Befitting the occasion of Crenshaw Christian Center’s 50th anniversary, guest speaker Bishop Jarron C. O’Neal recently visited the legendary Los Angeles sanctuary to celebrate the legacy of faith, vision and grit that has helped CCC endure amid seismic social and technological changes.
“It takes faith to celebrate 50 years of ministry,” said Bishop O’Neal, who presides over The Fountain Church International in Pomona, CA. “But I am amazed by the fight it takes to last half a century.”
“Jesus gives a candlestick to those who are founded on him,” the Bishop continued, referencing Exodus 25:31, in which the Israelites adorned the exterior of the tabernacle with a candlestick. “The true church – this church – is built on the rock of Jesus Christ.”
Bishop O’Neal’s remarks were part of an insightful sermon that was decidedly contemporary in style. Though dressed in a sports suit and sneakers, the Bishop’s words were anything but casual. He was candid about hardships he suffered after committing himself fully to God’s purpose for his life.
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“I know you see this dip in my walk, this gangster lean,” he said to the congregation, making a joking reference to his labored gait. “This has been on me for 7 years. I have been a lab rat. I have had all the tests and been to all the doctors, and no one can tell me what it is.”
“They told me it was mechanical, that it was a virus that scarred my spinal cord,” he continued. “And, last year, they diagnosed me with a brain tumor. I said, ‘Lord, what is going on?’ I cried, prayed, and taught my mouth to confess God’s word and to worship Him in the midst of it.”
“They did an MRI, and it was completely gone! Glory to God!” he proclaimed. “When I go back and look at when the fight hit my house, all of this warfare is because of revelation. CCC has been in a fight since it was birthed until today. Every time there is divine revelation, there is demonic retaliation. Revelation does not come from faith; faith comes from revelation.”
In addition to acknowledging the rock of revelation that CCC was built on, the charismatic Bishop lovingly recognized peer and fellow “Preacher’s Kid,” CCC Pastor, Dr. Frederick K. Price.
“I want to acknowledge my dear friend, Dr. Frederick K. Price,” Bishop O’Neal said in his disarming style. “I am so grateful for our relationship, man. I don’t have a lot of friends because this road is hard. We don’t have to talk every day, but when we talk, we talk.”
As the Bishop continued, he praised the mother of CCC. “Dr. Betty Price, I am in absolute awe of you,” O’Neal said, nodding to CCC’s former First Lady. “When my wife, Lady Crystal, met you, she said this is the kind of First Lady I want to be.”
Then, the visiting Bishop invited Faith Dome attendees to rise to their feet for an acknowledgement of the church’s prophetic founder. “Can we give a standing ovation to the late Apostle Frederick K.C. Price and what he established here?” Bishop O’Neal urged. “He had such an impact on my life. I spent the first five years of my life in this church. What better way to come home and celebrate your 50th year.”
In a dramatic expression of the accord between CCC and The Fountain International Church, Bishop O’Neal presented a $10,000 offering to Pastor Price, saying “you don’t show up at a party without gifts.”
The Bishop spoke of the spiritual struggle that can result from “revelation” – i.e., that defining moment when one wholly commits to following Christ. For many, it’s a moment followed by hardship, as Bishop O’Neal’s and CCC’s own sagas attest.
Addressing the challenges of modern Christianity, the Bishop noted that it’s possible for a church to be sanctioned by the state, but not be registered in Heaven.
“You might have a 501(c)(3), but you may not have a candlestick,” he said. “Demons don’t go after 501(c)(3)s. They go after candlesticks. The church without a revelation is not dangerous…it is the revelation that makes CCC dangerous.”
According to Bishop O’Neal, the spiritual battle that results from revelation is not limited to the church. “You are not dangerous until you agree with God’s version of you…until you understand what God wants you to be,” he said. “Revelation will redefine you, change the way you see yourself, redirect you, change the trajectory of your life, and the course of your family and history. It will shift your paradigm and break self-destructive patterns. You cannot repent and be repaired until you have a revelation.”
Closing his sermon, Bishop O’Neal left members of the congregation with a revelation God gave him, especially for them.
“I decree and declare a double portion of revelation will be upon this church,” he proclaimed before fixing his gaze on CCC’s Pastor Price.
“Just like it came from your Dad, it is in you. You got this.”
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