Dear Powerball -
I heard you debate Stephanie on the air about Joel Osteen. I was checking your blog to get your reaction to the 60 Mins. interview. Your thoughts?
Thanks for the question. You had to get me started. I did not see the interview Sunday night so I did not post on it. I have seen most of it now so I will share a few thoughts.
To put it bluntly Osteen is a heretic, he communicates a trivialization of Jesus Christ in favor of a motivational message of self-improvement. He may be a nice heretic, but one still the same.
Stephanie talked about how many people he has led to Christ. By my count 0. It's the spirit that leads not Osteen. A number is also is not a pass for sugar coated message. Those that follow Osteen really need to come back into the faith that is articulated in the Apostle’s Creed.
Osteen’s 73 million dollar "church" worships at the altar of money. He uses this money to fund the modern missions movement and uses it to put on a show and promote materialism.
I don't buy his line about getting people into “church” who have been out of “church”. No one in this movement is in church. They’re in the the prosperity Gospel, they are abandoning the God of the Bible, and they are glorifying a man . Osteen is a great motivational speaker, but that is not the same as a pastor. He uses only enough Christianity as necessary to get the gullible.
On this new book he is selling, burn it in the same fire with the 40 days of Wasted Time. How do people fall for this? Osteen hasn't even used his own principles that are in his books to succeed. He dropped out of college after one year at ORU. Another heretic factory. He was a media guy at his dad’s church. He was brought into the pulpit by the sudden death of his father. Preacher by default. He tried to be his dad for a couple of years, then found Norman Vincent Peale’s positive thinking and replaced the Gospel with “life coaching.”
This is part of the major problem with the evangelical church today and few will admit it. Millions of people hail Osteen as a great Christian proclaimer. Yet Osteen doesn’t have the knowledge to judge his own errors in the light of Biblical truth. He thinks Jesus, the Holy Trinity and the Holy Scriptures are all means to the end of having a better paycheck. In his case false Christians have proved him right. According to Osteen's own words in the interview, you can get the same truths from any psychologist or motivational speaker. I think that says it all.
2 comments:
Sorry for the long message. I listened to about 10 minuets of your show on Monday. I too saw the 60 minuets interview. I heard Stephanie ydefending Joel Osteen and the supposed gospel he preaches. Personally I have nothing against him but when it comes to his feel good message, of accepting Christ for life enhancement, I have great concern.
Test it in light of scripture. Stephanie and John reach many people and I am sure they do not want to be responsible for leading people astray, giving people a false sense that they are going to Heaven when they are headed for Hell.
Do you know that about 80-90% of people who profess Christ at some point will fall away? I could go over statistic after statistic about the lack of difference between the “Church” and the world. Many will say Lord…not all who claim Jesus are truly converted. Saying a prayer to accept Jesus into your heart is not biblical nor is it the method that Jesus used to bring people to himself. Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron have a great ministry that is awakening the church for the need to reach the lost with the biblical approach to giving the gospel. Law to the proud, grace to the humble. Nowhere in scripture does Jesus or any of the apostles give the gospel to a proud self-righteous person, the Law is used to prepare the heart for the good news. The rich young ruler actually asked Jesus how to have everlasting life in Luke 18. “Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” What did Jesus do? Did he say that you have a void in your heart that only I can fill; no first he corrected his definition of good then he pointed him to the 10 Commandments. “The law of the lord is perfect, converting the soul” (Psalm 19:7 NKJV). When the man said he had kept them, he pointed him to the first commandment pointing out that money was his god. As he went away, convicted, Jesus did not stop him. Did Jesus say, “Say this prayer?”
If the Law has no purpose for the believer, for we are not under the law, then why is it throughout the New Testament? (As well as the Old) It was given as a tool to convict sinners of their sin, realizing their need for the savior; to prepare the soil for the seed. “I would not have known sin except through the law.”(Romans 7:7 NKJV), the Law shuts the mouth, it stops people from justifying themselves before a holy and righteous God. In 1 Timothy 1:8-9 (NLT) “We know that the law is good when used correctly. For the law was not intended for people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful…” Using the Law right will cause people to see their sin and cling to the savior. To just ask Jesus in your heart is not biblical, you must repent and believe. God’s Law is written on everyone’s heart, their conscience bears witness to his Law. If the Law didn’t demand death for sin, we wouldn’t need a savior. The true convert comes to the Savior simply to satisfy the demands of a Holy Law.
Today’s modern gospel is life enhancement not biblical salvation - Accept Jesus he will give you joy, peace and an abundant life he will fill your God shaped hole. If you walked up to a person and told them that someone just paid their speeding ticket it would be foolishness to them because they did not think they broke the law, it might even be offensive because as far as they are concerned; there are plenty of drivers worse than them. However, if you walked up to that person and said that they were clocked going 55 MPH in an area set aside for a blind children’s convention; that there were 10 clear warning signs, that the speed limit was 15 MPH. The law was about to take its course when somebody they did not even know stepped in and paid their fine, then it would make sense. They would be grateful. When we give the gospel without the conviction, it is foolish and offensive to the unrepentant sinner. We need to explain the offense so the good news makes sense. The law must be given to prepare a sinners heart for grace, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. That fear of God’s wrath will drive us to our only hope and not cause us to lose our joy when things get tough. What we need is righteousness not happiness.
This is not legalism but using the law for its intended purpose. Please listen to their message “Hell’s Best Kept Secret” and True and False Conversions,” I would recommend any believer to read “The Way of the Master” book they have written. Next to the Bible, this is the most important book I have ever read. (I know many who feel the same). The messages are available free on their web site, please listen, while you are there check out some of the witnessing clips, they are awesome to watch. I am not trying to come across as a know-it-all. After reading their book, I have been convicted to tell as many Christians as I can, not to rebuke but hope that they will see what is so clear to me through this life changing teaching. I have been handing these books out to any who will read, I would like to send you a couple copies if you would read them. I know it will change the way you look at non-believers and the message we proclaim. Learning to share our faith biblical is the responsibility of all professing Christians. What other purpose is the church here for? We will all worship in heaven but there will be no opportunity to witness.
Thanks for the comments. You are right. We have some very well know pastors that really no no clue what they are teaching. Joel is the posterboy for a much larger problem.
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