Last week while I shared my sentiments on why Joel Osteen is doing a great job motivating people but why he should be addressed as a motivational speaker and not a pastor, I knew emotions, good and bad could be raised in equal measures. A friend of mine blasted me and questioned why I am the self proclaimed righteous. The next question that popped on that status update was what is the right church and who is the right servant of God? I do not want to be judgemental, I want to refer to the biblical teachings which in the spiritual realms are the sound doctrines, the teaching by which Christ commanded that they should remain in me. I will not tell you about the right church, I will tell you about the wrong one, so that it will be upon you to make the right decision.
Isiah 35: 8 and a highway will be there, it will be called the way of holiness. the unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk on it; wicked fools will not go about on it. 9 No lion will be there, nor will any ferocious beast get up on it; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there.
In the contemporary world, a highway in most cases is named after its destination. In the Kenyan context, The Thika super highway takes you to Thika, the same goes for Mombasa road, it lands you in Mombasa. Others are Namanga road, Kiambu road, Murang'a road, Nakuru Highway, all of which are named according to the destination. Now Isiah speaks about a Highway, its name is the way of holiness. This means the destination of this highway is a place called holy. Now who is found in this place called Holy, let us consult Leviticus 19 : 2 " speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy". It is God the almighty, The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He is the ruler of the destination of this highway.
But is it everybody that will journey on this highway? not really, let alone reaching the destination. A church is a ministry in the spiritual realms. It is a vehicle that takes you to a destination. The destination is called Holy. The place where God is. Now this means for you to know if you are in the right church, the vehicle (church) should be found not anywhere else but on this highway, the highway of holiness. Any road a part from this highway, it is basically taking you to a different destination. There you might never find God.
How will you know that actually your church is sailing on this highway. I will tell you how. The unclean will not journey on it. These are the defiled souls. Those who indulge in sexual immorality, discord, dissension, debauchery, idolatry and as Paul names them in Romans 13: 13. If such people are comfortably sharing a congregation with you, then reader be aware. At least question the destination in which the vehicle is headed. Check and confirm if the road signs indicate that it is the highway of holiness, if not it is time you should alight and look for the right vehicle to take you there.
Secondly wicked fools will not go about on it, these are the words of Isiah. Now who is the wicked fool. Proverbs 13: 19 " A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but fools detest turning from evil. " Essentially a fool is he who detests the gospel of christ Jesus and his servant John the Baptist. Repent and turn away from your evil, live a separate, righteous and holy life. Now if in this vehicle, there are those who are still in sexual immorality, in deception, slander, adultery, idolatry, selfish ambitions, drunkenness and name them, may be you should be worried. If your church is housing homosexuals, corrupt people, prostitutes, witches and all sorts of evil, it is not on this highway. I am not saying, that the people are not sinners, everybody has fallen short of the glory of God according to Romans 3:23 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" but in the event where the element of recognizing sin, confessing that is sin, repenting and the eventual turning away from our evil deeds is what makes the difference.
Also on this highway, no lion will be there, nor the ferocious beast. This goes to the shepherds, they are entrusted in guiding the sheep of Christ towards the right direction. Now the ferocious beast is what we are experiencing in end times, those who turn against the sheep and lead them astray, they turn against their sheep and rob them of their property and salvation. Talk about the many cases where the shepherd (pastor) has turned against the faithfulness for sexual immorality, recent a senior church bishop was found dead on a woman's bed. the panda mbegus, the false prophets are not found on this highway. Recently a senior member of a church has accused the church of devil worship and the shepherds indulging in homosexuality. Another pastor (father) quit his calling and confessed having slept with nuns and sisters for fifteen years of God's service without any concerns from the church leadership. Does such like issues arise in your church, is your pastor blamed for some of the above allegations, sexual immorality, financial impropriety, devil worship or homosexuality, corruption and deception. it is time you should realize that Christ is about to come and your salvation is your sole responsibility.
Now if you want to know that it is the right church, Isiah says, only the redeemed will walk there. Those who worship God in spirit, those who have turned away from their evil past. Those who love Christ through obeying his commands. The redeemed of God. The pure in heart that Jesus describes in Mathews 5:8. those who will walk on this highway, and those who eventually will see God. As you contemplate of the position of your church, whether it is on the right road or the wrong road, remember also Mathew 7: 13
Monday 31 March 2014
Friday 28 March 2014
Joel Osteen's Fellowship, Sorry I have to disappoint you
Early this week, news reaching my desk was that the popular American motivational speaker Joel Osteen's church had been broken into. The cash vaults were dismantled and Dollars worth 600,000 made away with. Speculators and keen observers started doing calculations of how much this church makes in a single year. In a year's time assuming the stolen cash was a single day's tithes and offerings collection, a single years revenue from this lakewood church totals $32,000,000. that is an equivalent to 2.6 billion kenyan shillings. That is a good amount of money, that most of us can do anything to put our hands on, isn't it?
Now, you my audience are wondering what the hell am I talking about this American preacher. Did you ask yourself why I reffered to him as a motivational speaker and not a servant of God. I have been following keenly on the unfolding events that are associated with Christianity around the world both for the developed and the developing societies. Things are happening so fast, innovation is the order of the day and something tells me the church too, is innovating. I know am stepping on your toes, Joel Osteen, Joyce Meryer and Teddy Jakes are some of your favorite clergies. Am sorry today we will have to go down to the good book. The bible. Today my calling is to show you the light, because I believe, I am the bride(Church) and christ is the bridegroom and he said, in mathews 5 :14 that we are the light of the world, oooh yes, today let my light shine upon you.
I respect Joel Osteen, he is a humble and nice guy. Personally I admire his personality. He has done a great job encouraging masses of people including you and me, that actually, our faith in God will always bear fruits. that is for the time being while we still in this defiled world. However, there's much to a christian and a believer in christ. God promises in jeremiah 29:11' for I know, the plans I have for you, declares the lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future'.
That is very true Joel, the lord will reward his people, mark my words 'his people'. However I watched his interview on live television, while Joel says he does not rebuke sin in his church. That everybody is at liberty to act according to his concious. He reminds me what paul had to say about the preachers of the prosperity gospel, 2 timothy 4: 3 for the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
Today I will not tell you what you want to hear. I will tell you the truth, that paul saw it coming, he saw people like Joel Osteens, Joyce Meryers and teddy jakes and the Kenyan panda mbegus coming. Lakewood church has got the greatest gathering in the America. Why is that so, paul says in 2 timothy 4:3 they will gather around them a great number, why the great number? because the great number is for those who do not want to hear what the lord has for them, they want to hear what the preacher has to promise them. so where are they headed to, Jesus told them in Mathews 7: 13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
At this point, you understand why Joel Osteen has got the greatest following, his road is wide, he does not rebuke sin, he does not tell his sheep to repent and pursue a righteous and holy life, he does not tell them to be separate and come out of the world and live a holy separated life that is acceptable to the father. joel Osteen does not rebuke homo sexuality, he does not rebuke lust, he does not rebuke selfish ambitions, he does not rebuke Idolatry that comes about the chasing of money. His, is a church for the sinner and the righteous, the church for those who want financial rewards from above and not the anointing of the holy spirit.
Sadly, because a great deal of Americans are consuming the bitters waters from the alters of Lakewood church, the third world in our ignorance have followed suit. It is with deep regret to tell you that Joel Osteen does not justify his perspective. he uses human understanding and popular opinion. So if this is the case, how comes he is promising you material blessing in the name of the lord and yet he does not preach God's perspective to mankind. I know I have disappointed you, for I have not spoken what you expect me to speak, I know you will hate me from today hence forth but am sorry this is why Jesus came, Mathew 10:37 For I have come to turn" a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law".
Now, you my audience are wondering what the hell am I talking about this American preacher. Did you ask yourself why I reffered to him as a motivational speaker and not a servant of God. I have been following keenly on the unfolding events that are associated with Christianity around the world both for the developed and the developing societies. Things are happening so fast, innovation is the order of the day and something tells me the church too, is innovating. I know am stepping on your toes, Joel Osteen, Joyce Meryer and Teddy Jakes are some of your favorite clergies. Am sorry today we will have to go down to the good book. The bible. Today my calling is to show you the light, because I believe, I am the bride(Church) and christ is the bridegroom and he said, in mathews 5 :14 that we are the light of the world, oooh yes, today let my light shine upon you.
I respect Joel Osteen, he is a humble and nice guy. Personally I admire his personality. He has done a great job encouraging masses of people including you and me, that actually, our faith in God will always bear fruits. that is for the time being while we still in this defiled world. However, there's much to a christian and a believer in christ. God promises in jeremiah 29:11' for I know, the plans I have for you, declares the lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future'.
That is very true Joel, the lord will reward his people, mark my words 'his people'. However I watched his interview on live television, while Joel says he does not rebuke sin in his church. That everybody is at liberty to act according to his concious. He reminds me what paul had to say about the preachers of the prosperity gospel, 2 timothy 4: 3 for the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
Today I will not tell you what you want to hear. I will tell you the truth, that paul saw it coming, he saw people like Joel Osteens, Joyce Meryers and teddy jakes and the Kenyan panda mbegus coming. Lakewood church has got the greatest gathering in the America. Why is that so, paul says in 2 timothy 4:3 they will gather around them a great number, why the great number? because the great number is for those who do not want to hear what the lord has for them, they want to hear what the preacher has to promise them. so where are they headed to, Jesus told them in Mathews 7: 13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
At this point, you understand why Joel Osteen has got the greatest following, his road is wide, he does not rebuke sin, he does not tell his sheep to repent and pursue a righteous and holy life, he does not tell them to be separate and come out of the world and live a holy separated life that is acceptable to the father. joel Osteen does not rebuke homo sexuality, he does not rebuke lust, he does not rebuke selfish ambitions, he does not rebuke Idolatry that comes about the chasing of money. His, is a church for the sinner and the righteous, the church for those who want financial rewards from above and not the anointing of the holy spirit.
Sadly, because a great deal of Americans are consuming the bitters waters from the alters of Lakewood church, the third world in our ignorance have followed suit. It is with deep regret to tell you that Joel Osteen does not justify his perspective. he uses human understanding and popular opinion. So if this is the case, how comes he is promising you material blessing in the name of the lord and yet he does not preach God's perspective to mankind. I know I have disappointed you, for I have not spoken what you expect me to speak, I know you will hate me from today hence forth but am sorry this is why Jesus came, Mathew 10:37 For I have come to turn" a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law".
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