Michael Youssef | Courtesy: Michael Youssef favorite pastor and writer Michael Youssef issued a blistering condemnation of the leisure-driven church, warning that the judgment of God will fall heavily upon the Church if it fails to return to His plan for discipleship.
"The Apostle Peter talked about that the judgment of God starts in the family of God, so we really need to beginning with the Church and start to clear house," the 71-year-old founder of leading the style television ministry and pastor of the three,000-member Church of The Apostles in Atlanta, informed The Christian put up.
"So-known as evangelicals have departed from the biblical orthodoxy and all types of falsehoods have crept into the pulpits. We've definitely determined that we'll opt for which a part of the Bible we like and which half we don't love. And here is basically all throughout the board; it's a very unhappy day for the Church."
Youssef, who has authored over forty books and whose programs are broadcast in 26 languages international, identified high-profile pastors who fail to address the truth of sin from the pulpit and instead focus on the "gospel of positivity" as in particular unhealthy "wolves in sheep's garb."
"They do it so sweetly," he spoke of. "They smile as they do it and it's scary. You see this all of the time: they're so focused on being advantageous that they refuse to talk about sin. they say, 'God doesn't truly care about those issues.' It's hard to listen to from the pulpit that there's one of these element as sin and God redeemed that sin on the go, but we deserve to confess and repent. It's tons less difficult to listen to, 'God loves you the style you are and you shouldn't have to exchange, you won't have to go away your subculture even with how sinful it is.
"So the younger generation is asserting, 'howdy man, i like these items. It caters to my fleshly desires. i'm warning the ordinary adult within the pew, exceptionally the younger generation, do not be misled. don't be taken in by means of this candy, smooth-talking pastors who say, 'we can't be absolutely bound about the biblical actuality. actuality is truly relative.'"
Youssef, who served as an Episcopal priest within the Eighties, recalled how the mainline Episcopal denomination "misplaced the warfare to the secularists, to the apostates, to those who did not need to accept the claims of Christ." In 2015, The Episcopal Church voted to formally approve identical-intercourse marriage within the denomination.
Now, he warned, the same factor is occurring within the wider evangelical church.
"I'm very concerned," he stressed out. "I'm now not on my own. I have so many dear pals like Dr. Albert Mohler and a lot of others who're standing shoulder to shoulder in announcing, 'No, we've got viewed this scenario before, and we understand it's now not going to conclusion neatly.'"
The Saving Christianity?: The hazard in Undermining our faith and What which you can Do About It writer told CP that the shift far from biblical reality begun within the 1920s and heightened in the '60s when church leaders sought to "make Jesus palatable to the hippie move."
"We spoke of, 'some thing you desire is first-class. You don't wish to go into church buildings? fine.' We just saved accommodating and accommodating, and each era considering the fact that has requested for further and further concessions," he pointed out.
The televangelist, who spent the first 18 years of his lifestyles throughout the '50s and '60s living in Egypt earlier than escaping to the USA, said that the "seeker-pleasant movement" that has due to the fact become generic in lots of churches has left little room for Bible-believing Christians.
"We want to construct the church with sinners; we really do not desire Christians to be within the church," he observed of the flow. "however the Church is meant to be the Church of Jesus Christ, the gathering of believers. in order to make the unbelievers feel at ease, we all started to introduce a definite class of music after which started to introduce wonderful messages to aid people suppose decent after they depart. Why would they weep over their sin and switch to the Lord in repentance? No, just make them believe decent about themselves," he pointed out.
"It in fact has been a really, very refined thing. We want people to suppose good. neatly, we're making americans think decent the entire solution to Hell, sadly. it's not biblical Christianity."
The Church must return to a focus on discipleship, he stressed out. "at the moment, we in reality have an audience. We're now not making disciples of Christ — those that will look at the be aware of God and grow, no longer simply in head potential, but to turn into extra like Christ day by day."
"every believer have to be a disciple," he continued. "therefore, a church that doesn't disciple them isn't a real church. The be aware 'disciple' in fact skill to be a scholar, to gain knowledge of and study from Jesus. The amazing aspect about the note of God is that it's been preserved for 2,000 years regardless of individuals making an attempt desperately to burn and get rid of it. happily, we've it intact. therefore, there is not any pop psychology or pat on the back that is going to make disciples; best the unadulterated observe of God can do this."
Youssef additionally counseled against the thought that tragedies like the coronavirus pandemic presently sweeping the realm will spark a "revival," emphasizing that revival will not take place until "the individuals of God get rid of idols from their lives."
"I'm taking the blame as much as anybody else, however we're connected to sports and amusement. We spend hours on amusement and very little time within the word of God," he referred to. "unless we delivery putting off these idols, I don't see how revival can ensue."
The pastor also suggested Christians to be organized for "hard days forward," suggesting that just like the early Christians have been blamed for the autumn of Rome, "pagans and people who hate God" will blame believers for the spread of the coronavirus.
"Already they're soliciting for any one who goes to church to be arrested. if they're doing this within the core of our somber situation, wait unless or not it's over. they will are available in after us with cleats," he warned. "I need to put together the physique of Christ of believers to be alert and to be aware of the undeniable fact that we're in for a really complicated time forward."
Youssef urged "trustworthy believers" to look the COVID-19 pandemic as a "warning" and "loving alarm bell from God, saying, 'turn to me before it's too late.'"
"When a believer begins to get concerned about their prayer lifestyles and their walk with Christ, we can see change take place," he stated. "I want believers to definitely get thinking about this. i am pleading with believers to thrill, go again to the Lord now. I believe God is looking for an excuse to relent. before we see judgment, we deserve to get returned to fundamentals."
"We need to not allow the Church to turn into worldly, however let the Church once once more develop into the Church of Jesus Christ."
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