Joel Osteen, pastor of America's largest church, is a living example of how to be a popular preacher in this apostate age. The key is to preach a positive message that doesn't deal plainly with sin, repentance, and judgment.

About 38,000 people attend his Sunday services in Houston, and his sermons are broadcast in more than 200 markets in the United States as well as on major networks in Canada, Europe, Australia, Asia, and the Middle East. He fills massive arenas throughout America, and his 2004 book Your Best Life Now has sold 4 million copies.

Recently he was in Tampa, Florida, and the St. Petersburg Times ran a front-page report on the meetings entitled "God's Cheerleader." There is no way that a major secular newspaper in America today would run such an affirmative report on a preacher who is faithful to the Word of God.

Notice how Osteen's message is described: [i]"Osteen's easy-going, all-inclusive gospel has made him a spiritual rock star. He's unrelentingly positive, more Norman Vincent Peale than Pat Robertson. His deliberately nonjudgmental sermons ... have made him into a bestselling author who is even popular among agnostics and atheists. Osteen's positive messages--recent sermon topics include 'Having Confidence in Yourself' and 'Stop Listening to the Accusing Voices'--have helped make him a religious everyman. He touts a loving God. There is no condemnation. No talk of judgment or damnation"[/i] ("God's Cheerleader," St. Petersburg Times, Nov. 26, 2006, p. 10A).

Osteen is no doubt sincere in what he is doing, but he is sincerely and terribly wrong. The Lord Jesus Christ was a fire and brimstone preacher, and every God-ordained preacher is commanded to preach the Word with reproof, rebuke, and exhortation" (2 Timothy 4:2).

The Scriptures warn that many will turn away their ears from the truth in the last days and after their own lusts will heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears (2 Timothy 4:3-4). Sadly, that is exactly what America's favorite pastor is doing. He is scratching the itching ears of those who have rejected the plain teaching of the Bible and desire, instead, a new type of Christianity, one with a smiley face, one that allows them to live pretty much as they please, to follow their own lusts, and still feel that they are right with God. Significantly, Osteen's nickname is the "smiling preacher."

Krispy

Ooops! I meant this to go in the lounge!

Krispy

I don't doubt maybe people who attend Joel Osteen's church might visit this website.

Let's hope they do.

The fear of God seems to have disappeared from many Christians.

With leadership like Osteen's, you don't wonder why.

He is popular with people because he is a man pleaser instead of being a God pleaser.

I've listened to bits of his messages online, all postive thinking, a bible mention, but no substance, no godly fear and definately no anointing.

What should be church is little more than a social club. Everybody meet for the Sunday morning entertainment.

How can these people take God's name in vain and suppose they will escape the wrath of God?

As it is, for them, God is love, and love alone, no wrath, an judgment and no hell.

The falling away is here. We can see it with our own eyes. We can touch it.

Let us not live as though we live in the night, but in the light.

God bless.

I, as well, nod in agreement to Leonard Ravenhill's quote: "If Jesus had preached the same message that ministers preach today, He would never have been crucified."....
Also, I can't recall at the moment who the wise soul was that said something like, "When you change the Message, you change the people." Some churches are rapidly growing today because the Word of God has been watered down just enough to not come across as being "offensive" to those in attendance.....I think is where someone coined the phrase "seeker-sensitive"....But then on the left, or right, you have the "militant" style, those that preach the Word but with a "different" spirit usually manifesting pride, covetousness, etc, and justifying it all in the name of jesus.
I know for me, I must be on constant guard lest I be led astray...and this is done in honest humility by the grace of God. All my thoughts must be taken captive, while "beating" my body daily and making it my slave.
But indeed, the blind are leading the blind into the ditch.
I wonder how many people were considered to be "nice" that weren't saved with Noah and his family, but the flood swept away. There are many "nice, smiling people" in the world who couldn't care less about God, nor that eternal salvation is offered in Christ Jesus.
Please pray for me that all of my life be a faithful witness of the love and righteousness of Christ Jesus....to be the salt and light God desires and commands me to be.
For to compromise with sin is to compromise with the enemy of God. "For his sin aims at God's honor and glory, seeking that his shot will take away from His honor and glory, while adding it to himself" -William Gurnall
"Thus saith the Lord, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain." - Jer 2:5 (kjv) Read this chapter two of Jeremiah for the hundreth time friends and see the heart of God personified...and let us weep over this and draw near the One true God while He is near.
Thanks for the post brother,
Maybe many of today's "preachers" aren't reading the Old Testament books anymore which were given to us as great blessings to heed the prophetic warnings that most Israelites of old chose to ignore, doing this to their own destruction.
Don't want to get off topic to your post....
Be led by His Spirit this day,
richie

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Richie

2 Corinthians 13

11 Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.

12 Greet each other with Christian love.

13 All of God’s people here send you their greetings.

14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

It is so sad when you hear people speak corrupt communication concerning your brothers.

I have read posts where people say, “A real Christian would not do it that way.” By the statement alone it is inferring they are not Christians and therefore, they are taking God off the throne and placing themselves on the throne to judge peoples salvation. THIS IS GODS JOB. Do I preach like Joel Osteen? No, not even close. I probably preach the total opposite, but he is still my brother in the Lord.


Galatians 6:1-3 1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. 2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. 3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.

Matthew 7:1-2 Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

KrispyKrittr, If you pray for Joel as much as you post negative comments about him, he would probably be the next Billy Graham.


Josh

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JOSHUA MEYERS

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Richie

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Richie

Members,

I don't regard these false ministers as my brethren. They are damning untold numbers of people to hell with their lies. Their converts use Jesus to serve them, not the other way around.

"They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought no teach--and that for the sake of dishonest gain. Titus 1:11

Murray

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Murray Beninger

I think the question is: are the people in his church becoming more holy, more like Christ??

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Brent