Mega Preachers Exposed Part 5. Joyce Meyer a closer look

A closer look at the famous Mega Preacher Joyce Meyer and continuing the Mega Preachers Exposed series.

Joyce Meyer who is a Pentecostal Preacher & Teacher, Pastor and Author and has been in Full-Time Ministry since 1980. Joyce and her: husband Dave, Family, & Ministry live outside of St. Louis, Missouri. She considers herself as a Practical Bible Teacher rather than a Televangelist and states she is Non Denominational. She´s up there with the big names such as Beth Moore and Oprah but has her own distinct style of delivery. She has a huge following and if you can believe it she is 73 years old. Joyce Meyer Ministries has 9 offices strategically located around the world, in Australia, Canada, South Africa, Russia, Ukraine, India, Uganda, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Germany, England, and the Middle East.

Twitter 4.05M Followers
Facebook 11M likes
Books Over 70 written

Check out her FAQ page from her website for further info

Introduction
Joyce Meyer has many famous quotes and the trademark of her sermons is to preach the word laced with some down to earth everyday humour. She´s a part Preacher part stand up comedian. Here´s a Famous Quote taken from an ABC Nightline Interview April 2010

"I tell people, and it's the truth, I could sit in my garage for a week and it won't make me a car," Meyer said. "And you can sit in church till your bottom is flat and that won't make you a servant of Christ."

Could not agree more and so very true.

Another famous quote

"I am not poor, I am not miserable, and I am not a sinner. That is a lie from the pit of hell"

The BIBLE would like to disagree

1 John 1:8-10
8. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

So we have some interesting facts and some conflict of interests here which prompts for a deeper delve into the world of Joyce Meyer.

How to test a Preacher that has videos online
The normal process I personally use when looking more closely at these Mega Preachers is to look at a picked or just random sermon that leaps out and watch a few minutes, maybe up to halfway if they are a bit tricky, if they are even more challenging the full sermon and look for alarm bells and red flags that say quite loudly "False Preacher". If nothing appears I then start looking at key areas that are the pillars of the Christian faith, such as a Testimony, their views on Jesus and/or God, Prayer and Fasting and Sin. Then I move onto things outside of a Sermon environment which will include interviews, lifestyle and most importantly that Preachers fruits.

1. A closer look at a random Joyce Meyer Sermon. A quick analysis
Looking at a typical sermon such as this one "Celebrate Your Progress Sermon" from July 29 2016 taken from her Enjoying Everyday Life held at Tulsa.



The general first observations is that she is confident, poised, has a powerful delivery and presence and lo and behold she actually handles a Bible and reads from it. Instead of doing the typical using the Bible just as an ornament on the lectern and reading from notes and then picking it up on occassion and waving it in the air as if it is a fashion accessory. She comes across crystal clear and it´s inspiring stuff. She actually uses the Bible. She teaches from the Amplified Bible which I have to say I have never heard of, the definition is below.

Amplified Bible Definition
The Amplified Bible (AMP) is an English translation of the Bible produced jointly by Zondervan (subsidiary of News Corp) and The Lockman Foundation. The first edition was published in 1965. It is largely a revision of the American Standard Version of 1901, with reference made to various texts in the original languages.

She admits that the King James Bible (KJV) scares her, she understands more the words from the Amplified Bible which I think will highlight our first problem right away. Here´s one example of a Bible quote she uses that appears at about 6 minutes into the vid that we can analyse.

Matthew 5:48 KJV: Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. KJV

Matthew 5:48 Amplified Bible: You, therefore, will be perfect [growing into spiritual maturity both in mind and character, actively integrating godly values into your daily life], as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Straight off here, I have an issue or issues, I´m starting to hear alarm bells and they are ringing loudly.

1. What is so confusing about Matthew 5:48 in the KJV Version. It really doesn´t get any simpler than that and is easy to understand. Surely anybody could understand that statement.
2. The amplified version is the modern day interpretation and the stuff outside the brackets is as near as you are going to get in the modern language to the KJV which is not a problem. It´s the stuff that is inside the brackets I have a problem with. Adding brackets doesn´t make it OK to add to the Bible, you are in effect rewriting and adding to it.. You are adding to God´s word to explain it and adding confusion and diluting the original meaning, when God´s word in this instance even in the KJV version really doesn´t need explaining. This is a major issue and one that most people take quite seriously.
3. Comparing the Amplified Bible quote on Matthew 5:48. God´s words number 11 (outside Brackets) and 17 man made words (inside brackets). It´s the classic watering down of God´s word as practiced by the Prosperity and Word of Faith Preachers.
4. Granted the KJV Version of the Bible especially in the Old Testament can be tricky at times but if you truly have the Holy Spirit that version even despite it´s old school language should speak to you pretty loud and clear regardless. If you are a Preacher/Pastor/Author of such stature as Joyce Meyer that has been in the faith for a considerable period of time, the KJV version or the slightly more modern versions should present no problems whatsoever.
5. No point 5 is needed!

That´s a series of red flags right there. Total time 6 minutes out of 28.

A bible quote to ponder over from the King James Version of The Bible

Deuteronomy 4:2 - Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish [ought] from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. KJV

Moving away from the Sermon itself you start to realise if you are watching on You Tube you are hitting the Skip Ad link every couple of minutes. Don´t think I´ve actually ever done that with a Video that frequently. Advert at the beginning Yes, pop ups part way through that are easy to remove Yes, and maybe an Ad half way through but not every couple of minutes. If you are preaching God´s word, the emphasis should be on The Word and not on irritating and distracting advertsing that has nothing to do with Christianity. There is a blatant focus on money generation here at the expense of the preaching. This appproach to advertising is similar to the issues demonstrated by the Amplified Bible.

Joyce mixes Biblical Truth with Error— so it can be hard for one to Discern what is Sound Doctrine & What is Not.

I got to 11 minutes in this video and I saw enough and switched it off.

2. A Joyce Meyer Interview
Interviews are very good ways to reveal the personality of a person, how they answer questions, body language and obviously the answers themselves just like a job interview can speak volumes about a person. Joyce Meyer appeared on an interview on ABC Nightline way back in 2010 and was questioned about many things here´s one of her answers concerning her lavish lifestyle and how would Jesus travel if he was around today.

Nightline: So if Jesus were here, he'd have a corporate jet?

Meyer: He might today, they weren't available then, so.

Asked about her lavish lifestyle and recent expensive facelifts she had this to say

"I want to look my best for God," she said. "So many people have the attitude that if you're a Christian you've got to dress bad, wear an old color, not do anything to your hair, have nothing. It's no wonder that Christianity is not very attractive. I mean, how many people do you know in a Western culture that's going to go, 'Yeah, give me some of that'?"

Joyce Meyer Interview ABC Nighline Video


Joyce Meyer Interview ABC Nighline Full Interview

Moving swiftly on!

3. Controversies: The Joyce Meyer show withdrawal from KNLC Channel 24?
Joyce Meyer's show cancelled on Larry Rice's KNLC (Channel 24) way back in 2004. He also canceled contracts with Kenneth Copeland and Jesse Duplantis and considering cancelling all those who teach on the prosperity doctrine

According to the Cult Education Institute, Larry Rice said he had told Joyce Meyer two weeks previous that he was canceling her Sunday evening program and was considering canceling her weekday show when the ministry notified him Friday that it was pulling off the station. Rice said his actions were prompted by Meyer's lavish lifestyle and what he saw as teachings that often went "beyond Scripture."

Full Article at Cult Education Institute.

Moving swiftly On

4. Taking a closer look at the Fruits of Joyce Meyer.
Meyer, who owns several homes and travels in a private jet (currently a Gulfstream G-IV), has been criticized by some of her peers for living an excessive lifestyle. She responded that she doesn't have to defend her spending habits because "...there's no need for us to apologize for being blessed." Meyer commented, "You can be a businessman here in St. Louis, and people think the more you have, the more wonderful it is...but if you’re a preacher, then all of a sudden it becomes a problem."

Joyce Meyer Ministries was one of six investigated by the United States Senate inquiry into the tax-exempt status of religious organizations by Senator Chuck Grassley. The inquiry sought to determine if Meyer made any personal profit from financial donations, asking for a detailed accounting for such things as cosmetic surgery and foreign bank account . Information courtesy Wikipedia

Joyce Meyer states she has been "Blessed" by God with all these material things. Nowhere in the Bible does it state that material possessions are blessings from God.

More is revealed in the video below, much more on the lavish lifestyle of Joyce Meyer, the fruits of her Ministry and Preaching.



Moving Swiftly on

5. The False Teachings of Joyce Meyer
We all make mistakes and everybody should be given a chance. This looks much closer into some of the major teachings and quotes from over the years of the Sermons of Joyce Meyer and quotes from her numerous book. These have been lifted from an article at  SO4J, there are more, but these are the most telling and revealing statements from this Pastor and most are plain and simply Word of Faith and Prosperity heresy.

1. THE ATONEMENT - SHE SAYS THAT JESUS WAS THE "FIRST BORN-AGAIN MAN" (< this is HERESY!)
QUOTE from JOYCE MEYER: "Do you know something? The minute that blood sacrifice was accepted Jesus was the FIRST HUMAN BEING that was ever BORN AGAIN. Now that was real, it happened when he was in HELL."

2) JOYCE MEYER WRONGLY TEACHES THAT: JESUS PAID FOR OUR SINS IN HELL & NOT ON THE CROSS

3) JESUS STOPPED BEING THE SON OF GOD (< this is heresy)

4) JOYCE MEYER WRONGLY TEACHES "POSITIVE CONFESSIONS" & THAT YOUR WORDS HAVE POWER (< this is wrong!)

5) JOYCE MEYER’S WRONGLY TEACHES THAT: YOU NEED SPECIAL REVELATION FROM GOD AS GOD'S WORD

6) JOYCE MEYER WRONGLY TEACHES THAT: "WE ARE LITTLE GOD'S":

7) JOYCE MEYER WRONGLY TEACHES THE: PROMOTION OF THE UNBIBLICAL "SELF-ESTEEM & HEALTH & WEALTH 24/7 GOSPEL"

Further examples taken from an article at SO4J that includes further information and video examples.

The Teachings of Joyce Meyer analysed by the Christian Research Institute



In my humble opinion I've seen enough!

SUMMARY
Joyce Meyer has been around for a long time and she has amassed a fortune from her ministry. She has a huge following, predominantly women who relate to her troubled younger life and she has become a success story, a bit like Cinderella. Nobody would want to rain on that parade. Her sermons are energetic, feisty and she is charismatic in her delivery and watching her audiences they are clearly under her spell. Just like all Preachers that are of the False variety she tells her audience what they want to hear using her own version of the Gospel and taking the word of God and working it around it.

That´s not say that some of her preaching isn´t correct, some is correct BUT just like all False Preachers, the trademark signs are always there and although Joyce Meyer is no Joel Osteen or Victoria Osteen and is a completely different brand to the younger market preachers such as Carl Lentz and Paula White, the giveaways are there of Heresy, Twisting the Word to fit in with a theology, dilution of the word to the extent it loses it´s meaning or worse brings about a state of confusion. She mentions she is not New Age but quite clearly promotes the power of words to bring things into existence.........which is quite simply the Doctrine of Demons. Joyce is somebody that just like all other False Preachers pushes the Christian Giving line and that good old 10% Tithing quote that is in the Old Testament under the Old Covenant but is not in the New Testament under the New Covenant. All these False Preachers push it regardless as it is a nice little steady earner and of course tax free.

On the plus side the ministry does donate money to good causes but there is no doubt in anybodies mind, the main financial focus of the Ministry money is grandiose buildings for her church, mansion size property on vast estates and not just one, and expensive private jets and the expense of keeping such a jet, not to mention high dollar antiques and top of the range Mercedes and a pretty decenthigh end wardrobe to look the part?

When these Preachers are questioned about there excessive lifestyles and emphasis on materialism they merely state that living with just enough is like living defeated, or not realising your full potential or that you haven´t been blessed by the Lord. If you are a Christian reading this you will know the right answer.

As with all these Mega Preachers, and this is Mega Preacher 5 that a closer look has been performed, on first impressions it´s very difficult to tell that they are a False Preacher, but when you put them under the cold light of day and get that first red flag, you can guarantee there will be many others and much worse the more closely you look. Twitter follower count and huge Facebook likes does not guarantee that a Preacher is not False in fact I would say it is more a guarantee that they are false.

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

As always I feel sorry for the congregation who are quite literally lapping up these false teachings that are leading them further and further away from God and leaving their pockets and bank accounts progressively lighter and smaller respectively with little or no effect on their lives to show for it. The ultimate sadness, many when they do realise that the whole thing is just an elaborate con, they pay the ultimate price and lose their faith as well....never to return.

Bible Quotes:

2 Timothy 3:1-5
1. This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3. Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4. Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

2 Peter 2:1-3
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 Corinthians 11:4
4. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

2 Corinthians 11:13-14
13. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
14. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

1 Timothy 6:3-5
3. If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;
4. He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,
5. Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

1 Timothy 6:6-9
6. But godliness with contentment is great gain.
7. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
8. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
9. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

Acts 17:11
11. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.