Posted on 11/01/2014 6:38:45 AM PDT by Gamecock
Let’s begin with a pop quiz. If I told you a well-known public figure did the following:
Which side would you say such a person is on?
The “person” in question here is none other than Joel Osteen, otherwise known as “America’s Pastor.”
Pastor of what exactly is open to interpretation, depending on the prevailing winds of pop culture and what helps pad the bank account at the time.
It’s been said the greatest trick the devil ever pulled is convincing the world he doesn’t exist. Satan doesn’t usually show up in a bright red suit and a pitchfork. No, the devil knows we are visually and sensually driven creatures. So Satan is usually glamorous, titillating, and smiling with a bright double-decker of pearly whites. Never forget the most poisonous serpents are often the prettiest.
We fall for it because we judge based on what’s on the outside, and from the outside Joel Osteen has it going on. He lives in a $10 million mansion with his movie-star gorgeous wife. He’s the rare 51-year old man with six-pack abs. His publicity tours generate so much demand scalpers can ask for up to $850 per ticket. He renovated a NBA team’s old arena for $105 million to house the nation’s largest “church” there. His estimated net worth is at least $40 million.
From the outside, Joel Osteen lives a life the world covets. There’s just one problem with that. I can’t think of a single truly great figure in the 2,000-year history of Christianity who didn’t pay some kind of worldly price for defending the faith—beginning with Christ himself at the Cross. On the other hand, it seems as if the world is paying Osteen quite handsomely for the self-esteem gospel according to Joel.
By the way, while the Cross where Christ died for the sins of the world is the most recognized symbol in history, you won’t find one of those at Osteen’s “church.” You won’t find too much talk about suffering, sin, and salvation, either. Instead, you’ll find a lot of shiny, happy people. Just like Joel Osteen. A team always takes on the characteristics of its (life) coach. After being beaten, imprisoned, ship-wrecked, and beheaded for his beliefs, the Apostle Paul who wrote most of the New Testament would be unrecognizable to Osteen’s adherents.
Happiness draws a crowd. We all want to be happy. The problem is what often makes us happy are the instruments of our destruction. For example, we do drugs to be happy, which is why we call it “getting high” and not “getting low.”
But God sees what’s on the inside. And what He sees is that something is very wrong with the inside of us. We’re spiteful, greedy, selfish, dishonest, lustful, prideful, and at times capable of unspeakable evil.
Despite what the progressives claim, we’re not getting any better, either. Nowadays parents sue for “wrongful birth” because they didn’t get the chance to kill their own kids before they were born, and moms publicly boast about “wishing everyday” they could kill their children. The 20th century was the most technologically advanced, prosperous, and educated century in human history—and also the bloodiest.
Thankfully, Joel Osteen is right about one thing. God is good, and He does want what’s best for us. That’s why He sent His Son into the world. Not to condemn the world, but so that through Him the world may be saved from its own (our) wickedness. Unfortunately, this is not the message preached in any of Osteen’s sermons, books, or DVDs.
Meanwhile, in Osteen’s hometown of Houston, the lesbian mayor he prayed a blessing over when she took office has been busy trying to intimidate the church into silencing its public witness. While his peers were being threatened with persecution, Osteen was silent. But cut Osteen some slack, he’s got “A Night of Hope” events booked all over the country. He’s a little preoccupied at the moment, and paying customers get their hope first. It says so right there in the contract.
So why wasn’t “America’s Pastor” singled out for standing up to his pagan mayor’s attempt to redefine morality in his city? When you learn the answer to that question, you’ll know why Osteen is so popular. A culture drowning in its own selfishness, arrogance, and materialism can’t get enough of the forked-tongue philosophy he’s peddling.
Osteen isn’t preaching the Gospel. He’s preaching quicksand.
Here is a typical Osteen thread. This is useless.
“Debate of any kind is not appropriate on a devotional thread. They are closed, i.e. to be treated as if they are occurring behind the closed doors of a church.” -Religion Moderator
1 posted on October 31, 2014, 7:28:36 PM CDT by Vision
Comment #3 Removed by Moderator
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That’s why open threads like this one on Osteen are so valuable.
Between Vision & his moderator shutting down free speech on Osteen's satanic thread, we see how leftwing marxist thought control works.
How about a regular anti-cultist thread? We could point out all the false pastors leading their flocks astray.
James 4
11†Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother †and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12There is one Lawgiver, †who is able to save and to destroy. †Who are you to judge another?
Nelson, Thomas (2009-02-18). Holy Bible, New King James Version (NKJV) (p. 1171). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
That's of brothers.
There's no indication that Osteen is a believer.
The other thing is, error is to be exposed.
We are commanded to use discernment in testing the spirits to see if they are of God or not.
We HAVE to judge to do that.
It appears that what escapes the notice of most people is that we judge every day of our lives. We are always in the position of making a determination of whether something is true or not, safe or not, advisable or not. That all requires making judgments.
And judging that someone is good is also a judgment, except that you never hear anyone quoting *Do not judge* at someone when they say something good about someone. It's only when the judgment is unfavorable, EVEN WHEN IT'S TRUE, that people are pummeled with verses about not judging.
If people don't use discernment and make sound judgments, they are open to all kinds of deception. It has to be done, but must be done according to God's standards. And that includes exposing false teachings and false teachers.
I never speak poorly of a brother.
The thing that escapes many here is that Osteen is not a brother. He is a ravenous wolf.
Gamecock has a *YBPDLN=Your Best Purpose Driven Life Now ping list that kind of fills that role, as least as far as pinging out threads about mega church pastors.
People could post threads about the false teachings out there in Evangelicalism, especially the Word of Faith movement, and the prosperity gospel,
There are websites which deal a lot with the likes of Hinn, Osteen, Copeland, etc...
It would be easy enough to find articles that deal with them.
THANKS for posting this -—
VERY needed.
Not only for FR, but for the USA.
I want to thank you for opening my eyes.
I have been a born again Christian since I was a young man. I grew up in a church that brother Adrian Rogers started, Spent many Sundays mornings listening to brother Rogers’ sermons.
About 25 years ago I rededicated my live to Christ and have spent many hours in prayer and the Word before making any life decisions. I honestly believed I was following God’s plan for my life.
About 5 years ago, when my job went away, I happened across one of Joel Osteen’s sermons. I was encouraged because I believed God actually did want the best for me and my family.
But now, as I lose my home of 20 years, my wife has been “Baked Acted” because of a reaction to the drugs some quack doctor prescribed her, I can’t pay my ISP bill, can’t pay my cell phone bill, Can’t pay my insurance premium (car or health) I have exhausted any retirement savings trying to keep things running while I look for work, I realize he was lying to me.
“Do a FRper mail letter to the Relgion Moderator. Problem solve.”
I have tried many times to show to the Religious Admin that Osteen posts should at least be debated but have lost on every occasion.
May God bless you as you strive to make ends, I pray that you will find the job that God has in store for you.
Adrian Rogers was a great preacher in the Southern Baptist convention and served three terms as president of that body. Brother Rogers has been gone for nine years and I still hear some of his sermons on TV and radio.
Again God Bless you!
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