Voddie Baucham calls out Mega-church pastors by name

The following video is from the YouTube site: Mike (Joyful Exile)

Link to his video page:  https://www.youtube.com/@joyfulexile/videos

As a foundation of his video, Mike used sermon excerpts of Pastor Voddie Baucham wherein he confronted the false teachings of the following counterfeit pastors: Joel Osteen, TD Jakes, Steven Furtick, Kenneth Copeland, Rick Warren, Bill Johnson, and Gino Jennings.

Video imagery of Joyce Meyer and Oprah are also shown in the process of this expose’ of false teachers and ministries.

Video highlights are below the video.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS are for the initial 8 minutes, with a more general overview of the balance:

  • TD Jakes preaching of ‘another gospel’ as the apostle Paul accused the Galatians of believing, see Galatians 1:
  • Galatians 1:6  I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8  But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed
  • [Paul and the other apostles were charged with writing and preaching the truth]
  • Joyce Meyer and Bill Johnson shown but not yet discussed
  • Video narrator noted that Pastor Voddie Baucham (VB) is unpopular among many Christians because he teaches hard biblical truths
  • VB stated that Jesus specifically said that there are false teachers in the church: biblical preachers teach the truth found in the Bible; false preachers mix that truth with lies and are therefore often difficult to identify
  • Images of Steven Furtick and Joel Osteen shown
  • False preachers conceal their hostility for the biblical gospel and work to pass themselves off as fellow believers
  • Osteen specifically called out by VB
  • VB, mocked Osteen’s words, that sinners know they are sinners and do not have to be reminded of such
  • We agree with Joel and think that we only need some good advice, like 10 ways to have a happy life; or 5 ways to reduce stress…
  • VB opposed Joel and said that sinners don’t know they are sinners:
  • They see some murderer on the news and say, he is a sinner; I’m not
  • I just make mistakes; make some bad choices; have some bad patches; have some bad habits; I’m not a sinner
  • I’m not a person who pursues my own fleshly desires at the expense of everyone and anything else
  • TD Jakes called out by VB
  • Jakes brought a charismatic, theatrical, excessive word of faith flavor to the city, permeating many churches especially Black churches
  • Even if Jakes had restated his beliefs about the doctrine of the trinity, that would not have changed the fact that he preaches ‘another gospel’
  • VB called out modern day apostles – video images of Kenneth Copeland; Bill Johnson; Paul Crouch and Gino Jennings shown
  • VB referred to Ephesians 2: [underscoring and emboldening by me]
  • Ephesians 2:19 So then you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household20  built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone. 21  The whole building, being put together by Him, grows into a holy sanctuary in the Lord. 22  You also are being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.
  • VB noted that the foundation of his own home was first, the rest was built upon it
  • [I have heard John MacArthur say that the foundation of his house in not on top of the rafters of the roof – that is where the foundation of the church would have to be if there are modern-day apostles; therefore, anyone who calls himself an apostle is a liar, as VB also clarified]
  • VB said that the apostles had the authority to give the scriptures and NO ONE today has such authority
  • [Although counterfeit preachers in the NAR, Charismatic and Word of Faith movements say they do; also so called evangelicals like Beth Moore – they are in error; if you follow them, then you will be led to destruction]
  • Counterfeit pastors are often leaders of mega churches. To get large numbers to attend their services, they pervert the biblical gospel, making it less offensive
  • The worldly success of such counterfeit pastors is a temptation to biblical pastors, because their own churches often struggle, due to relatively small congregations
  • VB confronts the counterfeit, seeker-friendly gospel of the Purpose Driven Life (PDL) by Rick Warren: the PDL says, just ‘believe’ that God loves you and made you for a purpose…
  • VB specified that the PDL lacks the following biblical gospel elements: sin, repentance, wrath of God…
  • VB – know that the Bible makes clear that you are a wretched, miserable, sinful creature who deserves to die and go to hell: unless you repent of your sin; unless you own that you deserve to go to hell, to be crushed by the wrath of a holy God; then you don’t get it
  • Steven Furtick shown at his Elevation church teaching that church is about numbers and not doctrine: he stated that 500 people came to Christ in the past 5 months at that church
  • SF stated that there are 720 churches in the Charlotte area and if you aren’t excited by this message about numbers, then we can find you a church wherein the doctrines of grace, as defined by John Calvin, are taught and you can stuff your face with those until you are so obese spiritually that you cannot move…
  • [If you read through the Bible, then read the Institutes of the Christian Religion, by Calvin, you will see that there is no one alive today that is as knowledgeable of the Bible as he was; a godly man, to say the least]
  • Many Christians defend pastors like the above because they have large numbers of people in their congregations
  • VB stated that Christians make such errors in judgment because they are biblically illiterate
  • That is, one must know the Bible to be able to spiritually evaluate a pastor
  • The counterfeit pastor mixes lies with truth
  • [Recent posts in this blog about pastors from the SBC, specifically, Tim Keller and J D Greear and several others in the same post, are pastors who are very difficult to discern because they are partly biblical. Greear, used to hold to biblical doctrine, he is now compromised by the LGBTQ movement, he is teaching a man-made gospel of inclusion…]
  • All Christians must be very careful about who they listen to, as false teachings can turn the life of a true believer upside down for a time…
  • VB refers to 2 Timothy:
  • 2 Timothy 3:1 But know this: Difficult times will come in the last days. 2  For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3  unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, 4  traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5  holding to the form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people!
  • 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17  so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work
  • VB noted that one evidence, per the apostle Paul in the following passage, is that true preachers will be persecuted
  • 2 Timothy 3:10 But you have followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, and endurance, 11  along with the persecutions and sufferings that came to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. What persecutions I endured! Yet the Lord rescued me from them all
  • VB, we are to test the spirits [go to the scriptures to compare the teaching we hear to God’s word as the Bereans did in Acts 17]
  • 1 John 4:1  Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world
  • VB, when you read the Bible, it is not just for the sake of reading, but so that you can learn truth and apply it to your life; so you can exercise sound judgment
  • Many Christians are quick to say, ‘judge not;’ VB cited the epistle of Jude, which calls Christians to defend the truth, to agonize in doing so – against the false prophets
  • [To do so, you must be able to discern God’s truth from man’s errors; knowing your Bible is an absolute necessity]
  • [The idea of not judging is a misinterpretation of the following passage: Matthew 7:1  “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2  For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you…. John MacArthur’s commentary:
  • “Judge not. As the context reveals, this direction does not prohibit all types of judging (Mat_7:16). We are supposed to exercise a righteous kind of judgment with careful discernment (Joh_7:24). Censorious, hypocritical, self-righteous, or other kinds of unfair judgments are forbidden; but in order to fulfill the commandments that follow, it is necessary to discern dogs and swine (Mat_7:6) from one’s own brethren (Mat_7:3-5)”
  • MacArthur doesn’t note above, but I’m quite sure I heard him discern in a sermon, that the judgment of another’s unseen motives is being emphasized in the above passage. Only God can know the motives of another. That is, we are to evaluate outward behavior of others, not what has caused them to do such things. ]

Study Recommendations:

*****The following link is to a post in this blog on ‘testing the spirits’ from 1 John:

https://sheeplywolves.com/1-john-tests-for-truth/

*****The following chart contrasts God-centered and man-centered worship: 

The following chart is from: Coming in the Clouds, A Worldwide Interned Christian Discipleship Ministry [I know nothing about this ministry except that I agree with the following chart].

Chart was copied and pasted, link to chart below:

 

Category God-Centered Worship Man-Centered Worship
Goal Glorifying God by our worship must be our goal, our highest priority. (I Cor. 10:31)

It sounds elementary, but the purpose of our corporate worship service is for our congregation to worship God. Evangelism, though important, is secondary.

Bringing people in by our worship service is the highest goal in man-centered worship.

Though this seems like a noble goal, it must not be our highest goal. When worship is turned into an evangelistic tool, both worship and evangelism suffer.

Pagan-friendly vs. Seeker-driven According to Romans 3:10-18, there are none who seek God from their hearts. Though we must show love and concern for the pagans who attend worship, we must be careful not to design the worship service around their desires, but around God’s desires.

We must remember that the greatest obstacle for the unbeliever is his sinful heart.

In the seeker-driven model, the worship service is adjusted to “meet the needs” [better called ‘wants’] of the unbeliever, making it ‘relevant’ for unbelievers.

The theology behind this seeker-driven movement teaches that everyone seeks for God, and all we need to do is take obstacles out of an unbeliever’s way in order for them to come to Christ.

Offense The Gospel is inherently offensive: the spotless Lamb of God who had to undergo hell on the cross for totally depraved sinners. (Romans 1:16) We must share the whole counsel of God, both the offensive and inoffensive parts. (Acts 20:27)

Still, we must be careful not to add our own offensiveness to the mix.

Man-centered attempts at worship invariably take out the offense of the Gospel to make it more palatable for so-called seekers. Sermons lack mention of sin, hell, punishment, total depravity… A gospel of salvation has no context apart from salvation from sin by the shed blood of Christ.

(Acts 2:36, Heb 9:22c)

Entertainment vs. Worship Worship is done before an audience of One. We are all the participants, and the desire is that God is pleased with our worship. (Rev. 5:13, Phil 2:10,11) We stand in awe of God, and then our affections are stirred, not vice versa. (Acts 2:43) Having the goal of ‘bringing ’em in’ as the top priority will inevitably result in turning the worship hour into an entertainment session. The focus is taken off standing in awe of God and placed, instead, on what the participant will enjoy or how he/she will feel.
Needs vs. Wants If we focus on what man truly needs, we must understand that our greatest need is for God. When we look to God first and do things His way, the outcome will meet the deepest needs of men. (Matt. 6:33) In the name of being ‘needs-based’, the focus actually becomes on what people want. While people’s shallow desires are constantly fed, the deepest needs are left unmet. This camp tends to produce rapid quantitative growth and a lack of qualitative growth.
Relevance Certainly our desire is not to be irrelevant, but the truth of God’s Word must never be compromised in the name of so-called relevance. When relevance is the measure of all things, truth is invariably sacrificed.
Human worth Human worth is not diminished by being God-centered. Instead, it is established. That is, when we focus on God who alone has worth in Himself, and we understand that we are created in His image, this brings us great worth. (II Samuel 22) Man has no worth in and of himself, and being man-centered in one’s approach to anything is ultimately futile.
Sabbath-worship God commands us in the fourth commandment to keep the Sabbath holy. In the New Testament, the Sabbath was changed from the 7th day (Saturday) (Exod. 20:8-11) to the 1st day (Sunday). (See Matt. 28:1, Luke 24:1, John 20:19, Acts 20:7, Rev. 1:10) God has given us one day in seven to rest from our worldly labors and feast on Him. Sunday morning is reserved for the ‘evangelistic service’, and worship is scheduled for another day.

Saturday nights have become popular times for services, with no stress made on the Biblical command and delight of corporate Sunday worship.

Spirit & Truth God desires worshippers who will worship Him in spirit and truth. (John 4:24) We must know the majestic, holy God and our sinfulness in order to worship Him rightly. Focus is often on worshipping God ‘in the Spirit’ with very little emphasis on truth. The problem is that worship without truth, though sincere, is sincerely unpleasing to God.

SOURCE: http://www.angelfire.com/nt/theology/godwork2.html

SEE ALSO:

Link to the above chart:

https://comingintheclouds.org/christian-resources/discipleship/discipleship-articles/comparison-of-god-centered-and-man-centered-worship/

THE FOLLOWING LINKS AND NARRATIVE ACCOMPANIED VIDEO AT YOUTUBE:

Mar 6, 2024

Commentary on and clips from Voddie Baucham [regarding] Joel Osteen, TD Jakes, Steven Furtick, Kenneth Copeland, Rick Warren, Bill Johnson, and Gino Jennings.

Hi, I’m Mike, a husband, father of three (so far), software engineer, deacon, and exile who makes videos, builds apps, and creates content to communicate biblical truth to the world.

Would you consider joining me in my mission by simply subscribing and watching these videos until the end, to help the algorithm recommend biblical truth to more people?

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Let’s battle for God’s glory and kingdom together.

Patreon (if you want to help with the cost of editing) – https://www.patreon.com/JoyfulExile

Website (to learn more about me and my projects) – https://joyfulexile.com

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