Joseph Prince is exposed by Derek Prince 4 times as a false prophet & for preaching counterfeit faith – By Rev George Ong (Dated 22 mar 2023)
Appeared in this article
This fact alone – that he wilfully disobeyed the Great Commission of Christ, the most important heartbeat of Jesus, and preached his own false grace gospel that is without discipleship and repentance – is enough to nail Joseph Prince down as a heretic.
Appendix 1:
Salvation and discipleship cannot really be separated.
Appendix 2:
Joseph Prince’s argument from silence – that discipleship has faded off the scene in the epistles is demolished.
John MacArthur:
I strongly disagree with John MacArthur’s extreme view against the Charismatics and his Pre-trib position.
But as our views happen to be similar, I strongly agree with John MacArthur’s (whose views are featured in this article) stand that Jesus must be received as both Saviour and Lord, and that salvation and discipleship cannot really be separated.
More than that, I take my hat off to John MacArthur for having the guts to fiercely confront and denounce heretics and false teachers by name, that many have no courage to.
If you have missed the powerful testimony of Aaron Khoo, who was an Ex New Creation Church member for 11 years (2008-2019) that was featured in the last update,
kindly click on the link below;
Joseph Prince didn’t preach last Sunday (19 Mar 2023) again; for 3 straight Sundays.
(This article was also sent to Rev Dr Ngoei Foong Nghian, General Secretary, National Council of Churches of Singapore (NCCS) office, and for the attention of the Executive Committee Members.)
the 3 videos on Joseph Prince and 4 videos on Derek Prince.
Joseph Prince is exposed by Derek Prince 4 times as a false prophet & for preaching counterfeit faith:
1. Joseph Prince’s blatant disobedience to Christ’s command to make disciples (Matt 28:18-20) means that his congregation and those who are influenced by his teachings aren’t disciples;
and according to Derek Prince (which is featured later in a video), since they aren’t disciples, they aren’t Christians.
In a 30-second video, Joseph Prince said;
“I want to drop a bombshell here. Is it okay? Alright.
I want to drop a bombshell, right now.
The word disciple or discipleship is never mentioned, never after the book of Acts.
Paul never wrote about it.
All the authors of the epistles of the New Testament, in all the epistles of the New Testament, you cannot find one word, ‘disciple’.
It ended in the Book of Acts.”
Joseph Prince’s argument from silence about ‘disciple’ or ‘discipleship’ that he thought (in the way he has expressed it) it was brilliant,
is so amateurish and substandard that it can be so easily demolished. Please see Appendix 2 at the end of this article.
Aaron Khoo, an Ex New Creation Church member for 11 years (2008-2019), wrote;
“Discipleship is never emphasized at all at New Creation Church.
How can that be?
It was the Lord Jesus who gave the Church the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations in Matthew 28:18-20.
The Commandment of Christ is not merely to win souls, but to make disciples.
I, personally, have not heard Pastor Joseph Prince preach on the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20
even once in my entire time at New Creation Church.
Pastor Prince, by not preaching on the Great Commission and not carrying out his responsibilities to make disciples,
is simply disobeying Christ.
For a preacher like Pastor Prince to disobey Christ on such a crucial commandment as the Great Commission,
makes all his claims that he is preaching the Jesus of the Bible and that he loves Jesus hollow, self-contradictory and even hypocritical.
Any preacher who loves Jesus and claims to preach the true Christ
will never disobey Him on such an important commandment in the Great Commission that He calls the Church to carry out.”
Joseph Prince clearly teaches (in his other sermons too) against discipleship of the Jesus’ kind.
That’s why, till today, he has continued to defiantly disobey the Great Commission of the Lord Jesus to make disciples
in order to preach his own Grace Revolution gospel.
This fact alone
– that he wilfully disobeyed the Great Commission of Christ, the most important heartbeat of Jesus,
and preached his own false grace gospel that is without discipleship and repentance
– is enough to nail Joseph Prince down as a heretic.
Disciples and Christians are the same person.
A disciple is a Christian and a Christian is a disciple.
There is no distinction between a disciple and a Christian.
In ‘The Gospel According to Jesus’ by John MacArthur, he wrote;
“Jesus’ Great Commission in Matthew 28:18–20 does not talk about making believers in distinction to disciples.
“Make disciples … baptizing them” implies that every new believer is a disciple,
for all Christians are to be baptized (Acts 2:38),
not just those who go on to some deeper level of commitment.”
In a 2-minute video, Derek Prince said;
“The thing that Jesus did not say is,
‘Go and make church members.’
Most of us, honestly, that’s the way we think. ‘Well, we’ve got 8,000 members in our church.’
How many disciples do we have? ‘Well, maybe 23.’
You think I’m not serious. Well, I’ll show you what He says.
Acts 11:26, “… And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.”
In other words, the word ‘Christian’ only occurs three times in the New Testament. That’s one of its uses.
What kind of people were called Christians?
Disciples.
That’s right.
So those who are not disciples,
have no right to call themselves Christians.
No Biblical right.
So, Jesus said, ‘Go and make disciples…’
And the problem is that we have not kept His commandments.
There have been wonderful exceptions.
I’ll tell you the problem about making church members who are not disciples.
Number one, they give the world a false picture of what Christianity is.
How many times have you heard people say, ‘Well, if that’s what Christianity is, I don’t want to be part of it.’
I wouldn’t either.
But it isn’t what Christianity is.
The demonstration of Christianity is disciples.
In Acts 11:26, just the last sentence in that verse, ‘… And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.’
Who were called Christians?
Disciples.
And who has a right to be called Christian?
Disciples.
And no one else has a scriptural right.
We can use the title, but it doesn’t belong.
It’s only disciples who have the right to be called Christians.”
Derek Prince makes the point
that only disciples have the right to call themselves Christians.
Joseph Prince,
who doesn’t make disciples because he doesn’t believe in the Great Commission of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20,
means big portions of his congregation aren’t Christians at all.
This is serious.
If they aren’t Christians at all, how could they have saving faith?
Yet, Joseph Prince keeps boasting of the many souls who were brought to Christ through his Grace Revolution gospel,
just because he asked them to accept Christ or invite Jesus into their lives as their personal Saviour.
In ‘The Gospel According to Jesus’ by John MacArthur’, he wrote;
“It may surprise you to learn that Scripture never once exhorts sinners to “accept Christ.”
The familiar twentieth-century evangelistic appeal in all its variations (“make a decision for Christ”; “ask Jesus into your heart”; “try Jesus”; “accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior”),
violates both the spirit and the terminology of the biblical summons to unbelievers.
The gospel invitation is not an entreaty for sinners to allow the Savior into their lives.
It is both an appeal and a command for them to repent and follow him.
It demands not just passive acceptance of Christ but active submission to him as well.”
“The great miracle of redemption is not that we accept Christ, but that he accepts us.”
In ‘The Gospel According to Jesus’ by John MacArthur’, he wrote;
“Listen to today’s typical gospel presentation.
You will hear sinners entreated with such phrases as “accept Jesus Christ as personal Savior”; “ask Jesus into your heart”; “invite Christ into your life”; or “make a decision for Christ.”
You may be so accustomed to hearing those phrases
that it will surprise you to learn that none of them is based on biblical terminology.
They are the products of a diluted gospel.
It is not the gospel according to Jesus.
The gospel Jesus proclaimed was a call to discipleship,
a call to follow him in submissive obedience,
not just a plea to make a decision or pray a prayer.”
“Our Lord’s words about eternal life were invariably accompanied by warnings to those who might be tempted to take salvation lightly.
He taught that the cost of following him is high, that the way is narrow and few find it.
He said many who call him Lord will be forbidden from entering the kingdom of heaven (cf. Matt. 7:13-23).
Present-day evangelicalism, by and large, ignores those warnings.”
“It (true gospel) was in every sense good news,
yet it was anything but easy-believism.”
Joseph Prince’s easy-believism that salvation also automatically include blessings such as
the immense wealth of Abraham,
the perfect health of Jesus,
success in your careers,
protection from danger,
long life to enjoy,
youthful looks,
nice appearance,
and most importantly,
a gospel that takes repentance and discipleship out of the gospel
is a false gospel that would not produce true converts.
So, you must never believe Joseph Prince’s claim that he has won thousands of souls to Christ.
If they aren’t disciples who aren’t Christians, they do not possess saving faith in the first place.
In ‘The Gospel According to Jesus’ by John MacArthur, he said;
“The gospel according to Jesus stands in stark contrast.
Our Lord frequently chased the most enthusiastic inquirers away.
We have already studied his challenge to the rich young ruler.
That was no isolated episode in his evangelistic ministry.
Luke 9:57-62, for example, relates how Jesus ran off three other hot prospects.
Think also of the crowds that followed Jesus during the early days of his ministry.
Why did so many of them turn away (cf. John 6:66)?
Because Jesus repeatedly made difficult demands.
He commanded those who sought eternal life to deny themselves, forsake all, and follow him.
He never held forth the hope of salvation to anyone who refused to submit to his sovereign lordship.
His words to the multitudes in Mark 8:34-37 could hardly have been more straightforward:
“If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; and whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s shall save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Some have tried to soften that demand by interpreting it as a call for saved people to take a further step of commitment.
But similar words from the Lord in John 12:24-25 make his meaning unmistakable.
The subject here is explicitly eternal life and salvation:
“Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it; and he who hates his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal” (emphasis added).
Forsaking oneself for Christ’s sake is not an optional step of discipleship subsequent to conversion;
it is the sine qua non (indispensable condition) of saving faith.”
John MacArthur has rightfully argued that salvation and discipleship are closely related and cannot be separated.
This will be explored in greater detail under Appendix 1.
2. Joseph Prince isn’t a follower of Christ, as he teaches against denying ourselves and taking up our cross as requirements for discipleship that are taught by none other than the Lord Jesus Himself.
In a 1-minute video, Joseph Prince said;
“Look at Jesus’ thoughts – is He comfortable?
He turned around, He turned around, He turned to the multitudes and said,
‘If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes, and his own life also, cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.’ (Lk 14:26-27)
‘So, likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.’ (Lk 14:33)
And the context I’ve just shown you, I took pains to show you the context, it is actually Jesus, not comfortable at all in this world of men.
And then turned around and said,
‘If you want to see me as a pattern, you want me as an example, do what I did – give up everything.
I gave up heaven to come to buy that pearl of great price, that treasure hidden in the field.
Can you do it?’
And we take this whole thing and say,
‘This is what we must learn to do, count the cost.’”
I dare say that no commentator worth his salt in all of history
has interpreted it the way that Joseph Prince has done.
Joseph Prince had grossly twisted the words of Jesus in Luke 14:26-27, 33
– that Jesus didn’t mean what He said about taking up the cross and giving up everything in order to qualify to be His disciples.
Do you think Jesus would do such a thing in Luke 14:26-37, 33 as Joseph Prince has painted?
The truth is, when Jesus laid down the costs of discipleship about taking up the cross, He was absolutely sincere about His intention.
But Joseph Prince had to twist the words of Jesus in Luke 14:26-27, 33
as he himself doesn’t believe in self-denial and taking up the cross before one can follow Jesus.
This is outrageous! In my 56 years as a Christian, this is the first time I have ever heard Luke 14:25-26, 33
being interpreted in that twisted way that Joseph Prince had done.
Prince is clearly saying that Luke 14:26-27, 33 is not teaching that we must count the cost of discipleship.
Therefore, he is implying that Jesus wasn’t sincere about what He said, or Jesus didn’t mean what He said in Luke 14:26-27, 33.
The truth is, when Jesus laid down the cost of discipleship in this passage, He was absolutely sincere about His intention.
Just imagine! Even Jesus’ real intention for teaching on the cost of discipleship was not spared
and had to be twisted by Joseph Prince to fit his perverse grace theology.
Why is Joseph Prince against costly discipleship?
He is against the costly discipleship that Jesus teaches
because it threatens the very foundations of his cheap grace theology.
Joseph Prince’s cheap grace theology of
no-repentance,
no-guilt,
no-obedience,
no-discipleship,
no-cost-of-Christianity,
no-self-denial,
no-taking up the cross,
no-sacrifice,
no-suffering,
no-martyrdom,
no-law,
no-effort,
no-works,
no-fasting,
no-more-commandments-to-obey,
no-more-fear-of-God,
no-more-anger-from-God,
no-more-punishment-from-God,
no-more-judgement-from-God,
no-sanctification-for-salvation,
no-more-pleasing-and-loving God,
no-more-examination-of-self,
no-more-sins-to-confess,
no-more-conviction-of-sin-from-the-Holy-Spirit,
no-more-guilt-to-bother-you-with,
just-enjoy-the-love-and-the-grace-of-God
feel-good grace teaching and easy Christianity,
is in total contradiction with and irreconcilable with
the tough demands and the costly discipleship that Jesus teaches.
Now, you know why multitudes of carnal people are attracted to Joseph Prince’s teachings?
This is because most carnal people are easily drawn to easy-believism and the feel-good religion of Joseph Prince,
but they would be put off by the tough demands and the costly discipleship of the Lord Jesus.
This is why Joseph Prince never preached on self-denial and taking up our cross in his grace doctrines.
Aaron Khoo, an Ex New Creation Church member for 11 years (2008-2019), wrote;
“To deny yourself and take up the cross, which are part and parcel of discipleship
that was emphasised by Christ Jesus Himself in the gospels,
was also never preached by Pastor Prince.
If that is so, why does Pastor Prince keep it saying from the pulpit
that he is preaching what Jesus preaches?
He isn’t!”
In a 2-minute video, Derek Prince said;
“See, this is not some special version of Christianity.
It’s just returning to the original version.
In Matthew 16:24-25, Jesus said to His disciples,
‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.’
To me, the simplest definition of a Christian
is someone who follows Jesus.
But there are two preconditions.
You cannot follow Jesus until you’ve done two things,
which are, deny yourself, take up your cross.
You can try to follow Jesus, but you can’t do it.
He’s ruled it out. It’s impossible.
So, every one of us has got to do two things.
Deny ourselves. Take up our cross.
What is your cross?
Somebody gave this definition – ‘Your cross is where God’s will and your will cross.’
You cannot follow Jesus doing your own will.
It’s impossible.
Deny yourself and take up your cross.
The cross is the place of execution.
I coined a little phrase, ‘God’s solution is execution.’
And that’s where you and I have to come.
A place of execution, where we deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus to the place of execution.
After that, we can follow.
You say, ‘Well, Brother Prince, that’s very radical.’
It is, but so is the New Testament.
It’s a radical book.
Christianity is a radical religion.
And I don’t believe we’ll survive in the pressures that confront us now unless we are radical.
God is looking for fanatics of the right kind.
Somebody defined a fanatic as somebody who loves Jesus more than you do.”
Derek Prince has clearly said that according to the scripture in Matthew 16:24-25; before we can follow Jesus (and be His disciples),
we have to deny ourselves and take up our cross.
Going by what Derek Prince said,
Joseph Prince isn’t a follower or a disciple of Christ,
as he teaches against the denying of oneself and taking up the cross.
If Joseph Prince isn’t a follower of Christ or Christ’s disciple, how could he be a true believer in the first place?
3. Joseph Prince doesn’t preach on suffering and persecution but only promises the good things of life, such as success, prosperity, healthy bodies, youthful looks and escape from tribulation;
and according to Derek Prince (which is featured later in a video), such a preacher is a false prophet.
Aaron Khoo, an Ex New Creation Church member for 11 years (2008-2019), wrote;
“No sermon on persecution, suffering, holiness, or sanctification
was ever preached by Pastor Joseph Prince in my 11 years at New Creation Church at all.”
“Instead of suffering and persecution, what I often hear from Pastor Prince is the church’s motto:
‘Richly Blessed, Deeply Loved, Highly Favored.’
This is not wrong in and of itself, but it gives a false impression of Christianity
that it is only about being blessed, and that Christianity has no suffering and persecution.”
In a 1-minute video, Derek Prince said;
“The next category is those who are unwilling to face the possibility of suffering or persecution.
Sooner or later, they are bound to be deceived
because the Bible warns us so clearly, we must expect to face suffering and persecution.
Peter says in his first epistle, chapter 4, verses 1 and 2,
‘Because Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same mind.’
In other words, be prepared for suffering.
My comment on that is that a large number of God’s people today are being sent out unarmed.
They haven’t seen this fact that suffering happens.
It’s part of the Christian life.
It’s part of God’s way of dealing with us.
And anybody who only promises good,
I can say without qualification, is a false prophet.
According to Derek Prince, anyone who only preaches the good things of life, and not about suffering and persecution,
is certainly a false prophet.
Since Joseph Prince is such a preacher,
he is undoubtedly a false prophet.
4. Joseph Prince outrightly preaches a no-repentance gospel; and according to Derek Prince (which is featured later in a video), such a person is preaching a false gospel and promoting counterfeit faith.
In a 30-second video, Joseph Prince said;
“Have you noticed that Paul’s preaching
is complete, unqualified.
‘Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins.’ (Acts 13:38)
He (Paul) didn’t say, ‘If you repent,
if you feel sorry for your sins, if you really want to turn around, turn a new leaf.’
You know, he didn’t say, there is no qualifying remark.
He was preaching to the Jewish people and some of them were gentiles there as well.
And he said to them, ‘Through this man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins to be believed upon.’ (Acts 13:38-39)
Just for them to believe…”
Joseph Prince has told a blatant lie against the Apostle Paul and God’s holy word!
The following passages will prove that Paul never preached a just-believing and no-repentance gospel:
Acts 17:30 NIV
30 (Paul said) In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.
Acts 20:21 NIV
21 I (Paul) have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.
Acts 26:19-20 MEV
19 “Therefore, King Agrippa, I (Paul) was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20 but declared first to those at Damascus, then at Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God and do works proving their repentance.”
Paul specifically mentioned that repentance is a command of God (Acts 17:30), and that besides faith in God, repentance is necessary for salvation (Acts 20:21).
He further stressed that repentance must be proven by works (Acts 26:19-20), contradicting Joseph Prince’s doctrine that repentance is only a change of mind.
Besides Paul, the Apostle Peter, John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus Himself, all preached on the requirement of repentance, (besides belief or faith) for true salvation.
In a 2-and-half-minute video, Derek Prince said;
“And then Jesus in Luke 24 when He commissioned His apostles right after His resurrection.
Luke 24:46-47. He said to them (the apostles)
‘Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for Christ (the Messiah) to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in His name.’
I find that there is an order in the presentation: judgement, repentance, forgiveness, and then faith.
Faith that is not associated with or proceed out of repentance
is a counterfeit faith.
It is not the faith of the New Testament.
From the very first presentation of the gospel,
the message was repent.
Actually, in Matthew 4:17, that’s the only word Jesus preached.
One word, a one-word message.
He said, ‘Repent.’
Mark quotes it: ‘Repent and believe the gospel.’
But there is no true believing the gospel
apart from repentance.
It’s a counterfeit.
It’s not real faith.
And it produces counterfeit fruit.
And that’s why our churches are filled with people who don’t live like real Christians.
You know why?
Because they don’t have real faith.
They have a counterfeit, a substitute faith, which has by passed repentance.
You cannot find anywhere in the New Testament, starting from Matthew and ending up in Revelation,
where faith is offered apart from repentance.
It’s a false gospel and many are preaching it.
Anyone who is a genuine prophet today
must emphasise the word ‘repent’.
Because the condition of the world and the condition of the Church absolutely demand repentance.
You can speak entertaining words.
You can come up with nice prophecies about people’s future.
But if there’s no call for repentance,
I question whether that person is a true prophet.”
According to Derek Prince, anyone, who preaches a no-repentance gospel
is preaching the false gospel and counterfeit faith, and he cannot be a true prophet of God.
This means Joseph Prince who also preaches a no-repentance gospel is preaching a false gospel and counterfeit faith (and producing counterfeit fruit);
and a false gospel and counterfeit faith are unlikely to lead one to the true saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus.
Hence, it doesn’t take a genius to conclude that many of Joseph Prince’s converts are false converts.
Rev George Ong
Appendix 1
Salvation and discipleship cannot really be separated.
1. It is almost impossible to make a distinction between salvation and discipleship as the Great Commission of Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20 testifies:
Matthew 28:19-20 NIV
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…
The call to discipleship – ‘make disciples’
is also the same call to faith – ‘baptizing them’.
Another way of putting this across is that since the main verb is ‘make disciples’
while the subsidiary one is ‘baptizing them’,
this means we make disciples by baptizing them.
This indicates that salvation includes discipleship or discipleship is an integral part of salvation.
Salvation and discipleship come in the same package.
One cannot choose one and reject the other.
Concomitantly, it is also not possible for one to say that he wants to believe in Christ to obtain salvation
but he’s not willing to be a disciple.
In other words, one who has true saving faith
is also one who embraces discipleship.
Though discipleship does not produce salvation,
one cannot be saved without embracing it.
Though discipleship does not contribute to salvation,
it is a non-negotiable and concomitant by-product of salvation.
This means that while one is saved by faith in Christ,
no one can be a true believer without being a disciple of Christ.
Also, in the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus did not command the Church to make believers who later may become disciples as if they are 2 different persons.
But He called her to make disciples because they are the same as believers.
Making disciples is the same call to make believers or Christians who are disciples.
The call to be disciples is the same as the call to be Christians or Believers.
Hence, it is untenable for Joseph Prince to argue that one can be a believer or Christian without being a disciple;
or worse, discipleship has faded off the scene because it is not mentioned in the epistles (this is covered under Appendix 2).
Yet, today, there are many teachers out there who teach that a disciple and a believer or Christian are two different persons.
They teach that a believer or Christian is saved by faith in Jesus, but is not ready or even willing to be a disciple.
On the other hand, a disciple is a believer who is committed to a greater loyalty and devotion to Christ.
This means that while every disciple is a believer, not every believer is a disciple.
This is unbiblical!
Does Jesus offer 2 different levels of commitment: one for believers or Christians and another for disciples?
Does Jesus offer two different sets of demands – one relatively easy and less demanding to a mere believer, and another more exacting and costly for a committed disciple?
One is for salvation while the other, which is optional, is for discipleship?
Evidence from the scriptures, especially that which is given in the next point, Point 2, points to the contrary.
2. The call to be disciples is issued by Jesus to unbelievers, not believers – Luke 14:25-27, 33.
The life of a Christian is no different from the life of a disciple.
The call that Jesus issues for discipleship is the same call to faith.
Jesus’ call to be disciples is the same call to be saved:
Luke 14:25-27, 33 NIV
25 “Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters – yes, even their own life – such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” 33 “In the same way,
those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.”
The large crowds that Jesus was speaking to in Luke 14:25 about the possibility of becoming His disciples were unbelievers or believers?
They were all unbelievers!
Jesus was laying down His conditions to unbelievers, not believers, before they could be accepted by Him to become His disciples.
Jesus was not asking believers, who are more fervent or more committed to consider themselves to be His disciples.
Jesus was asking unbelievers to consider themselves to be His disciples by being willing to carry the cross and give up everything, including their own lives in Luke 14:26-27, 33.
In other words, the call to be a Christian is the same as the call to be a disciple.
There is no such thing as I want to be a Christian, but I am not ready to be a disciple.
If one rejects the call to be a disciple, one also rejects the call to be a Christian.
If one rejects the call to discipleship, he also rejects the call to salvation.
If a so-called Christian is unwilling to be a disciple of Christ, then he isn’t a believer to begin with.
If one isn’t a disciple (Joseph Prince teaches against discipleship), then he isn’t saved to begin with.
So how can Joseph Prince who rejects the call to discipleship in the Great Commission of Jesus (Matt 28:18-20)
be a believer in Christ?
So do not fall into the deception of Joseph Prince
that you can be a Christian without being a disciple of Jesus by denying yourself and taking up the cross.
That is just one of the many reasons why I have concluded that Joseph Prince is a wolf in sheepskin.
This is because Prince’s heretical teaching of salvation can, indeed, lead people to hell.
Multitudes have been deceived by Prince into thinking they are saved when they aren’t.
They are being deceived by Prince into believing that they can be Christians or believers without being disciples of Christ.
A disciple and a Christian are the same person; they are not two different persons.
“Discipleship is not advanced Christianity but the essence of being a Christian.” (George Ong)
3. The paradox that salvation is not just free but costly (costly discipleship) at the same time.
For unbelievers to qualify to be saved as Christ’s disciples, they must be willing to give up everything.
The oft-repeated statement we have heard so often that salvation is free is only half the truth; the whole truth is – salvation is both free and costly.
Salvation is free because it cannot be earned by works, and it cannot be purchased with money because it’s all about what Christ has done for us on the cross.
But it is costly because it is only given to those who meet the condition of being disciples of Christ, who are committed to obeying Christ’s commandments and embraces Him as Lord.
The free gift of salvation can ironically be the costliest as it requires nothing less than the giving up of everything, even your own life for the sake of Christ (Lk 14:26-27,33).
The great deception is for people to think that they can enjoy the benefits of being a Christian without the costs of a disciple.
Becoming a new member in God’s kingdom will cost you nothing (Eph 2:8); remaining a life member in the same kingdom will cost you everything (Lk 14:26-27, 33).
Many preachers would readily preach on the one half of the truth that salvation is free, but few would dare to preach on the other half of it that salvation is at the same time costly.
“The Church has been deceived for too long that just because our salvation has cost Christ everything, it wouldn’t cost us anything.” (George Ong)
“The cost of salvation is high to the one who achieves it – Jesus; but to the one who receives it – Us – it is nowhere any lower as it may even involve the giving up of our lives for the sake of Christ.” (Lk 14:26-27, 33) (George Ong)
Jesus said it in such a clear and stark fashion that no one can misunderstand Him:
“If anyone does not give up his own life (Lk 14:26), does not carry his own cross (Lk 14:27), and does not give up everything (Lk 14:33), he cannot be my disciple.”
Luke 14:25-27,33 NIV
25 “Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters – yes, even their own life – such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” 33 “In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.”
Joseph Prince may say to George:
“George, here you go again. You are clearly an unrepentant, negative preacher. You sure thrive on negativism.
Don’t you have something more positive to say – other than stressing on those negative words: ‘Cannot, Cannot, Cannot’ – and you sure know how to rub salt into the wounds by highlighting them in red lettering and underlining them some more?
You have the special gift of loading people with burdens that are too heavy for them to carry. You have the talent of demanding commitments from people that are impossible to accomplish. You are doing exactly what the Pharisees have done! In fact, you qualify to be the Chief Pharisee!”
George would say to Joseph Prince:
“Hello Joseph, you are barking up the wrong tree again. You are falsely accusing me again.
But what is worse is that you are accusing Jesus of placing ‘unreasonable’ demands that are too burdensome for people to carry.
Don’t you know it was Jesus who said those ‘negative’ words, ‘Cannot, Cannot, Cannot’ in Luke 14:26-27, 33?
I thought you are the Super Christ-centred preacher. You keep boasting about the fact that you talk so much about Christ in your sermons.
But what happened?
How can you be Christ-centred when you are criticising Christ for His no-nonsense and exacting approach to discipleship?
How can you be Christ-centred when you disagree with Him on the use of ‘negative’ words, ‘Cannot, Cannot, Cannot’?
And by the way, you are fiercely teaching against the cost of discipleship, which is a cornerstone of Christ’s teachings.
So how can you be Christ-centred when you are teaching against His core teachings?
Jesus Himself repeated three times in a few short verses: ‘Cannot, Cannot, Cannot’.
If Jesus says, ‘Cannot’, it means Cannot lah! Period!
If you cannot even agree with Jesus’ simple instructions, and have to go head-on against what He taught, how can you ever be Christ-centred?
You are so deceptive that you have succeeded in deceiving the multitudes that you are Christ-centred when the truth is that you are such an ego-centric man who is prepared to go against and sacrifice the words of Christ in the word of God for the sake of your pseudo-grace theology.”
Jesus said that you cannot be His disciple if you are not committed to doing those things that are mentioned in Luke 14:26-27, 33.
This simply means if you are not willing to give up everything, including your own life, you are not His disciple because Jesus said, ‘You cannot’.
Even though you can declare to the whole world that you are a disciple, if you haven’t met the requirements or demands of Jesus that are clearly stated in these few verses in Luke 14:26-27, 33, you cannot be a disciple of Christ, and you are not His disciple.
That’s not what I say; that’s what Jesus said.
If Jesus says, ‘Cannot’, it means Cannot!
Is that simple and plain enough?
There would be preachers who would give in to the temptation of trying to play down the ‘harsh’ demands of Jesus.
They may say,
“Jesus didn’t really mean what he said in Luke 14:26-27, 33. What he meant is that you just try to give up everything. And even if you can’t eventually give up everything, He will understand. Jesus is very understanding even if we don’t meet the discipleship demands that He has clearly laid out for us.”
But that’s merely twisting scripture for the sake of pleasing the flesh.
Joseph Prince would say something far worse:
“That’s being legalistic. Don’t ever allow Pharisaism to make a comeback in the church. That’s an insult to the finished work of the cross.
That’s nothing but trying to earn your salvation by works, and those who insist on going that way would have a double-curse (Gal 1:8-9) being invoked on their lives.”
4. Meeting the conditions of salvation and discipleship does not mean that we have worked for our salvation.
Whenever we stress the cost of discipleship that Christ Himself has laid down for us,
Joseph Prince will never fail to throw his comeback argument at us – that we are earning our salvation by works.
But we need to understand that while salvation by grace through faith is free, it is not unconditional.
Just because no one can earn his salvation, doesn’t mean there are no conditions that are attached to it.
Imagine someone makes an offer of free diamonds
with the condition that they have to be collected between 1-2 pm on a Monday.
If one has obeyed the condition of collecting them at the stipulated time,
are the diamonds still free?
Of course, they are.
Has one earned the free gift of diamonds?
No, he hasn’t.
Has one worked for the free gift of diamonds just because one has met the condition to collect it at the stipulated time,
which Joseph Prince and his gang would want to deceptively accuse us of?
Of course, the answer is no.
In the same way, meeting the conditions of salvation – Christ’s costly discipleship
doesn’t mean that one has earned the free gift of salvation by his works.
But if one doesn’t obey the condition to collect the free gift of diamonds at the stipulated time,
the diamonds are not his to claim, even though they are totally free.
Similarly, if one doesn’t meet the condition of salvation – Christ’s costly discipleship,
the salvation that one claims to possess is only a delusion.
5. The giving up of everything to Christ is the mere recognition that Jesus is not just our Saviour but the Lord of our lives.
Let’s come back to the conditions that Christ has laid down for us in Luke 14:26-27, 33.
Jesus was always making it difficult for people to become His disciples; it is the modern church that has made it far too easy.
I know this is a tough message. But Jesus never sugarcoated His tough demands on us.
Jesus makes radical demands on us not to make us miserable.
It is for our sake and our good that He makes such tough demands on us.
Because He is the one who created us, He knows that our true fulfillment comes when we learn to release everything to Him.
But if we have not reached the point where we are ready to give up everything and be committed to doing all the things that are mentioned in Luke 14:26-27, 33, we cannot be disciples of Christ and we cannot call ourselves Christians.
Luke 14:25-27, 33 is merely stating a basic theology that we must all hold on to
– that Jesus must be accepted not only as Saviour but more importantly as Lord.
As Lord, He must have total control over our lives: over our money, our possessions, our parents, our spouses, our children, and even our lives.
And unless we are ready to give up everything and the dearest to our lives, Jesus is not Lord at all.
And if Jesus is not Lord, He is not our Saviour.
“It costs you nothing to receive Jesus as Saviour, but it will cost you everything to receive Him as Lord.” (George Ong)
But sadly, that’s not what is taught in many churches.
Many churches teach the wrong doctrine that once you have accepted Jesus as Saviour, you are already saved.
The issue of Lordship comes later, when one is more ready to decide on it.
But even if he eventually does not accept Jesus as Lord, he is still saved.
That is certainly unbiblical!
6. The giving up of everything to Christ is impossible through human efforts but possible through the matchless grace of Christ and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
Yes, what Jesus is calling us to give up everything because He is our Lord is absolutely radical; it’s absolutely tough,
but it is not impossible.
Please think with me
– would Jesus ask us to do anything that is impossible?
It may be impossible for the flesh,
but it is absolutely possible through the Spirit.
That is why He has given the Holy Spirit
to empower us to do what seems impossible.
It also doesn’t mean that after we have decided to give up everything and recognise Jesus as Lord, we will not fail Christ.
I guarantee that you and I will fail Him many times.
After we have made that decision to accept Jesus as Lord of our lives by giving up everything, we may have our victories and we may have our failings.
Even though we have failings, it is through our failings that we will learn and grow.
Jesus has never promised that the Christian life would be easy, but He promises His grace (not the false grace of Joseph Prince) that will see us through our struggles and failings.
Yes, we would stumble and fall every now and then.
But the bountiful and matchless grace of God and Christ Himself are sufficient to help us in our failings and weaknesses as we strive to obey Him.
God and Christ Jesus will never abandon us to our own struggles but, with the empowerment of the Spirit, enable us to live the supernatural Christian life in total commitment and absolute obedience to His Lordship and for His glory.
Jesus never promised us a rose-garden Christianity – that every New Covenant believer has the covenantal right to be very rich as Abraham was as Joseph Prince promised in his Prosperity Gospel.
But Christ promised His empowering grace and loving patience that would see us through our difficult and joyous journey to follow and obey Him.
And Jesus is not a hard taskmaster.
While Jesus boldly and unapologetically asked for everything, even our lives, at the same time, he is also the gentle and patient shepherd, who will also allow us to grow through our failings.
We can be rest assured that Jesus certainly knows the difference between one who is insincere and only talks about giving up everything but does not act on it,
and another, who, in the giving up of everything, may fail, but is sincere about learning from and growing through his failures and presses on to be a disciple of Christ.
Christ does not expect perfection from us, but sincerity is all that He requires.
7. The call to discipleship is also the same call to be saved.
Since Jesus issues the call to discipleship in Luke 14:25-27, 33 to unbelievers, and not believers,
it is only logical to conclude that His call to follow Him and be His disciples is also the same call to believe in Him and be saved.
Hence, a disciple and a believer are one and the same person.
It is therefore a fallacy to teach that while every disciple is a believer but not every believer is a disciple.
That a disciple is more committed, whereas a believer does not have to take his Christian walk that seriously, and holiness and devotion become optional.
The truth is, there is no distinction between a disciple and a believer
Discipleship is not a badge of honour for having made it to the next higher level or an optional extra, but the evidence of true saving faith.
Yet, there is this serious false teaching propounded by Joseph Prince – that you can be a Christian without being a disciple.
Appendix 2
Joseph Prince’s argument from silence – that discipleship has faded off the scene in the epistles is demolished.
Joseph Prince is indeed a veteran at using the argument from silence to deceive
– that since ‘disciples’ is no longer mentioned in the epistles, we should not be called disciples as discipleship has faded off the scene.
Let me use the argument from silence back on Joseph Prince.
I’m sure Prince is aware that the word, ‘Trinity’ is not mentioned a single time in the entire Bible.
So, would Prince teach that the concept or theology of the Trinity is never taught in the Bible at all?
Just because the word ‘Trinity’ is not mentioned in the entire Bible doesn’t mean that there is no evidence of the Trinitarian God in it.
On the contrary, the Bible is full of evidence about the Trinitarian God: God, the Father, God, the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit
– so it is with disciples or discipleship.
Does Joseph Prince know that the word ‘church’ is absent from 2 Timothy, Titus, Hebrews, 1 & 2 Peter, 1 & 2 John, and Jude?
So going by Prince’s argument from silence, he would have to argue that the church is absent from these epistles and that they were not written to and for Christians!
Ridiculous, isn’t it?
That cannot be the conclusion, as all these eight books are clearly written both to and about the church, even though the word ‘church’ isn’t mentioned at all in these epistles.
Does Joseph Prince know that the word ‘God’ is not mentioned in the Book of Esther?
Because God is not mentioned in Esther, and going by Prince’s argument from silence, he would have to conclude that God is not there at all in the Book of Esther.
But does Prince or anyone else have the audacity to say that God is not there in Esther?
Is Joseph Prince aware that Jesus never mentioned the word ‘grace’ a single time in the entire Bible?
If he is aware, why doesn’t he go around and spread this piece of ‘juicy news’ to everyone as he did with the word, ‘disciples’?
He wouldn’t dare to, as that may bring about negative perceptions of his Pseudo-grace theology.
And I would be foolish to use that against Joseph Prince’s Pseudo-grace theology.
Though Jesus didn’t use the word ‘grace’ we are well aware that Jesus Himself is the personification of grace (Jn 1:14,17).
Christ’s dealings with many people in the gospels are based on grace (not only grace but also law, as He can be pretty severe in many other instances too).
Just because Jesus never mentioned ‘grace’ in the Bible doesn’t mean He doesn’t show grace or teach grace.
Can you see now where the use of the argument from silence, which Joseph Prince deceptively uses on discipleship, can lead to?
This argument from silence, if consistently applied, leads to an incredibly absurd conclusion.
I am belabouring this issue about the argument from silence because this is one deadly tactic that Joseph Prince uses to deceive and confuse people.
I do use the argument from silence too.
In my opinion, the argument from silence is permitted only if there is already concrete evidence to back up one’s position.
The argument from silence can then be used as complementary evidence to strengthen one’s position.
But it cannot be used, as Joseph Prince has done, as the single and only argument to prove one’s position,
and more so when there are already facts and evidence that point to the contrary.
What’s more is that there are loads of evidence to prove that although the word ‘disciples’ is not mentioned,
costly discipleship of Jesus is alive and kicking in the epistles.
Although Paul and the other apostles didn’t use the word ‘disciples’ in the epistles,
that doesn’t mean they didn’t talk about discipleship.
In fact, their lives (and particularly Paul) throughout the Book of Acts and the epistles
were an excellent example of a self-denying, self-sacrificing and suffering disciple of Christ whose life of costly discipleship
ended up in the glory of martyrdom.
So, just because the word ‘disciples’ doesn’t appear in the epistles doesn’t mean discipleship isn’t evident or important in the epistles.
In fact, these epistles are pulsating with the evidence of costly discipleship.