opinion, 12:56 how do you feel about basketball 12:59 being used as a tool to get young people to Jesus? 13:02 Man, I just believe 13:04 that you got to let the Spirit lead. 13:05 The Holy Spirit, you know, guide on that. 13:08 I feel like we are all, we all are gifted, 13:11 we have different talents and everything like that. 13:13 And, you know, 13:14 you just got to ask the Lord to guide you. 13:16 I don't see, you know, 13:17 when you're playing sports and stuff, 13:19 you have the opportunity to reach out. 13:21 You know, I have teammates, 13:22 you know, who didn't know 13:23 how to pray and stuff like that, 13:25 they would ask me to pray for them, 13:26 you know, on the outside of that stuff, 13:27 you get to have conversations that you might not have. 13:30 You know, the opportunity 13:31 would just come up to him or something like that. 13:33 But you have equal ground, 13:35 you have equal time that you meet them, 13:36 but then you also can apply, 13:38 you know, the Lord and stuff like that. 13:39 But, you know, the ultimate goal is to like let them know 13:43 that, you know what I'm saying, that God is bigger than sports, 13:45 but you can still play it but know who is number one. 13:48 Okay, okay. 13:49 Had you not gotten into basketball, 13:51 what do you think you would have gotten into? 13:53 Had you not been this star basketball player 13:56 in Louisville, 13:58 maybe you didn't even have an interest in sports, 14:00 but had you not gotten into basketball, 14:02 what do you think you would have gotten 14:03 into in the streets of Louisville? 14:05 I think I would have got a little bit more active 14:06 in the streets. 14:08 You know what I'm saying? 14:09 I would have had, you know, probably dived 14:10 into a little bit of some stuff, 14:12 but I think, you know, like I said, 14:14 I always had built a relationship 14:15 with Christ, man, 14:16 so I think that the tug of Spirit, 14:18 it was the way... 14:19 I'm not saying 14:20 that I wouldn't have got involved in anything, 14:22 but I still think 14:23 I would have been doing stuff in the ministry. 14:24 Okay. 14:26 How much of an effect do you think 14:27 that media has on young people today? 14:30 And not just the sports world, 14:31 but in terms of the different music, 14:34 the different things 14:35 that, you know, young people like to watch. 14:37 How much of an impact do you think that this has? 14:40 And I ask because, for me, speaking of myself, 14:43 music was very big for me. 14:46 Secular hip hop music was very big for me. 14:49 And I saw over a period of time 14:51 how it was just changing me from the inside out. 14:54 And, you know, I would literally, 14:56 I wouldn't just... 14:58 Some people would say, 15:00 "Well, it's just "entertainment," you know. 15:03 But for me, I would internalize the lyrics, 15:07 you know, and I would live out these things 15:09 and, you know, it really impacted my life. 15:12 How much of an impact do you think 15:13 that media has on young people in the decisions 15:16 that they make on a day-to-day basis? 15:18 Media has a big impact, you know. 15:20 And like what you said, it had an impact on me. 15:22 You know, towards, 15:23 you know, tugging on things like that, 15:25 especially in music and movies and stuff, the enemy, 15:27 you know, Satan, he knows what he's doing. 15:28 He moves through these avenues of music 15:31 and these movies and stuff, 15:32 they set the philosophy in the young people's mind 15:34 and stuff like that. 15:35 And it is huge, you know, you see it nowadays, 15:37 you know, a lot of people, 15:39 you know, they don't know who God is, 15:40 they give this bad picture of who God is. 15:43 They think that He is this mean dictator 15:45 and stuff like that. 15:46 I thought that for a little bit of time too. 15:48 He doesn't even exist. Yeah. 15:49 And so they get there 15:51 and not knowing the true and living God is, 15:53 what He's trying to do in our lives 15:55 and stuff like that, it's huge. 15:57 You know, in shaping a man and stuff. 15:58 When you keep hearing it over and over again, then it grows, 16:03 especially if you're not getting fed the truth. 16:05 Yeah, definitely. 16:06 Now you played middle school basketball, 16:09 high school basketball, 16:10 what did you do after you played high school basketball? 16:12 Where did it take you after that? 16:14 I did get a scholarship at the La Sierra. 16:17 I played a year of ball there 16:19 and then I ended up leaving a year 16:22 after that and finished 16:23 my basketball career at Kentucky State University. 16:25 Okay. 16:27 Now had the opportunity 16:28 ever presented itself for the NBA, 16:32 how do you think you would have reacted to that, 16:33 especially not being able to play 16:35 or not desiring to play on the Sabbath? 16:39 Well, you know, like I always say, 16:41 you know, probably I'd be in a contract 16:43 that I won't be playing on the Sabbath 16:45 or anything like that. 16:47 You know, the opportunity would have came, 16:49 I would have went for it 16:51 but as long as they would have been all alright with me 16:55 not playing on the Sabbath, but other than that, 16:57 you know, I'm fine with where I'm at now though. 17:00 Okay, for young people today, 17:04 who, you know, they're tossed and turned 17:06 by so many different things out there. 17:08 In your opinion, 17:10 what do you think that 17:11 they need to allow happen 17:14 for them to get focused on doing what's right? 17:16 Because like I said, your story is amazing, 17:19 you know, you've been reading the Bible 17:20 since eight years old, even younger, 17:22 and into church things. 17:24 You don't find that. Let's be real. 17:27 You don't find that in this day and age. 17:29 I can't name you probably a single individual, 17:31 single young person that I know 17:33 that is really honestly interested in church 17:36 or interested in God. 17:38 Most young people are interested in money, 17:41 girls, guys, whatever, 17:43 playing sports, nothing to do with God. 17:45 You know, anything apart from God 17:47 because God is seen as being "boring." 17:50 But what do you think in your opinion, 17:51 based on your situation growing up, 17:53 would help young people 17:55 to get more focused in doing right, 17:57 in making better decisions in life? 18:00 Just basically helping the young people 18:03 definitely groom into their talent, 18:05 their gift that the Lord has blessed them with, 18:07 you know, embracing that and letting them know 18:09 that they are something to the church, 18:12 that they do bring something to the table, 18:14 that God has so much for them to do, 18:18 you know, and build a relationship, 18:20 don't just be pushing church, 18:21 you know, but push it as a relationship building. 18:24 Like this, you know, when you're in a relationship, 18:25 you know, in that, 18:27 you want somebody to care for you 18:28 and love for you and stuff like that, 18:30 let them know 18:31 that's how Christ feels about you. 18:32 You know what I'm saying? He wants the best for you. 18:34 He wants to give you the best and He already knows, 18:36 you know, what's best for you, and just, you know, trust Him. 18:39 Definitely, definitely. 18:41 Do you have any friends, as you were growing up, who, 18:44 you know, they went down the wrong path, 18:45 you went down the right path 18:47 who had they maybe stayed on that right path with you 18:52 would have been in a better situation now? 18:54 And I'm sure you do because, you know, 18:55 growing up in Louisville, it is kind of, 18:57 you know, rough in some areas, but talk about that. 19:00 Well, definitely. 19:02 You know, I have friends that made, 19:03 you know, decisions at a young age 19:05 that I'm pretty sure they probably regret of making. 19:08 That if, you know, 19:09 they had the chance they'd probably, 19:11 you know, turn back from that. 19:12 You know, like I said, 19:13 you know, I got laughed at at times 19:15 for not playing on the Sabbath, 19:16 even going out and stuff like that. 19:18 But I knew that the Lord's hand was, 19:19 you know, it was on me on that, and pretty sure, 19:22 looking back on it, like I have friends, 19:23 you know what I'm saying, they'd tell me that, 19:25 you know, pray for them, 19:26 you know, reach out for them, and stuff like that. 19:27 I read them a Bible verse or something like, 19:29 they connect with them 19:30 because then they know I got that connection. 19:32 But being willing to channel light, 19:35 you know, let them know that, you know, 19:36 "I'm not afraid to let you know that I know Christ. 19:39 You know what I'm saying, I'm still here for you." 19:40 Okay, now getting laughed at, how did that make you feel? 19:44 Because, you know, a lot of people, they... 19:46 You said earlier that you were the type 19:48 that would stand out a lot. 19:50 But for most of us as young people, 19:52 we kind of just blend in, 19:53 you know, we blend in 19:55 with what everybody else is doing. 19:56 But you were willing to take the ridicule 19:58 of being laughed at, 20:00 joked on, 20:02 probably being the brunt of most people's jokes, 20:04 how did that make you feel? 20:05 I embraced it. Okay. 20:07 You know, like I said, I was different, 20:08 you know, I was just willing. 20:10 And I know through the Bible, you know, it takes sacrifices. 20:13 You know, reading about the people 20:14 in the Bible and, you know, 20:16 even Christ, you know what I'm saying, 20:17 sacrificing their worldly lifestyle, man, 20:19 you know, you got to know where you want to be, 20:21 who you're living for. 20:23 You know, I was like, I always thought, 20:24 you know what I'm saying, 20:26 "Seek Him first and all His righteousness 20:27 and all these things would be added unto you." 20:28 Amen. And that mindset was in me. 20:31 And I was just like, "Man, I'm seeking Him first, 20:33 you know, regardless of what y'all say, 20:34 I'm not here to please y'all, 20:35 I'm here to please Him." 20:37 So it wasn't like, you know, I just took it, 20:39 you know, in their way. 20:42 I was just like, "It don't matter. 20:43 I'm not going to follow the crowd 20:44 because I know who I am." 20:46 Praise the Lord, praise the Lord. 20:47 Now you mentioned 20:48 about the different Bible characters 20:50 that you would read about, 20:52 who are some of the ones that really impacted your life? 20:56 Because, you know, oftentimes when people read the Bible, 20:58 they read this book 21:00 that was written thousands of years ago, 21:02 and sometimes when reading it, it's hard to relate, okay. 21:05 This... 21:06 What this person did happened 3,000 years ago, 21:10 and sometimes people have a problem processing it 21:12 in saying, "How does it relate to my situation today?" 21:16 So when looking at some of these characters, 21:19 who did you kind of relate with? 21:22 I related with Joseph. Okay. 21:24 You know, he was young, got picked on, 21:27 talked about stuff like that, but they didn't let him waver. 21:30 And he also had a relationship with Christ at a young age, 21:33 you know what I'm saying. 21:34 Daniel, the three Hebrew boys, I related to that, and Elijah. 21:38 Okay, okay. 21:39 So those are some of the stories 21:41 that really stand out with me, like, 21:42 you know, I really want to take a stand. 21:43 Okay. Now specifically why Elijah? 21:46 I understand Joseph, 21:47 I understand Daniel and the three Hebrew boys, 21:49 but specifically why Elijah? 21:50 Well, I guess because, 21:52 you know, the battle at Mount Carmel, 21:54 the way he stood up for God. 21:55 Okay, so you like those stories where they stand up for God? 21:57 Yeah, yeah. Okay, keep going. 21:59 So that really stood out for me, 22:01 like no matter what, 22:02 even though everybody wanted to go that way, 22:04 you know, thinking that God don't exists 22:06 and, you know, they're following other Gods 22:07 or doing their own thing, 22:09 you know, bringing in today's time. 22:10 You know, everybody won't be about self 22:12 and stuff like that, 22:13 I want to honor my God, no matter what it takes, 22:15 you know, y'all could laugh and do whatever, 22:17 but I know He is real. 22:18 Praise the Lord. 22:19 Now your mother and your father, 22:21 they separated, 22:22 how is your connection with your parents these days? 22:24 Oh, it's pretty good. 22:25 I still have a relationship with my father 22:27 and, you know, my mom, we tight. 22:29 So it's nothing like friction or anything like that, 22:32 but I definitely have connection 22:34 with both of my parents. 22:35 Now you and your brother are the only two 22:37 that are Seventh-day Adventist. 22:39 When you two finally or you finally accepted 22:43 the Seventh-day Adventist beliefs, 22:45 got baptized in a Seventh-day Adventist church, 22:47 how did your parents react to it? 22:49 Because I've heard stories... 22:50 Like I said, I grew up Seventh-day Adventist, 22:52 so I never had to go from Baptist or Methodist 22:55 to Seventh-day Adventism, 22:57 but how did people react in your family 23:00 since nobody else is Seventh-day Adventist, 23:02 how did they react to you 23:04 when you decided to take a stand and you say, 23:06 "You know what, 23:07 I'm going to be a Seventh-day Adventist Christian. 23:09 I'm going to go to this church 23:10 that goes to church on Saturday, 23:12 totally different 23:13 than what I was raised up to do"? 23:15 How did your family react to that? 23:17 In the beginning, it was tough. 23:18 You know, definitely tough 'cause this is new, 23:20 you know, grew up going to church 23:22 on Sundays and stuff, that's all you're taught. 23:23 And it was definitely tough for me at a young age. 23:26 I'm like, man, you know, who do I listen to? 23:28 It's my mother, 23:30 you know, my parents and my family 23:31 that I love Mom, like, I'm dishonoring, 23:33 but at the same time, this is God. 23:35 Well, you know, my mom, like I said, 23:37 told me to follow Christ and be about Him." 23:39 Christ kept the Sabbath, 23:41 you know, Christ did this, Christ did that, 23:43 I got to stand for Him. 23:44 So, you know, it was just like, you know, for Christ I live, 23:46 for Christ I die. 23:48 I got to roll with it. 23:49 You know, if it meant, 23:50 you know, being different from my family, 23:53 it just had to be. 23:54 But over time, 23:56 you know, they start seeing things and stuff, 23:58 you know, the change 23:59 that the Lord was making in my life, 24:01 you know, and it was powerful. 24:02 I mean you can do nothing about 24:04 that when the Lord is moving in your life, 24:05 and they started, 24:07 you know, coming around and stuff like that, 24:08 so it's been a blessing. 24:09 How much of a witness do you think 24:11 your life has been? 24:12 Because not only have you had to stand up 24:14 to your peers, 24:15 you know, your basketball team, 24:17 your friends who didn't quite always understand, 24:20 you know, what you were doing, the decisions you were making, 24:22 but you had to stand up to teachers, coaches, family, 24:26 I mean pretty much your whole life 24:29 has been about standing up to people 24:31 and sharing your faith. 24:33 How much of a blessing do you think 24:34 your witness has been upon others? 24:37 Man, I guess it's one of those that you won't know, 24:40 you know, till Christ comes back 24:42 and you see that, you know. 24:43 But I have had, 24:45 you know, people come to me, man, 24:47 and be like, "Man, that was tough 24:48 what you did, man, 24:50 the way that you stand up for your faith 24:51 and stuff like that." 24:53 So it's pretty cool, you know, to have people to be able to, 24:54 you know, pray with them or talk to them about the Lord 24:56 and stuff like that. 24:57 That's been one of the biggest things of that. 24:59 But, you know, I guess I never really, 25:01 you know, felt like, 25:03 you know, people would come to me and be like, 25:04 "Wow, man, that has been a major impact." 25:06 But I won't know until He comes back. 25:07 Yeah, yeah, definitely. 25:08 Now you had a strong mother 25:10 who, you know, taught you to follow the Lord 25:13 and you used basketball. 25:15 Now there are some young people out there 25:17 that don't play sports, 25:20 they don't have a positive influence 25:21 in their life, 25:22 everything around them is negative. 25:24 How can that individual be a Joseph, be a Daniel, 25:29 be an Elijah in that situation? 25:32 In your opinion, what do you think? 25:34 Know Christ for yourself. Okay. 25:36 You know, regardless of what they say, 25:39 you know, go know Him for yourself. 25:40 Don't let nobody else, you know, tell you. 25:43 You got to go experience it for yourself. 25:44 And age, it doesn't matter how old you are. 25:47 Don't let when you get older think 25:49 that this is when you're supposed to know Christ, 25:50 know Christ now. 25:52 Yeah, definitely, definitely. 25:53 Now was there a plan for you 25:55 when you started to read the Bible, 25:56 how you would read it? 25:57 Because I know for myself 25:59 what I would do is when I began to change my life, 26:01 I was committed to two things, actually three things. 26:03 I was committed to praying every day, 26:05 I was committed to reading one chapter 26:06 out of the Bible each day, 26:08 and I was committed to reading one chapter 26:09 out of Patriarchs and Prophets every single day, 26:11 no matter what I did. 26:12 You know, I would even find myself 26:14 later on that day getting high, 26:15 doing something I had no business doing, 26:17 but I was committed to that. 26:18 And as I continued to do that every single day, 26:20 I started to see the different habits just stop. 26:24 What kind of plan did you have yourself on 26:27 in terms of reading the Bible every day? 26:28 Well, just basically, 26:30 like I carry my Bible study packet with me. 26:33 So it's just like... 26:34 That's so hard to believe. I know. 26:36 Because I would write too, 26:38 I used to write rhyme stuff like that, 26:39 so I would write 26:41 and then read and stuff like that, 26:42 so I would carry it with me so I would have those with me, 26:45 you know, to go over. 26:46 And then if I wanted to touch on different stuff, 26:47 I tried to research it in church 26:49 or something like that. 26:50 So you might just be sitting somewhere one day, 26:52 sitting around your friends, 26:53 you just pull out a Bible study lesson, 26:54 pull out a Bible and start working on a Bible, 26:56 right? Yes. 26:57 Wow! That's amazing. 26:58 What I want you to do, 27:00 I want you to take about 30 seconds 27:01 and I want you to look into the camera, 27:03 and I want you to talk to that young individual 27:05 who maybe they want to be a Daniel, 27:07 they want to be a Joseph, they want to be an Elijah, 27:09 they want to be a Jermaine Bentley, 27:11 but they don't have the things around them to do that. 27:14 They don't have that positive influence, 27:17 they may not even have 27:19 that strong determination to read the Bible, 27:21 but they want to just a small amount, 27:23 speak to that young person 27:25 and give them some words of encouragement. 27:26 You know, folks, 27:28 just know that you are different in Christ, 27:30 you know, you're only different only in Him, 27:32 so let Him guide you 27:33 and don't be afraid to stand out 27:35 and know Christ for yourself. 27:37 All right. 27:39 Well, Jermaine, 27:40 I want to thank you for being on the program. 27:42 Like I said, it's a very powerful testimony. 27:44 I don't meet people like you on a regular basis 27:47 who had a determination to want to serve God at a young age. 27:52 So I definitely appreciate you being on the program, 27:54 I know that your testimony will touch many people's lives, 27:58 just all of the blessings to you, okay? 27:59 All right. Appreciate it, Jermaine. 28:01 Thank you. 28:02 Viewers, we'd like to thank you for tuning in once again 28:03 for another exciting program of The New Journey. 28:06 Be sure to tune in next time. Until then, God bless. |
Revised 2017-09-26