Archives For Joel Osteen

Review of Vintage Church: Chapter 4 “Why is Preaching Important?” Part 1

July 30, 2009 — Leave a comment

Mark Driscoll believes that God created the world with a sermon when in Genesis “God said” ten times. Satan also preached to Adam and Eve in the temptation and has ever since preached through false prophets, such as Oprah Winfrey. Driscoll does not mention Joel Osteen’s false preaching in this chapter but he has in other places such as the YouTube I included.

Jesus public ministry was characterized by preaching. The book of Acts records the preaching of the apostles. The only chapters in Acts that do not contain preaching are the chapters where the apostles are in prison for preaching.

Driscoll quotes Rick Warren on how preachers today are to respond to criticism. I will mention only one of the four suggestions.

1) Turn your critics into coaches by hearing what they are saying and humbly considering if there is any truth to their criticism.

Driscoll points out that not only are preachers criticized today, but preaching itself. He quotes George Barna who said in his book Pagan Christianity? Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2008) that Christians borrowed the idea of weekly church meetings with a preached sermon from pagan stoicism. Driscoll properly refutes this view with the example of the early church in Acts.

Driscoll also quotes Shane Hipps who wrote that “A number of emerging church worship services involve little more than a meal and music—no sermon at all” (“Visualcy: But I Now I See,” Leadership, Summer 2007, 22). See the interview between Hipps and Rob Bell in the YouTube below. Rob Bell speaks about subversive preaching in this Leadership interview. Bell has not only changed the method of preaching but the message. The priority of preaching was seen when the very first ministry of the newly birthed church in Acts 2 was a sermon by Peter. God was making a statement: Preaching is important.

Driscoll explains the three methods of preaching: Expository, Textual, and Topical. He also discusses biblical narrative sermons, sermons based on narratives in Scripture, and unbiblical narrative sermons which are just stories with very little of God’s authoritative Word. Driscoll says he prefers and most often preaches expository sermons.

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Road to Finanical Freedom: Part Four (Give Cheerfully)

May 11, 2009 — Leave a comment

Did Larry Burkett teach a “Prosperity Gospel?” He writes in Money Map Coach, “These verses clearly teach that giving results in material increase.” Burkett also added, “When we give, we should do so with a sense of expectancy—anticipating the Lord to provide a material increase.”

This sounds similar to some of the Prosperity Gospel preachers. Time asked the question as their lead article, “Does God want you to be Rich?” The answer from the Prosperity preachers referenced was “Yes!” Those preachers included Joel Osteen, T. D. Jake, Creflo Dallas, and Kirbyjon Caldwell.

Time also quoted Rick Warren in strong disagreement saying, “This idea that God wants everybody to be wealthy?” he snorts. “There is a word for that balony. Its creating a false idol. You don’t measure your self-worth by your net worth.  I can show you millions of faithful followers of Christ who live in poverty. Why isn’t everyone in the church a millionaire?”

Christianity Today in reviewing the Time article quotes Frederick Haynes, pastor of Friendship West Baptist Church: “Black communities are suffering, while this properity pimping gospel is emotionally charging people who are watching their communities just literally dissolve.”

Burkett quotes Proverbs 11:24-25 as teaching an increase on earth for the believer who gives to the Lord.  There are two problems with quoting Proverbs. The first problem is that Proverbs are general principles that sometimes have exceptions rather than ironclad promises. See Proverbs 15:1 for an example. The greater problem is that Proverbs reflects the Old Testament economy of God’s blessings on Israel which were measured  materially, physically as well as spiritually. The emphasis of God’s blessings in the New Testament is spiritual (Ephesians 1:3).

The apostle, missionary, writer of Scripture, church planter, defender of the faith Paul died poor not prosperous. Need I say more. There is one major difference between what Larry Burkett taught and what Word of Faith preachers are teaching: Larry Burkett did not ride this pony to death while prosperity preachers obsess.

Do you think I have correctly evaluated Larry Burkett? Comment and let me know what you think.

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The Heritage of Expository Preaching (Part Two)

May 5, 2009 — Leave a comment

Will this generation of preachers secure the same legacy of Ezra? He so excellently and  expositorily preached God’s Word that the following generations of preachers emulated his example.

Judaism followed the pattern set by Ezra. Detailed exegesis of the text was part of the scribal expertise (Nehemiah 8:8). Ezra’s model of expository preaching was followed in the synagogues. Ezra is believed to have founded the “Great Synagogue” (R. J. Coggins, “Ezra-Nehemiah,” in A Dictionary of Biblical Interpretation (ed. By R. J. Coggins and J. L. Houlden; London: SCM, 1990, 229). See Luke 4:15 for the example of Jesus preaching in the synagogue.

The early church duplicated some of the synagogue’s practices such as elders (Acts 6:12) and teaching Scriptures (Acts 9:20; 13:14-15). Ezra provides an example of the heritage of expository preaching that should be followed today.

The Reason for Expository Preaching

Ezra’s mandate was in Deuteronomy 31:11-12 which was given by Moses shortly before his death: “When all Israel is come to appear before the LORD your God in the place which he shall choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and your stranger that is within your gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law.” Ezra obeyed this command explicitly in Nehemiah 8:1-8.

Our similar mandate is in 2 Timothy 4:1-4 which was given also by Paul before his death. What was the last great emphasis in the OT? Preaching by Ezra (Ezra 7:10; Nehemiah 8:1-11), Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi (Ezra 5:1). What was the first Christian ministry of the church after its beginning? Preaching by Peter in Acts 2. The baton was successfully passed.

The Procedure of Expository Preaching

Because the priests and scribes failed to obey Deuteronomy 31:11-12 or the people disobeyed, Israel went into the 70 year captivity. Now God returns His people. How was Ezra used by God to bring revival to God’s backslidden people?

1. Zerubbabel in 538 B.C. rebuilt the temple that had been destoried by Nebuchadnezzar in 597 B.C. which is recorded in Ezra 1-6. What good is a building of worship without God’s Word as in the Robert Schuller’s Crystal Cathedral or Joel Osteen’s converted basketball stadium in Houston.

2. Ezra in 458 B.C. returns to Israel and restores the Word of God to its place of pre-eminence which is recorded in Ezra 7-10. God’s hand was on Ezra (7:9) because (“For”) he had committed himself to expository preaching as outlined in 7:10.

Ezra “had prepared his heart.” The words “prepared his heart” are used of Rehoboam who did not set his heart to learn (2 Chron. 12:14), and Hezekiah (30:19) who did set his heart to learn. Ezra had one all consuming passion. Expository preaching was not just his ministry; it was his life. Alexander McClaren would not except extra church activities and speaking engagements because it would distract him from his sermon preparation. He did not even except the prestigious Yale Lectures Series on Preaching. Maybe that is the reason we still read his sermons (See his Exposition of Holy Scriptures).

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