Megachurch Bishop T.D. Jakes Gives Health Update After ‘Life-Threatening’ Incident ArticlePure

Christian pastor and motivational speaker T.D. Jakes is sharing a health update after experiencing what he described as a “life-threatening” incident while delivering a Sunday sermon last week.

While speaking onstage at his church The Potter’s House of Dallas on Nov. 24, Jakes, 67, was seen lowering his microphone and looking downward before seemingly convulsing. Several people onstage crowded around to assist him, before the church’s livestream cut out.

On Sunday, Dec. 1, Jakes returned in a virtual appearance to address the congregation during the church’s latest livestreamed service.

“I’m so delighted to see you. I’m grateful for God’s faithfulness. I’m grateful for your faithfulness. I’m grateful for this season in my life,” he began his message, per a video shared on YouTube. “I told you last Sunday that I’d see you this Sunday, and so here I am.”

He went on to address the Nov. 24 incident, saying, “I am grateful to God for his goodness and his mercy and his grace. Many of you don’t realize that you’re looking at a miracle. I faced a life-threatening calamity. I was rushed to the ICU unit. I had emergency surgery.”

Jakes said that his doctor wants him to “go slow” but declared himself “back.” He also noted that he had just gotten a “complete physical” prior to his health scare and was told that he “was fine.”

“The truth of the matter is sometimes things happen and they’re beyond our control. And sometimes things happen in this spiritual warfare,” Jakes said. “I haven’t deduced the finality of all of that, but what I do know is greater is he that is in us and he does endure.”

He explained that he is listening to his medical team and is “taking a few weeks to just heal and recover and relax and just reflect.” Ultimately, Jakes said that he “feels good” and is in “no pain.”

The bishop went on to describe what was going through his mind at the time of the incident. He said he experienced “the feeling of being cradled. It was quiet and it was peaceful, and I was cradled.”

Jakes called his recovery a “miracle” and said that “a person down the hallway was being taken to the morgue” at the same time he was released from the hospital. 

“Every moment, every second, every minute of your life, you should recognize that somebody’s headed to the morgue while you’re headed to the light,” he told his listeners. “Not because you’re any better, not because they’re any worse, but by the amazing grace of God.”

Before turning the sermon back over to the Potter’s House team, Jakes thanked his loved ones, his supporters and his church for their support. “I need you to help me to praise God that we’re not planning a funeral,” he said. 

Jakes previously gave an update on his health on Nov. 27, writing in part on social media: “Together, we press forward, steadfast in the work the Lord has set before us. I’ve heard from friends from the global community who expressed God’s love in ways that were astonishing!”

In the post, he expressed that he was thankful that his health incident was not a stroke.

The emotional post was accompanied by a video of Jakes in a wheelchair outside of a building. “It didn’t have to turn out this way,” he said emotionally. “I’m just grateful. I’m not afraid to die. I don’t want to hurt my kids and the people who love me. My church who needs me, the world who called, the God who sent me. Sometimes you just gotta be grateful.”

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A statement shared on Jakes’ official social media pages shortly after the Nov. 24 incident said that the bishop was “stable” and “under the care of medical professionals” after experiencing “a slight health incident” during the livestreamed sermon.

“The entire Potter’s House family is grateful for the outpouring of love, prayers and support from the community. Thank you for your understanding and continued prayers,” the statement added.

Jakes founded the non-denominational, multicultural church back in 1996, per its website. It has 30,000 members and operates as a non-profit organization based in southern Dallas.