Over the years, I’ve watched, with anger 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 they are being served motivational speeches on a platter, is spiced with scriptures.
But I’m not as worried about motivational audio systems in pulpits as I am about the religious well-being of the thousands of people attending their churches and the several million global T.V. visitors whose lives are being impacted by 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 of 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, let’s begin by 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 in Dallas, Texas!
Surprised? Maybe! Maybe not now! However, if you are amazed to discover these motivational preachers, perhaps it’s because they are your favorite. Maybe it’s because you’ve constantly considered them “O Great Ones.” Maybe it’s because of their success, popularity, ministry length, followership, etc. Or maybe it’s due to the best they’ve accomplished in society. For instance, Jake’s Woman Thou Art Loosed ebook or jail outreach ministry. Or Osteen’s book, Your Best Life Now.
Humans tend to attribute worldly achievement, proper work, ministry length, reputation, followership, and godly success. Therefore, the bigger a church, the greater the popularity or success of a preacher, and 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 followership. T.D. Jakes, in a CNN/TIME article, changed into defined as “Oprah-in-a-pulpit. But for Winfrey’s customary spirituality, Jake substitutes God.” That is to mention that if Oprah had had to be a preacher, she’d likely have one in all the biggest church buildings in the world. 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.Jakesae’s motivational preacher allows us to understand what motivational speaking is, the advantages of motivational speakers, and the risk of packaging motivational talking as the gospel.
What is Motivational Speaking?
A motivational speaker is an encouraging, uplifting speech that motivates listeners to improve in unique areas. In an experience, the motivational speaker is an encourager—i.e., the human cheerleader. They encourage people into the movement. Motivational speaking is based on intellectual or human strength and is no longer God’s. It is what someone can do in their 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; a motivational speaker has numerous advantages. For example, it uplifts people and makes them think 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 potential. 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. As long as human beings pay attention to I, they recognize 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 in the uncompromised Word of God, rightly divided. If motivational speaking is what one wants, you can go to a Les Brown or Willie Jolley speaker engagement to be motivated.
Does that imply that you cannot be influenced by using the gospel? You can. However, there is a distinction between how the gospel inspires you to emerge as the Word and how motivational speaking motivates. A motivational speaker motivates through 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 leave Church feeling exactly yourself after every career, chances are you are listening to a motivational preacher. No one needs to leave Church feeling accurate after being provided each time; that’s what motivational talking does – it makes you experience correctly approximately yourself. There needs to be something in a message that convicts you, i.e., it indicates the mistakes of your methods and a way to accurately 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 the division of soul and spirit, how can a person concentrate on a sermon and depart 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!
