Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Megachurch
43,500 weekly attendance
Posted on 08/27/2013 11:53:37 AM PDT by NYer
Megachurch. Two young ladies. Both had left the Catholic Church. Both were now attending “megachurches.” We had a good chat together. I wanted to understand their reasons for why they left the Catholic Church for a megachurch.
Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Megachurch
43,500 weekly attendance
I was at the bank and somehow I got into a spiritual conversation with two Hispanic executives that worked there.
When I asked why they exchanged the Catholic Church for the megachurch, they gave me a number of reasons:
Although these two ladies didn’t articulate it explicitly to me, I could tell that they were very proud of their new churches. I could also discern in them a surprise that I am so “spiritual” and yet I am very excited about being Catholic. They assumed the “with it” people were leaving Catholicism for the bigger and better and deal.
I asked them what they miss about being Catholic. They replied with two answers:
I asked both about the Eucharist: “Don’t you miss the Eucharist?”
This question didn’t phase them one bit. “Oh we still have communion. They pass out little crackers and cups of juice. I like this better because I thought drinking from one big cup is icky. Spreads germs.”
“But in the Catholic Church,” I replied, “we believe that the Eucharist is the real Body and Blood of Jesus?”
I may as well have said, “Don’t you know that there are Martians in my back pocket.” She was unaware that the Catholic Church taught this. No idea.
This, my brothers and sisters, is the crux of the problem. These girls were raised as Catholics, but did not know about the Eucharist. They did not know that the Eucharist is God. They did not understand the Holy Eucharist is the center of the Catholic tradition.
So when they compare our ho-hum Catholic music and pedestrian sermons to snazzy well produced musical productions and highly polished bulleted sermons from handsome professional speakers…where are they going to go?
If they had believed that the Holy Eucharist is truly the Lord Jesus Christ, then they would have stayed. This is the task of the New Evangelization if there is going to be one. Can we communicate the mystery of Eucharist. If we fail in that, everyone is leaving the building.
Godspeed,
Taylor
PS: I don’t mean to suggest that having the Holy Eucharist is an excuse for bad music, bad vestments, bad architecture, and bad sermons. The Eucharist is like a precious diamond. It deserves a platinum setting…not a plastic setting. We can’t say, “Well, we have the Eucharist – so you’re forced to stay and have a miserable experience every Sunday.” We can’t keep the sacraments hostage to mediocracy.
PPS: With 1 billion strong, the Catholic Church is the real megachurch!
Pope Francis at Rio de Janeiro
3 million people
Actually, Jesus told us that NOBODY takes His life, He lays it down of His own accord.
John 10:17-18 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
Do you have so little faith in God that He wouldn’t get His will done regardless of what man does?
I have faith that He could have used rocks if need be.
Luke 19:40 And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.
When are Catholics going to start giving God the credit instead of man?
When you can find some pictures of people bowing down to that statue, lighting candles to it, and praying to it, get back to me.
You must not be reading my posts, I never said that NHCLC said that 94% of Mexicans fleeing to America were Catholic, only that they had been baptized by Catholics.
I also said that the Pew I see gives 70% of foreign born Hispanics in America as currently Catholic, not as having been so the day they fled Mexico.
Many Mexicans leave the Catholic denomination after escaping Mexico.
Listening to how many Catholics put it, God stood, hat in hand, anxiously awaiting for Mary to say "yes." His entire plan rested on this critical piece, and if Mary didn't agree, nobody else would do.
The core error, to my thinking, is that Jesus owes all that he is to what Mary is/was - He forever proceeds from her being. Thus, we have the ubiquitous images of the perpetual, helpless, dependent child Christ forever in the arms of the overpowering, supporting Mary. A picture really does speak a thousand words.
The apostle John tells us that everything we need to know to be saved can be found in his gospel.
John 20:30-31 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
What is going on in those photos, especially the second two?
The Catechism is always a good first place to go to find out what the Church teaches. Otherwise, just ask me. :o)
""Furthermore, many elements of sanctification and of truth" are found outside the visible confines of the Catholic Church: "the written Word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope, and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, as well as visible elements." "Christ's Spirit uses these Churches and ecclesial communities as means of salvation, whose power derives from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has entrusted to the Catholic Church.
"All these blessings come from Christ and lead to him, and are in themselves calls to "Catholic unity."
Christ is using your non-Catholic "ecclesial community" as a "means of salvation" because you as Christians also have the Word, the grace, the faith hope & charity, the Holy Spirit, etc.
So there you go. BASIC!
And we thank Mary for being the handmaid of the Lord that it may be done to her according to His Word.
2 Timothy 3:16,17 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly unto all good works. So while Catholics cling to their traditions and the doctrines of Rome, that may not be the best course. Gal. 1-8 but even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other Gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. Not many Hail Marys,rosary beads or Holy Fathers in their recorded conversations.
Rhetorical question, or did you want an answer?
Hey! That's an idea. Maybe someone should tell Him about it.
I’d be really worried if I were you.
John 12:40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
2 Corinthians 4:4 For the god of this world has blinded the unbelievers’ minds [that they should not discern the truth], preventing them from seeing the illuminating light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ (the Messiah), Who is the Image and Likeness of God. 5 For what we preach is not ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves [merely] as your servants (slaves) for Jesus’ sake.
Catholics really need to take their focus off of man and put it on Christ.
Jesus wasn’t sacrificed on an altar.
Why is the Catholic church putting Him there?
But, we don't have the "correct" Eucharist. Doesn't that damn us?
Jesus told the Apostles to do that at the Last Supper. Remember the words, “Do this in remembrance of me.”???
Or did that get taken out of your Bible?
Acts 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
Isn’t it interesting that he commended them for searching the scriptures>/b> to see if even what he taught was true? Do you “search the scriptures daily” to see if what the RCC teaches is true or is the scripture secondary to what the RCC teaches for you?
I don’t think you read that whole post. What did it say the altar represented?
No, I was curious, especially about the second two, is that something unusual or is that kind of thing common, or normal, among Catholics?
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