But despite the fact that we, or an angel from heaven, hold forth another gospel to you than what we’ve preached to you, let him be accursed. — Galatians 1:eight
Over the years I’ve watched, with indignation and difficulty, the proliferation of motivational audio system in pulpits. I’ve watched how many church buildings and preachers are changing the gospel of Jesus Christ with motivational talking. I’ve watched how a number of these preachers have even built mega churches and empires with this emblem of the “gospel.” But even worse, I’ve watched how droves of people have been misled into believing that they are getting fed the Bread of Life; i.E. The unadulterated gospel of Jesus Christ, no longer knowing that they are being served motivational speeches on a platter, spiced with scriptures.
But I’m no longer as worried about those motivational audio system in pulpits, as I am concerned approximately the spiritual properly being of the thousands of human beings attending their church buildings; and the several million international television viewers whose lives are being impacted by their teachings.
It is this challenge for the spiritually helpless that has led me to reveal some of these preachers for who they really are; to alert you, the followers and could-be followers of those preachers. I write to alert the Body of Christ approximately this proliferation inside the Church; the chance of motivational speaking packaged as the gospel; and to train you the way to apprehend a motivational speaker in the pulpit when you come across one; which I say, alas, that there are numerous out there.
So, permit’s start through identifying the 2 leading motivational speakers in pulpits or what I call, “motivational preachers.” The two main motivational preachers of our time are Pastor Joel Osteen of the New Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas and Bishop T.D. Jakes of the Potter’s House, Dallas, Texas!
Surprised? Maybe! Maybe not! However, in case you are surprised to study that those are motivational preachers, perhaps it’s due to the fact they’re your favored preachers. Perhaps, it’s due to the fact you’ve always idea them to be “O Great Ones.” Or perhaps it’s because of their achievement, reputation, ministry size, followership, and so forth. Or maybe due to the best they’ve executed in society. For example, Jakes’ Woman Thou Art Loosed e-book or jail outreach ministry. Or Osteen’s e-book, Your Best Life Now.
As human beings, we have a tendency to characteristic worldly success, desirable works, ministry length, popularity, followership, and so on. With godly fulfillment. Therefore, the bigger a church, the extra famous or a success a preacher, the extra achievement we suppose someone or employer has. We even credit those successes to God’s advantages. But worldly fulfillment, top works, ministry length or even large followership isn’t always always the degree of godly achievement. A man or woman may have a lot of these, but now not be godly. For instance, Oprah Winfrey has most of these attributes, but but she’s no longer a preacher; neither can her fulfillment be taken into consideration godly; because of what she espouses.
So we cannot pass by worldly fulfillment, excellent works, reputation, ministry size or even followership. In truth, T.D. Jakes in a CNN/TIME article was defined as “Oprah-in-a-pulpit. But for Winfrey’s time-honored spirituality, Jakes substitutes God.” That is to say that, if Oprah were to be a preacher, she’d probable have one in every of the biggest church buildings in the international! But fortuitously, she has sufficient sense to live in her lane (as a minimum for now). So, all these attributes don’t have anything to do with godly achievement!
But just earlier than we look at why Joel Osteen and T.D. Jakes are motivational preachers, let’s first understand what motivational speakme is, the blessings of motivational talking and the risk of packaging motivational speaking because the gospel.
What is Motivational Speaking? sources from 291bet
Simply, motivational speaking is an encouraging, uplifting speech; intended to encourage the listeners to do better and be better in unique regions of their lives. In a sense, the motivational speaker is an encourager – i.E. The human beings’s cheer chief. He or she motivates human beings into action. Motivational speaking is based totally in general on intellectual or human power and now not God’s strength. It is what someone can do in his or her personal energy, instead of what God can do via the character in His energy.
Benefits of Motivational Speaking
Without a doubt, motivational speaking has its place in society. Don’t get me incorrect, there are numerous blessings of motivational speakme. For example, it uplifts people; makes them feel exact approximately themselves. It motivates them to peer that they can do better and don’t should accept much less or live underneath their means. It makes human beings attempt for excellence, forgetting the beyond – past hurts, bitterness, anger, malice, and so on. It could make humans attain or attempt for their full potentials. It may even help a few unforgiving humans to forgive those who have hurt them.
So yes! There are many blessings of motivational speakme. There’s nothing wrong with motivational speakme; IF it’s outside the pulpit. And as long as the human beings being attentive to it recognize for a fact that that’s what they may be taking note of. It’s simplest a hassle while it’s coming from the pulpit as the gospel, and it’s improper for the gospel. We don’t visit church to concentrate to motivational talking. Neither will we go to church to be entertained. Rather, we visit church to gain knowledge of the uncompromised Word of God, rightly divided. If motivational speakme is what one wants, possible just visit a Les Brown or Willie Jolley speaking engagement, to be influenced.
Now, does that imply that you can not be prompted through the gospel? Absolutely, you can. However, there may be a difference in how the gospel conjures up you to turn out to be the Word, and how motivational speaking motivates. Motivational speakme motivates via sense-properly messages; which, like euphoria, are not lasting. But the gospel inspires through doctrine, reproof, correction and preparation in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:sixteen). Not via goody-goody, self empowerment messages.
So, in case you depart church feeling desirable about your self after each service, probabilities are you are being attentive to a motivational preacher. No one should go away church feeling top after service each time; that’s what motivational speakme does – makes you sense desirable approximately yourself. There ought to be some thing in a message that convicts you; i.E., shows you the mistakes of your approaches and how to correct them, so that you can be in shape for the Master’s use. By that I don’t suggest beat you up or condemn you; but convict you. There is a difference.
Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the phrase of God is dwelling and powerful, and sharper than any -edged sword, piercing even to the department of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the coronary heart.” Well, if the Word of God pierces even to the division of soul and spirit, how can a person pay attention to a sermon and go away feeling giddy, and not be convicted? After all, a double-edged sword is not a toy. Rather it cuts, and cuts deep. But the Word of God is even sharper!
sources from rwandair
The Danger of Motivational Speaking Packaged as the Gospel
Perhaps you ask, “If the motivational speaker motivates people into action, and encourages them to be better, what is incorrect with that?” Nothing! If it’s done out of doors the pulpit! However, motivational speaking disguised as the gospel is very risky as it’s regularly fallacious for the proper gospel. It’s like a chocolate covered poison – tastes accurate to you, but no longer properly for you. Motivational talking packaged because the gospel blurs the line between the gospel and humanism; which genuinely is what motivational talking is set. It blurs the line among human potential and God’s potential.
Unless uncovered, motivational speaking can be hard to discern from the gospel. So an awful lot so that even a motivational preacher won’t recognise that that’s what she or he is doing. This is the opposite cause why I’m writing this article; to help other motivational speakers accessible to identify and stay in their lanes. So that they don’t mistake their motivational talking capabilities for a call to preach the gospel or pastor a church.
What is the Gospel?
Perhaps with the aid of now you are wondering, “If motivational talking isn’t always the gospel, so what’s the Gospel?” Simply, the gospel is the “right information” of Jesus Christ. And the coolest information of Jesus is redemption or salvation from sin.
The essential difference among motivational speakme and the gospel is better explained with the aid of this analogy…Motivational speaking may be likened to scratching an itch – it relieves the itching but doesn’t treatment the cause of the itch. It doesn’t have the strength to cure the motive of the itching. It is the fact of God’s Word that remedies the purpose of the itching. It is the reality of God’s Word that makes human beings unfastened (John eight:32). Not philosophy,