110th COGIC Holy Convocation or Apostasy? You Decide...

Go HERE for an indepth look at what Pastor Osteen calls the "little differences" between Mormonism and Christianity and decide if there are really "little differences" and whether Mormonism is of the Christian faith. 

The lineup of speakers for the 2017 Holy Convocation of the Church Of God In Christ has been announced. Of course, the announcement has not only left many with questions, but has also stirred emotions especially with the Wed. evening choice of speakers.

The controversy seems to center around the selection of the pastor of the largest Christian church in the United States, Pastor Joel Osteen of the Lakewood Church in Houston, TX.

To be fair, COGIC has embraced speakers that are not a part of the organization for many years. So the fact that Pastor Osteen is controversial because he is not a part of COGIC can hardly be supported by any evidence. 

For example, Bishop TD Jakes, Bishop Noel Jones, & Pastor Dewey E Smith to name a few, have all spoken at recent Holy Convocations to greater or lesser approval or disdain of rank and file COGIC members. 

Every year there is an "ecumenical" night in which a speaker that is not COGIC is asked to speak. This appears to be in line with a standing tradition of the church to be hospitable and inviting to those who are not of the organization in effort to extend the "right hand of fellowship" which countervienes what happened to our founding Bishop, Bishop CH Mason, when he was dis-fellowshiped from the Baptist church for preaching and teaching the message of holiness and eventually pentecostalism.

While the effort of inclusion is commendable, it seems that the mission of presenting a sound and uncompromising message of Holiness is getting lost in the shuffle and is the source of any controversy or dissension on the issue. 

What Do I Mean?

While many, if not all, of the speakers I have previously named present a troubling interpretations of scripture as it pertains to the nature of God, and holiness in the life of the believer, it seems that Joel Osteen presents an especially troubling problem...it is his lack of understanding of the nature of God and his desire to be more of a motivational speaker, rather than a gospel preacher. While the latter is in the same mode of Jakes and Jones, the former is a deal breaker so far as I am concerned.

The Heart Of The Issue

Anyone that cannot discern that Mormons are not Christians, and that does not know that the god described in Mormonism is NOT the God of the bible in whom we trust, is unfit for a holiness pulpit during the churches largest and most prestigious national meeting!

When asked if Mormons were Christians, Pastor Osteen responded in the following manner in support of former Presidential candidate, Mitt Romney,

Unlike, making a mistake in words or scenario which many, if not most preachers have been guilty of at some point during their ministry, Pastor Osteen refuses to defend the nature of God based on scripture. As Albert Mohler has said, either he doesn't know, or simply does not care what the bible teaches about the nature of God.  

So you mean to tell me, that a man that believes that the god described and preached by Joseph Smith, who taught "just as god is, so shall we be, and just as god was so are we", is the same God that is taught within biblical scriptures? When will we, men and women of God, receive our own universe and be the god of it according to scripture? This is, in part, what Mormonism teaches. 

Examine it further...Pastor Osteen, without correction or additional statements, believes that Mormons, who believe that Jesus is the "spirit brother" of Lucifer (aka: the devil), and that Jesus is and or was "Michael the Archangel" or in essence, a created being, as taught within the Book Of Mormon, believes that this is the SAME Jesus that the Bible teaches that the Apostles and Paul taught??? He, by his own words believes that any Mormon believing in their version of Jesus is on equivalent grounds as the Jesus we believe in from the Bible.  

Joel, in his own words, contends that not being able to decipher the nature of Jesus as God is a "little issue"...WHAT????

You mean, to tell me, the man that Pastors the largest Christian church in America, believes that the very foundation of the Christian church, which was birthed by martyrdom based on the nature of Jesus is a "little issue"?

This is unacceptable. This does not account for the doctrine of prosperity that Pastor Joel embraces in his many books and in "Live Your Best Life Now"...Wait a minute, I thought and was taught in this church that our best life is when Jesus returns! I may be wrong, and we may have taken that back in favor of large crowds, but I thought that the BEST was yet to come!

Final Analysis

Pastor Osteen appears to be a gentle, kind and nice young man. I have no doubt that he is one that lives full of integrity and one that will give his last to help anyone. His character is not in question, to me...his message is...

I know he packs in more people in one service than I will preach to in a year, outside of this blog, however, that is not a validation for false doctrine on any level, and to make me a participant of this false message is to make me guilty of the lives that the false message takes in the process...

I refuse to be held guilty, even if vicariously!

Some of what Pastor Osteen teaches

"If you want to reap financial blessings, you have to sow financially" ~ Pastor Joel Osteen

This is what is called Word Of Faith prosperity teaching. Classic and straight line. Further, he says:

"I'm not for gay marriage, but I'm not for discriminating against people" ~ Pastor Joel Osteen

In the same vein, I found this:

It doesn’t matter who likes you or who doesn’t like you, all that matters is God likes you. He accepts you, he approves of you,” Osteen wrote in his last book. In a follow-up interview with Josh Zepps of The Huffington Post, Osteen was asked if that statement included homosexuals. “Absolutely,” he answered.

“I believe that God breathed life into every person and that every person is made in the image of God and you have [to] accept them as they are, on their journey. I'm not here to preach hate or push people down.”

Although he believes that homosexual marriage is not "God's best" for humans, Pastor Osteen believes that to point out that homosexuality is a sin could be tantamount to discrimination and hate. 

Now, I am not trying to contend that Pastor Osteen should just condemn people and insult anyone from the pulpit, however, what I am pointing out is that this Pastor delivers questionable if not flat out contrary and diluted views of the bible and of God.

Conclusion 
At the end of the day, Pastor Osteen's appearance will rake in a lot of dollars at the COGIC Holy Convocation.  His service will probably raise anywhere from $250,000 to $500,000. This could probably make the budget for the Holy Convocation itself. 

I simply wonder what is our obligation as believers? To whom do we owe greater diligence? To God or to the church that claims to be representing God? Are we to blindly follow and accept who the selection committee selects to speak?

The fact is that there are many COGIC preachers and teachers that I would not listen to as well. At the same time there are many, far more, that I would love to hear. 

One gentleman complained that some of them that have the doctrine right, live falsely. I believe that as well. Preaching correct doctrine does not insure that the one teaching and preaching is saved, however, teaching false doctrine certain lead individuals to hell and Christ said that every man would be judged according to the "idle words" that they speak (Mt. 12:36).

"Consider Yourself" 

I believe that the better approach of this church to Pastor Osteen would be to help his correct his doctrinal error and understanding of the nature of God. He is certainly overtaken in a fault. I believe that it is the duty of those of us who know the truth to share that truth, not only with Osteen, but with his followers. 

Paul said: "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ." (1 Cor. 11:1) We can only follow and encourage on on the correct path. Pastor Osteen's message is not correct, not because of what he does not articulate, but because of what he does articulate and what he has articulated, far too often, is not in accord with biblical teaching, especially as it pertains to the nature of Christ. 

Heretic Valentinus had a large crowd. Also gnostic Simon Magus managed to eventually seduce all of Samaria to worship and venerate his person. BOTH men and their movements ran into God and their doctrines were exposed for the false narratives that they were. 

I hope that the COGIC finds that in this century, it owes God a higher and much more faithful relationship to the security of the pulpit and a higher view of the word of God in the nations largest meeting of the year. Our desire to be accepted in mainstream America should not change the nature of who we are and what we believe, for when that happens, we really don't believe, what we say we do...

Blessed