Pastor Joel Osteen Responds to Criticism - Oprah's Next Chapter - Oprah Winfrey Network

Some have criticized Pastor Joel Osteen for preaching prosperity, while others believe there's not enough Christ in his message. Find out how he justifies his message and stays focused. Plus, has he ever doubted his faith? His answer may surprise you.

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[MrChooseausername]

Either Joel and Oprah are deliberately arguing against a Straw Man, or neither of these individuals understands the critique leveled against the Prosperity Gospel. Christ's purpose is to redeem humanity; poverty, sickness, and the like have little to do with the central tenets of the faith. One's state of health or status is NOT the litmus test for determining one's relationship to God. They are preaching a false Christ, and a false Gospel. Blind, leaders of the blind.

[WesDude48]

If Christ measured His success in dollars or physical prosperity, He failed completely.

God uses people in their circumstances, whether rich or poor, American or Israelite, and one of the most important lessons of His is this: you are not defined by what you have, but by the choices you make.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?"

Matthew 6:25

[2nd2LastSamurai]

@ShalahCarol The other 2 servants brought profit and joy to the master. To God, profit isn’t measured in terms of money, but by the salvation of lost sinners. Likewise, the “sowing of seeds” is a repeated Biblical reference to bringing others to Christ. Do you believe that God is reproachful toward this servant for not making money, or that he cares about earthly riches? Also, in Gen 1, “Be fruitful” means to share God's love and reproduce. Do you think it’s about money and health?

[2nd2LastSamurai]

@ShalahCarol ...and even what he had was taken away as he was cast into the darkness (separated from God, aka hell) and there was weeping and gnashing of teeth (another reference to hell). This servant didn’t displease God because he didn’t make money, but because he was not a believer and his life brought no glory to God. Just because he was given a talent didn’t mean he was saved- so the talent can be thought of as life, which even unbelievers have.

[2nd2LastSamurai]

@ShalahCarol If you think the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25 is referring to one’s ability to make money, I would encourage you to study the scripture more closely. You should find that it has almost nothing to do with money, but with how we are to manage the things that God has given us stewardship over. Keep in mind, it’s a parable and is not meant as a business plan for God. The servant who displeased his master (God) had little…

[2nd2LastSamurai]

@ShalahCarol Answer: by our weakness, God’s power is made perfect, and his grace is sufficient enough for us (2 Cor 12:9). For the poor, Jesus offered solace by preaching the gospel. He himself had no money- yet he TAUGHT US how to live. If the best way for a Christian to serve and be a blessing to others is to be worldly rich, why wasn’t Christ? Because the greatest teacher and blessing that mankind has ever known had nothing, and thought little of worldly riches.

[2nd2LastSamurai]

@ShalahCarol Christ came to redeem us from the burden of sin, not poverty or sickness. If he came for those reasons, you would have to be willing to admit that he failed, because those things still exist. Jesus himself said “The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me” (Matthew 26:11). He cured some people of sickness, perhaps because their poverty was a result of illness, but He never “cured” financial poverty. Why is that?

[2nd2LastSamurai]

@ShalahCarol As a result, the man became the object of the lesson that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Jesus promises those who have placed God before riches and before self that they will be rewarded a hundred fold and will receive eternal life. He finishes the lesson by stating that in heaven, many who had been first will be last, and many who were last will be first.

[2nd2LastSamurai]

@ShalahCarol Christ taught us repeatedly how to regard earthly riches and how trivial the comforts of this world are in comparison to an eternity with God- look at the rich man in Matthew 19:16 who asked how to obtain eternal life. Christ told him to give everything he had to the poor and then to follow him. Christ invited him as a follower- he could have been the 13th apostle! But the man loved money too much to do what was asked of him.

[2nd2LastSamurai]

@ShalahCarol The issue is not that rich people should be condemned, but that many (both rich AND poor) possess a love of money/success that surpasses their love of God. Jesus’ disciples did not follow him for fame and fortune, and neither did Christ promise them these things when they left everything behind to follow Him- he told them repeatedly that they would suffer, that they would be be persecuted and even put to death for his name’s sake, and most of them were.

[kreezy22]

@ShalahCarol I'm condemning nobody. I am, however, passing judgement on Joel and Oprah. Why? Scripture says too. They are both false teachers. Joel I have a little more hope for. My prayer is that criticism would convict him and cause him to teach the oracles of God rather than selfish prosperity.

[ShalahCarol]

@TawnyaJo Well, I think Joel is talking abou that 'gay' person being saved, delivered and made whole by hearing about God's goodness and power to save, heal, deliver and change. HE did say that God desires to empower us all to change. And all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

sin is anything that is not of faith--faith comes by hearing (understanding grasping) the WORD and being transformed by the SPIRIT from glory to glory.