Bishop T.D. Jakes made an emotional return to the pulpit on New Year’s Eve, after a health crisis that nearly cost him his life. Jakes founded The Potter’s House megachurch in Dallas, Texas. In his most recent sermon, he revealed that a medical emergency on 24 November required immediate surgery. Doctors said that a delay of just five minutes could have been fatal.
He addressed his feelings directly, “In fact, I think I did die,” he said, “but God, in His infinite wisdom and grace, brought me back. He expressed deep gratitude to Dr Joseph Amos, a member of his church and chief of staff at Southern Methodist Hospital, who played a major role in overseeing his care in critical hours. Jakes did not disclose any specific details but hinted at heart trouble.
“They almost lost me twice,” T.D. Jakes explained. “But every time my numbers dropped, your prayers prevailed, and I’m standing here today by the grace of God. Death had to back up off of me.” In his dramatic return to preaching Jakes humorously referred to himself as “Bishop Lazarus. Jakes concluded by saying “On behalf of my family, I honor God and thank every intercessor who went to war in prayer on my behalf.”
As we reported earlier, Bishop T.D Jakes, who had a ‘health incident‘ in his Dallas Mega Church on September 27th, has filed a defamation lawsuit against another prominent preacher. Duane Youngblood made allegations of unwanted sexual advances on a YouTube talk show. Jake’s lawsuit alleges that Youngblood is currently on parole after felony convictions for corruption of minors and sexual assault.
Duane Youngblood states that Jake assaulted him as a teenager. He says that he met Bishop Jakes as a teenager. “When I started to walk past him, he pulled me to himself, wrapped his arms around me, and tried to kiss me,” describes Youngblood. He also claims that the Bishop offered him a three-point plan outlining a sexual relationship.
According to Minister Youngblood, Jakes told him “ ‘There are three things I need you to do. The first one is, when I come to Pittsburgh you’re going to be the only person I sleep with. The second one is, you can’t sleep with anybody else because I don’t want to give my wife anything. And thirdly, I will take care of you the rest of your life.’”
In his lawsuit, Bishop T.D Jakes not only denies all accusations but states that Youngblood is attempting to extort him for over $6 million. In the lawsuit, Young’s lawyers write that “Youngblood’s intentional and malicious lies have taken a substantial emotional and physical toll on Bishop Jakes. On November 24—the day before he filed this action—Bishop Jakes suffered a medical crisis on stage in the middle of his Sunday service in front of his entire church.”
T.D. Jakes has been at the center of a series of unverified allegations of sexual abuse, many of which are connected to Sean ‘Diddy‘ Combs. According to the fact-checking website Snopes, many of the damning videos were produced with AI tools and are falsified. However, Jakes has several posts linking him to Combs and he has never commented on the embattled wrapper’s high-profile arrest.
The Bishop has been named in a lawsuit filed in March, which accuses Sean Combs of harassment, drug activity, and sex trafficking. In this lawsuit, the plaintiff states he has irrefutable evidence” of Diddy “detailing how he planned to leverage his relationship with Bishop T.D. Jakes, to soften the impact on his public image.” The Bishop has let to address this matter.