Joyce Meyer’s Preaching Methods EXPOSED!

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Hey guys, Colin here, and welcome back to Fight For Truth, the channel where we bring you Christian commentary about the things that matter.

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In today's video, we're going to be talking about a sermon from Joyce Meyer. By the way, if you hear any noise in the background,

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I apologize. We do have some ongoing construction in our neighborhood. This particular sermon was preached at Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church.

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Some of what she says is good, and some is bad. The question is, how concerned should we be as Christians about the bad parts, and what should we do about it?

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In this video, we're striving to answer those questions as best we can. The issue, as you're about to see, really boils down to the method of biblical interpretation used by Joyce Meyer and people like her.

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So without any further ado, let's analyze this method and see if it's biblical. Watch this.

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Now here comes another amazing lesson, and Jesus said to them, bring some of the fish that you have just caught.

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So Simon Peter went aboard and he hauled the net to land full of fish, 153 of them, which, my goodness,

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I looked all over the place, and nobody can give a reason for that 153. Now for those who don't know,

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Joyce is talking about the story of John chapter 21. This is where Peter and some other disciples are fishing, but they catch nothing.

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Then, Jesus, although they did not recognize him as such, instructs them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat.

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In doing so, they catch a multitude of large fish. John 21 verse 11 says, quote,

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So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them.

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And although they were so many, the net was not torn, end quote. Pay attention to that specific number, 153.

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Why not simply say, about 150 fish? Why exactly this number?

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This question has plagued commentators for literally hundreds of years, and it's something that is certainly interesting enough to take a second look.

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But first, let's see what Joyce Meyer says about this little detail in her view. Watch this.

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I looked all over the place, and nobody can give a reason for that 153. The only thing that I found, and they're not even sure this is true, is somebody said that there was 153 different species of fish at the time.

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And part of the miracle was that there was one fish of each species. But I think this,

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I think if for no other reason, those fish were counted and it was recorded in the

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Bible just to show us what great attention God pays to every little detail in our life.

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So, according to Joyce Meyer, the reason there were 153 fish exactly is because God cares about every little detail of your life.

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It's all about you personally. Now, again, this is her interpretation, but I think it would be worthwhile to investigate some other interpretations from Biblical commentators and lay out the evidence for them, and let's see which are most appealing.

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You decide, and let us know in the comments what convinces you more. Now, Joyce also mentioned a view in passing that was popularized by Jerome.

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In this view, the 153 fish represented all the nations of the earth because they had caught one fish from every known species.

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And this might sound ridiculous at first. Of course, it's possible that the idea of one fish from every species is a bit of a stretch.

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But at the very least, the theory that this haul of fish represents the Gospel going out to the world is not absurd.

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We shouldn't ignore it, it's actually pretty compelling. You see, there are very distinct parallels between this account in John 21 and what is recorded in Luke chapter 5.

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In Luke 5, we see almost the same events playing out, albeit in a different way. In verse 4,

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Jesus tells Peter to, quote, put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.

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But then in verse 5, Peter responds, saying, quote, Master, we toiled all night and took nothing.

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But at your word, I will let down the nets. In other words, just like John 21, they had been unsuccessful with their fishing, and Jesus tells them to try again.

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This is much too similar to be a pure coincidence of no value. But look at what happens next, and there really is no doubt.

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Verse 6 says, quote, And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking, end quote.

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Notice that last part about the breaking net, and how in John 21 verse 11 it says, quote,

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And although there were so many fish, the net was not torn. In Luke 5, they write about the breaking nets, but in John 21, they specifically write about the nets not tearing.

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Again, this is not a coincidence. And also, again, notice that just like John chapter 21, they have just caught a huge number of fish.

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As a result, in verse 8, quote, When Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying,

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Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. Notice here that Simon Peter has repented as a result of this miracle.

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But then look at what happens in verse 10, quote, And Jesus said to Simon, Do not be afraid.

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From now on you will be catching men. So you can clearly see that there is indeed a connection between Luke 5 and John 21.

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So let's go over some of these similarities. In both passages, Peter plays a large role.

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In both passages, they are unsuccessful at first. In both passages, Jesus gives them specific directions, and when they follow these directions, they catch a multitude of fish.

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But that's not all. In John chapter 21, we see the restoration of Peter after he denied

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Christ. Jesus asked Peter three times if he loves him in the passage, which parallels the three times that Peter denied him in Matthew 26.

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And in John 21 verse 17, quote, Peter said to him, Jesus, Lord, you know everything.

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You know that I love you. And Jesus said to him, Feed my sheep. So in both passages,

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Luke 5 and John 21, we see repentance and restoration for Peter as he is given a specific task from Jesus.

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Again, how could this be a coincidence? But then look at what happens in John 21 19, quote, and after saying this, he,

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Jesus said to him, follow me. Remember that word? And now look at the end of Luke 5 verse 11, which says, quote, and when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him, end quote.

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So in both of these miracles, Jesus reassures his followers, his disciples of their ministry, and he shows them by his power that their ministry will be successful.

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Given the fact that Jesus says he will make these people fishers of men, it's not hard to see that there is indeed a symbolic meaning to the fish.

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There's a good case to be made that Jerome and many others were absolutely on the right track in thinking that the fish represented the conversion of the nations.

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In fact, it's hard to see how it could mean anything else. As the apostles of Christ go forward into the world, that is the water, they will bring in converts, that is fish.

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But the net will not tear as it did in Luke chapter 5. Some have said that this represents the church holding together despite the strain of new converts.

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Instead, the fish who are caught will be brought to shore. Specifically, they will be brought safely to Jesus who was standing on the shore in John 21.

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Again, the parallels here are almost impossible to ignore. And it seems that this miracle is meant for encouragement to the disciples and assurance of Jesus' power, and also as a symbol of the success of the church all at the same time.

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And by the way, we've only scratched the surface here. There's many, many more parallels, many more meanings to be gotten out of this.

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And then there's another theory for this, one which comes from the previous chapter of John. In John 20 verse 21, it is written, quote,

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Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book.

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But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the

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Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name, end quote. Now many commentators have noted in light of this passage that it is probable that the exact number of fish is recorded as 153 to testify to the reliability of John's eyewitness account.

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In other words, he's offering specific details so that you know he was there, and most importantly, so that you can know that he testifies that Jesus is the

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Son of God. And this would be a less allegorical and symbolic interpretation of the passage.

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Of course, different commentators hold to varying degrees of both these views. In any case, let's contrast all of that deep study, all of those different ideas, with what we heard from Joyce Meyer.

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If you recall, this is what she said, quote, I think those fish were counted and it was recorded in the

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Bible just to show us what great attention God pays to every little detail in our life, end quote.

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In other words, the passage doesn't seem to be fundamentally about Jesus' authority, or Peter's restoration, or eyewitness details from John, or the evangelism of the

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Gentile world from the apostles. No, rather, the main reason behind the 153 fish is actually about you specifically, your personal life.

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That number is there specifically to show you how much God cares about all the little details of your life.

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So there you have it. I've given you, as best I can, the thought process behind Joyce Meyer's interpretation.

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I've also given you several other commentaries and perspectives on John chapter 21 and the account of the 153 fish.

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Please, let me know in the comments which of these does better justice to the actual text. Which of these interpretations is trying to get the meaning out of the text?

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And which is trying to insert a preconceived meaning into the text? Let us know in the comments what you think.

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Now the question people are going to ask at this point, for many, is this. Why exactly is this a problem?

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After all, God does care about our lives, so why does it matter if Joyce Meyer says this? Well, let me tell you why

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I think it matters. Joyce's interpretation methods demonstrate an overemphasis, an over -focus on the modern audience.

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And by the same token, they demonstrate a lack of attention to the actual context of the passage itself.

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This kind of preaching has become known as narcigesis. This is where a pastor labors in their teaching to make every biblical passage essentially about your personal life.

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But as you saw in the video, when Joyce chooses to emphasize this personal application, the audience is missing out on the overarching meaning of the text in context.

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The problem is that they don't get to see the parallels that these commentators have noticed for hundreds of years, ones which are very important.

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Again, they're not a coincidence. All they hear is something along the lines of, I'm super special and God cares about my life.

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Again, the idea that God cares about His people is not a bad idea in and of itself. What's bad is the impulse that many modern teachers have to make this their only idea, or the central idea, even if the text doesn't indicate that.

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That's exactly what happened in this situation. On the topic of biblical application, Romans 15, 4 says this, "...for

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whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the

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Scriptures we might have hope." So you see, the Scriptures are very much able to give us instruction, encouragement, and hope, even if they're not specifically about us.

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We definitely shouldn't deny that. There is personal application to be gained. But we should not look for encouragement or application in a passage at the expense of its context.

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It seems that many modern teachers, Joyce Meyer included, have focused in on the word encouragement here, but have forgotten that there is also the word instruction.

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In other words, it's not just meant for personal motivation, but also for teaching doctrine.

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Does God care about the details of our lives? Yes. In Psalm 56, verse 8, David says, "...you

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have kept count of all my tossings, put my tears in your bottle." Are they not in your book?

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We also know that God has numbered the very hairs on our heads. This is a fact. The problem is when you take a passage that has no obvious connection to this topic and make that the central point of your message in an effort to motivate your audience.

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In other words, this doesn't seem to be a genuine effort at biblical teaching. It seems to be a motivational speech disguised as biblical teaching.

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That is the issue. So what then is the solution? Well, as always, let's labor by God's grace to edify and strengthen our churches, families, and communities by the standard of God's Word.

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Let's get to work. I pray that this has been a blessing to you, and please know that this video isn't meant as a sinful attack, but rather as a biblical critique.

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And let's pray for Joyce Meyer, that she would stop this man -centered teaching by God's grace and turn to the truth of God's Word.

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