Steven Furtick is a Preaching GENIUS? | Pastor Reacts

I'm gonna play a little clip of a song, and you're going to pretend like that song title is your sermon title.

I have all the thoughts about this, but let's see what happens. While I appreciate how quick on his feet Firtik is, this whole thing ended very badly. He's playing a dangerous game with the word of God.

Those of us who get up to preach, especially at the pulpit, we need to be even fearful about handling the word of God rightly. No one should start with a song and work their way to a sermon title, and I don't even think Firtik does this on a regular basis.

At least I hope not. I'm not even sure how to set this clip up, okay? I've got Steven Firtik and his wife playing a game where they create sermons on the spot based on pop songs. Yep, you heard that right.

What are we even to make of something like this? Let's find out together. If you're new here, my name is Nate, and this is Wise Disciple, where I'm helping you become the effective Christian that you are meant to be.

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So I'm gonna play a little clip of a song, and you're going to pretend like that song title is your sermon title for this series, Do the New You, and I want you to tell people how you would preach that title, okay?

Got it?

All right, roll the first song.

Okay, did you catch the premise of this game? Furtick is going to hear a clip from a pop song, and he's gonna put together a sermon title, and then apparently a sermon outline based on the pop song. I already have thoughts about this.

I have all the thoughts about this, but let's see what happens. By the way, I'm probably not gonna be able to play the actual songs, but I'll put the title of the songs up so you know what's being played while this video plays out.

Song, first song.

Okay, so that's Stuck in a Moment by U2. So if you know how that song goes, that's what he just heard.

I see the Israelites standing on the shore of the Red Sea.

I see Moses telling the Israelites,.

Why are you crying?

God's about to deliver us. Stand still, you'll see the salvation of the Lord. And I hear God saying back to Moses in Exodus 14, why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. And since the song is called Stuck in a Moment, I hear God saying to Moses and to you, you're not stuck because that stick in your hand,.

If you stretch it over the Red Sea that you're so afraid of,.

And get your eyes off of the water and begin to walk in faith.

So for a hot second, I was with him actually, because I think I'm understanding the game now, right? You hear a song title, it helps you to recall something that happened in the Bible. And then you put together a sermon outline of what you would preach at the pulpit from that biblical story.

He got me. I think Stuck in a Moment could connect to Exodus 14. Take a look at this. Exodus 14, starting at verse 10, when Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them and they feared greatly.

And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?

Is not this what we said to you in Egypt? Leave us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians, for it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness. And Moses said to the people, fear not, stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today.

For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you and you have only to be silent, amen. The Lord said to Moses, why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground.

So the Israelites have fled Egypt, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart again. And so he takes all of his horses and chariots and army and he chases after the Israelites until their backs are proverbially against the wall.

In front of them is an uncrossable sea and behind them is the Pharaoh and his armies. And so they're stuck in a moment, right? And then Furtick jumps to an application that says this.

I hear God saying to Moses and to you, you're not stuck because that stick in your hand.

If you stretch it over the Red Sea that you're so afraid of.

And get your eyes off of the water and begin to walk in faith.

Oh my, how did we get there? How is that?

What?

How is the application? That because God told his prophet Moses to do something very specific thousands of years ago, that all of a sudden the lesson for us today is to stretch out our own prophet staff and part the waters of the sea in our own life.

That's quite a leap. Do I have any pastors in the audience? Are you out there? Is that how you preach this text? Because I've got news for all of you. That's not the lesson for you. That's not even the application for you.

And what Furtick is doing is, actually, it's not funny. He's setting people up for a huge disappointment when they reach out to God and God's answer to them is to go through trial, to actually suffer and go through suffering.

What are people supposed to do with a sermon like that who have no choice because there is no solution for them other than to suffer or go through trials that God has ordained for their life. What does Furtick do with Peter when Peter says this?

First Peter chapter four, verse 12,. "'Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial "'when it comes upon you to test you, "'as though something strange were happening to you, "'but rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, "'that you may also rejoice and be glad "'when his glory is revealed.'".

What does Furtick do with the Apostle Paul who says this? Second Corinthians chapter 12, verse seven, "'So to keep me from becoming conceited "'because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, "'a thorn was given me in the flesh, "'a messenger of Satan to harass me, "'to keep me from becoming conceited.

"'Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, "'that it should leave me. "'But he said to me, "'Paul, take that stick in your hand "'and hold it up over the sea in front of you, "'and it will just part in faith.'".

No, that's not what he said. He said, "'My grace is sufficient for you, "'for my power is made perfect in weakness. "'Therefore,' the Apostle Paul says, "'I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, "'so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

"'For the sake of Christ, "'then I am content with weaknesses, "'insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. "'For when I am weak, then I am strong.'". That's not the application for the believer today.

When they read of what God did for the Israelites in the past, as a matter of fact, that's not even the application for the Israelites in their own history. In Isaiah 43, the Lord says this to Israel.

This is verse 16 right here. "'Thus says the Lord, "'who makes a way in the sea, "'a path in the mighty waters, "'who brings forth chariot and horse, army and warrior.'". What is that? That's the Exodus.

That's the Israelites crossing the sea as Moses parts it with his staff. "'They lie down, they cannot rise. "'They are extinguished, quenched like a wick. "'Thus says the Lord, "'Remember not the former things, "'nor consider the things of old.

"'Behold, I am doing a new thing. "'Now it springs forth. "'Do you perceive it?''. When was this written, by the way? When the Israelites were heading into Babylonian exile. Look at verse 14 right here.

"'Thus says the Lord, "'your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, "'for your sake I send to Babylon. "'I bring them all down as fugitives, "'even the Chaldeans and the ships in which they rejoice.'". The story for the Israelites is tragedy.

So Furtick's application doesn't even apply to the same nation that God brought out of Egypt originally. So while I appreciate how quick on his feet Furtick is, this whole thing ended very badly. And if he preached something similar to this at a real pulpit on Sunday morning, he's playing a dangerous game with the Word of God.

Give him a heads up about this, okay?

Are you ready for the next one?

The last time a game like this was played on this stage, Bishop T .D. Jakes was doing the answering. This is really, really wrong of you to do this to me.

It is wrong on so many levels. Also, T .D. Jakes, uh-oh. I just did a reaction on Jakes over on my Patreon. Did you see that? Sounds like Jakes and Furtick have similar styles of preaching here.

No, it's not.

No, it's not.

All right, here we go. You ready for the next one?

Okay, yeah, I think so.

Okay, so that song was Tom Petty, Won't Back Down, very catchy. All right, let's see what Furtick comes up with now.

There was a king who made a treaty with an enemy king in the Old Testament. And after he made the treaty, the enemy said, well, I actually want your children too. He said, all right. And then he said, actually, I want all your livestock too.

And at some point, the king had to say, that's it.

I'm drawing a line that deals off.

I know I said you could have my children and I know I said you could have our treasury and I know I said you could have the land, but I met with God and I realized that if I give you an inch, you'll take a mile.

So this sounds like the story of Ahab. So the story of Ahab is kind of drawn out through several interactions, but what happens is he's confronted by Ben-Hadad. He's another king who is, he's the king of Syria.

Ben-Hadad, he sends his messengers to Ahab to say this in verse three, your silver and your gold are mine. Your best wives and children also are mine. And the king of Israel answered, as you say, my Lord, O king, I am yours and all that I have.

This seems quite serious. And at first, you know, Ahab assents to giving up these possessions, these people, but then his elders and the rest of the people give him some advice. Verse eight, and all the elders and all the people said to him, don't listen or consent.

So he said to the messengers of Ben-Hadad, tell my Lord, the king, all that you first demanded of your servant, I will do, but this thing I cannot do. And the messengers departed and brought him word again.

Ben-Hadad sent to him and said, the gods do so to me and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls, for all the people who follow me. And the king of Israel answered, tell him, let not him who straps on his armor boast himself as he who takes it off.

Little smack talking going on. When Ben-Hadad heard this message, as he was drinking with the kings in the booths, he said to his men, take your positions. And they took their positions against the city and this leads to war.

So, and they have these skirmishes and these sort of battles. And then at the end, Ahab defeats Ben-Hadad. Let's see how Firtik handles this one. Hey, real quick, I'm so grateful that you're watching.

If I've earned the right to get your sub, I'd love it if you would just click the like and subscribe button. It would really help me to get the video out to more and more people. I really do appreciate you.

And if I give you a corner of my life, you'll wanna take the whole room.

Come on.

And if I give you my thoughts, you'll wanna take my behaviors. And if I give you my behaviors, you're gonna wanna take my patterns.

Come on.

And if you take my patterns, you can have my life. So I see somebody like that Old Testament king going back to the enemy and saying,.

The deal's off. I changed my mind. I remember what King David said to a giant, the Philistine that stood nine feet tall. And all of the other Israelites said, he's too big to fight. But David said, he's too big to miss.

Who is this uncircumcised Philistine? Send him a message. Tell him, I won't. Somebody shout, I won't.

I won't.

Back down.

Back down.

High five, three people say, don't back down now.

You've come too far to back down now. Yeah, yeah.

I hear Tom Petty say, don't do it.

Don't be petty.

Don't come around here no more.

Yeah, that's clever. Okay, I don't remember, you know, some of the embellishments that he just did there in the actual story of Ahab, right? As a matter of fact, I don't remember a conversation like that with God in this story at all.

I do see that God gets involved in this conflict between Ahab and Ben-Hadad, but God is very clear on why he's getting involved. Verse 13, thus says the Lord, have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will give it into your hand this day, and you shall know that I am the Lord, right?

Take a look at this, verse 28. Thus says the Lord, because the Syrians have said the Lord is a God of the hills, but he is not a God of the valleys, therefore I will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.

It seems like God is concerned about people knowing who he is and understanding his nature to some degree. That's why he gets involved in the first place. And that's even just a cursory read of where we are in chapter 20.

If you zoom out, right, you get the greater, more broad thematic treatment of the text. You would notice that this is really more about the decline and eventual fall of the monarchy in Israel. And that this story is actually one of a number of stories of, you know, sort of tracking along the lines of the various 150 years of kings after Solomon, right, after Solomon's demise, and how these kings either remained faithful to the Lord's covenant with Yahweh or not.

And as we know it, it finally ends in a tragic story where Israel is taken captive by the Babylonians, okay? Interestingly, the reason many of these kings were unfaithful was not because they fully rejected Yahweh.

It's because they tried to include other religions in a form of syncretism that was unacceptable to the Lord. That's actually where a lot of Christians go astray today, is in the form of syncretism. So that's applicable.

Can we do another one?

Holly, we gotta get to the book.

One more, one more, one more, one more. All right, one more, one more, one more.

That's New Light by John Mayer. Pretty sure that song's about falling in love. So let's see what Furtick does with this.

Vibey.

I feel like we need a Vibey Bible character for New Light. Love. The angel of the Lord, shone upon them in the glory of the Lord, shone round about them, and they were terrified. The angel said unto them, fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. So the new light appeared in the valley of the shadow, and sometimes we want God to remove us from valley situations where the shadow has made us unable to see the provision that he's given us.

The beginning of that sounded like Luke chapter two, verse nine, and the angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. This was the announcement to the birth of Jesus.

And the angel said to them, fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

But then the rest of that, I don't know, sounds like Furtick is just kind of riffing or something. He's piecing together something else, you know? It's funny, like if I were playing this game, hey, I said if, all right?

New light for me would take me to John chapter one, verse nine, the true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.

Here it is, he came to his own, and his own people did not receive him, but to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory. Glory is of the only son from the Father, full of grace and truth. Somebody can amen that. That's the gospel. That's the incarnation.

That's the Trinity. That leads to the indictment in John chapter three, right? And this is the judgment that light has come into the world and people love the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

Okay, this right here, there's probably a whole month of sermons right there, okay? And the gospel will preach every time, amen? That's if I were playing this game, okay? Let's see what Fertig comes up with.

We look around and all we see is shadow, all we see is darkness, all we see is uncertainty, all we see is fear. But God sometimes doesn't take you out of the place. Sometimes he gives you his presence in the place in a new way.

So maybe God's got you right where he wants you. So maybe the greenest grass is in the valley. Maybe the growth opportunities happen in the low places and the uncertain places and the strange places. And maybe sometimes when we're asking God to give us a new life, instead, he wants to shine a new light on the life that he's already given us.

That's clever. That's clever. And it actually, you know, connects biblically. Psalm 119 verse 130, the unfolding of your words gives light. It imparts understanding to the simple. I open my mouth and pant because I long for your commandments.

Turn to me and be gracious to me as is your way with those who love your name. Keep steady my steps according to your promise and let no iniquity get dominion over me. Redeem me from man's oppression that I may keep your precepts.

Make your face shine upon your servant and teach me your statutes. What's interesting here is that your perception is changed or shifted through the unfolding of God's words. The light that shifts perception to the psalmist is the unfolding of God's words.

So we actually are taught by the scripture how we can have the proper perception of the events that are unfolding all around us in our lives. But it's through knowing God's word, knowing what it says that imparts understanding to us.

Hopefully, that's where Furtick is going with this.

In the beginning, God said, let there be light and light was. And when the light shines, you begin to see what was there all along. And I'm praying that today God would shine his light on your life to show you everything he's given you and that you may have a fuller understanding of every good thing that we have in Christ Jesus.

And you would see your inheritance in Jesus in a new light. Sometimes you think that there's something wrong with you. There's nothing wrong with you. There's just something wrong with your view of you.

So there's nothing wrong with you though. Is that what he just said? There's nothing wrong with you guys. That's what the Bible teaches too, right? Aye, aye, aye. Are we made in the image of God? Yes.

Can we affirm good things that we witnessed in others sometimes that reflect back to our creator? Absolutely.

Amen.

But is there nothing wrong with us? You know, that's not what the Bible teaches at all. Romans 5, verse 12, therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.

Does that sound like there's nothing wrong? This is actually the precursor to the good news of the gospel. Take a look at this. Verse 18, therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.

For as by the one man's disobedience, the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience, this is Jesus, the many will be made righteous. If there's nothing wrong with you, what's the point of the gospel then?

How can you give the good news when there is no bad news? Boy, this is what happens when your brain is working overtime to get a good soundbite instead of scriptural truth. Wow, what are we supposed to conclude about something like this?

Is this even a game that pastors should play? I know I just attempted it a moment ago, so you know what I mean? Look, my concern about something like this is there's just a lot more that goes into writing sermons, okay?

Obviously, no one should start with a song and work their way to a sermon title, and I don't even think Furtick does this on a regular basis, at least I hope not. This was a game that he was playing for an event, but I think this exercise helps to reveal that we need to be super careful.

Those of us who get up to preach, especially at the pulpit, we need to be even fearful about handling the word of God rightly. If you're not careful and you're more concerned, you're super focused on being memorable on stage, then you jump directly to feel-good, motivational talking points that get everyone super jazzed, but don't really understand the word of God.

And as I pointed out a moment ago, you actually set them up for failure later when God chooses to sanctify you through suffering. That is a concept that is taught all over the place in the Bible. And you don't realize that because, like you don't realize that's what's happening because you think everything is supposed to go well for you because you can raise your prophet staff, you see, and you can part waters in faith whenever you please.

That's a recipe for deconstruction, ladies and gentlemen. It's unbiblical and it's theologically dangerous, okay? But those are my thoughts. Now it's your turn. What do you think about this game? What's your take on Furtick?

Is he a good preacher? Does he handle the word of God rightly? Let me know in the comments below. As always, since you made it all the way to the end, you definitely should join the Patreon community, even just to read the Bible with me.

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