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
Surely I didn't; for I was not the One who CARVED THE WORDS INTO STONE.
Yes, I am because that bedroom IS his residence.
Isn't that special!
Required and a LAW, now Optional and a SUGGESTION.
Quite convenient For a Church that has NEVER erred on... what is it again?
LOL!
If you tried to do 160 MPH in that ML with the raised roof it would lift the front wheels off the ground. :o)
*****”It was because they were taking Jesus words literally to mean they had to eat His literal human flesh just like the Catholics do now.”*****
Actually, it wasn’t because they were taking Jesus literally, it was because they did not truly believe in Jesus and therefore did not fully trust in Him and therefore, did not understand how what He was saying could happen.
The others, the ones who also took Jesus literally did as we all should do when asked if this hard saying will cause us to leave,
“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We now believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”
I'm a REALLY good sinner; but please don't use me as an example or an excuse.
I consider myself saved by grace; as you do.
I also consider myself kept by the same grace. I do NOT beat myself up over any 'rules' my chosen denomination has set before me that I've failed to follow to the letter.
Metmom: The Lord's Supper in not cannibalism.
Cannibalism is eating dead parts of a deceased human person.
The Eucharist --- the true food and true drink of the Lord's Supper --- is not dead; is not parts; and is not from a deceased human person. So it's not cannibalism in any way, shape or form.
It's the entire, intact, undivided being of a living Divine Person, namely Jesus Christ: Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity: a Divine Person Who assumed a human nature in the Incarnation; Who was born of the Virgin Mary; Who was crucified and died; Who rose from the dead; and Whose Resurrected Body has properties that no human being can fathom. Entirely unfettered by the laws of physics of this Universe, entirely transformed, beyond everything we know of earthly matter and energy, unfettered by time and space.
This is the Person we receive.
No, sorry. The Catholic church has one teaching. It is in a book called the Catechism (which happens to be Greek for teachings).
Insofar as any individual Catholic disagrees they are incorrect.
If you cant see how this is entirely different from the Protestan Sola Scriptura individually led to truth by the Spirit chaos, then i am sorry.
Well...
We've got all those YOU's in Matthew that are, apparently, different in the Greek. The English does not indicate the singularity or plurality of them.
Are you honestly implying that learning about the God of The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is not the God you are serving?
Because that is really saying something. Do you understand what you are saying?
Why do you have two images on your FR homepage?
Do you always make fun of what Jesus said?
John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. 64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.
You see. In the end of His words when many left He explained rather clearly that it was not the literal flesh. Catholics like to leave that part of the passage off don’t they.
Matthew 15:17 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?
Make sport of what Jesus all you want but understand the implications and consequences.
Not quite.
That's how the RCC states it.
WE state it thus:
"If something isn't in the Bible, then it isn't NECCESSARY FOR salvation".
Mary is more than just special. It amazes me how anyone could be so cavalier about the enormity of her role and place in salvation history.She is singular, unique in a way that no one before or since or forever will be. There is no comparing her to any prophet or saint as she is the only person to truly hold the living incarnate God within her own body as He became Man. And during that time, He did not cease to be God.
Mary is most blessed to be chosen to bear the Savior, but clearly no more than any other servant God has chosen to work through.
Luke 7:28 I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
Acts 13:22 And when he had removed him, he raised up David> to be their king, of whom he testified and said, I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’
Acts 6:8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people.
Mary is not listed among the "Hall of Fame" of saints in Heb 11.
No one prays to Mary in scripture, She is not recorded saying anything like the Fatima or Medjugorje statements. She is not a leader in the church. She is last mentioned being given by the Lord to be under the care of John (the disciple Jesus Loved).
Mary was a wonderful hero of the Faith and Saint and fullfiled her role and faded from the scene like John the Baptist. John 3:30 "He must increase, but I must decrease.”
Dogma is not discipline.
That is Catholic 101. Rules are rules. They are not unchangeable dogma.
Apples and oranges.
Where does it say that Mary has turned to dust?
I'm astounded that a CATHOLIC asks for PROOF of something about Mary while claiming all SORTS of things for her by using bits and pieces of disparate Scripture.
How utterly naïve.
If you don’t want to deal with the Council of Jerusalem, don’t deal with it. I understand. Complicated and all.
I illustrate my case!
in the Gospel this week (luke 13:22-30) for many I tell you will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then you will stand outside knocking and saying "Lord, open the door for us" but He will reply, I do not know where you are from......sounds to me like there may be some obstacles at the gates of Heaven.
Maybe He will say "I came to Earth and established the Catholic religion for you to follow......but No, you decided that you could do it better by yourselves.....what did I know about the way I wanted things done."
"so, go at it, do it your way, see if your results are as good as those that I had in mind for you......good luck with that."
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