'Bishop Lazarus': TD Jakes Makes Big Comeback to the Pulpit After Stroke Sent Him to ICU
Dallas megachurch pastor Bishop T.D. Jakes returned to the pulpit of the Potter's House this week for the first time since suffering a medical emergency while preaching in November.
During a special New Year's service, he told the crowd, "They say I had a stroke. They say I died. They said I wouldn't be back."
He described his hours-long urgent surgery when he said "they almost lost me twice," but he credited the power of the prayers of believers for helping sustain his life during those near-death moments.
Jakes thanked everyone from the church and the hospital medical team who quickly raced him to the ER to save his life that day. "They said if I'd have gotten there five minutes later I'd have been D.O.A."
"I don't know what you're going through tonight, but let this be a signal to you that you're on your way to a comeback," he preached. "And if I'm talking directly to you, and if all the odds have been against you, and if they couldn't hardly get a pulse on you, and if you couldn't hardly recognize anybody, and everybody said you weren't going to make it, I'm standing here as a testimony."
Jakes then told the congregation, "I don't come to you as Bishop Jakes, I come as Bishop Lazarus -- to let you know that with God all things are possible."
Bishop Jakes Needed Urgent Surgery After Pulpit Medical Emergency
Bishop Jakes needed to be rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery after his medical scare.
In a video message posted in December to his congregation, he did not reveal the exact nature of his condition or the surgery, but he did reveal more about his need for more serious medical intervention, saying "praise God that we're not planning a funeral."
"Many of you don't realize that you're looking at a miracle. I faced a life-threatening calamity, was rushed to the ICU unit, had emergency surgery, survived the surgery," Jakes said in the video a week after the incident.
"I'm grateful to God for his goodness and his mercy, and to not just our local church, but to the global community that follows this ministry," he said.
"I'm in good spirits," he continued. "I feel good, I'm in no pain, I'm in peace and tranquility, and I want you to know that I can feel your prayers."
He also released a statement on X saying, "My job is to recuperate and reflect on God's protection. I owe it to my amazing family and church members to rest and ruminate as He restores me towards His service."
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