ET Was Homeless at 16 — Here's What He Had to Give Up to Get Here

APOC Ministry

Eric Thomas

Spirituality, Christianity, Religion & Spirituality

4.9 • 900 Ratings

🗓️ 19 April 2026

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

ET was homeless at 16. No bank account. No plan. No way out. So how did he get here? It wasn't hustle. It wasn't talent. It wasn't connections. It was something most people aren't willing to do — and in this message, he breaks down exactly what it cost him, why God required it, and why the same thing is required of you. The formula has been in John 3:16 the whole time. Most people read it for comfort. ET reads it as a blueprint. 📖 SERMON: ET Was Homeless at 16 — Here's What He Had to Give Up to Get Here 🎙️ Speaker: Eric Thomas (ET The Hip Hop Preacher) 🏛️ Church: A Place of Change Ministry (APOC) — Grand Ledge, MI ───────────────────────────── 📲 TAKE THE NEXT STEP ───────────────────────────── 🙏 Give & Support APOC: https://apocministry.org 📖 Sermon Notes: https://apocministry.org 🎧 APOC Podcast: https://apocministry.org ✉️ Join a Growth Group: https://apocministry.org ▶️ Subscribe for weekly messages: https://www.youtube.com/@APOCMinistry?sub_confirmation=1 ───────────────────────────── 🔥 ABOUT ERIC THOMAS — ET THE HIP HOP PREACHER ───────────────────────────── Eric Thomas is a world-renowned motivational speaker, pastor, author, and educator who went from high school dropout and homeless teen to earning his PhD and becoming one of the most sought-after voices in personal development. Known globally as ET The Hip Hop Preacher, he has delivered transformational messages to the NFL, NBA, Nike, the Obama Foundation, Disney, and millions more. With 2.1M Instagram followers, 1.39M YouTube subscribers, 580K on TikTok, and over 15 million podcast downloads, ET's message of sacrifice, discipline, and faith continues to change lives worldwide. He is also the recipient of the President's Lifetime Achievement Award. ───────────────────────────── 🏛️ ABOUT APOC — A PLACE OF CHANGE MINISTRY ───────────────────────────── A Place of Change (APOC) is a Saturday Sabbath church located in Grand Ledge, Michigan, led by Pastors Eric and Dede Thomas and Associate Pastor TJ Tyus. APOC exists to help people experience real transformation — spiritually, mentally, and in every area of life. We believe the Word of God is practical, powerful, and meant to be lived, not just heard. Visit us at: https://apocministry.org

Transcript

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0:00.0	For God's soul love the world that he gave.
0:06.0	Most of us never get to that next level because when it's time to get to that next level,
0:12.0	this is what's required to get there.
0:15.0	And some of you want it until your image has to die, until your reputation has to die, until your fear has to die. Until your reputation has to die.
0:22.9	Until your fear has to die.
0:25.4	Until your traditions have to die.
0:29.9	You want it on the level of I'm with him, but not I'm with him.
0:36.2	You can't say you about that. You can't say you really want that.
0:40.0	You can't say you're sincere until you're willing to give something up. It's supposed to hurt.
0:45.9	It's supposed to be painful. It's supposed to burn. Joseph had a dream and the dream wasn't even
0:52.1	activated until his brothers trying to kill him.
0:54.8	Our problem is we trying to stay alive.
0:57.4	You go activate what you're trying to kill because you can only activate the spirit when
1:02.4	the flesh is crucified. If we can go to that
1:15.4	that next slide, I just want you guys to just look at the visual for me for a minute.
1:22.5	When I first gave my life to Christ, I missed it.
1:25.4	I missed it.
1:37.1	Hallelujah. I missed it. I missed it. Hallelujah. I missed it. When you are not in the church, you know, Christians are always trying to recruit you. Everywhere I went, you know, everybody always wanted me to give my life to Christ.
1:44.5	They want me to go to church.
1:45.8	And everybody had the same script.
1:48.0	It was John 316.
1:50.8	Say it with me.
	...

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