Joel Osteen’s “Check Theology” Light!

HOUSTON, TX—An exasperated Joel Osteen threw up his hands while preaching this past Sunday as his pulpit’s “Check Theology” light came on once again.

“Ugh, this is the third time this month—what now!?!” he shouted in a rare outburst. Osteen then suddenly realized that the tens of thousands of people who come to his church for a self-help speech every Sunday were watching him intently. “Oh, uh, heh—I mean, it’s no problem. I, uh, just had that little outburst so you could see what NOT to do.”

“See, you don’t want to let negativity in your life,” he said, regaining his composure as he plastered a fake smile on his face.

After the service, Osteen had a pulpit mechanic in to look at the sleek, stainless steel podium. The mechanic hooked it up to his portable computer. “Ah, here’s your problem, bud,” the worker said. “Looks like you’re preaching the Word-Faith gospel again. See, when you tell people that all they have to do to solve their problems is speak words of positivity, it trips the warning on this model.”

“I recommend repenting of your false gospel right away,” the mechanic said helpfully.

Osteen then thanked the mechanic for his help and paid him to rip the Check Theology light right out of the dash.

 

Please Pray for My Time in Ethiopia: October 29-Nov. 8!

Friends: The second part of my trip to Africa will be to Ethiopia where I will be teaching a group of students at Addis Ababa.

Here’s the syllabus I’ve developed for this course. I will be taking them through my doctrinal survey book DocTALK.

 

Please Pray for My Time in Zambia: October 20-26!

Friends: I will be teaching at Ambassador International University in Zambia, Africa. I’ve developed the following course to teach a small cohort of graduate-level national students. Here’s a copy of my syllabus:

I’ve recently finished writing a short book on God the Holy Spirit. And I get to take these students through that draft manuscript.

I would deeply appreciate your praying for me during this upcoming week of study with these students!  Thank you!

 

 

Time for a Great Quote — From G.K. Chesterton

 

Why Should We Believe Anything at All? (Part 4)

Friends: I’m looking forward to preaching at Cedarcroft Bible Chapel on January 27 and February 3.  My topic will be —

Of course, we all believe many things!  But when it comes to God and man and sin and forgiveness, of the four sources for one’s beliefs that are typical (REASON, EXPERIENCE, ECCLESIASTICAL TRADITION, and SUPERNATURAL REVELATION), we believe we should allow the Scriptures, God’s Holy Word, to be our final authority.

The doctrines of the Bible are typically divided into ten areas of study.  Those ten areas are:

INTRODUCTORY MATTERS   BIBLIOLOGY  THEOLOGY PROPER  CHRISTOLOGY  PNEUMATOLOGY  ANTHROPOLOGY  HAMARTIOLOGY  SOTERIOLOGY  ECCLESIOLOGY  and ESCHATOLOGY

We drew several conclusions about the first five areas of doctrine IF the Bible is true!  Let’s think about the second set of five areas.  If God’s Word, the Bible, is true (and I am allowing it to be my final authority in my life), then —

1.  In the area of ANTHROPOLOGY (the doctrine of man), the Bible is right that man is of value, has been made in the image of God, and exists to glorify and serve His Creator!

2.  In the area of HAMARTIOLOGY (the doctrine of sin), the Bible tells us the truth about man’s fall away from God.  Temptation and sin are real.  There are no small sins against a holy God.  And all of us are in a lot of trouble with the God who is holy.

3.  In the area of SOTERIOLOGY, the Bible teaches that God has done something about our sin.  Free forgiveness is an act of God’s mercy because of Christ’s sacrifice of Himself on the cross to pay the debt of our sins.  The one who repents and believes in Jesus begins the process of sanctification (becoming holy like the Lord).

“Want to join me in building my church?” (Jesus)

4.  In the area of ECCLESIOLOGY, the church is the one thing that Jesus Himself is actively building!  And I am to join Him in His building project.  The Bible spells out the church’s mission, priorities, leadership, ordinances, discipline, gifts, and other issues that help it to be a light in the world!

5.  Lastly, in the area of ESCHATOLOGY (the study of final things), the Bible says that God will wrap up history through several climatic events, judge all men (those “in Christ” and those “not in Christ”), and that Christ will rule for 1000 years on the earth.  The Bible then teaches that all people will either live with God in the New Heavens and New Earth  (if they are redeemed) or exist separated from Him forever in the Lake of Fire (if they are not redeemed).

So, why believe anything at all?  We have every reason to believe all that the Bible tells us, for it alone is the Word of God!  And its instructions are very specific — about the cruciality of faith, the character and works of God, the truth of God’s revelation to man, the Person of the Lord Jesus, the reality of the Holy Spirit, the value and nature of man, the problem of sin, the merciful provision of salvation, the importance of the church, and the specfics about the end of history!

 

 

Why Should We Believe Anything at All? (Part 3)

On Sunday January 27 and February 3 I will be preaching at Cedarcroft Bible Chapel in New Jersey.  I want to do a two-part series entitled —

Of the four sources for one’s beliefs (REASON, EXPERIENCE, ECCLESIASTICAL TRADITION, and SUPERNATURAL REVELATION), we believe that the 66 books of the Bible ought to be our final authority for what we believe about God, man, sin, etc.

The following conclusions flow from such a commitment to God’s inspired Word, the Bible.
1. In terms of Introductory Matters, faith makes sense and is based on God’s Word.
2. Concerning Bibliology, we have every reason to believe that God has communicated truth about Himself to everyone (general revelation) and has given us His Word (Special Revelation). God is there — and He is not silent!
3. Concerning the area known as Theology Proper (the study of God), we can have confidence that the God of the Bible is real, displays certain attributes (love, justice, mercy, holiness, etc.), and is One with Whom we can have a personal relationship through Jesus Christ!
4. Regarding the area of Christology, we can study the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus, confident that He is both fully divine and fully human. As the saying goes, if He is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all.
5. Concerning the doctrine of the Holy Spirit (Pneumatology), we can be certain that He is personal and fully divine, the Third Person of the Trinity. And the Holy Spirit works in believers (leading, filling, illuminating, convicting). He is One with Whom we can have an on-going relationship.

In summary — Why Believe Anything at All?  The answer is — we already believe many things.  Our job is to figure out why we believe certain things, submit ourselves to the final authority of the Scriptures, and REJOICE in the truths about reality which the Bible, God’s Word, gives us!  Are you rejoicing this morning? (we will ask what conclusions follow in the second set of five doctrines in our next post)

 

Time for a Great Quote: Michael Horton on Doctrine!

“Many Christians assume that we can just experience God in a personal relationship apart from doctrine, but that’s impossible. You cannot experience God without knowing who he is, what he has done, and who you are in relation to him. Even our most basic Christian experiences and commitments are theological. “I just love Jesus,” some say. But who is Jesus? And why do you love him?”
― Michael S. Horton, Pilgrim Theology: Core Doctrines for Christian Disciples