John MacArthur’s Opinion of Joel Osteen

Nothing like posting a critical video of America’s most popular preacher to stir things up. MacArthur doesn’t hold back on this video, so for you who are Osteen fans, don’t say I didn’t warn you!

I have often been asked what I think of Joel Osteen. I think he is a good motivational speaker. But he is not a Bible teacher or a Gospel preacher. I am sure he is a great guy and all that, but anyone who reads the Bible regularly and embraces the elementary rules of Bible interpretation will understand that his message does not line up with Biblical truth. MacArthur says it a little more strongly:

The Pressure on Pastors to Produce

I just finished reading a book by Kent and Barbara Hughes titled Liberating Ministry From the Success Syndrome. An excellent book, it should probably be read by most pastors, as well as elders, deacons, and other church leaders. It will help them understand one of the leading causes of ministry burnout and ministerial depression: the pressure to produce results.

Here is a sample:

Hope for the Unemployed

Greg Gilbert of IX Marks Ministries offers hope to the employed with these two helpful blog posts:

“Trusting God Through Unemployment, pt. 1”

“Trusting God Through Unemployment, pt. 2”

HT: Justin Taylor

Some Questions Every Pastor Should Ask Himself

Craig Groeschel, in his book it, asks some questions every pastor should ask every once in a while. These are the type of questions that help keep me centered. It has been the practice of asking myself these kinds of questions that, I am convinced, has kept me in vocational ministry. For those of you have been in full-time vocational ministry for long, and who care deeply about the effectiveness of the ministry to which you have been assigned, you will understand what I am talking about as you read these questions:

Have you forsaken your first love? Be honest. Do you love ministry more than you love Christ? Do you care more about what people think about you than what God thinks about you? Do you strategize about ways to grow your ministry more than you think about how to grow God’s people? Do you study the Bible more to preach more than you study it to hear from God? Do you pray more often in public than you do in private? Have you lost your first love?”   – Craig Groeschel, it, p. 170.

You Can Still Run a Business God’s Way and Succeed

Even though I still consider myself young, I can actually remember a time when the vast majority of businesses were closed on Sunday. Times certainly have changed. One company, Chik-Fil-A, seems to actually thrive because they choose to be closed on Sunday, though not for religious reasons specifically. More importantly than the Sunday thing, this Chik-Fil-A seems to have their corporate priorities in the right place. Check out the ABC News story HERE.