Lakewood (Part 4)

Joel came up onto the stage.  Sermon time.  I’ve said before that I tend to agree with about 80% of what Joel says, but that remaining 20% is enough to make me change the channel.  After listening to his sermon, Sanetta and Ben would confirm this assessment, stating that it was sometimes unfortunate how Joel would really be on a roll with a very moving point and then bring it back to money or success, missing the mark and making us groan a bit in the process.  He’s a very gifted communicator and an enthusiastic preacher, but when you scrutinize the content of his message, you find some very problematic things.  (Again, since so many people pay attention to his message, clergy need to study it and know it and be able to respond accordingly.)

We lifted our Bibles together and said along with Joel:

This is my Bible.  I am what it says I am.

I have what it says I have.  I can do what it says I can do.

Today, I will be taught the Word of God.

I'll boldly confess.  My mind is alert.  My heart is receptive.  I will never be the same.

I am about to receive the incorruptible, indestructible, ever-living Seed of the Word of God.

I'll never be the same.  Never, never, never!

I'll never be the same.  In Jesus' Name, amen.

After this, we all sat back down.  It was time to listen, time to learn, time to sympathize, and, in some cases, time to disagree.

Sermon: "God Is a Rewarder"

Joel gave a friendly “God bless you” as he smiled out at the large crowd and extended a special welcome to visitors.  From here, he went into his customary “I like to start each week with something kind of funny.”  I can almost quote Joel’s standard intro and conclusion off the top of my head at this point, and believe it or not, I actually find his uniformity really fun and comforting.  It’s like tuning in to Mr. Rogers and always starting out with that same happy song.  Back to Joel’s joke though, since Paul had just returned from his mission trip, Joel decided to use a joke he had picked up from Paul . . . a blonde joke.  You could almost sense Victoria rolling her eyes from somewhere near the front of the room.  In the joke, a blonde woman had been working in the yard and accidentally cut off her cat’s tail, so she grabbed the cat and hopped in the car and headed not to a veterinarian, but to Wal-Mart.  Why Wal-Mart?  Well, they’re the world’s largest retailer, right?  As a punster myself, I really appreciated that one, even if it was at the expense of blondes.  Joel played it off really well too, “Yeah, if you didn’t like that joke, Paul’s cell number is 714 . . .”  This got tremendous laughter, possibly more so than the joke itself.  Joel gave a quick promo for the Spanish service and then headed into the text of his message, which would revolve around Hebrews 11:6.

And without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Joel started by saying that God is a rewarder of those who wholeheartedly and diligently seek Him, and for the people who are always faithful and constantly learning and striving to do better, a reward will come.  (You know, Joel has a lot of great things to say about thankfulness and the grace of God, but it looked like this particular sermon was going to be quite reward-focused, so I found myself sort of bracing for impact after these early statements.)  Joel explained a bit about rewards:

Unlike a prize, a reward is something that is put in place before it is claimed, like a bounty on a fugitive or a reward for a lost possession.  The reward is already established; we just have to do what is required to claim it.  Of course, with God, things are a little different because all we have to do to gain God’s reward is just seek God.  Can you imagine if someone had put up a sign that said, “Lost dog, reward: $500,” and someone wanted to claim the reward just because they had looked?  Joel acted out such a character, “Well, no, I haven’t found him yet, but I’ve been looking for hours!”  Amazingly, this is actually how God works in our lives.  We are paid a reward just because we looked.  The reward from God is in the seeking, not in having the answers.  (Joel would soon make it clear that the “reward” here was financial, but otherwise, this could’ve been a phenomenally profound point about grace.  As Ben and Sanetta observed, Joel has an unfortunate pattern of building up a great point and then just not quite landing it right.)

Joel started talking a bit about his dad, explaining that his father had come from a non-Christian family and ministered everywhere he could even though he lacked the education.  He would preach on street corners if he had to, telling everyone he met about the Good News.  He used to call Job “John,” and he once preached an entire sermon on Tarzan when what he meant to say was “Samson.”  Still, he sought after the Lord, and God rewarded his search.  Joel continued, saying, “God has taken me places . . .”  Joel trailed off and had to stop for a moment as tears welled up in his eyes.  I’ve seen preachers and singers and church folk get overwhelmed with emotion before, so I sort of shrugged this off.  The reaction from the congregation was a little different though; they began clapping.  There was thunderous applause as Joel smiled at us and blotted his tears and tried to regain his composure.  There were even a few shouts of “We love you, Joel!”  Ben would later pose the question, “What exactly were we clapping for in that moment?  Were we clapping for Joel?  Were we clapping for what God had done in Joel’s life?  Or were we clapping for the tears?  Should tears get applause?”  Joel had produced a handkerchief from behind the pulpit and composed himself once more.  He began recounting some of the blessings in his own life, particularly the church and his family, and Joel explained that he had been granted these rewards because he had sought after God.

“Make pleasing God your highest priority!” he told us enthusiastically.  Consider the story of David.  David was not the biggest or the strongest or even the smartest, but he sought after God.  David is often given the title “a man after God’s own heart” because he searched that hard for God and was rewarded in the process.

A typical financially struggling couple

Joel gave another example.  There was a married couple who were struggling financially and were starting to fight as a result, but Sunday mornings, they started tuning in to the same service on TV and hearing about a God of restoration.  This couple became so dedicated that they started purchasing cheap plane tickets and flying out to Lakewood every Sunday to experience that service in person on a weekly basis.  Even in their time of scarcity, they were willing to set aside money to make that weekly pilgrimage to hear about God.  Joel continued by saying that God sees every sacrifice we make and that God will give us energy and make what we have go further because we give of it freely.  Joel paused again and went for his handkerchief, but before anyone could applaud, Joel said with a laugh, “Hang on y’all!  My nose is running!”  Joel jumped back into the story.  The husband was an oil man by trade, and God gave him a little inside information.  He started drilling for oil in one spot over and over again, and people said he was crazy, but he trusted in the Lord and struck oil on the 48th try.  Well, that couple no longer pay for the cheap seats on airplanes.  When they want to attend Lakewood, they just hop in their private jet and come on over!

We were aghast.  The following is a list of problems Ben, Sanetta, and I had with this story:

1- If you can still afford weekly plane tickets to Houston, TX, then we clearly need to redefine what “scarcity” means.

2- I’m bothered by how coming to Lakewood was the magic act of devotion that turned their lives around.  Devotion to Jesus is the foundation of Christianity, not devotion to Lakewood.

3- Joel’s making it sound like visiting Lakewood is step #1 of getting rich, and that’s just kind of shameful.

4- Why couldn’t this couple have just kept watching on TV?  Sounds like they were getting the message just fine that way.  Better yet, why didn’t they find a good local church?  In his closing litany every week, Joel always talks about wanting his viewers to find good Bible-believing churches in their area (something I greatly appreciate his saying), so why did these people have to come all the way to Lakewood every Sunday?  That’s contrary to Joel’s message!

I know that Jesus chastised the disciples for getting angry when a small fortune in perfume was “wasted” on His feet, but come on, this is just a little too over the top.  Joel’s story wasn’t demonstrating how we need to show reverence for God even in our scarcity; it was showing how we need to show devotion to Lakewood in order to receive abundance, and all I can really say to that is . . . is . . . actually, I think I need an assist on this one.  Ladies and gentlemen, appearing again for the first time since my Saddleback analysis, the esteemed Dr. Perry Cox:

“God has something big coming your way!” Joel informed us, and he reiterated his point from earlier that the expectation of great things is faith.  (Actually, it’s not, but I’m going to save that explanation for later since Scott Erickson at Ecclesia explained it better than I ever could.)  Of course, Joel did provide the caveat that we should work for God because we love Him, and the whole blessing thing is just icing on the cake.  Joel referred us to Matthew 6:33 in the King James:

Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Joel emphasized that we are to seek God first; we must focus on the blesser, not the blessing.  After all, life is shallow when you seek out material possessions.  Don’t chase after the blessings; let the blessings chase after you.  That promise of “all these things shall be added unto you” is an assurance that ours is a God of abundance, and Joel explained that, when you honor God, the money will surely follow.  “Jesus,” I heard Sanetta lament under her breath from the seat to my right.  Sadly, I’m not making any of this up.  Joel actually said money, so just so we’re clear: We’re not supposed to be caught up in material things, but if we honor God, money will follow.  Make sense?  Maybe I should bring in Dr. Cox again.  To his credit, Joel was very careful to emphasize that we can’t become so caught up in the blessing that we lose sight of the blesser.  If we chase after God, we are granted what money can’t buy, so we should always seek first the Kingdom and honor God at the start of every day.

Joel used another example from his father’s life.  In the months before his death, Joel’s father was on dialysis and was receiving this treatment daily.  Even though it was a hassle to wake up and go receive the treatment, Joel’s dad still made himself do it every morning because he knew that his life depended on it.  Seeking God is the same way; it’s a vital necessity, and we have to do it constantly.  We should start each day alone with God and draw strength from that time.  We have to keep ourselves spiritually fed.  (Again, this was a beautiful illustration made all the more personal by the fact that it was Joel’s own family history he was laying on the table.)  “In God’s presence is fullness of joy,” Joel told us.  We’re so busy in our lives, but we have to make sure we’re getting that necessary time with God.  Joel cited Proverbs 3:6:

In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

All good things come from God, so we must acknowledge Him and fill ourselves up with Him every day.  Acknowledging God is the start of seeking God, and when we seek God, we attain rewards.  It was at this point that Joel made an argument that still baffles me:

“God is a gentleman.  He won’t just butt into your life.  We have to invite Him in.”

Artist's depiction of God being rude to Paul.

I need to interject again because that’s not God; that’s vampires.  It’s vampires that have to be invited in.  God, on the other hand, butts in wherever God damn well pleases.  This is God we’re talking about.  The Lord and Savior of the universe isn’t troubled with etiquette and invitations.  God is no gentleman.  God didn’t wait for an invitation before speaking to Moses through a burning bush.  God didn’t wait for an invitation before giving the prophets messages of radical social and spiritual reform.  God didn’t wait for an invitation before confronting Paul on the road to Damascus.  And God didn’t wait for an invitation before butting into my life and shaking things up at Jubilee in Pittsburgh two and a half years ago.  Part of the beauty of God’s speaking is that it comes to us in such unexpected and uninvited ways.  God breaks into our lives and shakes our foundations and remakes who we are from the inside out, and I have experienced that personally.  Invite Him in?  Joel missed the mark on this one.  God speaks in many ways, and we need to keep our minds and hearts receptive, but God’s life-changing power requires no invitation.  It goes where it pleases.

To clarify his point, Joel provided an example from his own life in which he invited God’s participation.  The Osteens have several pet rabbits that they keep penned up in their backyard, and one of the rabbits is particularly difficult to catch when he escapes the pen.  Joel recounted chasing him around the backyard for a solid two hours, and Joel admitted to getting a little flustered despite his normal positive attitude.  Well, one morning, Joel’s worst fear came true: this particular rabbit escaped to the front yard.  Given his speed and agility, there was a good chance they might never catch him, particularly if he made it across the street.  Well, Joel decided to try a new tactic.  Joel glimpsed the rabbit sitting still beside a bush, and as he walked cautiously toward it, he prayed that God would deliver the rabbit to him.  Sure enough, Joel scooped up the rabbit without any difficulty.  Of course, once the rabbit was safely in Joel’s grasp, he began having a fit and slapping at Joel and biting him, and Joel laughed, “It’s like God was telling me, ‘I gave him to you; now good luck!’”  It was a funny example, but it did sort of feel like using God as a genie (complete with the customary twist ending to a wish).  Still, I liked that Joel was promoting an attitude of dependency on God, even if it was for something mundane and material.  There was a very strong kernel of truth in what Joel was saying; it was just being realized in a rather strange and materialistic way.

Joel continued, telling us that we need to acknowledge God in all our ways.  We need to say to the Lord, “God, I need You,” and when we seek God in that spirit of humility, a reward will come to us.  Proverbs 22:4 tells us:

By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.

“So get ready for God’s goodness!” Joel told us excitedly, “God tells us, ‘I’m going to pay you for seeking me with favor and rewards and a victorious life!’”  Music started as Joel transitioned into a prayer.

Joel prayed that everyone there might know Jesus.  He asked us if we were at peace with God and then took things in an unexpectedly fire-and-brimstone direction by asking if we knew where we would spend eternity.  He then reminded us that Christ came not to condemn, but to offer a new beginning.  God is not mad at us for our sins; we are forgiven if we will but accept that free gift tonight.  With heads bowed, we were asked to stand if we wished to accept that gift, and we shouldn’t be ashamed to stand since Jesus says, “If you won’t be ashamed of me before me, I won’t be ashamed of you before my Father.”

The people who stood were given the same “30 Thoughts for Victorious Living” booklets that we had seen in the Mfangano man’s hand, and Joel led us all in a sinners’ prayer, the same that he leads at the end of every sermon: “Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins.  Come into my heart.  I make you my Lord and savior.”  He told us that, if we prayed that prayer, we had a clean slate, and he hoped that we would continue to worship and seek God daily.  If we were visiting from out of town, he hoped we would find a good Bible-believing church closer to home, and he then delivered a benediction from Numbers 6 as he sent us out into the world:

The Lord bless you and keep you;

The Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace!