

Charley Davis
1.1K posts

@SSGCDavis
Husband, Father, Soldier Phil. 2:3-4





I say this with the utmost respect. 'Going to church' is not salvific in and of itself and, consequently, is of no spiritual value whatsoever, particularly if your motive in doing so is to satiate your own self-centered felt needs (as was expressed by some in that video). That is not why the Church, as opposed to merely going to church, exists. Biblical churches exist to preach the gospel of the forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus Christ and His substitutionary, atoning, and propitiatory (1 John 2:2) work on the cross. The irony, however, is that Lakewood Church never preaches that gospel. The 'gospel' of Joel Osteen is one of positive affirmation and self-improvement. As he is quoted as saying on his own website: "There’s no greater feeling than being able to help people rise higher and overcome something and feel better about themselves." Now, that's fine as far as moralism goes, but the biblical gospel of Jesus Christ is not moralism. The gospel of Christ calls us not merely to perform good works, but to perform works that are borne from a repentant heart (Matthew 3:8; Luke 3:8a). And how will someone ever repent if they're never told they're a sinner (which, by the way, Joel Osteen never does)?

Coming Soon! @D_B_Harrison @VirgilWalkerOMA





