𝔽𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕜 ℕ𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕖 is on Bluesky

“If you pass the test... abundant life. If you do not pass the test... what happened to this man will happen to you.” Josh Howerton taught on the rich young ruler (Mark 10) on 10/25/26 during his current “Into the Breach” fundraising campaign. In the message, he teaches that the RYR refused to listen to Jesus and therefore missed out on God’s plan for his life. Josh teaches that we can ask Jesus to talk to us today and he promises that Jesus will respond. Josh then ties this to his campaign. He says that if a person feels like he is being led to do something for Jesus and chooses not to do it, they may end up like the RYR. He conflates staring at a Lakepointe Church commitment card and listening to subjective impressions a person may feel with the direct verbal words Jesus spoke to the RYR. This is incredibly manipulative. The RYR chose his possessions over following Christ in any way. That is not the same thing as deciding what to do during a fundraiser. The RYR wasn't saved. The subtle message here is that if you do not respond correctly, you risk the same outcome as the RYR. That is the assumed conclusion and the unspoken threat looming throughout this sermon towards his congregants. Josh has formulated a hyper-pragmatic doctrine of Christian living that is based on good works. Those good works are based on assuming that the thoughts and feelings a person has are direct communication from Jesus. That person is then conscience-bound to respond to that feeling correctly, basing their entire walk with God on that response. “Don’t fail the test.” This is straight up spiritual manipulation. It holds his people hostage and puts a fear in their hearts that if they do not respond in the right way, they might be opposing God. It assumes that Josh is speaking on behalf of God, and that his campaign is a test. His people will either pass or fail. The message to take away from the rich young ruler is not “he should have sold everything and that would have fixed his heart.” It’s that only God can fix our sinful hearts, which is exactly what Jesus says just verses later. Mark 10:27 “Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.’” Do not succumb to the temptation to base your entire salvation on whether or not you made the correct choices or did enough good works. Base it on faith in Christ.