Steve Munsey, Joel Osteen, & Oprah Winfrey
PLEASE NOTE: I changed up the way I’m sharing information and am now on Youtube. You should definitely come check out my channel. Click the link, and I’ll see you there! (FYI - My beliefs have changed on some subjects since writing for this website.)
Steve Munsey is the pastor of a large church in Munster, Indiana. I heard about this man and decided to check out his ministry. I visited his official website, and here are some observations:
1. The Gospel of Christ is not given anywhere on Steve Munsey’s website. This is totally unacceptable. On Steve’s biography page, the following is stated:
“He has been featured in national magazines, newspapers, and network television as a cutting-edge innovator, spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ through many venues.”
It’s funny that this bio brags about Steve “spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ through many venues,” and yet there is not one place on his website dedicated to presenting the Gospel to the lost. Shouldn’t that be the main concern of a pastor? I’m no pastor, but look at the top of my page, and you will find my “How to be Saved” set of articles right next to the “Home” page.
Steve Munsey’s website contains a link to the official website of the church, where once again, the Gospel of Christ is nowhere to be found. I watched a video called “Reaching the Lost,” thinking this to the best bet for finding the Gospel. The video features people bragging about all of the wonderful things that the church does to help people in need, be they homeless, jobless, etc. That’s great that the church reaches out to people less fortunate, but there was no mention in the video of anyone being told how to be saved. What do lost people need the most? They need to hear the Gospel of Christ. Why is this not the priority of Steve Munsey’s ministry? Why does this subject receive no mention whatsoever on this man’s set of websites? In a video entitled “Establish God’s Kingdom,” a young man mentions becoming “a full-on follower of Jesus Christ.” Being a follower of Jesus Christ is not the same thing as being saved. You can follow Jesus and try to act the way He did, but what’s more important is to understand why Jesus came here in the first place. Jesus came here to die for the sins of the world so that you could be saved by simply believing on Jesus. If the main purpose for Jesus Christ coming to earth was to give people an example of how to live, then Jesus could have set the example and went back to Heaven. Why did Jesus have to die? Jesus had a much bigger purpose to fulfill, and that purpose was to suffer for the sins of the world. Now there’s nothing wrong with trying to follow the example that Jesus gave during his earthly ministry, but I’m tired of people thinking that the main reason Jesus came to earth was to be our role model. Jesus came here to save sinners!
1st Timothy 1:15: “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”
John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Steve Munsey’s church seems less interested in telling you how to be saved, and more interested in telling you to follow Jesus, which you can do without ever being saved. Believing on Jesus Christ and having complete faith in what He did is the most important thing you could ever do in your life.
2. While there is no room for the Gospel of Christ on Steve’s websites, there are instructions for how to give money to Steve Munsey’s ministry. What kind of a picture are you painting here, Steve? What will the lost person who stumbles across your website think? Is getting money more important than sharing the Gospel?
3. There are pictures of Steve Munsey’s church on display which make this look more like a concert than a church. I understand the desire to make things dynamic in order to maintain people’s interest, but what I see here is a bunch of glamorous sensationalism. Steve Munsey’s church seems less concerned with telling people the Gospel of Christ, and more concerned with creating dazzling light shows and onstage spectacles meant to excite and entertain. I was not able to download any of the pictures from Steve Munsey’s websites, but a Google search gave me other pictures of the church. Look at the pictures yourself. Is this a church, or is this a Broadway stage show? Is this a church, or is this a concert?
1. The Gospel of Christ is not given anywhere on Steve Munsey’s website. This is totally unacceptable. On Steve’s biography page, the following is stated:
“He has been featured in national magazines, newspapers, and network television as a cutting-edge innovator, spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ through many venues.”
It’s funny that this bio brags about Steve “spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ through many venues,” and yet there is not one place on his website dedicated to presenting the Gospel to the lost. Shouldn’t that be the main concern of a pastor? I’m no pastor, but look at the top of my page, and you will find my “How to be Saved” set of articles right next to the “Home” page.
Steve Munsey’s website contains a link to the official website of the church, where once again, the Gospel of Christ is nowhere to be found. I watched a video called “Reaching the Lost,” thinking this to the best bet for finding the Gospel. The video features people bragging about all of the wonderful things that the church does to help people in need, be they homeless, jobless, etc. That’s great that the church reaches out to people less fortunate, but there was no mention in the video of anyone being told how to be saved. What do lost people need the most? They need to hear the Gospel of Christ. Why is this not the priority of Steve Munsey’s ministry? Why does this subject receive no mention whatsoever on this man’s set of websites? In a video entitled “Establish God’s Kingdom,” a young man mentions becoming “a full-on follower of Jesus Christ.” Being a follower of Jesus Christ is not the same thing as being saved. You can follow Jesus and try to act the way He did, but what’s more important is to understand why Jesus came here in the first place. Jesus came here to die for the sins of the world so that you could be saved by simply believing on Jesus. If the main purpose for Jesus Christ coming to earth was to give people an example of how to live, then Jesus could have set the example and went back to Heaven. Why did Jesus have to die? Jesus had a much bigger purpose to fulfill, and that purpose was to suffer for the sins of the world. Now there’s nothing wrong with trying to follow the example that Jesus gave during his earthly ministry, but I’m tired of people thinking that the main reason Jesus came to earth was to be our role model. Jesus came here to save sinners!
1st Timothy 1:15: “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”
John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Steve Munsey’s church seems less interested in telling you how to be saved, and more interested in telling you to follow Jesus, which you can do without ever being saved. Believing on Jesus Christ and having complete faith in what He did is the most important thing you could ever do in your life.
2. While there is no room for the Gospel of Christ on Steve’s websites, there are instructions for how to give money to Steve Munsey’s ministry. What kind of a picture are you painting here, Steve? What will the lost person who stumbles across your website think? Is getting money more important than sharing the Gospel?
3. There are pictures of Steve Munsey’s church on display which make this look more like a concert than a church. I understand the desire to make things dynamic in order to maintain people’s interest, but what I see here is a bunch of glamorous sensationalism. Steve Munsey’s church seems less concerned with telling people the Gospel of Christ, and more concerned with creating dazzling light shows and onstage spectacles meant to excite and entertain. I was not able to download any of the pictures from Steve Munsey’s websites, but a Google search gave me other pictures of the church. Look at the pictures yourself. Is this a church, or is this a Broadway stage show? Is this a church, or is this a concert?
What’s more important? Excitement or truth? You can go to see a movie or hear a concert if you want to be dazzled, but when it comes to hearing about Jesus Christ, you don’t need a sensory overload. You need truth, plain and simple. Steve Munsey’s church seems to have put its emphasis on image over substance. Did the apostle Paul use Hollywood effects to get people’s attention?
1st Corinthians 1:21: “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.”
1st Corinthians 1:18: “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.”
Do you know what’s going to reach the lost? Some good old-fashioned preaching about what Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross! Churches like Steve Munsey’s have forgotten the core of the message. They have gotten caught up in sensationalism in order to become crowd pleasers. This reminds me of Joel Osteen. I remember a person telling me that he enjoyed watching Joel Osteen on TV. When I told this person my opinion that Joel Osteen was a weak preacher, he said that watching a Joel Osteen service made him feel good. Did you know that people go to movies, concerts, parties, etc. to feel good? Is that what church has become? A “feel good” activity?
I remember a TV report from years ago which focused on the kind of music played in stores. The type of music selected to play in a store is specially chosen in order to affect the type of customer that is viewed as being the biggest spender for that particular store. A grocery store will play music that hearkens back to days gone by for young adults who have families now. A hip clothing store will play new music in hopes of attracting a younger audience obsessed with putting lots of time and money into their image. Providing customers with an atmosphere that makes them “feel good” encourages them to spend more money. Steve Munsey has a “feel good” church with 18,000 members and growing. Joel Osteen has a “feel good” church which averages 43,500 people a week. Do you know why these men like to provide “feel good” atmospheres for their congregations? Here are two pictures of Joel Osteen’s estate.
1st Corinthians 1:21: “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.”
1st Corinthians 1:18: “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.”
Do you know what’s going to reach the lost? Some good old-fashioned preaching about what Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross! Churches like Steve Munsey’s have forgotten the core of the message. They have gotten caught up in sensationalism in order to become crowd pleasers. This reminds me of Joel Osteen. I remember a person telling me that he enjoyed watching Joel Osteen on TV. When I told this person my opinion that Joel Osteen was a weak preacher, he said that watching a Joel Osteen service made him feel good. Did you know that people go to movies, concerts, parties, etc. to feel good? Is that what church has become? A “feel good” activity?
I remember a TV report from years ago which focused on the kind of music played in stores. The type of music selected to play in a store is specially chosen in order to affect the type of customer that is viewed as being the biggest spender for that particular store. A grocery store will play music that hearkens back to days gone by for young adults who have families now. A hip clothing store will play new music in hopes of attracting a younger audience obsessed with putting lots of time and money into their image. Providing customers with an atmosphere that makes them “feel good” encourages them to spend more money. Steve Munsey has a “feel good” church with 18,000 members and growing. Joel Osteen has a “feel good” church which averages 43,500 people a week. Do you know why these men like to provide “feel good” atmospheres for their congregations? Here are two pictures of Joel Osteen’s estate.
You can find a lot of criticism online for these types of pastors because of their fat bank accounts. I brought this subject up because it is worth consideration for understanding the possible true motives of these men. However, I will not focus on this aspect. Doctrine is the most important factor. Stay with me, because I will be getting back to this.
Next, I watched a pair of videos on youtube featuring Steve Munsey. Let’s examine these videos.
1. The first video was a “highlight montage” from the official youtube page of Steve Munsey’s church. While this video was not an actual sermon, it supposedly offered highlights, or the best moments, from Steve Munsey’s services. The video featured clips from several of Munsey’s “sermons,” all set to a cool rap music beat. I hesitate to call these sermons, because Munsey did not give the impression of a preacher so much as that of a motivational speaker. Again, the services seem to center around a desire to make people feel good rather than to teach them Biblical truth. On the church’s website, in a video entitled “Reaching the Lost,” a former popular radio personality claimed that he felt “the spirit of the Lord” at Munsey’s church. I did not feel anything spiritual at all when I watched Steve Munsey. I didn’t see anything powerful. I saw a man trying to excite an audience by telling them what they wanted to hear. Let me tell you what is going on here. People are mistaking the feeling of excitement that they experience at Steve Munsey’s church as the spirit of God. Steve Munsey likes to promise that a “miracle” is always around the corner for Christians. Steve Munsey likes to tell people that God is going to bless them with rewards here on earth. Steve Munsey relies on Old Testament Scripture where God was speaking to the Jews, deceiving “Christians” into thinking that those old promises are for them as well. They’re not. That was Old Testament. We are under the New Testament, also called the age of grace. Telling people what they want to hear is not the job of a pastor. The apostle Paul warned that this would become a problem.
2nd Timothy 4:2-4: “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. 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; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”
Having lust is the same thing as having a strong desire. Because people desire to have a good life full of happiness and rewards, they have fallen for the feel good sensationalism of people like Steve Munsey. Folks, Christians were never promised a great life while here on earth. Please note the following verse of Scripture:
2 Timothy 3:12: “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”
The apostle Paul didn’t attempt to paint a pretty picture about the Christian life. Steve Munsey bases his promises about a good life on Old Testament Scripture given to the Jews. Paul, who was the apostle for the age of grace, made it clear that if you intend to live a good Christian life, then you are going to “suffer persecution”. You see, there’s a big difference between hearing the truth and hearing what you want to hear. Jesus Christ called the Holy Spirit “the Spirit of truth” (John 14:17, 15:26, 16:13). Anyone saying that they are feeling the spirit of God in Steve Munsey’s church is simply getting caught up in all of the sensationalism. What they are experiencing is the spirit of excitement. When you ignore truth in order to teach lies that people desire to hear, you will not find a spirit of truth present in your ministry. Sorry, folks, but the Holy Spirit is not going to be found at Steve Munsey’s church, because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth, not the spirit of lies or wishful thinking. The primary focus of a church should be to reach the lost for Jesus Christ. When a church cannot provide a simple Gospel message on its website, and the pastor is constantly abusing Scripture in order to promise people rewards and blessings that were never meant for them, the Holy Spirit is not going to be found there.
Once again, this talk of Steve Munsey reminds me of Joel Osteen.
Next, I watched a pair of videos on youtube featuring Steve Munsey. Let’s examine these videos.
1. The first video was a “highlight montage” from the official youtube page of Steve Munsey’s church. While this video was not an actual sermon, it supposedly offered highlights, or the best moments, from Steve Munsey’s services. The video featured clips from several of Munsey’s “sermons,” all set to a cool rap music beat. I hesitate to call these sermons, because Munsey did not give the impression of a preacher so much as that of a motivational speaker. Again, the services seem to center around a desire to make people feel good rather than to teach them Biblical truth. On the church’s website, in a video entitled “Reaching the Lost,” a former popular radio personality claimed that he felt “the spirit of the Lord” at Munsey’s church. I did not feel anything spiritual at all when I watched Steve Munsey. I didn’t see anything powerful. I saw a man trying to excite an audience by telling them what they wanted to hear. Let me tell you what is going on here. People are mistaking the feeling of excitement that they experience at Steve Munsey’s church as the spirit of God. Steve Munsey likes to promise that a “miracle” is always around the corner for Christians. Steve Munsey likes to tell people that God is going to bless them with rewards here on earth. Steve Munsey relies on Old Testament Scripture where God was speaking to the Jews, deceiving “Christians” into thinking that those old promises are for them as well. They’re not. That was Old Testament. We are under the New Testament, also called the age of grace. Telling people what they want to hear is not the job of a pastor. The apostle Paul warned that this would become a problem.
2nd Timothy 4:2-4: “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. 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; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”
Having lust is the same thing as having a strong desire. Because people desire to have a good life full of happiness and rewards, they have fallen for the feel good sensationalism of people like Steve Munsey. Folks, Christians were never promised a great life while here on earth. Please note the following verse of Scripture:
2 Timothy 3:12: “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”
The apostle Paul didn’t attempt to paint a pretty picture about the Christian life. Steve Munsey bases his promises about a good life on Old Testament Scripture given to the Jews. Paul, who was the apostle for the age of grace, made it clear that if you intend to live a good Christian life, then you are going to “suffer persecution”. You see, there’s a big difference between hearing the truth and hearing what you want to hear. Jesus Christ called the Holy Spirit “the Spirit of truth” (John 14:17, 15:26, 16:13). Anyone saying that they are feeling the spirit of God in Steve Munsey’s church is simply getting caught up in all of the sensationalism. What they are experiencing is the spirit of excitement. When you ignore truth in order to teach lies that people desire to hear, you will not find a spirit of truth present in your ministry. Sorry, folks, but the Holy Spirit is not going to be found at Steve Munsey’s church, because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth, not the spirit of lies or wishful thinking. The primary focus of a church should be to reach the lost for Jesus Christ. When a church cannot provide a simple Gospel message on its website, and the pastor is constantly abusing Scripture in order to promise people rewards and blessings that were never meant for them, the Holy Spirit is not going to be found there.
Once again, this talk of Steve Munsey reminds me of Joel Osteen.
Let’s Talk About Joel Osteen
Have you ever seen his books in stores? Go to Target and visit the book aisle. You’ll find all sorts of books about vampires, witches, sex, and celebrity worship. Alongside all of this garbage, you will find the works of Joel Osteen. Here are some of the titles of classic Joel Osteen books:
Your Best Life Now
Every Day a Friday
It’s Your Time
Become a Better You
Do these titles sound like books written by a pastor or a motivational speaker? These books are designed to give you that “feel good” experience that we already discussed. Why is it that so many people attend the churches of Joel Osteen and Steve Munsey? Why does their popularity transcend their churches? Why are people hooked on these always upbeat, positive thinking prosperity preachers? It is because people want to be told that life is going to be great. Have you ever listened to the promises of a presidential candidate? They make all sorts of claims about the wonderful things they are going to do. Once they get into office, do any of those promises ever come to fruition? No. That is because those candidates tell you what you want to hear in order to get what they want from you. Prosperity preachers are cut from the same mold. They differ by hiding behind a mask of righteousness.
On several occasions I have picked up a Joel Osteen book in a store. Joel Osteen is famous. He is known by people who are not even Christians. Here is a man who has a chance to reach many unsaved people, because his books are in stores across the country. Because of this advantage, the pressure is really on Joel Osteen to present readers with the Gospel of Christ, since this may be the best chance to reach people who would never go to a church or visit a Christian website. So do we find the Gospel of Christ in Joel Osteen books? No. What we find is a baffling conundrum. In several of the books, there is no Gospel message whatsoever, and the pages are instead filled up with Joel’s popular positive thinking and motivational speeches. How can you be a pastor and not give the Gospel of Christ in your books? On the other hand, in Joel Osteen’s Break Out!, we find a gospel message given in the form of a sample prayer. People are instructed to turn from their sins and surrender their lives to Christ. If you have read any of my articles on Lordship Salvation, you will recognize that these steps are manmade requirements belonging to a false religion that works to corrupt the simplicity of the true Gospel of Christ. So here’s what we are left with:
1. Joel Osteen does not give a salvation message in most of his books.
2. Joel makes an exception in Break Out! to deliver a Lordship Salvation false gospel calling for people to turn away from their sins and surrender their lives in obedience to Jesus Christ to be saved.
3. The official website for Joel Osteen’s church makes the following claim:
“Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood for our sins. We believe that salvation is found by placing our faith in what Jesus did for us on the cross. We believe Jesus rose from the dead and is coming again.”
Joel Osteen is one very mixed up man. Sometimes he ignores the Gospel. When he does share a gospel message, he can’t settle on whether he believes in salvation by the grace of God or salvation by forsaking sin and swearing obedience to Jesus Christ. I watched a video where Joel Osteen gave a salvation message at the end of one of his services, and he instructed those people not saved to pray the following:
“Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins. Come into my heart. Wash me in your blood. I make you my Lord and Savior. Amen.”
The Bible never teaches that you must “repent of sin” to be saved. The Bible never teaches to invite Jesus into your heart to be saved. The Bible never teaches that you must make Jesus your Lord to be saved. These ideas are man made. They belong to religion, which is man’s effort to reach God. Joel Osteen presents a Lordship Salvation false gospel message. Did you know that the Gospel of Christ, which saves the soul, is simply good news meant to be believed?
Romans 10:9: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
1st Corinthians 15:1-4: “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”
Acts 16:30-31: “And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”
So we have Joel Osteen presenting a gospel that does not agree with the Bible. Then we have Joel Osteen being interviewed by Larry King, and Joel worked hard to dodge the question of whether Jesus was the only way to Heaven or not. Joel repeatedly said that only God can judge the heart. This was a cop out. Joel was on live, national TV, and he did not want to turn people off by admitting that Jesus Christ is the only way to be saved. Let me show you how Joel Osteen tried to be sneaky. Larry King said that if Joel believes that Jesus is the only way to Heaven, and someone does not believe what Joel believes, then that would make that person wrong. Here was Joel’s response:
“Well, I don’t know if I look at it like that. I would present my way, but I’m gonna let God be the judge of that. I don’t know. I don’t know.”
Larry King then asked Joel if atheists can go to Heaven. Joel again said that only God can judge the heart. What Joel Osteen did here was mix a little bit of Scripture into his cowardly response, and he tried to make himself seem neutral so that he would not offend anyone. It is true that God judges the heart, but that is a very vague idea. What is God looking for? A pure heart? A true heart? A loving heart? Here is where the heart comes into play when dealing with a person’s salvation:
Romans 10:9: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
You believe on Jesus Christ in your heart, knowing that He died for your sins, was buried, and rose again. If that belief resides in your heart, your reservation is booked in Heaven. Anyone who does not believe on Jesus Christ in their heart is going to Hell. Joel went on to say that he presents “the truth,” and he believes “it’s a relationship with Jesus.” Joel refused to mention believing on Jesus Christ alone for salvation. What is wrong with this pastor? Does he believe in salvation by grace? Does he believe in Lordship Salvation? Does he believe that anyone can be saved as long as their heart is right? The answer depends on when and where you ask Joel Osteen, because his answer varies based on the circumstances. It’s not a good sign when the pastor of one of the largest churches in America cannot settle on how a person gets saved. Perhaps Joel should step down from the pulpit until he gets this most important doctrine nailed down. But I doubt that Joel will step down, as he is enjoying the fruits of his wealth earned by sidestepping truth and telling people what they want to hear. The Holy Spirit cannot be found in Joel Osteen’s church or his books, because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth. If you would like to see an example of a church service filled with the Holy Spirit, look up Pastor Danny Castle on youtube. Watch a Danny Castle sermon, and then watch a motivational speech, I mean, “sermon,” by Steve Munsey or Joel Osteen. There are different spirits at play here, folks. The Holy Spirit and the spirit of greed/itching ears.
Did you know that Joel Osteen has been featured on Oprah Winfrey’s “Lifeclass” self-help program?
Your Best Life Now
Every Day a Friday
It’s Your Time
Become a Better You
Do these titles sound like books written by a pastor or a motivational speaker? These books are designed to give you that “feel good” experience that we already discussed. Why is it that so many people attend the churches of Joel Osteen and Steve Munsey? Why does their popularity transcend their churches? Why are people hooked on these always upbeat, positive thinking prosperity preachers? It is because people want to be told that life is going to be great. Have you ever listened to the promises of a presidential candidate? They make all sorts of claims about the wonderful things they are going to do. Once they get into office, do any of those promises ever come to fruition? No. That is because those candidates tell you what you want to hear in order to get what they want from you. Prosperity preachers are cut from the same mold. They differ by hiding behind a mask of righteousness.
On several occasions I have picked up a Joel Osteen book in a store. Joel Osteen is famous. He is known by people who are not even Christians. Here is a man who has a chance to reach many unsaved people, because his books are in stores across the country. Because of this advantage, the pressure is really on Joel Osteen to present readers with the Gospel of Christ, since this may be the best chance to reach people who would never go to a church or visit a Christian website. So do we find the Gospel of Christ in Joel Osteen books? No. What we find is a baffling conundrum. In several of the books, there is no Gospel message whatsoever, and the pages are instead filled up with Joel’s popular positive thinking and motivational speeches. How can you be a pastor and not give the Gospel of Christ in your books? On the other hand, in Joel Osteen’s Break Out!, we find a gospel message given in the form of a sample prayer. People are instructed to turn from their sins and surrender their lives to Christ. If you have read any of my articles on Lordship Salvation, you will recognize that these steps are manmade requirements belonging to a false religion that works to corrupt the simplicity of the true Gospel of Christ. So here’s what we are left with:
1. Joel Osteen does not give a salvation message in most of his books.
2. Joel makes an exception in Break Out! to deliver a Lordship Salvation false gospel calling for people to turn away from their sins and surrender their lives in obedience to Jesus Christ to be saved.
3. The official website for Joel Osteen’s church makes the following claim:
“Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood for our sins. We believe that salvation is found by placing our faith in what Jesus did for us on the cross. We believe Jesus rose from the dead and is coming again.”
Joel Osteen is one very mixed up man. Sometimes he ignores the Gospel. When he does share a gospel message, he can’t settle on whether he believes in salvation by the grace of God or salvation by forsaking sin and swearing obedience to Jesus Christ. I watched a video where Joel Osteen gave a salvation message at the end of one of his services, and he instructed those people not saved to pray the following:
“Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins. Come into my heart. Wash me in your blood. I make you my Lord and Savior. Amen.”
The Bible never teaches that you must “repent of sin” to be saved. The Bible never teaches to invite Jesus into your heart to be saved. The Bible never teaches that you must make Jesus your Lord to be saved. These ideas are man made. They belong to religion, which is man’s effort to reach God. Joel Osteen presents a Lordship Salvation false gospel message. Did you know that the Gospel of Christ, which saves the soul, is simply good news meant to be believed?
Romans 10:9: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
1st Corinthians 15:1-4: “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”
Acts 16:30-31: “And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”
So we have Joel Osteen presenting a gospel that does not agree with the Bible. Then we have Joel Osteen being interviewed by Larry King, and Joel worked hard to dodge the question of whether Jesus was the only way to Heaven or not. Joel repeatedly said that only God can judge the heart. This was a cop out. Joel was on live, national TV, and he did not want to turn people off by admitting that Jesus Christ is the only way to be saved. Let me show you how Joel Osteen tried to be sneaky. Larry King said that if Joel believes that Jesus is the only way to Heaven, and someone does not believe what Joel believes, then that would make that person wrong. Here was Joel’s response:
“Well, I don’t know if I look at it like that. I would present my way, but I’m gonna let God be the judge of that. I don’t know. I don’t know.”
Larry King then asked Joel if atheists can go to Heaven. Joel again said that only God can judge the heart. What Joel Osteen did here was mix a little bit of Scripture into his cowardly response, and he tried to make himself seem neutral so that he would not offend anyone. It is true that God judges the heart, but that is a very vague idea. What is God looking for? A pure heart? A true heart? A loving heart? Here is where the heart comes into play when dealing with a person’s salvation:
Romans 10:9: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
You believe on Jesus Christ in your heart, knowing that He died for your sins, was buried, and rose again. If that belief resides in your heart, your reservation is booked in Heaven. Anyone who does not believe on Jesus Christ in their heart is going to Hell. Joel went on to say that he presents “the truth,” and he believes “it’s a relationship with Jesus.” Joel refused to mention believing on Jesus Christ alone for salvation. What is wrong with this pastor? Does he believe in salvation by grace? Does he believe in Lordship Salvation? Does he believe that anyone can be saved as long as their heart is right? The answer depends on when and where you ask Joel Osteen, because his answer varies based on the circumstances. It’s not a good sign when the pastor of one of the largest churches in America cannot settle on how a person gets saved. Perhaps Joel should step down from the pulpit until he gets this most important doctrine nailed down. But I doubt that Joel will step down, as he is enjoying the fruits of his wealth earned by sidestepping truth and telling people what they want to hear. The Holy Spirit cannot be found in Joel Osteen’s church or his books, because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth. If you would like to see an example of a church service filled with the Holy Spirit, look up Pastor Danny Castle on youtube. Watch a Danny Castle sermon, and then watch a motivational speech, I mean, “sermon,” by Steve Munsey or Joel Osteen. There are different spirits at play here, folks. The Holy Spirit and the spirit of greed/itching ears.
Did you know that Joel Osteen has been featured on Oprah Winfrey’s “Lifeclass” self-help program?
Let’s Talk About Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey. The name alone should make a true believer on Jesus Christ cringe. And what exactly makes Oprah qualified to teach others how to live? Nothing at all. Oprah has anointed herself as some kind of world teacher, and millions of women worship Oprah by heeding her words.
If Oprah is indeed a teacher, then that means she must have teachings. Let’s take a look at some of the dangerous and false teachings delivered by Oprah over the course of her career. Here is a statement made by Oprah on her talk show:
“There are many paths to what you call ‘God.’ And her path might be something else, and when she gets there she might call it ‘the light.’ But her loving, and her kindness, and her generosity, if it brings her to the same point that it brings you, it doesn’t matter if she called it ‘God’ along the way or not.”
There are not many paths to God. There is only one.
John 14:6: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
When a member of the audience told Oprah that there is indeed only one way, Jesus Christ, Oprah responded with the following:
“There couldn’t possibly be. There couldn’t possibly be with the millions of people in the world. There couldn’t possibly be.”
I’m going to let the apostle Peter correct Oprah on her gigantic mistake.
Acts 4:12: “Neither is there salvation in any other (besides Jesus Christ): for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
Moving on, let’s look at another teaching given by Oprah. In 2008, one of the selections for Oprah’s Book Club was Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose. Oprah conducted a web series with the author, and a reader of the book contacted Oprah via Skype, asking her the following question:
“In reading books such as Tolle’s, it’s really opened my eyes up to a new way of thinking, a new form of spirituality, that doesn’t always align with the teachings of Christianity. So my question is, to you Oprah, how do you reconcile these spiritual teachings with your Christian beliefs?”
The idea of Oprah having “Christian beliefs” is completely ludicrous, since we have already seen that she denies that Jesus Christ is the only way to be saved. However, many “Christians” have no discernment and believe that Oprah is a Christian simply because she claims to be. Oprah could also claim to know Bill and Ben the Flower Pot Men, but does that make it true?
“There are many paths to what you call ‘God.’ And her path might be something else, and when she gets there she might call it ‘the light.’ But her loving, and her kindness, and her generosity, if it brings her to the same point that it brings you, it doesn’t matter if she called it ‘God’ along the way or not.”
There are not many paths to God. There is only one.
John 14:6: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
When a member of the audience told Oprah that there is indeed only one way, Jesus Christ, Oprah responded with the following:
“There couldn’t possibly be. There couldn’t possibly be with the millions of people in the world. There couldn’t possibly be.”
I’m going to let the apostle Peter correct Oprah on her gigantic mistake.
Acts 4:12: “Neither is there salvation in any other (besides Jesus Christ): for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
Moving on, let’s look at another teaching given by Oprah. In 2008, one of the selections for Oprah’s Book Club was Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose. Oprah conducted a web series with the author, and a reader of the book contacted Oprah via Skype, asking her the following question:
“In reading books such as Tolle’s, it’s really opened my eyes up to a new way of thinking, a new form of spirituality, that doesn’t always align with the teachings of Christianity. So my question is, to you Oprah, how do you reconcile these spiritual teachings with your Christian beliefs?”
The idea of Oprah having “Christian beliefs” is completely ludicrous, since we have already seen that she denies that Jesus Christ is the only way to be saved. However, many “Christians” have no discernment and believe that Oprah is a Christian simply because she claims to be. Oprah could also claim to know Bill and Ben the Flower Pot Men, but does that make it true?
Now, let’s look at Oprah’s response to this confused reader:
“I’ve reconciled it because I was able to open my mind about the absolute indescribable hugeness of that which we call ‘God.’ I took God out of the box, because I grew up in the Baptist church, and there were, you know, rules and, you know, belief systems and doctrines, and I happened to be sitting in church in my late twenties, and I was going to this church where you had to get there at, you know, eight o’clock in the morning or you couldn’t get a seat, and a very charismatic minister, and everybody was just, you know, into the sermon, and this great minister was preaching about how great God was, and how omniscient, and omnipresent, and God is everything, and then he said ‘And the Lord thy God is a jealous God.’ And I was, you know, caught up in the rapture of that moment until he said ‘jealous.’ And something struck me. And I was I think about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, and I was thinking, God is all, God is omnipresent, and God is also jealous? God is jealous of me? And something about that didn’t feel right in my spirit, because I believe that God is love, and that God is in all things, and so that’s when the search for something more than doctrine started to stir within me. And I love this quote that Eckhart has. This is one of my favorite quotes in chapter one, where he says ‘Man made God in his own image. The eternal, the infinite, and unnameable was reduced to a mental idol that you had to believe in and worship as my God or our God.”
Oh boy. We’ve got some serious problems here. There’s more to come, but we have to stop here and sort through this load of rubbish before continuing.
1. When Oprah claims that she opened her mind and saw the bigger picture, it reminds me of a promise made by Satan to Eve in the Garden of Eden.
Genesis 3:5: “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”
Satan created this lie that a person’s eyes, or mind, could be opened, and that they themselves would become as gods and would know truth. Folks, this lie was created by Satan to appeal to human pride. People are fallible. People are corrupt. People do not need to open their minds and have some type of spiritual awakening to know truth. What is truth?
John 17:17: “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” – Jesus Christ, praying to God
Jesus Christ said that the Bible, God’s Holy Word, is truth. Jesus also said that He was the truth.
John 14:6: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
When people start talking about opening up their eyes and their mind and seeing past doctrine, and about taking God out of a box, then you better be careful. Those people have gone off looking for their own truth, not the truth given by God’s Word and God’s Son.
2. Oprah didn’t like the fact that God is jealous? Well, it doesn’t matter what Oprah likes or doesn’t like. Truth is all that matters, not the flawed opinions or personal preferences of a humanistic, world teacher like Oprah. The Bible says that God was jealous over the Jews.
Exodus 20:4-5: “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;”
God did not want His chosen people, the Jews, to worship false gods. Oprah heard about God being jealous, and then the following happened:
“And something about that didn’t feel right in my spirit, because I believe that God is love, and that God is in all things, and so that’s when the search for something more than doctrine started to stir within me.”
Notice that Oprah mentioned her own “spirit.” A person’s spirit will not lead them to truth. The Holy Spirit is necessary for this job.
John 14:17: “Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world (unsaved people) cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”
John 16:13: “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”
I don’t know whether Oprah was ever saved or not. But one thing is obvious from her own words: She is letting her own spirit tell her what is truth and what is not.
3. Take a moment to consider the following quote from Eckhart Tolle:
“Man made God in his own image.”
That is a complete mockery of Scripture.
Genesis 1:26-27: “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”
Did man make God in his image? Or did God make man in His image? Eckhart Tolle teaches it backwards in order to blaspheme God. The Bible gives us the truth.
Let’s continue with more of Oprah’s heresies. The following was said by Oprah to Eckhart Tolle in their web series:
“God, in the essence of all consciousness, isn’t something to believe. God is. God is. And God is a feeling experience, not a believing experience. And if your religion is a believing experience, if God, for you, is still about a belief, then it’s not truly God. That’s what you’re saying.”
God is not a “feeling experience.” That type of thinking places the emphasis on feeling rather than belief. If you don’t “feel” God, then does He not exist? And what exactly are you supposed to “feel”?
Hebrews 11:6: “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
The preceding verse said nothing about a “feeling.” Faith, or belief, is what pleases God. If a person could “feel” God, there would be no need for faith, because you know that what you feel exists. A person’s faith is important to God because it means a person believes in God without seeing Him.
Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
John 20:29: “Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”
Belief, or faith, is always mentioned when it comes to how a person is saved. A “feeling” is never demanded by Scripture. Feelings come and go, but faith saves the soul.
Romans 10:9: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
Now, let’s look at one last statement made by Oprah, which was given in response to a woman in her audience who had read Eckhart Tolle’s book of new age nonsense.
“And up until then, I was like you, I thought Jesus came, died on the cross, that Jesus’ being here was about his death and dying on the cross, when it really was about him coming to show us how to do it, how to be, to show us the ‘Christ consciousness’ that he had, and that that consciousness abides with all of us. That’s what I got. That’s what I got.”
Is Oprah extremely ignorant? Or is Oprah deliberately misleading the masses? I believe that Oprah is a devil in disguise and that she knows exactly what she is doing. According to Oprah, Jesus Christ did not come to earth to die on the cross for sinners, and His main purpose instead was to show us how to live. So why didn’t Jesus simply give us the example and then return to Heaven? Why did He go through with His death on the cross? Let me tell you why. The death on the cross was the entire purpose for Jesus to ever manifest himself in the flesh and come to earth. Let’s look at some key verses of Scripture that make this clear.
John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
God gave His Son in order to give people a way to be saved.
1st Timothy 1:15: “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”
Jesus Christ came to the earth in order to save sinners, and that was made possible by the death of Jesus on the cross.
Romans 5:8: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Jesus Christ died for people, and God allowed this to show His great love for people.
1st John 3:5: “And ye know that he (Jesus) was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.”
Hebrews 9:26: “For then must he (Jesus) often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.”
If Jesus Christ was not here on a mission to die for the sins of the world, then why did He go through with it? Do you think He had nothing better to do? Look at what happened right before Jesus was betrayed by Judas and taken away by the chief priests and captains armed with swords.
Luke 22:41-44: “And he (Jesus) was withdrawn from them (the disciples) about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
Does it sound like Jesus wanted to go through with His death on the cross? What did Jesus Christ say to Pilate when He was placed in his custody?
John 19:10-11: “Then saith Pilate unto him (Jesus), Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.”
So Oprah, let me get this straight: You’re saying that Jesus did not come to die on the cross? That would mean that God sat there in heaven and watched as His Son was needlessly crucified on a cross. What father would sit there and watch as his child was crucified? What father would actually go out of his way to allow such a thing to happen? Remember, Jesus acknowledged that He did not want to go through with his crucifixion if it were possible, and that the crucifixion was the will of God the Father. Jesus also acknowledged that Pilate, the man who condemned Jesus to be crucified, could not have any power over Jesus unless God Himself gave that power to Pilate. Did you ever read about how Jesus ascended to Heaven after his resurrection and having spent time with his disciples?
Acts 1:9: “And when he (Jesus) had spoken these things, while they (the disciples) beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.”
When Jesus Christ was done with His work on earth, He went up in a cloud back to Heaven. He could have done this at any time that He wanted to. If Jesus was only here to show people how to live, why didn’t he do that and then take a cloud back into Heaven? Why did Jesus have to die on the cross? Why did Jesus go through with something that He was so anxious about that he actually sweat blood? Jesus knew this day was coming.
Matthew 17:22-23: “And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them (the disciples), The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.”
Mark 10:32-34: “And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them (the disciples): and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid. And he took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should happen unto him, Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles: And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again.”
Jesus Christ knew what was going to happen to Him. God gave the authority to those in power to crucify His only Son. Folks, the death of Jesus Christ on the cross was the single most important event in the history of the world. It was the purpose of Jesus coming to the earth. It is true that Jesus offered Himself to the Jews as their prophesied King, but the Jews were blinded to the truth by God so that they would not accept their King (Romans 11:7-11, 25). This was done in order to create a way for eternal salvation to be available to anyone and everyone.
If Jesus came here merely to teach people how to live, then what was the purpose? This life is temporary. If everyone is going to Heaven when they die, then you could say that Jesus wanted people to learn to behave a certain way. But we know that there is a place called Hell, and that many people are going to go there. Wouldn’t the main concern of Jesus be to make sure that people are going to get into Heaven, not worry about how they behave on earth? Yes, and that was indeed the main concern of Jesus Christ, and it was the reason He died on the cross. What was God’s will concerning the sending of His Son to earth?
John 6:40: “And this is the will of him (God) that sent me (Jesus), that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Oprah lied to her undiscerning viewers. Jesus Christ came here to die on the cross in order to make eternal salvation available to everyone who believes on Jesus. And consider this: What was the focal point of the apostles’ preaching after Jesus Christ returned to Heaven? Was it that people should live like Jesus? Or was it about the eternal salvation that Jesus Christ had made possible by His death? Here are three verses of Scripture written by the apostle Paul that illustrate what message was taken to the people.
1st Corinthians 1:18: “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.”
1st Corinthians 1:23: “But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;”
1st Corinthians 2:2: “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”
Now that you can see the absurdity of Oprah’s claim, we can move on. What about this “Christ consciousness” that Oprah mentioned? What is this referring to? The “Center for Christ Consciousness” (ctrforchristcon.org) describes this concept as follows:
“The human mind has spiritual currents running through its thought streams. These streams contain vital information from Spirit that is highly valuable to humans. Spirit is the source of everything TRUE, BEAUTIFUL, and GOOD and conveys these ideals through the human mind that intersect with a person’s beliefs, helping the individual ascend into the higher information that uplifts and improves the quality of life.
In human life, spiritual growth is achieved by aligning with these spiritual currents that come from both the personality and mind of Spirit by intellectual assent and emotional devotion. Christ Consciousness is the growing human recognition and blending of the human evolutionary (or ego) mind with the Divine Mind and the Divine Personality that is the source of human happiness and fulfillment. This awareness accrues over time within the consciousness of human thinking when intention, attention, and openness is focused on knowing who and what is that “christed” state of being—that higher mindedness of enlightenment.
As this awareness in the human mind grows and strengthens, life becomes more liberated, joyful, peaceful, and love-dominated. The fear which creates isolation and despair begins to diminish in thought and feeling. You are free to live the life you were born to live — as a child of Spirit in a love-filled and supportive universe.”
The preceding New Age psychobabble is designed to appeal to human pride, telling people that they can have their minds evolved into a state of enlightenment. This lie goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden. How did Satan trick Eve into taking a bite of the forbidden fruit?
Genesis 3:1-5: “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”
Satan appealed to human pride by telling Eve that her eyes would be opened (she would be enlightened) and that she would become a god. Satan repeats this lie today, just in a different way. Now it comes by way of the “Christ consciousness,” which sometimes involves aliens on a mission to help humans evolve. Let’s look at a few examples of this. The following was taken from earthchangepredictions.com:
“Let me get to the subject of this article: Either we humans are advancing in our mental evolution very quickly or it is being helped along by the aliens through quantum entanglement and other methods.
How many ‘outside the box’ websites, books, and discussions, are inspired by a hint of alien presence? For myself, I know my 30 years of UFO/alien research, has an alien presence and influence. It is within me and without me. It is a positive alien influence, in my opinion. I know that without this in-put, my writing would not exist.
I am not controlled by my alien friend, I am free to think, to feel, to disagree, to rebel. In fact, I am encouraged to think and feel. There is an alien guidance, a friendly entanglement.
If one asked a man who feels that we live in a computer simulation, or a woman who feels a connection with beings from inner earth, they would tell you in most cases that there is a presence which/who is there for them.
I feel that as the great force of evolution turns its magnificent power to the mental development of humans with less emphasis on our physical evolution, that mostly positive aliens have joined in speeding up our evolution. For proof, I simply offer the entire UFO/alien phenomenon in our society and in our human consciousness. This phenomenon within us is the main reason they fly by!
This phenomenon is a part of us now. We have all built the fibers of the web. Is it an alien web to trap us or simply a mostly beautiful web of universal advancement and enlightenment? I firmly believe the latter!
I believe we are being helped along in our mental evolution. Why? Why this tampering by the aliens?
The most obvious answer is that huge earth changes are in our future. Possibly there are disasters on a global scale. Perhaps the Yellowstone Super-Volcano explodes or a nuclear war happens or our poor abused planet simply runs out of life’s energy or becomes so out of balance and erratic that humans can’t live on her anymore. Perhaps a solar flare cooks us all or an asteroid of sufficient size impacts to end all higher life on Earth or throw her out of orbit.
In any catastrophic disaster, some of us feel the aliens would help and we would suddenly be a part of the world they know. We have a better chance of survival if we are on the path to achieving the level of enlightenment and intelligence which many galactic alien races have achieved. Thus, our mental/spiritual evolution has been speeded up beforehand.
Or, perhaps no huge catastrophes will happen but it is simply time for humans to join the galactic community. Our scientific advancements have reached the point where we cannot be ignored or denied. However, before our invitation to join, we are being given a crash course in mental/spiritual evolution by means of the UFO/alien phenomenon. Because of it, many of us have looked into ancient beliefs, developed modern new age philosophies of enlightenment and/or we have learned to think outside the box and enjoy it!”
See what I mean? There are people who believe that aliens are helping us evolve towards a state of enlightenment. The following was taken from ascensionangels.wordpress.com:
“We are preparing to move into another position in the evolutionary chain which impacts Universal timelines with alien hybridized identities and their relationship to the Personal Christ gestalt of consciousness in new ways. Our spiritual communities will be impacted, and will continue to feel the energetic and spiritual impacts of these recent events. This opens up the potential of meeting future hybridized selves or other self related identities throughout the timelines during the spiritual initiation process which may happen in lucid dreams, meditation, sleep state or other consciousness work.”
“Through this intensity, new creations are being borne that we have come to witness during this incredible time of human history and planetary evolution. Yet this timeline will require all we can muster to focus on the positive and upon the ‘goodness’ inside human beings, the real spark of life that exists beyond all these painful events, ancestral memories and alien manipulation. These many conflicts are playing out in the confused people that still believe using bombs, wars and discriminate killing is the way to find God. This cycle requires a tremendous focus of inner strength to call upon unconditional forgiveness and forgetfulness for the past pain, the past timelines which have caused the root of all planetary pain, thus human pain today. The ancestral past, and the alien hybridization and genetic mutation histories are that memory which exists in our blood and is haunting some of us now, and it lingers for remembrance, reconciliation and resurrection. The reconciliation of ancestral and alien timeline memories have many intersecting layers and is impacting many other dimensions of time. Multiple dimensions containing millions of beings are lining up to comprehend what has happened to the earth and transit out from their specific time continuum. Many of us may be attending to that process to help as portal jumpers, gatekeepers and interdimensional chaperons. For during this intense phase, we will see and observe a lot of pain in this world, pain from the past, pain from seeing lies, pain in the planet, painful death, pain at the alien deception and the pangs of a great spiritual birthing. We must reconcile the past and the future which seeded its memories in our fleshly body and spiritual being to apply the power of love, which is, the transformation required to resurrect our true eternal krystic being. Once we can see this truth and forgive this pathway from the past of our true hidden alien histories, we become open to the future experience of spiritual freedom and inner joy with the Cosmic Christ consciousness.”
This article mentioned “the ‘goodness’ inside human beings.” There is no such thing, according to the Bible.
Romans 7:18: “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.”
Human beings have no “goodness” in them, and there is no coming “evolution,” because evolution does not exist. The “Christ consciousness” does not exist either, and it is instead a false concept designed to appeal to the prideful nature of humans. The closest a person can come to such a thing is to have the Holy Spirit living inside of them, and that is only made possible by believing on Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit does not give people some evolution of consciousness, or the mind of Christ. It seals people with eternal salvation (Ephesians 1:13, 4:30) and serves to lead believers into truth (John 15:26, 16:13), and that truth revolves around Jesus Christ, because He is the truth (John 14:6). Having the Holy Spirit does not guarantee that goodness will follow, as believers still have to choose whether to walk in the flesh or in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16).
Let’s look at one more mention of the “Christ consciousness.” But first, let’s talk briefly about “Ascended Masters.” Here is how Wikipedia describes them:
“In the Ascended Master Teachings, Ascended Masters are believed to be spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans, but who have undergone a series of spiritual transformations originally called initiations.”
It is taught that Jesus Christ was merely one of these Ascended Masters. In other words, Jesus Christ has been reduced from the Son of God to a mere man who reached spiritual enlightenment, one of many to attain the “Christ consciousness.” The following was taken from kuthumischool.com:
“Ascended Masters are enlightened spiritual beings, emanating great Light and empowering us with their great wisdom. Therefore enabling mankind to attain enlightenment and allowing him to fulfill his evolutionary process.
They have experienced life on Earth, just as we have.
Over many lifetimes of devotion and learning, they have fulfilled their Soul Contracts and reason for being - fulfilling their Divine Plan - and ascended back to Source reuniting with God.
Though they once experienced physical bodies like we do, they now dwell in the higher realms of Spirit, and have bodies of Light.
The Masters of the Council of Light have chosen to stay connected with souls on Earth to channel higher learning through them. They are the true teachers of mankind, directing the spiritual evolution to those who desire to reunite with the Christ Consciousness, thereby returning home.
Some of the Ascended Masters have spiritual retreats in the etheric octave.
You can travel to these retreats in your spiritual, or etheric bodies while your physical body remains asleep, or when higher states of awareness during meditation are reached. The veil has now been lifted between the realms, as mankind prepares to enter the Golden Age of Light - Christ Consciousness.”
The website then goes on to list the “Masters of the Council of Light,” which places Jesus alongside names such as Buddha. In these teachings about Ascended Masters and Christ consciousness, there is a very sinister agenda: Jesus Christ is brought down from his rightful place as the Son of God and reduced to a simple world teacher. The ministry of Jesus is said to have been about showing people how to live so they can awaken the divine nature within themselves. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is mostly overlooked. Instead of Jesus Christ coming to earth to provide eternal salvation to sinners, it is taught that Jesus came here to help people in their personal and spiritual evolution to a higher consciousness. Do you see what is going on here? This is just another attempt by Satan to appeal to the prideful nature of human beings. Once again, what did Jesus Christ come to earth for?
1st Timothy 1:15: “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”
People are prideful. People don’t like being told that they are sinners. In the end, it doesn’t matter what people like or don’t like. People are sinners, and there is nothing good within them. The Bible says so. If you want to go to Heaven, you cannot magically ascend by attaining a higher consciousness and becoming your own personal Christ. You are going to have to be saved. Why does a person need to be saved? A person needs to be saved when they are in a threatening situation that they need saving from. Folks, we all come into this world in damaged condition. The sin of Adam, the first man, caused death to be introduced into the world, and it passed onto all of Adam’s descendents (Romans 5:12). People are sinners by nature. There is no way to candy coat this fact.
Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
Romans 7:14-25: “For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members (body parts). O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”
You don’t get to Heaven based on anything you do. That means there is no special “Christ consciousness” that elevates you to a peak of spiritual evolution. You can only get to Heaven by believing on what Jesus Christ already accomplished on the cross.
Romans 3:24-26: “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation (sacrifice) through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”
The righteousness of Jesus Christ is the only thing that can save a person’s soul, and this righteousness is placed onto the record of every person who has believed on Jesus Christ (Romans 4:5, 24). People who teach about the “Christ consciousness” are lying by saying that there is good inside people that just needs to awaken. There is no good inside of people. That is why Jesus Christ came to earth to die for the sins of the world. People are sinners, and they need a savior. People will never evolve, because evolution does not exist. This lie started in the Garden of Eden when Satan promised Eve that she and Adam would become gods if they ate the forbidden fruit, and this lie continues today in a teaching that tells people that they are meant to reach their own place of enlightenment, and that Jesus Christ was merely a teacher/Ascended Master. It may sound pretty and appealing to ignore the death of Jesus Christ and pretend that that wasn’t His true reason for coming to earth, but the truth is contained in the Bible.
Ephesians 1:7: “In whom (Jesus Christ) we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;”
Ephesians 2:13: “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.”
Colossians 1:20-23: “And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him (Jesus Christ) to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;”
How do you get saved? Is it something that you do? No. It is all done by Jesus Christ. He already did the work. All you have to do is “continue in the faith”. That means believe on Jesus Christ. Scripture exalts Jesus Christ and His work. Unfortunately, there are people who try to exalt humankind and tell people that they are going to evolve, ascend, and be enlightened. What rubbish. You don’t need to be enlightened. Jesus Christ is the only light you will ever need.
John 1:9: “That was the true Light (Jesus Christ), which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.”
And there it is. You want Light? You won’t get it by evolving. You won’t get it by meditating. You won’t get it by asking an Ascended Master for it. You won’t get it by becoming a Freemason. The wisdom of this world is foolishness to God (1st Corinthians 1:20). Jesus Christ is “the true Light”. Don’t have confidence in yourself or your own abilities. Have confidence in Jesus Christ.
1st Corinthians 1:26-31: “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh (people who are smart about earthly things and ideas), not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory (boast) in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth (boasts), let him glory in the Lord.”
(Here is a thought that occurred to me while writing this article. While “aliens” and Ascended Masters are telling their human followers that mankind is about to experience a spiritual enlightenment on a global scale, a story from the Bible comes to mind.
Genesis 11:1-4: “And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.”
This is the story of the Tower of Babel. All of the people of the world were speaking one language, and they banded together to perform a special task. They wanted to build a tower that would reach into Heaven. People were so foolish and prideful that they thought they could reach Heaven on their own. And now, in this day and age, we are to believe that there is a coming awakening of the human consciousness, where everyone will be enlightened and become his or her own personal Christ. Everyone on the same page? Everyone reaching Heaven within themselves? It’s the same old song and dance. In the Garden of Eden, Satan told Eve that she could become enlightened and be a god. At the Tower of Babel, people believed that they could ascend into Heaven. And now we have “the Christ consciousness.” When will people learn that pride only leads to trouble?)
So what does this all mean? Well it’s quite simple actually. Oprah Winfrey believes in the “Christ consciousness.” We have taken a look at what is behind this teaching. We have seen that it diminishes the work of Jesus Christ and speaks to the prideful nature of people. Now let me ask you something. Would a pastor worth his grain in salt be invited to appear on a show hosted by Oprah Winfrey? Oprah believes there cannot be only one way to Heaven. Oprah believes that God is not something to believe in. Oprah believes that Jesus Christ did not come to earth to die on the cross. Do you honestly think that there is any chance that Oprah would allow a pastor onto her show that is known for preaching real Bible truth? Oprah blasphemes God and His Son every chance she gets. Oprah has exalted herself by believing that she can attain a “Christ consciousness” within herself. Oprah would never allow real Biblical truth onto her show. Instead, Oprah will welcome someone like Joel Osteen, known for telling people what they want to hear. Oprah believes there are multiple ways to Heaven, and if you recall, Joel Osteen would seem to believe this way as well, according to his interview with Larry King. That’s the kind of pastor that Oprah will feature on her show, a pastor who will not stand for Biblical doctrine, a pastor who will not stand up for Jesus Christ. A few verses of Scripture come to mind. The first was spoken by Jesus Christ to Jews at the Sermon on the Mount.
Luke 6:26: “Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.”
One sign of a false teacher is when he is spoken well of by the world (unsaved people). When “pastors” align themselves with unsaved people, be warned. Joel Osteen’s friendship with Oprah Winfrey tells you what you need to know about this so-called “pastor,” just like Billy Graham’s love affair with the Catholic church tells you the truth about this “pastor.” (Billy Graham is also a 33rd degree Freemason. Would a godly pastor be involved in such a ritualistic secret society, whose roots go back to the mystery religion of Babylon? No. Billy Graham has also appeared multiple times on the cover of Time magazine. Would such a popular, worldly periodical ever feature a Godly pastor on its cover or in its pages? No. I know Billy Graham is traditionally loved by the “Christian” community. But I don’t care about tradition. I care about truth.)
“I’ve reconciled it because I was able to open my mind about the absolute indescribable hugeness of that which we call ‘God.’ I took God out of the box, because I grew up in the Baptist church, and there were, you know, rules and, you know, belief systems and doctrines, and I happened to be sitting in church in my late twenties, and I was going to this church where you had to get there at, you know, eight o’clock in the morning or you couldn’t get a seat, and a very charismatic minister, and everybody was just, you know, into the sermon, and this great minister was preaching about how great God was, and how omniscient, and omnipresent, and God is everything, and then he said ‘And the Lord thy God is a jealous God.’ And I was, you know, caught up in the rapture of that moment until he said ‘jealous.’ And something struck me. And I was I think about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, and I was thinking, God is all, God is omnipresent, and God is also jealous? God is jealous of me? And something about that didn’t feel right in my spirit, because I believe that God is love, and that God is in all things, and so that’s when the search for something more than doctrine started to stir within me. And I love this quote that Eckhart has. This is one of my favorite quotes in chapter one, where he says ‘Man made God in his own image. The eternal, the infinite, and unnameable was reduced to a mental idol that you had to believe in and worship as my God or our God.”
Oh boy. We’ve got some serious problems here. There’s more to come, but we have to stop here and sort through this load of rubbish before continuing.
1. When Oprah claims that she opened her mind and saw the bigger picture, it reminds me of a promise made by Satan to Eve in the Garden of Eden.
Genesis 3:5: “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”
Satan created this lie that a person’s eyes, or mind, could be opened, and that they themselves would become as gods and would know truth. Folks, this lie was created by Satan to appeal to human pride. People are fallible. People are corrupt. People do not need to open their minds and have some type of spiritual awakening to know truth. What is truth?
John 17:17: “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” – Jesus Christ, praying to God
Jesus Christ said that the Bible, God’s Holy Word, is truth. Jesus also said that He was the truth.
John 14:6: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
When people start talking about opening up their eyes and their mind and seeing past doctrine, and about taking God out of a box, then you better be careful. Those people have gone off looking for their own truth, not the truth given by God’s Word and God’s Son.
2. Oprah didn’t like the fact that God is jealous? Well, it doesn’t matter what Oprah likes or doesn’t like. Truth is all that matters, not the flawed opinions or personal preferences of a humanistic, world teacher like Oprah. The Bible says that God was jealous over the Jews.
Exodus 20:4-5: “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;”
God did not want His chosen people, the Jews, to worship false gods. Oprah heard about God being jealous, and then the following happened:
“And something about that didn’t feel right in my spirit, because I believe that God is love, and that God is in all things, and so that’s when the search for something more than doctrine started to stir within me.”
Notice that Oprah mentioned her own “spirit.” A person’s spirit will not lead them to truth. The Holy Spirit is necessary for this job.
John 14:17: “Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world (unsaved people) cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”
John 16:13: “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”
I don’t know whether Oprah was ever saved or not. But one thing is obvious from her own words: She is letting her own spirit tell her what is truth and what is not.
3. Take a moment to consider the following quote from Eckhart Tolle:
“Man made God in his own image.”
That is a complete mockery of Scripture.
Genesis 1:26-27: “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”
Did man make God in his image? Or did God make man in His image? Eckhart Tolle teaches it backwards in order to blaspheme God. The Bible gives us the truth.
Let’s continue with more of Oprah’s heresies. The following was said by Oprah to Eckhart Tolle in their web series:
“God, in the essence of all consciousness, isn’t something to believe. God is. God is. And God is a feeling experience, not a believing experience. And if your religion is a believing experience, if God, for you, is still about a belief, then it’s not truly God. That’s what you’re saying.”
God is not a “feeling experience.” That type of thinking places the emphasis on feeling rather than belief. If you don’t “feel” God, then does He not exist? And what exactly are you supposed to “feel”?
Hebrews 11:6: “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
The preceding verse said nothing about a “feeling.” Faith, or belief, is what pleases God. If a person could “feel” God, there would be no need for faith, because you know that what you feel exists. A person’s faith is important to God because it means a person believes in God without seeing Him.
Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
John 20:29: “Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”
Belief, or faith, is always mentioned when it comes to how a person is saved. A “feeling” is never demanded by Scripture. Feelings come and go, but faith saves the soul.
Romans 10:9: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
Now, let’s look at one last statement made by Oprah, which was given in response to a woman in her audience who had read Eckhart Tolle’s book of new age nonsense.
“And up until then, I was like you, I thought Jesus came, died on the cross, that Jesus’ being here was about his death and dying on the cross, when it really was about him coming to show us how to do it, how to be, to show us the ‘Christ consciousness’ that he had, and that that consciousness abides with all of us. That’s what I got. That’s what I got.”
Is Oprah extremely ignorant? Or is Oprah deliberately misleading the masses? I believe that Oprah is a devil in disguise and that she knows exactly what she is doing. According to Oprah, Jesus Christ did not come to earth to die on the cross for sinners, and His main purpose instead was to show us how to live. So why didn’t Jesus simply give us the example and then return to Heaven? Why did He go through with His death on the cross? Let me tell you why. The death on the cross was the entire purpose for Jesus to ever manifest himself in the flesh and come to earth. Let’s look at some key verses of Scripture that make this clear.
John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
God gave His Son in order to give people a way to be saved.
1st Timothy 1:15: “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”
Jesus Christ came to the earth in order to save sinners, and that was made possible by the death of Jesus on the cross.
Romans 5:8: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Jesus Christ died for people, and God allowed this to show His great love for people.
1st John 3:5: “And ye know that he (Jesus) was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.”
Hebrews 9:26: “For then must he (Jesus) often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.”
If Jesus Christ was not here on a mission to die for the sins of the world, then why did He go through with it? Do you think He had nothing better to do? Look at what happened right before Jesus was betrayed by Judas and taken away by the chief priests and captains armed with swords.
Luke 22:41-44: “And he (Jesus) was withdrawn from them (the disciples) about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
Does it sound like Jesus wanted to go through with His death on the cross? What did Jesus Christ say to Pilate when He was placed in his custody?
John 19:10-11: “Then saith Pilate unto him (Jesus), Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.”
So Oprah, let me get this straight: You’re saying that Jesus did not come to die on the cross? That would mean that God sat there in heaven and watched as His Son was needlessly crucified on a cross. What father would sit there and watch as his child was crucified? What father would actually go out of his way to allow such a thing to happen? Remember, Jesus acknowledged that He did not want to go through with his crucifixion if it were possible, and that the crucifixion was the will of God the Father. Jesus also acknowledged that Pilate, the man who condemned Jesus to be crucified, could not have any power over Jesus unless God Himself gave that power to Pilate. Did you ever read about how Jesus ascended to Heaven after his resurrection and having spent time with his disciples?
Acts 1:9: “And when he (Jesus) had spoken these things, while they (the disciples) beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.”
When Jesus Christ was done with His work on earth, He went up in a cloud back to Heaven. He could have done this at any time that He wanted to. If Jesus was only here to show people how to live, why didn’t he do that and then take a cloud back into Heaven? Why did Jesus have to die on the cross? Why did Jesus go through with something that He was so anxious about that he actually sweat blood? Jesus knew this day was coming.
Matthew 17:22-23: “And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them (the disciples), The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.”
Mark 10:32-34: “And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them (the disciples): and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid. And he took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should happen unto him, Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles: And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again.”
Jesus Christ knew what was going to happen to Him. God gave the authority to those in power to crucify His only Son. Folks, the death of Jesus Christ on the cross was the single most important event in the history of the world. It was the purpose of Jesus coming to the earth. It is true that Jesus offered Himself to the Jews as their prophesied King, but the Jews were blinded to the truth by God so that they would not accept their King (Romans 11:7-11, 25). This was done in order to create a way for eternal salvation to be available to anyone and everyone.
If Jesus came here merely to teach people how to live, then what was the purpose? This life is temporary. If everyone is going to Heaven when they die, then you could say that Jesus wanted people to learn to behave a certain way. But we know that there is a place called Hell, and that many people are going to go there. Wouldn’t the main concern of Jesus be to make sure that people are going to get into Heaven, not worry about how they behave on earth? Yes, and that was indeed the main concern of Jesus Christ, and it was the reason He died on the cross. What was God’s will concerning the sending of His Son to earth?
John 6:40: “And this is the will of him (God) that sent me (Jesus), that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Oprah lied to her undiscerning viewers. Jesus Christ came here to die on the cross in order to make eternal salvation available to everyone who believes on Jesus. And consider this: What was the focal point of the apostles’ preaching after Jesus Christ returned to Heaven? Was it that people should live like Jesus? Or was it about the eternal salvation that Jesus Christ had made possible by His death? Here are three verses of Scripture written by the apostle Paul that illustrate what message was taken to the people.
1st Corinthians 1:18: “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.”
1st Corinthians 1:23: “But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;”
1st Corinthians 2:2: “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”
Now that you can see the absurdity of Oprah’s claim, we can move on. What about this “Christ consciousness” that Oprah mentioned? What is this referring to? The “Center for Christ Consciousness” (ctrforchristcon.org) describes this concept as follows:
“The human mind has spiritual currents running through its thought streams. These streams contain vital information from Spirit that is highly valuable to humans. Spirit is the source of everything TRUE, BEAUTIFUL, and GOOD and conveys these ideals through the human mind that intersect with a person’s beliefs, helping the individual ascend into the higher information that uplifts and improves the quality of life.
In human life, spiritual growth is achieved by aligning with these spiritual currents that come from both the personality and mind of Spirit by intellectual assent and emotional devotion. Christ Consciousness is the growing human recognition and blending of the human evolutionary (or ego) mind with the Divine Mind and the Divine Personality that is the source of human happiness and fulfillment. This awareness accrues over time within the consciousness of human thinking when intention, attention, and openness is focused on knowing who and what is that “christed” state of being—that higher mindedness of enlightenment.
As this awareness in the human mind grows and strengthens, life becomes more liberated, joyful, peaceful, and love-dominated. The fear which creates isolation and despair begins to diminish in thought and feeling. You are free to live the life you were born to live — as a child of Spirit in a love-filled and supportive universe.”
The preceding New Age psychobabble is designed to appeal to human pride, telling people that they can have their minds evolved into a state of enlightenment. This lie goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden. How did Satan trick Eve into taking a bite of the forbidden fruit?
Genesis 3:1-5: “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”
Satan appealed to human pride by telling Eve that her eyes would be opened (she would be enlightened) and that she would become a god. Satan repeats this lie today, just in a different way. Now it comes by way of the “Christ consciousness,” which sometimes involves aliens on a mission to help humans evolve. Let’s look at a few examples of this. The following was taken from earthchangepredictions.com:
“Let me get to the subject of this article: Either we humans are advancing in our mental evolution very quickly or it is being helped along by the aliens through quantum entanglement and other methods.
How many ‘outside the box’ websites, books, and discussions, are inspired by a hint of alien presence? For myself, I know my 30 years of UFO/alien research, has an alien presence and influence. It is within me and without me. It is a positive alien influence, in my opinion. I know that without this in-put, my writing would not exist.
I am not controlled by my alien friend, I am free to think, to feel, to disagree, to rebel. In fact, I am encouraged to think and feel. There is an alien guidance, a friendly entanglement.
If one asked a man who feels that we live in a computer simulation, or a woman who feels a connection with beings from inner earth, they would tell you in most cases that there is a presence which/who is there for them.
I feel that as the great force of evolution turns its magnificent power to the mental development of humans with less emphasis on our physical evolution, that mostly positive aliens have joined in speeding up our evolution. For proof, I simply offer the entire UFO/alien phenomenon in our society and in our human consciousness. This phenomenon within us is the main reason they fly by!
This phenomenon is a part of us now. We have all built the fibers of the web. Is it an alien web to trap us or simply a mostly beautiful web of universal advancement and enlightenment? I firmly believe the latter!
I believe we are being helped along in our mental evolution. Why? Why this tampering by the aliens?
The most obvious answer is that huge earth changes are in our future. Possibly there are disasters on a global scale. Perhaps the Yellowstone Super-Volcano explodes or a nuclear war happens or our poor abused planet simply runs out of life’s energy or becomes so out of balance and erratic that humans can’t live on her anymore. Perhaps a solar flare cooks us all or an asteroid of sufficient size impacts to end all higher life on Earth or throw her out of orbit.
In any catastrophic disaster, some of us feel the aliens would help and we would suddenly be a part of the world they know. We have a better chance of survival if we are on the path to achieving the level of enlightenment and intelligence which many galactic alien races have achieved. Thus, our mental/spiritual evolution has been speeded up beforehand.
Or, perhaps no huge catastrophes will happen but it is simply time for humans to join the galactic community. Our scientific advancements have reached the point where we cannot be ignored or denied. However, before our invitation to join, we are being given a crash course in mental/spiritual evolution by means of the UFO/alien phenomenon. Because of it, many of us have looked into ancient beliefs, developed modern new age philosophies of enlightenment and/or we have learned to think outside the box and enjoy it!”
See what I mean? There are people who believe that aliens are helping us evolve towards a state of enlightenment. The following was taken from ascensionangels.wordpress.com:
“We are preparing to move into another position in the evolutionary chain which impacts Universal timelines with alien hybridized identities and their relationship to the Personal Christ gestalt of consciousness in new ways. Our spiritual communities will be impacted, and will continue to feel the energetic and spiritual impacts of these recent events. This opens up the potential of meeting future hybridized selves or other self related identities throughout the timelines during the spiritual initiation process which may happen in lucid dreams, meditation, sleep state or other consciousness work.”
“Through this intensity, new creations are being borne that we have come to witness during this incredible time of human history and planetary evolution. Yet this timeline will require all we can muster to focus on the positive and upon the ‘goodness’ inside human beings, the real spark of life that exists beyond all these painful events, ancestral memories and alien manipulation. These many conflicts are playing out in the confused people that still believe using bombs, wars and discriminate killing is the way to find God. This cycle requires a tremendous focus of inner strength to call upon unconditional forgiveness and forgetfulness for the past pain, the past timelines which have caused the root of all planetary pain, thus human pain today. The ancestral past, and the alien hybridization and genetic mutation histories are that memory which exists in our blood and is haunting some of us now, and it lingers for remembrance, reconciliation and resurrection. The reconciliation of ancestral and alien timeline memories have many intersecting layers and is impacting many other dimensions of time. Multiple dimensions containing millions of beings are lining up to comprehend what has happened to the earth and transit out from their specific time continuum. Many of us may be attending to that process to help as portal jumpers, gatekeepers and interdimensional chaperons. For during this intense phase, we will see and observe a lot of pain in this world, pain from the past, pain from seeing lies, pain in the planet, painful death, pain at the alien deception and the pangs of a great spiritual birthing. We must reconcile the past and the future which seeded its memories in our fleshly body and spiritual being to apply the power of love, which is, the transformation required to resurrect our true eternal krystic being. Once we can see this truth and forgive this pathway from the past of our true hidden alien histories, we become open to the future experience of spiritual freedom and inner joy with the Cosmic Christ consciousness.”
This article mentioned “the ‘goodness’ inside human beings.” There is no such thing, according to the Bible.
Romans 7:18: “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.”
Human beings have no “goodness” in them, and there is no coming “evolution,” because evolution does not exist. The “Christ consciousness” does not exist either, and it is instead a false concept designed to appeal to the prideful nature of humans. The closest a person can come to such a thing is to have the Holy Spirit living inside of them, and that is only made possible by believing on Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit does not give people some evolution of consciousness, or the mind of Christ. It seals people with eternal salvation (Ephesians 1:13, 4:30) and serves to lead believers into truth (John 15:26, 16:13), and that truth revolves around Jesus Christ, because He is the truth (John 14:6). Having the Holy Spirit does not guarantee that goodness will follow, as believers still have to choose whether to walk in the flesh or in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16).
Let’s look at one more mention of the “Christ consciousness.” But first, let’s talk briefly about “Ascended Masters.” Here is how Wikipedia describes them:
“In the Ascended Master Teachings, Ascended Masters are believed to be spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans, but who have undergone a series of spiritual transformations originally called initiations.”
It is taught that Jesus Christ was merely one of these Ascended Masters. In other words, Jesus Christ has been reduced from the Son of God to a mere man who reached spiritual enlightenment, one of many to attain the “Christ consciousness.” The following was taken from kuthumischool.com:
“Ascended Masters are enlightened spiritual beings, emanating great Light and empowering us with their great wisdom. Therefore enabling mankind to attain enlightenment and allowing him to fulfill his evolutionary process.
They have experienced life on Earth, just as we have.
Over many lifetimes of devotion and learning, they have fulfilled their Soul Contracts and reason for being - fulfilling their Divine Plan - and ascended back to Source reuniting with God.
Though they once experienced physical bodies like we do, they now dwell in the higher realms of Spirit, and have bodies of Light.
The Masters of the Council of Light have chosen to stay connected with souls on Earth to channel higher learning through them. They are the true teachers of mankind, directing the spiritual evolution to those who desire to reunite with the Christ Consciousness, thereby returning home.
Some of the Ascended Masters have spiritual retreats in the etheric octave.
You can travel to these retreats in your spiritual, or etheric bodies while your physical body remains asleep, or when higher states of awareness during meditation are reached. The veil has now been lifted between the realms, as mankind prepares to enter the Golden Age of Light - Christ Consciousness.”
The website then goes on to list the “Masters of the Council of Light,” which places Jesus alongside names such as Buddha. In these teachings about Ascended Masters and Christ consciousness, there is a very sinister agenda: Jesus Christ is brought down from his rightful place as the Son of God and reduced to a simple world teacher. The ministry of Jesus is said to have been about showing people how to live so they can awaken the divine nature within themselves. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is mostly overlooked. Instead of Jesus Christ coming to earth to provide eternal salvation to sinners, it is taught that Jesus came here to help people in their personal and spiritual evolution to a higher consciousness. Do you see what is going on here? This is just another attempt by Satan to appeal to the prideful nature of human beings. Once again, what did Jesus Christ come to earth for?
1st Timothy 1:15: “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”
People are prideful. People don’t like being told that they are sinners. In the end, it doesn’t matter what people like or don’t like. People are sinners, and there is nothing good within them. The Bible says so. If you want to go to Heaven, you cannot magically ascend by attaining a higher consciousness and becoming your own personal Christ. You are going to have to be saved. Why does a person need to be saved? A person needs to be saved when they are in a threatening situation that they need saving from. Folks, we all come into this world in damaged condition. The sin of Adam, the first man, caused death to be introduced into the world, and it passed onto all of Adam’s descendents (Romans 5:12). People are sinners by nature. There is no way to candy coat this fact.
Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
Romans 7:14-25: “For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members (body parts). O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”
You don’t get to Heaven based on anything you do. That means there is no special “Christ consciousness” that elevates you to a peak of spiritual evolution. You can only get to Heaven by believing on what Jesus Christ already accomplished on the cross.
Romans 3:24-26: “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation (sacrifice) through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”
The righteousness of Jesus Christ is the only thing that can save a person’s soul, and this righteousness is placed onto the record of every person who has believed on Jesus Christ (Romans 4:5, 24). People who teach about the “Christ consciousness” are lying by saying that there is good inside people that just needs to awaken. There is no good inside of people. That is why Jesus Christ came to earth to die for the sins of the world. People are sinners, and they need a savior. People will never evolve, because evolution does not exist. This lie started in the Garden of Eden when Satan promised Eve that she and Adam would become gods if they ate the forbidden fruit, and this lie continues today in a teaching that tells people that they are meant to reach their own place of enlightenment, and that Jesus Christ was merely a teacher/Ascended Master. It may sound pretty and appealing to ignore the death of Jesus Christ and pretend that that wasn’t His true reason for coming to earth, but the truth is contained in the Bible.
Ephesians 1:7: “In whom (Jesus Christ) we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;”
Ephesians 2:13: “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.”
Colossians 1:20-23: “And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him (Jesus Christ) to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;”
How do you get saved? Is it something that you do? No. It is all done by Jesus Christ. He already did the work. All you have to do is “continue in the faith”. That means believe on Jesus Christ. Scripture exalts Jesus Christ and His work. Unfortunately, there are people who try to exalt humankind and tell people that they are going to evolve, ascend, and be enlightened. What rubbish. You don’t need to be enlightened. Jesus Christ is the only light you will ever need.
John 1:9: “That was the true Light (Jesus Christ), which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.”
And there it is. You want Light? You won’t get it by evolving. You won’t get it by meditating. You won’t get it by asking an Ascended Master for it. You won’t get it by becoming a Freemason. The wisdom of this world is foolishness to God (1st Corinthians 1:20). Jesus Christ is “the true Light”. Don’t have confidence in yourself or your own abilities. Have confidence in Jesus Christ.
1st Corinthians 1:26-31: “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh (people who are smart about earthly things and ideas), not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory (boast) in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth (boasts), let him glory in the Lord.”
(Here is a thought that occurred to me while writing this article. While “aliens” and Ascended Masters are telling their human followers that mankind is about to experience a spiritual enlightenment on a global scale, a story from the Bible comes to mind.
Genesis 11:1-4: “And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.”
This is the story of the Tower of Babel. All of the people of the world were speaking one language, and they banded together to perform a special task. They wanted to build a tower that would reach into Heaven. People were so foolish and prideful that they thought they could reach Heaven on their own. And now, in this day and age, we are to believe that there is a coming awakening of the human consciousness, where everyone will be enlightened and become his or her own personal Christ. Everyone on the same page? Everyone reaching Heaven within themselves? It’s the same old song and dance. In the Garden of Eden, Satan told Eve that she could become enlightened and be a god. At the Tower of Babel, people believed that they could ascend into Heaven. And now we have “the Christ consciousness.” When will people learn that pride only leads to trouble?)
So what does this all mean? Well it’s quite simple actually. Oprah Winfrey believes in the “Christ consciousness.” We have taken a look at what is behind this teaching. We have seen that it diminishes the work of Jesus Christ and speaks to the prideful nature of people. Now let me ask you something. Would a pastor worth his grain in salt be invited to appear on a show hosted by Oprah Winfrey? Oprah believes there cannot be only one way to Heaven. Oprah believes that God is not something to believe in. Oprah believes that Jesus Christ did not come to earth to die on the cross. Do you honestly think that there is any chance that Oprah would allow a pastor onto her show that is known for preaching real Bible truth? Oprah blasphemes God and His Son every chance she gets. Oprah has exalted herself by believing that she can attain a “Christ consciousness” within herself. Oprah would never allow real Biblical truth onto her show. Instead, Oprah will welcome someone like Joel Osteen, known for telling people what they want to hear. Oprah believes there are multiple ways to Heaven, and if you recall, Joel Osteen would seem to believe this way as well, according to his interview with Larry King. That’s the kind of pastor that Oprah will feature on her show, a pastor who will not stand for Biblical doctrine, a pastor who will not stand up for Jesus Christ. A few verses of Scripture come to mind. The first was spoken by Jesus Christ to Jews at the Sermon on the Mount.
Luke 6:26: “Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.”
One sign of a false teacher is when he is spoken well of by the world (unsaved people). When “pastors” align themselves with unsaved people, be warned. Joel Osteen’s friendship with Oprah Winfrey tells you what you need to know about this so-called “pastor,” just like Billy Graham’s love affair with the Catholic church tells you the truth about this “pastor.” (Billy Graham is also a 33rd degree Freemason. Would a godly pastor be involved in such a ritualistic secret society, whose roots go back to the mystery religion of Babylon? No. Billy Graham has also appeared multiple times on the cover of Time magazine. Would such a popular, worldly periodical ever feature a Godly pastor on its cover or in its pages? No. I know Billy Graham is traditionally loved by the “Christian” community. But I don’t care about tradition. I care about truth.)
James 4:4: “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”
Joel Osteen is a friend of the world by telling people what they want to hear instead of telling them what they need to hear.
2nd Timothy 3:12: “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”
Does Joel Osteen suffer persecution? You tell me. He is welcomed by Oprah Winfrey to be broadcast to millions of loyal, worldly viewers. Joel’s books can be purchased in any large retail stores, right alongside all of the worldly books. Joel also gets to hang out with friends like Will Smith and a Seventh Day Adventist pastor.
Joel Osteen is a friend of the world by telling people what they want to hear instead of telling them what they need to hear.
2nd Timothy 3:12: “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”
Does Joel Osteen suffer persecution? You tell me. He is welcomed by Oprah Winfrey to be broadcast to millions of loyal, worldly viewers. Joel’s books can be purchased in any large retail stores, right alongside all of the worldly books. Joel also gets to hang out with friends like Will Smith and a Seventh Day Adventist pastor.
Yo yo yo, wasup? Joel Osteen here, chillin' wit' my boyz!
Would celebrities hang out with a godly pastor? How about a Seventh Day Adventist pastor hanging out with a godly pastor? Let’s look at some things that Seventh Day Adventists believe:
1. The Ten Commandments are meant to be obeyed by believers in the age of grace.
2. Saturday, the original Sabbath Day, must be observed by believers in the age of grace.
3. There are strict dietary rules, based on Old Testament laws given to the Jews, that must be maintained by believers in the age of grace.
4. Eternal salvation can be lost by someone who was once saved.
Seventh Day Adventism is a false religion wrapped up in Old Testament law. (Read my article “Dividing the Word” part four to learn about law and grace.) Why would a Seventh Day Adventist pastor be chummy with Joel Osteen? Everyone seems to like Joel Osteen. Once again, for your consideration:
Luke 6:26: “Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.”
1. The Ten Commandments are meant to be obeyed by believers in the age of grace.
2. Saturday, the original Sabbath Day, must be observed by believers in the age of grace.
3. There are strict dietary rules, based on Old Testament laws given to the Jews, that must be maintained by believers in the age of grace.
4. Eternal salvation can be lost by someone who was once saved.
Seventh Day Adventism is a false religion wrapped up in Old Testament law. (Read my article “Dividing the Word” part four to learn about law and grace.) Why would a Seventh Day Adventist pastor be chummy with Joel Osteen? Everyone seems to like Joel Osteen. Once again, for your consideration:
Luke 6:26: “Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.”
I’m aware that this article has been all over the place. Discussing Steve Munsey leads into Joel Osteen, which leads into Oprah Winfrey. What do all three of these people have in common? They are false teachers, and so it is easy to group them together. Now, let’s get back to Steve Munsey, and the second youtube video that featured him.
2. This video was a clip from “The Inspiration Network,” and it appears to have been an excerpt from a fundraiser. Could there be a better person to host such an event other than Steve Munsey? Now let’s examine some of the manipulation being orchestrated in this video.
1. Steve keeps screaming out “Now!” He does this in order to place pressure on the viewer to act.
“Now is the miracle for your children, your family, your finances! Go to your phone.”
“Bring it as fast as you can to the altar quickly quickly quickly!”
“Go to your phone right now! Hurry! Go! Go! Go! Go!”
2. Steve abuses Psalm 50 in order to teach that God promises to deliver Christians from trouble if they give Him their money.
Psalm 50:14-15: “Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High: And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.”
Here is Steve’s interpretation of the preceding Scripture:
“In other words, you make a pledge, you pay on the vow.”
What is a vow? A vow is an oath, a pledge, or a commitment. David (the author of Psalms) said to “pay thy vows” unto God. Steve Munsey tries to capitalize on Scripture’s use of the word “pay” by forcing the concept of money into this passage from Psalms. Did you know that you can pay something other than money? Have you ever heard of paying attention? David made several mentions of paying vows to God in the book of Psalms. David was referring to making a promise or a commitment to God. In Psalm 50, David was teaching that by making a commitment to God, a person could then call on God in his or her day of trouble, and God would deliver that person. Steve Munsey ignores the obvious teaching of David to try to drain the money out of gullible people who think that God is demanding money from them. Steve alters the clear meaning of Scripture to do this, and on top of that, he pulls from Old Testament Scripture, which was not given to believers under the New Testament. What a shameful thing to do, twisting God’s Holy Word in order to acquire money.
To be thorough on this matter, please note that David also speaks of sacrifices and burnt offerings in this passage from Psalms (verse 8). This also was not money. These sacrifices (animals) were made to God for the forgiveness of sin. Remember that Psalms was an Old Testament book, and sacrifices and burnt offerings were part of Old Testament law. Jesus Christ did away with animal sacrifices by offering Himself to God as a one time sacrifice for the sins of the world.
Hebrews 10:1-14: “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they (priests) offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he (Jesus Christ) cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first (Old Testament), that he may establish the second (New Testament). By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man (Jesus Christ), after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified (them that have believed on Jesus Christ).”
Steve Munsey does not want to teach on how the Old Testament does not apply to believers under the New Testament, or believers in the age of grace. Instead, Steve likes to persuade believers in this day and age to think that Old Testament Scripture was written to them, but that is not enough, because Steve takes it a step further by placing an emphasis on money that is nonexistent in the Scripture he has chosen to use.
3. Steve Munsey pretends to be on fire for God, yelling out Scripture that has absolutely nothing to do with this fundraiser.
“Now…. Now…. Now…. Now…. Watch…. Watch what’s happening…. Somebody’s about to go to the phone…. But they let time… make the pledge… a problem… cause the devil… uses time…. No man… has seen God… at any time…. God… doesn’t work by the time clock!”
What?! What is going on here?? This is a bunch of filler. Steve keeps saying “now” in order to make the viewer jump out of their seat and run to the phone to give away all their money. Steve says that if you don’t act “now,” you are letting the devil use time to foil God’s plans. And then Steve pulls out a verse of Scripture that has the word “time” in it for no other reason than the fact that the verse has the word “time” in it.
John 1:18: “No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”
What does this verse have to do with the devil using time to his advantage? Nothing. Nothing at all. Steve just got all caught up in a sensational moment and wanted to impress viewers with his ability to quote Scripture. But as we have already seen, Steve likes to take Scripture out of context, so what good does it do Steve to quote Scripture? No good whatsoever.
4. Steve tells a story of how the prophet Elijah was given food by a poor woman, and Steve attempts to use this story to encourage people to give their money to this fundraiser. Steve says that Elijah asked this woman for “an offering to sustain my ministry.” As far as I can tell, the story that Steve is pulling from is told in 1st Kings 17. Elijah never asked the woman for an offering. Elijah asked for some water and a morsel of bread, which he then changed to “a little cake”. Steve conveniently uses this story to convince people to donate their money, even though the story had nothing to do with money.
5. While Steve is onstage abusing Scripture in order to collect money, there is a crowd of people in front of him, and some of these people can be heard uttering mumbo jumbo. They would call this “speaking in tongues,” but yelling out gibberish is never how speaking in tongues was done in the Bible. Speaking in tongues was simply the Holy Spirit-given ability to instantly begin speaking in a known language other than your own. (Please read my article “Dividing the Word” part one for more on this subject.) In this fundraiser video, people are speaking gibberish to pretend that they are full of the Holy Spirit, and these people are near Steve Munsey in order to trick viewers into thinking that the Holy Spirit is present in the video. The Holy Spirit is not present. All that is present is a stage show of sensationalism. Singing, music, screaming, and a man taking Scripture out of context, all meant to convey a phony religious feel.
6. Steve mentions “the Feast of Atonement.” Yearly feasts were ordained by God in the Old Testament. Are you ready for a profound thought? The Old Testament feasts that were celebrated by Jews were Old Testament feasts that were celebrated by Jews.
Leviticus 23:1-2: “And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.”
Leviticus 23:44: “And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the Lord.”
The feasts were for Old Testament Jews. The concept was delivered by Moses. Moses is associated with Old Testament law.
John 1:17: “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”
The Feast of Atonement was about making reconciliation between God and the Jews, because of their sins. Note the following:
Leviticus 16:18-19: “And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the Lord, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about. And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.”
Leviticus 16:34: “And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the Lord commanded Moses.”
Now skip ahead in Scripture. What do we find in the book of Hebrews?
Hebrews 10:4: “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.”
Hebrews 9:12-15: “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his (Jesus Christ) own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.”
Hebrews 9:24-26: “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.”
Note what Jesus Christ said in the following verse:
Matthew 5:17: “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.”
Jesus Christ fulfilled Old Testament law so that believers on Him would not have to! Folks, we don’t need a yearly Day of Atonement! Believers on Jesus Christ have already been reconciled to God!
2nd Corinthians 5:18-19: “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.”
The Jews in the Old Testament needed yearly atonement because they were sinners and had no Savior. Believers under the New Testament, which Jesus Christ is the mediator of (Hebrews 9:15), have no need of an ongoing atonement, because they have received atonement for believing on the Son of God.
Romans 5:1-2: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
Romans 5:10-11: “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.”
The Old Testament feasts do not apply to believers under the New Testament. Those feasts were for the Jews and were a part of the law. Jesus Christ is bigger and better than the law and all of those Old Testament traditions.
Hebrews 7:19: “For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope (Jesus Christ) did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.”
Hebrews 7:22: “By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.”
Steve Munsey is taking Old Testament tradition and teaching believers that they must observe customs never meant for them. Is this an honest mistake by someone who is not “rightly dividing the word of truth”? Or is this an attempt to squeeze money out of gullible people who think they are doing what is right?
Conclusion
Steve Munsey is a popular pastor. But is it for good reasons? There may be many people in attendance at Steve’s church. But what are they going there for? Is it for sound Biblical doctrine? Or is it for the “feel good” atmosphere? Steve promises miracles to people, and who wouldn’t want to hear about that? The problem is that Steve bases his teachings on Old Testament Scripture, which was never meant for the church, the bride of Christ, the believers on Jesus Christ in the age of grace. In the Old Testament, God dealt with the Jews. After the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the New Testament began. The laws of the Old Testament were crucified along with Jesus on His cross (Colossians 2:14). Why would a person living under the New Testament place themselves under the Old Testament?
Hebrews 8:6: “But now hath he (Jesus Christ) obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant (the New Testament), which was established upon better promises.”
The New Testament is better than the Old Testament. People like Steve Munsey use Old Testament Scripture because some of the rewards that were promised to the Jews sound appealing. What Steve does not seem to understand is that you cannot just place yourself under one or two aspects of the law in order to get those rewards. The law is a package deal.
James 2:10: “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”
The law was given to the Jews.
Exodus 19:3-6: “And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.”
Believers on Jesus Christ in the age of grace are not under the law.
Romans 6:14: “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”
The law was in place until John the Baptist began his ministry. John’s ministry was to teach people to change their minds and believe on Jesus Christ.
Luke 16:16: “The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.”
Acts 19:4: “Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance (a change of mind), saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.”
The law had been delivered by Moses in the Old Testament, but Jesus Christ brought something different and better with the New Testament.
John 1:17: “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”
Pastors like Steve Munsey and Joel Osteen are popular because they tell people what they want to hear (they will have great lives, blessings, miracles, rewards, etc.). Those things aren’t promised to believers. Recall the following:
2nd Timothy 3:12: “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”
This life is very temporary, and you don’t need to worry about things being great in your time spent here.
2nd Peter 3:10-13: “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”
Being a believer on Jesus Christ does not guarantee a great life on earth. It gives you something better.
1st John 5:13: “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”
Steve Munsey, Joel Osteen, and others like them work to appeal to the desires of people who just want to hear good news. They take Old Testament Scripture and apply it to people who it was never meant for. Do they do it because they are confused? Or do they do it to profit off of the gullibility of their followers? I am not here to answer that. Here is the bottom line: Don’t get caught up in false doctrine because you like good news. You already have good news.
John 6:47: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” – Jesus Christ
Once again:
2nd Timothy 4:3-4: “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; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”
Do you have itching ears? Do you want to be told things that appeal to human lust? Then Steve Munsey, Joel Osteen, and their kind are the pastors for you. Do you want to hear truth and sound doctrine? Then ignore the false doctrines of these so-called “pastors.”
Ephesians 4:14: “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;”
2. This video was a clip from “The Inspiration Network,” and it appears to have been an excerpt from a fundraiser. Could there be a better person to host such an event other than Steve Munsey? Now let’s examine some of the manipulation being orchestrated in this video.
1. Steve keeps screaming out “Now!” He does this in order to place pressure on the viewer to act.
“Now is the miracle for your children, your family, your finances! Go to your phone.”
“Bring it as fast as you can to the altar quickly quickly quickly!”
“Go to your phone right now! Hurry! Go! Go! Go! Go!”
2. Steve abuses Psalm 50 in order to teach that God promises to deliver Christians from trouble if they give Him their money.
Psalm 50:14-15: “Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High: And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.”
Here is Steve’s interpretation of the preceding Scripture:
“In other words, you make a pledge, you pay on the vow.”
What is a vow? A vow is an oath, a pledge, or a commitment. David (the author of Psalms) said to “pay thy vows” unto God. Steve Munsey tries to capitalize on Scripture’s use of the word “pay” by forcing the concept of money into this passage from Psalms. Did you know that you can pay something other than money? Have you ever heard of paying attention? David made several mentions of paying vows to God in the book of Psalms. David was referring to making a promise or a commitment to God. In Psalm 50, David was teaching that by making a commitment to God, a person could then call on God in his or her day of trouble, and God would deliver that person. Steve Munsey ignores the obvious teaching of David to try to drain the money out of gullible people who think that God is demanding money from them. Steve alters the clear meaning of Scripture to do this, and on top of that, he pulls from Old Testament Scripture, which was not given to believers under the New Testament. What a shameful thing to do, twisting God’s Holy Word in order to acquire money.
To be thorough on this matter, please note that David also speaks of sacrifices and burnt offerings in this passage from Psalms (verse 8). This also was not money. These sacrifices (animals) were made to God for the forgiveness of sin. Remember that Psalms was an Old Testament book, and sacrifices and burnt offerings were part of Old Testament law. Jesus Christ did away with animal sacrifices by offering Himself to God as a one time sacrifice for the sins of the world.
Hebrews 10:1-14: “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they (priests) offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he (Jesus Christ) cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first (Old Testament), that he may establish the second (New Testament). By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man (Jesus Christ), after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified (them that have believed on Jesus Christ).”
Steve Munsey does not want to teach on how the Old Testament does not apply to believers under the New Testament, or believers in the age of grace. Instead, Steve likes to persuade believers in this day and age to think that Old Testament Scripture was written to them, but that is not enough, because Steve takes it a step further by placing an emphasis on money that is nonexistent in the Scripture he has chosen to use.
3. Steve Munsey pretends to be on fire for God, yelling out Scripture that has absolutely nothing to do with this fundraiser.
“Now…. Now…. Now…. Now…. Watch…. Watch what’s happening…. Somebody’s about to go to the phone…. But they let time… make the pledge… a problem… cause the devil… uses time…. No man… has seen God… at any time…. God… doesn’t work by the time clock!”
What?! What is going on here?? This is a bunch of filler. Steve keeps saying “now” in order to make the viewer jump out of their seat and run to the phone to give away all their money. Steve says that if you don’t act “now,” you are letting the devil use time to foil God’s plans. And then Steve pulls out a verse of Scripture that has the word “time” in it for no other reason than the fact that the verse has the word “time” in it.
John 1:18: “No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”
What does this verse have to do with the devil using time to his advantage? Nothing. Nothing at all. Steve just got all caught up in a sensational moment and wanted to impress viewers with his ability to quote Scripture. But as we have already seen, Steve likes to take Scripture out of context, so what good does it do Steve to quote Scripture? No good whatsoever.
4. Steve tells a story of how the prophet Elijah was given food by a poor woman, and Steve attempts to use this story to encourage people to give their money to this fundraiser. Steve says that Elijah asked this woman for “an offering to sustain my ministry.” As far as I can tell, the story that Steve is pulling from is told in 1st Kings 17. Elijah never asked the woman for an offering. Elijah asked for some water and a morsel of bread, which he then changed to “a little cake”. Steve conveniently uses this story to convince people to donate their money, even though the story had nothing to do with money.
5. While Steve is onstage abusing Scripture in order to collect money, there is a crowd of people in front of him, and some of these people can be heard uttering mumbo jumbo. They would call this “speaking in tongues,” but yelling out gibberish is never how speaking in tongues was done in the Bible. Speaking in tongues was simply the Holy Spirit-given ability to instantly begin speaking in a known language other than your own. (Please read my article “Dividing the Word” part one for more on this subject.) In this fundraiser video, people are speaking gibberish to pretend that they are full of the Holy Spirit, and these people are near Steve Munsey in order to trick viewers into thinking that the Holy Spirit is present in the video. The Holy Spirit is not present. All that is present is a stage show of sensationalism. Singing, music, screaming, and a man taking Scripture out of context, all meant to convey a phony religious feel.
6. Steve mentions “the Feast of Atonement.” Yearly feasts were ordained by God in the Old Testament. Are you ready for a profound thought? The Old Testament feasts that were celebrated by Jews were Old Testament feasts that were celebrated by Jews.
Leviticus 23:1-2: “And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.”
Leviticus 23:44: “And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the Lord.”
The feasts were for Old Testament Jews. The concept was delivered by Moses. Moses is associated with Old Testament law.
John 1:17: “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”
The Feast of Atonement was about making reconciliation between God and the Jews, because of their sins. Note the following:
Leviticus 16:18-19: “And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the Lord, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about. And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.”
Leviticus 16:34: “And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the Lord commanded Moses.”
Now skip ahead in Scripture. What do we find in the book of Hebrews?
Hebrews 10:4: “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.”
Hebrews 9:12-15: “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his (Jesus Christ) own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.”
Hebrews 9:24-26: “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.”
Note what Jesus Christ said in the following verse:
Matthew 5:17: “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.”
Jesus Christ fulfilled Old Testament law so that believers on Him would not have to! Folks, we don’t need a yearly Day of Atonement! Believers on Jesus Christ have already been reconciled to God!
2nd Corinthians 5:18-19: “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.”
The Jews in the Old Testament needed yearly atonement because they were sinners and had no Savior. Believers under the New Testament, which Jesus Christ is the mediator of (Hebrews 9:15), have no need of an ongoing atonement, because they have received atonement for believing on the Son of God.
Romans 5:1-2: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
Romans 5:10-11: “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.”
The Old Testament feasts do not apply to believers under the New Testament. Those feasts were for the Jews and were a part of the law. Jesus Christ is bigger and better than the law and all of those Old Testament traditions.
Hebrews 7:19: “For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope (Jesus Christ) did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.”
Hebrews 7:22: “By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.”
Steve Munsey is taking Old Testament tradition and teaching believers that they must observe customs never meant for them. Is this an honest mistake by someone who is not “rightly dividing the word of truth”? Or is this an attempt to squeeze money out of gullible people who think they are doing what is right?
Conclusion
Steve Munsey is a popular pastor. But is it for good reasons? There may be many people in attendance at Steve’s church. But what are they going there for? Is it for sound Biblical doctrine? Or is it for the “feel good” atmosphere? Steve promises miracles to people, and who wouldn’t want to hear about that? The problem is that Steve bases his teachings on Old Testament Scripture, which was never meant for the church, the bride of Christ, the believers on Jesus Christ in the age of grace. In the Old Testament, God dealt with the Jews. After the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the New Testament began. The laws of the Old Testament were crucified along with Jesus on His cross (Colossians 2:14). Why would a person living under the New Testament place themselves under the Old Testament?
Hebrews 8:6: “But now hath he (Jesus Christ) obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant (the New Testament), which was established upon better promises.”
The New Testament is better than the Old Testament. People like Steve Munsey use Old Testament Scripture because some of the rewards that were promised to the Jews sound appealing. What Steve does not seem to understand is that you cannot just place yourself under one or two aspects of the law in order to get those rewards. The law is a package deal.
James 2:10: “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”
The law was given to the Jews.
Exodus 19:3-6: “And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.”
Believers on Jesus Christ in the age of grace are not under the law.
Romans 6:14: “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”
The law was in place until John the Baptist began his ministry. John’s ministry was to teach people to change their minds and believe on Jesus Christ.
Luke 16:16: “The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.”
Acts 19:4: “Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance (a change of mind), saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.”
The law had been delivered by Moses in the Old Testament, but Jesus Christ brought something different and better with the New Testament.
John 1:17: “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”
Pastors like Steve Munsey and Joel Osteen are popular because they tell people what they want to hear (they will have great lives, blessings, miracles, rewards, etc.). Those things aren’t promised to believers. Recall the following:
2nd Timothy 3:12: “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”
This life is very temporary, and you don’t need to worry about things being great in your time spent here.
2nd Peter 3:10-13: “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”
Being a believer on Jesus Christ does not guarantee a great life on earth. It gives you something better.
1st John 5:13: “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”
Steve Munsey, Joel Osteen, and others like them work to appeal to the desires of people who just want to hear good news. They take Old Testament Scripture and apply it to people who it was never meant for. Do they do it because they are confused? Or do they do it to profit off of the gullibility of their followers? I am not here to answer that. Here is the bottom line: Don’t get caught up in false doctrine because you like good news. You already have good news.
John 6:47: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” – Jesus Christ
Once again:
2nd Timothy 4:3-4: “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; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”
Do you have itching ears? Do you want to be told things that appeal to human lust? Then Steve Munsey, Joel Osteen, and their kind are the pastors for you. Do you want to hear truth and sound doctrine? Then ignore the false doctrines of these so-called “pastors.”
Ephesians 4:14: “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;”