Recent news reports state that Oral Roberts has passed away from complications of pneumonia. Roberts was known as the inventor of the prosperity, name it and claim it, “Seed of faith” message so prominent today. He was 91.
Was this man a born again believer? Who knows, except for the Lord and now Mr. Roberts? I will not labor to prove either way, yea or nay, if he was truly converted. His “gospel message” was not one of the bible, so what he personally believed was not biblical, but pandered to flesh.
I’ve never really delved into Oral Roberts and his legacy, but I do know that the American prosperity “gospel” would not be the same without his declarations many decades ago. He paved the way for the likes of Kenneth Hagin, Benny Hinn and even Joel Osteen to fill their deep pockets.
So, what does this mean to me? It means that Roberts just became part of the ultimate statistic, 10 in 10 will die. Was he ready? I’m not sure, but I can only speculate that if he did not turn from the message he proclaimed that he was not truly converted. His message lacked the actual Good News that Jesus Himself as well as the Apostles proclaimed.
It will be interesting to see who offers up posthumous accolades to Roberts. I am sure that those mentioned above will have some very positive words about him. I really don’t expect anyone to come out and say he was a heretic, at least not in the near future. I will leave it like it is, Roberts did not proclaim a biblical gospel but instead one that had flesh as the centerpiece instead of Christ.
I pray that Oral Roberts did recently repent of his sins and trust in God as his Savior instead of his accountant. Did he? I have no idea and will not know until I pass into eternity myself, also becoming part of the ultimate statistic.
In closing I will say that if anything does not have God as its focus, then it is sin. Plain and simple. So examine what your preacher is saying on Sunday mornings, search the scriptures John 5:39 and make sure you are not just having your ears tickled 2 Tim 4:3 with a false message of prosperity and health. A Christian is never promised either in scripture, we are offered to be the scourge of the Earth, to be persecuted for our faith 2 Tim 3:12 . Chances are if the World applauds you, then you are probably not living a biblical lifestyle which is on the wide path of destruction James 4:4, John 17:16, . Examine yourself 2 Cor. 13:5 and make sure your faith is in Christ and His Word instead of a mans.
Here is a brief history of Oral Roberts
No comments:
Post a Comment