Victoria Osteen: "When we obey God, we're not doing it for God...we're doing it for ourselves"; Bill Cosby responds, video

Two days ago, a friend emailed me the link to an amazing clip of a video going viral. It is a 38-second clip of Victoria Osteen, co-pastor with Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church. In the clip, she is telling the audience that they are to worship themselves, because God is pleased when they do that. I am not making this up.

I assure you.

Here is the transcript courtesy of Cross Map, Heather Clark, the same author as the piece at Christian News I mention and link to below.

Here's Victoria Osteen, speaking to approximately 16,000 attendees,
I just want to encourage every one of us to realize when we obey God, we're not doing it for God-I mean, that's one way to look at it-we're doing it for ourselves, because God takes pleasure when we're happy," she declares in the undated 36-second clip with her husband standing by her side and nodding. "That's the thing that gives Him the greatest joy...
So, I want you to know this morning: Just do good for your own self. Do good because God wants you to be happy," Osteen continues. "When you come to church, when you worship Him, you're not doing it for God really. You're doing it for yourself, because that's what makes God happy. Amen?
I searched to see if the video was a hoax. It HAS to be, right? Yet...the Joel Osteen.com graphic was embedded in the video, and the two figures on stage indeed were indeed of Victoria and Joel. Her lips moved in time with the sound of the words, so it hadn't been dubbed or altered. I looked at Snopes and Hoax Slayer but nothing came up. Though the clip was from their website, unfortunately only the Joel-portions of the Lakewood services are put up (that I could find) not the first half with the music and the short message from Victoria prior to when Joel begins his speech.

So I waited.

It kind of took the social media by storm. It is such a blatant statement, shocking to our core. No, we are not surprised an Osteen would say something like this, but it's shocking nonetheless.

In adulterous marriages, when one spouse intuits that the other spouse is engaging in adultery, our brain handles the information. However it is an entirely different story when we are confronted with the cold hard fact of it. We are not surprised, because we kind of cognitively knew it all along, but it is still a shock to the system emotionally, through and through. Or so I read.

The Osteens and all their kin are spiritual adulterers. We know it- cognitively. We know it theologically. But when we see it, we are as emotionally shocked as if Victoria had put rollers on her bed and theatrically performed actual adultery while rolling down Main Street. There is a difference between knowing, and knowing.

Essay edited to include this thought:
What is shocking about Mrs Osteen's speech is that they aren't even bothering to hide their apostasy anymore. Usually they cloak their speeches and comments in Christianese, paying lip service to Jesus. Here, that veneer is ripped away and they simply come out as who they are: evil blasphemers.

Meanwhile Christian News Net published a thorough article on the video and the Osteens. It's here. And that was that. I wasn't going to write about it because Christian News said all there was to say, and better than I could. Until I saw this video on Twitter. It's from Manuel Brambila ‏@mbrambila, who I do not know, retweeted by Bjørn Storm, who I do know. I took a look at the video, it is on Bryant Harris' Youtube page. But because so many of these videos are scrubbed from the net, I downloaded the video to my own hard drive and then put it up here. Hopefully this will keep the Archival Evidence of Gross and Craven Apostasy intact.

Though the Christian News article is good, I think this response is better.



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Further reading

Victoria Osteen Ripped for Telling Church 'Just Do Good For Your Own Self'; Worship Is Not for God, 'You're Doing it for Yourself'

Comments

  1. Appalled.... and absolutely SPEECHLESS!!!

    Will the Lord find ANY faith when He comes again? Or, will everybody be head-nodding to all the pleasantries the wof & other wolves speak....??

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    1. I know, Reva, isn't is just amazing?! I'm flabbergasted at how far afield Christianity has gone and how fast. Though the scriptures can't be broken, and God has already prevailed through His Son, but man o man, this is pretty shocking at how blatant and unregenerate these false Christians are. Equally saddening is the audience of 16000 applauding. But Jeuss said the Father will send false teachers to judge the unregenerate-

      "False teachers are God’s judgment on people who don’t want God, but in the name of religion plan on getting everything their carnal heart desires. That’s why a Joel Osteen is raised up. Those people who sit under him are not victims of him but he is the judgment of God upon them. And they want exactly what he wants, and it’s not God." ~ Paul Washer

      "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires.” 2 Timothy 4:3

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  2. What the Osteens teach is NOT Christianity, but apostasy. I am not shocked. I have come to expect nothing else from Victoria and Joel but lies. They do not reflect biblical Christianity, not even close !!!!!! Nothing they do surprises me.

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  3. The sad truth is, what Victoria is telling the people in her audience is exactly what most of them, if not all, are doing already.

    They cannot be believers if they believe what Joel Osteen preaches, and I can't imagine why they would be in his building if they don't believe what he preaches. As unbelievers they cannot worship God (John 4:24), so their attendance really is for themselves, for whatever reason that might be.

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    1. In the Last days, men shall be lovers of selves, more than lovers of God. These people are preaching the doctrine of devils. It is so sad that they are blind to the TRUTH.

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  4. Wow. I am not really as critical as those in the "discernment ministry" and I think this blog gets a little overboard at times..but this, this is just..wrong. Worship is all about God.

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    1. Wow. Why AREN'T you as "critical" as those in the discernment ministry?

      Here is a link to an outline thatteaches you about discernment, and discernment isn't being critical and it is a ministry commanded for all of us. You as well :)

      http://www.intouch.org/you/sermon-outlines/content?topic=the_power_of_a_discerning_spirit_sermon_outline

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    2. I believe that absolute truth resides in the Scriptures. I recognize and DISCERN that the Osteens ministry is a perfect example of the scriptural fulfillment of the prophecy concerning "false teachers' in the end times. They are the instruments of Someone intent on leading well meaning, but "Gospel illiterate" people to Hell! The Scripture teaches that the Osteens will pay dearly for that. Our prayers should be for the souls of the mislead thousands who believe this Humanist deception. May the Holy Spirit come into their lives before it's too late!

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  5. I agree that false teachers are for the judgment on those who DESIRE to hear such utter blatant and false NON-SENSE!!!!!! ~ who have ears that want to be tickled, who will turn away from SOUND doctrine.

    Does anyone see in Scripture ~ ANYWHERE ~ where it "makes God happy when WE are happy"????? We are told to be holy even as He is holy. We are given instructions unto righteousness in His Word. There is a time and a season for everything and sure, joy is often part of that as joy is a fruit of the Spirit and the joy of the Lord is my strength.... HOWEVER, that does not mean we're going to be joyous ALL the time.... a time & a season for everything under heaven. i.e. Jesus was not joyous upon hearing John the Baptist had been beheaded.... instead He wept. Going thru' a crisis now in my family and as I see my sister laying in a hospital bed in great pain, it brings tears to my eyes -- not "happiness". Victoria & Joel: does that mean God is Unhappy right now -- b/c I am unhappy?? [pointing out the twisted theology]

    Also: think the Christians who are being beheaded in Iraq & other countries are "happy" right now?? Think the ones who become Tribulation Saints are going to be "happy" as they starve, watch their children starve, are tortured, mutilated, robbed, raped, killed... ??

    I don't know if the Osteens can ever come to real salvation; it's quite possible they are already too reprobate. Don't know (?) I rest in trusting the Lord Who knows for sure and that I don't have to understand it all.

    We do know that teachers are under a stricter judgment as they stand before God. I would never want to place myself in being a false teacher and pushing people off a cliff.

    May the Lord be praised and worshiped BECAUSE HE IS GOD!!!

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  6. I was thinking further about this incident. Our Pastor mentioned it this morning. No one is surprised that the Osteens are apostate. No one is surprised that they believe these things. What is shocking is, they *don't even feel the need to hide it anymore*!

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    1. Yes, somehow that's the most frightening part; you are right. Soon, others will follow and tumble out of the New Age closet; I can feel it.

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  7. When I saw this video a few days ago, my reaction was that Victoria was speaking from her heart...her apostate heart. It brought to mind Jesus words to the Pharisees in Matthew 12:34: "You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."

    Whoever thought of putting that clip of Bill Cosby saying "That's the dumbest thing I ever heard" at the end of the video was genius!! ~~Linda

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    1. I hope Bill Cosby actually said that. I hope we can get confirmation of it from him.

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    2. Mariane, Bill Cosby said it, 30 years ago this month, in the pilot of his program, "The Cosby Show."

      Someone found the clip on Youtube and affixed it as a joke at the end of the Osteen heresy speech. Here is the pilot program on Youtube. To see Cosby saying it, skip to 17:40.

      http://youtu.be/abRsZpdMUbo

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  8. I've listened to the video several times and wonder now if she wasn't just speaking out of ignorance. She seemed to be furthering Joel's "Feel Good Gospel," a Santa Claus approach to Christianity where God wants us to be be rich and happy because that in turn makes God pleased. God never called us to be happy; He called us to be HOLY. Happiness is a by-product of serving God and serving our fellow man. I don't know how much theology Joel or Victoria have studied but her remarks are something a sixth grader would say. They're to be pitied. I hope some solid Christian leaders will meet with this couple and point out that they're headed for a fall. As sure as Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Bakker and many other TV preachers reached the pinnacle of their success and became too wealthy and had too many adoring fans and fell hard and fast, so shall the Osteens fail and their ministry crumble unless they forsake their New Age prosperity gospel and return to the simple salvation message so eloquently offered by Jesus Christ. God help the Osteens.

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    1. Thanks Mariane. I agree, God have mercy on them.

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    2. No, there's no ignorance here. This is deliberate ... their millions depend on it.

      John, CA

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    3. I watched the Olsteen's favor Bush's trickle down policy, as they are millionaires and it benefits them, the problem with their self righteousness is that their Mega church is really making them a lot of money, but I don't see this Mega church doing anything for those needy in Texas. Poverty has stricken Texas and a lot of these red states today. I live in a totally blue state, and this church here is setting up to help these red states with all of this poverty. People that are living in these red states don't realize this fact, and keep the poverty moving through their misunderstanding. Olsteen's are false prophets, and profiting from it!

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  9. Amen & Amen! Thanks again Glen for shedding light on this for us all!
    Becky

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  10. Joel Osteen admitted on a national talk show that he was NOT a minister but a motivational speaker. I can't watch him. He does not preach the word of God and is a stumbling stone to many that buy into what he and his wife say. Sad.

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    1. Actually I think Osteen said that "he calls himself a coach and a motivator in the pulpit" on a Larry King Show. I cannot find where he said he was Not a minister although that would have been one of the few truthful things he ever said.

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    2. He inherited that position when his father died.

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  11. I think an Osteen parody version of this song is in order... Pharrell Williams - Happy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-GLuydiMe4

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  12. the Lord is my guide and my salvation, we are to help others, not ourselves... I shall not fear false teaching....My Lord will take care of those who add or take away from the Bible. we are to pray for them...

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  13. Well we have been told many will come in sheeps clothing but are really wolves. False prophets and sadly many believe them. He collects money in HIS name and cause. I hope they change their ways before Jesus returns. She is also a wolf in sheeps clothing.

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