On Sunday, January 17, 2010, Joel Osteen's message was titled "Understanding Your Value." Naturally, it was another feel-good sermon.
The main message was that we are not to judge our value by what others say about us, or think about us, or by what we have done or not done in our lives. He pointed out that if we judge our value by what others think, sooner or later even our loved ones are going to deal us a blow.
Instead, he said, we are to value ourselves by what God thinks of us. Osteen used a few Scripture passages to show us how valuable we are in God's eyes.
However, it is what Osteen didn't say that was so deadly. In the first 24 minutes of his 28 minute message, he did not mention the name Jesus Christ even once. Over and over, he mentioned God. He said that we were the children of the Most High, children of God, valuable in God's eyes, etc.
A practitioner of Judaism would have had absolutely no problem with Osteen's message. A Jehovah's Witness, a Mormon, would have had no problem with Osteen's message. They would all agree that they were children of God, even though they most likely were not!
It wasn't until the last four minutes that Joel Osteen even mentioned the name of Jesus, and the majority of that was made up of an illustration of how various trees had high hopes for themselves but had been cut down, only to end up as a cradle, a boat and a cross for Jesus.
Osteen wrapped up the sermon by asking people who hadn't done so to make Jesus the Lord of their lives. In the prayer those people were to repent of their sins and make Jesus their Lord and Savior.
So what was missing? There was nothing about people being poor, miserable sinners, totally lost in their sins, headed to certain destruction, eternal punishment in hell, without Jesus Christ. When people have a light view of their sins, they will have a light view of the Gospel. There was nothing about God Himself coming to earth as a Man to die on a cross in order to save us from that certain destruction. There was nothing about Jesus rising from the dead, victorious over sin, death and the devil. There was nothing about there being no other name under Heaven by which we can be saved. There is nothing about us receiving Christ's perfect holiness and righteousness as a free gift.
In other words, Joel Osteen did not really present the Gospel to his followers. A person who walked into his service with the idea was God was just some intelligent being somewhere out there in the universe would have left with the same impression, and they would have walked out of there just as lost in their sins as when they entered. That is the deadly message of Joel Osteen.
Joel Osteen has said that digging deep into the Scriptures and preaching about sin is “not my main calling.” He has a congregation of more than forty thousand people, in addition to millions who watch him weekly on television rather than attending a regular church. He is, in effect, their pastor. If he isn’t going to faithfully preach the gospel to them, then who will?
Comments
Perhaps he is simply a symbol of the changing tide in religion for this country & the world. Old ways of claiming we are born sinners and only Jesus can Save us are quickly becoming seen as the lie they are.
We are human, God is divine, for us to claim absolute knowledge of divinity while walking in a human body is rather ignorant. To say that ONE path to knowing God is the ONLY one & TRUE way is beyond ignorance.
Instead of being angry or sad that YOUR personal version of religion is petering out, celebrate the surge of social acceptance of spirituality into our lives and stop focusing on the little details-details that you insist are the ONLY truth when in fact they aren't truth at all.
Olsteen is more of a "religious motivational speaker". Unfortunately "MOST" say they believe in Christ Jesus as our Savior but do not feed themselves daily with the gospel. I'm a Seventh-Day Adventist and have read his writtings and even attended a preaching and I like what he has to say but, it's the first step to Christ he's offering any many do not understand that.
Joel is like the greeter at WalMart. He gives people (those who know very little or nothing at all) a new insight to who God is and what He's all about. Once they get a taste and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior and ALLOW the Holy Spirit into their lives God can take over "BUT", one must "FULLY SURRENDER" to get off the baby's food and begin with the real meat and potatoes. It's a slower process for some, just like aging.
I hope this gave you a new perspective to what Joel is actually doing.
Or,
There are hundreds of religions in the world but they will all become extinct near the end. Why? Because before the second coming of Christ, the "Remnant Church" (as in the original for the begining of time also known as the bride) will come back into play and only those who have a true relationship with Jesus Christ will be it's congregation.
Jesus said, "I am the way, nobody enters my Fathers kingdom unless they come thru to me"...sounds like the "only path" to me since He didn't give any other routes, how about you?
Who died for all of our (including you and me) sins so we can have enternal life? We're given only two choices, accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, surrender fully and your given eternal life. Choice number two is, don't and you won't.
Social acceptance? God says your ways are not my ways along with Blessed are those who keep my ways. "Social ways"? I thnik not.
I hope you're willing to seek the truth and not just go by what the general po
no hablo ingles y menos lo entiendo,pero termine el libro 7 pasas para vivir mjor me cambio mi vida pero todavia me falta mucho. es buenisimo
I enjoy listening to Joel Olsteen and have read one of his books. However, if I want to hear a pastor, an evangelist preach a sermon, I turn to one who preaches the Word of God, the Holy Bible and one who preaches the Cross of Christ , our way of Salvation and entry to Heaven to live with Him eternally. Sorry Joel, you don't preach this.
Anonymous: Trouble is, for those in his congregation that IS their church and they aren't likely to hear much Gospel. Likewise, many who watch on TV don't attend church, so the only "Christianity" they hear is Osteen's version.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!