Thoughts on Joel Osteen

[smaller]

So you think that churches that perform gay marriages aren't Christian and you acknowledge that a gay marriage is a celebration of sin, but you don't think it is hypocritical to attend, joining in that celebration?


Where does loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength fall into the picture then, the first and greatest commandment, according to Jesus?

Mar 12:28 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, "Which commandment is the most important of all?"
Mar 12:29 Jesus answered, "The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Mar 12:30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'
Mar 12:31 The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." (ESV)

It really looks like you've put the second one first.

Christians in general have a poor understanding of sin, particularly when faced with examining their own.

 

[Brother Mike]

As you said, there are not enough hours in the day. I don't have the time to sit here and go through all he has said or written. I've seen enough and heard enough from numerous people and websites that there is good reason to believe he doesn't preach the whole gospel and I simply have no desire to listen to him.

Well, OK. Fair enough.

Willie, the stories, proved true and factual, over and over are not disputable. At some point we must fall into obedience or question ourselves, "Do we serve the Risen Saviour?" Jesus told us that if we love Him, we will obey His Commands. (John 14:23) For this reason my first rule of Hermeneutics stands because should we fail to read all of scripture and to consider all of scripture when we seek God's understanding of any scripture.

Scripture, like God is one complete package, to use popular vernacular. And scripture, parted out, is not the Word of God, the Old Testament and the, seeming, changes in God between the Old and the New Testaments that, as per Mal 3:6, are not changes at all but are man made misconceptions.

We should question ourselves, are we serving the Lord Jesus in the way He said? That is subject to faith, obedience, and understanding. In my opinion, anyone that names Jesus should not be afraid to lay hands on the sick, and fully expect them to recover, should cast out devils if the opportunity presents itself. Should not have any doubts, fears, or unbelief come from them.

Most everyone that names Jesus as their Lord do not meet my expectation of what they should be doing and what they should believe. I am not their Lord though, I am not the author and finisher of their faith, and I have to be real careful about how I treat them.

It's not about just living right, it's about doing what He would do, and obeying His direction in all things. Most believers don't even know your suppose to be hearing God and doing what He said do. They do their own thing, and Hope God blesses it.

This is why I am so against tearing down another person. I am not in their shoes, they are not in mine.

 

[turnorburn]

How does Joel preach on sin which books does he preach from?

tob

 

[Willie T]

I wasn't really trying, and I counted around twenty times Joel spoke "Bible" here without quoting Scripture as some of you feel a preacher is required to do.... not to mention the many times he quoted the exact Bible words from Scripture.... and had it written on the screen for you to read.

 

[Corn Pop]

Best thing about Joel is that hes positive in a negative world. He is a rare person who can lift the spirits of people who are down and out. He gives depressed people hope. He is a great councillor. I believe that is his calling. To turn negative tjinking into positive. Hes not a pastor but a councillor. Scripture says people will have different gifts to offer.

 

[Willie T]

In my opinion, someone has to either be blind, deaf, or an outright hater to find something wrong with that sermon I just posted.

 

[jasonc]

I find it quite sad and disappointing that a number of posters are not reasoning through what I have been saying but instead are making certain assumptions and then either arguing to points I am not making or arguing to points that have no real bearing on the subject matter at hand.

Going to a gay wedding seems to imply--I don't see how it can't--that one approves and celebrates, with the wedding couple and other guests, that gay marriage is okay and even good, that it is something worth celebrating. But that is a clear contradiction with Scripture. It also really seems quite contradictory to say that one disapproves of gay marriage or that churches aren't Christian that perform such marriages, but then believe that it is okay as a Christian to attend a gay marriage.

Now please note that this has absolutely nothing to do with having homosexual friends--eating with them, having them in your house, etc.--or talking to homosexuals at work or on the street. Those are not moral issues. Gay marriage is a moral issue.

If it is true that by being a Christian and going to a gay marriage implies that that Christian supports such unbiblical unions, then that is not at all showing God's love or grace as it tells those who are aware that they are okay where they are, that God also supports gay marriage and the homosexual lifestyle.

I never said I would.

 

[jasonc]

In my opinion, someone has to either be blind, deaf, or an outright hater to find something wrong with that sermon I just posted.

I have no care for his style but we should listen to him first ,honestly I have been told to quote the bible in apologetic and theology forum.yet what I post is biblical.that's my method.I prefer since it's a saved audience to grant them the respect that they should know the bible basics.

 

[Corn Pop]

All Joel uses is testimonies. I guess most of them are other peoples he shares. Nothing like listening to negative stories turn into a positive. Its what keeps people coming back.

 

[Blake]

I have made a radical change in the way I look at these mega church preachers. Lately I have been so fed by Joyce Meyers and TD Jakes that I can't put it into words. I will not judge them. We all see things as though through a dark mirror, and every single one of us, no exceptions, have a lot to learn. I've began to consider that if I myself were discredited entirely every time I was incorrect on an issue, then I would never, at any point, have any credence. I certainly would never have any sort of ministry. I can't in good conscience take something which is most likely out of context, hold it over someone's head and denounce them as a heretic. I have seen too much good in some of their teachings from that.

In a nutshell: Don't discredit someone because we are all still learning. They're taking what they know, spreading the Gospel and helping a lot of people in unique ways. Until we take it upon ourselves to do the same, or until we can say without a doubt that we have it all figured out, we shouldn't cast judgment. I've heard nothing that was utterly heretical from these ministers and, even in the cases of their characters being flawed publicly, every one of us are just crooked sticks which God sometimes uses to draw straight lines.

God has been dealing with my heart a lot lately.

 

[Willie T]

All Joel uses is testimonies. I guess most of them are other peoples he shares. Nothing like listening to negative stories turn into a positive. Its what keeps people coming back.

And, of course, you didn't listen to that video, did you? (Go ahead. Tell me that you don't have to.......... that you KNOW.)

 

[turnorburn]

I wasn't really trying, and I counted around twenty times Joel spoke "Bible" here without quoting Scripture as some of you feel a preacher is required to do.... not to mention the many times he quoted the exact Bible words from Scripture.... and had it written on the screen for you to read.

That isn't what i asked..

tob

 

[Corn Pop]

And, of course, you didn't listen to that video, did you? (Go ahead. Tell me that you don't have to.......... that you KNOW.)

I didnt watch it cause i dont have to. I dont have a spare hour to listen to Joel. I have better things to do. But im sure other people have time.

 

[th1b.taylor]

Well, OK. Fair enough.



We should question ourselves, are we serving the Lord Jesus in the way He said? That is subject to faith, obedience, and understanding. In my opinion, anyone that names Jesus should not be afraid to lay hands on the sick, and fully expect them to recover, should cast out devils if the opportunity presents itself. Should not have any doubts, fears, or unbelief come from them.

Most everyone that names Jesus as their Lord do not meet my expectation of what they should be doing and what they should believe. I am not their Lord though, I am not the author and finisher of their faith, and I have to be real careful about how I treat them.

It's not about just living right, it's about doing what He would do, and obeying His direction in all things. Most believers don't even know your suppose to be hearing God and doing what He said do. They do their own thing, and Hope God blesses it.

This is why I am so against tearing down another person. I am not in their shoes, they are not in mine.

And your reasoning here is a very good beginning point but we cannot camp out there and ignore the rest of the Bible.

 

[evenifigoalone]

So far as Joel Osteen is concerned, I don't feel strongly about him one way or the other. He helps some people and in my experience sometimes has good things to say. I do think he takes a lot out of context, though. (But then all of us seem to do this to some degree or another.) I also think that God can use someone to encourage you, and it doesn't make them necessarily right or wrong overall.

 

[th1b.taylor]

I wasn't really trying, and I counted around twenty times Joel spoke "Bible" here without quoting Scripture as some of you feel a preacher is required to do.... not to mention the many times he quoted the exact Bible words from Scripture.... and had it written on the screen for you to read.

Willie,
the thousands in what was the Basketball platform for years do not see the screen and if I teach the Bible, in that arena, they will not see the edited version, perhaps at all. And Victoria has repeatedly disqualified both of them with her mouth, once being reported on, nationally, when she got them kicked off a SW Flight. There are a litney of issues, not the least of which is the list of openly professing and openly practicing, rich, homosexuals on Staff. And the issues go down hill from there. Maybe before you correct me you should spend a year in service in that assembly... maybe?

 

[th1b.taylor]

So far as Joel Osteen is concerned, I don't feel strongly about him one way or the other. He helps some people and in my experience sometimes has good things to say. I do think he takes a lot out of context, though. (But then all of us seem to do this to some degree or another.) I also think that God can use someone to encourage you, and it doesn't make them necessarily right or wrong overall.

Yes QD, He takes a lot out of context and my opinion of him and her was not formed in just a year or two, as long as the boy has pretended to teach the Gospel, I have been watching and praying for him and his heathen wife.

 

[Brother Mike]

I wasn't really trying, and I counted around twenty times Joel spoke "Bible" here without quoting Scripture as some of you feel a preacher is required to do.... not to mention the many times he quoted the exact Bible words from Scripture.... and had it written on the screen for you to read.

Joel sounds a whole like lot what folks here believe. IN the dark places is where we grow, A place God can use to teach us to trust Him. .

 

[Jethro Bodine]

I suppose the teetotalers among us would consider the wedding for which Jesus made more than 908 bottles of wine to be a drunken brawl. Then why did He attend?

Drinking in and of itself is not a sin.
It's impossible to put a positive spin on homosexual marriage. There is no right and approved way to be a practicing homosexual.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

My thoughts about Joel are that I think he preaches a prosperity gospel and should be handled with caution. From a motivational perspective, he might have something to offer but from a Christian perspective I think he could be dangerous.

This is where I'm at with him.
If your heart is pure you'll get the truth out of what he says.
If you have a golden idol in your heart you will get what serves that idol out of what he says.

" 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When any Israelite sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face and then goes to a prophet, I the LORD will answer him myself in keeping with his great idolatry." (Ezekiel 14:4 NIV)

If you are greedy, that idol is what will be served, and that is the message you will walk away with from the hearing of God's message of blessing and prosperity for his people.