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The Truth About Pastor Joel Osteen!
Victoria Boyson
www.victoriaboyson.com
During the flooding of Houston, Texas, Pastor Joel Osteen was attacked by CNN with accusations that were quite the opposite of the truth! Isn't it funny that during a time we need HOPE and ENCOURAGEMENT, the enemy attacks one of the world's loudest champions of the message of HOPE!
I understand some of you may not like Pastor Osteen, but please, I plead with you to hear me out. Please don't judge me or this message before reading it completely. Please keep an open heart.
I live in the Houston area and am friends with people who've been life-long friends of Pastor Joel and they can't believe the assaults against him. They say he is nothing like what he's described as by the media and social media. He is one of the nicest, kindest people you'd ever meet.
Indeed, our local media is trying hard to defend him from the false reporting done by CNN. It's cruel beyond belief to bully someone when they're experiencing such an intense crisis. Lakewood Church was surrounded by water Saturday night when the west side of Houston flooded and no one knew how much worse it would get in their area. They couldn't even get to their church that night and there were already several other adequate shelters available to people, and when the waters on the west side subsided and it was possible to shelter people at Lakewood, they did.
Things were chaotic Saturday night, and no one knew what was going to happen. Why should they be expected to put their employees lives in danger to open a shelter that wasn't even needed yet? Lakewood is a STAPLE of support to the community of Houston, TX. They have helped out in EVERY disaster that's come upon this community. Joel is actively involved in the city and is well respected by leaders in it both secular and spiritual. He is a phenomenal example of Christ in his church, family and city.
Unfortunately, many Christians have fallen for the slanderous lies spread about this man of God and are circulating it like it's Gospel. I plead with you to not judge someone until you know all the facts.
In our society, we have judges. These judges spend a great deal of time hearing ALL THE EVIDENCE in a case before pronouncing judgment against the accused person, because it is a very serious thing to pronounce judgment and to pass sentence against them. If they give a judgment against someone without first hearing all the evidence, they would be considered a BAD judge.
If we as the heart of God throw around our judgment against each other carelessly without first hearing all the evidence and coating them in God's mercy, we are BAD JUDGES! Many in the body of Christ believe they are suppose to judge preachers, but if that belief is true, isn't judging without examining all the evidence make it un-righteous judgment?
Those who believe that forget that they too are under the examination of God. He is watching all of us, he's listening and the Word says that we will be judge as we have judged others (Matthew 7:2).
The Word of God says to first take the plank out of your own eyes (Matthew 7:5) BEFORE YOU JUDGE a brother and try to judge what you perceive as their failings.
Jesus is the ONLY ONE who is actually righteous enough to judge and His words to us in John 8:7 were: "He who is WITHOUT SIN cast the first stone!"
I beg you to take a step back from judgment, think of the Lord and seek to be merciful when you hear accusations against someone - think of how you would feel if you were in their shoes. Let the KINDNESS of God be perfected in your heart. Offensive accusations come to destroy our love and leave a seed of offense. If we give way to offense, it will consume us with hatred and hatred opens the door to all kinds of evil - even death. "Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer..." 1 John 3:15.
This I say to you as one who hears the heart of God: He was pleading with me as I plead with you that this type of behavior will not be tolerated in the Body of Christ, and the judgments we pass on a brother will
come back on us.
God is always LOVE and even though you may have spoken out slander or accusation, God still loves you. As with all sin, the reason God hates it is because of what it does to the
person's soul. All sin brings along a judgment and that judgment will destroy us, unless we repent and receive the forgiveness that is constantly being offered to us through Jesus Christ.
I beg of you, think of
your soul.
A Greater Light
God is raising up Pastor Joel Osteen to be an EVEN GREATER LIGHT than he has been already. He will show us all how to LOVE. When he enters heaven, there will be hundreds of
thousands of people who will run to him and embrace him and thank him for salvation. He's touching more lives than he even knows and the attacks against him will not destroy him, but will propel him to an even greater
platform in the spirit-realm and the physical world.
I was flying back from Canada into Houston, Texas where I live, returning from days of ministering there. I was exhausted, because it had been a very difficult
time and I had been sick the whole conference. I wanted to get in the plane and exhale. Just relax. I was sitting in my seat and, other than the initial greetings, had paid little attention to the man who sat next to me.
The flight got started and I pulled out my book and started to read.
As I read, I noticed the man next to me became really excited. I felt that he wanted to talk to me, so I turned to him and he seemed to explode
with animated excitement.
He said, "I saw you were reading a Christian book. Are you a Christian?" I answered yes. He happily told me He was a Christian too. He asked if I was from Houston and I said,
"I am from the area." He got really excited and then he asked if I knew Pastor Joel Osteen, as if he thought that since I lived in Houston and was a Christian I must know him.
I told him that I knew of
him, but I'd never met him myself. He seemed a little put off, but then asked what I thought of him and I told him that I thought he was a man of God with a great heart! He got excited again, then he told me how much he
loved him and that it was through Joel that he'd come to be a Christian.
We visited a little more and then he told me that he had gone into a Christian bookstore in his city and asked for books by Joel Osteen.
He told me sadly that the man who ran the store told him not to get any books by him, that he was not good and he didn't preach the truth, etc. His face was wrinkled with almost painful curiosity as he asked, "Why
would he say that about him? What does he preach that is so bad?"
My mama bear instinct almost wanted to leap out of my throat. I was mad and sad all at once. I thought, How dare this person try to turn this
new convert away from the HOPE he'd found in Christ through Pastor Osteen's ministry. I was upset! I thought of Mark 9:42, "If anyone causes one of these little ones--those who believe in me--to stumble,
it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea."
I explained to my new friend a few of the things that I knew people had against him, and when
I did, he seemed astonished. He had seen quite the opposite of the accusations I told him about. All I could do was agree and explain that sometimes people think they know something, but don't know what they are talking
about. What else could I do?
Another incident happened much earlier when my oldest daughter, Cassandra, was at a popular Christian college. She was in a class where the professor started mocking Joel Osteen and was
joined by several students in the class. My daughter was shocked to see the teacher was allowing the students to take over the class time to gossip about a man of God.
Then, a young man in the class who was a friend
of hers stood up, and in tears, spoke in Pastor Joel's defense. He told the whole class that he and his mother had attended Joel's church for several years and it had been a great blessing to them, He told the class
how wrong they had been to talk about him the way they were and how loving he truly was. After he spoke up, one by one, several others in the class stood up as well in defense of Pastor Joel.
Again, I thought when
she told me this of Mark 9:42, "If anyone causes one of these little ones--those who believe in me--to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into
the sea."
I hear people say all the time that Pastor Joel is not deep enough. But, I say to you, he has mastered LOVE and that is the deepest truth of all. So many are in such a hurry to "get
deep" that they pass over love and embrace the seemingly deeper truths of Christianity only to end up like a clanging gong, a religious annoyance (1 Corinthians 13:1). They have all the answers and know all truth, but
lack the greatest truths of all: faith, hope and love and of these truths love is the greatest. If you have love, you have all truth! Because God is love!
1 John 4:8 says, "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God IS LOVE."
Let me give you something to think about: If the enemy has targeted you with offense against Joel Osteen or other ministries, maybe the enemy is trying to steal something from you. Maybe they have something that would bless you or change your life.
I hear in the Spirit many of you are crying out for HOPE, but you are offended by the messages of hope you hear. I hear many of you crying to God for more FAITH and yet, in your heart you have offense against anyone who preaches it. I hear the same about GRACE and MERCY as well. The enemy is stealing your blessings by your own tongue every time he gets you to repeat his accusation about someone who teaches about the blessings of God.
Friends, it is a TRULY HUMBLE and COURAGEOUS person who can admit to themselves they have been wrong, but if you can do it, there IS a blessing for you in it!
Truly, right now my heart is SO FULL of love for anyone who's caught up in the attack of offense in the church. Like the 50-year-old mama that I am, I want to grab you and embrace you in the LOVE of the Father until all the hurt and trauma leave your heart. There is no judgment in my heart for you, just understanding, because it's not like I have never fallen for this snare of the enemy. So, I say to you, receive His forgiveness and become the bright and shining example of love God sees in your future!
Debunking some of the things I've heard people hold against Joel Osteen. Here is the truth:
He does not take a salary from his church, but has actually given millions to it as his books have been so successful, as well as given to countless other ministries.
He uses the name of Jesus frequently in his messages as well as gives an opportunity for people to accept Jesus in every TV production.
He regularly references many Bible stories in his messages, and is marvelous at taking a complex Bible truth and making it simple to understand and relevant to your life.
I've heard people who knew and loved his father, John Osteen, yet criticize Joel and I just have to say, I really don't think his dad would want you to do that. He would want those who love him to love his son and pray for him. I believe he would consider it to be an honor to his memory, ministry and life.
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NEW Book by Victoria Boyson