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What Is Faith? What Is Living By Faith?

Link: http://blip.tv/file/2875646

The Leaven of Lakewood

“‘I don’t want this to sound arrogant, but I believe one day we’re going to have 100,000 a weekend,” says Pastor Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church in Houston .’”[1]

By Rev. Robert S. Liichow

 The Kudos

I want to begin this article by giving credit where credit is due.  When it comes to the Lakewood charismatic mega-church there are aspects of this ministry which must be cited as worthy.  To begin with the church was originally started by John Osteen, who was originally a Southern Baptist pastor but after receiving the “baptism” in/with the Holy Spirit he became enamored with the charismatic renewal movement in its early stage and eventually became associated with the Word of Faith (WOF) cult.  The following commentary was taken from the official web site of Lakewood Church :

 The late John Osteen served the Lord Jesus Christ as pastor, evangelist, author, and teacher for sixty years. Ordained as a Southern Baptist, he received the baptism in the Holy Ghost in 1958, an experience which revolutionized his ministry into a worldwide outreach…John Osteen began Lakewood Church in a dusty, abandoned feed store on Mother’s Day 1959…John Osteen was driven by an amazing love for people of all ages, races, nationalities and walks of life.[2]

One thing is certain in a time of racial division John Osteen opened wide the doors of his church to all people, and all shades and classes of people came.  John, even though he had rejected his Baptist theology (he did actually earn a Masters degree from Northern Baptist Seminary) he never lost sight of the need for foreign missions and his congregation supported and still supports a great deal of foreign mission work.  At the time of his death Lakewood Church had risen to 8,000 members.

I must be honest with you; out of all the WOF teachers my wife and I listened to we enjoyed John Osteen more than most.  He did have a genuine pastor’s heart and a desire to see people come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ.  We have many of John Osteen’s books and tapes in the DMI archives.  It seems that his seminary education helped keep John from espousing some of the most heretical doctrines that are commonly taught by WOF teachers today.

However, I am under no illusions regarding the WOF “leaven” which John propagated and is unfortunately being further magnified through his son Joel Osteen who took over as Pastor when his father died in 1999.  John was a big crusader for the error of positive confession.  This is a metaphysical belief that we can either create or change our reality by the power of our words, for example he stated the following:

 When they say like they did to Smith Wigglesworth, “How are you feeling today?” He said “Listen, I don’t ask my body how it’s feeling; I tell it how to feel.” And your words should not be to describe the situation; your words should be given to change the situation. And so, read it, meditate upon it, and speak it[3]

I am the sum total of what I have been confessing through the years. My children are the best children that ever lived on the face of the earth.  They are blessed of God.  They are the sum total of what Dodie and I have confessed and loved them into being[4]

 Osteen is on record as fully endorsing the WOF errant concepts surrounding financial prosperity:

It’s God’s will for you to live in prosperity instead of poverty. It’s God’s will for you to pay your bills and not be in debt. It’s God’s will for you to live in health and not in sickness all the days of your life[5]

 In the above sermon we can see the Health & Wealth “gospel” summed up three sentences.  So despite the good things that John Osteen did as a Pastor he got ensnared by the subtlety of false teaching and ended up misleading millions before his death.

Jesus in speaking to His disciples warned them about the leaven of the Pharisees in the following discussion:

Mt 16:6,11-12

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[6], 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.

The Concerns

Joel Osteen Master of Marketeering

Joel Osteen has absolutely no biblical training or experience to be a pastor.  Charismatic pulpits are filled with people who feel “called” to the pastorate and that is enough for them and those who follow them.  They attempt to build congregations on the “strength” of their calling.  Some charismatic leaders may go on to some unaccredited “ Bible School ” for a year or two, none (which encompasses a large group of ministers) that we were ever acquainted with attended any legitimate seminary.

Would you allow a surgeon to operate on you because he felt “called” to be a surgeon as a child, but never went on to medical school?  Or would you allow someone to build your house who firmly believed God had called him to be an architect yet had never gone on to college to study architectural design?  Of course not, it would be the height of foolishness!

Yet millions of professing Christians are more than willing to follow a man (or woman) who says “God” has called them and has supernaturally equipped them to be ministers. (FWM doesn’t agree with this statement as we believe God can and has called many a man to the Ministry and has used them greatly who never attended any type of Bible College, but we do agree that those same men studied their Bibles daily and learned the Word.)  These especially anointed men and women have no need to study Church history, hermeneutics, systematic theology and struggle through Greek and Hebrew as other ministers do.  They hear directly from God (this is especially true for the sign-gift[7] pastors, most seeker-sensitive churches are led by seminary educated individuals).

So my first main concern is that we have a man in the pulpit of the largest congregation in America , being beamed around the world that has no biblical education or training for the vocation he says he has!  To me we have a clear case of the blind leading the blind (read Luke 6:39) with the end result being masses of people falling into the ditch of spiritual ignorance, abuse and/or extremism.

Joel Osteen made the following statement which ought to be enough to drive 1,000’s of people away from his church:

 Osteen’s upbeat style is deliberate and authentic. ‘Make church relevant,’ he says. ‘Give them something to be able to take away.  I find today people are not looking for theology.  There’s a place for it, [But] in your everyday life you need to know how to live.[8]

 That statement is loaded with seeker-sensitive “code.”  My wife and I left a North American Baptist church of over 1,000 members which had as its acronym “GPARS” which stood for: (1) Grace; (2) People; (3) Authenticity; (4) Relevance and (5) Small groups.

Of course Osteen’s “style” is upbeat, would you expect negativity from a positive confession devotee?  No!  Deliberate, absolutely, he really believes much of the WOF nonsense his father taught him all his life, not to mention whatever offbeat spirituality he may have gleaned from his two years at Oral Roberts University .  Authentic?  Without a doubt!  What you see is what you get.  Joel Osteen is a man without any biblical education but an admitted talent for marketing. 

To be a success in marketing you have to know where people itch and scratch it.  Or, you have to create a desire in them by creating a hunger for something they currently do not have nor formerly knew they needed.  All commercials can be condensed down to one of these two truths.

So to become a mega-church a pastor has to make church relevant.  He has to give the people what they want, something that soothes that spiritual itch.  In order to be a “success” (i.e. large masses of people and money) pastors must preach unchallenging messages that uplift rather than convict.  He must pander to the lowest common denominator and make sure that whatever is taught does not offend anymore at anytime.  What we are seeing is really nothing new, it is a simply fulfillment of 2Ti 4:3-4

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; 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 and now, Joel Osteen.

Osteen goes on to say that “I find today that people are not looking for theology.”  Well that is obvious because if they were they would not find any sound theology at Lakewood !  Although he does not reveal to the readers where he found this astonishing fact out, it appears the folks he has talked to have no interest in theology.

Lest you think me a bit harsh let me remind you that theology simply means “the knowledge of God.”  In essence Osteen has said that people are really not interested in learning about God.  Somehow (undoubtedly due to his lack of biblical education) he has made a disconnect between knowing the God of the Bible via sound biblical theology and “knowing how to live.” 

Brothers and sisters, my wife and I can testify to you that the more accurately you understand God within the biblical context the better life you will live before Him.  Tracy and I have a daughter, she does not like to eat certain vegetables but we MAKE her eat them from time to time.  Why?  As her parents, even though somewhat distasteful to her we know that eating them will be beneficial.

The same is true for every man who mounts a pulpit!  God does not tell us to feed the sheep what they want to eat.  Jesus told Peter “feed My sheep,” (see John 21:16).  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.  This is why Paul, through the Holy Ghost warned young Timothy in the verse just above the one I cited:  2Ti 4:-2

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; 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, Rev. Liichow, 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:  Eze 34:2 -3

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?  Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: [but] ye feed not the flock.

 There are many biblical themes which are very “unpopular” and even politically “incorrect” yet the faithful pastor/teacher will expound on these topics as well so that the flock under his care is receiving a balanced spiritual diet and is able to walk in the full light of God’s Word and not in the shadows.

What is Joel’s educational background and experience?  Since we know his training is not theological, what is it?  He did attend Oral Roberts University for two years, but his area of study had to do with television production and marketing.

 Meanwhile, son Joel, one of six children, was learning the business of television… ‘Growing up, I knew what I wanted to do.  I wanted to be involved in TV production,’ he says. ‘That was just my passion.’  In 1981 he came home from Oral Roberts University (ORU) to start the Lakewood TV ministry.[9]

 For seventeen (17) years Joel was behind the scenes handling all the television and marketing of his father’s ministry.  The next statement from the Charisma article is very revealing:

The younger Osteen’s television-marketing talents and his dad’s preaching skills resulted eventually in the church churches being aired on stations nationwide and in more than 100 countries.[10]

             Joel Osteen had the ability to get his father’s heavily WOF influenced message out all over America and into 100 foreign markets.  Due to this dynamic-duo of folksy preaching/teaching and highly visible presence on television Lakewood Church grew to close to 8,000 members at the time of John Osteen’s death in 1999.

            With his father sick in the hospital, John asks his son, Joel, to preach for him that Sunday.  Initially Joel balked at the idea and said “no.”  He then relented and here are Joel’s own words concerning his preaching that day:

 I just got up there and told stories.  I was so glad when it was over, I said, ‘I’ll never do this again in my life.’[11]

That was the beginning of his public ministry; he just got up and told “stories.”  Joel has been telling stories that have been tickling the ears of the multitudes ever since. Here is how the article describes Joel’s style of preaching:

 The appealing style of Osteen’s personality in the pulpit is unmistakable.  It is part of the reason for the Lakewood ’s current level of success.[12]

Everyone agrees Osteen’s preaching is a key ingredient.  Descriptions of his style include ‘simple,’ ‘down-to-earth,’ ‘practical,’ ‘relatable,’ ‘easy,’ ‘folksy,’ ‘humble.’[13]

It’s 10 a.m. when he began his sermon.  The theme is practical as he gives example after example of the importance of following God’s timing rather than one’s own.  He keeps the tone cheerful, optimistic. ‘God doesn’t want anybody walking out of here today heavy-hearted and downcast,” Osteen says.[14]

Joel Osteen is charismatic in his personality.  He is not a bad looking man, his delivery is as non-threatening as the positive messages he delivers.  Perhaps I am reading in to much yet when I read “practical” it makes me think that he believes teaching theology is somehow “impractical.”  The example after example simple means he tells 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.

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).  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. 

Let Us Entertain You

Entertained?  Oh yes, it is not only Joel’s preaching style but the music of Lakewood is an important ingredient in drawing large hoards of people. Once Joel took command of Lakewood ’s already large congregation (between 6,000 to 8,000 members) he began to expand the musical talent as well.

Four years ago, when Cindy Cruse-Ratcliff — former member of the Dove Award-winning Cruse Family gospel group — became Lakewood’s minister of music, the church had only one Sunday morning service…Soon after Cruse-Ratcliff arrived Lakewood expanded when two Sunday morning services were added…’The growth was extremely rapid,’ says Cruse-Ratcliff, who still serves on the 200-member Lakewood. Staff.[15]

 “Star power” brings people to churches as well, especially musical stars and Joel is not ignorant of this fact.  As minister of music Ms. Ratcliff knows people in the contemporary music scene and she no doubt help add to the musical strength of this mega-church by helping bring in some more musical talent:

 Helping to spice up that mix are two of the most prominent names in worship music.  Marcos Witt, who fills stadiums in Latin America for worship concerts was tapped in 2002 to pastor Lakewood ’s 3,000 member Hispanic congregation.  Also adding diversity to the Lakewood staff is Israel Houghton, whose soulful worship anthems are sung around the world.[16]

The music at Lakewood is contemporary.  They have musical stars that appeal to Hispanic (Witt), African-American (Houghton) and Caucasian members (Ratcliff).  The musical team writes many of their own songs and nothing in the article is ever mentioned about hymns.

This is not surprising when you consider that (to our knowledge) no seeker-sensitive or WOF congregation use hymnals at all, apart from the occasional singing of Amazing Grace.  The charismatic movement’s brand of music has infiltrated almost all evangelical congregations that have forsaken the use of the historic hymns.  At our former seeker-sensitive Baptist church we sang songs that originated from the Toronto “revival” and from the Vineyard movement, two examples of some of the wildest expressions within the renewal movement.

Musically speaking there is a method “to their madness” at Lakewood and other mega-churches.  They have a strong emphasis to cut all ties with traditional Christianity.  The classic, highly theological hymns and hymnals virtually scream out the dreaded word “traditional.”

Out With the Old, In With the New

  Lakewood and all seeker congregations do not want to be associated with any denominational trappings or any forms of liturgical worship[17].  Many of these churches have even removed crosses from behind their pulpits lest they appear to be too churchy to the seeker. 

In all our time spent among both Pentecostal believers and seeker-sensitive groups we never recited the Lord’s prayer as part of our worship.  We never recited any of the historic creeds of the orthodox Church.  I doubt there are three people who attend Lakewood who could recite the Apostles or Nicene Creeds, probably few know the Lord’s Prayer.  Catechism classes?  You’ve got to be kidding!  In its place some groups may offer a new member’s class, but these classes are usually just general introductions to what the church has to offer the “seeker.”  Osteen being a sign-gift believer offers classes which promote the concept of a second baptism in/with/by the Holy Spirit, but this aspect seems to be soft-peddled as well.

 What Is the Key to Osteen’s 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.

We cannot forget to mix in the vast television footprint that Lakewood church promotes, along with its web site, daddy John Osteen’s books are still in almost all Christian bookstores so it is not difficult to understand how it can gather 30,000 people in Lakewood ’s rented 16,000 seat arena, formerly the home of the Houston Rockets.

What saddens me the most is that one hears little, if any, Law & Gospel proclaimed by Joel at Lakewood Church .  To quote something I remember hearing “dad” Hagin say: “how do you poison a dog?  You put the poison in with the good meat.”  I do not want to press the analogy too far but the reality is that 30,000 people are not being biblically fed a balanced spiritual diet that will promote true growth in their lives.  What you do hear is a synthesis of WOF concepts wrapped up in a seeker-friendly environment by a young man with a winsome smile.

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 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?

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, is when He simply allows people to have own way.  I believe the words of Jeremiah are applicable to many in the Church today: Jer 2:12-13

Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD.  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.

 As much as Joel no doubt believes the growth they’ve experienced is due to the blessing of God it really boils down to three simple things, which have nothing to do with God at all: (1) his father’s legacy and an already existing mega-church; (2) Joel’s slick marketing abilities; (3) 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.  Please pray for Joel Osteen, like it or not, he currently has a tremendous impact on many people.  Pray the Lord open his eyes to biblical truth and may he take as bold a stand to expose error.

Thank you Rev. Liichow

http://www.forgottenword.org/osteen.html

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How the Health and Wealth Gospel Twists Scripture

Veamos esta poderosa enseñanza del Profeta Ed Dufresne, “El Lenguaje d ela Fe”, que dio en Lima durante el Seminario Aceite Fresco del año 2006

This is an old video of Pastor John Osteen, I hope that this video is a blessing for his life.

By Rev. Mel C. Montgomery
    

     Unknown to most Charismatics, Rhema graduates, Word of Faith people, and Hagin critics, Kenneth Hagin preached two considerably different “faith” messages.  I discovered this fact while spending the last two years researching diligently the ministries of life-long friends and associates of Kenneth Hagin, namely the Rev. and Mrs. J.R. Goodwin.

     Kenneth Hagin acknowledged the Goodwins as being his primary mentors throughout his life.  I was in a ministers meeting in 1991 in which I heard Brother Hagin say, “For the first 40 years of my ministry, whenever God would give me a major vision or revelation, I would not fully teach it and preach it until I had shared the matter with the Goodwins and asked them to judge it and correct me if they thought I needed it.”  Such was his confidence in the discerning and balance of the Goodwins’ ministry.  Brother Hagin and Brother Goodwin were best friends for the many years both were alive. 

     Sister Goodwin was an elderly widow when God brought her into my life.  She took me under her wing and was my friend and mentor for the last 10 years of her life.  She talked extensively to me about the churches she and her husband had pastored, spiritual experiences God had given her, principles they had taught and applied in their church, and of their relationship with Kenneth and Oretha Hagin.  A number of years after her passing, I was contacted by the Goodwin family and close associates. Because of my relationship with Sister Goodwin, and the reverence I had for the Goodwin ministry, they asked me to feature on my website the recordings that had been made at the Goodwins’ church, and I was honored to do so.  These treasures can be listened to by download for free at www.brothermel.com. 

     In working with these recordings and researching the Goodwins’ ministry, I came into contact with Brother and Sister Goodwins’ only living child–Dr. Charles Goodwin.  His is an interesting story in itself.  He had grown up in his parents’ church hearing and seeing the countless miracles and manifestations of spiritual gifts.  In his childhood, Charles had also heard Kenneth Hagin preach in the early years of Hagin’s ministry, beginning back in the very late 1930s and the early 1940s.  Hagin at the time was pastoring a church in a small town near where the Goodwins were pastoring. 

     As I understand the story, the Goodwins were among the very first ministers to be supportive of Hagin’s itinerant ministry when he left his last pastorate.  Charles has mentioned to me how, as a child, he remembers hearing Brother Hagin’s knock on the door of their home, and thinking, ”There comes Brother Hagin, and here comes the floor!”  He thought this because whenever Hagin preached for the Goodwins, he would stay overnight at their home, and was always given Charles’ bed, and Charles slept on the floor.  The family-like relationship these families enjoyed can be seen in the fact that Charles called Brother Hagin “Uncle Ken,” all his life.

     When it came time to fulfill his own ministry calling though, Charles did not pursue it within the Assemblies of God as his parents and Hagin had done.  It wasn’t the right fit for him.  Many factors were involved, but one of the major ones was that with the fame of his parents in Charismatic and Word of Faith circles (he did not want to build his own ministry on his parent’s name and reputation.  He wanted to earn his place in ministry).  So, much to everyone’s surprise, he joined the Southern Baptists and eventually earned a doctorate and became a professor of New Testament Greek at a Southern Baptist University.  This was by no means a repudiation of his parent’s ministry though.  In fact, when his father passed away, for awhile Charles traveled and held meetings with his mother in Charismatic churches.  Charles still accepts invitations to minister both for Southern Baptists Churches and for Word-of-Faith type Charismatic Churches. (As a theologian Charles has been able to minister beyond denominational lines. For example, Charles has ministered as a guest speaker in Presbyterian and United Methodist Churches, as well as Classical Pentecostal denominations such as the Assemblies of God, the Church of God, and others.)
 

    Discussing Bible subjects and Charismatic issues with Charles is always a delight and an education.  He grew up seeing the miraculous on almost a daily basis, but he also has the advanced theological education that has given him a thorough understanding of Christian doctrine and Church history.  What is especially helpful in discussing spiritual issues and history with Charles is the fact that he is fair minded and even handed.  He acknowledges the strengths and weaknesses of both the Charismatic and Evangelical branches of Christianity.  He is realistic too about the ministries of his parents, Kenneth Hagin, and other leading Charismatic leaders, many of whom he knew in the early years of their ministries.  As with any genuine professor or teacher, he gives you the tools and the context that enables you to judge matters and to reach a logical and reasoned conclusion for yourself.  I sense no prejudice, bias, or any agenda in discussions with Charles other than a deep desire to help people understand clearly what the Bible teaches and does not teach.

     It is in the context of these unbiased discussions that I came across a fact that I’ve never heard or read of anyone addressing before.  That is the fact that Kenneth Hagin had two substantially different faith messages he preached.  I think this has major implications for us today in Charismatic and especially in Word of Faith circles.
 

    Origins of Kenneth Hagin’s Faith Message

     If you ever had the opportunity to hear Brother Hagin preach in person, or on tapes, he says something over and over that we let go in one ear and out the other.  He said that God had healed him as a teenager and raised him up from a death bed as he read “Grandma’s Methodist Bible.”  After being healed, he went forth boldly preaching a pure faith message that I can find no fault with.  It was a scriptural message that helped people receive healing, miracles, and answers to prayer in the same way he had received them–through biblical faith.  He taught, preached, and practiced faith for years before he came across the writings of E. W. Kenyon.  Originally Hagin’s “faith message” contained none of Kenyon’s influences.
  

   As a result of knowing this, one can immediately put to rest the long standing and oft repeated mantra chanted by the Hagin critics for decades:

     “Hagin got his faith message from E. W. Kenyon.” 

     No he didn’t. 

     How can you get a “faith message” from an author you have never heard of and have not read?  Kenneth Hagin got his “faith message” by reading his Grandmother’s Bible, and by believing and applying what he read.  By all accounts, he preached his faith message for years before encountering Kenyon’s writings, and never met Kenyon in person.
 

    Kenyon, I believe, was a sincere Christian who had a passion for the Lord.  It seems to me that he may have seen principles that were similar to what Hagin would later discover on his own.  Kenyon was a man of faith but he was not a theologian.  Consequently, he may have expressed some genuine truths about faith in entirely unscriptural language and reasoning.  He was certainly  not the first or the last preacher of the Gospel to express Gospel truths in theologically incorrect terms.  I dare say that every preacher of the Gospel in the history of the Church has at some time preached a sermon only to later realize he had misspoken by using incorrect terminology. 
 

    One preacher I heard about took notice of the fact that the King James translators sometimes used the phrase “Holy Spirit” and sometimes, “Holy Ghost” in reference to the Spirit of God.  He made a study of these instances, and then went forward from church to church for 25 years preaching on the difference between the Holy Spirit and the Holy Ghost.  Eventually to his embarrassment he discovered that although the King James translators had used the English phrases “Holy Spirit” and “Holy Ghost,” they were doing so in reference to the exact same Greek wording.  In short, there was no difference between the Holy Spirit and the Holy Ghost.  Preaching an unbiblical teaching did not make this preacher a false prophet or an emissary of Satan.  It simply means the poor soul was ignorant.  As he noted later though, although it was sad that he spent 25 years preaching nonsense, what was even more tragic was that in 25 years, no preacher had ever disagreed with him or pointed out his error.  I guess his listeners were as biblically ignorant as he was.  Worse, there may still be some of his listeners, walking in his footsteps, preaching to this present hour on the difference between the Holy Spirit and the Holy Ghost.  God help us.
  

   Paul notes of the Jews of his day:
For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.–Romans 10:2.

     The Book of Acts tells that Apollos’ gospel was incomplete:
  And he [Apollos] began to speak boldly in the synagogue:  whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.–Acts 18:26.

     It is possible to be sincerely zealous for God, but to have a flawed understanding and to express that zeal in entirely wrong language.  Such was the case, I believe, with E. W. Kenyon.
 

     To see the notoriety of Kenyon’s writings today, you would assume that during his lifetime (1867 – 1948) he must have had a large and influential ministry.  On the contrary, he had only a small regional following in the Pacific Northwest of the United States.  His ministry was by no means national or international.  Kenyon was not a part of the world-wide Pentecostal outpouring of his day.  There are some sources that claim that Kenyon did speak in tongues though.  

     As far as I can determine, his unique teachings and interpretations were not accepted or known to Smith Wigglesworth, Stanley Frodsham, Howard Carter, and other early Pentecostals.  The only connection I can find between Kenyon and an early Pentecostal was that some people claim that Kenyon and F. F. Bosworth knew each other.  I believe had Kenyon’s writings not been referenced in so many of Brother Hagin’s materials, the name of E. W. Kenyon would be virtually unknown today.
 

    Somehow, Brother Hagin came across Kenyon’s writings and felt a kinship with Kenyon’s faith teachings.  The kinship would be easy to understand.  When Brother Hagin began preaching what came to be later known as the Word of Faith message, he was virtually alone in doing so.  If you will research the sermons commonly preached during the Pentecostal Outpouring of the early 1900’s and the Healing Revival of the 1940’s and 1950’s, you will observe that faith was mentioned and preached only in a general way.  Multitudes were urged to “have faith,” and to “only believe,” but few details were ever given on exactly how to have faith or how to specifically believe.
 

    The fact that Hagin’s faith message was a truly fresh presentation of the Bible subject of faith was driven home dramatically in an observation he made at a yearly convention of the Voice of Healing.  This was a largely informal organization of healing evangelists that were prominent in the Healing Revival of the 1940’s and 1950’s, headed up by Gordon Lindsay.  The organization was later dissolved and folded into Lindsay’s other emerging ministry work, Christ For The Nations Institute in Dallas, TX.  Hagin reports that of the approximately 100 healing evangelists of that organization, he knew of none of them who were preaching Biblical faith in the way that he was doing.  Instead, they would preach biblical messages, and wait for their spiritual gift of healing to come into operation, at which time they would then begin laying hands on the sick.

     This is not to imply that Kenneth Hagin preached an entirely new doctrine in his core faith message.  His faith message was based primarily on Mark 11:23-24, specifically, exhorting people to believe they had already received the answer to their prayer the instant they prayed, with their assurance resting in the integrity of God’s holy written word.  Kenneth Hagin did not write or invent Mark 11:23-24.  He just spent a lifetime preaching the passage of scripture that had raised him off a deathbed, giving additional insight into concepts and scriptures we already believed.  Such is commendable and entirely appropriate.
 

    Tragically however, Kenneth E. Hagin was not a theologian, and had no formal theological training.  Therefore, he did not recognize stunningly unbiblical concepts presented in E. W. Kenyon’s writings.

     Kenneth Hagins’ mentors, Rev. and Mrs. J.R. Gooodwin recognized that major aspects of Kenyon’s teachings were unbiblical, and cautioned Hagin away from them.  Sadly though, Hagin would not be persuaded.  Perhaps in his lonely and much-criticized quest to teach the biblical principles of receiving from God by faith, Hagin was too quick to accept the few writings he found that were at least similar to his own understanding.  
 

    In order to maintain their friendship, the Goodwins and Hagin quit discussing Kenyon’s writings with each other and agreed to disagree.   When Kenneth Hagin ministered for the Goodwins, he respected their ideological differences.  He left off his book and tape table those of his books and tapes that included teachings he had adopted from Kenyon that the Goodwins did not accept. 

     Kenneth Hagin’s Two Faith Messages 

     In services in which Kenneth Hagin preached for the Goodwins, he tailored the faith message to fit within orthodox Christian doctrine.  The Goodwins fully received and approved of this version of the faith message.  Thus, it could be argued that Hagin actually had two faith messages:

 One which was expansive, and included Kenyon’s teachings and deviated from orthodox doctrine.  This he preached at Rhema and to the world. 
A second faith message that was a stripped-down, core faith message minus Kenyon’s teachings was what he preached for the Goodwins.  This I would characterize as his original faith message that he had learned from the Bible and that when put into practice had raised him up off a deathbed as a teenager.  This original or alternate faith message fit within orthodox Christian doctrine, and contained nothing of Kenyon’s influences. 

     As I began to realize that Kenneth Hagin preached two considerably different faith messages, I asked Dr. Charles Goodwin to confirm whether my understanding was correct.  He responded as follows:

I can say without equivocation, “Ken Hagin did not preach ‘the extreme WOF message’ when he ministered at my dad’s church. To the best of my memory and knowledge, he preached faith and what can be achieved if one’s faith (in God) is exercised and  practiced as a regular part of any believer’s  life.  Ken Hagin was a gentleman;  he would never have preached Kenyon’s teachings at my dad’s church because he knew my dad did not approve of same.  I think your statement, ‘a second one that was a core or stripped-down message, minus Kenyon’s teachings . . .’ accurately describes the relationship between my dad and Ken Hagin.”
     Kenneth Hagin’s Original Faith Message Did Not Contain:
     The spiritual death of Christ.
     Christ literally being made sin instead of having sin imputed to him.
     Christ suffering in Hell for three days.
     The “God-Kind of Faith” teaching.
     The “Little Gods” teaching.
     Actual righteousness instead of imputed righteousness.
   
     Did Kenneth Hagin Contradict Himself?

       No.  Although the two faith messages differed considerably, Kenneth Hagin did not contradict himself or violate his conscience.  For instance, at the Goodwins’ church Brother Hagin preached that Christ’s sufferings paid the penalty for our sins–and he left it at that.  Although Hagin believed that those sufferings were both physical at Calvary, and spiritual later in Hell, he did not take note of this in his sermons for the Goodwins.  At the Goodwins’ church, Hagin preached faith–trust in God and in the integrity of God’s word.  However, he believed specifically that this faith was the “God-Kind of Faith”–a portion of the faith God Himself used in creating the Universe–but he did not mention this belief at the Goodwins’.
 
     The Results:

     Interestingly enough, both messages produced the same miraculous results.  There were just as many miracles, prophecies, and manifestations of spiritual gifts when Hagin preached the core faith message in the Goodwins’ church, as when he preached the more expansive faith message in other venues.  I think this demonstrates an important fact that we in the Word of Faith move need to allow to sink deeply into our thinking:
 The genuine faith message was not then, and is not now, dependant on the unique interpretations and teachings of E. W. Kenyon.

     The Goodwins themselves, Hagin’s mentors, preached faith for over 40 years, remaining well within the boundaries of orthodox doctrine and without relying at all on Kenyon’s unusual teachings.  They too saw countless salvations, miracles, and manifestations of the Holy Spirit.

   In Conclusion:
 

    I do not suggest that we follow in Kenneth Hagin’s footsteps by preaching two parallel faith messages.  Instead, I believe we need to realize that Kenneth Hagin preached the “faith message” in two entirely different formats, and yet attained the same miraculous results with both.  By preaching the “expanded” faith message, which includes Kenyon’s odd teachings, we hand to our harshest critics tons of legitimate theological ammunition to use against us.  By preaching the core, original message, which contains no Kenyonisms, we remain consistent with the Bible, with sound doctrine, and with what has historically been preached since the days of the Apostles and the early church.   

     As the years have passed, and as my knowledge of scripture, doctrine, and church history has increased, I have found little or no scriptural support for certain portions of the expanded Word of Faith message that is commonly preached today.  I have therefore chosen to preach a faith message, identical to the original one that Kenneth Hagin preached, which does not include any Kenyonisms.  I am preaching what I call a “Reformed Word of Faith” message that is compatible with orthodox Christian doctrine.  I urge other Word of Faith preachers to consider doing the same. 

Copyright 2008 Rev. Mel C. Montgomery All Rights Reserved.  Material may be copied and shared with others as long as it is done so without charge, in entirety, and if attribution is given.  To read more balanced articles on the Word of Faith, Charismatic, and pentecostal history please visit:  www.brothermel.com

In this video you can see the life and times of Kathryn Kuhlman.

You could see her and the testimonies of many who were touch with her ministry

John Osteen fue uno de los más grandes predicadores de fe del Siglo XX.

Fue el fundador de la iglesia de Lakewood, hoy pastoreada por su hijo Joel Osteen.

Veamos su prédica: “Como estar firme en Dios”.

PRIMERA PARTE

SEGUNDA PARTE

TERCERA PART

Pastor Joel Osteen is Coming to Memphis,Tennessee on April 6th! I am including a web link that will share more information on his Memphis Night of Hope!

Ticketmaster Information Link on Joel Osteen’s Night of Hope in Memphis, Tennessee 

Pastor Joel Osteen is Coming to Memphis,Tennessee on April 6th! I am including a web link that will share more information on his Memphis Night of Hope!

Ticketmaster Information Link on Joel Osteen’s Night of Hope in Memphis, Tennessee 

HE’S KNOWN AS “THE SMILING PREACHER.” When Joel Osteen’s dad, Pastor John Osteen, of the Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, passed away of a heart attack in 1999, the church John had founded in an abandoned feed store 40 years earlier had grown to 6,000 members.

Joel, the youngest son in a family of six children, spent the last 17 years of his father’s ministry responsible for the church’s growing television outreach—an idea Joel had suggested to his dad. For many years, John Osteen encouraged his son to preach, but Joel always declined, preferring to work behind the scenes.

But on January 17, 1999, Joel finally accepted his father’s invitation and preached his first sermon. No one could know that this would be the last Sunday of John Osteen’s life. Six days later, he passed away suddenly of a heart attack.

Soon the church installed Joel as the new Senior Pastor of Lakewood, with his wife Victoria as co-pastor. Almost immediately, weekly attendance began to grow at an astonishing rate, and in 2005, Lakewood moved into its present new home in the former Compaq Center—a 16,000-seat arena once home to the Houston Rockets basketball team.

For years now, Lakewood has been America’s fastest-growing and largest church. Each week, 47,000 people attend Lakewood’s four services—and the attendance continues growing. It’s hard to miss Joel’s preaching on cable, and equally hard to miss his books—Your Best Life Now and the recently released Become a Better You—both in turn #1 on national best seller lists.

He’s been named the “Most Influential Christian in America,” Lakewood’s is the most-watched religious broadcast in America, and at 44 years of age, Joel’s influence continues to expand—amazing, when considering that just eight years ago, Joel was virtually unknown, even in the Lakewood Church!

Millions clearly admire him, but Osteen has plenty of critics as well. He’s accused of preaching only rebranded positive thinking self-helpism, of presenting “Christianity Lite,” of setting forth a “cotton candy” gospel. These detractors say he presents a shallow, dumbed-down message that avoids any talk of sin, suffering, major Bible doctrines, and the cross.

I’ve listened to Joel’s broadcasts. I have both of his books. And I’ve formed some opinions about Joel and his message.

On the downside:

True, Joel’s preaching does not include the entire Bible message. If he errs the most, it’s probably not so much, in my opinion, in what he preaches—as in what he doesn’t. But a couple of thoughts now on that:

First, any preacher/pastor alive carries human DNA, meaning that not one of them is perfect. And I’ve never met or heard a preacher yet who presented everything the Bible has to offer or kept it all in perfect balance. Maybe God gets some part of His message through each unique preacher.

Second, maybe those who criticize what he preaches might reflect on whether preaching a steady litany of condemnation, judgment, dry doctrines, and a focus on sin rather than salvation has really paid off in drawing people to Jesus.

Some preachers and even some churches are known far more for what they are against than what they are for. So perhaps before attacking the “positive” gospel, it’s a fair question to ask about the power and effectiveness of “negative” preaching.

I can think of a long list of truly positive Bible teachings and information that I’ve never heard Joel preach about. Could he perhaps benefit from expanding his message? I would say he could.

Now, on the upside:

Having personally been inspired and encouraged by much of what Joel has preached and written, I’m convinced that the key to his enormous success is perhaps found in one word: Hope. People are stressed, beaten down, discouraged, and fresh out of hope in this life—and that’s too often even before they’ve stepped back out of the church sanctuary!

Joel’s message of relentless hope and optimism is being met with a tidal wave of response from people hungry to believe in a good and loving God who truly cares about them and believes in them. They can’t get enough of a religion focused on the positive side of the ledger.

Critics, even in the only church of which I’ve ever been a member, assail the whole “megachurch” idea, even as they apply constant pressure to produce more numbers in their own faith. Let’s not pretend that at least a part of the motivation here isn’t plain old-fashioned jealousy or envy.

If I read my Bible correctly, the universe is involved in a titanic struggle between good and evil. And in decades of reading that Bible, I have yet to find one example of anything negative on the side of God and good—or positive on the side of Satan and evil. Any preacher whose primary fault is focusing “too much” on the positive is going to stay OK in my book, whatever his weaknesses.

I’ve been in a relationship for quite some time—and one great benefit of it is that my companion always makes me want to be a better me. Not only does she motivate me toward that goal but she shows me much of the “how.” Joel’s preaching has done the same for me, supplying hope I didn’t have before and motivating me to become all that God makes possible for me.

I have another blog called Beggars and Bread. Joel may not offer me key lime pie. He also might not, on the other hand, offer me strong medicine. But I’ve found much spiritual bread—and been drawn closer to The Bread of Life—through his words.

If to others, it all seems like cotton candy, I have no argument with you. But we’re each free to advance our own opinions—our own “take” on people and things. This is mine.

ANNOUNCEMENT 

     The first of the Goodwin recordings have arrived! 

     PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN RECORDINGS OF THE GOODWINS, HOWARD CARTER, EARLY KENNETH HAGIN SERMONS, EARLY JOHN OSTEEN SERMONS, AND SERMONS BY OTHERS.  THESE ARE AVAILABLE BY DOWNLOAD FOR FREE.

     PLEASE CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THESE RECORDINGS.

GLORY TO GOD.