Dr. Michael Youssef confronts a difficult subject in his new book, Hope for This Present Crisis: the persecution of the modern-day church in America. He references recent events where social activist warriors declared their desire to tear down statues of Jesus and other symbols of the church.
“The Marxist-inspired ‘woke’ radicals have proven that they seek the destruction of the church and the eradication of the Christian gospel,” writes Dr. Youssef. “In August 2020, after two continuous months of protests and violent riots in the city of Portland, Oregon, rioters vented their rage against the Word of God. Activists holding signs reading ‘Black Lives Matter’ gathered in front of Portland’s federal building and set fire to a stack of Bibles.
“We are seeing [only] the beginning of the unfair treatment and persecution that lies ahead for the church,” Youssef says. “In the face of it, we are to respond as the early apostles did. They didn’t pray for safety. They didn’t pray for an easy life. No, they prayed for boldness. They prayed for the courage to speak God’s truth.
“And when their persecutors tried to silence them, they answered, “We must obey God rather than human beings!'” he adds. “The time is now upon us when we must pray for boldness rather than safety. We must obey God rather than human beings … And at all times, we are to demonstrate the forgiveness and love of Jesus toward our enemies. We can heal our society and our nation [only] through Christ-like love and grace.”
In Hope for This Present Crisis, which is available to order through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BAM, ChristianBook.com and Leading The Way, Dr. Youssef calls on the nation’s Christians to take these steps:
- Put on the full armor of God. Prepare for spiritual warfare—and remember that your enemy is not flesh and blood. Your enemy is Satan and his demons.
- Know what you believe and why you believe. Study the Scriptures. Learn how to explain to others why you believe the Bible is God’s revealed truth, why you believe in the historical reality of the resurrection, and why you are confident of your eternal life.
- Pray for opportunities to exercise your spiritual gifts. Every believer has spiritual gifts, and every believer must report for duty. God has a mission for you. Pray that He would reveal His calling to you in an unmistakable way. Tell Him, “Here I am, Lord. Send me.”
- Encourage your pastors and teachers. Pray for them. Encourage them to continue preaching the uncompromised Word of God with boldness and power. {eoa}
Dr. Michael Youssef was born in Egypt and lived in Lebanon and Australia before coming to the United States and fulfilling a childhood dream of becoming an American citizen. He holds degrees from Moore College in Sydney, Australia and Fuller Theological Seminary in California, with a Ph.D. in social anthropology from Emory University. He founded The Church of The Apostles, which was the launching pad for Leading The Way’s international ministry. Dr. Youssef has authored more than 40 books, including popular titles like Jesus, Jihad and Peace and Saving Christianity? Dr. Youssef is the host of the popular TV and radio broadcast Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef, which airs more than 13,000 times every week across six continents in 26 languages—reaching audiences in nearly every major city in the world.
Hope for This Present Crisis is published by FrontLine, an imprint of Charisma House.
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