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The Seven-Step Path To Restoring A World Gone Mad

Michael Youssef

February 6, 2021

27:29

Michael Youssef passionately proclaims uncompromising truth from God’s Word. Learn more at LTW.org.

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The Seven-Step Path To Restoring A World Gone Mad

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male announcer:As the eyes of the world
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focus on the latest floodof calamities,
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the most urgentmay not be the most visible
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to the average person,yet it is a growing menace
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that could ravagewestern civilization.
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For decades, we have seenan erosion of Christian values,
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but toady we're experiencinga world gone mad.
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The lessening influenceof Christianity,
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the resistance to the guardrailsof biblical morality
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are all producinggrowing decadence
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and cultural disintegration.
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Christ followers are beingedged out of cultural
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and political influence.
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Attacks comingfrom seemingly all sides,
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from within the churchand from the outside.
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Cultural norms are shifting.
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The erosion of civilizationis accelerating.
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What can we do in a worldhostile to Christianity?
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Join us now for a special"Leading the Way" presentation,
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"This Present Crisis,"with Dr. Michael Youssef.
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female: Hello, and welcometo this special edition
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of "Leading the Waywith Dr. Michael Youssef."
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You know, 2020 presentedsome very unique challenges,
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to say the least,and no one in the entire world
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escaped those challenges.
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This present crisisis still with us.
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It's more than a global pandemicthough, it's personal.
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It's sort of a rapid erosionof the values that define us,
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the values that formthe boundaries
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that hold our society together.
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And at the very heart of it isthe decline of the influence
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of the Christian church.
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Dr. Michael Youssef, pastor,author, and also sociologist,
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how do you put your fingeron just how to define
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this time of crisisin the world?
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Dr. Michael Youssef: Right,the crisis is a crisis of truth.
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And when you havea crisis of truth,
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you're gonna end upin falsehood.
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And no wonder that Satan,who is the father of lies,
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appears as an angel of light.
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And so, the truthis what matters.
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The pandemic is like puttingthe tea bag in the hot water.
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It just made it obvious andbrought it to the forefront.
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But it's been building up.
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It's been building up ever sincethe '60s where the motto
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was "trust your feelings."
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And slowly but surely,we have departed from thinking,
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from rigorous thought to well,how do you feel?
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We don't ask peopleanymore what do you think?
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We say how do you feel about it?
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And feeling is nota very reliable measurement.
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But that's the problem.
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We have ceased to think,and therefore
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we are all feeling people.
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And with that, we have abandonedthe very moral foundation
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upon which western civilizationis built.
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And we have seen with our owneyes-I'm really thankful
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for the pandemic.
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I know some peopleare gonna think I'm crazy,
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and they're gonna say,"What's wrong with this guy?"
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But please trust me.
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There's nothing wrong with me.
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Because what is below,it came up to the surface.
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But at the same time, alsofrom a spiritual perspective,
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I have very strong views,and they're my personal,
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only my views,and that is I think
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our Lord is beginningthe separation process
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between the sheep and the goats.
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And the true believers and not.
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So, we started in the '60s,trust your feelings,
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we have come full-circle now,where our feelings literally
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are gonna drown usif we're not careful.
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And if we do not dowhat the Bible said,
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the only thingwe're supposed to do.
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female: How did it happenthough?
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How did facts take a second seatto feelings?
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You said it's been happeningfor a while.
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Is there some movementbehind it, or?
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Dr. Youssef: Well,you have to understand
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this is human naturefrom the very beginning.
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God performs ten miraclesin the eyes
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of the Israelites in Egypt.
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I mean, ten miracles.
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They've seen with their eyessome incredible,
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supernatural interventionof God.
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They got to the wilderness,Moses goes away for a few days,
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and what do they do?
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Here, here's our gold,let's have a bull.
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See, that's feeling.
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We're feeling, not what we sawwith our own eyes,
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the evidence.
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People say,"Oh, if we have miracles today,
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people would believe."
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I wanna tell you,if we have miracles today,
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people will not believe.
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They did not believein the time of Jesus,
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and they will not believe now.
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And so, human nature is alwaysgoing to fall back to where
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it's easy on the flesh,
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what's easyon the fallen nature.
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And so, when people say,supposedly according to Barna,
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45% of professing Christians sayJesus sinned.
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Why? Why do they say this?
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And why would preachers--there are so many
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megachurch pastorssaying to their pastoral staff,
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do not use the word "sin".
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Sin is negative.It's stigmatizing and so forth.
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Don't use it.Don't use sin.
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So they never use sinin preaching.
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Because appeals to the flesh.It makes it easier.
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Why do they say Jesus sinned?
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Because they want to bring himdown to the mud.
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They can't stand the factthat he is the only sinless
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God-man who ever lived.
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And he's the only onebecause of his sinlessness
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is able to take away our sin.
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Instead he's at our level,bring him down to our level
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so that we don't feel badabout living the way we live
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in disobedience and in rebellionagainst God.
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That really has beenfrom the very beginning.
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From the early daysof the Bible,
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they always fall backon the flesh,
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what's easier on the flesh,
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what's easieron the fallen nature.
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That's who we are by nature.
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And that is why we needthat awakening,
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that openingof the spiritual eyes
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to realize that sin is sinful.
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Sin is powerful.
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Sin is gonna take peopleto eternity in hell,
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unless we repent.
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And that is the biggestalarm bell
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that I can ring in my lifetime.
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female: You talked aboutwestern civilization
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really being at stake.
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You say that in a waythat we're not talking about
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200 years from now,we're talking about now.
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Look at, walk us through,Michael, what has Christianity
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contributed towestern civilization?
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Not even from a religiousperspective,
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just the way we relateto each other.
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Dr. Youssef: Well,and not only democracy,
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which, at the base of it,civility.
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That I can disagree with you,but I still love you.
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That's Christianity, you cannotfind that in any other religion.
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You cannot find thatin any other system.
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The very factthat we have technology,
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it came because we respectthe human life.
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We value human life,and so we want to make
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life easier and more thoughtfulof the other person.
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The whole technologycame from it.
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But let's go back to the very,very basic thing.
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Sin is recognizedby western civilization
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and began by the Reformation
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as something thatis a part unto God,
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and therefore we fear God,
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and we-even the oneswho don't believe,
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they still kind of knowwhat's right and what's wrong,
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because of the culture.
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Now that's gone.
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female: There's no roomfor Jesus.
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There's no roomfor Christianity.
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So, is that where it starts?
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It starts by tearing downChristianity,
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or the other way around?
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Dr. Youssef: Well, yes,because when you take away
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the light,what are you gonna get?
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It's darkness, no matter whoit is, it would be darkness.
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And this post-truth culture,it's actually now-
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female: Define that,people hear you say that.
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What does that mean,post-truth culture?
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Dr. Youssef:It's in the dictionary now.
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I mean, they are really-Oxfordhas post-truth culture.
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That is no longerthere is absolute truth
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that is non-negotiable.
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That your truth,and my truth, and his truth,
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this is post-truth culture.
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That we all have our own truth.
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And when we do, we'regonna be killing each other.
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female: Well, how do I knowwhat your truth is,
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and how can it coexistwith my truth?
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Dr. Youssef: It won't be ableto coexist.
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They may say it can,and it should, but it won't.
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That's just a fact.
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Because they really failto take into account
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the fallennessof the human nature.
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Only those who understandthe original sin,
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and the sin that rebelledagainst the Creator, God,
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will understand where we are.
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If you undermine original sin,and say we are so good,
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people are good, I mean,
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that's basically whatthe humanist manifesto says.
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Man is good.
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The Swedish Humanist Manifestoeven said man is very good.
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So, when you start there,then you have no basis
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for which you can dealwith each other.
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And chaos will reign,and the strongest
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is gonna be dominantover the weak.
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female: If I say something,maybe unintentionally
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offending you,then at some point my job,
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my livelihoodmay even be at stake.
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I mean, we're reallyseeing these quiet
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but really incendiary.
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Dr. Youssef: I mean,these are things that have been
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happening and goingon below the surface,
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and now they're coming outabove the surface.
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Maybe a good thingthat people can see it,
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but also couldbe a bad thing.
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And people said,"Well, ho-hum, you know,
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it's not gonna affect meor my family, I'm fine."
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female: Well, but manyChristians, too,
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are going along with that,and that,
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"Well,I don't wanna offend anybody
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by offering to pray with them.
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I don't want to be offensive."
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Where's that line wherewe continue to love
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and serve Christ,and yet respect?
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Dr. Youssef: I am totallyrespectful of person
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that if I have a neighborwho is not a believer,
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and I would say to him
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when he tells me he's sickand sharing,
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well, obviously they knowwhy they told me,
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and I say, "Would you like meto pray for you?"
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And they can say no,and that's fine, too.
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"Do you want meto pray with you?"
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If they say no, that's fine,I'll respect that.
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But if he says yes,and I'll pray with them,
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and then I get suedin the court of law
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because somebody elsedidn't like it,
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that's what's happening.
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female: Right,how do we stop that?
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Is it a broader Christianswho are being persecuted?
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Dr. Youssef: Oh,no question about it.
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And it's gonna heat up,and it's gonna get worse
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unless God's peopletruly get serious
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and get on their knees,and really believe
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that God can do greatand mighty things.
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female: We saw an imagenot long ago, months ago,
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of a man on topof a church in England
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literally trying to ripthe cross off the church.
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I think a lot of people sawthat and just kind of went,
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"Oh, yeah, whatever."
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But it seems likethat's almost a visual
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of what's reallyhappening worldwide.
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Dr. Youssef: It's exactlywhat happened.
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This Muslim young man went upand took the cross off a church.
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And the pastor said,"Well, yeah,
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we just need to love him,and we don't need to put
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the cross in caseit offends him."
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And see, we start, we say,
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"Well, we don't wanna offendanybody,"
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so we remove the crossesfrom our church buildings.
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Today, most modern churcheshave no crosses anywhere,
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because they don'twanna offend anybody.
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They wanna be seeker-friendly.
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Well, the Bible saysno one seeks after God,
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but God is the onewho seeks after us.
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And we wanna be seeker-friendly,you better invite Jesus
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to take over your church.
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Invite Jesus to take overyour life.
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Otherwise, when these crossesare gone,
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because the cross is a symbol,
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and the cross saysthat I'm a sinner,
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I'm heading for hell,and I need a Savior.
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And that Savior camefrom heaven,
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died on that cross,and rose again.
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But I want to save myself.
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I'm the captain of my ship.
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I am going to be in chargeof my life.
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I mean, look at abortion.
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It's not murder,it's personal choice,
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it's control of my body.
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And once you changethese definitions,
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all of a sudden,life has been devalued,
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and we're backin the dark ages.
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female: What can we doto get back to truth?
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It's not lost, I know you.
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I know the way you think.
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This is the problem,what is the solution?
00:13:09.914 --> 00:13:12.083
Dr. Youssef: Well, if I believethat all is lost,
00:13:12.083 --> 00:13:14.118
I would not be sitting heretoday.
00:13:14.118 --> 00:13:16.087
I wouldn't be standing inthat pulpit Sunday after Sunday,
00:13:16.087 --> 00:13:19.290
pouring my heart out, butbecause I believe in hope,
00:13:19.290 --> 00:13:23.328
and the hope is in Christ alone,it's because of that hope
00:13:23.328 --> 00:13:28.266
that I literally cannot waitto wake up in the morning.
00:13:28.266 --> 00:13:32.303
Because I want to proclaimthat hope.
00:13:32.303 --> 00:13:34.839
Yes, it's dark.
00:13:34.839 --> 00:13:36.307
Yes, it's miserable.
00:13:36.307 --> 00:13:37.642
Yes, it's getting worse.
00:13:37.642 --> 00:13:39.010
But there's also hope.
00:13:39.010 --> 00:13:42.413
And I want whatever timeI've got left in my life
00:13:42.413 --> 00:13:48.686
just to uphold Jesusas the only hope for the world.
00:13:48.686 --> 00:13:53.558
And I ask people to turn to him,and he alone,
00:13:53.558 --> 00:13:57.362
because he is the onewho said when I am lifted up,
00:13:57.362 --> 00:14:01.466
I will draw men to myself.
00:14:01.466 --> 00:14:03.268
I don't have to beat peopleover the head and say,
00:14:03.268 --> 00:14:05.069
hey, you know, believe in Jesus.
00:14:05.069 --> 00:14:06.905
No, I lift up Jesus,
00:14:06.905 --> 00:14:10.108
and he will draw peopleto himself.
00:14:10.108 --> 00:14:13.044
And my son, Jonathan,was preaching not long ago
00:14:13.044 --> 00:14:16.080
and he was saying thatGod's patience
00:14:16.080 --> 00:14:19.851
is until all his electare come to the kingdom.
00:14:19.851 --> 00:14:23.621
And then the end will come.
00:14:23.621 --> 00:14:25.590
And I really believe that,God has got--
00:14:25.590 --> 00:14:27.292
Look, today we're havingthousands, I'm talking about
00:14:27.292 --> 00:14:29.761
hundreds of thousands of Muslimscoming to Christ.
00:14:29.761 --> 00:14:34.666
And while hundreds of thousandsof people
00:14:34.666 --> 00:14:37.769
in the churches in the westdeparting from Christ.
00:14:37.769 --> 00:14:40.838
So, what is that?
00:14:40.838 --> 00:14:42.273
As I said in the veryearly part of the program,
00:14:42.273 --> 00:14:44.709
I still believe thatwith all my heart.
00:14:44.709 --> 00:14:47.612
I may be totally wrongbut never in doubt.
00:14:47.612 --> 00:14:49.814
And that is God is separatingthe sheep from the goats.
00:14:49.814 --> 00:14:53.618
He is calling his electfrom every corner of the globe.
00:14:53.618 --> 00:14:57.622
And he's gathering his ownas we come closer
00:14:57.622 --> 00:15:02.293
to the end of time.
00:15:02.293 --> 00:15:04.228
Because all the fake Christiansor the pretend Christians
00:15:04.228 --> 00:15:09.634
now they don't pretend--need to pretend anymore
00:15:09.634 --> 00:15:12.804
and they're going back.
00:15:12.804 --> 00:15:14.405
Some of them are redefiningChristianity
00:15:14.405 --> 00:15:16.975
to suit their purposesin order to ease
00:15:16.975 --> 00:15:19.544
their burning conscience.
00:15:19.544 --> 00:15:21.512
But that's like a sprinkleron a burning fire, raging fire.
00:15:21.512 --> 00:15:25.483
It's not going to work.
00:15:25.483 --> 00:15:26.818
And so, the hope is Christand Christ alone,
00:15:26.818 --> 00:15:30.455
and not the church,not denomination,
00:15:30.455 --> 00:15:33.191
not the pope,not the bishops,
00:15:33.191 --> 00:15:34.792
not pastors, not anybody else,only Christ,
00:15:34.792 --> 00:15:39.430
and that's where the hope is.
00:15:39.430 --> 00:15:41.599
And I challenge every pastorwho is watching right now
00:15:41.599 --> 00:15:47.305
to lift up Christ.
00:15:47.305 --> 00:15:48.806
Not to be ashamed of the gospelof Jesus Christ,
00:15:48.806 --> 00:15:51.209
because it is the power of Godunto salvation.
00:15:51.209 --> 00:15:54.712
And if we, the pastors, begin totake seriously the proclamation
00:15:54.712 --> 00:16:00.385
of the gospel of Jesus Christ,we're gonna see
00:16:00.385 --> 00:16:03.021
the change happen.
00:16:03.021 --> 00:16:04.589
female: How donon-believers discern?
00:16:04.589 --> 00:16:07.658
They're hearing different voicesthat call themselves Christian.
00:16:07.658 --> 00:16:10.194
How do they discernwho is Jesus, really?
00:16:10.194 --> 00:16:13.131
Is it what this guy says he is,
00:16:13.131 --> 00:16:14.732
or is it who this guysays he is?
00:16:14.732 --> 00:16:16.267
Dr. Youssef:That's exactly right.
00:16:16.267 --> 00:16:17.702
That's a good, good question.
00:16:17.702 --> 00:16:19.137
Because the only Jesus that youneed to know
00:16:19.137 --> 00:16:22.106
is the Jesus in the Bible.
00:16:22.106 --> 00:16:23.441
You go to the Scripture andyou read the Gospel of John.
00:16:23.441 --> 00:16:27.145
I mean, through the years wehave had the radical Jesus,
00:16:27.145 --> 00:16:31.082
the conservative Jesus,this Jesus and that Jesus.
00:16:31.082 --> 00:16:34.352
But these are Jesus's madeby people, it's not the Jesus,
00:16:34.352 --> 00:16:39.590
the Son of God, who eternallycoexisted with the Father
00:16:39.590 --> 00:16:43.194
before all worlds,
00:16:43.194 --> 00:16:44.996
who laid down the splendor,not his divinity,
00:16:44.996 --> 00:16:47.598
but the splendorof his divinity,
00:16:47.598 --> 00:16:49.801
and he became God-man,fully man, fully God,
00:16:49.801 --> 00:16:54.272
in order to die on that cross.
00:16:54.272 --> 00:16:56.140
A sinless, holy, righteous God,in order to redeem, and save,
00:16:56.140 --> 00:17:02.046
and forgive every sinnerwho repents and turns to him.
00:17:02.046 --> 00:17:05.616
You see, that's the only Jesus.
00:17:05.616 --> 00:17:07.652
That Paul said any other gospelother than this gospel,
00:17:07.652 --> 00:17:12.123
let them be an--
00:17:12.123 --> 00:17:13.825
Let them be cursed.
00:17:13.825 --> 00:17:15.426
And so many people who aretwisting the Word of God
00:17:15.426 --> 00:17:18.996
for their own purposes,they will be cursed one day.
00:17:18.996 --> 00:17:22.133
They will face a judgementone day,
00:17:22.133 --> 00:17:24.202
and it's gonna be so severe,
00:17:24.202 --> 00:17:25.770
I don't wannabe anywhere near them.
00:17:25.770 --> 00:17:27.939
female: Christians that arequestioning,
00:17:27.939 --> 00:17:30.908
is my pastor actually preachingthe truth or not?
00:17:30.908 --> 00:17:34.779
You're saying to them,"Go to the Bible."
00:17:34.779 --> 00:17:36.981
Dr. Youssef: Exactly,the Bereans, the Bible said
00:17:36.981 --> 00:17:39.083
the Bereans were more noblethan the others, why?
00:17:39.083 --> 00:17:43.287
Because they said they searchedthe Scripture.
00:17:43.287 --> 00:17:46.190
They went in thereand they checked.
00:17:46.190 --> 00:17:47.925
They looked at the Old Testamentand all what the Old Testament
00:17:47.925 --> 00:17:51.462
said about Jesusand then they went back to Paul
00:17:51.462 --> 00:17:53.698
and said, you're right,
00:17:53.698 --> 00:17:55.299
that's exactly whatthe Bible said about Jesus,
00:17:55.299 --> 00:17:57.935
the Jesus you are preaching.
00:17:57.935 --> 00:17:59.337
And they believed it.
00:17:59.337 --> 00:18:00.671
And so, I want the noble peopleout there
00:18:00.671 --> 00:18:03.174
to go and read the Scripturefor themselves.
00:18:03.174 --> 00:18:05.776
Start with the Gospel of John.
00:18:05.776 --> 00:18:07.778
See what Jesus claimedabout himself, who he is.
00:18:07.778 --> 00:18:10.648
And then get seriousabout believing in him,
00:18:10.648 --> 00:18:14.752
trusting in him,repenting of your sins,
00:18:14.752 --> 00:18:17.054
so he may forgive you eternally
00:18:17.054 --> 00:18:18.789
and give you peace with God.
00:18:18.789 --> 00:18:22.059
female: There might be peoplethough who say,
00:18:22.126 --> 00:18:23.761
"Michael, well, I've lookedat some parts of the Bible,
00:18:23.761 --> 00:18:26.731
and there's some offensive stuffin there."
00:18:26.731 --> 00:18:30.067
Dr. Youssef: Well, that'sthe good news about the Bible.
00:18:30.067 --> 00:18:31.869
That's the greatnessof our Bible.
00:18:31.869 --> 00:18:34.305
It never took peopleto the laundromat,
00:18:34.305 --> 00:18:38.476
and washed them,and cleansed them,
00:18:38.476 --> 00:18:39.977
and then starched them,and then put cellophane
00:18:39.977 --> 00:18:43.147
around them, and then put 'emon a platform and say now,
00:18:43.147 --> 00:18:45.750
be like them.
00:18:45.750 --> 00:18:47.385
No, the Bible shows us peoplewith their warts and all,
00:18:47.385 --> 00:18:51.055
and they show us their failureand God's grace,
00:18:51.055 --> 00:18:54.825
and mercy, and forgiveness.
00:18:54.825 --> 00:18:56.694
You see, that is why the Bibleis the true Word of God.
00:18:56.694 --> 00:18:59.931
Sixteen-hundred years,expanding 1.600 years,
00:18:59.931 --> 00:19:02.833
40-plus writersall said the same thing.
00:19:02.833 --> 00:19:05.937
There's no book like it.
00:19:05.937 --> 00:19:07.672
And so, if you're ever in doubt,I hope you get in touch with us,
00:19:07.672 --> 00:19:12.810
and we have materialwe'd love to give you.
00:19:12.810 --> 00:19:15.213
It will help you understandthe truth about the gospel.
00:19:15.213 --> 00:19:18.516
We don't want anything from you.
00:19:18.516 --> 00:19:20.451
We're not asking youto do anything for us,
00:19:20.451 --> 00:19:24.789
we're asking youbecause of your eternal life,
00:19:24.789 --> 00:19:28.426
it's so valuable.
00:19:28.426 --> 00:19:30.027
Jesus said,"What profits a man or a woman
00:19:30.027 --> 00:19:32.997
if he gains the whole worldand loses his or her soul?"
00:19:32.997 --> 00:19:36.767
Nothing, what can give a manfor the soul?
00:19:36.767 --> 00:19:40.238
The soul is so valuablethat it made the Son of God
00:19:40.238 --> 00:19:42.807
come from heaven,die on a cross,
00:19:42.807 --> 00:19:44.942
so that he may redeemthat soul.
00:19:44.942 --> 00:19:46.844
And so, every soul thatis searching, there is Jesus.
00:19:46.844 --> 00:19:51.215
He's welcoming you.
00:19:51.215 --> 00:19:52.583
He's inviting you.
00:19:52.583 --> 00:19:53.918
And I pray thatyou'll come to him.
00:19:53.918 --> 00:19:56.220
female: And it's notan exclusive invitation.
00:19:56.220 --> 00:19:57.922
It's not for one groupof people or another.
00:19:57.922 --> 00:19:59.957
It's for everyone,everyone with breath.
00:19:59.957 --> 00:20:03.127
Dr. Youssef: The Bible said,"Whomsoever."
00:20:03.127 --> 00:20:04.829
That's a beautiful word.
00:20:04.829 --> 00:20:06.364
"Whomsoever,""Whomsoever believes."
00:20:06.364 --> 00:20:09.834
It's for whomsoever.
00:20:09.834 --> 00:20:11.902
And it doesn't say onlyfor this group or that group,
00:20:11.902 --> 00:20:15.006
and I've only donethis for that.
00:20:15.006 --> 00:20:16.474
No, no, no, whomsoever.
00:20:16.474 --> 00:20:18.276
Whomsoever could be you.
00:20:18.276 --> 00:20:21.045
female: Forgiveness andgrace, those are two things
00:20:21.045 --> 00:20:23.481
that we don't-I don't know thatpeople who are not believers
00:20:23.481 --> 00:20:27.451
truly understand the largenessof forgiveness
00:20:27.451 --> 00:20:33.491
and grace that Christ offers.
00:20:33.491 --> 00:20:35.559
Dr. Youssef: Absolutely,and because
00:20:35.559 --> 00:20:36.927
it's out of his mercy thathe keeps us still alive now.
00:20:36.927 --> 00:20:42.967
Because of his mercy he isgiving people one more chance
00:20:42.967 --> 00:20:47.238
to hear the truth, turn to him.
00:20:47.238 --> 00:20:50.574
And when you turn to him,he will give you grace.
00:20:50.574 --> 00:20:53.844
More grace than you can handle.
00:20:53.844 --> 00:20:56.147
I have received more grace in my54 years of walking with Christ
00:20:56.147 --> 00:21:00.851
that I am so overwhelmed withgratitude for the grace of God.
00:21:00.851 --> 00:21:05.489
But you can only experiencethat grace of God
00:21:05.489 --> 00:21:07.892
when you respond to his mercyand come to him.
00:21:07.892 --> 00:21:11.195
female: And prayer,do Christians need to be praying
00:21:11.195 --> 00:21:13.798
for boldnessin these days?
00:21:13.798 --> 00:21:15.766
Arm us up, Michael.
00:21:15.766 --> 00:21:17.601
How do we needto clothe ourselves
00:21:17.601 --> 00:21:19.537
as we handle thispresent crisis?
00:21:19.537 --> 00:21:21.572
Dr. Youssef: Well, you know,prayer of course
00:21:21.572 --> 00:21:24.675
is intimacy with God.
00:21:24.675 --> 00:21:26.377
It's like the air you breathe.
00:21:26.377 --> 00:21:28.546
You can't say, well,I breathed yesterday,
00:21:28.546 --> 00:21:30.314
I'm not gonna breathe today.
00:21:30.314 --> 00:21:31.949
Or I ate yesterday,I can't eat today.
00:21:31.949 --> 00:21:33.517
No, no, it's a dailymoment-by-moment intimacy
00:21:33.517 --> 00:21:36.687
with Christ, but only aftera person repents
00:21:36.687 --> 00:21:39.657
can be able to experience that.
00:21:39.657 --> 00:21:41.692
But the problem is,here's where this pandemic
00:21:41.692 --> 00:21:44.762
scared a lot of people.
00:21:44.762 --> 00:21:46.163
They're living in fear.
00:21:46.163 --> 00:21:48.065
I wanna shake some ofmy neighbors who are terrified.
00:21:48.065 --> 00:21:51.936
I've said we're all gonna die.
00:21:51.936 --> 00:21:54.205
You will die one day.
00:21:54.205 --> 00:21:55.840
Don't live in fear.
00:21:55.840 --> 00:21:57.575
And they said,"Oh, I'm not afraid,
00:21:57.575 --> 00:21:59.076
I'm just tryingto be cautious."
00:21:59.076 --> 00:22:00.945
Well, that's okay, we all,you know,
00:22:00.945 --> 00:22:03.881
God gave us a certain amountof fear
00:22:03.881 --> 00:22:05.583
that would help usfor self-preservation.
00:22:05.583 --> 00:22:09.754
But perverted fear is what makesyou live terrified
00:22:09.754 --> 00:22:13.224
of everything in life.
00:22:13.224 --> 00:22:15.459
It's like heads, you win,tails, you win.
00:22:15.459 --> 00:22:17.495
Live, you win, die, you win.
00:22:17.495 --> 00:22:19.130
And Paul said that.
00:22:19.130 --> 00:22:20.464
He said, "For me to dieis gain, to live is Christ."
00:22:20.464 --> 00:22:24.301
So, either waywe should not live in fear.
00:22:24.301 --> 00:22:28.205
I'm talking tothe believers now.
00:22:28.205 --> 00:22:30.074
Throw away your fear.
00:22:30.074 --> 00:22:31.776
Fill yourself with the faithof Christ.
00:22:31.776 --> 00:22:34.445
female: I've heard you saybefore that for believers,
00:22:34.445 --> 00:22:37.415
this world is as badas it will ever be.
00:22:37.415 --> 00:22:40.985
For non-believers, this worldis as good as it will ever be.
00:22:40.985 --> 00:22:45.189
How do we speak to one another?
00:22:45.189 --> 00:22:47.958
How do the believers whoare suffering in this world
00:22:47.958 --> 00:22:51.328
encourage the non-believerswho believe this world
00:22:51.328 --> 00:22:53.597
is all they've got?
00:22:53.597 --> 00:22:55.199
Dr. Youssef: Well, I thinkthe way we live,
00:22:55.199 --> 00:22:58.035
the way we behave,the way we speak,
00:22:58.035 --> 00:23:01.572
and the way we conductourselves.
00:23:01.572 --> 00:23:03.941
I mean, people will see that.
00:23:03.941 --> 00:23:05.709
You don't have to pull peoplethat appeal,
00:23:05.709 --> 00:23:08.245
"You gotta believe in Jesus."
00:23:08.245 --> 00:23:09.680
Well, some people might needthat, but generally speaking,
00:23:09.680 --> 00:23:13.484
they're watching us.
00:23:13.484 --> 00:23:14.952
People are watching us.
00:23:14.952 --> 00:23:16.387
Whether we know it or not,they're watching
00:23:16.387 --> 00:23:18.122
how we're gonna-if they see usas terrified over a little bug
00:23:18.122 --> 00:23:23.561
called COVID-19 as they are,they say,
00:23:23.561 --> 00:23:26.597
"Well, their faith has not donethem any good.
00:23:26.597 --> 00:23:29.467
They are as fearful as I am."
00:23:29.467 --> 00:23:31.302
And so, it is how we live.
00:23:31.302 --> 00:23:33.504
It's how we allow our lifeto witness to our words.
00:23:33.504 --> 00:23:37.808
Not just words,but the life that is lived
00:23:37.808 --> 00:23:41.879
is what really communicatesmore than anything else.
00:23:41.879 --> 00:23:44.849
female: So there's our challengeright there.
00:23:44.849 --> 00:23:46.450
I can sit back and say,"Oh my goodness,
00:23:46.450 --> 00:23:49.153
Western civilizationis in a crisis.
00:23:49.153 --> 00:23:51.722
The church is in a crisis."These things are true.
00:23:51.722 --> 00:23:53.891
You're saying it's upto each individual Christian
00:23:53.891 --> 00:23:55.793
to change that.
00:23:55.793 --> 00:23:57.127
Dr. Youssef: Absolutely.
00:23:57.127 --> 00:23:58.462
Look when they talked aboutthe disciples.
00:23:58.462 --> 00:24:01.365
First on the day of Pentecostthey said,
00:24:01.365 --> 00:24:03.334
"These peopleare not very educated
00:24:03.334 --> 00:24:04.902
but they're speakingin tongues."
00:24:04.902 --> 00:24:06.904
And that's the comingof the Holy Spirit.
00:24:06.904 --> 00:24:08.873
And then they said,
00:24:08.873 --> 00:24:10.207
"These people turnedthe world upside down."
00:24:10.207 --> 00:24:13.277
Why did they turn the worldupside down?
00:24:13.277 --> 00:24:15.446
It was a proclamationof a message
00:24:15.446 --> 00:24:18.015
and it is the lifethat is lived: fearless.
00:24:18.015 --> 00:24:21.452
You want to imprison me, fine.
00:24:21.452 --> 00:24:23.454
You want to kill me, fine.
00:24:23.454 --> 00:24:25.256
And that fearlessnessin a culture that lived in fear
00:24:25.256 --> 00:24:29.560
is what turned the worldupside down.
00:24:29.560 --> 00:24:32.162
And people began to say, "Well,tell us about this Jesus."
00:24:32.162 --> 00:24:34.899
And eventually of course,it was like a flood.
00:24:34.899 --> 00:24:39.837
It just took over the world.
00:24:39.837 --> 00:24:41.472
female: But, Michael, there ishope in this present crisis.
00:24:41.472 --> 00:24:44.241
In fact, that is the titleof your latest book.
00:24:44.241 --> 00:24:46.677
Dr. Michael Youssef saysin this book that ours
00:24:46.677 --> 00:24:49.179
is the generation that mustmake this choice.
00:24:49.179 --> 00:24:52.182
So the question is how?
00:24:52.182 --> 00:24:54.084
How do we as individualswork to rescue society
00:24:54.084 --> 00:24:58.255
from this collapse?
00:24:58.255 --> 00:25:00.291
Dr. Youssef: Well, I believewhen you read this book,
00:25:00.291 --> 00:25:02.760
"Hope for This Present Crisis"you're gonna agree with me.
00:25:02.760 --> 00:25:07.231
I mean, most of people are goingto be saying yes, yes, yes.
00:25:07.231 --> 00:25:10.167
But then, if I left you there,I would have sinned against you
00:25:10.167 --> 00:25:15.005
because the Scriptureis full of hope.
00:25:15.005 --> 00:25:20.210
And therefore, the last chapter,there are seven points I make
00:25:20.210 --> 00:25:24.281
as an appeal to every believerin the Lord Jesus Christ,
00:25:24.281 --> 00:25:28.152
to take those seven steps.
00:25:28.152 --> 00:25:30.988
I don't have timeto go over them now
00:25:30.988 --> 00:25:32.756
But you will also agreeyes, yes, yes.
00:25:32.756 --> 00:25:36.727
And I pray from agreeingto yes, yes,
00:25:36.727 --> 00:25:39.196
to doing something about it.
00:25:39.196 --> 00:25:41.432
And I believe God can createa revival in our time.
00:25:41.432 --> 00:25:44.969
female: On behalfof Dr. Michael Youssef
00:25:46.170 --> 00:25:47.671
and the teamof "Leading the Way,"
00:25:47.671 --> 00:25:49.173
thank you for joining us.
00:25:49.173 --> 00:25:50.774
♪♪♪
00:25:50.841 --> 00:26:02.453
announcer: As the eyesof the world focus
00:26:00.784 --> 00:26:03.954
on the latest floodof calamities,
00:26:03.954 --> 00:26:06.256
the most urgent may not bethe most visible
00:26:06.256 --> 00:26:08.325
to the average person.
00:26:08.325 --> 00:26:09.793
For decades, we have seenan erosion of Christian values,
00:26:09.793 --> 00:26:13.197
but today we're experiencinga world gone mad.
00:26:13.197 --> 00:26:17.034
Christ followers are being edgedout of cultural
00:26:17.034 --> 00:26:19.136
and political influence.
00:26:19.136 --> 00:26:20.471
Cultural norms are shifting.
00:26:20.471 --> 00:26:22.806
What can we do in a worldhostile to Christianity?
00:26:22.806 --> 00:26:25.342
Dr. Youssef presentsa seven-part plan
00:26:27.144 --> 00:26:29.747
providing practical stepson how to be a godly influence
00:26:29.747 --> 00:26:32.316
in our society, and how to takea stand for our faith
00:26:32.316 --> 00:26:35.753
in a culture aggressivelyopposed to the truth of Christ.
00:26:35.753 --> 00:26:38.522
You can readhow to be a champion for truth
00:26:38.522 --> 00:26:40.624
and biblical principles.
00:26:40.624 --> 00:26:42.226
When you preorder,"Hope for This Present Crisis,"
00:26:42.226 --> 00:26:44.194
you'll also receivea free digital download,
00:26:44.194 --> 00:26:47.031
the "Hope for ThisPresent Crisis" action guide.
00:26:47.031 --> 00:26:49.133
Contact us today to preorderyour copy
00:26:50.801 --> 00:26:52.503
of "Hope for ThisPresent Crisis"
00:26:52.503 --> 00:26:54.538
for your gift of any amount.
00:26:54.538 --> 00:26:56.206
Visit us at LTW.org.
00:26:56.206 --> 00:26:58.442
Get a copy of this timelybook today.
00:26:58.442 --> 00:27:00.944
♪♪♪
00:27:00.944 --> 00:27:29.999

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The Seven-Step Path To Restoring A World Gone Mad

The Seven-Step Path To Restoring A World Gone Mad

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The Seven-Step Path To Restoring A World Gone Mad

The Seven-Step Path To Restoring A World Gone Mad

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