Mega Preachers Exposed Part 2. Joel Osteen a closer look.

A closer look at Joel Osteen, is he the real deal or is he another one of those Mega Preachers promoting a different Gospel to the true one that is in the Bible? Joel Osteen is the No1 Preacher by numbers, congregation and popularity in these modern times. Followers in the millions on Twitter, watched by a similar amount on TV and has a congregation at his church of about 38,000 some say it could be 40K. You could say he is up there as a celebrity with the Hollywood and big Music stars of our time. We will take a closer look and see if this charismatic charmer Pastor type is the real deal and a man of God or is he serving something else?

Joel Osteen is at the top of the Preaching game up there with names such as Oprah and Co and preaches a similar theme, if you can call it... Gospel. First impressions are he is a very charming, hugely popular Pastor, Author and TV Evangelist although he does not call himself an Evangelist. Also on the surface you listen to his sermons and they appear incredibly inspirational and the word YOU or YOURSELF is used frequently and there is a positive and happy vibe present. It´s very difficult to dislike this guy and just like Paula White there is the what I call the "Dyson" effect at work here. I have watched a couple of his Sermons broadcast from his Lakewood Church covering what I consider to be massively important key areas in the Christian Faith such as Jesus, Prayer, Fasting and some form of a Testimonial. I did the same in a previous article covering the Mega Preacher Paula White, that is my benchmark for judging these Preachers now. I admit I got about a third of the way through these Joel Osteen videos as I saw enough, as the theme keeps repeating itself, but formed enough of a valid opinion to construct this article.

Joel Osteen: Origins & Errors of His Teaching (a Film by Keith Thompson)



As a true Christian it is your duty amongst many to expose false preachers and false prophets and warn people of these "wolves in sheep´s clothing" that lead their often massive congregations astray and into a different or alternative form of Christianity.......one that does not appear in the Bible. Itś all very clever and subtle stuff with a lot of smoke and mirrors and it obviously works. These "Wolves in sheep´s clothing" will appear Christian on the outside, they will be charismatic, seductive, innocent looking, they will appear to be nice people and they are talking the talk? but are they walking the walk? The tell tale signs for me will always be, are you being told "What YOU want to hear" and NOT "what GOD wants you to hear" and a massive second "What are their fruits?" and an even bigger third "Are they walking as Jesus walked?"

Here is the give away No1. He preaches the New Age Prosperity Gospel where God wants you to be healthy, wealthy and successful which includes material success. There is no mention of material success in the Bible....ever as a spiritual basis to Christianity if anything the reverse. He is repackaging Christianity as a New Age religion to make it acceptable to a broader spectrum of people including Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, NewAgers, Athiests and Agnostics which form part of his congregation. That´s part of his appeal and the secret to his success.....it´s an easy Gospel...no hard work or suffering  involved and watch the good times (and the money) come rolling in. Who is not going to turn down health, wealth, success and happiness and be blessed and be part of God´s kingdom. It´s a no brainer.

Matthew 16:24
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Give away No2 is he uses words like "Empowerment" and one of his books is simply called "I am", with the emphasis on the word "I". He would be classed as a "Self Help" Guru with "Positive Thoughts" being his particular focus. The power of the mind to change your life. If you type any of these words that Joel Osteen stands for into Google which include "Empowerment", "Self Help" or "I am" or "Positive Thinking" or anything similar, what comes up? What you get is .......well nothing Christian that´s for sure! What Joel Osteen preaches is "Heresy" plain and simple, it´s a New Age religion. It´s not of the Bible, it´s an alternative version of it but he weaves it very cleverly into what he preaches to give it some sort of Holy credibility otherwise on it´s own it wouldn´t stand so strongly.

He preaches this thing called Blessings again his version like most of the Prosperity Preachers including, health, wealth and prosperity including material success here on earth. These are worldly concerns. A true Christian that has the Holy Spirit is not concerned with these things and about storing wealth here on earth but is more concerned about storing it in heaven. There is no mention in the Bible that material success is a blessing from God, again it´s a blessing from something for sure, but not from the God in the Bible. In Christianity the "Lord Provides" enough to be full, comfortable but not the excesses that Osteen promotes. He promotes treaures on Earth and the worldly way of living. This is not the Christian way, they have no need of this. A bible quote below sums this one up in 11 words. It is clear where Joel Osteen´s heart is. Again this is another glaringly obvious indication that something is amiss.

Matthew 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

In the famous Larry King interview he asks Joel Osteen this question regarding some words of wisdom from an old Pastor friend who told him many years ago "If a Pastor has more than one suit ...... he´s a cop out"... how do you respond?" Joel Osteen replies that being humble, suffering and having nothing is like kind of being defeated. Here´s the thing, humbleness and humility are  major Christian virtues. If you don´t have the Holy Spirit you will deny such things.

A very relevant Bible quote sums this situation superbly where Jesus asks a wealthy man to follow him and the wealthy man asks him what do I have to do, he says just sell everything you own, give it to the poor and follow me. Verses below KJV

Matthew 19:21-25
21. Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
22. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
23. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
24. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
25. When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?

I would say Joel Osteen is similar to someone like Oprah. Charming, hugely charismatic, cuddly and lovable and likeable in the extreme and talks about God and Jesus, but which God and Jesus are they talking about. It´s a false one, not the real one that is mentioned in the Bible. His mantra seems to be "What can Jesus or God do for me" when Christianity is all about "What Can I do for God or Jesus". The Bible that Joel Osteen preaches is "God helps those who help themselves" which incidentally you will NOT find that mentioned anywhere in the Bible. Christianity is all about "Giving to those in need" and "Helping and putting others first". Christianity is not about helping those who are not in need such as multi millionaire preachers. Christianity is not about "The Self" it is about "helping others" and helping those in need such as the sick, the poor, widows, orphans, the homeless. Christianity = God first. Anybody that preaches otherwise.... is preaching a gospel of a different variety and it´s powers are coming from somewhere else.

If you are a true Christian and truly have the "Holy Spirit" you will have the gift of discernment one of the many gifts. You can tell these preachers within 5 minutes and from a mile off at best, or quicker. At worst it may take a complete sermon but you will still be able to tell. If you are not in the faith then you will get sucked in by these Joel Osteen types, thinking you are being lead to heaven when in fact you are being led directly to hell.... but you will not be aware of it. The God they are referring to is not the one in the Bible but something with more Satanic tendencies.

He has written many books which run along a similar theme as his Preaching and Sermons at his Lakewood Church but again these books are Self Help New Age books that have a sort of Christianity as a sort of secondary support mechanism and used as a vehicle to promote his "Empowerment" Agenda but if you read the Bible anything involving THE SELF is plain and simply Satanic. Joel Osteen is a "SELF help and Self Empowerment"  GURU which leads you away from God and makes you become your own God in charge of your own destiny, but obviously relying on his teachings to reach that goal.

IF he promoted his thoughts and ideas and omitted the Christian angle and the use of the Bible to further his agenda that would be acceptable, but what he is doing is corrupting the word and Christianity in the process in the name of promoting his NEW AGE alternative or false Christianity agenda.

This analysis is pretty conclusive and there is no need to even look at the fruits of his preaching. WHY? Bible quote below

Luke 6:44
For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.

Joel Osteen Interviews

As you can gather by this stage I´m fully convinced personally and on a spiritual level that this Pastor/Preacher or whatever you want to call him is not of God. But to prove the point further watch him in a Piers Morgan interview where his wife Victoria Osteen was also present (she will be analysed in a forthcoming article). The interview was held in 2011 and see what he has to say here´s one of his trademarks you´ll see when cornered.

at 10.29 Asked about Adolf Hitler he  says "I don know if I understand it all" Piers says you always cop out on difficult questions. It´s your job to know these things being in the responsible position that you are in. His usual reply is "I admit I don´t know it all" or something to similar effect

Piers Morgan Interview

Joel Osteen interview on Piers Morgan Tonight - 01/26/2011 - Part 1



When confronted on Gay Marriage, The Mormons and other controversial topics he will come out with a similar line and then add "I just want to love everybody and accept them for what they are" or "I don´t follow the scriptures as closely as the traditional Pastors" or "I try to keep things positive in my sermons and make things uplifting" or "You know I can´t really answer that question as it´s not an area I´m familiar with I tend to stick and preach on areas that I know" and other similar shrugging of shoulder lines. Politicians answers I call them and he comes out smelling of roses every time and his reputation stays intact. Very difficult to pin this one down, if you do he´ll charm his way out of it with that disarming angelic smile of his. Hence his amazing success!

Joel Olsteen on "Larry King Now" - Full Episode Available in the U.S. on Ora.TV



Other comments

The website SO4J has this to say about Joel Osteen which is a bit harsher than what I´m saying here.

JOEL OSTEEN is a False Teacher who refuses to Take a Stand for Jesus on National & International TV as seen below. Joel has shown repeatedly that he is Ashamed of the True Gospel of Jesus Christ! Joel Osteen is a PEOPLE PLEASER vs a GOD PLEASER. He was asked by Fox News Anchor— CHRIS WALLACE: "Are Mormons Christians? Joel's shocking answer to Chris Wallace was this: JOEL answers: "Yes, In my mind they are...."// What?! Joel then continues to share his Unbiblical Beliefs about this. He apparently doesn't know that MORMONS ARE A CULT!

Another Confirmation

Still not convinced. Have a listen to what this Preacher (sounds like the real deal) had to say at a Joel Osteen session over at his MEGA Lakewood Church right in the middle of the congregation of probably about 38K and watch the security guards descend on him pretty sharpish and starts to be escorted out but he still carries on his own sermon regardless. A classic. Why security guards at a peaceful  Christian gathering??

Preacher rebukes Joel Osteen in the middle of Lakewood Church! False Prophet EXPOSED!

The Final Confirmation

Some Joel Osteen famous quotes that he has used in his sermons or in his books over the years promoting his hippy happy new age alternative Christianity that has a focus on the improvement and empowerment of the self and uses God and Jesus to help achieve those goals.

1. “Life’s too short to spend it trying to keep others happy. YOU can’t please everyone. To fulfill YOUR destiny, stay true to YOUR heart.” – Joel Osteen

2. “Nothing in life has happened to YOU. It’s happened for YOU. Every disappointment. Every wrong. Even every closed door has helped make YOU into who YOU are.”

3. “See, when YOU drive home today, YOU´VE got a big windshield on the front of YOUR car. And YOU’VE got a little bitty rearview mirror. And the reason the windshield is so large and the rearview mirror is so small is because what’s happened in YOUR past is not near as important as what’s in YOUR future.”

4. “You cannot hang out with negative people and expect to live a positive life.”

5. “If YOU want success, if YOU want wisdom, if YOU want to be prosperous and healthy, you’re going to have to do more than meditate and believe; you must boldly declare words of faith and victory over YOURSELF and your family.”

6. “YOU can change your world by changing your words… Remember, death and life are in the power of the tongue.”

7. “There is a winner in YOU. YOU were created to be successful, to accomplish your goals, to leave YOUR mark on this generation. YOU have greatness in YOU. The key is to get it out.”

8. “Don’t settle in the land of barely enough. That is where YOU are, it is not who YOU are. That’s YOUR location, it’s not YOUR identity. No matter what it looks like, have an abundant mentality.”

9. “Do all YOU can to make YOUR dreams come true.”

What do you notice here. The words YOU, YOUR, YOU´VE and YOURSELF are prominent here many times in each quote. This is the promotion of THE SELF before anything else, the putting of yourself before anybody else. This is not a Christian trait. Secondly there is not one  mention in these quotes of Christianity, Jesus or God. Thirdly words like success, goals, prosperous, greatness, abundant are rampant. Again these are not Christian words associated with Christianity they are words associated with something far darker. The faith he preaches here is not Faith in God it´s faith in yourself and your family.

Summary

Joel Osteen is an incredibly, initially, likeable New Age style preacher who preaches a modern version of the Christian Gospel and not the "Traditional" form as he calls it. You could say it is an updated version of the one that is in the Bible to meet the demands of people from all walks of life, all colours, creeds, religions, sexual orientation and ages and to fit in and be applied to our modern times. You are in charge of your own life and God will help you achieve YOUR goals. That´s where he is coming from.

This is My Bible, I Am What it Says I Am? Examining the Joel Osteen Creed said at the beginning of his Sermons at his Lakewood Church (Hilarious)



By using this methodology he tells people what they want to hear and it´s what I call "Positive Thinking" and "Self Help" promotion. On it´s own it´s not an issue. The problem is, it is not Christianity and he is peddling it as such. Yes the Bible is mentioned and used in his sermons but this is where the problem lies. The power of the Bible is being used to promote his New Age Alternative Modern Christianity way of thinking and in doing so is corrupting the word of God. He is leading people ( and a large number at that) away from Christianity to something completely different in what can only be called "Self Empowerment" New Age Self Worship where God takes a back seat in giving you a helping hand. God is second to you and not the other way round. He is using the Christian label to achieve this goal but the underlying religion is actually New Age. It´s a false Christianity warned about many times in the Bible, something that will happen in the End Times of which Joel Osteen is evidence of. By this definition this makes Joel Osteen a False Preacher. The evidence is overwhelming.

Vid: A video featuring the owner of this website sheds some light titled 15 Signs of a False Preacher

In interviews, sermons and other preachings, on the surface he is incredibly hard to pin down as a False Preacher. He is not excessive of his use of hand signals and other tricks to get a more sinister subliminal message across like he is conducting an orchestra. He´s one of those "I just want to love everybody and see everybody get along" types and plays on that Christian trait of "non discriminatory love". BUT the fact remains the Gospel that he is preaching is totally different to the true Gospel of the Bible. It´s a "Gospel of Man" and one that man wants to hear as proven by his popularity rather than The Gospel of God and the TRUTH! No amount of charm, charisma, humour, dressing up or slickly delivered words will change that fact. This is the sad situation, the people who follow these False Preachers as demonstrated by the Bible Quotes below, are just as damned as the False Preachers themselves, whether they are aware of what is going on or not!

Bible Quotes

1. Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
1 John 4:1

9. Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. 10. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
11. For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.
2 John 1:9-11

26. For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.
Luke 9:26

2. Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.
3. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
2 Timothy 4:2-3

1. But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
3. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. 2 Peter 2:1-3

9. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
10. For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
11. But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
12. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Galatians 1:9-12

29. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
30. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
Acts 20:29-30