Joel Osteen: Why?

So did any of you critics/bashers watch the video I posted the link to in the News Forum?

That's what I thought.

 

But heres the thing..hearts are hurting...People need to hear common sense spoke in a loving Christian attiude. One reason I get into what Joyce says and have read almost all of her books is because she backs up what she says with scripture. I even have her everyday living bible which is her insights backed up with scripture. We live in a world of hurting people I cannot stress that enough i know I am one of them I have lost everything in the last 18 months whats going to happen? God is in control. And people need the word they need the word spoken to them in a way they are going to understand it. Joyce has lived through years of abuse and torment and she chose to share her story in Beauty for Ashes as a way to help those who are hurting. There is no prosperity message about it its about seeking the Lord with healing the emotional scars. With Joel what he says makes alot of sense as well. Fridays devotional really spoke to me. It was called taking off the limits and it talked about taking the limits off of God and really letting Him work in your life I know we are all guilty of that okay God I dont think you can work this out or that out. I am not a person that can just open the bible and study I have tried but I am not built that way so thats why I listen to Joel and Joyce and then back up what they say with the scriptures.

 

no your local church is going to be sitting there with people treating you like you are a 2nd class citizen behind your back with a sunny smile to your face. Thats why hurting people dont want to be in churches anymore and get more comfort from churches on TV and their own time with the Lord.

 

To the best of my knowledge, Joel Osteen has never claimed our best life is NOW. When you read through Paul's epistles, Paul gives instruction but also a message of hope to the church. Phil. 4:19 comes to mind. So does Romans 8:28. The Good News is a message of hope.

 

Not every local church. Not this one. If you've had bad dealings with a church, I'm sorry, but don't lump them all together.

Again, let trouble come, and these TV preachers won't be there. But a local pastor will (at least this one will!).

 

So!!!

And your point of judgment is???:sleeping_2:

 

Wow, Martin. Isn't this the opposite of what you said about witnessing to muslims, that we needed to understand their beliefs so we could witness to them better. And I said we needed to present the simple gospel and the truth and brought up the Jesus Film Ministry. Not trying to hijack this thread or be offensive, but there seems to be a disconnect in your posts where now you are say people need to stand for the truth even if it means offending people.

Well, anyway, back to the OP. The question was posed why people are watching Joel Osteen and I tried to answer. I don't advocate not belong to a local church, but there are a lot of hurting people in the world who just don't feel they "fit in" to our traditional churches and would rather stay home in solitude and scrape their boils with shards than sit at the gate of the city (traditional church) and be spurned or gossipped about or feel lonely in the crowd.

 

I'm sure you're aware that "Your best life now" is the title of one of JO's books.

Yes, Paul gives a message of hope and that hope is our Lord, Jesus Christ, not positive thinking.

 

I watched it. He couldn't bring himself to say that Christ is the only way to heaven.

 

No, I wasn't aware of that.

I wasn't aware that JO says differently, that our hope is positive thinking, not Jesus Christ, as you are implying. JO always gives an invitation to accept Christ at the end of each service.

I must have missed that part of the video where he was asked about the way to heaven. Did you watch the 60-minute video I posted or the Larry King video?

 

I've watched them both and it was the same in both interviews. He will say that he personally believes in Christ, but will not say that He is the only way to the Father. When asked about Muslims or Buddists, he won't commit to anything. He say it's not his job to judge hearts. And he is right about that, but that is not what the interviewers were asking. They asked, "do you believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven?". His response was something like, "well you know, I can't really say. that's something that God has to decide."

 

I will watch the video link again, but I don't recall him saying "well you know, I can't really say. that's something that God has to decide."

 

There is no disputing that. The Pharisees had issues about commandments, too, but Jesus said "the greatest command is to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' And the second is: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' The rest of the commands hang on those two.

Again, I don't advocate not attending church, but have tried to answer the question "why" about Joel Osteen.

Maybe it's not a matter of itching ears as some here would like to call it. Maybe it's a matter of a broken heart or wounded spirit that needs hope and healing. Maybe someone is fighting depression and can't bring themselves to drag themselves out of bed, but there is Joel with a message of hope on the television. Maybe someone is a shut-in. Maybe someone has just lost a son or daughter by suicide and just can't face people right now because of their own shame or self-imposed guilt. But Joel is a click away and offers hope.

And maybe some people just can't cope with Pharisees when they are emotionally scraping their boils with potshards.

 

If he doesn't tell people the only way to heaven is Jesus, what kind of hope can he possibly offer anyone. Only a false hope.

 

From his web site:

 

Joel has and does serve a purpose in my own life and was pivitol in my turn around in a certain area where I was lacking, but I couldn't sit under that same teaching week after week.

:godisgood: