Joel Osteen: Man of God or Man of the People?

[rockytopva]

Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust in him. - Isaiah 36:6

I leaned on the Joel Osteen ministries and I was cut as the reed broke.

 

[LaSorcia]

Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust in him. - Isaiah 36:6

I leaned on the Joel Osteen ministries and I was cut as the reed broke.

I'm sorry you had such a horrible experience with any church or ministry. And for trying to do a nice deed as well. I'm so glad it didn't turn you off God!

 

[dayhiker]

a few of Joel's sermons over the years. Had no problem with them.

 

[HarvestTheFields]

I have friends who aren't religious. They say that people like Osteen leave a bitter taste in their mouths. The way he lives in opulence throws my agnostic friends offs. They say it makes the church look greedy.

I don't want to judge him as a person, but he definetely has a negative impact on how Christianity is perceived.

 

[LastSeven]

So very true.

 

[Hannah♥]

I begged God every day to save my father-in-law from brain cancer. And God didn't save him. So for a year afterwards, I convinced myself it was foolish to talk to God, because He has no control over what is happening here on earth. If it weren't for Joel Osteen, I wouldn't have ever realized that my faith in God is powerful and it can prevail and I can find comfort in prayer again.

 

[ReformedJen]

It is sad to me when people support Joel and Joyce Meyer. They are the false prophets the bible spoke of that would rise up and fool even the very elite.

 

[Incredible Transformation]

Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust in him. - Isaiah 36:6

I leaned on the Joel Osteen ministries and I was cut as the reed broke.

So sorry you had such a bad experience with him. I don't believe he is a Christian at all. There are others on TV that are about the same. I had an issue with the teaching of one person on TV. I called to ask them about it and they told be because of staff cuts they couldn't talk to me about it. They really don't want to hear anything when challenged.

 

[rockytopva]

I believe that the churches are seven...

Ephesus - Messianic - Beginning with the Apostle to the Circumcision, Peter
Smyrna - Martyr - Beginning with the Apostle to the Un-Circumcision, Peter
Pergamos - Orthodoxy formed in this time... Pergos is a tower... Needed in the dark ages
Thyatira - Catholicism formed in this time - The spirit of Jezebel is to control and to dominate.
Sardis - Protestantism formed in this time- A sardius is a gem - elegant yet hard and rigid
Philadelphia - Wesleyism formed in this time - To be sanctioned is to acquire it with love.
Laodicea - Charismatic movement formed in this time - Beginning with DL Moody, the first to make money off of ministry

You really must watch Laodicean people. They refer to their churches and ministries as third parities. There are times when I hear the phrase, "We have got to protect our church," or, "We have got to look out for our ministry," as if it is an organization apart from Man, God, and sometimes as a justification from the evil of a money making machine.

DL Moody first got this started when he and Ira Sankey began selling hymnals. And it annoyed the English while they were over there that they were not giving proceeds back into the community. In the years after the great Chicago fire, Moody's wealthy Chicago supporter John V. Farwell tried to persuade him to make his permanent home in Chicago, offering to build a new house for Moody and his family. But the newly famous Moody chose the tranquil farm he had purchased next door to his birthplace in Northfield, Massachusetts. He felt he could better recover from his lengthy and exhausting preaching trips in a rural setting.

Now I am not saying that the Laodicean minister, including Joel Osteen, is not saved, however I do accuse them of making a money making racket off Christianity. They can get incredibly wealthy off ministry and I believe they do and say things to make themselves more money and advance their ministry. This is also true of the Billy Graham ministries. In 2008 Franklin Graham made $535,000 from Samaritan's Purse and $669,000 from Charlotte, N.C.-based BGEA (http://www.cleveland.com/nation/index.ssf/2009/10/franklin_graham_moves_to_addre.html). Earlier this year Franklin Graham 's pay raise to $880,000 reportedly raised eyebrows (http://religionnews.com/2015/08/18/...y-raises-eyebrows-among-christian-nonprofits/).

 

[Linet Kihonge]

Revelation has been alive all this time!!! I feel like rebuking all the churches that have predated this verse to 1st Century AD.

 

[4x4toy]

John 21:21-22 Joel is not my cup of tea per se .. I have enough to worry about with me

 

[Incredible Transformation]

I believe that the churches are seven...

Ephesus - Messianic - Beginning with the Apostle to the Circumcision, Peter
Smyrna - Martyr - Beginning with the Apostle to the Un-Circumcision, Peter
Pergamos - Orthodoxy formed in this time... Pergos is a tower... Needed in the dark ages
Thyatira - Catholicism formed in this time - The spirit of Jezebel is to control and to dominate.
Sardis - Protestantism formed in this time- A sardius is a gem - elegant yet hard and rigid
Philadelphia - Wesleyism formed in this time - To be sanctioned is to acquire it with love.
Laodicea - Charismatic movement formed in this time - Beginning with DL Moody, the first to make money off of ministry

You really must watch Laodicean people. They refer to their churches and ministries as third parities. There are times when I hear the phrase, "We have got to protect our church," or, "We have got to look out for our ministry," as if it is an organization apart from Man, God, and sometimes as a justification from the evil of a money making machine.

DL Moody first got this started when he and Ira Sankey began selling hymnals. And it annoyed the English while they were over there that they were not giving proceeds back into the community. In the years after the great Chicago fire, Moody's wealthy Chicago supporter John V. Farwell tried to persuade him to make his permanent home in Chicago, offering to build a new house for Moody and his family. But the newly famous Moody chose the tranquil farm he had purchased next door to his birthplace in Northfield, Massachusetts. He felt he could better recover from his lengthy and exhausting preaching trips in a rural setting.

Now I am not saying that the Laodicean minister, including Joel Osteen, is not saved, however I do accuse them of making a money making racket off Christianity. They can get incredibly wealthy off ministry and I believe they do and say things to make themselves more money and advance their ministry. This is also true of the Billy Graham ministries. In 2008 Franklin Graham made $535,000 from Samaritan's Purse and $669,000 from Charlotte, N.C.-based BGEA (http://www.cleveland.com/nation/index.ssf/2009/10/franklin_graham_moves_to_addre.html). Earlier this year Franklin Graham 's pay raise to $880,000 reportedly raised eyebrows (http://religionnews.com/2015/08/18/...y-raises-eyebrows-among-christian-nonprofits/).

So is it wrong with making money off your ministry? Look at how wealthy the Catholic Church was in their day. I don't think that making money is the reason the church is Laodicean. It's the spirit, or lack thereof, in the church today that makes it Laodicean. Try to go into any church and bring the Holy Spirit and they don't want it. You really don't want to know what I think of Joel Osteen. Are false prophets saved?

 

[rockytopva]

So is it wrong with making money off your ministry? Look at how wealthy the Catholic Church was in their day. I don't think that making money is the reason the church is Laodicean. It's the spirit, or lack thereof, in the church today that makes it Laodicean. Try to go into any church and bring the Holy Spirit and they don't want it. You really don't want to know what I think of Joel Osteen. Are false prophets saved?

I do not mind people making money off of ministry. When people like Franklin Graham, who runs the Samaritan's Purse, take in annual salaries up to 1 million dollars a year it makes me wonder why they are in it. If they truly loved and cared for the poor it seems like to me they would run the organization for far less.

 

[Albion]

Joel Osteen begins each of his "sermons" with the following creed, encouraging the audience to recite it along with him.

“This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have. I can do what it says I can do. Today I will be taught the word of God. I boldly confess my mind is alert, my heart is receptive; I'll never be the same. In Jesus name, God bless you.”

What a way to open the hearts and minds of your audience to whatever it is you're about to sell them, having them believe that they are about to hear the word of God.

I haven't watched a lot of Osteen's preaching but what I have seen is deeply disturbing. The focus in his message clearly is on positive thinking and "happy thoughts

Well, that's why it's called "the Good News."

 

[Incredible Transformation]

I do not mind people making money off of ministry. When people like Franklin Graham, who runs the Samaritan's Purse, take in annual salaries up to 1 million dollars a year it makes me wonder why they are in it. If they truly loved and cared for the poor it seems like to me they would run the organization for far less.

That's a bit much I must agree. These people say they have ministries but take large salaries for themselves and build huge homes. It makes me wonder where their heart is also. We need to take care of ourselves and pay our bills but they overdue it a lot.

 

[Carrythecross]

I have a self supported mission in Mexico to feed the poor. I have no church sponsors and ran out of money so I had to return to America at 60 years old to go back to work.

I can tell you this, with a huge house and a mega church, the "missions" staff does not return emails or phone calls for help. From my own personal experience, they love taking your money but won't even give you the time for a pre written denial. I was truly stunned. I spent my own money growing the crops and feeding the poor and they won't even return a call or an email from the missions department. As far as I am concerned, they are a money mill bilking Christians out of their money as Joel and his wife fly around on their private jet, bought by tithes.

 

[GQ Chris]

Joel is a typical pimping pastor. He's a savvy religionist masquerading as a Christian Pastor.

 

[Carrythecross]

I have a self supported mission in Mexico to feed the poor. I have no church sponsors and ran out of money so I had to return to America at 60 years old to go back to work.

I can tell you this, with a huge house and a mega church, the "missions" staff does not return emails or phone calls for help. From my own personal experience, they love taking your money but won't even give you the time for a pre written denial. I was truly stunned. I spent my own money growing the crops and feeding the poor and they won't even return a call or an email from the missions department. As far as I am concerned, they are a money mill bilking Christians out of their money as Joel and his wife fly around on their private jet, bought by tithes.

 

[Carrythecross]

Oops, Me thinks I uploaded too much. But this is my effort, I have the land, I just need the funds to feed these people. Look at the house, it is made of bamboo and scraps. I don't know how many kids live there. But they sleep on the kitchen table so the rats won't bite them as they sleep on the floor at night.

Hello Joel Osteen, can you spare a few bucks for this mission? No reply.

 

[dude99]

He ends every sermon with a call to be born again.

I get what Joel is doing by not preaching the divisiveness of the gospel. As soon as you say "Jesus is the only way", you shut a lot of lost people's ears off to what you're saying. And while us Christians in a corner can say, "Fine and good! As it should be!"

If your purpose is to get lost people saved, and not preach to the choir, sometimes a different approach is needed. Christ, for example, would not always give the gospel or reveal he was the Messiah, such as with the rich young ruler. In that case, Christ gave the man lesser truths to help lead him toward the ultimate truth for one day in the future.

Joel's church is big. From what I hear, he has people from other religions attending.

If he tries to go deep into Christian theology, deep as the gospel even, you're going to be talking over the heads of 20% of the crowd most likely. The gospel is actually advanced theology. Before I could accept it I had to first learn "There is a God!" then I had to get to, "Good vs. Evil (the law)"... then I had to realize I couldn't accomplish the law. During this time I learned about faith and how to pray to God and believe God for things. Then after I learned how to believe God for miracles and good things, then I got saved.

But I could have never got to the salvation end where I arrive at the gospel and my need for it, without the ground work being laid. The Jews in scripture had the ground work laid already. They knew all this stuff, even the law, and many knew that salvation was only by the grace of God.

But many people today, have trouble with Genesis 1:1. To begin with the gospel can work, but if so, only by miracles signs and wonders, certainly not because anyone understands it.

So I view Joel as a good person to teach about how to believe God for something. And then he gives the call to make Christ your Lord. Then after he is your Lord you can learn the theology of the gospel on your own so you can make sense of it. But how do you have faith to believe to be saved, if you have never had faith before? You got to start somewhere I think.

This is an excellent post. I have listened to several of Joel sermons and I found it really helpful at that time. Of course no church out there is perfect, even from ones that appear more evangelical. The reason why no church out there is perfect is due to the brokenness of people out there. I have had great experiences in churches like Joel and fundamentalist ones, but I have also been hurt as well in them.