A real pastor is the late Adrian Rodgers.
Posted on 09/19/2014 1:21:41 PM PDT by servo1969
Mega-church pastor Joel Osteen may lead the largest Protestant church in the United States, but a recent Facebook post shows he might need to go back to Sunday school.
A Monday post to his verified Facebook page, Joel Osteen ministries, read: “God said in Numbers 11:23, ‘Moses, is there any limit to My power?’ He was saying, ‘Moses, you saw Me part the Red Sea, stop the sun for Joshua, keep three Hebrew teenagers safe in a fiery furnace, don’t you realize that I can bring water without rain?’ There’s no limit to God’s power.”
As of Friday afternoon, the post had over 317,000 likes and 52,000 shares.
There’s just one problem: According to the Bible, Moses was dead before Joshua asked God to stop the setting of the sun, and long before the three Hebrew youths were burned in the furnace.
The Old Testament Book of Joshua explains that God appointed Joshua as Moses’s successor after Moses’s death (the first sentence literally begins, “After the death of Moses…”), who led the Israelites into battle against the Amorites, during which he commanded the sun and the moon not to move. “So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the people had revenge upon their enemies,” (Joshua 10:13).
The story of the “three holy children,” as the Hebrew youths are sometimes known, is told in the Old Testament Book of Daniel. According to the passage, the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar, who reigned around the 6th century B.C. (long, long after the projected time of Moses), ordered his people to worship a large golden idol, “and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace,” (Daniel 3:6). The three Hebrew youths refused to worship the idol and were thrown into the furnace, but were not burned.
In many Christian traditions this passage is particularly important because it is understood to prefigure Christ — when the king asked whether the three were burned, one of his counselors replied “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God,” (Daniel 3:25).
Some of Osteen’s followers noticed the error, with one commenter asking “Bro, do you even Scripture?”
Osteen, who has neither a bachelor’s nor a divinity degree, lives in a $10 million dollar mansion in Houston, Texas, and has an estimated net worth of $40 million. Nearly 50,000 people attend services at Lakewood Church every week, and millions more watch his televised sermons. Lakewood, whose “central campus” is a 16,000-seat arena, is notable for its total lack of crosses and other Christian symbols or imagery.
The notion that this Osteen miscreant is “America’s most popular pastor” is ridiculous.
Ping.
We all make gaffes. I've heard many an excellent preacher stumble, or misquote, from time to time. But this Facebook posting shows that Mr. Osteen is not spending time reading the Bible. If he was new to the faith - this would not be a problem. At his age, though, and being a Pastor, he should have read through the Bible, from cover to cover, at least one hundred times by now. Garbling the passages that he did, leads me to believe that he does not spend time with the Bible. And a pastor/minister that does not spend time with God - through prayer and reading God's Word - will be of no real help to his flock. Mr. Osteen may make people feel warm and fuzzy all over -- but you want a pastor that will lead you to Christ and lead you to eternal life.
Never been a fan of the “mega-Church” types. Haven’t seen one in it yet that isn’t in it for the money.
Yup. That is a big tip off.
You are so correct. Joel’s programs were so encouraging to me when I lost 3 close family members in 4 months.
Besides, people are misreading the scripture - the comment wasn’t meant to say that Moses knew all the other people in the events God was describing .. God was just saying .. look at these other events and see what I did for them, and that I’m willing to help you too.
So, some here should remember how to “... rightly divide the Word of Truth” .. then you might really have a reason to badmouth Joel Osteen.
Poor Joel. So rich to be so impoverished. The little guy reminds me of an adolescent, a pup wagging it’s little tail and no clue that the house is on fire.
Just— “Be Happy”. (Meanwhile, happily burying his well earned bone$.)
I wouldn’t buy a car from Joel, used or not.
Know who really scares me? Kenneth Copeland. That guy looks like a psychopath.
No matter how you don’t like it, he is the most popular pastor in the world. The article said he leads the biggest protestant church? The writer must be catholic who envies why millions and millions of catholics watch Joel Osteen TV regularly.
A real pastor is the late Adrian Rodgers.
You wish they'd be a catholic mega church do you? Or some mega mosque if you don't like mega church?
“Claiming to be a Christian pastor it is odd he avoids any messages that deal with the Cross and Jesus’ atonement and God’s Word on homosexuality, adultery, and idolatry. I guess those are in a subscription membership to his church.”
He and the majority of American pastors. The pulpit is VERY quiet on those subjects.
As a Pastor, Osteen is held to a higher standard. One can hardly defend the fact that he made such a blatant error.
After a a quick web search...
If you don’t like Joel Osteen you will HATE Tristyn Bloom.
But go ahead and use her as a source for Osteen bashing.
Kinda like the people who bash Sarah.
Numbers 11:23 The LORD answered Moses, “Is the LORD’s arm too short? Now you will see whether or not what I say will come true for you.”
The things that have happened in my life obviously happened long after Moses, but the point remains. God has proven himself again and again. In fact, right now, I’m counting on it, its make or break. But it looks like he’s coming through yet again. (Thank you God).
A real pastor is the late Adrian Rodgers.
Wow, had no idea he was so popular!
Amen marron. Thanks for sharing that.
I too, have been facing difficulties, but I've learned that God is greater than my difficulties and wants to prove his love and power to me over and over. Thank you Jesus.
Speaking of misquoting scripture, why is it that Days of Ezekiel is sung in so many churches and no one seems to have a problem with the words:
“And these are the days of Your servant, David
Rebuilding a temple of praise”
Might as well as sign about the days of Moses building his ark.
That’s Aaron Rodgers. His father is a chiropractor.
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