Grammy-winning rapper Kanye West brought his “Sunday services” to the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Georgia, where he talked to attendees about getting “right with God” and setting an example for households in neighborhoods “lacking a father.”
“The fathers. If it’s a household next to yours that’s lacking a father, you [be] that father now. You speak up on that block. You set that example,” said Kanye West during Sunday service.
The “Jesus Walks” rapper delivered his remarks in front of hundreds of attendees, according to a report by FOX 5. Last month, the rapper also held an outdoor “Sunday service” in Dayton, Ohio, to honor the victims of August 4 mass shooting.
“I know you sent your only son to die for us, and all you ask is for radical obedience to you,” said West, referring to God to Sunday at New Birth Missionary. “You’re not asking us to do the least, you know, people are like, ‘Well, at least I…’ How are we gonna do the least when he did the most?”
“I’ve seen him work miracles in my life,” the fashion mogul said. “You know, the devil presents so many flashy, shiny objects. I’ve seen everything that the devil could’ve showed you via TV, videos, car dealerships, jewelry, houses. And I’ll tell you, nothing beats God — and a sound mind.”
“Let’s not be concerned with the opinions of men at all. Only the opinion of God,” he continued. “Let’s not be concerned with the validation of men at all. Only of God. I know, we say, ‘This is the culture, that’s the culture.’ To be radically in service to Christ is the only culture that I want to know about.”
Kanye West went on to thank God for the opportunity to be in Atlanta — where he was born, and where his parents met — and then began speaking about the importance of family.
“Thank you for saving me, for replenishing me, for delivering me,” said West, speaking to God. “When I found out about you — I got closer to my children. I got closer to my family, because the devil had me chasing a gold statue, had me chasing cars, had me chasing numbers.”
“The power of God cannot be calculated by a number, by a first week sale, by a bank account, by how many cars you drive, by how big your house is, and how many acres you got,” affirmed West. “It’s God inside of us. It’s God inside of family. It’s God inside of friendship that we hold each other accountable.”
The rapper continued by encouraging attendees to assist others in becoming better people.
“If you see somebody slipping, you tell them,” he added. “They be coming at me like, why are you so judgmental. It ain’t for me to judge, but I’m gonna tell them what I see.”
“I have a family member who God has given a new chance at life. He went through something extremely tragic, and God gave him a new chance at life,” explained West. “And he’s with someone, his girlfriend — so beautiful. He would definitely be a prom king if this was his girlfriend back when he was in high school.”
West added that his family member has “every excuse” to not get married, adding that he knows the reason.
“I know the real reason,” said West. “You still in them DMs, bro. That’s the real reason why you won’t go get that ring and get right with God.”
The report added that West’s wife, Kim Kardashian West, recently elaborated to The View that her husband has been “born again and being saved by Christ,” which is why he started these “Sunday services.”
“Kanye started this, I think, just to heal himself,” said Kardashian West. “It was a real personal thing, and it was just friends and family, and he has had an amazing evolution of being born again and being saved by Christ.”
“People always ask, ‘Well, what are you worshiping?’ Or, ‘What is this?'” she added. “It is a Christian service, like a musical ministry. They talk about Jesus and God.”
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Twitter at @ARmastrangelo and on Instagram.