You Wish

I was recently watching / listening to Carlton Pearson video.  I say watching and listening because with him it is very important to hear every word he says so they might be examined according to Scripture.   As I watched/listened to  the video I actually became angry. Pearson was spouting off so much nonsense until it literally angered me to the point that I started debating with him via my computer screen.  He is quoting Albert Einstein, misinterpreting Hebrews 6 saying that the writer was somehow urging his readers to a “higher consciousness” and making up words like “metacostal”…whatever that means! 

His blatant disrespect for God, Scripture, Jesus and everything else that Christianity stands for was appalling.  As you can hear in the video he refers to the Bible as old, outdated and he thinks that the whole idea of Christianity is obsolete.  He uses these arguments to clear the way for his new thought metaphysical doctrine.  Pearson has been a charlatan for a long time and his entire transformation is seemingly based on an emotional attachment to his grandparents.  His grandparents passed away and I don't know if they were saved, and he did not know if they were saved according to an NBC interview [Is Hell Real?].  That led him to adopt the mentality/doctrine of universalism which says that everyone goes to heaven regardless of whether or not they are Christian or have confessed Jesus Christ as their Savior. That alone speaks volumes about a man who was in the faith for many years and preached the gospel for many years.  Did one event cause them to doubt everything that he knew?  Did he really know anything at all?

As the video played, I heard him say something quite shocking.  In an almost condescending manner he compared Joel Olsteen’s preaching to that of Jesus.  I had to listen to that again because it was just so unbelievable.  His comparison of Osteen and Jesus Christ really holds no water whatsoever.  His reasoning for the comparison where stated in the video that Joel Osteen does not use much scripture , he preaches in “beatitudes” similar to the sermon on the mount and that he preaches more like Jesus that many preachers today.  Seemingly Pearson has a problem with preaching Jesus vs preaching like Jesus.  I contend that a preacher must do both, he must preach Jesus because Jesus is the heart of the gospel!  Paul says plainly that when I came to you I resolved to know nothing except Jesus Christ and Him crucified [1 Cor 2:2].  He says again in another place that he only preaches Jesus Christ and Him crucified [1 Cor 1:23].  A casual search of the BibleHub website lists at least 10 scriptures written by the apostles where they “preach Christ” [Preach Christ Links].  Not only must we preach Jesus for there is no other Savior or source of salvation, we must also preach like Jesus.  What I mean by that is that our sermons need to be direct, truthful, and insightful, loving and honest enough to call sin what it is!

To say that Osteen preaches like Jesus is an insult to Jesus!  Osteen calls for us to live our best life now, Jesus warns us that in this world we will have tribulation and also to take up our cross and follow him.  Osteen teaches health wealth and prosperity Jesus taught foxes have holes birds have nests but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head!  Osteen teaches mansions cars and positive thinking but Jesus teaches unless a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.  For Pearson to say that Jesus did not use much scripture is a bold face lie. Jesus began his ministry in the fourth chapter of Luke reading from the scroll of Isaiah.  He quoted the prophets often.  “Rightly did the Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, “This people honors Me with their lips but their heart is far away from Me.”   The Sermon on the Mount was based on the Scripture. Whenever Jesus says “You have heard it said” he is quoting interpretations of scripture!  Whenever he says “but I tell you the truth” he is giving the true meaning of that scripture!  He instructed the religious leaders that if anyone would be quiet upon His entrance to Jerusalem, “the rocks would cry out”.  He also instructed them from the Psalms that out of the mouths of babes “You have prepared praise for yourself…” [Matthew 21:16; Psalm 8:2]]. How can Pearson say that Jesus did not use much scripture when he argued from the Scriptures weekly in the Synagogue?

Either Pearson has forgotten the Jesus of the Bible or he is deliberately seeking to blot the true Jesus in favor of the Jesus of his own imagination. Many have a view of Jesus that is totally incorrect because it is based on what they feel and not what Scripture says. I would even venture to say that Joel Osteen knows less about Jesus then a baby.  I have never once heard him preach repentance, I have never once heard him preach about the coming judgment of Jesus Christ, I have never once heard him preach about being born again, I have never once heard him preach that Jesus is the Way the Truth and the Life, I have never heard him once refer to Jesus as the Savior of the world, I have never heard him once call Jesus Lord, I have never heard him once ask anyone in the congregation to submit their lives to Jesus Christ. What I have heard on multiple occasions are silly stories about people who do not exist, about events that have not happened and scenarios that is so far-fetched that he doesn't even believe them.

Jesus is more than just a figment of our imagination or some historical figure. He is God, he is the second person  of the Trinity, he is the Son of God who came to us to show us what God was like.  He is the Son of God who came to us to fulfill the prophecy in Leviticus 26:12, “'I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.”  Pearson and the other false teachers of his ilk are sadly mistaken and I pray that God will open their eyes before it is too late.  Whenever we start looking for something sexier or better or more exciting than Jesus the devil will use that as a trap and he will present you with something sexier or better or more contemporary- man has a way that seems right but in the end it leads to death.  In the end, it is all rubbish.   

I would only say to Pearson you wish that Jesus preached like Osteen!  If that was the case, there would be far less consequences for sin, no discipline for the disciples of Jesus Christ and no judgment for the wicked!  Many seek a kinder gentler Jesus and honestly he is kind and gentle to those who are humble in spirit and lowly in heart.  He is kind and gentle to those who come to him not trying to fit him into a box but are willing to allow him to be Lord of their life.  Grace and peace to you my brothers and sisters.