Pastors can only fulfill their calling as shepherd leaders with the vitalizing power of prayer, and must pray for themselves first. A healthy, prayer-full pastor is an effective pastor. My newest book is to help pastors in this vital discipline of prayer.
Amen Indeed fuels growth by providing more than 100 prayers for pastors to pray for their own mental, physical, spiritual, and relational growth. Each is sourced from Scripture and rings with the “Amen” that Jesus promised to add (2 Corinthians 1:20).
“There is one assured way for our prayers to be answered: It is to pray the will of God.
“There is one assured way to pray the will of God: It is to pray Scripture.
“As ministers of the Gospel we would be wise then to primarily pray Scripture, for ‘the word of our God stands forever’ (Isaiah 40:8).” —Dick Brogden, Founder of the Live Dead Movement
“When it comes to prayer, we need some help. And in Amen Indeed, help is at hand. Whatever is keeping us from prayer, Craig Owens can help us push through to a more consistent and more consistently joyful and fruitful life of prayer.” —T.M. Moore, Principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here.
There is a phrase the apostle Paul uses frequently: “in service to God.” Let me give you one example from Romans 15:17—“Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God.” The Amplified Bible renders this verse like this: “In Christ Jesus, then, I have legitimate reason to glory (exult) in my work for God—in what through Christ Jesus I have accomplished concerning the things of God.”
In this passage in Romans 15 Paul says he preached in service to God.
A few verses later he says that he was on his way to minister to the financial needs of the saints “in the service of the Lord’s people” in Jerusalem (vv. 25-26). He uses similar words to the church at Corinth when he speaks of people devoting themselves “to the service of the Lord’s people” (1 Corinthians 16:15; 2 Corinthians 8:4). He tells them, “This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God” (2 Corinthians 9:12-13).
In other words, Paul says that we may be serving people, but this is really service to God through Jesus. Jesus Himself would say that all of our ministry to people is ultimately done “for Me” (see Matthew 25:40).
Because this is service done for Jesus, it is only recognition from Jesus that we should desire. We want to hear Jesus say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Sadly, in the very next chapter of Romans, Paul warns the saints about people who are serving “their own appetites” instead of serving Jesus—
I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. (Romans 16:17-18)
Notice that those who speak with smooth talk and flattery are serving themselves by trying to earn accolades from other people. But this motivation only ends up causing divisions.
In my book When Sheep Bite, I call flattery from others—and the desire to receive human praise—the “sneaky bite.”
Flattery needs to be quickly identified and quarantined because it has two ways it can set up a shepherd for a painful fall.
First, the flatterers are usually more concerned about themselves than they are about the shepherd. You may appreciate the compliments at first, but if you listen closely you can begin to pick up the note of insincerity that morphs these encouraging compliments into dangerous flattery. …
The second sneaky danger in flattery is what it does to your heart, especially if you have been recently bitten, attacked, or abandoned by other sheep. Mark Twain once quipped, “I can live for two months on a good compliment.” It’s true that we can get parched for a kind word if we haven’t heard one for a while. A thirsty man will drink just about anything, and a flatterer can offer you a tasty refreshment that, if you gulp it down, can end up turning quite bitter later on.
When no one praises your sermon, or appreciates your wisdom that made the difference, or notices your long hours given in service to them, how do you feel?
If you feel like you should have been recognized for your shepherding work, let me ask another question: For whom were you working?
Jesus told us that when you lead sheep to green pastures, or when you guide them to sparkling waters, when you care for the sick, carry the weak on your shoulders, and rescue the wandering lambs, you are really doing all of this for Him. They are His sheep which have been entrusted to your care for this period of time (see Matthew 25:31-46). (From chapter 6 ‘When the Sheep Flatter You’)
Although When Sheep Bite was written for those in leadership, we can all learn this important lesson—
We want to speak serving words to encourage people to praise Jesus; we don’t want to speak smooth words to encourage people to praise us.
There is a massive difference between serving words and smooth words. This will be made abundantly and eternally clear when Jesus returns and says, “Take your inheritance” to those who served Him by their words, or “Depart from Me” to those who merely served themselves by their words.
Take a close listen to make sure your words are serving words, and that the posture of your heart is to only help others praise Jesus.
Pentecost for over 1500 years was a celebration in Jerusalem that brought in Jews from all over the world. But on the Day of Pentecost which came just ten days after Jesus ascended back into heaven, the meaning of Pentecost was forever changed!
Followers of Jesus—now empowered by an infilling of the Holy Spirit—began to take the good news of Jesus all over the world. These Spirit-filled Christians preached the Gospel and won converts to Christ even among hostile crowds, performed miracles and wonders, stood up to pagan priests and persecuting governmental leaders, and established a whole new way of living as Christ-followers.
We, too, can be Pentecostal followers of Jesus Christ today. We can experience an anointing and an empowering in our lives that turns ordinary Christianity into extraordinary Christianity!
Please join me this Sunday at Calvary Assembly of God as we rejoin this series. You can check out what I taught in this series in 2025 by clicking here.
As he does in all of his books, John shares insights from other authors that help add some impact to the ideas he is sharing. I have already shared some quotes from this book, but here are some of the notable quotes that John shared in Leading in Tough Times.
“Once we accept the fact that life is hard, we begin to grow. We begin to understand that every problem is also an opportunity. … We use [those problems] as a means of rising to the occasion.” —Hal Urban
“A mistake simply shows you something you didn’t know. Once you make the mistake, then you know it.” —Kim Kiyosaki
“The basic role of a leader is to foster mutual respect and build a complementary team where each strength is made productive and each weakness is made irrelevant.” —Stephen R. Covey
“Life is a series of problems. Do we want to moan about them or solve them?” —M. Scott Peck
“When you step into a turnaround situation, you can safely assume four things: Morale is low, fear is high, the good people are halfway out the door, and the slackers are hiding.” —Nina DiSesa
“Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person they are almost indistinguishable.” —David W. Augsburger
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here.
“To be a mother is the greatest vocation in the world. No being has a position of such great power and influence.” —Hannah Whitall Smith
A mother’s power impacts her children while she is alive, and a mother’s influence continues to empower them after she is gone. Other than Jesus Himself, I’m not sure who has a greater influence than a God-fearing mother.
A mother’s influence is seen in her children.
Paul was a prolific evangelist and letter writer. His letters make up a huge part of the New Testament of the Bible. Much of his travel and his letters were thanks to a faithful traveling companion named Timothy.
Paul’s very last letter was written to Timothy, in which he called him my dear son (2 Timothy 1:2)
Paul met him in Lystra where Timothy was well spoken of (Acts 16:1-2)
Paul knew the anointing that was on Timothy (2 Timothy 1:6; 1 Timothy 1:18)
Timothy stepped right into the fire of ministry—persecution in Philippi and Thessalonica; then he followed Paul to Corinth (Acts 18:1-5)
Timothy was entrusted to deliver valuable letters and answer questions (1 Corinthians 4:17, 16:10-11; Philippians 2:19-23; 1 Thessalonians 2:18—3:6)
In his first pastoral epistle, we see that Paul commissioned Timothy to pastor in Ephesus (a challenging place), and he reminds Timothy that he is my true son (1 Timothy 1:2)
Paul knows that this godly man, this trusted friend, this faithful companion is a product of the power and influence of his mother, who in her turn was influence by her mother (2 Timothy 1:5).
There is very little mention of Timothy’s father, other than he was aGreek. That could mean he was of Greek nationality or that he was a Gentile. We know Gentiles were looking for Jesus (John 12:20-21) and were turning to Jesus (Acts 14:1), but it would seem this wasn’t the case for Timothy’s dad, since neither Luke nor Paul mention him by name.
The fact that we don’t know his name may means that he passed away or he may have been uninvolved in Timothy’s upbringing. We can at least tell that his father—who had the right to name his children—was hoping for great things from his son. The name Timotheus means honoring God.
The main influence in Timotheus’ life was his mother and grandmother. Already he was known as a disciple. Recall that Luke seldom used the word “Christian” but usually called the followers of Jesus saints, believers, and disciples. We also read that the fellow brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him (Acts 16:2).
Paul says this is because Lois (mimi) and Eunice (mama) had a sincere faith (2 Timothy 1:5), which literally means “without any hypocrisy.” Andrew Murray wrote, “Your motherhood is in God’s sight holier and more blessed than you realize.” This was in a time before the Church was very well established, so there were very few supports around them; certainly Timothy’s father wasn’t a supporter.
Timothy felt this impact just as King David did (Psalm 86:16). Paul tells Timothy to follow my example (v. 13-14) and follow the example of your godly mother and grandmother (v. 5).
Mothers and grandmothers, keep the faith!
Your life has power and it has influence. Charles Spurgeon said, “The devil never reckons a man to be lost so long as he has a good mother alive. O woman, great is thy power!”
Great, indeed, is your power, Mom! Don’t give up, don’t give in to despair.
I hope you get to see your power and your influence in your lifetime, but even if you don’t, be assured that your influence will outlive you—I am persuaded [the faith of your mother] now lives in you also!
Kids, today would be an especially good day to let your mother and grandmother know the positive influence they have had on your life. Trust me: nothing would make their day more than hearing those words from you!
We are born with a certain level of intuition, but we can definitely build a stronger intuition by learning lessons from history. Check out the full conversation Greg and I had about a leader’s intuition + execution.
“It is idle to talk always of the alternative of reason and faith. Reason is itself a matter of faith. It is an act of faith to assert that our thoughts have any relation to reality at all. If you are merely a sceptic, you must sooner or later ask yourself the question, ‘Why should anything go right; even observation and deduction? Why should not good logic be as misleading as bad logic? They are both movements in the brain of a bewildered ape?’” —G.K. Chesterton
I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who. —Rudyard Kipling
“All the work of man is but the spinning of a righteousness which is undone as quickly as it is spun; but Christ has finished the seamless and spotless robe of His righteousness which is to last for ever.” —Charles Spurgeon
The Institute for Creation Research opens an article about the impact of and recovery from the biblical Flood with this, “In the beginning, God created plants and animals to multiply and fill the earth (Genesis 1:11–13, 20–25). So, when areas are devastated, living things are engineered with the innate ability to rebound and recolonize. This was seen in the rapid recovery of life at Mount St. Helens after the cataclysmic volcanic eruption of May 18, 1980. But conventional scientists seem to be finally recognizing and appreciating the reality of rapid recovery a bit more after studying the life that existed after the supposed Chicxulub impact.”
John Piper addressing the role of spiritual affections in the life of a Christian says, “No machine, no computer, no AI will ever duplicate the spiritual reality of the soul’s enjoyment of God.”
“Ignorance of Scripture is the mother of error. … Many lay aside Scripture as rusty armour (Jeremiah 8:9); they are better read in romances than in St. Paul; they spend many hours inter pectinem et speculum—‘between the comb and the glass’—but their eyes begin to be sore when they look upon a Bible. They who slight the Word written, slight God Himself, whose stamp it bears.” —Thomas Watson
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here.
Nearly every church has a pulpit where the pastor stands to deliver the weekly sermon. And almost every evangelical church gathering has the same order of service. Where did these things originate?
I talk more about biblical and non-biblical issues in this video, and in my blog post and video called “Use the right term.”
The full sermon from which this clip came is here.
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here.
Jesus spoke and people listened.
He taught “in the power of the Spirit” and “everyone praised Him” (Luke 4:14-15). Jesus quoted the prophet Isaiah, and everyone’s eyes “were fastened on Him.” He declared that He was the fulfillment of the prophecies about the Messiah, and “all spoke well of Him” and were “amazed at the gracious words that came from His lips” (vv. 18-22).
So how is it that in just a few verses, this same crowd of admirers is now furious with Him and ready to throw Him off a cliff?
The people liked it when the words of Scripture suited them and seemed to be pointing to blessings that were coming their way. But when Jesus continued to quote Scripture in reply to their request to do something that thrilled them, they became furious.
God’s Word is unwavering in presenting the righteous standard to which all people are held, while the prevailing culture is always looking for a way to bend those standards to something more palatable and comfortable.
When culture gets a hold of it, morality always decays. As a result, those who cling to the the biblical standard become the problem and must be thrown off the cliff.
Jesus never compromised on truth. This is because He was “led by the Spirit” and walked “in the power of the Spirit”—the One Whom He would later call the Spirit of Truth (Luke 4:1, 14; John 16:13).
Jesus didn’t come to speak comforting words to comfortable people, but truthful words to desperate people.
Speaking comfort to people with morals far removed from the standard of Scripture is to condone them right into hell.
If Jesus was so reliant on the indwelling power and counsel of the Holy Spirit to live righteously as morality decayed around Him, what would make us think we could get by with anything less?! We need to allow the Spirit of Truth to search us for any areas where we may have compromised with culture, so that we can repent and return to the unwavering biblical standard.
This is the only way we can shine brightly for Jesus in a culture with disintegrating morality.
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here.
Imagine a couple being invited to a dinner at another couple’s house. The host and hostess want to create a special evening for their guests, so they carefully plan the meal, shop for all the ingredients, and then spend the afternoon putting together all the components of their meal.
Their friends arrive and sit down to dinner. One friend thoughtfully samples the food, letting it sit on her tastebuds, and offering comments like, “I love how you got the spices to bloom on this meat … Wow, look at the vibrant colors in your vegetable medley … I really like the way the lemon zest cuts down the sweetness of your cake frosting.” The other dinner guest inhales his meal without hardly tasting it.
For which guest would you rather spend hours preparing the meal—the thoughtful foodie or the hasty gobbler? It doesn’t have to be food. What about the one who appreciates the effort you put into your design project, noticing the fine-tuned details versus the one who simply says, “It looks nice”? Or the one who graciously receives your loving insight about something that could really help them versus the one who sulks and attacks you because you didn’t tell them everything about them is wonderful?
Statement #19—Don’t cast your pearl before swine. Is that in the Bible?Yes.
Matthew 7:6 is a paragraph unto itself. Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.
But its placement in the Sermon on the Mount is interesting because Jesus has just addressed the hard but loving word we may need to speak to a brother or sister (vv. 1-4). I’ve discussed this before, and this requires maturity, humility, and introspection before speaking.
In v. 6, Jesus seems to be telling us to consider whom we are addressing.
The word sacred (Greek: hagios) means saintly, holy, set apart for God’s use. This word is used for the Holy Spirit and for God’s holy people. So sacred things are not to be used just anywhere by anyone in any situation in which we choose. Sacred things must be used with discretion.
The apostle Paul said, “Yet when we are among the full-grown—spiritually mature Christians who are ripe in understanding—we do impart a higher wisdom—the knowledge of the divine plan previously hidden…” (1 Corinthians 2:6 AMPC).
The word dogs in Matthew 7:6 can me a 4-legged canine, but it can also mean a person of an impure mind (see Philippians 3:2; Revelation 22:15).
(2) …do not throw your pearls to pigs.
Pearls is a word of great value; a treasure that you spent dearly to acquire. Jesus talks about precious, costly treasures in two parables in Matthew 13:44-46. And Solomon opens the Book of Proverbs by contrasting those who receive precious wisdom—those who “listen and add to their learning”—with those who reject it—“fools [who] despise wisdom and instruction” (see Proverbs 1:1-7).
Pigs in Matthew 7 are those undiscriminating gobblers of food, like the thoughtless friend I mentioned earlier who just inhaled his food without any savoring of the perfectly-prepared meal.
We want to give a good answer to everyone without quarreling. But giving a good answer doesn’t necessarily mean you are giving them your best pearls. Here are a few things I have learned the hard way.
Do gauge their sincerity with questions. Notice the masterful way Jesus did this in Matthew 22:15-46. In several exchanges, you can tell which people in His audience were getting the pearls and which weren’t. We would do well to learn this lesson from our Savior.
Don’t try to be a know-it-all. Saying, “I don’t know,” is a perfectly acceptable answer, but then come back to continue the conversation later.
We have precious, invaluable, life-changing treasures to share with people! Let’s share with them what they are ready to hear, reserving our pearls for those who are truly seeking a treasure.
If you’ve missed any of the other statements we have looked at in our series “Is That In The Bible?” you can find them all here.
In discussing how Thomas Huxley coined the term agnostic, John Stonestreet and Dr. Glenn Sunshine note, “If God is rational and created an orderly universe and human beings in His image, we can study the universe. Without these assumptions, there is no reason to assume the world is knowable or that humans are able to know. It is the theistic assumption, not the agnostic assumption, that grounds science. By rejecting God, scientists undercut the foundations for their work.”
“There will come a time when every culture, every institution, every nation, the human race, all biological life is extinct and every one of us is still alive. Immortality is promised to us, not to these generalities. It was not for societies or states that Christ died, but for men.” —C.S. Lewis, in The Weight of Glory
“If Patrick Henry could arise from the dead and revisit the land of the living, and see the vast system and social organization and social science which now controls, he would probably simplify his observation and say, ‘Give me death.’” —G.K. Chesterton, speaking in New York City’s Time Square Theatre in 1921
T.M. Moore has an excellent series of posts about God and reason. In the post Since God is Reasonable, he writes, “If we are sluggish in reason, so that we do not like to have to think hard and long about matters; or if our skills in reasoning are inadequate, poorly honed, or rusty from disuse, then we should make it our business to overcome our laziness and improve our use of reason, since the great prize of reasoning with and knowing God lies open to us.”
I’m always impressed by the historicity of the Bible. “Archaeology has demonstrated that numerous people, places, and events within the books [of Ezra and Nehemiah] are historically accurate,” says this post.
“The Jewish high priests went once a year into the Holy of Holies. Each year as it came round demanded that they should go again. Their work was never done; but ‘He entered in once,’ and only once, ‘into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.’ I love that expression, ‘eternal redemption’—a redemption which really does redeem, and redeems forever and ever. If you are redeemed by it, you cannot be lost; if this redemption be yours, it is not for a time, or for a season, but it is ‘eternal redemption.’ Oh, how you ought to rejoice in the one entrance within the veil by our great High Priest who has obtained eternal redemption for us!” —Charles Spurgeon
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.
Gut instinct, a feelings, a sixth sense—we have a lot of different phrases for intuition. Whatever you want to call it, we all have those moments where we just know what the right decision is. Join Greg and I as we discuss why it’s important to develop this skill, and how to find the right time to turn your intuition into execution.
[0:00] Introduction
[1:02] Are we born with intuition?
[2:34] Intuition is hard to measure, but important to develop.
[4:23] Intuition is a gift that can be developed.
[7:04] How can leaders gain more intuition?
[8:40] Leaders need to reflect on their day to grow their intuition for future challenges.
[9:56] Don’t forget about the execution that leverages the intuition.
[11:44] Greg has learned to lean into the intuition of his teammates.
[13:27] What is the best ratio between execution and intuition?
[16:18] Watch out for fake intuition!
[17:42] Once the intuition is agreed upon, we have to let everyone execute their own way.
[19:59] We love empowering people to execute, but we also love developing their intuition.
[22:29] Greg tells a story about his “white glover” mother.
[24:44] Four reasons why we’re inconsistent as leaders.
[27:20] An outside coach can help you sharpen your intuition. Reach out to Maximize, we would love to help!
Pastors can only fulfill their calling as shepherd leaders with the vitalizing power of prayer, and must pray for themselves first. A healthy, prayer-full pastor is an effective pastor. My newest book is to help pastors in this vital discipline of prayer.
Craig T. Owens 