Does Self-Help Get God’s Help?

June 24, 2019 — Craig T. Owens

This is part 1 in our series looking at phrases that sound biblical and then asking, “Is that in the Bible?” 

Statement #1—God helps those who help themselves. Is that in the Bible? No, it is not! 

The reason why I think people have accepted this as biblical is an incorrect view of God. 

  1. Humanism says God is us, which makes us believe, “If it’s going to be, it’s up to me.” 
  2. Fatalism says there is no God and therefore no meaning to life, which makes us believe, “The outcome is what it is and no one has any say in the matter.” 
  3. Deism says there is a God, but it’s hard to get His attention, which makes us believe “He is either disinterested in me or unapproachable. He’s only available for the ‘big’ things.” 

The Bible flat-out rejects all three of these isms. 

Instead, we see a loving, approachable God. One who is both all-powerful and all-loving. He says things like…

  • I made you and know everything about you, and I remain infinitely interested and intimately involved in your life 
  • Come to Me and I will give you rest
  • I want you to cast all your anxieties on Me
  • Don’t be anxious about anything, but tell Me about everything that troubles you (Psalm 139:1-18; Matthew 11:28-29; 1 Peter 5:7; Philippians 4:6)

Not only is “God helps those who help themselves” untrue, but the exact opposite is also true—God helps those who cannot help themselves! 

In Isaiah 40:28-29, we read that God gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 

“Yes, it is our strength, not our weakness, that is our hindrance and stumbling block.” —Horatius Bonar 

God gives power to the weak. He gives strength to those with no might of their own. God does NOT help those who think they can help themselves! God helps those who cannot help themselves! This is what Jesus came to do, and why we should rejoice in the fact that He does indeed help those who could never rescue themselves (Isaiah 53:4-5; 2 Corinthians 12:9)!

It is our can’ts that God uses as His opportunities to show how limitless He is. Our limitations magnify His love and His power. 

One of the best prayers you could ever pray is simply, “God, help!” This simple prayer acknowledges in just two words that you can’t but He most assuredly can! 

But those who wait for the Lord—who expect, look for, and hope in Him—shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up close to God as eagles mount up to the sun; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired. (Isaiah 40:31 AMP) 

Join me next week as we continue to explore various statements and ask, “Is that in the Bible?” 

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Poetry Saturday—Let It Be On Earth

June 22, 2019 — Craig T. Owens
Psalm 93
The Lord sits upright on His throne, 
draped in a mountain, rising through 
the clouds, forever changeless, new, 
eternally impervious to 
all storms or time, a growing stone 
of splendor and unmeasured girth:
As there, Lord, let it be on earth!


Psalm 45:6-8


What sweetness bathes our every sense!


What radiating gladness swells 


around us! What delightful smells 


engulf, what happy music tells


Your glory! Joys beyond expense 


from You and from Your throne pour forth:


As there, Lord, let it be on earth!




Psalm 47


They gather in Elysian Fields, 


a vast and varied, joyful host, 


with one objective uttermost—


their King to celebrate and toast!


There, casting down their crowns and shields, 


they tell His holy, matchless worth:


As there, Lord, let it be on earth!




Revelation 4, 5


Throughout the vast, far-flung expanse 


a chorus rises, joyous, strong:


Unnumbered hosts, an endless throng, 


their voices joined in glorious song, 


extol their King’s eminence, 


rejoicing in His matchless worth:


As there, Lord, let it be on earth!




Hebrews 12:1


Now let us focus on one saint, 


one from that boisterous crowd of those 


who prays together, dressed in clothes 


of linen white. See how he glows 


in mien and body! No restraint 


impedes his holy, joyful mirth:


As there, Lord, let it be on earth!




Hebrews 1:7 


Christ speaks, and angels all obey, 


and hurry off to implement


His Word. They are as servants sent, 


a holy, unseen regiment, 


to guard and guide us on our way.


Of faithfulness they know no dearth:


As there, Lord, let it be on earth!




Psalm 97:1-6


Fire flows to mark His path, and burns 


away His foes by righteousness 


and justice, oozing forth to bless 


the world and overpave the mess 


we men have made of things. He turns 


this way and that in all His worth:


As there, Lord, let it be on earth! —T.M. Moore






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Toot! Toot!

June 20, 2019 — Craig T. Owens 




Do we begin again to commend ourselves?… (2 Corinthians 3:1)


Paul didn’t bring letters of reference to Corinth, nor did he ask the Corinthians to write any testimonials on his behalf.


A mark of a godly leader is one who doesn’t feel the need to toot his own horn.


 Paul’s focus was not on what he could get now, but on what would be his in eternity—


    

  • any “letters of recommendation” would be written on peoples hearts (v. 3)
    • 

  • any skills he had came through Jesus (vv. 4-6)
    • 

  • he had hope that God was keeping accurate records (vv. 7-11)
    • 

  • he had the freedom to speak boldly in love because he wasn’t trying to win man’s approval (vv. 12-13, 18)
    • 

  • he saw transformed lives as his real trophy (v. 18)
    • 

  • his ministry was through God’s mercy so he remained humbled and encouraged (4:1)
    • 

  • he didn’t feel the need to concoct a “marketing plan” nor leverage his pulpit for personal gain (v. 2)
    • 

  • he focused on glorifying God alone (vv. 3, 4, 6)
    • 

  • his sermons weren’t me-focused, but always others-focused as he became a bondservant to those to whom he ministered (v. 5)
    • 

  • he worked only for eternal rewards (vv. 7-12, 16-18)
    • 

  • he spoke only what he had already appropriated and faithfully applied to his own life (vv. 13-15)
    • 



Our prayer could be very similar to what Paul taught and probably prayed for himself—“May I lead by serving. May I not look for human praise—nor even be tempted to toot my own horn—but lead and minister only to hear applause from the nail-scarred hands of Jesus.” 


As R.T. Kendall reminds us—


“Every day we breathe in and out—in and out—thousands of times a day. There is a day fixed, that unless Jesus comes first, you and I will only breathe out. No amount of money, power, or prestige can alter the date that we each have with death. And at that moment the only thing that will matter is whether we have known Christ and served Him well—that our lives have made a difference. In short: that we are popular in heaven—and famous in hell.”


This is part 37 in my series on godly leadership. You can check out all of my posts in this series by clicking here.






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Thursdays With Spurgeon—The Blessing Of A Promise-Keeping God

June 20, 2019 — Craig T. Owens 




This is a weekly series with things I’m reading and pondering from Charles Spurgeon. You can read the original seed thought here, or type “Thursdays With Spurgeon” in the search box to read more entries.


The Blessing Of A Promise-Keeping God


     I do not believe we can preach the gospel if we do not preach justification by faith without works; or unless we preach the sovereignty of God in His dispensation of grace; or unless we exalt the electing, unchangeable, eternal, immutable, conquering love of Jehovah. … 


     All the purposes of man have been defeated, but not the purposes of God. The promises of man may be broken. Many of them are made to be broken. But the promises of God shall all be fulfilled. He is a promise-maker, but He never was a promise-breaker; He is a promise-keeping God, and every one of His people shall prove it to be so.  


From The Autobiography Of Charles Spurgeon


God is not a man, so He does not lie. He is not human, so He does not change His mind. Has He ever spoken and failed to act? Has He ever promised and not carried it through? (Number 23:19)


For the word of God will never fail. (Luke 1:37)


Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed. (Joshua 23:14)


But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God. He made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. He keeps every promise forever. (Psalm 146:5-6) 


For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for His glory. (2 Corinthians 1:20)


Our God is a promise-making, promise-keeping God!






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Is That In The Bible?

June 19, 2019 — Craig T. Owens 




A meme that makes me chuckle every time I see it is a “quote” attributed to Abraham Lincoln in which he says, “The problem with quotes found on the internet is that they are often not true.” 


(Not to spoil the joke for you, but unless Lincoln knew how to time travel to the future, I don’t think he knew about the modern internet! 😂) 


I love this meme because it captures something that so many people fall into: a quick acceptance of a statement without verifying its source or thinking through the implications of the statement’s truthfulness. 


Some insightful comments sound Shakespearean, but William never wrote them. 


Some pieces of wisdom sound Socratic, but Socrates never taught them. 


Some religious maxims sound godly, but the Bible never recorded them. 


I would like to invite you to join me in a new series we are beginning this Sunday called Is That In The Bible? I think you may be surprised to discover just how many phrases we call biblical aren’t, and how many phrases there are that we never realized are actually in the Bible. 


By the way, if you have a phrase that you would like to have us explore in this series, please leave it in a comment below. 


You can join us in person at Calvary Assembly of God, or tune in for our Facebook Live broadcast. I’m looking forward to learning with you! 






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Two Bits Of Evidence

June 18, 2019 — Craig T. Owens 




“We have two bits of evidence about the Somebody. One is the universe He has made. If we used that as our only clue, then I think we should have to conclude that He was a great artist (for the universe is a very beautiful place), but also that He is quite merciless and no friend to man (for the universe is a very dangerous and terrifying place). The other bit of evidence is that Moral Law which He has put into our minds.


“And this is a better bit of evidence than the other because it is inside information. You find out more about God from the Moral Law than from the universe in general just as you find out more about a man by listening to his conversation than by looking at a house he has built. Now, from this second bit of evidence, we conclude that the Being behind the universe is intensely interested in right conduct—in fair play, unselfishness, courage, good faith, honesty, and truthfulness.” —C.S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity






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3 Lessons From A Devoted Dad

June 17, 2019 — Craig T. Owens 




If you were to pick a man that would have been desperately devoted to Jesus as his Savior, Cornelius wouldn’t make anyone’s “top 10” list! 


Just take a look at all the strikes against this man. He was a… 


    

  • …Gentile—to Jews, Gentiles were just the fuel to stoke the fires of hell. 
    • 

  • …resident of the city of Caesarea—since this was the headquarters of the Roman government for Palestine, not many Jews would venture there. 
    • 

  • …Roman—historians say only 10% of Romans in this era were monotheistic. 
    • 

  • …centurion—not just any centurion, but an extremely powerful centurion from the Italian Regiment (not just a local mercenary who was in it for the money). And he took his name from Cornelius Sulla, a Roman general known both for his mercy and his ruthlessness.
    • 



All of this makes Cornelius a fully self-sufficient and a well-to-do man who was not likely to look for help from God. Nor was he the type of person that a Christian missionary might seek out. 


But clearly, something was missing in Cornelius’ life because he was completely countercultural in his pursuit after God. Not just his pursuit of God, but his quick understanding of exactly who Jesus was. 


Luke the historian describes Cornelius as:


    

  • …devout and God-fearing. The Greek word for devout literally means “a right worshipper.” It’s a word Luke only uses three times in Acts, and two of those times are describing Cornelius. 
    • 

  • …prayerful. The word Luke uses for him means someone who makes prayer personal and ongoing. 
    • 

  • …generous. Cornelius took care of people who couldn’t take care of themselves. 
    • 



All of this got God’s attention (see Psalm 141:2; Revelation 5:8; Proverbs 19:17), and He sent an angel to direct Cornelius to Peter. 


When Peter came to Cornelius’ house, twice he said “as you know” (vv. 36, 37), showing us that Cornelius was aware that there was not only one true God, but that a relationship with Jesus was the only way to be in right relationship with God. As Peter spoke with Cornelius, his family, his relatives, his close friends, and even his fellow soldiers, the Holy Spirit baptized them just as He had done with the disciples of Jesus on the day of Pentecost. 


So here are 3 vital lessons for all men to learn from the life of Cornelius the centurion—


    

  1. Your devotion to God is influential. People around you do notice your devoted pursuit of God.
    2. 

  2. Your openness to all that God has puts your family, friends, and coworkers in a place to receive God’s blessings too.
    3. 

  3. God’s blessings flowing through you have lasting and far-reaching results. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Cornelius may have opened the door for Christian evangelism to Gentiles unlike anything that had happened before.
    4. 



Dads, be devoted to God. Desire all He has for you, and all He has for those around you. Pursue Him no matter how many “strikes” there may be against you. 




Be sure to check out the other messages in our series We Are: Pentecostal.






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