Know Your Audience

Saturday, 25th July 2009

I was checking out fellow Best Christian Blog of the Year awardee Stanley's blog and came across a dialogue between him and TWIT (Thy Word is Truth) about how and to what extent we as Christians should be making a stand for Christ. You can read that post here.

TWIT had made reference to an interview that Larry King did with Rev Joel Osteen, which goes as follows:

CNN LARRY KING LIVE - Interview With Joel Osteen, Aired June 20, 2005 - 21:00 ET

KING: Is it hard to lead a Christian life?

OSTEEN: I don't think it's that hard. To me it's fun. We have joy and happiness. Our family -- I don't feel like that at all. I'm not trying to follow a set of rules and stuff. I'm just living my life.

KING: But you have rules, don't you?

OSTEEN: We do have rules. But the main rule to me is to honor God with your life. To life a life of integrity. Not be selfish. You know, help others. But that's really the essence of the Christian faith.

KING: That we live in deeds?

OSTEEN: I don't know. What do you mean by that?

KING: Because we've had ministers on who said, your record don't count. You either believe in Christ or you don't. If you believe in Christ, you are, you are going to heaven. And if you don't no matter what you've done in your life, you ain't.

OSTEEN: Yeah, I don't know. There's probably a balance between. I believe you have to know Christ. But I think that if you know Christ, if you're a believer in God, you're going to have some good works. I think it's a cop-out to say I'm a Christian but I don't ever do anything ...

KING: What if you're Jewish or Muslim, you don't accept Christ at all?

OSTEEN: You know, I'm very careful about saying who would and wouldn't go to heaven. I don't know ...

KING: If you believe you have to believe in Christ? They're wrong, aren't they?

OSTEEN: Well, I don't know if I believe they're wrong. I believe here's what the Bible teaches and from the Christian faith this is what I believe. But I just think that only God with judge a person's heart. I spent a lot of time in India with my father. I don't know all about their religion. But I know they love God. And I don't know. I've seen their sincerity. So I don't know. I know for me, and what the Bible teaches, I want to have a relationship with Jesus.

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Well, if you find the above dialogue interesting, you would find the one between Stan and TWIT even more so...


TWIT said (July 24, 2009 10:55 AM)

Which other minister did Larry posed "as trap questions" in his shows which the world always does and did not deny the Gospel ?

Which Christian minister did not deny Jesus Christ before men and the one Larry King referring to who said on Larry King Live "your record don't count. You either believe in Christ or you don't. If you believe in Christ, you are, you are going to heaven. And if you don't no matter what you've done in your life, you ain't."

Answer: John Macarthur

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DPacglVGmY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BZ-N4pruFo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xaGWE6gFdY

Thank God that we still have Christians who are "worth their salt" as in the past, who fear God not men and did not deny His Gospel and willing to risk their lives to declare the Gospel faithfully and truthfully on CNN 's Larry King Live which is also broadcast globally to all countries !

Shalom


Stan replied (July 24, 2009 11:10 AM )

I thank God that we have Christians who are wise enough not to stir up hatred and conflict globally, even at the expense of their own reputation.


TWIT then said (July 24, 2009 12:14 PM)

Stanley,

By your comment, you would then define Apostle Paul as not wise enough "not to stir up hatred and conflict globally, even at the expense of their own reputation".

Act 17:2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ." And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, "These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus." And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things. Act 17:2-8

Likewise, by your comments you also viewed Lord Jesus Christ's own words as redundant on this matter of speaking and standing before men for the sake of speaking the truth of His Gospel:

"Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. Mat 10:16-24

Shalom


Well, TWIT probably did not realise that Paul knew his audience and adopted the appropriate method of sharing accordingly.

This was my response to him...

Malcolm Loh said (July 24, 2009 11:14 PM)

Dear TWIT

Thank you for quoting Paul because he is a fantastic example of someone who exercised wisdom in that he was aware of who his audience was.

Paul "told it like it was" in the synagogues mentioning Jesus when his audience were the Jews because they were conversant with the Old Testament, which had promised them the Messiah they were looking forward to.

They had scattered abroad as the result of the exile and settled in various cities such as Cyprus (Acts 13:4-5), Antioch (Acts 13:15), Iconium (Acts 14:1), Thessalonica (Acts 17:1), and Berea (Acts 17:10), just to name a few.

It's good also that you have quoted Acts 17:2, because the preceding verse mentions that Paul was speaking to THE JEWS in THE SYNAGOGUE in Thessalonica.

Now drop down to verse 16 in same chapter of Acts 17, where Paul was in Athens and had noted that the city was full of idols. While in the synagogue (Acts 17:17), his method was again via reasoning using the Scriptures. But later on when he was invited to speak in the Areopagus (which was the Greek city council and his audience were primarily atheists), he changed tact! Do read verses 22 through 31 and count how many times he mentions the word “Jesus” or "Christ". The answer: none!

Had Paul copped out? Read on...

In chapter 18, Paul goes to Corinth and resumes the reasoning method again because the venue is a synagogue (Acts 18:4) and the audience are the Jews. Ditto in Ephesus (Acts 18:19).
Fast forward to today. Isn't Rev Joel Osteen exercising that very same wisdom because he knew that the audience for the Larry King show was predominantly a secular one? He was being shrewd as a serpent :-)

Which brings me to that passage in Matt 10 you have quoted. Jesus was addressing His disciples in the context of them witnessing to their fellow brethren. He knew that there would be sticklers for the Laws of Moses and would thus reject the gospel of grace and persecute them. Deja vu? Bingo! That's exactly what Ps Steven Lawson was doing to Rev Joel Osteen at the Shepherds' Conference.