Whether 2023 was a year to remember or a year you would rather forget, it’s time to move ahead in 2024!
Find your new motivation → Get moving → Love the action → Keep moving forward → Find your new motivation!
If you’re stuck on any step, let me know how I can help.
Jesus made it clear time and time again that He came to reveal the Kingdom of God to us. He described what the Kingdom was like and told us that He came to be the means by which we could enter God’s Kingdom.
He also told us how God’s children could access the power and privileges of our Heavenly Father through the means of prayer. He assured us with words like, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the Kingdom” (Luke 12:32).
Jesus said quite simply that we had access to our Father through prayer. And then to make sure we didn’t miss out on this awesome privilege, He instructed us, “This, then, is how you should pray” (Matthew 6:8).
Please join me this Sunday as we go point-by-point through this Kingdom-accessing model prayer. We will learn just how truly expansive and all-encompassing this short prayer is.
Check out all of the messages:
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.
When fear seems to be griping a leader’s heart, how can that leader respond in a way that benefits both themself and their team? One important strategy is paying attention to how we talk to ourselves during our battles with fear.
On the Craig And Greg Show, Greg and I discussed this important leadership skill.
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I love reading, and I love sharing my love of good books with others! Here is a list of the books I read and reviewed in 2023. Click on a title to be taken to that review.
A Hobbit, A Wardrobe, And A Great War
Proverbs: Amplified and Applied
Here are my book reviews for 2011.
Here are my book reviews for 2012.
Here are my book reviews for 2013.
Here are my book reviews for 2014.
Here are my book reviews for 2015.
Here are my book reviews for 2016.
Here are my book reviews for 2017.
Here are my book reviews for 2018.
Here are my book reviews for 2019.
Here are my book reviews for 2020.
Here are my book reviews for 2021.
Here are my book reviews for 2022.
►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.
The apostle Peter said he wrote two letters to the church “as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking” (2 Peter 3:1). And Paul reminded his young friend Timothy to “keep reminding [your congregation] of these things” (2 Timothy 2:14).
In the spirit of those great apostles, I have made it a practice to take time at the end of each year to look back on all that we have learned in the previous year, and then to look forward to where God may be leading Calvary Assembly of God in this upcoming year.
Clicking on each series title will take you to a list of all of the sermons in that series.
Intimate Conversation—The dictionary defines the word “intimate” with these phrases: associated in close personal relations, characterized by warm friendship, and closely personal. These words perfectly describe the relationship God wants to have with His children through prayer. Pete Briscoe said, “Prayer is an intimate conversation with the One who passionately loves you and lives in you.” The One who loves you so passionately desires to walk with you and share intimate knowledge with you. Prayer is not something formal, cold, or mechanical, but it is vibrant, warm, engaging, and life-changing.
A Christian’s Mental Health—I don’t think there is any arguing that Jesus was the healthiest individual who ever walked planet Earth. Some may want to push back with, “Of course He was because He didn’t have any problems to deal with!” But the writer of Hebrews tells us that Jesus experienced everything you and I will ever experience (Hebrews 2:17), so His deity didn’t exclude Him from the stressors that His humanity would have to face. And yet, He handled all of these things successfully. Luke the physician observed the growth of Jesus and tells us that it all began with Jesus having a robust mental health. From that foundation, everything else—physical, spiritual, relational—all could develop properly. We must learn from this example and pay careful attention to our own mental health.
Bold Claims—“That’s a pretty bold claim. Are you prepared to back that up?” I’ll bet you have heard something like that said to you, and maybe you have even said that yourself to someone else who made a big, audacious statement. After Jesus is arrested by the religious leaders—an arrest that will ultimately lead to Jesus being crucified on the Cross—there are some incredibly bold claims spoken by key people in this part of the Story. For the most part, these are claims that we don’t read earlier in any of the Gospels, but as this story is heading toward its most crucial moment, we have these audacious statements pronounced. But here’s the most important part: These bold claims weren’t just made, but they were backed up with proof as well.
We Are: Pentecostal—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 that 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.
Ascending—Every year, Jews from around the world made four pilgrimages up to Jerusalem for various feasts and sacrifices. These journeys reminded them of God’s goodness as they went to the Temple to worship, and they helped refocus on God’s ways as they returned to their regular routines. Jerusalem is over 2500 feet above sea level, so the pilgrimage there was a physical workout as well as a spiritual workout. These workouts were beneficial for God’s people, preparing them to minister in their cities in the following months. The Book of Psalms contains 15 songs that these pilgrims would sing to and with each other as they traveled up to Jerusalem. These Psalms of Ascent are still instructive for Christians today.
Saints Together—Throughout the New Testament the word “saints” is always in the plural form. This is a clear indication that none of us can develop into the full-fledged Christians we were meant to be on our own. We all need each other. More specifically, we all need the most mature version of each other. A key component of an individual saint’s development is the time spent alone being forged by the discipline of the Holy Spirit. Maturing saints then come together with each other to continue to strengthen and sharpen everyone in the church. Strong individual saints make a strong church, and a strong church makes strong individual saints! Let’s learn about six important spiritual disciplines that each individual saint must put into practice so that they can use their newly developed strengths to help other saints in their own development.
The Great Attitude Of Gratitude—There’s something about gratitude that distinguishes people. Think about it: would you rather hang around with grumblers or grateful people? The gratitude of Paul and Silas certainly made them stand out from the crowd when they were in Philippi. Wrongly accused, beaten, and thrown in prison, but instead of bellyaching, they were praising God. Later on, when Paul wrote his letter to the Christians in Philippi, the theme of gratefulness permeates his letter. The distinguishing mark is actually in the title: The GReat ATTITUDE spells out GRATITUDE!
Long Live The King Of Kings—Throughout human history, whenever a king died, the people would say something like, “The king is dead. Long live the king!” They would say this because the next king ascended to the throne immediately after his predecessor died. Except when a nation had been defeated, the cry, “The king is dead” was unanswered by, “Long live the king!” Israel must have felt like this. After being defeated by Nebuchadnezzar and spending 70 years in exile, it appeared to many that the line of kings was broken. Even after retuning to their homeland, Israel continued to live under the thumb of other powerful nations. And yet, some still clung to the glimmer of the promise God had made about an eternal King sitting on Jerusalem’s throne. The First Advent of Jesus revealed to us in the Gospels reassures us that the promise of an eternal King is true. Jesus came to earth to reveal His majesty to us. The First Advent is so important because it bolsters our faith for the imminent Second Advent when Jesus will return as the King of kings! Christmas is a great time to be reminded that even now we can confidently declare, “Long live the eternal King of kings!”
2024 promises to be an exciting year! If you don’t have a home church in the northern Kent County area, I would love to have you join us!
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I grew up with a phrase ringing in my ears, “The Church moves forward on its knees.”
I believe this is true! We cannot expect to be effective in any kingdom-building endeavor if we are not empowered by heavenly help. So we like to begin each new year with a dedicated week of prayer. I invite you to join us in kicking off the new year with a renewed passion for prayer.
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.
It may be the world’s best-known song, but I wonder when was the last time you really listened to its message?
Check out this episode of The Podcast.
Some resources to go along with this video:
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My friend Douglas Carmel shared this amazing article in one of his recent ministry newsletters. I have reprinted it here with his permission—
Has this ever happened before in the history of the world? That a people should go into exile, be dispersed, and yet survive for 2000 years without a national homeland. And then to come back again—speaking their same language and returning to their same capital city. This alone should make an atheist question their atheism. Why? This is a miraculous, singular event. No country had ever done such a thing before in the history of mankind, except Israel. And yet, this is exactly what was foretold in the Hebrew Scriptures.
The prophet Ezekiel also stated God’s promise: “For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land” (Ezekiel 36:24).
Also, in Ezekiel 37, there is an unforgettable vision of a valley of dry bones. The bones come to life in stages: first sinews on the bones, then flesh, then skin, and finally, the breath of life (Ezekiel 37:6–10).
God then explains this vision to Ezekiel: “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel” (Ezekiel 37:11). In other words, this is a prophecy about the Jewish people’s restoration to their Promised Land from all around the world. It is well in keeping with what we see actually occurring during our lifetime. Namely, the regathering of Israel will occur in stages, which it has done and is still doing.
So how did we get to the State of Israel today?
Let’s go back to the first and second centuries, just past the time of Jesus/Yeshua. Deuteronomy 28 contains prophecies regarding this second dispersion. It should be noted that this second dispersion was “…from the one end of the earth even unto the other” (v. 64). This was to be a global dispersion, unlike the first one, which was just to Assyria and Babylon.
Just after the time of Yeshua/Jesus, Israel rebelled against Roman rule. In 70 AD and again in 135 AD, Jewish rebels sought to fight against Rome. In response, the Roman army destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple under Titus in 70 AD, and the Jewish people were either killed or expelled from their land by Roman force. Under the rule of the Roman Emperor Hadrian, the Jews were dispersed all over the world by 135 AD. These facts are well-known in secular history sources as well.
At this time, it was the Romans who changed the name of the land of Israel to Palestine. That was done to rub salt in the wounds of the Jews by changing the name of their beloved homeland to that of their ancient foes, namely, the Philistines (think Goliath’s people).
It is important to note that while the Jewish people as a whole were dispersed by the second century, there always remained a small remnant of Jewish people scattered throughout the land, living in small communities. (Note: There is much more history involved than we can list here in this short article.)
After the Romans, came the Muslims. Except for a short time during the Crusades, the land was continuously ruled by Muslim Empires. That brings us to modern times. The British won the land of “Palestine” from the Ottoman Empire during World War I. About this time, Jewish people began to return in large numbers in the late 1800s. Eventually, the British army pulled out of “Palestine” in 1948 after the UN had given Israel the right to exist (as if they needed that approval). On May 14th, 1948, the State of Israel was reborn, and the name “Palestine” was dropped.
Israel was attacked the very next day by all their neighbors, and guess what? Against all odds, Israel won!
After several more wars that Israel had to fight for their survival, they still exist, and thus you see the headlines today. As you can deduce, this is an extremely short breakdown of Jewish history in the land. There were many more details involved, which we skipped over.
Now, mind you, we are not saying that Israel today is just fine without their Messiah (they are not), nor are we saying that the secular government of Israel is perfect (they are not). But we are saying that, in the big picture of things, Israel being back in her land after 2000 years is something to take note of.
It is indeed a miracle, and those who call for her eviction again “from the land to the sea” are unknowingly fighting against God’s miracle.
Check out more from Rock of Israel Ministries here. And also check out an amazing message Douglas shared with our church here.
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.
I once worked with a guy that was the epitome of “all talk and no action.” After a while people just stopped listening to him or believing anything he said. But something worse is someone who says he will do something but doesn’t have the power to finish what he started. In that case, you may have believed him and not taken any steps of your own, so when he finally admits defeat, you are totally unprepared to step in to help finish the task.
I think that comes close to the two attitudes people had prior to the First Advent of Jesus in Bethlehem. Some people thought all of God’s promises had just become “all talk and no action.”
But after Jesus began His public ministry, His skeptics may have originally thought He was also “all talk and no action,” but when they saw how the people responded to Him, they realized He at least had the power to sway a crowd. But they certainty didn’t think He could finish what He started.
The religious elite—the Sanhedrin—had their own plans in the works, and it appeared to them that Jesus was just going to get in the way. So they hatched a plan to have Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, have Jesus crucified. As Jesus is hanging on the Cross, you can hear the skepticism and derision in the voices of these religious elite—
In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked Him. “He saved others,” they said, “but He can’t save Himself! He’s the King of Israel! Let Him come down now from the Cross, and we will believe in Him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue Him now if He wants Him, for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” (Matthew 27:41-43)
After all, they had experienced “messiahs” before (Acts 5:35-37) so they thought this Jesus from Nazareth was just the next in a long line of pretenders. “King of Israel, indeed! Ha!”
But when someone tells you what they are going to do, and then they actually do it, skeptics are turned into believers. We see this happen in people like Nathaniel, a whole village of Samaritans, and one of the thieves that was crucified alongside Jesus (John 1:43-51; John 4:9-42; Luke 23:39-42)
Even though Jesus told His disciples exactly what was going to happen to Him in Jerusalem—and then it did!—they were still skeptical of the claims of His resurrection until they saw it for themselves (Matthew 20:18-19; John 20:3-8).
Just like the prophets told us how Jesus would come from a virgin and be born in Bethlehem—and then it happened!—so Jesus foretold His death and resurrection.
There is a common theme here that turned all these skeptics into believers:
(See John 1:46; John 4:29; Luke 23:34; John 20:8)
Skeptics need to see and hear for themselves that Jesus has the power to do what He says He will do. We are the ones that preach this Good News to them by the way we live.
We have to live as good citizens of the King of kings so that people will “come and see” what a good and loving King He is. For those who are skeptical of the claims of Jesus the King, we have to live in a way that makes it real. We have to help them see the King of kings!
Advent isn’t just a long-ago event that we fondly remember. The First Advent is proof that God has the power to keep His word. And just as we have seen the First Advent, so we will see the Second Advent.
If you’ve missed any of the messages in this Advent series, you can check them all out here.
►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. Like this video where I explain what the Bible means when we “examine” our lives. ◀︎◀︎
King Solomon has two phrases that help us keep a biblical perspective. If we miss this, Solomon says, we are going to experience a lot of frustration. I have lots of new content every week, which you can check out on my YouTube channel.
The angel told Joseph what he needed to do, and Joseph responded immediately. This is how we should live too—No complaints, no excuses, just obedience.
“If we as leaders do not model, we lose moral authority. … The goal of teaching and preaching is not to inspire, but to transform, and transformation at the spiritual and moral level can only be instigated and maintained if the speaker is authentic. We cannot call others to abide if we do not abide, to holiness if we are not holy, to sacrifice if we do not sacrifice, to evangelism if we do not evangelize, or to Jesus if we are not with Him ourselves. … The steady legitimacy of our deeds prove the worth of our words. We demonstrate our words are worthy by living them.” —Dick Brogden, in Proverbs: Amplified and Applied
T.M. Moore writes, “In ancient Israel the tithe was a uniform rate for all people, regardless of income, social standing, or need. Everyone was expected to bring a tenth of his wealth—much of this in the form of property (animals or harvests)—to be administered by priests and Levites for the upkeep of the spiritual life of the nation. In our country, graduated tax rates, accompanied by a variety of flat taxes, have become the means for creating an ever-expanding central government and an entitlement society in which nearly half the population pay no income taxes at all and, thus, receive many services from the State at the expense of those who do pay taxes. (As an aside, it’s interesting to note that one of the early arguments for a graduated income tax appeared not in The Federalist Papers but in The Communist Manifesto.) It’s not difficult to see how such a system of taxation can be used to curry favor and purchase political power.” Check out all of T.M.’s posts in this excellent series.
J. Warner Wallace proposes that we should look at the fact that our Earth is “just right” as evidence of an intelligent Creator.
Craig T. Owens 