January 30, 2018

Rebuking God

On a radio promotion evangelical preacher Joel Osteen promoted his health and wealth gospel, “What kind of a God wants you to be poor and miserable?” I’m reminded of Jesus telling the disciples of his pending death, “From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” In my mind both Osteen and Peter are using the same thought process — that being poor, miserable persecuted and put to death should never happen to people of God. “Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men” (Matt 16:21-23. NIV).

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