Article 1: Joseph Prince’s ‘countless’ out-of-context sermons prove he is a serial con man & serial hypocrite – By Rev George Ong (Dated 21 Sep 2023)
Article 2: Jeff William’s (Canada) article in response to a previous article of mine and to encourage me. (Dated 21 Sep 2023)
1. Today’s Article:
Don’t miss 3 videos on Joseph Prince
& 1 video each on John MacArthur & Voddie Baucham.
The key passage for this article is Matthew 18:20:
20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
Besides Joseph Prince, who has interpreted it out of context, you (hope you don’t mind my frankness) may also be guilty of it.
The other key text is Luke 5:4-11:
For Joseph Prince not to admit that he is one who is the real culprit of rewriting the Bible
is bad enough.
But for Prince to go one lethal step further and falsely accusing his critics of the same deed that he is guilty of
is evil to the core.
2. My Last Article
If you have missed my last article,
Joseph Prince’s no-confession of sin teaching is a scam, as revealed by 70 eminent Bible teachers & Christian leaders:
John Calvin, John Wesley, Arthur Pink, DL Moody, JI Packer, Watchman Nee, Walter Kaiser, Martin Luther, Gordon Fee, Warren Wiersbe,
AW Tozer, Jack Hayford, Paul Washer, Charles Swindoll, Reinhard Bonnke, Charles Spurgeon, James Hudson Taylor, G Campbell Morgan, Billy Graham, Charles Finney,
George Whitefield, Francis A Shaeffer, John F Walvoord, Roy B Zuck, Andrew Murray, James Montgomery Boice, John Warwick Montgomery, Jonathan Edwards, David Brainerd,
Ben Witherington III, Bill Bright, DA Carson, Eugene H Peterson, Jack Deere, Lee Strobel, Charles Colson, Stuart Briscoe, Charles Hodge, Dallas Willard,
Dick Eastman, George Mueller, J Dwight Pentecost, John MacArthur, Herbert Lockyer, J Sidlow Baxter, Michael Brown, Jerry Bridges, Mike Bickle, Kevin DeYoung,
Ray C Stedman, John Ortberg, Neil T Anderson, Oswald Chambers, RA Torrey, Nicky Gumbel, Philip Yancey, Randy Alcorn, Michael Horton, Robert Murray M’cheyne,
Scot Mcknight, Steve Lawson, Tim Keller, John Stott, Derek Prince, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, John Piper, RC Sproul, Zac Poonen and David Pawson.
Please click on the link below:
Joseph Prince, being the proud man that he is, would still stubbornly insist that he is right.
But how could 70 well-known Bible teachers and writers be wrong?
Let’s start with Martin Luther, John Calvin and John Wesley – two of them are the Fathers of the Reformation Movement, and the third, the leader of a major denomination.
Not enough, let’s throw in Charles Spurgeon – affectionately known as the Prince of Preachers, and the number of his published sermons is humongous and unequalled.
You ask for more – what about Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield and Charles Finney – key figures that God used to ignite the major Revival Movements in the history of the Christian Church?
Still not satisfied – consider DL Moody, Billy Graham and Reinhard Bonnke – 3 world-renowned evangelists who won multitudes of souls into God’s kingdom.
Still not convinced – let’s roll in top-notch theologians like JI Packer, DA Carson and Gordon Fee.
Still not persuaded – what about distinguished Bible expositors like Martyn Lloyd-Jones, John Stott and David Pawson?
Etc, etc.
Let’s see if Joseph Prince would dare to reply to these well-regarded 70 men of God,
who taught against his no-confession doctrine in his next sermon, probably this coming Sunday.
70 vs One: That’s why I have said that Joseph Prince is a Lone Ranger.
If you don’t believe me, just ask any Singapore Pastor whether any one of them would dare to endorse Joseph Prince’s no-confession doctrine, and whether anyone of them is in regular fellowship with Joseph Prince.
Hey Joe,
“Mouthing the general line that ‘The majority is not always right’ isn’t going to get you off the hook. Come on, don’t hide behind generalities.
You must have the guts to critique in detail why each of these 70 men were wrong – that Christians must confess their sins in accordance with 1 John 1:9.
Don’t be a poor church mouse and keep quiet, like you did on the Founder of Hyflux, who was once your poster-girl of success.
This is the time that you can show yourself as the Contemporary ‘Martin Luther’ – that you are right (minority) and the whole church (majority) is wrong with regards to your Grace doctrines.”
Of course, thank God Martin Luther was right and the church was wrong. If not for his guts to stand against the humongous establishment and centuries of tradition, there won’t be a Reformation.
Here is a case, where we can confidently say with conviction that ‘The majority is not always right.’
3. Joseph Prince’s Never-Ending Pleadings with those Missing in his worship services to come back.
Joseph Prince has been pleading with those who left him to return to New Creation Church time after time, especially in his last several sermons.
(You must remember that I listen to every of Joseph Prince’s Sunday sermons.)
In his latest sermon, 4 days ago, he did the same thing, spending quite a fair bit of time pleading with them to come back to attend the Sunday Services.
Isn’t it strange – Joseph Prince kept saying that the church is not a building (Star Vista)?
But why did he spend so much money on the building (about 800 million)?
And why is he asking them to come back to a building?
Hey Joe,
“No point pleading and pleading with your people to return to a building.
Many of them may have already seen through your heresies and left for other churches, preaching true grace.
So, why waste your time and effort pleading with them time after time?
What, asking them to come back because you want more people to hear you preach?
To boost your ego?
The missing people from his church must have been quite severe.
That is why Joseph Prince has been singing the same tune over and over again in his last several sermons, pleading with his people to come back to attend services.
As part of Joseph Prince’s untiring efforts to get his people back to attend New Creation Church services, and towards the end of the service 4 days ago, Joseph Prince flashed this on the screen:
CHURCHGOERS APPEAR TO LIVE LONGER;
HAVE LESS STRESS
Analyzing population data from NHANES III,
a team from the UCLA and Vanderbilt CTSAs
found a significant association
between church attendance and mortality among adults 40-65 years.
People who attended church more than once a week
had a 55% reduction in all-cause mortality compared to non-churchgoers.
On one measure of stress, allostatic load,
churchgoers tended to fare better than non-churchgoers.
Source: UCLA CTSI Connections l UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute
If Joseph Prince had to come to this low point to lure his people to come back to attend services with the promise of longer life and reduced stress, the church would be as good as over.
Friends, this is the kind of church that preaches the Prosperity Gospel.
And this is the kind of church that would be destroyed when persecution hits.
How can Joseph Prince be said to be preaching the Jesus of the Bible
when he does the opposite of what Jesus did.
While Jesus does everything possible to keep such carnal people away (Lk 14:25-27, 33 and many other texts),
Joseph Prince does everything he can to bring them back to attend his church services.
(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.)
Joseph Prince’s ‘countless’ out-of-context sermons prove he is a serial Con man & serial hypocrite – By Rev George Ong
In a weekly Sunday sermon aired on YouTube
on 17 Sep 2023, 4 days ago, Joseph Prince said;
Please click here to view the 35-second video:
“You know, just being together.
If two (or three) of you are gathered in my name,
there I am. Amen.
Something about being together.
There, the Lord commands the blessings.
And I will encourage if you can, come physically.
You won’t go to hell watching from home, no.
But come physically.
Follow the footsteps of this flock. Amen.”
When Joseph Prince said;
“If two (or three) of you are gathered in my name,
there I am,”
he is using Matthew 18:20,
20 For where two or three gather in my name,
there am I with them,”
as the text to communicate the importance of being together,
as God will certainly bless them in their togetherness,
and also to encourage those
who have stopped attending New Creation Church
to come back and attend physically.
This is a wrong use of Matthew 18:20
as Joseph Prince has taken it
out of the context of Matthew 18:15-20.
The context is not about getting people
to come back to attend church services,
in order to enjoy the blessings of God
in a corporate setting of togetherness,
as Joseph Prince has wrongly used it.
The context of Matthew 18:15-20
is about church discipline.
Most Bible translations have correctly grouped Matthew 18:15-20
as one section;
meaning these 5 verses, verses 15-20 of Matthew chapter 18,
belong to the same thought:
Matthew 18:15-20 NIV
15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. 18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
Broadly, verses 15-17
give the guidelines on how to deal church discipline
or with sin in the church:
15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
And when this process is biblically followed in verses 15-17,
Jesus, in verse 18, assures that He is behind us all the way,
and that heaven would agree
with the discipline that is carried out by us on earth:
18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
Then Jesus further assures us in verses 19-20
that not only is He with us,
but His Father would also back us up
by ensuring the discipline process
is brought to its completion:
19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
Note the ‘one or two’ in verse 16a
corresponds with the ‘two of you’ in verse 19,
and the ‘two or three’ in verse 16b
corresponds with the ‘two or three’ in verse 20:
16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’
19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
This means the same people
who began the process of church discipline
in verse 16 (and V15 and 17),
the Lord Jesus and Father God would be with them,
and would enable them
to complete the process of that discipline
in verses 19-20, successfully.
What does this tell us?
This tells us that both the Lord Jesus and Father God
are serious and have placed a high priority on church discipline.
They expect the church to exercise church discipline,
and both Jesus and Father God
would also ensure that it is carried out
to its successful completion.
In St Andrew’s Expositional Commentary on Romans,’
RC Sproul wrote:
“A woman I know left her husband and five children
to live with another man.
Another minister and I went to talk to her,
understanding the fear and trembling involved in Jesus’ words,
“Where two or three are gathered together in My name,
I am there in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:20).
There, Jesus was promising to be in the midst of those gathered
to fulfill the biblical mandate
of calling a brother or sister back from sin,
what we call church discipline.
If there is ever a time
when we need to know the presence of Christ,
it is when we are calling someone back from sin.”
In a sermon, Voddie Baucham said;
Please click here to view the 3-and-half-minute video:
“‘For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.’
But we don’t need no churches.
We just need two or three
because the Bible says where two or three are gathered,
there He is.
Well, there are a couple of problems with this.
Obviously, there’s the contextual problem.
But before we go to the contextual problem,
let’s just look at the common sense problem.
Amen, somebody.
You’re know about my 30-second theology rule, right?
Most stuff we messed up in theology,
we wouldn’t mess up
if we just close our eyes and thought about it for 30 seconds.
‘Cause if you close your eyes and think about it for 30 seconds,
and you believe that all you need,
is, you know, one or two other people,
and then you got a church
and you got the Lord’s presence,
you’re in trouble.
‘Cause here’s why.
If that’s true,
then you can’t even roll out of bed in the morning and pray
‘cause God won’t be there.
I mean, if that’s what this verse means?
God forbid that you’re single person living on your own.
You got to get up in the morning,
walk over to your neighbour’s house,
knock on the door and say,
‘Hey, are you up, ‘cause I want to pray and God won’t be there unless there’s two or three.’
So, this doesn’t even pass the 30-second theology common sense test.
‘Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. And whatever you lose on earth shall be loose in heaven.’
Obviously, this is in reference to church discipline.
‘Again, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it would be done for them by my Father in heaven.’
Come on, let’s just touch and agree.
It’s just nothing to do with that.
This has to do with the authority of the church
in the area of discipline.
And now we get to,
‘For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.’
This has nothing to do with what constitutes a church.
Nothing.
It has everything to do with the authority of the church
in exercising and executing discipline,
in making proclamations
about people being in and people being out.
Those whom we bring in through the front door of baptism,
and those we declare to be out through the back door of church discipline.
That’s what this binding and loosing is about.
That’s what this agreeing is about.
That’s what this two or three is about.”
In a sermon, John MacArthur said;
Please click here to view the 3-and-a-half-minute video:
“Verse 18,
‘Truly I say to you, whatever you shall bind on earth, literally shall have been bound in heaven. Whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.’ (Matt 18:18)
It simply means that
when you bind something on earth,
it is bound in heaven,
or has already been bound in heaven.
And when you loose something on earth,
it has already been loosed in heaven.
Binding and loosing,
the rabbis said had to do with sin.
If someone repented, their sin was loosed.
If someone would not repent, they’re bound in their sins.
That simple.
So, when we confront a sinner
and a sinner will not repent,
and we say you’re bound in your sin,
heaven has already made that judgment.
Or when we confront a sinner
and the sinner repents,
and we say you’re loosed from your sin
because we have biblical revelation that says
if you repent
you will be loosed from your sin,
then when we say you’re loosed from your sin,
we’re only saying on earth
what heaven has already said.
Bottom line principle is this,
when we deal with sin and confront sin
and call people to repentance
and hold them responsible for their repentance and
impenitence
and rejoice with them in their repentance,
we are simply doing on earth
what is done in heaven.
We can pray
‘Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’
Here’s a way we can implement it.
Heaven has already rendered the verdict
that someone’s bound in sin,
that someone’s loosed from sin.
We’re just reflecting heaven
when we do the same.
Then in verse 19,
‘And I say to you that if two of you agree on earth about anything,’
– there we’re back to the Deuteronomy principle of two or three witnesses (Deut 19:15)
– ‘that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.’
That means to say,
when two or three come together
and affirm someone’s repentance
and heaven is in agreement,
we can ask the Lord to cleanse them
and restore them, and He will.
If they will not repent,
of course, and heaven is in agreement,
we can ask the Lord to chasten and discipline
and He will.
And then Jesus Himself has the final word in verse 20.
‘Where two or three have gathered together,’
– not for a prayer meeting, folks.
How many does it take
for God to show up at a prayer meeting?
How about one?
‘Lo, I am with you always.’
Doesn’t take two or three.
Doesn’t have anything to do with a prayer meeting,
it has to do with a discipline situation.
‘Where two or three have gathered together’
– which means this process (of discipline) is in motion
– ‘there I am in their midst.’
Never is the church more in tune with heaven,
more in tune with the Father
and more in tune with Christ Himself
then when it’s dealing with sin.”
In another sermon on the same text of Matthew 18:15-20,
John MacArthur said:
“And so I say it again.
Never, never is the church more like Jesus Christ.
Never does the church more fulfill the will of God
than when it acts out the principles of this passage (Matt 18:15-20).
This is taking the kingdom in heaven and bringing it to earth.
That’s our authority.
Heaven stands with us.
I don’t think this verse (Matt 18:19)
is talking about a blank check for prayer,
and it’s been utterly misused.
Just ripped out of its context.
And if you can just get two people to agree,
God has to give you what you agreeing for.
I’ve heard that said so many times.
That isn’t the point.
The two here are the two witnesses
in a case of church discipline, a sinning person,
and they really want God’s will done,
and they really want what’s right,
but if they agree over this issue,
and the follow the biblical pattern,
they can be confident that
in their seeking for God’s will
they will receive it
and God will do what’s right.
What are the two or three in this context?
Two or three what?
Two or three witnesses in the discipline.
Not only is heaven acting,
is the Father acting in heaven with us,
but the Son is there on earth with us.
Never are you more fulfilling the will of God
and the work of the Son
than when you’re acting
in the purging and the purifying of His own church.”
George Ong’s comments:
We live in an age of tolerance (overly tolerant)
when it is not fashionable to confront
the wrongdoings of someone.
Many Pastors and churches failed to exercise church discipline
as they wrongly perceived it as unloving and harsh.
Churches no longer take church discipline
as seriously as the apostles in the early church did.
Excommunication of people from the church,
a biblical doctrine that is practised in the early church,
is unheard of in the modern church.
And if any pastor dares to excommunicate anyone,
he will be accused of being a harsh shepherd
and having no love for the sheep.
However, their refusal to exercise church discipline
is effectively disobeying the scriptures in Matthew 18:15-20.
By not correcting errant church members
would really be unloving,
as they would go on misbehaving
thinking that there are no consequences to their sinful ways.
We must remember that church discipline
is not to shame people
but to call them to repentance;
to restore them back to the Christian community,
if they are willing,
and to a right relationship with God again.
Now, back to Joseph Prince.
My point in Matthew 18:15-20 and now in Luke 5:4-11,
is to highlight the fact
that Joseph Prince interprets many Bible texts out of their contexts
and on a frequent and regular basis.
Besides Matthew 18:15-20,
I want to surface one more example
of Prince’s out-of-context interpretation.
As for the rest, please refer to my many other articles;
they can be found in abundance on this website
– about Joseph Prince’s out-of-context interpretation.
In a Sunday sermon, Joseph Prince said;
Please click here to view the 1-minute video:
“‘(Luke 5:4-7) We caught no fish. We toiled all night.’
‘You carpenter, we fishermen, experienced fishermen.’
‘Throw your net on the right side.’
‘Right side, left side, we tried every side, we know this lake. But because you say so,’
Peter said that.
‘I’ll throw the net.’
And this time, he threw the net,
he cannot pull
because there was such a great catch, throng of fishes.
Until finally, he pulled it.
The nets began to break.
He never prepared the net that tight
because he never could imagine a harvest that much.
And finally, the guys finally get into the boats
and other boats came to help.
The boats began to sink at the weight of it.
So that tells us how the Lord provides.
I don’t how people
who are against prosperity that God does prosper,
preach that.
God give you one fish.
God supplies what you need not what you want.
They rewrite the Bible.”
Joseph Prince is able to deceive many people
because he is taking Luke 5:4-7
out of its context of Luke 5:4-11,
particularly Luke 5:8-11:
Luke 5:4-11 NIV
4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” 5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” 6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.
8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.
As usual, Joseph Prince is employing the half-truth ploy to deceive you
– something which he has committed countless times,
and something which I have mentioned so frequently.
Joseph Prince tells you the half-truth
about how Jesus prospered Peter and others
with a whole load of fish in Luke 5:4-7,
but he keeps from you
the other more important half of the truth
that the whole point of Jesus’ miracle of the fish,
was not to make them prosper
but to make them ‘poorer’
when they had to leave everything
to follow Jesus in Luke 5:11.
Jesus seemed to be saying to Peter (and the rest):
“Why do I allow you to experience the best catch of fish
when I tell you to let down your nets (Lk 5:4-7)?
To bless you with prosperity?
No!
To illustrate from the netloads of fish
that you will have a mighty harvest of souls
as you catch men (Lk 5:9-10).
But to do that,
you have to give up everything to follow me (Lk 5:11).”
After Jesus had spoken to them
about his purpose for performing the miracle,
Luke 5:11 tells us,
11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.
So, this story is not about
how Jesus came to prosper Peter and how to get rich.
On the contrary, it is about how to free Peter and us
from riches, possessions and prosperity
by giving up everything in order to follow Christ.
It is not about how to enjoy a prosperous lifestyle
but how to live a simple lifestyle
– that when we give up everything,
we have to make do with the barest minimum
of not what we want
but what we need
in our quest of following Jesus.
So, if one has not read the entire context of Luke 5:4-11
and dwell on only Luke 5:4-7
that Joseph Prince has craftily done
and wants us to focus on,
he will deceive you
that this passage is talking about prosperity.
But if you have read the entire context of this passage in Luke 5:4-11, especially Luke 5:8-11,
you will not be deceived about what Joseph Prince tried to make of this text.
You would realise that the purpose of Jesus
was not to bless Peter and the rest with prosperity
with the abundant supply of fish,
but that He has really come to teach and empower Peter
and the rest to win souls by being fishers of men.
Not only had Peter to leave everything,
his fishing profession and all the fish,
he even had to leave his earthly life behind, through martyrdom,
when he was crucified upside down (according to church history) (Jn 21:18-19).
So, this passage is not talking about
the Prosperity Gospel of getting everything
that Joseph Prince is constantly pushing for,
but about the costly discipleship
of giving up everything (Lk 5:11),
which Joseph Prince is constantly preaching against.
It is not about Jesus providing and prospering Peter
with more than enough fish (or finances or business opportunities, etc)
but about Jesus promising him
that he will catch many people and win them to Christ
‘that the nets began to break and the boats began to sink’ (Lk 5:6-7,10).
It is not so much about Jesus promising Peter a netload full of fish
but a netload full of souls (Lk 5:6-7,10).
It is not so much that Peter
would continue his fishing career
because Jesus had blessed him with so many fish,
but that Peter would terminate
and put an end to his profession as a fisherman
and take on a new and higher calling
to be fishers of men in Luke 5:10.
Chances are that they didn’t even pause
to count the netloads of fish that Jesus gave them.
They left everything,
including their fishing boats and the netloads of fish
they had just caught.
My final point has to do
with the false and toxic accusation
that Joseph Prince levelled against his critics
when Joseph Prince said;
“I don’t how people who are against prosperity that God does prosper, preach that.
“God give you one fish. God supplies what you need not what you want.
They rewrite the Bible.”
Joseph Prince is falsely accusing those
who are against the Prosperity Gospel
for rewriting the Bible
when he is the real culprit who is guilty of it.
For Joseph Prince not to admit
that he is one who is the real culprit of rewriting the Bible
is bad enough.
But for Prince to go one lethal step further
and falsely accusing his critics
of the same deed that he is guilty of
is evil to the core.
What is worse is that
Joseph Prince keeps championing the idea passionately
in his sermons and books
that any passage must be interpreted in its context.
Yet, he has broken this rule time and again.
In several sermons, Joseph Prince said;
Please click here to view the 30-second video:
“So, keep the book in its context.
The whole thing is in context.
I love to preach in context.
He calls them ‘brother’, okay, context.
My friend, the whole context; context is king.
Never take a verse out of its context.
Context. Look at what preceded before.
I just showed you that. Context is king.
But you must read everything in its context.
You take a verse, a text out of its context;
you take the text out from the context,
you left the con. Alright,
that’s how people con people, right; that the Bible says that.
No, you must read everything in its context.”
In ‘Destined to Reign’, Joseph Prince wrote,
“Let me give you a Bible study tip: When you read the Bible, be sure to read everything within its context because when you take the “text” out of its “context”, what you are left with is a “con”! Many believers are hoodwinked into believing “cons” and erroneous teachings when something is lifted and taught out of its context.”
In ‘Destined to Reign’, Joseph Prince wrote,
“I hope that by now, you can see the dangers of lifting the Word of God out of its context. We have to be careful not to take a verse out of its context and build a teaching or doctrine around it. Bible teachings have to be confirmed by several supporting verses and these have to be studied within their proper contexts.”
In ‘Destined to Reign’, Joseph Prince wrote,
“It is important to always read Bible verses in their context. Many people end up misinterpreting Bible verses because they fail to do this. One way to read Bible verses in their context (and this is a key Bible interpretation principle) is to identify who the verses are talking about.”
In ‘Unmerited Favour’, Joseph Prince wrote,
“One of the things that I always remind my Church is this: Always read a verse in its context because when you take the “text” out of its “context,” it becomes a con! Don’t let anyone con you out of God’s blessings in your life.”
In ‘Unmerited Favor’, Joseph Prince wrote,
“When reading the Bible, always look at the context of the verses. When you take the “text” and interpret it out of its “context,” all you are left with is a “con”! So don’t be conned. Read everything in its context.”
Joseph Prince would write in his books and preach in his sermons
about the hypocrisy of taking a verse out of its context
– when the disturbing truth is,
he is the one who regularly does it
and the chief culprit who is guilty of it.
But what insincerity and pretense
when Joseph Prince blatantly breaks the same rules
that he is asking others to observe
without batting an eyelid
What do you call a man
who keeps breaking the same rules
that he strongly advocates?
What do you call a person
who commits the same error
repeatedly and unrepentantly
that he is constantly warning others of?
What do you call a preacher
who accuses others of being a con man
when he is the guiltiest of them all?
– A hypocrite pure and simple.
And hypocrisy is a serious character issue.
Hypocrisy is what Jesus cursed and condemned
the Pharisees for 6 times in Matthew 23.
No hypocrite, such as Joseph Prince
can ever be a true teacher of God’s word
and a Christ-centred preacher.
But the more crucial issue is this
– how could a true teacher of God’s word
not be pricked in his conscience
about his hypocrisy
when he does the same things over and over again
– breaking the same rules about interpreting a text in its context
that he strongly advocates?
Rev George Ong
Article 2: Jeff William’s article in response to a previous article of mine and to encourage me.
(Jeff William’s article should have been featured last week, but for some reasons, it has to be postponed to this week.)
On 9 Sep 2023, Jeff Williams from Canada wrote an article to encourage me (and I sincerely thank him for that),
in response to an earlier article which I wrote, dated 8 Sep 2023, titled,
Diehard followers, who are persistently devoted to Joseph Prince & Joel Osteen, prove that the Bible is true (2 Tim 4:3-5), and Joseph Prince & Joel Osteen are God’s judgement on them – By Rev George Ong (Dated 8 Sep 2023)
For those who have missed the above article, kindly click on the link below to view,
Here’s the article that Jeff Williams wrote:
George Ong,
I watched and read your entire latest article
concerning the blatant, lying false teachers:
Joseph Prince and Joel Osteen.
I agree 100% with the written Word and with you,
that the people with itching ears
who listen to, watch and/or attend
any of these wolves in sheep’s clothing, false, so-called “churches”
are completely culpable and without excuse before the Lord.
I am sure that virtually every person
who willfully and disobediently believes and lives by these wolves’ lies,
has the ability to actually read the Bible for themselves
in order to discern the truth of God’s Word,
but these rebellious people
do NOT want to read
and discern the TRUTH for THEMSELVES.
Isaiah chapter 30 and especially Isaiah 30:9-11, read in context,
is another excellent scripture for warning
and exposing the rebellious
who take counsel, but NOT counsel from God Himself:
In verse 9
these rebellious, lying people will NOT hear the Word of the LORD.
In verse 10,
these same rebellious people tell the Seers, “see not” and tell the Prophets, “Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits”.
In verse 11,
these rebels tell the true Seers and Prophets “Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.”
Is it any different today?
No, it is not,
because the scripture you quoted from 2 Timothy 4:3-5
clearly and without question
applies to those today,
who, after their own lusts, with itching ears,
will NOT put up with sound doctrine.
Many Israelites desired the Golden Calf
while Moses was with God receiving the Ten Commandments. (Exodus 32)
After “their own lusts” (same as 2 Tim 4:3-5)
these rebels had “their Spiritual Shepherd” Aaron
created “a god(s)” that would satisfy their own lusts,
their own itching ears
and 3,000 men paid with their very lives.
Yet, there were Israelites who stood their ground in the Lord
and refused to partake of this false teaching/worship.
They survived the judgement of God.
Ahab, the King of Israel
surrounded himself with 400 false prophets,
who falsely prophesied IN THE NAME OF THE LORD
concerning the upcoming battle with Syria.
Jehoshaphat, The King of Judah, requested Micaiah,
to come and prophesy if they would win the battle.
Ahab, hated Micaiah, the true Prophet of God. (1 Kings 22:8)
Ahab also hated Elijah
even though Ahab had 850 false prophets eating at his table (1 Kings 18:19).
Ahab, the Leader of Israel, the Shepherd of Israel,
hated God’s true prophets
because they spoke the truth of the words of God.
Ahab’s own lust, his own itching ears,
only wanted smooth words, words of prosperity
no matter if these words came from false prophets.
King Jehoshaphat knew
that the 400 prophets and their prophesies were false.
This is why he asked for Micaiah,
yet Jehoshaphat did not remove the high places (1 Kings 22:43)
in which the people offered and burnt incense.
The leaders/shepherds of God’s people
failed to protect the people of Israel
and the people of Judah in varying degrees.
Is it any different today?
No, it is not, according to King Solomon:
Ecclesiastes 1:9
The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
The “Woe” of judgement
against the Lord’s Shepherds is clear and concise (Zec 11:17; Jer 23:1).
I am fully convinced that these “Woe’s”
apply to today’s cowardly, silent Pastors and Teachers
who will NOT defend the sheep
they have been entrusted with by the Lord.
Below I have included a commentary
about “the shepherds”
from the E-sword KJV concordance
which lists numerous scriptures
proclaiming judgement on the cowardly shepherds.
Very interesting that these false shepherds
used the tithes and offerings of the people,
oppressed and destroyed people
TO ENRICH THEMSELVES! Sound familiar?
Ezekiel 34:2
the shepherds: The shepherds of Israel, signify their kings and princes, priests and prophets; the flock, the whole of the people; the fat and wool, the tithes and offerings, taxes and imposts: these they exacted with great rigour, and even oppressed and destroyed the people to enrich themselves; but they bestowed no pains to provide for the welfare of the state, or for the souls of those entrusted to them. They knew nothing about their flock. It might be diseased, infirm, bruised, maimed, strayed, or lost, for they watched not over them. Eze 33:24; Jer 2:8; Jer 3:15; Jer 10:21; Jer 12:10; John 10:1-2; John 10:12.
Woe:
Eze 34:8-10; Eze 13:19; Jer 23:1; Mic 3:1-3, Mic 3:11-12; Zep 3:3-4; Zec 11:17; Matt 24:48-51; Luke 12:42-46; Luke 20:46-47; Rom 16:18; 2 Pet 2:3.
Feed:
2 Sam 5:2; Psa 78:71-72; Isa 40:11; John 21:15-17; Acts 20:26; Act 20:29; 1 Pet 5:2-4.
George, be encouraged in the Lord,
as you stand on the written Word
defending/protecting the sheep of the Lord
and expose Joseph Prince and other wolves, false apostles,
deceitful workers for what they really are (2 Cor 11:13-15).
The LORD ALWAYS vindicates those that are truly His,
be it before and/or after the coming of our Lord
and our gathering together unto Him. (2 Thess 2:1)
The Lord HAS spoken through His written Word
and IF deceived, rebellious, religious “Christian” people
following after their own lusts
choose to disobey His Word
AND choose to not sincerely repent of their sin (Matt 6, Luke 11)
let their blood be on their own heads (Rev 18:4-5).
Brother George, I strongly encourage you to continue to:
2 Timothy 4:2
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
As for those who refuse to listen to and obey God’s written Word in context
AND choose to follow after their own lusts,
with itching ears and sit under the false teaching of Joseph Prince
and the many other wolves in sheep clothing (Matt 7:15),
I encourage you to shake the dust of your feet and move
on according to (Matthew 10:14, Mark 6:11, Luke 9:5).
As for the silent, cowardly Shepherds/Pastors
both in Singapore and around the world,
who refuse to speak up publicly,
in order to protect the Lord’s sheep
from these false apostles, deceitful workers
masquerading as ministers of righteousness,
God Himself will hold EVERY SINGLE ONE
of these timid, fearful, man pleasing, cowardly
Shepherds/Pastors accountable.
IF these so-called Shepherds/Pastors
cannot and will not stand
by their own free will for the Lord and His Word
when there is still “religious freedom” in some countries,
how will they ever stand
when the man of sin, the son of perdition,
the Anti-christ comes after them (2 Thess 2)
and they have the choice
of either renouncing Christ, and taking the Mark
or standing for Christ and being put to death?
Don’t you find it enlightening
the majority of these false prosperity teachers,
especially Joseph Prince,
teach that they don’t have to be concerned
about making the choice between Christ or the Anti-christ
because they will be “secretly raptured away”
before this occurs,
despite the clear teaching of 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4
AND there is not one verse in the entire Bible
that speaks of a “secret rapture”.
The Apostle Paul discerned
the deadly seriousness of preaching “any other gospel”
stating that if he pleased men,
he would NOT be the servant of Christ!
The preaching of another gospel, which is no gospel at all,
is NOT THE TRUE BIBLICAL GOSPEL,
therefore, it is a lie which condemns millions upon millions
to the lake of fire, which is the second death. (Rev 19:20, 20:10, 14 & 15)
The Apostle Paul clearly understood
that it is better for those preaching another gospel,
which is no gospel at all, to be accursed (Anathema G331)
than the millions upon millions of deceived souls going to the lake of fire
because they believed in a non-Biblical lying gospel,
accepted a non-Biblical false “christ”
and received a non-Biblical false religious spirit
masquerading as the Holy Spirit (Gal 1:6-10).
As for Joseph Prince and all the rest of Satan’s ministers,
the written Word of the Lord is very clear:
2 Corinthians 11:15
Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
As it also states in Revelation 21:8
ALL LIARS, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
IF ONLY, the “sheeple” would REPENT of their own lust
and come out of these false so called “churches”. (Rev 18:4-5)
IF ONLY the timid, fearful shepherds/pastors
would REPENT of their cowardice and refusal
to protect the Lord’s sheep. (Rev 21:8)
IF ONLY Joseph Prince, Joel Osteen
and the thousands upon thousands of false, lying teachers (2 Peter 2)
would REPENT AND return ALL the money they have scammed from “the sheeple”
through their endless lies, through the dishonest practice of twisting and perverting scripture out of context, (Genesis 3),
and their non-Biblical, personally enriching, covetous teaching
concerning “tithing” which makes merchandise out of the people.
I find it exceptionally interesting
that most of these false teachers
endlessly preach/teach a “hyper grace” message:
“We no longer live under the Law”,
“no need of repentance”,
“no need to mention sin” they shout.
Joseph Prince even states that the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6)
does NOT apply to New Covenant followers of Jesus Christ
because this prayer was before the Crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ!
Therefore, once you are “Born Again”
you NEVER need to repent of your sin according to Joseph Prince.
YET, “The LAW of Tithing”,
the lust to get rich
is THE MANTRA of ALL these LAWLESS prosperity, health and wealth pimps.
These manipulative LIARS are completely lawless
except when it comes to making themselves rich.
All of a sudden, they preach/teach
an aberrant, manipulative version of “The LAW of Tithing”.
These false teachers are simply fulfilling the written Word
spoken through Peter in 2 Peter 2:
2 Peter 2:3
And through covetousness (greediness) shall they (false teachers) with feigned (fictitious, false) words make merchandise (trade) of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
We are living in the very times, the last days,
that the Apostle Paul spoke about in 2 Timothy 3.
This list details false preachers/teachers to the letter:
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors (to the Biblical Gospel, the Biblical Jesus, the Biblical Holy Spirit) heady (rash), highminded (inflated with self-conceit, prideful) lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
IF and WHEN are the self-professing followers of Jesus Christ
going to OBEY the Word of the Lord?
“From such turn away”
“Come out of her my people…”
Sadly, millions upon millions will NOT “turn away” and “come out”
because the Word of the Lord in Matthew 7:13-15 will be fulfilled:
Matthew 7:13-15
13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. 15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
The wide gate, broad way which leads to destruction (Matt 7:13)
is absolutely inseparable
from the warning Jesus gave concerning false prophets,
who wear sheep’s clothing but are inwardly ravening wolves (Matt 7:15),
who tear the sheep to pieces with their MOUTHS as they ‘murder’ them.
The false prophets/teachers in the same way,
use their MOUTHS to spiritually ‘murder’ those
who refuse to walk the narrow way
through obedience to the written Word through repentance.
George, NEVER give up, NEVER give in!!!
Maranatha
Jeff Williams (Canada)