'A great honor': Mr. T preaches 'Doubting Thomas' sermon at his home church in Chicago
Famous actor Mr. T preached a sermon about doubt at his home church in Chicago, Illinois, on Sunday, describing the experience as "a great honor" and "responsibility."
While he's previously preached at other churches, Sunday marked the first time he's done so at Cosmopolitan Community Church.
Mr. T, whose real name is Laurence Tureaud, titled his sermon “Doubting Thomas” and preached from John 20:24-25, which focused on Jesus' disciple Thomas, who initially doubted the Resurrection until later when Jesus appeared to him.
“I want to Thank Everybody who Tuned in to My Sermon. Thanks for your Support and Encouragement. I really Needed that and I Felt it, GOD Bless You!” he wrote on Twitter, along with a video link to watch the sermon.
Known for his role as B. A. Baracus in the ‘80s hit TV series “The A-Team” and his occasional appearances in professional wrestling companies like World Wrestling Entertainment, Mr. T announced last week that he had been asked to preach at his home church.
“Being Invited to Preach at My Own Church Next Sunday, October 9. It’s A Great Honor and A Awesome Responsibility. Which I Don’t Take Lightly. God Willing, I’ll plan to do my very Best!” he announced on Twitter days before the sermon.
Mr. T then addressed anyone trying to bring up his past to discredit his faith in God.
“While some are busy bringing up my past, I’ll be busy looking to my future, thanking God for His grace and His mercy. Because ‘If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature,'” the iconic star wrote. “I may be wrong, but I think Jesus said, ‘Let he that is among you, that is without sin, cast the first stone.'”
The night before he was to preach, Mr. T described his preparation as a “labor of love.” Despite being certain that his preaching would help others, he felt "butterflies" of nerves.
“Believe it or Not I always get Butterflies before I Preach in Church. I must remember to take my Time and let the Spirit Move Me,” he tweeted.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. T publicly shared that he believed the antidote to the hatred in the world was Jesus.
“We are fighting 2 contagious deadly virus[es]! One is COVID-19 and the other is hate!” he wrote on Twitter in 2021. “We got vaccinations for COVID and the love of God for all the haters!”
Mr. T has been using his Twitter account to promote the Bible and his reflections on what’s happening in the world. He went on to instruct his hundreds of thousands of followers at the time on how to embrace the cure.
“The vaccine works when it’s injected into our arm! The love of God works when you invite Him into your Heart!” he declared.
In 2017, he shared how he came to his Christian faith while on "Dancing With the Stars." During his season on the dance competition series, Mr. T spoke about his battle with cancer in 1995. He testified that he had to rely solely on his faith in God during that time.
"Back in the day, I had money, cars. I had achieved what I wanted to achieve and then everything really stopped," Mr. T said in a video featured ahead of his dance performance to “Amazing Grace.”
"I called on God. I said, 'God, give me strength to do your will.' That's when it really hit me: What's really real? My faith in God, that was real, because only God could save me."
Jeannie Ortega Law is a reporter for The Christian Post. Reach her at: [email protected] She's also the author of the book, What Is Happening to Me? How to Defeat Your Unseen Enemy Follow her on Twitter: @jlawcp Facebook: JeannieOMusic