Unexpected Words from Notable Teacher

I watched this very video just before you posted it and it was unclear to me if this was really MacArthur speaking or an AI fake. There was no video but rather just a picture. The words mostly made sense to me, which is why I questioned their authenticity. :-)

So I found a very similar video that purports to be from Paul Washer at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7A0aztblQ28. I'm no expert on Washer (or a fan either), but this seems out of character for him. The few messages of his that I have heard have been rich in Lordship Salvation - a doctrine that seems to say that you can't have faith without seeing a change in your life. While I agree with the underlying premise that genuine faith brings about change, the Lordship Salvation crowd like MacArthur and Washer and Piper all stress works over grace. They set their fellow believers up for failure by encouraging them to measure their output rather than their relationship with the Almighty. There is little to be found in their messages that points to the cross as the finished work of Christ. What is found in these videos seems out of character for these two men

While I can't guarantee that these videos are fake, I smell a rat. In the video link that I just posted, "Washer" mispronounces the word "product" at the 20:50 mark in the video. I also noticed in both videos that Scripture is cited with a leading "0" on the verse number, such as at 1:05 when "Washer" cites "2 Timothy 3:05" or at 5:20 when "MacArthur" cites "2 Timothy 4:03-4". It's these little clues that make me think that these videos are faked

As to why someone would go through the effort to fake these videos, I am not certain. Perhaps it is a well-meaning Christian who wants to use the voice of a popular teacher to drive home the truth. Or it could be someone trying to get people to leave the church in the hopes that they will fall away from Christ. Regardless of the motive, it's hard to believe that any of these pastors would support the idea that it's ok for people to leave the church system that they have spent their entire lives building and becoming famous in

Regardless of possible fakery, this serves as a good lesson to compare what you hear and see with Scripture. The OP asks, "People leave - but what then, pray tell?" For people like me who have left the system yet not connected with a house church, the answer is to find like-minded believers wherever you can and fellowship however you can. Let the Holy Spirit be your guide. As a friend of mine said recently, if you've ever wept over your sins then you don't need anyone to tell you how you must connect with God. I find daily fellowship and encouragement online. While this may not be exactly what the NT describes, we know that the Apostle Paul tells us that our "gatherings" are for the purpose of mutual edification, and that Paul himself wrote letters to the churches that edified the people of his day and in the 2,000 years since. I have privilege of meeting pretty much daily with my fellow believers for the purpose of fellowship, encouragement, teaching, accountability, and confession. I never felt like this when I was part of the system