“No attribute of God is more dreadful to sinners than His holiness.” — Matthew Henry
Yes, you read me right, I meant to say nags. Almost every church has one or two usually more of these busybodies lurking around in the shadows gossiping, nitpicking and faultfinding.
The music is never right; it's either too loud or too contemporary. Pastor's sermon is not up to par, either. It's either too long or just plain boring as far as they are concerned. Heaven forbid if Miss. Busy Body or Mr. Know-it-all should get the sniffles and not receive a call from the pastor or at least one of the staff members. Never mind that he is not clairvoyant or hasn't mastered the fine art of reading minds.
You get the picture.
These folks can get under a good pastor’s skin—that’s for sure. Well, the big question is, “What do we do about it?”
First of all, may I say that not to do something is the absolute opposite of what you should do as a pastor or leader of any sort. Confrontation in these cases is—believe it or not—not a dirty word. Hostility is. Resentment is. I can think of a host of others also like bitterness, anger, hatred, cynicism, animosity, dislike—need I include more?
Incidentally, confrontation is precisely what the author of Hebrews prescribes when he writes,
Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. (Hebrews 12)
Really? Yes, really.
Notice he prefixes his admonition with “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy.” Sitting by idly is not making any effort at all. Discussing the problem with every Tom, Dick and Harry, spreading your disgruntlement around may be an effort but certainly not one that will lead to either peace or holiness. Praying about it is a step in the right direction, but in the long run it is just that—a step, one step in the right direction; but most definitely not an end in and of itself.
I am yours for the journey,
Jim R/~
P.S. You are a vital part of this ministry and in all honestly we could not—nor would we want to continue—without you. Please continue to pray for and support our ministry in the former Soviet Union and in Southern Asia.
“No attribute of God is more dreadful to sinners than His holiness.” — Matthew Henry
St Bernard of Clairvaux, a 12th century monk warned of the danger of becoming channels rather than reservoirs—which, at first seems like a contradiction of God’s purposes for us; however, let us take a second look at this proposition.
Douglas Steere upon reflection makes this observation concerning St. Bernard’s admonition and writes,
We have all too few such reservoirs in the Church at present, though we have channels in plenty. ... Those that desire to pour out when they themselves are not yet filled; they are readier to speak than to listen, eager to teach that which they do not know, and most anxious to exercise authority on others, although they have not learnt to rule themselves. ... Let the reservoir take pattern from the spring; for the spring does not form a stream or spread into a lake until it is brimful.
I like how one modern version broaches the subject in a slightly different way,
A spring doesn’t gush fresh water one day and brackish the next, does it? Apple trees don’t bear strawberries, do they? Raspberry bushes don’t bear apples, do they? You’re not going to dip into a polluted mud hole and get a cup of clear, cool water, are you? (James 3:10-12 MSG)
The point being in both instances is that you cannot give something that you do not have. We, His disciples, are not conduits but rather resources. Not mirrors but lights. Expressions of God’s love. Examples in the truest sense of the word. Any talking head can expound of the virtues of love all day but only the likes of a Mother Teresa or a Mark Buntain can show us that love.
Let’s not let theology get in the way of this great truth either. Theology is a conduit. Dead, dry. The letter of the Law. None of which can or will feed one hungry child, or cleanse the sores of a single leper. Those dying on the streets of Calcutta, where I worked for so many years—both in and out of the hospital—never asked for a single moment what my or anyone else’s theology was. Love never asks those questions, nor does it insist on conveying it.
God’s love knows no boundaries, nor can you channel it. It simply flows, fills and saturates all that surrounds it. And, once the weary taste it they are refreshed, nourished and eager for more.
Shall we then strive to dig a little deeper, work a little harder, pray a little longer, so that we can become even greater reservoirs of God’s abundant, overflowing love.
There’s a thirsty world out there that longs for just a taste form the reservoir of that living water. One sip, that’s all.
I am yours for the journey,
Jim R/~
P.S. You are a vital part of this ministry and in all honestly we could not—nor would we want to continue—without you. Please continue to pray for and support our ministry in the former Soviet Union and in Southern Asia.
Answer in response to whether or not the canon is closed:
Problem is that you do not take into consideration that Ephesians 2:20 informs us that the church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone.” If the apostles and prophets were the foundation of the church, are we still building the foundation? Hebrews 6:1-3 encourages us to move on from the foundation. Although Jesus Christ is most definitely active in the church today, His role as the cornerstone of the church was completed with His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. If the work of the cornerstone is, in that sense, complete, so must the work of the apostles and prophets, who were the foundation, be complete. Thus we can say in the words of Scripture that even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! Galatians 1:8; and if it is not another Gospel, then must adhere to the principle of sola scriptura. Right?
I am yours for the journey,
Jim R/~
P.S. Please continue to pray for and support our ministry in the former Soviet Union and in Southern Asia.
“God did it is a mystery. That he did it is a certainty. And
for sure, man became man when God breathed the breath of life into him and as
such became the progenitor of all mankind. Evolution is a theory which at best
serves as a scientific taxonomy but not a template for creation. Let us
continue to investigate scientifically, but in the process we must not ignore
the evidence to the contrary. Using mathematics alone as a probability
mechanism to prove evolution through random selectionism is discouraging to say
the least—as a matter of fact an impossibility within any reasonable framework
of history or time and space as we know it. Genesis is vague on the process,
other than it indicates that there was an ex-nihilo creation of substance after which
there was a process of arrangement to produce what we now know as reality.
Whether this process of arrangement was a sequence of sudden instantaneities or
a slower process following the “Let there be” pronouncements is immaterial. He
did it, and that’s enough for me. Creationism has a place in our schools’
curriculum not as a particular prejudicial religious position, but as a viable
option to atheistic evolutionary theory.”
I am yours for the journey,
Jim R/~
P.S. Please continue to pray for and support our ministry in
the former Soviet Union and in Southern Asia. Click here to support!
Sometimes, when I am around some “Holier-Than-Thou” Christian I think of the anecdote about the old Quaker’s wife who asked him who was going to make it to Heaven and he responded with:
“Well, me thinkest that shall be thee and me, and sometimes me wonders about thee.”
Aren’t you thankful that your salvation does not depend on someone else’s opinion?
Jesus prayed, “Father, sanctify them in truth. Thy word is truth.” [John 17:17] So, very clearly, opinion unless it is based on God’s word is absolutely baseless because a foundation built on opinion with what Paul calls wood, hay, and straw will not stand the test of time or the fiery judgment of God. [1 Cor. 3:12-13]
Consequently, it really does not matter one iota what some super enlighten spiritual umpire says, unless our lives have been established in the truth of God’s word we toil in vain. Let us not forget, therefore, that someone else’s opinion is just that unless it is established in the truth of God’s word.
So, why do we labor so furiously to please and try to live up to another man’s standard?
However, before you answer that consider how The Message translates 1 Thessalonians 5:21. Here’s what it says,
“. . . Don’t be gullible. Check out everything, and keep only what's good.”
And what is the test of whether or not something is good and therefore truthful? Over and over again both Jesus and the Scriptures tell us that God’s word is truth. So, holiness or true spirituality must be verified or attested to by God’s word.
Thus, we can say without hesitation or fear of contradiction that unless God has said it then we are not obligated to practice it. True, some say, but what about those gray areas of Scripture, those that really don’t make it clear whether we should do this or do that?
I will answer that with a quote from St. Augustine, who once said,
“The greatest heresy is the lack of charity.”
So, once again as Paul reminds us let us,
Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that we do be done in love. (1 Corinthians 16: 13-14)
With that in mind, we do well to recall an old refrain repeated by Negro slaves during the Civil War that says,
Just keep in mind, it really doesn’t matter what someone else thinks of you as long as whatever you do is in love because in the final analysis God is the judge not they.
I am yours for the journey,
Jim R/~
P.S. Please continue to pray for and support our ministry in the former Soviet Union and in Southern Asia.
[i] Christian Recorder of March 1862, a publication of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
It has been said that we should, “Never
ask a saintly man whether or not he is holy and get an honest answer.”
I’ll take it a step further and
say that if we should ask the average church goer to define holiness and
chances are 9 out of 10 you’ll get a blank stare, or at best some canned response
like don’t wear this, or paint yourself of like some Jezebel or watch porno
flicks. Never—or should I say, very seldom, do you hear anything positive like
sanctify yourself.
Sanctify? What in the name of
common sense has that got to do with holiness anyway? Well, the answer is
everything. Yet, I dare say that the average parishioner has never heard a
sermon on good old fashioned sanctification. Amazingly, however, Christ prayed
for our sanctification—that is, our holiness.
"My prayer,”
he said, “is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them
from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify
them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have
sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be
truly sanctified. My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who
will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father,
just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world
may believe that you have sent me. “(John: 17: 15-21)
What then is sanctification, we
may ask?
The simply answer, just happens
to be the correct answer and can best be illustrated by saying that a pen is
"sanctified" when used to write. Eyeglasses are
"sanctified" when used to improve sight. So, in a Biblical sense,
things are sanctified—that is set aside for an exclusive purpose—when they are
used for the purpose God intends. A basin in the Temple to hold water, tongs to
arrange hot coals on altar, and so-forth. A human being is sanctified,
therefore, when he or she serves the purposes of God's intentions. Romans: 8:28-29 makes that very
clear:
“We know that
all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called
according to his purpose, because those whom he foreknew he also predestined to
be conformed to the image of his Son, that his Son would be the firstborn among
many brothers and sisters.”
So, we are truly holy when we are
doing precisely what God intended for us to do. Firstly, we obey Him by becoming
like Him. That means primarily that we deny ourselves, take up our cross and
follow Him—yes, and when necessary, even to our cross. This will most certainly
kill us; but then, that was His intention for us in the first place. No one ever
truly become a servant—which is part of the journey—unless they are willing to
die to self and live for others.
Impossible, you say. No, not
really, for Scripture tells us that,
[It] is God who
works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” [Philippians
2:13]
“It’s all about me,” may work as
a slogan in a dog eat dog world of high finance, or entrepreneurship but in the
Kingdom of God it is a sure path to failure. This great truth should serve as a
reminder once again that as the old camp meeting songs says that,
“This world
is not my home I'm just a passing through.
My treasures
are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.
The angels
beckon me from heaven's open door.
And I can't
feel at home in this world anymore.
Oh Lord you
know I have no friend like you.
If heaven's
not my home then Lord what will I do?
The angels
beckon me from heaven's open door.
And I can't
feel at home in this world anymore.”
And, the rest of the verses for
those of us who are strangers here on earth, it goes:
“I have a
loving mother just over in Glory land.
And I don't
expect to stop until I shake her hand.
She's waiting
now for me in heaven's open door.
And I can't
feel at home in this world anymore.”
Now, to realize that dream, we
must walk softly in our Master’s footprints along the path of our earthly journey.
As the Obama administration considers a strike in response to recent chemical attacks, the head of a global evangelical group said Wednesday (Sept. 4) that Christians in the Middle East oppose military intervention in Syria.
“There is major consensus amongst the Christian leaders in this region that any military intervention would have a detrimental effect … on Christians in Syria,” wrote Geoff Tunnicliffe, secretary general/CEO of World Evangelical Alliance, in a letter to the State Department, the White House and the United Nation’s Security Council.
Tunnicliffe was attending a meeting of Christian leaders in neighboring Jordan that included California megachurch pastor Rick Warren, “Touched by an Angel” actress Roma Downey and her “Survivor” creator husband Mark Burnett.
The group, convened by Jordan’s King Abdullah II, met with about 70 Middle Eastern Christians to discuss the challenges facing Arab Christians.
“I couldn’t find a Christian leader at the conference who supported military intervention,” Tunnicliffe said in an interview. “The question is, how do you protect Christians if there’s a regime change?”
Tunnicliffe said two Syrian pastors told him independently that Christians have received threats from those who say a regime change would mean a takeover by Islamists who would force Christians out of the country.
Christian representatives from Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan were present at the gathering, as well as a few Muslim clerics and academics. In his address, King Abdullah II urged interfaith harmony.
U.S. and French leaders say Basher al-Assad’s Syrian government used chemical weapons in a Damascus suburb on Aug. 21, killing 1,429 people, including more than 400 children. In talks on military intervention, President Obama has won the support of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, but faces significant opposition among religious and political leaders.
On Wednesday, New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan wrote to President Obama, urging him to shun military options, saying an attack “will be counterproductive, will exacerbate an already deadly situation and will have unintended negative consequences.”
Dolan, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Bishop Richard Pates of Des Moines, Iowa, chairman of the bishops’ international affairs committee, pushed the White House to “work urgently and tirelessly” for a ceasefire.
While she did not address Syria specifically in her presentation at the conference in Jordan, Downey noted her Catholic upbringing and her husband’s Protestant background, and the tension between these groups in her native Northern Ireland.
“Our marriage is a living example of tolerance and healing and of not allowing old hurts and discrimination to live on,” said Downey, who with her husband produced “The Bible” miniseries for The History Channel.
“We have come to believe that Christian unity is a critical element in responding to the global challenges we face today, including the difficulties of Arab Christians in the Middle East.”
Warren, who has been largely absent from the national and international scene since his son’s suicide in April, moderated a panel at the conference.
Tunnicliffe said that evangelical leaders are discussing future statements on intervention in Syria.
“I know people are aware of the crisis,” Tunnicliffe said, noting that the Middle East is overwhelmed with 2 million refugees from Syria. “I’m not sure they’re aware of the extent of the crisis.”
Pope Francis and King Abdullah II met at the Vatican last week, saying dialogue is the “only option” to end the conflict in Syria.
The Jordanian leader has his opinion:
“We are proud that Jordan constitutes a unique model of coexistence and fraternity between Muslims and Christians,” the king said. ” We also believe that the protection of the rights of Christians is a duty rather than a favor.”
We Pentecostals have a strong tendency—shall
I say, an almost exclusive tendency?—to hear God in the shout but fail to recognize
His voice in the whisper. Further, we most often fail to recognize that
feelings are not necessarily the facts. As a result contemplation is frowned upon,
even—believe it or not—associated with the cults or Buddhism; or God forbid,
New Ageism.
A friend of mine, an Assemblies of God psychologist,
recently confided in me to that he was still reeling from the shock of the
comments of some of his pastor friends when he suggested that it would help all
of us to find a retreat and just meditate—no preaching, or systemize Bible study, or
fancy spiritual motivation speaker—just meditate, contemplate that is, on God
and our relationship with Him.
Their response was, “No, Brother, that’s the problem—all that
intellectual stuff. What we really need is a good old fashioned Pentecostal,
Holy Ghost, tongue speaking revival!”
Their answer to the subtle drift away from our spirituality
was just more of the same. Shouting, apparently, would do it. Tongues would
certainly help. The Gifts of the Spirit would certainly do the trick.
Now, I don’t want to say more than they said; but you get
the point.
The truth is however that feelings are not always the facts!
We can feel like we have really been to church when the drummer has invigorated things up emotionally, as we keep repeating some theologically questionable ditty of a chorus
over and over again, accompanied by a lot of upraised hands and with an
appropriate amount of swaying back and forth that make us feel good but the
facts are that many of us are left with an emptiness when the shout wears off. Unfortunately, we associate the adrenaline rush of fleshly worship with an honest to goodness move of the Spirit.
Please don’t get me wrong. I am not demeaning meaningful,
heartfelt worship. All I am saying is that we must engage the head as well as the
heart; because whether we like it or not the heart sometimes gets in the way of
giving Him our reasonable worship. (Romans 12:1)
May I ask you, when is the last time you meditated, really
contemplated the meaning of the cross? After all Jesus did say that “If any man
would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and
follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his
life for my sake, he will save it” (Luke 9:23)
So, may I ask you, as I often have asked myself, “What is
that cross? In what ways have I denied myself and embraced that cross? Or am I
always looking for a way out by believing that God can only be identified with
the good things I enjoy?”
St. John Eudes once remarked that,
"The crosses with which our
path through life is strewn associate us with Jesus in the mystery of His crucifixion." (St. John
Eudes)
And, you know, he’s right.
Now, take some time this week, today, whenever, and think
about it—think about His Cross and ours.
“The way up and the way down are one and the same.” – Heraclitus
Several millennia later T. S. Eliot, the renowned English poet, in one of his Four Quartets took up the same refrain when he penned,
“And the way up is the way down.”
Reflecting on that, I thought of a verse of Scripture found in James 1:2 and following in which the great Apostle of practical Christianity writes,
“When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives my brothers, don’t resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends! Realize that they come to test your faith and to produce in you the quality of endurance.” James 1:2-8 (Phillips)
Allow me to explain. Often we rejoice in our triumphs. Success in so many ways seems like a blessing—and it usually is; however, not always if it distances us from Christ. We also love the euphoria—especially, we Pentecostals—of a heightened worship service. Yet, we fail to see the hand of God in failure or when Heaven turns to brass, or when the doctor looks us in the eye and says, “I’ve got bad news. The tests have come back and you have stage 4 cancer. There’s hope, but the chemo is not pleasant, and there is no guarantee.” Now, granted hard times are hard times, and there are times when God does hand us a bouquet of roses and the thorns get in the way. But, it is a bouquet of roses none-the-less. The fragrance is just as sweet but it is hard to get past the pain prick of thorn. It hurts, and it hurts badly. So, we cry out. We react. God, we say, why in the name of commonsense did you hand me roses instead of daisies? Then it surprises us when he replies, “Because I know you love roses, and roses don’t come without the thorns.” Solomon once wrote, I believe speaking of Christ figuratively,
“I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.” (Song of Solomon 2:1)
Although this interpretation is one of many thoughts among commentaries, it does nonetheless fit the analogy. Christ is indeed a rose, a beauty to behold among the thorns and trials along our path as we trudge through the valleys of our journey towards our Heavenly home. Yet, strange as it may seem, Our Lord, too, has walked along the same paths, as He continues to do each day with us as we struggle through the briar patches that conceal that one eternal rose, the Rose of Sharon. I must admit that perhaps I am carrying the metaphor a bit too far so please forgive me when I suggest that our journey along the path that leads up and over the mountain tops and down through the valleys is all the same because the joys of the mountain tops and the struggles in the valleys are all in pursuit of that Rose, the Rose of Sharon. Paradoxically, however, the experiences that we enjoy or endure are all in the pattern of His purposes for us. The Apostle Paul, reminds us that:
“[God] causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren.” Romans 8:28-29 (NASB)
Notice he said all things. And all things mean all things—the exhilarating mountain top experiences, our Mount of Transfiguration moments as well as our Gethsemanes. Both are the same, there is no purposeful difference; and we should never let either blur our image of the prize, the Rose of Sharon which lies just ahead for the way up and the way down are one and the same. Yours For A Greater End Time Harvest,
P.S. Please continue to pray for and support our ministry in the former Soviet Union and in Southern Asia.
I have been preaching for 20 years. Yesterday I did something that I have never done before in a sermon. I publicly called out false teachers and named them by name. I said:
If you listen to Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyer, if you take what they teach seriously, it will not be good for you. It will be detrimental to your long-term growth as a follower of Jesus.
I used to think that their error was so blatantly obvious that they could just be ignored. I was wrong. They are massively growing in popularity in the evangelical world and are seen as credible and helpful. Before I'm inundated with questioning emails I want to share why I distrust these two and think you should as well. So, don't shoot me -- at least not yet.
When I was a kid I could tell the difference between neighborhood kids who wanted to be my friend from the neighborhood kids who were my friends so that they could play with my toys. Joel and Joyce are the latter. They both teach a twisted form of Christianity that teaches obedience, giving and faith as a way to get things from God. They are both products of what is known as the Prosperity Gospel and The Word of Faith Movement, or the Seed Faith Movement. Dangers of the Prosperity Gospel
John Piper does a great job of defining what the Prosperity Gospel is and why it is so sinister. Please take a few minutes to watch this before moving on the critiques of Joyce Meyer and Joel Osteen:
Joyce Meyer
When I first heard her tell her story I was deeply moved and impressed. She is an amazing example of overcoming hurts and abuse. She will forever have my admiration and respect in that regard. Furthermore, she gives spectacular advice. If my wife or if one of my daughters went to her in a moment of crisis, I believe they would return with magnificently helpful advice. If they went to her for teaching, they would return with deadly heresy.
False Doctrine
1. She teaches that Jesus literally stopped being the Son of God on the Cross (listen here):
"He could have helped himself up until the point where he said I commend my spirit into your hands, at that point he couldn't do nothing for himself anymore. He had become sin, he was no longer the Son of God. He was sin."
2. She teaches that Jesus went to Hell and became the first-born again man (listen here):
"Do you know something? The minute that blood sacrifice was accepted Jesus was the first human being that was ever born again. Now that was real it happened when he was in hell."
"There is no hope of anyone going to heaven unless they believe this truth I am presenting. You cannot go to heaven unless you believe with all your heart that Jesus took your place in hell" -From The Most Important Decision You Will Ever Make
4. She teaches that words have power and you can release the power of Heaven through your words.
5. She teaches that you need special revelation from God to understand what she teaches because it is NOT contained in the Bible (listen here):
"The Bible can't even find any way to explain this. Not really. That's why you've got to get it by revelation. There are no words to explain what I'm telling you. I've got to just trust God that He's putting it into your spirit like He put it into mine." From "What Happened From the Cross to The Throne"
"Now spirits don't have bodies, so we can't see them. Okay? There probably is, I believe there is, and I certainly hope there is several angels up here this morning that are preaching with me. I believe that right before I speak some anointed statement to you, that one of them bends over and says in my ear what I'm supposed to say to you." From "Witchcraft & Related Spirits" (Part 1) - 2 A-27 Audiotape)
Unfortunately I could continue with examples of her utter misuse of scripture, false teaching and blatant heresy. In America, Christians have an embarrassment of riches. We can buy more books, download more podcasts and tune into more helpful teachers than anyone else on the planet. The lies that she teaches are easily lost in the hum of all the great teachers we hear. But this is not the case in the third world.
In many other countries their resources are far fewer. Uneducated pastors, who are doing their very best and uninformed Christians have this garbage pumped into their countries through radio waves and TV broadcasts. Because Joyce Meyer is endorsed here, she is trusted there. And, she can afford to spread her message with the money she makes from American Christians who buy her books, CDs and who attend her conferences. Her influence is severely disrupting the church in the third world. Her teachings are the unfortunate starting point for Christians in the third world and it is birthing even greater heresies.
The devastating reality that we have to come to grips with is that when we support her here, we support the churches she is undoing there.
Financial Concerns
There is nothing wrong with being wealthy. I love it when Christians are rich. That should mean more money to fund the mission. But there is a line to how much money we as leaders should spend on ourselves. I don't know where the line is, but it is somewhere before the ministry purchasing million dollar homes for us and our kids. That line is somewhere before purchasing us a $10 million private jet. The line is somewhere before the ministry spending $261, 498 for 68 pieces of furniture. That equates to $3,845.56 per item. That line is somewhere before spending so egregiously that the U.S. Senate investigates us. Joyce Meyer lands on the other side of that line.
The following link includes audio from Joyce Meyer. Around 5:30 she is asked if people will get more money back to them if they give financially to her ministry.
Not only does she teach giving as a way to leverage more money from God, she is reckless with desperate people. She is not at all concerned if people give to her instead of paying bills. This is intolerable!
Questionable Example and Lack of Accountability
I challenge you to watch a typical message by Joyce Meyer. Here are a few of things you will notice:
She pauses about every five minutes for applause. And if people don't applaud she is likely to say something like, "I'm preaching better than you're acting."
She talks about herself constantly. She is the main character in every story she tells. Even when she talks about herself in a self-deprecating way, some how it comes across in a way that causes people to admire her more.
God talks to her and reveals new information to her... a lot!
Her ministry lacks real accountability. Her family and her close friends are the governing board. This is an organization that receives almost $100 million dollars annually, and with no substantive accountability.
Conclusion for Joyce Meyer
What I wrote and linked in the first section should have been enough to completely remove her from our sphere of trust. Her doctrine is horrific. Her hermeneutics are horrible. She is a woman who seems to have an unrestrained love for money and applause. Her finances are questionable at best. Her example is questionable at best. Her impact on desperate people here, as well as churches and pastors around the globe is wildly destructive.
I lament with you a sense of loss if she was a teacher you trusted. I lament that someone who is so wrong has so much influence with so many. I do not regret, however, pointing to her as a false teacher and as one who should be rejected.
Joel Osteen
Like Joyce Meyer, Joel Osteen has some really great things to say. He is encouraging and the man is certainly happy. This should not be held against him.
The man is confused on theology. He has much of the same doctrinal misunderstandings as does Joyce Meyer. They come from the same tradition. His doctrine is difficult to discern for many because he won't talk about doctrine. He won't talk about theology. He quickly back pedals when asked hard questions, as seen here in an interview with Larry King.
In fairness, Joel published a letter of apology after this interview.
While I commend him for his humility and courage to publicly declare that he was wrong, this is just one of too many instances. He frequently misunderstands important matters of faith and doctrine when being interviewed. He repeatedly gets the Gospel wrong. And he does so when talking to millions.
If we take Joel at his word, our only conclusion is that he is either incapable or unwilling to understand and explain how the Gospel intersects with all of life.
We recently hosted Hank Hanegraaff (The Bible Answerman) at SMCC. He has some very helpful insights (here and here) into Joel Osteen's confused views of faith, doctrine and Scripture:
Joel Osteen and Prosperity Gospel
The Prosperity Gospel is much like all other religions in that it uses faith, it uses doing good things to leverage material blessings from God. Essentially, use God to get things from God.
"God has already done everything He's going to do. The ball is now in your court. If you want success, if you want wisdom, if you want to be prosperous and healthy, you're going to have to do more than meditate and believe; you must boldly declare words of faith and victory over yourself and your family" From Your Best Life Now, p.132
"If you are believing for your child to find God, go help somebody else's child to develop a relationship with God. If you're struggling financially, go out and help somebody who has less than you have ... f you want to reap financial blessings, you must sow financial seeds in the lives of others ... If you want to see healing and restoration come to your life, go out and help somebody else get well" From Your Best Life Now, pp. 224, 250-51
This is not the Gospel. This is a false Gospel. Joel teaches that we open ourselves to God to get more from God. He teaches that we use our words to speak into existence a better reality. This straight from the Word of Faith Movement. This is not what is taught throughout the New Testament. Consider what the Apostle Paul wrote. And remember that he wrote this while in prison.
Philippians 4:10-13 I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Conclusion
When I was in seminary, Heather and I were poor. There were seasons in which I worked 70+ hours a week while taking a full-time Master's load. There were times that I had to sleep every other day so that I could get all my work done. This was an extended period of exhausting financial stress.
During this time, I remember reading something from Joel Osteen. He and his wife claimed by faith a new house that they wanted. Joel was unsure, but his wife Victoria was confident. And she lovingly chastised him for his lack of faith. Sometime later, they purchased that house. Still in seminary, my wife and I were walking through our dream neighborhood and that was playing through my mind. As I walked through the neighborhood, looking at all the homes, I wanted so badly for what Joel is teaching to be true. I don't know if you can understand how desperately I wanted it to be true.
I wanted relief and I wanted more. But I knew that it wasn't true. I knew that my exhaustion and desperation made me emotionally vulnerable to this false Gospel. I'm educated and well read. I've haven't just read the Bible, I've translated large chunks of it from the original Hebrew and Greek. I think I understand it. I think I have a relatively significant level of discernment. But for a moment, I was emotionally vulnerable to this false doctrine.
What about the millions of others who are desperate, searching, hoping and vulnerable without the discernment? We owe it to them to not tolerate a false gospel any longer.
If you made it to the end of this blog post, congratulations. This is a thick and heavy subject. Even though I've written much, this only begins to scratch the surface of the repugnant nature of the Prosperity Gospel.