Can You Stay Saved for 60 Years Bishop Darrell Hines Speaks!
Why T.D. Jakes Believes the Church Has Forgotten the Power of Endurance
When Bishop T.D. Jakes looks back across more than sixty years of walking with Jesus Christ, he does not begin by talking about worldwide ministry, bestselling books, or packed arenas, but instead returns to a tiny storefront church where an eight-year-old boy first encountered a faith that would shape the rest of his life.
Those childhood memories remain remarkably vivid because they were formed during an era when preachers spoke unapologetically about heaven, hell, repentance, and eternity, creating an atmosphere where salvation was never treated as a casual decision but as the most important commitment anyone could ever make.
Jakes recalls hearing Evangelist Tucker preach with such intensity about eternal judgment that, although still only a young boy, he found himself simultaneously fascinated and frightened, becoming absolutely determined that he would respond before leaving the service because he wanted his future to belong to Christ.
At eleven years old, he experienced what Pentecostal believers described as receiving the Holy Spirit, an encounter that arrived unexpectedly after he stepped across an imaginary line the evangelist had drawn, instantly changing the direction of his spiritual journey in a way he never forgot.
Unlike many modern worship services, the churches of his childhood followed traditions that demanded extraordinary patience, persistence, and wholehearted surrender, with believers spending long periods praying repeatedly until they believed they had genuinely experienced both salvation and the infilling of the Holy Spirit.
Looking back today, Jakes does not mock those traditions or dismiss them as outdated practices, because he believes they cultivated something increasingly rare within modern Christianity: a faith capable of surviving hardship without immediately collapsing under disappointment or discouragement.
That conviction becomes even stronger whenever he reflects on the countless trials he has personally survived, including being struck by lightning at just twenty-three years old, an experience that could easily have ended his life long before his ministry ever reached the world.
Instead, he sees every additional year as evidence of God’s grace, recognizing that he has now lived far beyond the lifespan many believed possible after such a devastating accident, while continuing to preach the same gospel that transformed him as a child.
As he watches the church continue changing through new generations, however, Jakes admits he has noticed something that genuinely concerns him, observing that many believers today appear far more fragile than those who filled the churches during his own childhood.
He carefully avoids criticizing individuals, insisting that his comments come from decades of pastoral experience rather than personal judgment, yet he believes modern Christians often become overwhelmed by difficulties that earlier generations would have accepted as ordinary parts of following Christ.
According to Jakes, today’s culture of instant communication and immediate gratification has quietly influenced the church, creating people who expect quick solutions while possessing far less emotional endurance whenever life becomes uncomfortable or deeply disappointing.
One tradition he particularly misses is the old testimony service, where ordinary believers stood before the congregation to describe how God had carried them through sickness, financial struggles, family crises, and countless other hardships that demanded unwavering faith.
Those gatherings did more than entertain worshippers or fill time before the sermon, because they constantly reminded everyone listening that perseverance, rather than convenience, remained one of the defining characteristics of authentic Christian living.
The songs sung during those services reflected exactly the same message, encouraging believers to keep running their race, continue climbing difficult mountains, and remain faithful until the very end instead of expecting life to become easier after embracing faith.
Unlike many contemporary worship songs that emphasize celebration and personal victory, the hymns of Jakes’ childhood repeatedly reminded believers that endurance, sacrifice, and steadfast commitment often formed the true pathway toward spiritual maturity and lasting joy.
He remembers lyrics about working faithfully until the day was finished, climbing mountains without stopping halfway, and patiently waiting for God’s reward, believing those simple songs quietly planted resilience into hearts that would later face enormous personal challenges.
For Jakes, those lessons extended far beyond church services because they became principles governing every meaningful area of life, teaching him that nothing worthwhile can survive without an unwavering commitment to finishing what has already begun.
Whether discussing marriage, careers, ministry, education, or personal dreams, he argues that success ultimately depends less upon extraordinary talent than upon refusing to abandon the journey whenever obstacles inevitably appear along the way.
His message becomes unexpectedly humorous when he recalls believing he could have become an Olympic gold medalist, quickly explaining that his confidence came not from professional coaching but from childhood experiences running away from fights his church discouraged him from joining.
Growing up, physical fighting was considered completely unacceptable, leaving running as the safest solution whenever neighborhood trouble appeared, and Jakes insists he became remarkably fast simply because avoiding conflict demanded exceptional speed and determination.
His family soon noticed that ability, entering him into neighborhood races where relatives actually placed friendly wagers on his performances, while he consistently outran the other children despite receiving no formal athletic training whatsoever.
Ironically, another strict church rule prevented him from fully developing those natural gifts because organized sports were considered inappropriate during much of his childhood, alongside countless other activities that many younger generations would struggle to imagine being forbidden.
He laughs while remembering that even harmless games such as Monopoly, card games, and marbles were viewed suspiciously by many believers, illustrating just how differently previous generations approached everyday entertainment compared with the freedoms enjoyed by most families today.
Eventually those restrictions relaxed enough for him to participate in school athletics, leading him to join the cross-country team largely because running remained the only sport where he possessed enough natural confidence to believe genuine success might be possible.
Together with his friend Donald, he trained by running several miles each day from school to a nearby park before slowly jogging back, believing that simple routine would prepare them for competition despite having almost no understanding of organized distance racing.
Then came his first official meet, where the starting pistol fired, excitement filled the air, and the race began with all the enthusiasm two inexperienced teenagers could possibly muster, setting the stage for another unforgettable lesson that would shape his understanding of perseverance.
Although the story begins humorously, its deeper message perfectly reflects everything Jakes has spent decades teaching, because faith, like running, has never been about starting quickly but about continuing faithfully long after enthusiasm begins to disappear.
Looking back over six decades of following Christ, surviving unimaginable hardships, and leading millions through his ministry, Jakes remains convinced that the greatest gift his early church ever gave him was not comfort, popularity, or even confidence, but the endurance to keep moving forward when quitting seemed easier.
That enduring foundation, carefully built through old songs, testimony services, disciplined traditions, and unwavering commitment, continues to support him today, proving that while methods of worship may change across generations, the need for perseverance never disappears.
