I was listening to the news the other day when I heard an interview with Joel Osteen (senior pastor of Lakewood community church). Right on the heels of the recent Christmas controversy it seems we are now dealing with a similar controversy with Easter. Unfortunately I wasn’t paying a great deal of attention to the interview, but I picked up enough. Basically Joel answered all of the interviewer’s questions in a very positive Christianized way. From what I gathered Joel doesn’t seem to see any problems in America, with regards to spirituality. Of course the interviewer was obviously using very leading questions “Mr. Osteen, with movies like Passion of the Christ and other such things would you say America’s on a good spiritual road right now?” and of course Joel agreed. So I guess Hollywood and the media are the litmus test for Christianity in America?
I don’t know a whole lot about Lakewood, nor do I really care to. However, prior to writing this article I did visit their website and check it out. I noticed a lot of very successful, well off, beautiful people in leadership of that church.
From what I gathered Joel took over from his dad in 99. Prior to this he was a very successful business man working for the church in a TV/radio production capacity. So being that he’s the son of the previous pastor, a pretty boy with a pretty wife and successful in business makes him the obvious choice to pastor a church? What if Joel had been a missionary or a minister to youth or homeless folks or AIDS patients, a humble man who boldly encouraged others in Christ and stayed in the Word, the son of an ordinary man, would he still have been “chosen” to be a shepherd of Lakewood?
At any rate, the Word would seem to contradict Joel’s belief that we are in good shape with Jesus Christ or spirituality and how God blesses those He loves.
John 16
Where in the Bible does it say things will get better before they get worse? Things will only get better with the return of Jesus Christ. We will enter into a great period of persecution for believing in the name of Jesus Christ and many will fall away:
2Thessalonians 2:1-12
How can a pastor properly prepare the flock when he preaches a “name it claim it” theology and that everything’s fine? Also shouldn’t Christians, especially leaders, live more like Rich Mullins then Donald Trump? Living in wealth can certainly cloud ones judgement.
*For those of you who don’t know who Rich Mullins was; he was a very well known/successful Christian musician about 10-15 years ago. Unfortunately he died in a car accident in the mid to late 90’s. However, prior to his death he lived in a trailer on an Indian reservation and instructed his accountant to provide him with a $28k/year salary to live on and gave the rest of it away to different needy charities.
It seems many of us want beautiful charismatic speakers to be our leaders; whether in Washington or in front of us at church. It really makes no difference. Let’s face it we want people in authority who make us feel good about ourselves. We want them to tell us everything’s going to be alright. In our pride we certainly don’t want to acknowledge any fault and if we fully accept the fact that we are all sinners then we also have to also accept the blame. We have to in order to repent. Instead, we want to be told we’re safe, everything’s going to be alright and we’re going to be blessed, but it seems to me we want this outside of Jesus Christ.
We, as sinners, have to accept the blame for the wrong in this world. If we don’t then how can we truly repent? We have to accept that this world is fallen because of our sin and it won’t get up, without Jesus. There are biblical references to such wicked men who would fill our heads with lies about this fallen world. These men also told people everything was going to be alright. The people lost sight of their wretchedness and instead believed a lie told to them by false prophets. There was little to no repentance.
Amos 9:10
Jeremiah 5:11-13
Jeremiah 14:11-16
However, even with this knowledge, even though we accept that everything won’t be alright in this life. There is good news, but it’s not that we’re going to necessarily get a new car or house or relationship. There is the truth of the perfect lamb who takes away the sins of the world.
Romans 5
I would discourage anyone from allowing their minds to be filled with the poisonous lies that everything is alright and calamity won’t come. John16:33 I would also discourage anyone from putting people on pedestals. People like the big O, who rings the bells and sounds the alarms every time she gives something away. She has received her reward in full, but Christians should desire to receive our reward from the Almighty God, not the almighty dollar or from the praise of men who will turn to dust in a short time. When a rich man, or woman, passes away their possessions are given to another. We are only stewards of this world, that is it. We should only be keeping the seat warm until the true return of the king. To believe in ownership is to believe a lie and to live in this world under this lie. Instead we ought to daily give our lives to Jesus Christ and see our prosperity as an opportunity to glorify Him.
John 18:22
I don’t know a whole lot about Lakewood, nor do I really care to. However, prior to writing this article I did visit their website and check it out. I noticed a lot of very successful, well off, beautiful people in leadership of that church.
From what I gathered Joel took over from his dad in 99. Prior to this he was a very successful business man working for the church in a TV/radio production capacity. So being that he’s the son of the previous pastor, a pretty boy with a pretty wife and successful in business makes him the obvious choice to pastor a church? What if Joel had been a missionary or a minister to youth or homeless folks or AIDS patients, a humble man who boldly encouraged others in Christ and stayed in the Word, the son of an ordinary man, would he still have been “chosen” to be a shepherd of Lakewood?
At any rate, the Word would seem to contradict Joel’s belief that we are in good shape with Jesus Christ or spirituality and how God blesses those He loves.
John 16
Where in the Bible does it say things will get better before they get worse? Things will only get better with the return of Jesus Christ. We will enter into a great period of persecution for believing in the name of Jesus Christ and many will fall away:
2Thessalonians 2:1-12
How can a pastor properly prepare the flock when he preaches a “name it claim it” theology and that everything’s fine? Also shouldn’t Christians, especially leaders, live more like Rich Mullins then Donald Trump? Living in wealth can certainly cloud ones judgement.
*For those of you who don’t know who Rich Mullins was; he was a very well known/successful Christian musician about 10-15 years ago. Unfortunately he died in a car accident in the mid to late 90’s. However, prior to his death he lived in a trailer on an Indian reservation and instructed his accountant to provide him with a $28k/year salary to live on and gave the rest of it away to different needy charities.
It seems many of us want beautiful charismatic speakers to be our leaders; whether in Washington or in front of us at church. It really makes no difference. Let’s face it we want people in authority who make us feel good about ourselves. We want them to tell us everything’s going to be alright. In our pride we certainly don’t want to acknowledge any fault and if we fully accept the fact that we are all sinners then we also have to also accept the blame. We have to in order to repent. Instead, we want to be told we’re safe, everything’s going to be alright and we’re going to be blessed, but it seems to me we want this outside of Jesus Christ.
We, as sinners, have to accept the blame for the wrong in this world. If we don’t then how can we truly repent? We have to accept that this world is fallen because of our sin and it won’t get up, without Jesus. There are biblical references to such wicked men who would fill our heads with lies about this fallen world. These men also told people everything was going to be alright. The people lost sight of their wretchedness and instead believed a lie told to them by false prophets. There was little to no repentance.
Amos 9:10
Jeremiah 5:11-13
Jeremiah 14:11-16
However, even with this knowledge, even though we accept that everything won’t be alright in this life. There is good news, but it’s not that we’re going to necessarily get a new car or house or relationship. There is the truth of the perfect lamb who takes away the sins of the world.
Romans 5
I would discourage anyone from allowing their minds to be filled with the poisonous lies that everything is alright and calamity won’t come. John16:33 I would also discourage anyone from putting people on pedestals. People like the big O, who rings the bells and sounds the alarms every time she gives something away. She has received her reward in full, but Christians should desire to receive our reward from the Almighty God, not the almighty dollar or from the praise of men who will turn to dust in a short time. When a rich man, or woman, passes away their possessions are given to another. We are only stewards of this world, that is it. We should only be keeping the seat warm until the true return of the king. To believe in ownership is to believe a lie and to live in this world under this lie. Instead we ought to daily give our lives to Jesus Christ and see our prosperity as an opportunity to glorify Him.
John 18:22
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