April | 2024 | Craig T. Owens

April 2024
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Links & Quotes

April 6, 2024 — Craig T. Owens

Romans 8:28 tells us that God uses ALL things to accomplish His purpose for our lives. Too many times I tried to rush through things without getting anything out of it. I have lots of new content every week, which you can check out on my YouTube channel.

He is 98 years old and he’s still busy serving other people! I pray we can all be as selfless and vibrant in ministering to others until the day God calls us home.

“When with an eye of faith we behold Christ crucified we ought to weep, not for Him, but for ourselves. We must not be affected with the death of Christ as with the death of a common person whose calamity we pity, or of a common friend whom we are likely to part with. The death of Christ was a thing peculiar; it was His victory and triumph over His enemies; it was our deliverance, and the purchase of eternal life for us. And therefore let us weep, not for Him, but for our own sins, and the sins of our children, that were the cause of His death; and weep for fear (such were the tears here prescribed) of the miseries we shall bring upon ourselves, if we slight His love, and reject His grace, as the Jewish nation did, which brought upon them the ruin here foretold.” —Matthew Henry, on Jesus’ word, “Do not weep for Me” in Luke 23:28

J. Warner Wallace shares three responses Christians can give to those who make the claim that Jesus didn’t think He was God. In this video, Detective Wallace talks about a section of his website that gives further evidence. You can find that section here.

The Institute for Creation Research is a group of scientists explaining how science points to a Creator. What does Creation have to do with Easter? “Any view of Christianity that incorporates long ages of death and suffering before Adam makes a sham of the Cross. This Easter season, as we remember our salvation made possible by the death of our Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross and His triumphant resurrection from the grave, let us understand it within the ‘big picture’ of a ‘very good’ creation that was ruined by our rebellion but restored by the willing sacrifice of our great Creator-Savior.”

“One measure of the greatness of a man is not only that he practices what he preaches, but also that he doesn’t consider himself above the ordinary means of grace that all Christians need.” —John Piper

“Beware of idleness—satan sows most of his seed in fallow ground.” —Thomas Watson

He prayeth best who loveth best

All things both great and small;

For the dear God who loveth us,

Hath made and loveth all. —Samuel T. Coleridge

So Good!

April 1, 2024 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.

You may have heard it this last weekend. Someone says, “Jesus is risen,” and their friend responds, “He is risen indeed!” Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead is the greatest event ever! And yet some people just can’t seem to grasp how good this truly is.

We’ve been trained to believe if something sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. So we are careful to be skeptical of any too-good-to-be-true claims that we may hear. Our heart might get excited at the possibilities, but then our logical mind begins to shout, “Wait!”

Here’s what a logical argument looks like: P1 + P2 + P3 = C.

The Ps are premises, and if we put true premises all together, then the C (conclusion) is true as well. All I have to do is invalidate one of the Ps and the whole argument falls apart. Then my logical mind can say, “See! I told you it was too good to be true!”

People heard the teachings of Jesus, they saw His miracles, thousands of them had even tasted the bread and fish He miraculously multiplied. They had hoped He was the One they had been longing for—the Messiah that would deliver them. But then He was crucified and their excitement was extinguished.

On the Sunday morning after His crucifixion, rumors began to swirl that Jesus had been resurrected back to life. Others said they had actually seen Him and talked with Him. Hearts began to swell with excitement again. But for many of them, their logical minds began to shout, “Wait! Don’t fall for another too-good-to-be-true story!”

We meet a couple of men who felt like this in Luke 24:13-24. They so wanted it to be true that Jesus was the Messiah they had longed for, but I notice that they use the word “but” three times. That’s their logical mind trying to invalidate any one of the premises.

Jesus was indeed resurrected from the dead. There is so much evidence that I don’t have time to go through today, but let me just share one item with you: Paul listed all of the people who had seen Jesus alive (1 Corinthians 15:3-8). Facing persecution and even martyrdom, none of these eyewitnesses recanted their faith.

Chuck Colson, who was at the center of the Watergate scandal and who was not a Christian at that time, said,

“I know the resurrection is a fact, and Watergate proved it to me. How? Because twelve men testified they had seen Jesus raised from the dead, then they proclaimed that truth for 40 years, never once denying it. Every one was beaten, tortured, stoned and put in prison. They would not have endured that if it weren’t true. Watergate embroiled twelve of the most powerful men in the world and they couldn’t keep a lie for three weeks. You’re telling me twelve apostles could keep a lie for 40 years? Absolutely impossible.”

Remember our logical statement: P1 + P2 + P3 = C.

Jesus gave one of His own in Luke 18:31-33. It would go something like this:

✔️ P1 (He was turned over to the Romans)
✔️ P2 (He mocked, flogged, killed)
✔️ P3 (He was raised from the dead)
✔️ C (Jesus fulfills every promise of God)

The disciples on their way to Emmaus used the word “but” three times, but Jesus counteracted that by using the word “all” three times (Luke 24:25-27), when He said all of the Scriptures point to Him and are fulfilled in Him!

The Bible is packed with promises! Promises of courage, assurance, wisdom, healing, direction, provision. And they are all valid promised because of the resurrection of Jesus—

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through Him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. … What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? (2 Corinthians 1:20; Romans 8:31-32)