Oprah: “Jesus not the only Way”

Never let it be said that the devil is unaware of how to “make friends and influence people”. Take the case of Oprah Winfrey (who I am not calling "the devil"). I will say that I know little about her life, except to say that it appears that at one point, prior to her current mega financial success story, she was a young woman from apparently humble beginnings (by the world's standards) who was once exposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Since then, she has worked her way up the media ladder to the lofty position she now holds. However the “power” that comes with her current position along with the compromises about Christ that must be made in order to maintain a celebrated relationship with the entertainment industry, leads to the inevitable presentation that is captured from her show in the following clip:

"Jesus not the only way" - Oprah Winfrey

In this clip Oprah indirectly suggests that Jesus was a liar when He said the following in John 14:6 - Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

The Bible is very accurate about the human condition in all respects. The essence of this video clip is captured plainly by the following scripture: Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!" It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." (Mark 10:23, 25 NIV) Undestand here however, that Christ is not saying blanketly that rich people cannot be saved!

One final point: as to the question about how do people in remote parts of the world hear about "this Jesus"? The Bible puts it very plainly: Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: "I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? (Jeremiah 32:26 NIV)

Were they Saved?

Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many… (Hebrews 9:27-28 NIV) My wife and I were talking about a celebrity who we learned had died recently. One of my first thoughts (as is customary) was “were they saved”? Did that person accept that Jesus died for their sins so that they could live forever in Heaven? Though neither my wife nor I could know the real answer to that question, if we went by the “evidence” of how that person lived their public life, then it appeared highly unlikely that a salvation conversion would have occurred in their life. If so, then their death was indeed a tragedy. Acceptance of Jesus is indeed the difference between life and death (for eternity). Look at this diagram below (taken from a previous publication by author Bruce Wilkinson). The size of the circle denotes the average life span of our present life on earth. The length of the line denotes the first .000...

Funerals for the Unsaved or Unbelievers

I am not a leader of a church, but I oftentimes wonder how does one lead a funeral service for someone who dies without knowing Jesus Christ as Lord ? Admittedly I have not been to many funerals in my lifetime, though they are appearing to come more frequently lately, but the fact is that funerals are held daily throughout the world and as such this is a pertinent question to someone just about every day. I’ve been to the funeral where the person lived a fairly routine life, taking care of their families and other responsibilities as best they could, paying taxes and doing the average things that we as human beings do on a consistent basis. They however had no visible relationship with God through His son Jesus Christ. When this person dies, the surviving family members are oftentimes left scrambling trying to find a person and a place to officiate the funeral services – generally because the deceased did not have a regular church that they attended. Funeral homes sometimes ...

God's Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit – three words that send the Christian world into an apoplectic confusion. Ask five Christians a question about the Holy Spirit and you are likely to get up to five different answers. Why would this be given that the Holy Spirit is a very relevant figure throughout the Bible and particularly so in the New Testament? The reason for the schism is varied, but generally comes down to a) a lack of serious study of the Bible by the average Christian b) a general avoidance of teaching by Church leaders on the realities of the Holy Spirit c) an over-emphasis of the surreal manifestation of the Holy Spirit as taught in the Bible (particularly by the Charismatic Christian movement) or d) all of the above. All of this has combined to create much confusion and outright dissension among Christian groups with the result being an unfortunate lack of power displayed by the modern church in the face of a relentless spiritual battle with the secular non-believing world. Power is the key w...

Treasure In Clay Jars

Search This Blog