Best of: Last Words of Jesus CD

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This is the Truth Network. Stu Epperson here in a restaurant with three of my favorite people in the whole world. This big, husky guy, Richie Kingsmore. Who is this guy right here with a big beard? I mean, he looks like dadgum Paul Bunyan, Paul Revere, half of each riding that iron horse. Santa at Christmas.

Santa, you know, Grizzly Adams, whatever. Well, you may be hearing this Easter time, Good Friday Holy Week, but you're hearing from some of the people that are on the original Last Words of Jesus music album, and it's really a journey of the cross. And the book Last Words of Jesus is about Jesus' words. And if any of you have ever been exposed to that, that you listen to Truth Talk Live on any affiliate nationwide, you know how powerful God's word is. You know how powerful Jesus Christ, the word made flesh.

And he said seven profound sayings from the cross. But Richie, we had a little experience earlier today, and of course, as we play back on Truth Talk Live across all kinds of channels and all kinds of networks and podcasts, but tell everyone kind of what happened, and then we want to bring Mark in and talk about what God's doing with him. Well, we just had an opportunity just to be a part of a chapel at Piedmont International University. So we had, you know, a couple hundred college students and faculty and, you know, as it is, I mean, how you always go into these chapels, and people are like just running into from class, they're sort of all over the place.

Honestly, it's a hard environment. But yet, as as you guys started sharing, as we started singing, as Mark started, you know, sharing about the cross, it just, the walls just started breaking down and people started, I don't know, you could almost kind of see the light bulb coming on and feeling that connection and seeing what God, how God was just moving as, as the focus was on Christ. And as the, I mean, he is the living water and what we need.

And, and yet, a lot of times we're so busy, we just don't want to even kind of consider that. But just to see how God was moving in their hearts, I mean, that's, that's what we all long for is to encounter God and, and the hope of the world, you know, the bread of life. So it was great. Yeah. And on this music album, front and center, it says Richie Kingsmore Music, and God's used you to compose things. And that's your heart to take people right to the throne, right? Absolutely.

Yeah. I mean, I just think music is such a tool. And there's some, as well as hymns that are just, that just speak about the cross and about the sacrifice that Christ gave and about God's love for us. It just connects and stirs your emotions. And before you know it, the truth of that song has just penetrated your heart and as well as new songs.

I mean, we, on this project, we've got a kind of a, we got some of both and, and to see the power of the vehicle of music. And you have the sweet lady next to you, your bride sing some, she did a great job with you. And with Mark, now, Mark, I get a phone call from Rich Kingsmore. This has been a couple of years.

Says Stu, you got to come hear this guy. I said, who you got singing this, this song, Were You There When They Crucified My Lord, which honestly, Johnny Cash, you know, popularized it. Yeah.

But it really is an old African American spiritual. Yeah. And the wild thing is, is we don't know the names of the people necessarily that, right. But it just was passed along powerful though. But, but they probably wouldn't want us to know their names because they want people to go there. Right.

When they crucify the Lord and they could be at the cross. Mark, I went and heard you and met you. And yes, I think you're one of the few people I've met for the first time and gave you a hug, you know, right away.

You did. Um, he, he's a hugger or I'm a hugger. Someone's a hugger, but talk about, I mean, just that and just connecting with Richie and just your heart for all this stuff, man.

Well, it's been an amazing project to be a part of. And Richie, when he first presented this song to me, I was hesitant because it's, it's one of my favorite songs. It's, it's one of the favorite, uh, pieces in, in Christianity today, the song, Were You There.

It's a big old song and it's, it's an overwhelming song. And so Richie, uh, the one thing I love about Richie and, and that we have in common, we, if you've listened to any of his arrangements, which he's very humble, he's not going to tell you about that, but any church in America, contemporary, modern, traditional, they're going to have 20, 25 or more pieces of Richie Kingsmore manuscript in their library. He understands moments from a position of biblical worship.

You look throughout scripture, Jesus was all about moments and he connected those moments in an amazing way. So when Richie came to me with this project, all I had to do was listen to the track and I could hear those moments that he connected so beautifully in this particular song that I'd never heard before. And it went from a little bit of fear and trembling to, I can't wait to sing this song.

I was very, very excited about it. I just know he said, Stu, we got a guy named Christian singing on the aisle. I said, finally, we've got a Christian on this album. You know, it's about time, Richie.

Absolutely. No, no, I'm just kidding. You do have a Christian name. You're kind of stuck with it.

So you better shape up then son. Better get yourself, get a big, better get back to Sunday school. But Mark, you, you lead worship at, uh, at, uh, Charlotte at first Baptist church in Charlotte, right?

Yes. First Baptist Charlotte. Uh, my pastor's, uh, Dr. Mark Harrison, interesting thing happened a couple of years ago. Our son, we moved to Charlotte about eight years ago and our son decided to stay in Houston for a little while where we lived.

And he joined us and moved to Charlotte with us. And, um, I only gave him one rule. I said, Jordan, we are thrilled that you're here, but stay away from our pastor's beautiful daughter, Laura.

Cause I do not want you to get me fired. Stay away. And we, so we all know what happens when we tell our kids not to do something.

Well, that's reverse psychology. So guess what he did? He married her. He married her and, uh, and you're still on staff. I'm still, I don't know, but I'm serving with Mark Harrison. Not only is he an amazing man of God, he's one of my heroes and Mark lives out his faith every day. I've been at his house watching ball games with him because of the connection with our kids.

I've seen him in so many different walks and he never changes. And it's been a real privilege to serve with him and Mark, while he does not consider himself a singer or a worship leader, make no mistake. I am not the worship leader.

First Baptist Charlotte. My pastor is, yeah, he is bringing out word. I love about him. He's one of the guys that teaches the word. Faithfully exposits God's word and has been faithful to studying the word and feeding the flock. And we're so starving and it's neat to see a pastor. Wonderful. See, I love pastors, you know, the, in the current courage pastors to, to go deep in the word.

Mark, you also seeing with a fellow named will tell about that all over the country. Uh, one of the great thrills of my life and, uh, something I don't even really feel comfortable talking about. Cause it's, it's, there's nothing I could have done.

It's, it's sort of like what we talked about today at Piedmont. The power of the cross enables us to, to have things that we do not deserve. Uh, but, but Christ gives us these opportunities. And he gave me an opportunity, uh, 18 years ago when I was singing secular music, I came out and sang a gospel song and who would have known that the Billy Graham team was there at that concert. They wanted to meet the guy after the show who sang this gospel song. And that night they invited me to sing in three Billy Graham events. And 10 years ago I joined a will Graham's team.

Will is, is, uh, Billy's grandson and, um, well enough traveled all over the world together for about the last 10 years. And we've seen so many really cool things. And you're saying, were you there when they crucified my Lord in the Philippines? I sang it and talk a little bond city, the Philippines that had just been through this devastating storm and thousands of people thousands of people killed. And I got to sing it, uh, in talk Laban city to those folks. That was the first time I think it had ever been done live. And it, it, in a really amazing way, devastated that place spiritually because it put everybody on their knees, everybody, not because of my vocal or Richie's arrangement, but the power of Christ was so evident. What happened this morning, I think that changed the whole tone of the building is we started getting people to the cross.

Yes. We said, don't look at us. You don't know us. You're not familiar.

Some of them knew me cause my mom teaches at Piedmont and has for years, but we started pointing them to Jesus and the savior who hung there in our stead. And that changes the tone, doesn't it? It changes the heart of the worship to do that. Right.

It changes everything. So I'm in, I'm in a, I'm in a downtown first Baptist church and we all know what those look and smell like. Right. So, um, I have done everything in my power for the last eight and a half years to push people towards scripture and to point people to the cross, not to try to change their minds about a style of music, but to point people to the cross using every creative element that I possibly can that centers around God's word.

And, uh, it's been an amazing journey at first Baptist Charlotte. Okay. So stay tuned in the next segment.

We're going to play. Were you there when they crucify my Lord with Mark Christian? And I could have you seeing it in this restaurant. I mean, the, the waitstaff, I mean, I mean, they're not doing anything over there, you know, they're, you know, uh, they'll have an appetizer of, uh, amazing grace and the main course of, you know, no, we can't do that. Well, there's no tip jar either. Okay. You know, you'd have, that's right. They would be tipping you.

You're a, you're a patron, but no. Um, so Mark Christian, Richie Kingsmore, Gina Kingsmore, the whole team, Charles Billingsley's on this album, lastwordsofjesus.com. We're going to put it at truthnetwork.com, truthtalklive.com. We're gonna put everything at the website so you can link and you can get the video and you can get it and you can get the music and the book as well. This is the truth network.