Regarding the prosperity doctine, I don't know if I can swallow all of it.

Re. being happy, I think God wants us to be happy but God has bigger goals then just our happiness.Being obedient to God is more important then being happy.

Re. Joel Osteen's messages,I believe they are life-bringing. I have been a christian for 24 years but I've only recently discovered Joel.

Jesus didn't come to condemn people.He came to offer mercy and forgiveness.He came for the lost and the broken. He came to make us whole. Joel's message brings wholeness to people.

Joel speaks life-giving words to people. He encourages them.He gives them the confidence to be all God has called them to be. He gives them hope so that there faith level can rise.

Joels mother had cancer,she suffered and was told by doctors she had only weeks to live but she spoke faith filled words and 28years later (today) she is totally free of cancer.

We can get discouraged by life, and look at our inadequacies and problems but Joel focuses our attention on our great,loving,powerful God. I think God would be so pleased with the encouragement Joel brings to people.

Thank you for taking the time to read this email. You do a wonderful job!

I personally love Joel Osteen & i believe his messages does give hope & encouragement. I myself attend a big church here in Sydney. But i also feel like these days we dont hear much preaching on the word SIN....it seems like the pastors of today are preaching what God says in the bible on "What the congregations itching ears want to hear." Dont get me wrong i love to prosper but i believe there is way too many preachers teaching on prosperity & what God can do for us. Its as if God is here for our purpose instead of us being here for HIS PURPOSE...i believe God does want us to prosper because his word says that HE WISHES ABOVE ALL THAT WE PROSPER & BE IN GOOD HEALTH JUST AS OUR SOUL PROSPERS.. but the way these bible teachers are preaching the word these days it makes us focus on just prosperity....& what we can have here on earth. Didn't JESUS say store up your treasures in heaven?....we are so pursuing prosperity here on earth that we have no time to lead people to God to be saved... i believe we are becoming very selfish from hearing selfish messages. We need to be reminded that GOD IS LOVE BUT HE IS ALSO A JUST GOD....we need more pastors to start preaching the way Jesus preached & he wasnt always preaching on prosperity......that verse that is so taken out of context in the bible...i'm sure its in Romans "And God will turn all things together for good to those that love him & are called according to his purpose" Gods purpose is to transform us into the likeness of his son JESUS...God is more concerned about our character than he is about our prosperity...after all JESUS did say"Seek first the kingdom of God & its righteousness & all these things will be added onto you". We are to seek a close relationship with the lord & go about his business first & then God will meet our every need. I really pray the lords holy spirit conviction to those that preach the wrong thing.The bible does say that those that preach are going to be held more accountable.

I just want to say thankyou Sheridan for interviewing Joel Osteen. I went to Hillsong Conference to hear him speak and he blew me away by the way he preaches the word of God. Thankyou very much. Anyway i love listening to your show and also listeninig to the podcasts during the week.

It's difficult to listen to Joel Osteen preach about God wanting everyone to be healthy, wealthy, and happy, when consistent examples throughout the Bible indicate that this just isn't the case. Paul is a case in point; he had a 'thorn in the flesh' that he struggled with his whole life and of which he was never relieved.
The consistent pattern through scripture is that God wants us to be in whatever state will draw us closer to Him. Whether that be rich or poor, healthy or riddled with cancer, happy or chronically depressed.
If rainbows, dolphins, and breathtaking views from a lookout don't cause you to pray, perhaps melanoma will do it. God tends to use whatever is at his disposal to cause people to seek him, since he desires everyone to be saved. He does this because he is a loving God who seeks to get our attention at any cost, leaving no-one with excuse on the day of judgement.

Hi folks.

Thanks for your comments. From the blog comments here, emails we've received into the office, conversations etc, there certainly is some discussion going on about Joel and his message.

Andrew, I am sorry to hear about your past church experiences. I hope those experiences don't colour your thoughts on every pentecostal preacher. I may personally question some prosperity preaching but so many do still preach Jesus and him crucified. Praying for you mate.

Has anyone come to faith through Joel Osteen's teaching? Anyone want to share what they've gained spiritually by listening to him? Your thoughts are welcome either way.

Sheridan

2 Timothy 4:3
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires.

I think of this scripture when I think about Joel and his teaching. My friend sent me one of Joels books. My husband did not want me to read it. I had never heard Joel Osteen on TV. I thought Hmmm, whats the big deal about the book.

My husband and I argued about it because I did not want to affend my friend.
I knew he was sending us a gift in love. I also knew that it seemed my husband was being Impatient.

Finally we prayed together and my husband spent time going over some of the book and scripture with me and showing me how Joel was taking a scripture out of context to align it with his own doctrine (teaching). I could then plainly see and understand that yes he was right Joel Osteen was not teaching sound doctrine by the Holy Spirit he was teaching from His own theology (thinking).

I understand why my husband didnt want me to read the book. Jesus warned us that a little bit of leaven will spoil the whole lump. We prayed and I was greatful
that My husband was able to show me the error of Joels teaching.

My Husband says: This is a good scripture that easily refutes a few of the errors in Joel's doctrine. I am confident that you will read this in full context so I will bring out only some of the sharpest points.

After Jesus was physically tortured He carried the cross to Calvary (John 19:17). Somewhere along the road, Simon of Cyrene was forced to carry the cross of Jesus (Matt 27:32, Mark 15:21, Luke 23:26). While this other man was carrying the cross for Him, Jesus speaks a word to the women crying for Him, "Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed. Then they will begin TO SAY TO THE MOUNTAINS, 'FALL ON US,' AND TO THE HILLS, 'COVER US.' For if they do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?" (Luke 23:28-31)

Jesus was adding more light to a sermon he had taught earlier in Matt chapters 24 & 25. He gave many warnings in 24: "See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray." (4-5) "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved." (9-13)

The rest of Matthew 24 & 25 are so full I will only pull snippets so there will be no understanding without a full reading in context:

"....when you see the abomination of desolation....flee to the mountains....do not go down to take what is in the house....do not turn back to take a cloak...woe to any who are pregnant and who are nursing infants....Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath....there will be great tribulation....if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short....do not believe if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!'....false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. So, if they say to you, 'Look, he is in the wilderness,' do not go out. If they say, 'Look, he is in the inner rooms,' do not believe it....Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.... "....But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man....stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming....you must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

I pray that the Lord will open Joel's eyes to truth in Jesus name Amen! The Lord be praised forever and ever!

I called the radio show before..
and I just wanted to mention to anyone out there who reads this.. lol.
That we all have to remember the Gospel of Christ is not a gospel of confusion, but one of order. And that every person, I mean EVERY one of them is lacking Christ in their lives before they get born-again.

Most of the Western-Christianity-World don't even realize that the gospel is about Jesus.. not us, not a feel-good message, not the church, not our feelings.. but Jesus.

It's like this...

"A LEGAL TRANSACTION TOOK PLACE"

"We broke God's Law, (the Ten Commandments),
and Jesus paid your fine in His life's blood.
That means that God can legally dismiss our case.
We can leave the courtroom on the Day of Judgment
because another paid our fine."

We must REPENT & TRUST.

REPENT Meaning: Not just being sorry..
but to turn-away & FORSAKE our sins
& allowing the Holy Spirit to help us do
that!

TRUST Meaning: (Having Faith in Jesus)
Not just believing God exists.. but Trusting
in Him as we would in a parachute while
jumping out of a plane. Putting Him before
every circumstance in our lives, (money, jobs,
parents, loved ones, etc.) Nothing will save
us except for Him.

Through..

*Repentance & Trust*

our heart becomes a humble
place where Jesus dwells within.

Cherry picking is a good phrase, all these ilk of people take only what suits them for they're message. Funny it so often has so little to do with jesus. And another thing tell me why they become a law unto themselves? Why can they be demeaning and at worst insulting? It is because of bad experiences at churches like these that I want nothing to do with church and Christianity now, it just often becomes a freek show. i don't want only to be vicious in my rebukes, I do think that Joel Osteen is a great guy but do people like him wear blinkers? What happens when what they say will happen just doesn't, can't or won't for whatever reasons. I would ask Joel what a ninenty year old man with domentia in a nursing home has to look forward too "you're best days are yet to come" certainly not in this life! maybe in eternity, god bless

I studied prosperity as a subject at a church I used to attend; The lack of balance was so hard to deal with I didn't complete the course. However when I went in the finalise my account, I shared my thoughts and they were really sad I didn't get the full picture of prospertiy.

I think you need to have an everyday journey with God over time to understand these things like peace, fulfilment and prosperity. And I think preachers on this subject speak from this experience.

But I think it is not helpful to only show non-Christians/new Christians that side of the Christian story. I am personaly discipiling a new Christian at the moment who said "becoming a christian was the hardest thing I have ever done". And that was from a 40's plus lady with teenagers!!! Now she is exposed to her own sin and judgement of others, she is starting on the journey of Gods abundance - in showing her grace, and giving her what she needs to get through each day.

I really think Joel Osteen is a wonderful preacher. I really like the way he preaches the bible.