Health & Wealth “false gospel” or "false gospel of feel good".
The "pastor" or "leader" that does not want to talk about anything negative is a "feel good" about yourself deceiver. Sin, hell, God's wrath on the unbelievers at the end time are not part of his vocabulary. The 2nd Death He may or may not admit that he just wants people to feel good and to feel good about themselves. These "pastors" or "leaders" should have become counselors or motivational speakers, not preachers in a feel good about yourself false "gospel".
A preacher of the gospel teaches God's Word and quotes scriptures while doing so.
Those who don't who claim to be ministers are deceiving men into thinking they will can be at peace with themselves and God.
A "feel good" "gospel" is a false gospel that leads men into believing they can please themselves and God through their own "good works".
Jesus in speaking to His disciples warned them about the leaven of the Pharisees in the following discussion:
Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees… How is it that ye do not understand that I spake [it] not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that he bade [them] not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
Even though it seems to us that His disciples were a little slow on the “uptake” at times Jesus makes His point crystal clear to them --- He was warning them to beware, to be on guard against the danger of their doctrinal errors, which Jesus likens to leaven in bread. Jesus knew that if left unchecked, like leaven in bread, their doctrinal error would spread. The leaven of false doctrines which he instilled in his son are now expanding and misleading more people than John Osteen could have ever imagined.
2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2:2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
2:3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
6:39 And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?
4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4:4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
(This is exactly where multitudes of people are spiritually today. The above text also helps explain the phenomena of people like Robert Schuller, Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, Oral Roberts and now, Joel Osteen.)
God does not tell us to feed the sheep what they want to eat. Jesus told Peter “feed My sheep,” (see John 21:16). 21:16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
Jesus said “feed” the sheep not “entertain” them! We are to give them the Word of God in its totality. Any pastor can fall into the trap of becoming a people pleaser.
Paul, through the Holy Ghost warned young Timothy in the verse 2 Tim 4:1-2
4:1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
Timothy is WARNED to be steadfast in his proclamation of the Gospel to be ready and in his preaching to: (1) REPROVE; (2) REBUKE; (3) EXHORT the people according to the Scriptures. How? We are to preach with all longsuffering (because such preaching is unpleasant to people’s carnal nature) and with doctrine. GASP! Doctrine? I can hear the seeker-sensitive pundits saying “oh come now, surely you know preaching doctrinal messages is passé?” Osteen would do well to heed the word of the Lord from a genuine prophet who stated:
4:2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?
34:3 Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock.
The theme of a "feel good false religion" can be practical as they give example after example of the importance of following God’s timing rather than one’s own. He keeps the tone cheerful, optimistic. They don't preach the Word but state, ‘God doesn’t want anybody walking out of here today heavy-hearted and downcast,”.
The example after example simple means they tell a lot of stories and anecdotes that somehow relate to the message in which he may cite one or two proof texts to make his point.
They have charismatic personality so you are lulled into trusting what they say but what they say has nothing to do with preaching the Gospel Of Christ!
It also concerns me when a pastor can make the statement that God does not want anybody walking out of here “heavy-hearted.” My Bible says “godly sorrow worketh repentance…” (see 2 Cor 7:10). 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. See The 2nd Death
At times God does want us to walk out of a service “heavy-hearted” if we have been sinning against His will. We should allow the Word (when properly expounded) and the Spirit (when genuinely present) to break us, to convict us of sinful attitudes and practices.
However if all you hear is “upbeat,” “cheerful,” and “optimistic” messages there is little opportunity for the Holy Spirit to work conviction in the hearts of the hearers. This folksy down home non-confrontational type of message also goes a long way in explaining the huge crowds that gather to be entertained.
The charismatic movement’s brand of music has infiltrated almost all evangelical congregations that have forsaken the use of the historic hymns.
What Is the Key to The "False Gospel Of Feel Good" Success?
Osteen I believe is probably the first of many WOF devotee’s who has melded the successful marketing techniques of the seeker-sensitive mega-churches with their positive confession health & wealth message. The blend becomes a potent hybrid that appeals to both sign-gift believers (sort of “charismatic lite”) and baby-boomer seekers.
The message that God wants to bless His children with complete physical health, to give them great financial wealth and to demand little of them regarding their spiritual life is a highly appealing message. When you combine this with well known Gospel singers, highly orchestrated praise and worship teams in a decidedly non-church atmosphere it will appeal to even a wider audience.
One hears little, if any, Law & Gospel.
2:12 Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD.
2:13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.
Lastly, we cannot lose sight of the fact that a certain synergy builds with any church when it begins to reach such a size. People, who have no solid doctrinal foundation, will want to attend the place where “something” is happening (throw in a coffee bar, ice rink, games and gym does not hurt either). In America , bigger is better. After all, many posit, if Joel was not being used of the Lord then why would God allow all these people to come to Lakewood church or similar "broken cisterns, that can hold no water"?
Could it be a sign of God’s judgment on His people who have forsaken His ways? Often we think of God’s judgment as some divine catastrophe, yet often, and just as catastrophic, it is when He simply allows people to have own way. I believe the words of Jeremiah are applicable to many in the Church today:
Satan uses a biblically errant, but hugely popular message which appeals to the masses seeking to have their ears tickled and experience a “good time” in church to deceive them.
I attended a "feel good" church with my daughter one time not knowing it was a "church hewed out of cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water." Yes they had a reference to 1 or 2 verses of scripture but no invitation or salvation message. In fact the "pastor/teacher" was boasting of his past experience of dressing up as a bunny rabbit and took the time to display his talent during the sunday "service" on 2 big video screens. Also during the "feel good false religion" "service" the "pastor" told us a story of how his friend jeff gordon fooled a car salesman into thinking he was going to buy a car and then got behind the wheel with the poor man with a hidden camera racing through the dealership and down the road on a test drive.
All this was displayed on 2 large screens for the congregation to see and hear! THIS WAS PART OF HIS "SERMON"!??
They people there were impressed and i'm sure felt real good about seeing jeff gordon race during a church service.
Little if any gospel was preached but to the people there it didn't matter because they got to see jeff gorden race during the service. They felt good.
I was dismayed and disgusted at the same time when I left and only looked at the "Pastor" ie false teacher who had satisfied the people's need for ENTERTAINMENT but no Gospel Preaching of The Word Of GOD! He was more than happy with himself. He felt good but his message was also just feel good, no gospel.
Do you just go to church to fulfill your need for feel good entertainment? If so you are attending a "feel good church" that is teaching the false religion of feel good entertainment.
Religions Of The World The 2nd Death (Sermon Text) The Eternity Of Hell's Torments (Audio) (MP3) Read God's Word
Sunday Morning
Sunday School 9:15-10:05
Our church family gathers for Sunday School and Bible Study in various classes for all ages. These classes consist of smaller groups spread out through our buildings. We read and study God’s Word – learning its meaning and how to apply it to the choices of life.
Worship Service 10:30-12:15
Following Sunday school, we move from our classes into our church auditorium. In the few moments leading up to the service, the atmosphere is reverent and thoughtful. Our musicians usually play an instrumental number or two to help prepare us to offer ourselves in worship and service to God. Our purpose is to give glory to God for Who He is and what He's done, in keeping with the direction of 1 Corinthians 10:31, Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. In our services, each element is designed to this end.
Music
During the service, our congregational hymns usually follow a Bible theme. When we sing, we have the privilege of singing before God, and we sing to encourage each other in the truths we believe. All of the elements of our service are intended to focus our attention on meeting with God through His Word. Music makes use of two elements for giving God glory -- texts and tunes. Our musical texts focus on God's amazing perfections and testify to what He's graciously done for us through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. To complement the uniqueness of these truths, the tunes to which we sing them are carefully composed to sound distinctively different from popular secular music.
Scripture Reading
Since the Bible is God's speech in print, we're actually listening to Him when we read the Bible together. We give attention to the public reading of Scripture (1 Timothy 4:13), listening attentively for Him to speak individually to us.
Prayer
God urges that our worhsip include entreaties, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings (1 Timothy 2:1). Our services give significant place to these elements of prayer. As we pray together, we encourage our people to speak to God directly, voicing our requests, ackowleding our need to hear from Him through His Word, and purposing to obey whatever we learn from Him.
Preaching and Teaching
The sermon usually occupies at least half of our service time. Most of the sermons are based on verse by verse preaching through a particular book in the Bible. Currently we are in a study series through the New Testament book of Hebrews.
The most important part of preaching is its explanation of what God's words mean. Their meaning is the message directly from Him that we come to hear. It takes time to read carefuly, accurately explain, helpfully illustrate, and practically apply God's message. Listening to preaching requires sustained concentration on the Bible to discover the meaning of a passage and discern what we are supposed to do with it.
We desire to receive the preached message not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God (1 Thessalonians 2:13).
Mount Calvary Baptist Church Teaches And Preaches The Word Of God
Since the Bible is God's speech in print, we're actually listening to Him when we read the Bible together or as individuals.. If attention to the public reading of Scripture doesn't occur you are only being entertained and distracted from (1 Timothy 4:13), listening attentively for Him to speak individually to you through His Holy Word..
If you are not in a church that preaches and teaches the Word Of God you are involved with a "false church" or "feel good church" that is a
"church hewed out of cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water."
Jer 2:13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.