Over the years, I’ve watched, with indignation and challenge, the proliferation of motivational audio systems in pulpits. I’ve watched how many church buildings and preachers are changing the gospel of Jesus Christ with motivational speaking. I’ve watched how some of these preachers have even built megachurches and empires with this logo of the “gospel.” But even worse, I’ve watched how droves of people were misled into believing that they’re 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 now not as worried approximately those motivational audio systems in pulpits as I am concerned approximately the religious properly-being of the thousands of people attending their churches; and the several million global tv visitors whose lives are being impacted through their teachings.
This subject for the spiritually helpless has led me to expose some of these preachers for who they, without a doubt, are, to warn you, the fans and might-be fans of those preachers. Therefore, I write to alert the Body of Christ about this proliferation in the Church; the threat of motivational speaking packaged because the gospel, and to train you a way to understand a motivational speaker inside the pulpit when you stumble upon one; which I say, unluckily, that there are numerously obtainable.
So, allow’s begin by way of identifying the two main motivational speakers in pulpits or what I call “motivational preachers.” Our time’s two leading motivational preachers 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 now not! However, if you are amazed to examine that these are motivational preachers, perhaps it’s because they are your favorite preachers. Perhaps, it’s because you’ve constantly notion them to be “O Great Ones.” Or perhaps it’s because of their success, popularity, ministry length, followership, and so forth. Or maybe due to the best they’ve accomplished in society. For instance, Jakes’ Woman Thou Art Loosed ebook or jail outreach ministry. Or Osteen’s book, Your Best Life Now.
As human beings, we tend to attribute worldly achievement, proper works, ministry length, reputation, followership, and so on with godly success. Therefore, the bigger a church, the greater popular or success a preacher, the more achievement we think a person or corporation has. We even credit score those successes to God’s advantage. But worldly achievement, excellent works, ministry length, or maybe large followership isn’t necessarily the degree of godly fulfillment. A character may have these kinds of, yet not be godly. For instance, Oprah Winfrey has most of these attributes, but she’s not a preacher; neither can her achievement be considered godly; because of what she espouses.
So we cannot go via worldly achievement, true works, reputation, ministry size, or even followership. In fact, T.D. Jakes, in a CNN/TIME article, changed into defined as “Oprah-in-a-pulpit. But for Winfrey’s customary spirituality, Jakes substitutes God.” That is to mention that if Oprah has been to be a preacher, she’d in all likelihood have one in all the biggest church buildings within the international! But thankfully, she has enough sense to stay in her lane (as a minimum for now). So, all these attributes don’t have anything to do with godly success!
But just earlier than we look at why Joel Osteen and T.D. Jakes are motivational preachers, allow’s first understand what motivational speaking is, the advantages of motivational speaker and the risk of packaging motivational talking as the gospel.
What is Motivational Speaking?
A motivational speaker is an encouraging, uplifting speech that motivates the listeners to do higher and be better in unique areas in their lives. In a experience, the motivational speaker is an encourager – i.E. The humans’ cheerleader. They motivate people into the movement. Motivational speaking is based basically on intellectual or human strength and no longer God’s strength. It is what someone can do in their own power, rather than what God can do through the individual in His energy.
Benefits of Motivational Speaking
Without a doubt, the motivational speaker has their place in society. Don’t get me wrong; there are numerous advantages of a motivational speaker. For example, it uplifts people; makes them sense properly about themselves. It motivates them to peer to go higher and don’t ought to settle for less or stay under their approach. It makes people strive for excellence, forgetting beyond hurts, bitterness, anger, malice, etc. It can make human beings reach or try for their complete potentials. It can even help some unforgiving humans to forgive people who have harmed them.
So sure! There are many blessings of motivational speaking. There’s nothing incorrect with motivational speaking; IF it’s outside the pulpit. And as long as the human beings paying attention to it recognize for a fact that that’s what they are taking note of. It’s best a problem while coming from the pulpit because of the gospel, and it’s flawed for the gospel. We don’t visit the church to pay attention to motivational speaking. Neither do we visit the church to be entertained. Rather, we go to church to be trained the uncompromised Word of God, rightly divided. If motivational speaking is what one wants, you can actually go to a Les Brown or Willie Jolley speaker engagement to be motivated.
Now, does that imply which you cannot be influenced by using the gospel? Absolutely, you can. However, there is a distinction between how the gospel inspires you to emerge as the Word and how motivational speaking motivates. Motivational speaker motivates thru sense-exact messages, which, like euphoria, are not lasting. But the gospel inspires through doctrine, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness (2 Tim. Three: sixteen). Not via goody-goody, self-empowerment messages.
So, if you go away from church feeling exactly yourself after every carrier, chances are you are listening to a motivational preacher. No one needs to leave church feeling accurate after provider each time; that’s what motivational talking does – makes you experience correctly approximately yourself. There need to be something in a message that convicts you; i.E., indicates the mistakes of your methods and a way to accurate them so that you can be matched for the Master’s use. By that, I don’t simply beat you up or condemn you; however, I convict you. There is a distinction.
Hebrews four:12 says, “For the phrase of God is living and effective, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the mind 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 concentrate on a sermon and depart feeling giddy and now 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!
