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p.1 Your best life now is your only life The word faith teachers are wedded to their prosperity teachings –health, wealth, success and their followers are shocked if anyone has anything contrary to say on this. The Boasting of Osteen (read at your own risk of learning to be opposed to God’s word) telling his audience God will do this and he will do that is an endless promise from his own mouth. Let me propose to you: Confessing your will is not the same as God’s will, you’re not smart enough nor have the ability to make it happen. Claiming to speak and God will act is a dangerous error and position to put yourself in. For you have made yourself a god over your own life. Osteen’s father passed his legacy and ministry to his son Joel. Joel Osteen’s open ended spiritual inclusiveness is misleading many, but they do not know it. Why? Because they have a surface level understanding of Scripture. As the saying goes, it is a mile wide and an inch deep. You may be offended at this statement but it is proven by your reaction, as you maintain loyalty and defend to the indefensible. Osteen’s teaching is a combination of positive thinking, (Kenneth Hagin’s positive confession), with a hefty dash of ‘the Secret’ popularized by Oprah, served on a new age platter to his audience within Christian terminology. It’s a Biblical mess. He may have good intentions but it’s obvious he is not called to be a teacher of God’s word, nor prepares himself to teach the Word, he admits as much in his interviews, and he showed his superficial knowledge by how he handles counterfeits like Mormonism, saying, “ I believe they are Christians,” “In my mind they are.” To say this shows he does not know the first thing about them and should not speak. Pastors are to be shepherds to be able to protect sheep from what is poison or what can make them sick. They should not get sick by what they eat from his own pulpit. Mr. Osteen says you must change you thinking for the blessing to be attracted to come to you. Where is the denial of self for the life of Christ to live through us? His God is increase, abundance, happiness and material blessing. He tells them to stretch out their tents, believe for more, yet Jesus spoke of the man building bigger barns whose life is suddenly required of him because he positively confessed what he would do. Luke 12:18-19 "So he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. ‘And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry. "' God speaks in Lam. 3:37 “Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass , when the Lord has not commanded it ?” Jesus warned about being rich, not being poor. He warned about doing our will instead of finding His will. Scripture does not say God promises to have us all rich, prosperous, successful, healthy, etc. Let me ask you - are men like Osteen who preach your best life now pointing to heaven or earth? Do they train you to have you mind on heavenly things or on things of earth? What does the Bible teach? Col. 3:2 “ Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” Rom. 12:16 “ Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion .” Word faith teaching is all about being wise in your own opinion, knowing what is best for yourself. It operates by pride not humility. Osteen states, ‘God’s got big plans for you.’ That’s flattery, how does he know what God has in store for any individual? Try preaching this to the Christians in other countries that are suffering for their faith under persecution. This is an easy message to deliver when you live in a success bubble in America; where no suffering takes place like it does elsewhere. He apparently guarantees that Christians will be rewarded “double for your trouble” in this life. The Bible teaches that our citizenship is in heaven, our eternal rewards are there not here. “...God wants us to constantly be increasing, to be rising to new heights. He wants to increase you in His wisdom and help you to make better decisions. God wants to increase you financially, by giving you promotions, fresh ideas and creativity. The Scripture says that God wants to pour out 'His far and beyond favor.' God wants this to be the best time of your life. But if you are going to receive this favor, you must enlarge your vision. You can't go around thinking negative, defeated, limiting thoughts” (Your Best Life Now, p. 5). “If you will keep the right attitude, God will take all your disappointments, broken dreams, the hurts and pains, and He'll add up all the trouble and sorrow that's been inflicted on you, and He will pay you back with twice as much peace, joy, happiness, and success. The Bible says, 'God will give us a twofold recompense for our former shame.' If you'll just believe, if you'll put your trust and confidence in God, He will give you double for your trouble” ( Your Best Life Now, pp. 31-32). It sounds nearly right, except for the subtle twists that change it all. Osteen is all about abundance now (which is not what the abundant life meant that Jesus promised to us). As Jesus taught seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness , and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matt 6:33-34) In Phil 3:18-20 Paul speaks of enemies of the cross of Christ: V. 19 “whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame-- who set their mind on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ ” Do you see the difference in the messages? I hope so. The belly is indicative of hunger, they are never satisfied. Yes we are in the world and need to use things in it but what Osteen is focusing people on is not what will last as Jesus described. Our true treasure is in heaven that is where your life is hidden with Christ. Only those who do not have this hope can be persuaded to have their mind on things of earth - to want to have it now. This is why it is called the kingdom of heaven - not the kingdom of earth. Jesus said our true rewards are in heaven, where your heart is supposed to be , is where your treasure will be, for that is what is eternal. Rom.8:5 “ For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. ” Wanting to have the best things in life falls into this category. If God gives them to you because you are following him and not striving for them - Praise the Lord, but we are not to pursue them, we are to be content with what we have from God. Only then you will have the joy of the Lord, instead of worldly happiness; there is a difference. Paul taught 1 Tim. 6:8 “ And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.” Because Jesus taught be content with your wages." (Luke 3:14) But Osteen says we should always want more… Heb. 13:5 “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have.” Why do some people always pursue better, larger, more? Because they do not have the peace of God, their mind is set on the flesh, all the world has to offer. "With our words we can predict our future. We can prophesize our future." "Our words will become a self fulfilling prophecy ." (Tape 233 Daystar May 2, 2004) God gave the prophets the words to say they did not choose their own future. So he wants to talk to the people “ about faith filled words, our words have creative power” This is the little gods concept in the word faith teachings he was brought up in. “ We give life to our faith when we speak it out.” If this does not produce results he also opts to use the occult method of visualization to produce. Early in their marriage walking in their neighborhood “we came upon a beautiful new home being constructed. His wife Victoria said, “Joel, one day we’re going to live in a beautiful home just like that!” Over the next several months,she kept speaking words of faith and victory, and she finally talked me into it. She convinced me that we could live in an elegant home like the one we saw. I got rid of my limited thinking and I started agreeing with her. …We kept on believing it, seeing it , and speaking it” (Your Best life Now chapter one) This technique has been popularized by shamans, witches and occultists, it is Oprah’s promotion of the Secret.. It is one of the oldest spiritual techniques found in the Occult. This is not Christianity. "There's power in what you visualize," "take a few moments each day to visualize things you want in your life so God can bring them to pass He then tells a story about a coach and his team "Close your eyes and envision winning the game", "they produced exactly what they saw." There is no example of an apostle or church member speaking something into existence or visualizing it to happen as Osteen claims to have done. Osteen claims he used an occult method to gain the Compaq Center in Houston.When looking to purchase the Compaq Center Osteen practiced what he preaches, Osteen wrote “I conceived it on the inside.” (Your Best Life now p.11). He spoke of 3 ½ year battle where it looked like it wasn’t going to take place, instead of worrying and letting the negative pictures take root “all through the day, just like my father did. I would see this place as being ours. In my imagination I could see the Lakewood sign being outside, I could see myself up here ministering. I could see all of you long before you got here. Many times at night He and his wife walked around the building prayed, believe and dream.” That image was becoming ingrained in our thinking, the more we saw the more faith rose in our hearts. In my imagination I could already see the mayor handing us the keys. I could already see the confetti falling in the ground breaking service. I could already see it fill of thousands of victors and not victims. “He speaks of a reporter asking him in 2005 of the grand opening what it was going to be like to stand up and minister here for the first time? “I didn’t say it but I thought to myself, I’ve ministered in this building thousands of times before, Friends you’ve got to see it on the inside before it’s going to pass on the outside.” (on Osteen DVD) He is not describing Biblical faith which is trusting in God, relinquishing his will into Gods hands, his will is in his own imagination. There is so much wrong with what he said it’s not possible to address it all. This is pure Occultism, not Christianity, it has more to do with what Oprah and new age proponents teach. They now collect well over 70 million dollars a year through the church and he wants the people to subscribe for $5.99 a month to listen to his worldly wisdom skills on the radio. Why not visualize that money coming in like you teach others? “He Gave birth by what he believed by speaking it out. That’s why is so important that you get a vision of victory for your life, No matter what your circumstances look like You’ve got to begin to see yourself as the overcomer God made you to be. You’ve got to see yourself happy, successful and fulfilled. And then you you’ve got to give life to that dream by speaking it out. The bible says you can do all things through Christ that strengthens you.” (Your words will bring Your victory or defeat video). This is not the meaning of the Scripture he quoted. If you’re believing in your own words God has nothing to do with what you are saying. You are doing this without him; you may call it faith but this is an occult technique called imaging, visualization. When scripture says “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. It does not mean I get what I want? Have all I desire? Read the Scripture in context and we find it’s the very opposite. He instead rips this Scripture out of its context in order to justify the desire of what HE wants. Lets look at this in its full context. Philippians 4:11-13: “ Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need . I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” In context, Paul is explaining that even in a bad situation he is not overcome by it. He is not saying that he can get ALL thing s he desires through Christ, but that he had learned to be satisfied in whatever state he was in through Christ’s stamina working in him by perseverance. We need the grace of God in order to be able to maintain an attitude of contentment. You can say and do what is right or what is wrong Osteen Lifts up the Bible after his introductory story and has the people confess this positive affirmation together.“I am what it says I am, (it says we are sinners). I can do what it says I can do (only through Christ, his will) Today I will be taught the word of God (really?) etc. The Bible says teachers will receive a stricter judgment on how they lead others, they are not just deciding for themselves what is right. God tells us to humble ourselves, to submit to his will and ways. Osteen declares in his sermons “God is a positive God” and that “ there is nothing negative about Him.” Really? God was quite positive to Adam when he told him this negative statement, you will die the day you eat from the tree, (Gen.2:17). Was that negative or positive? His focus is on you becoming better instead of having you focus on God correcting you through the Holy Spirit and His word. .What you hear are “I’s,” and “you’s” and other key phrases that focus on us, not God. It is about your potential as a human. He misinterprets faith as having a positive outlook on life instead of a right relationship with God according to the Word. People love to hear someone assure them everything is going to work out fine, even when they are doing wrong. Just copy speaking his positive words and it will happen. During his Huffington Post interview: A caller chastised him for preaching about the power of praying for “things.” Osteen agreed in part: “I don’t think you should spend your life praying for things, but I do believe you should thank God for what He’s given you. I think the scripture teaches us that we can pray for our dreams, pray for the big things. He’s not a small God; this God is incredible. ” Are we to pray for OUR dreams? Or God’s will in our lives, and for us to have the courage to follow his lead. “People are not looking for theology, but in everyday life you need to know how to live ” (Charisma June 2004) What an ignorant statement, theology is the study of God, how do we do this, by learning doctrine on how to live. Osteen lacks the concept of how we learn the Word of God to follow the Lord, nor does he have the basic knowledge or skill to teach it. 2 Tim 3:16-17 “ ll Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Over and over we are told to learn doctrine. Where is the reproof and correction from Osteen? Slogans and positive affirmations are not Bible teaching. Promising earthly prosperity, people love what they hear because they love the world. He says we all know what we do wrong. WRONG! He doesn’t, why should those who listen to him know either? If you cannot address sin to the lost, then you are lost. He is walking in the footsteps of other liberal leaders where the hard topics that Jesus spoke of are avoided. So he claims he is bringing hope to people, yes in using worldly wisdom he certainly is. But this is not eternal hope, even if you use the name Jesus or Scripture inserted in your sermons it will not fix the underlying falsehood he is propagating. You cannot speak positive to reverse the negative, in fact, these terms are not even found in Scripture. When asked about speaking on sin, his response was “ I’m one of the old fashion ones that give an altar call in every service… when I talk about it I talk about how we can become better and overcome .” How do you do this if sin is not identified or explained what it is? In his 60 minute interview among the positives the Interviewer asked “ not one mention of Jesus Christ in that? Osteen: “that’s just my message, there is scripture in there…” Maybe he needs to learn so it becomes Jesus’ message not his own human gift of operating as a motivator. That is why he said after “ there’s a lot better people to explain the scriptures to you, I don’t think that’s my gifting .” Then you are not called of God to be a pastor. For Paul writes, “ Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching .” Notice what a Pastor, a teacher of God is to do, everything that Osteen does not.
P.2 Your best life now is your only life- Pastors Joel and Victoria Osteen -- Front wheel drive |
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