Touré Roberts - What Are You Seeing?

The title of this message, or whatever you want to call it, is «What Are You Seeing?» What are you seeing? The worst thing you can answer, the worst answer you can give me, is «nothing.» The second worst answer you can give me is «I’m only seeing what I’m doing.» Can I talk to some real people tonight? I love you too much not to talk to you like this. The worst response, the worst answer to give, and we’re going to fix all of that, is «I’m not seeing anything.» The second worst answer is «I’m only seeing what I’m doing.» In other words, when I’m dreaming my dream, that’s the second worst. It’s not much better than seeing nothing because your dream could be nothing if God didn’t give it to you. Come on, somebody, it might be something now, but in two or three years or five years, it might not. Why? Because Revelation shows you the things that must shortly come. Man, wouldn’t it be something if we were building what we’re seeing, but the only thing is what we’re seeing is not Revelation? We spend our youth, our energy, our time, and our gifts, talents, and abilities unwisely.

The best way to answer that is when I ask you what you are seeing, you say, «I’m trying to see what God is doing and what role He wants me to play in it.» Because when we look at this passage, something is up. It’s not just randomness, and God is desperate to get Revelation to you. He’s desperate for the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants. I’m coming back to that word «servants,» so y’all don’t let me forget. «Things which must shortly take place,» and He sent and signified by His angel to His servant John. To His servant John! Look, that servant keeps coming up. His servant John, who bore witness—wow, this is interesting—who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, all things that he saw. Just ask right now, what are you seeing? What are you seeing?

So, it talks about John and says that John bore witness to the word of God. I looked at that word «witness,» and it’s got in its root the word «martus,» which is one of the places where we get the word «martyr» from. I’m like, okay, I don’t understand that. Who bore witness to the word of God? I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen that word «martus» translated there before; I never realized that until recently. I was trying to put it together, but as I began to think about what happened in Charleston, South Carolina, the only way I can describe those nine people who lost their lives—the only way that I can spiritually see—I can call them victims, and that’s cool because they are victims. I can call them that, but I see them as something deeper than victims. I see them as martyrs. If you look at how they treated their enemy, I mean, the gentleman even said himself, he’s like, «I almost didn’t go through with it.» What he was ultimately saying was, «I saw the love of Christ shining through these people who were strangers to me, but they didn’t even treat me like a stranger; they loved on me.» Almost that spirit of «Father, forgive them for they know not what they do» was resting on these martyrs.

I’m just going to give this to you, and I don’t know where you’re standing; I don’t really care. Don’t weep for them because they’re going to have a glorious resurrection. Trust me, they were martyrs, and I’m not trying to be insensitive, but I’m telling you right now, martyrs—the goodness of Jesus, the forgiveness of Jesus, the grace of Jesus—all the way to the end. Now, things are being shaken up in our world for the good. Come on, somebody, for the good. Because the word of God had to come to the Deep South, don’t you make me tonight. See, that was the word coming, and the word says, «I created my people to be one. I didn’t create my people to be separate. I didn’t create my people to be divided.» Enough is enough, and I’m going to have the church lead the charge. You better get a revelation!

The question again is, what are you seeing? See, when you can see, you can see martyrs who bore witness to the word of God! So, you have to understand what the word of God is. See, when I talk about Revelation, I’m talking about the word of God. The scripture says, «In the beginning was the word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.» When did the word start? In the beginning was the word! It doesn’t say that the word started in the beginning; it says, «In the beginning, boom, was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.» And all things were made through that word. Are we together? Can I talk to you like this? Come on, somebody, let me talk to you like that. I can hoop and all that kind, but I don’t want to do that tonight. Can I just… So there’s this word, this stream of…