Joel Osteen and most megachurch pastors preach a counterfeit gospel. It's basically motivational speaking packaged in a Christian veneer. The message being essentially, "God wants you to be happy! God wants you to be successful! Turn to God and everything in your life will be ok!" This is a very appealing message on the surface, so it's understandable why these "pastors" build such large followings, but it is not in line with the true teachings of Christianity. It's simply another perversion of the faith, no different in effect than the ultra liberals who have been infiltrating and promoting homosexuality in the church for decades. Just a perversion of a different type, one that excuses a lust for the things of the world instead of a lust for flesh.
The reality is that God doesn't want you to be happy, he wants you to be faithful, humble and loving (and paradoxically we must often first become unhappy to become those other things). And God isn't concerned with your worldly possessions at all, but rather encourages you to build up treasures in heaven. And finally, far from everything in this life being ok, we are promised nothing but trial and tribulation, and ultimately death. Properly understood, Christianity is not a system of belief that enriches one's temporal life, but rather girds us to face the unrelenting trials of life while helping us maintain our focus on the eternal existence that awaits us after death.
And this is ultimately why Osteen and other mega-preachers fail so badly as representatives of the true gospel: their messages are almost exclusively focused on making people feel better. But if you actually understand the message of the gospel your first reaction will be to feel much worse, as you begin to understand the nature and ramifications of sin and death. Which is the entire point: realizing the utter hopelessness of your position and willfully embracing Christ as your savior. Osteen-style Christianity is very superficial in this regard, as is most Protestant Christianity these days. They used to preach hellfire and brimstone for a reason. It wasn't just to scare people. It was because that's literally the first and most necessary part of the gospel message. You can't convince people they should accept Christ as savior if you don't first make it very clear what he's saving them from.
The reality is that God doesn't want you to be happy, he wants you to be faithful, humble and loving (and paradoxically we must often first become unhappy to become those other things). And God isn't concerned with your worldly possessions at all, but rather encourages you to build up treasures in heaven. And finally, far from everything in this life being ok, we are promised nothing but trial and tribulation, and ultimately death. Properly understood, Christianity is not a system of belief that enriches one's temporal life, but rather girds us to face the unrelenting trials of life while helping us maintain our focus on the eternal existence that awaits us after death.
And this is ultimately why Osteen and other mega-preachers fail so badly as representatives of the true gospel: their messages are almost exclusively focused on making people feel better. But if you actually understand the message of the gospel your first reaction will be to feel much worse, as you begin to understand the nature and ramifications of sin and death. Which is the entire point: realizing the utter hopelessness of your position and willfully embracing Christ as your savior. Osteen-style Christianity is very superficial in this regard, as is most Protestant Christianity these days. They used to preach hellfire and brimstone for a reason. It wasn't just to scare people. It was because that's literally the first and most necessary part of the gospel message. You can't convince people they should accept Christ as savior if you don't first make it very clear what he's saving them from.
[size=8pt]"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”[/size] [size=7pt] - Romans 8:18[/size]