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Weigh The Options

October 7, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

The message Jesus had to deliver to the church at Smyrna (Revelation 2:8-11), was a heavy message. It’s a message I believe Christ is still speaking to the church today. In essence Jesus said, “I know how hard it’s been for you as a Christian. You’ve stood tall so far, but brace yourselves because more persecution is coming.”

Charles Spurgeon said, “There are no crown-wearers in Heaven who were not cross-bearers here below.” How true!

But I love the message from Jesus to us: “Yes,” He says, “things are hard, but weigh those things against the rewards I have for you! Hang in there! You will bring Me glory and you will earn the very highest rewards I can give!”

I tried to illustrate Christ’s message this way—

I will be continuing my series on The 7-Star Church next Sunday. If you are in the Cedar Springs area, I would love to have you join us!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Calvary Assembly of God, Christianity, church, courage, eternal life, Jesus Christ, persecution, poverty, Revelation, rewards, sermon, slander, temptation, video. Leave a Comment »

Thursdays With Oswald—Do I Have “Will-Issues”?

October 3, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

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

Do I Have “Will-Issues”?

You will find the supreme crisis in your life is “will-issues” all the time. Will I relinquish? Will I abandon? It is not that God won’t make us fit, it is that He cannot. God cannot make us fit to meet Him in the air unless we are willing to let Him. He cannot make us fit as the dwellings of His Son unless we are willing….

From Christian Disciplines

Think of how Jesus approached people in the gospels: Will you follow Me? Will you sell your possessions to become My disciple? Will you let Me heal you? Will you take up your cross and deny all else?

Too many times I have a tendency to answer, “Yes, but….” Instead of simply surrendering my “will-issues” to Christ, I want to call the shots, at least some of them. But Jesus says clearly:

“If you want to be My disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be My disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow Me, you cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:26-27, NLT)
“So then, any of you who does not forsake (renounce, surrender claim to, give up, say good-bye to) all that he has cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:33, AMP)

Holy Spirit, help me to give up my will-issues!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: disciples, discipleship, Jesus Christ, Oswald Chambers, surrender, will. 2 Comments »

The Holiest Moment

October 2, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

The holiest moment of my week shouldn’t be singing songs.

It shouldn’t be listening to a profound sermon.

Not even partaking of Communion.

My holiest moment should be my going out to show Christ’s love to a hurting world.

“The holiest moment of the church service is the moment when God’s people—strengthened by preaching and sacrament—go out of the church door into the world to be the Church.” —Ernest Southcott

“To a man who lives unto God nothing is secular, everything is sacred. He puts on his workday garment and it is a vestment to Him. He sits down to his meal and it is a sacrament. He goes forth to his labor, and therein exercises the office of the priesthood. His breath is incense and his life a sacrifice. He sleeps on the bosom of God, and lives and moves in the divine presence. … You housemaids, you cooks, you nurses, you ploughmen, you housewives, you traders, you sailors, your labor is holy if you serve the Lord Christ in it, by living unto Him as you ought to live. The sacred has absorbed the secular.” —Charles Spurgeon

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Charles Spurgeon, church, Ernest Southcott, God's love, Jesus Christ, sacred, secular, work. 2 Comments »

Keep Going

October 1, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. (Philippians 3:12-14)

“Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out if they’ve got a second.” —William James

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,

When the funds are low but the debts are high,

And you want to smile but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit…

Rest if you must, but don’t you quit!

Life is queer with its twists and turns,

As every one of us sometimes learns,

And many failures turn about

When we might have won had we stuck it out.

Don’t give up though the pace seems slow…

You may succeed with another blow.

Often the struggler has given up

When he might have captured the victor’s cup;

And he learned too late when the night came down,

How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out…

And you can never tell how close you are

It may be near when it seems so far.

So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit

It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit. —Edgar A. Guest

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: art, Edgar Guest, endurance, perseverance, Philippians, poetry, stick-to-it-iveness, video, William James. Leave a Comment »

Overcoming The Goliath Fears

September 30, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

Rev. Jeff Hlavin brought such an amazing and timely message to Calvary Assembly of God yesterday! Using the well known story of David and Goliath (see 1 Samuel 17), Pastor Jeff showed us how to defeat the giants of fear that stare us down. Here are the notes I took during his message—

“Unhealthy fear is anxiety-producing and diminishes the quality of our lives. It negatively affects our behavior and our relationships.”

“Unhealthy fear dominates our thinking … It looms larger in consequence … It intimidates… All other options seem to evaporate.”

On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified. (1 Samuel 17:11)

“Who decides the battle gets to be fought this way? We don’t have to let the enemy dictate the terms of engagement! If we let the enemy define the battle, our fearful state becomes our new status quo.”

“A Christian cliché will not overcome fear. We need to assess the situation accurately: (a) in the light of what fear is and does, (b) in the light of who and what you are, and (c) in the light of who and what God is.”

“…Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26)

We overcome personal fear through personal faith. Not someone else’s faith or experience or testimony, but mine.

“I cannot go in these,” David said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. (1 Samuel 17:39)

“God wired you the way He did on purpose. Use what is ‘you’ and ‘yours.’” Look at David’s faith. He tells Goliath he’s going to take his head off, but he doesn’t even have a sword! He used what God gave him and then he used the enemy’s own weapon against him. Once one fear is defeated, the other related fears flee too (v. 51b).

I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak His praises. I will boast only in the Lord; let all who are helpless take heart. Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness; let us exalt His name together. I prayed to the Lord, and He answered me. He freed me from all my fears. Those who look to Him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces. In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened; He saved me from all my troubles. (Psalms 34:1-6 NLT)

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Calvary Assembly of God, David, fear, God's strength, Goliath, help, intimidation, Jeff Hlavin, quality, status quo. 2 Comments »

Thursdays With Oswald—Time To Get Active

September 26, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

Time To Get Active

We must take heed that in the present calamities, when war and devastation and heart-break are abroad in the world, we do not shut ourselves up in a world of our own and ignore the demand made on us by our Lord and our fellow-man for the service of intercessory prayer and hospitality and care.

From Christian Disciplines

Instead when times are tough, Christians ought to be at their best! Open your eyes and you will see opportunities all around you to pray, to open your home, and to open your arms.

Jesus said, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

It’s time to open your eyes and get active!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Christianity, faith in action, good deeds, hard times, heartache, hospitality, intercession, Jesus Christ, love, Oswald Chambers, prayer, war. 1 Comment »

Distinguishing

September 25, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

A week ago I blogged about why some people avoid reading some of the Old Testament books because they seem tedious, or even out-of-date. But if you look at the Old Testament through the light of Jesus, you will find a rich beauty in its pages.

In Leviticus 11 God lists all kinds of food that is considered clean or unclean, and the proper ways to prepare and eat certain foods so as to not become unclean.

I believe one of the reasons God gave the commands for clean and unclean food was to cause His people to pause. Instead of just gobbling up what was in front of them, without any thought as to what it was, they would have to slow down to distinguish. God even said, “You must distinguish” (Leviticus 11:47).

Slowing down gives time for thankfulness too. How many times do I grab whatever is close by when I’m hungry? I shove anything in my mouth just to satisfy an immediate hunger, but there is no distinguishing, no thought, and no gratitude.

If I were to pause long enough to distinguish, how much healthier and grateful might I be?

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: distinguish, eat healthy, food, gratitude, Jesus Christ, Leviticus, Old Testament, slow down, thankfulness. Leave a Comment »

Irreplaceable

September 24, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

Someone needs to hear this message:

You cannot be replaced!

There has never been anyone like you before … There is not anyone else like you right now … There will never be anyone like you in the future.

Because you are unique, God has made you just as you are for a specific purpose—

“This signature on each soul may be a product of heredity and environment, but that only means that heredity and environment are among the instruments whereby God creates a soul. I am considering not how, but why, He makes each soul unique. If He had no use for all these differences, I do not see why He should have created more souls than one. Be sure that the ins and outs of your individuality are no mystery to Him; and one day they will no longer be a mystery to you. The mold in which a key is made would be a strange thing, if you had never seen a key: and the key itself a strange thing if you had never seen a lock. Your soul has a curious shape because it is a hollow made to fit a particular swelling in the infinite contours of the Divine substance, or a key to unlock one of the doors in the house with many mansions. For it is not humanity in the abstract that is to be saved, but you.” (C.S. Lewis)

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: C.S. Lewis, environment, God's purpose, heredity, mystery, purpose, uniqueness. Leave a Comment »

See You At The Pole

September 23, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

I am excited to be a part of the annual See You At The Pole prayer time. In Cedar Springs, we will be praying at three schools:

Middle School at 7:05am
Red Hawk Elementary at 7:10am
High School at 7:20am

If you are near Cedar Springs, please come pray with us at one of these locations. If you live in a different city, please consider organizing a student-led prayer time at your local school.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Cedar Springs, Cedar Springs Public Schools, prayer, See You At The Pole, students. Leave a Comment »

Keep Your Love Up-To-Date

September 23, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

It’s possible to be so busy doing good things that we forget why we are doing those good things. Worse than that: our busyness can actually kill what’s most important.

When Jesus addressed the church at Ephesus (Revelation 2:1-7), He addressed a problem we in the West face today as well. Jesus said, “You are hard workers. You keep pressing on despite the obstacles. You are ministering to others, you’re making sure no wolves in sheep’s clothing infiltrate the church, and you even stand strong under persecution for your faith.”

But then Jesus drops a hard word on them: “Yet I have this against you: You have forsaken your first love.”

The Ephesians were fighting the good fight. Yet this intense work and ministry detracted from what is most important: Love for God. The New Living Translation says verse four this way: You don’t love Me or each other as you did at first.

Busyness can kill love.
Fighting evil can kill love.
Standing for truth can kill love.
Ministering to others can kill love.

Ministering to others is not love. It can only come from the overflow of love. But if the love is not kept full, there’s nothing there to overflow, and we’re only “doing our duty.”

So Jesus challenges the Ephesians (and us) with these two steps: Remember and Repent.

The verb tense for remember is the present tense. That means it’s something we need to do now. I cannot tell my wife “I love you” nine times on Monday morning and expect that I’m covered for the next 10 days. In the same way, we cannot tell Jesus we love Him on Sunday morning, and then go off to do our own thing for the rest of the week. That choice will not allow us to overflow with love; in fact, it will be just the opposite: we’ll be running on empty, just doing our duty.

We must keep our love up-to-date. Remember often how much God loves you, and express your love to Him. And if you find something in your life that is more of a focus that Christ, repent. Turn from that and turn back to your first love.