Leading The Way

Guest (Male): The Middle East is home to 68% of the world's unreached people groups. Since Leading the Way first began impacting the Middle East through dual-language audio programs in 1996, the ministry has had unique access to one of the most challenging regions in the world.

Dr. Michael Youssef: Growing up in the Middle East, I grew up hearing that Islam will dominate the world sooner or later. God began to burden my heart that the answer is not fear, is not anger, is not retaliation, is not frustration, but proclamation.

Guest (Male): Leading the Way's Open Door campaign is continuing to focus on three strategic areas where the greatest need and opportunity exists. God has given Leading the Way an unprecedented open door to proclaim the gospel directly into this region. Join Dr. Youssef and go through the open door of opportunity to reach these people for Christ through Leading the Way.

Passionately proclaiming uncompromising truth, that is the very heartbeat of Dr. Michael Youssef and ministry teams scattered across the world for Leading the Way. Up next, Dr. Youssef shares what feeds his passion for the gospel and life of ministry, combining it with a biblical challenge for you to stand firm on the foundation of faith, to answer your personal call to point others to truth.

Do keep in mind that Leading the Way is a listener-supported media ministry, made possible by God's provision through the generosity of God's people, listeners like you. Make a transformational impact on the generations with the gospel when you express your generosity at 866-626-4356 or at ltw.org. Now, though, do join Dr. Michael Youssef as he begins this foundational message for Leading the Way he's called, "We Preach Christ."

Dr. Michael Youssef: What I want to do today is to charge the next generation that in this place we have and always please God will preach only the Christ of the Bible. It is the Christ of the Bible who is the way, the truth, and the life. Today most reliable statistics are telling us that 52% of those who are professing to be Christians believe that there are many ways to God, that people can come to God any which way they want to.

Now whether the statistics get better or worse, that's not the issue. Let it be known that on this day, from this hill, we proclaim that Jesus is the only way to the Father, that Jesus is the only way to heaven, that Jesus is the only Savior of our souls and the Lord of our lives. Jesus is the only giver of eternal life and there can be no eternal life in heaven without him. Jesus is not just the founder of another religion.

Jesus is God of very God who laid the splendor of his glory and came to earth and became man of very man so that he may save men and women, boys and girls. We believe that the scripture says there is no name under heaven by which is given for men and women to be saved except the name of Jesus. Therefore the foundational text is 2 Corinthians chapter 4, verses 4 and 5.

The god of this age, talking about Satan, the god of this age has blinded unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as servants for Jesus' sake. Now if you study church history, and I love church history for this reason, in fact church history and the study of church history has impacted my preaching.

I learned that through the years, through the last 2000 years, every generation, God calls men and women, boys and girls, to stand up for the truth for their generation, to stand up against the spirit of the age. To stand up against those who seek to water down, modify, or otherwise compromise the gospel of Jesus Christ. Those who deny the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ, those who seek to rewrite the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Those who seek to modify the message of salvation of Christ to fit the cultural milieu. Those who seek to repaint the portrait of Jesus in order to make him acceptable to miserable sinners. Those who seek to remove the offense of the cross. Those who seek to shave off the mane of the lion of Judah. Those who preach that if you believe somewhat, you repent to a certain extent, you'll be saved to a certain degree.

No and a million no to this. The call of God upon me, upon this church, upon Leading the Way, Kingdom Sat, all the other ministries that have grown out of this church, is to be faithful to the proclamation of the truth in such a way that people will make an intelligent decision regarding Christ. They can either accept him or reject him. We don't force people to believe. God gives us the freedom of choice.

Those who receive him as their only Savior and Lord will receive forgiveness from their sins here and now, joy and peace here and now, and eternity in heaven with him. Those who reject him, they reject him as their only Savior, as the only Lord of their life. They will spend their eternity in a place called hell where there is torment, where there is pain. Please listen to me. God calls us to stand firm and to stand strong and to stand up and say with the Apostle Paul, we do not preach ourselves, but we preach Christ, and we are your servants for Jesus' sake.

We do not preach our ideas, what makes us popular in culture, what makes us acceptable. We do not preach the rebranding of Jesus. I heard this from an evangelical preacher, we need to rebrand Jesus. Nor do we preach a surrender to the power of sin, nor do we preach the capitulation to the enslavement of sin. Nor do we preach the surrender to the sexual revolution, nor do we preach pragmatism and political correctness. No and a million no to that, but we preach Christ and Christ alone.

Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, said we contend for the faith once delivered, once delivered, unmodified, not compromised, not watered down, once delivered to the saints, just once delivered. Even during the apostolic age, the Apostles, particularly the Apostle Paul, he confronted so many people, so many of his contemporaries who were preaching false gospels. Others were preaching modified gospel. Others were adding to gospel. And he exposed them all when he said, "But we preach Christ, the Christ of the word of God."

In Galatia, he confronted those who were adding to the gospel and they viewed ritual equal with Jesus. He said, "No, we preach Christ." In Ephesus and elsewhere, he confronted the Gnostics, those who said that we can be saved by having knowledge, and he said, "No, we preach Christ." The early heretic by name is Marcion, from which we get Marcionite, the heresy, an early Christian heresy, where he said that the God of the Old Testament is not the same as the God of the New Testament.

And therefore we need to be unhitched from the Old Testament. But faithful disciples of Jesus said without the Old Testament, the New Testament does not make sense. Without the foundation, the building cannot stand. Without Abraham and David, we could not comprehend the seed of Abraham or the son of David as the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the descendant of David and who is the seed of Abraham.

Now I can go on and on and on, but I will not do that. The saddest part to me personally, and I know to many of you, is that so many modern evangelical preachers who have now taken these old heresies and they dress them up in a new dress and preach them as if it's the truth. And when I hear heresies like this, I think of the words of Dr. Criswell, former pastor, First Baptist Church of Dallas, when he was hearing all these modern heresies all dressed up. He said, "A skunk by any name is a skunk."

I want to say amen belongs here. Just as Paul said of their devices we are not ignorant. Beloved, we need to be more alert more than any other time in modern history. We need to be more discerning than any time in modern history. For when the early believers said we preach Christ alone, they were burned alive. They were dipped in hot tar. They were given to hungry lions, but they would not be deterred from preaching Christ alone.

Rome always welcomed new gods. They would've been welcomed with open arms. They would've been beloved people in the Roman Empire. But when they said Christ only, that's when they got dipped in hot tar. After that we came to the dark ages where superstition and witchcraft came into the very church, inside the church. But God raised reformers who read the scripture and they said, "No, it's only Christ and salvation by faith in him alone."

300 years ago a man by the name of Arminius, who taught that God is incapable of converting us, we convert ourselves. But good and godly men like George Whitefield stood up and they said, "No and a million no. We preach Christ, who can save from the guttermost to the uttermost." Today the universalists unitarians teach that Christ is the ideal man, which we too can be when we obtain higher self.

Scientologists teach that if we know enough, we can survive forever. Not without Jesus you won't. Astrology says the time in which you were born determines your destiny. The reincarnationists say life is reincarnated into new life and you pay for the misdeeds of the former life. But the Bible said this is a fallacy of all fallacies because I know that Christ paid the wages of all my sins and he redeemed me eternally.

Because the Bible is clear, there's no such thing as reincarnation. The Bible says that it is appointed for man, women, everyone to die once, after that the judgment comes. The human potential movement said that we can all create our own identity. No wonder we have so many confused people in this culture today. Oh, today there are many people who are called evangelical preachers, they are saying that the Bible should be like a smorgasbord, a buffet.

You come and you pick and you choose. You don't like that, you dump it, you take this, or you don't like this, you do this and you do this. Oh, this is more common than you realize. In fact, that's the teaching that has weakened the church of Jesus Christ, that has nullified the message of the gospel, that has muffled the voice of Christ, confused millions of people, some of them into eternal destruction.

And that is why today, more than ever, we must preach only the Christ of the Bible. Christ who is God of very God, the God of power and might, who is the only one who can forgive our sins eternally. Who can break the power of sin, who can help restore sanity in our lives. He is the only one who can set the captive free. He is the only one who can liberate from the chains of addiction.

He is the only one who one day is going to judge the living and the dead. He is the only one who one day is going to reign supreme over the universe before our own eyes. He is the only one to whom every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. We preach Christ, who is the image of the invisible God, and ourselves, your servants for Jesus' sake.

We preach the only Christ who was promised by God the Father back in Genesis. We preach the only Christ who was born of a pure virgin. We preach the only Christ who healed the sick, he raised the dead, made the lame to walk, and set the captive free. We preach the only Christ who was crucified on Mount Golgotha and was buried for three days. But then thank God, on the third day with every power of his omnipotence, he rose from the dead never to die again.

The Christ that we preach is the only one who can promise eternal life. He's the only one who can forgive sinners like me and you. We preach the only Christ who has ascended alive in heaven and from there, right now, he sits on the rim of the universe. Even when the world seem to be falling apart, he's not. Even when things look out of control, it's not out of his control.

But one day he's going to come back and he's going to reign and rule before our own eyes. We preach the only Christ who in his first coming was born in a manger, but in his second coming, he will rule with an iron scepter. We preach the only Christ for whom and through whom the whole universe was made and created. But he left that splendor of heaven and came to earth.

And on his second coming, we will see him ruling in power and great glory. We preach the only Christ who hung helplessly on the cross, but in his second coming, he will be sitting on the throne of God. We preach the only Christ who was the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of everyone who believes in him. But soon on his second coming, he will come as the lion of Judah.

We preach Christ and not ourselves. That's the saddest part is when people preach themselves. That's a tragedy. We do not preach pop psychology, helpful that may be. We don't preach self-help, good as that may be. We don't preach Band-Aid, they only give you temporary relief. No, we preach the only one who can do a total job on the total person.

And that is not going to come as a surprise to some of you, or most of you, certainly it's going to come as a surprise what I'm about to say to my family. I'm a man who is far, far, far, far, far from being perfect. I know that, but I weep over my sin. I repent of my sin. I don't gloss over my sin. I don't explain away my sin. I don't rationalize my sin. I don't try to blame others for my sin, for I know that it was my sin that fastened him to that cross, and that's my sin that kept him on that cross until he paid my ransom.

Beloved, this is Christianity 101. God is not looking for perfect people, but he's looking for imperfect people so he can make perfect them. And that's all that God is expecting from those who love him. To lower the bar of righteousness, to lower the standards so that sinners can accept Christ without repenting, without believing, without transformation, without conversion, is the worst sin that could be committed.

To paint or repaint the portrait of Christ without confessing him as Lord is the worst sin of all. For we preach not ourselves but Christ Jesus, who is image of the invisible God. Far from Jesus the Christ being the founder of another religion as so many preachers in pulpits are saying today, he is the creator God who became man. Far from this newly fangled idea that is preached from many a pulpit today, he's not a way, a truth, and a life, he is the way, the truth, and the only giver of eternal life.

Far from those this false claim that everybody, whether they believe or not, they're going to go to heaven. This is a lie from the pit of hell otherwise known as Hollywood. And deceiving a lot of people, Jesus said no one, and when he says no one, he means no one, comes to the Father but by me. That's his words, not mine. And that is why from Genesis to Revelation, he is the central focus of the entire Bible.

For he was promised by God the Father to Adam and Eve in a Garden of Eden. And that is why 2000 years, 1600 plus, sometimes 1800 we're not really sure but thereabout 1600 to 2000 years is when the scripture writers were writing. They were all from different professions. They were all from different backgrounds. There were some Gentiles, there were some Jews, but all writing this history that we call Genesis to Revelation.

That book, the Holy Book of God, the infallible word of God. They were writing, but the reason they all write one message is because they were all inspired by the Holy Spirit of God. That is why Jesus is the central figure from beginning to end. He is the beginning and the end and everything in between. He is the alpha and the omega and the rest of the alphabet.

He is the only true revelation of God and no one else is the revelation of God other than Jesus the Christ. And you can find him in every book of the Bible. Every book of the Bible, if you have the spiritual eyes to see it. If you look at the scripture, you're going to see it very clearly that in the book of Genesis, he is the seed of the woman that the Father promised Adam and Eve. In Exodus, he's the Passover Lamb.

In Leviticus, he is the High Priest. In Numbers, he is the smitten rock. In Deuteronomy, he is the prophet. And in Joshua, he is the captain of the Lord of Hosts. In Judges, he is the creator and the final judge. In Ruth, he is the heavenly kinsman redeemer. In Samuel, he is the anointed one. In Kings, he is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. In Chronicles, he is the glory of God in the temple.

In Ezra, he is the teacher comes from God. In Nehemiah, he is the rebuilder of broken lives. In Esther, he is the protector of his people. In Job, he's the only comforter in times of trouble. In Psalm, he's our good shepherd. In Proverbs, he is the wisdom of God. In Ecclesiastes, he is the preacher of the kingdom of God. In the Song of Songs, he is the bridegroom who's coming to his bride, the church.

In Isaiah, he's the mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. In Jeremiah, he is the potter who shapes the clay of our lives into the image of God. In Lamentations, he is the weeping prophet. In Ezekiel, he is the wheel inside the wheel. In Daniel, he is the Son of Man coming on clouds of great glory and he's the fourth person in the fiery furnace. In Hosea, he is the love of God to the backslider.

In Joel, he is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. In Amos, he is the author of judgment and mercy. In Obadiah, he is the God of vengeance. In Jonah, he is the salvation of our Lord. In Micah, he is the great intercessor. In Nahum, he is the stronghold in the days of trouble. In Habakkuk, he is the God of mercy. In Zephaniah, he is the establisher of the kingdom of God upon the earth.

In Haggai, he is the desire of all nations. And in Zechariah, he is the branch of Jehovah. In Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, he is the refiner's fire, the sun of righteousness that shall rise over all the world with healing in his wings. And that's announcing for over 2000 years that he's coming. That's who he is. Look for those characteristics in him when he arrives. Look for him.

Some did and believed, many didn't because they wanted a Messiah that fits them. Just like now we want a Jesus who agrees with us. Someone said that God created man in his own image, and now we have returned the favor and created a god in our own image. Beloved, be immovable from the truth of the gospel. And that is why when Jesus showed up, he said, "Before Abraham was, I am."

I am. That word should have really given them goosebumps. It should have reminded them that this is the very God who appeared to Moses at the burning bush. And when Moses said, "What do I tell them who sent me?" He said, "Tell them I am sent you." And when Jesus said I am, they should have jumped all over the place to welcome him as their Messiah, but they didn't.

And that is why in the New Testament, you see with clarity, of course, no symbolism, it's in clarity. You see him in Matthew as the kingly Messiah. In Mark, he is the miracle worker. In Luke, he is the great physician. In John, he is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. In Acts, he is the risen Lord. In Romans, he is our justification. In Corinthians, he is our sanctification.

In Galatians, he is our liberation. In Ephesians, he is our perfection. In Philippians, he is our joy. In Colossians, he is the head of the body, the church. In Thessalonians, he is the coming Lord who reign and rule forever. In Timothy, he is the judge of all men. In Titus, he is the redeemer of the world. In Philemon, he is the friend that sticks to you closer than a brother.

In Hebrews, he is the author and the finisher of our salvation. In James, he is the healer of all nations. In Peter, he is the chief shepherd and the bishop of our soul. In John's epistles, he is the word of God. In Jude, he is the coming Lord with 10,000 of his saints to execute judgment upon the earth. In Revelation, he is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of Jesse, the root of David, the Lamb of God, the word of God, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. We preach Christ and ourselves as servants for Christ's sake.

Guest (Male): Thank you for joining Dr. Michael Youssef for his message, "We Preach Christ," a declaration of the foundation Dr. Youssef and Leading the Way stand on in ministry and a challenge to make truth your passion. If you'd like to speak with someone about your faith journey, consider connecting with a Leading the Way pastor or counselor at ltw.org/jesus.

Leading the Way is leveraging cutting-edge technology with our gospel innovation, My Faith Assistant. This powerful digital tool allows seekers and believers alike to ask spiritual questions and receive clear biblically sound answers. Try it out at ltw.org/faithassistant or on the mobile app. Carefully designed to provide responses rooted solely in the Bible and the trusted teaching of Dr. Michael Youssef, it is also a milestone in Leading the Way's Open Door campaign. My Faith Assistant, anytime, anywhere. Share it with someone you love who's searching for answers today.

Remember, My Faith Assistant is available at ltw.org and on the Leading the Way app. We hope that you'll use and share this incredible tool in your journey of faith. This program is brought to you by Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssef. Connect further with audio and video content at ltw.org.