Craig T. Owens

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Avoiding Foolish Controversies

November 3, 2025 — 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.

Jude calls Christians to contend for the faith without contention and without compromise. Instead, we are to loving serve Jesus by engaging with others mercifully, peacefully, and lovingly. This means we have to contend without quarreling.

But that’s easier said than done because people love to pick fights, and we hate to lose an argument.

Look at the ministry of Jesus. His adversaries couldn’t get around the perfect logic that He used based on Scripture, so they came up with all sorts of controversies in the hope of tripping Him up and silencing Him. They posed seemingly unanswerable dilemmas like: In heaven, which one of the seven brothers will be married to the woman they all married on earth? Should we pay taxes to Caesar? Should we pay the temple tax? What’s the greatest commandment of all? They tried to get Him to take the bait about religious traditions, laws concerning the Sabbath, and the punishment for a woman caught in adultery.

Jesus never got fluster or frustrated—He never took the bait to quarrel with them, but He simply stood unwaveringly and lovingly on God’s Word. But once again, that’s easier said than done!

King Solomon pointed out the difficulty of this in Proverbs 26:4-5. Do we answer a fool or not? Yes, but we answer wisely not foolishly.

(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.)

I believe Jude would agree with Solomon, Jesus, Paul, and Peter, but then he uses three examples that could spark a controversy:

the fate of fallen angels (Jude 6)
Michael and the devil arguing over the body of Moses (v. 9)
Enoch prophesying (v. 14)

But notice that how Jude uses these examples by not addressing any more than what we already know from Scripture. In this way, Jude keeps this from becoming a foolish, quarrelsome controversy (v. 10).

Notice the consistent instruction of the Bible on how to handle critics:

Michael the archangel: The Lord rebuke you! (also 2 Peter 2:11)
Jesus: Away from Me! (Matthew 4:10) and Get behind Me! (Mark 8:33)
James: Submit to God and then resist the devil (James 4:7)
Peter: speak gently, respectfully, and with a clear conscience (1 Peter 3:15-16)
Paul: warn people without becoming quarrelsome (2 Timothy 2:14, 16, 23-25)

In Luke 13:1-5, Jesus addresses two events that could have become quite controversial, but Jesus defused the controversy by simply saying, “No matter what, everyone needs to have their sins forgiven by God.” Paul continued this singleminded focus on Jesus. I love how the Amplified Bible captures his words in 1 Corinthians 2:2. And then Paul encourages his friend Timothy to operate the same way (1 Timothy 1:15-17).

Don’t let foolish controversies sidetrack you from the faith entrusted to us, but take everything back to Jesus as He is revealed in the Scripture.

If you’ve missed any of the other messages in our series called Earnestly Contending, you can find them all here.

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: 1 Corinthians, 1 Peter, 1 Timothy, 2 Peter, 2 Timothy, angels, apologetic, argue, Book of James, Calvary Assembly of God, controversy, devil, Enoch, Gospel of Luke, Gospel of Mark, Gospel of Matthew, Jude, Moses, proverbs, sermon, video. 1 Comment »

Links & Quotes

November 1, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

We have a culture where respect for others is eroding quickly. The Bible makes it clear that reverence for God results in respect for people, and respect for people helps us reverence the God who created them.

I have a lot of new video content on my YouTube channel every week. Please check it out and subscribe so you don’t miss anything.

AI models can develop brain rot just as assuredly as humans can. You are what you consume!

“The real great man is the man who makes every man feel great.” —G.K. Chesterton

Dr. Louis A. Markos has an insightful article on the works of C.S. Lewis that help us learn how to stay human. “Christians today who are committed to restoring a proper view of man have an ally in the greatest apologist of the twentieth century, C.S. Lewis (1898–1963). Though Lewis offers much help in his best-known apologetics books (Mere Christianity, The Problem of Pain, The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce) and his beloved Chronicles of Narnia, we would do well to expand our reading of Lewis to include his searing critique of modern educational philosophy (The Abolition of Man) and his anthropologically incisive science fiction novels, The Ransom (or Cosmic) Trilogy: Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, That Hideous Strength.”

The ICR has an article about a fascinating new dinosaur that was unearthed. “Even now in the twenty-first century, paleontologists are still at a loss as to the origin of the dinosaurs. As recently as 2024, five evolutionists stated, ‘Today, inspired by clues from fossils and footprints from a lost world, scientists continue to piece together the puzzle of how various dinosaur groups arose, behaved, and diversified.’ In contrast, the creation model argues that all dinosaur kinds were created during the same period—specifically on Day 6 of the creation week—several thousand years ago. From this perspective, the lack of definitive transitional forms or ancestral precursors in the fossil record aligns with the expectation that dinosaur kinds appeared fully formed and distinct, as observed in the fossil record.”

Axis’ Culture Translator discusses an article posted in Harper’s: “Many have written about how porn warps the expectations users have for relationships; this article demonstrates that, for young men in particular, pornography is often willingly embraced as a complete replacement for human connection. … Woven throughout this subculture is also conscious self-degradation; as the Harper’s article points out, ‘ruin your mind,’ ‘go deeper,’ and ‘give up on life’ are embraced as the movement’s rallying cries. Many young men and women are trapped in this spiritual prison, convinced there is nothing better to live for. Who will show them the way out?” Two helpful resources are Fight The New Drug and Pure Desire.

Leaders need to learn that disagreement on your team is normal and can be healthy. Disagreement doesn’t mean people distrust their leader, but it may mean that they want the bring out the best in their leader. Check out the full conversation Greg and I had on this subject.

The Craig And Greg Show: Disagreeing Is Not Disagreeable

October 30, 2025 — 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.

We can all agree that disagreeable people are some of the hardest to work with, constantly shooting down ideas without providing anything constructive in return. These types of people can quickly put a strain on any organization if left unchecked. However, we need to be careful not to lump disagreement into the category of disagreeable. In this episode Greg and I discuss why people in disagreement are actually the exact opposite of disagreeable, and are a valuable asset to your organization.

[0:00] Introduction
[1:02] A strong quote about “no men” from Dick Brogden—“Strong leaders respect and need ‘no’ men. It is weak leaders who surround themselves with the ever agreeable. Unity requires honorable disagreement. Otherwise, you don’t have unity; you just have uniformity.”
[2:06] Disagreeing people are not necessarily troublemakers.
[2:59] What bothers me about disagreeable people?
[3:49] Opinions vs facts have to be considered to determine if someone is disagreeable vs disagreeing.
[4:36] Leaders are required to listen more to people who disagree with them.
[7:00] Many new leaders mistakenly treat disagreeable people as an enemy.
[8:44] Greg and I share how we misunderstood disagreeing people early on in our leadership journey.
[11:04] Leaders need some thoughtful boundaries for disagreeable people.
[13:28] How many times do we call someone disagreeable when they are simply disagreeing with us?
[15:53] Make sure disagreeable people don’t dominate the conversation in meetings.
[16:48] I apply a proverb from the Bible to disagreeing people.
[18:35] Leaders need to guard against defensiveness when people disagree with them.
[19:52] Greg shares a great quote to wrap up our discussion.
[20:36] A leadership coach can help you sort out the disagreeing from the disagreeable.

My book When Sheep Bite is a great resource for dealing with people who are disagreeing to the point of becoming disagreeable. Check it out!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Craig And Greg Show, Dick Brogden, disagreement, leadership, quote, video. 1 Comment »

The Healing Word

October 29, 2025 — 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.

If you go to the doctor because you sense that something is wrong, you want your doctor to tell you the truth. A doctor who avoids telling you the truth because it might hurt your feelings doesn’t put you on the road to recovery.

If this is true for medical doctors, isn’t it more important for soul doctors? After all, even the best doctors cannot keep your physical body alive forever, but your soul will live eternally.

If God has given you His Word to share, He says, “I will make My words fire in your mouth” (Jeremiah 5:14). Deliver that painful—but absolutely vital—diagnosis to help people recover from the ravages of their sin.

To soften the words, to water-down the medicine for the sake of people’s feeling or for the desire to be liked by people, is to become a quack, a false prophet. God says of these charlatans, “They dress the wound of My people as though it were not serious. ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:14, 8:11).

Then God says,

The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests exercise rule at their own hands and by means of the prophets. And My people love to have it so! But what will you do when the end comes? (Jeremiah 5:31)

The healing word is often a hard word. It might even be considered by those plagued by the ravages of sin to be a harsh and painful word. But the only path to healing is the medicine found in God’s Word—the healing balm that comes from exposing my sin, repenting of my sin, and finally enjoying the healing of God’s forgiveness.

We must always speak the truthful healing word in love because eternity is at stake!

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: biblical truth, eternity, false prophets, forgiveness, God's Word, healing, healthcare, Jeremiah, repentance, sin. Leave a Comment »

7 Images Of The Church

October 28, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the Word. (Ephesians 5:25-26)

Dr. Henry Halley points to seven images the Bible portrays of how Jesus interacts with His saints.

“1. The Shepherd and the sheep emphasizes both the warm leadership and protection of Christ and the helplessness and dependency of believers (John 10:1-18).

2. The vine and the branches points out the necessity for Christians to depend on Christ’s sustaining strength for growth (John 15:1-8).

3. Christ as high priest and the church as a kingdom of priests stress the joyful worship, fellowship, and service which the church can render to God through Christ (Hebrews 5:1-10; 7:1; 8:6; 1 Peter 2:5-9).

4. The cornerstone and building stones (Matthew 21:42) accents the foundational value of Christ to everything the church is and does, as well as Christ’s value to the unity of believers. Love is to be the mortar which solidly holds the living stones together (1 Corinthians 3:9; 13:1-13; Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:5).

5. The head and many-membered body, the church, is a vibrant organism, not merely an organization; it draws its vitality and direction from Christ, the Head, and each believer has a unique and necessary place in its growth (1 Corinthians 12:12-13, 27; Ephesians 4:4).

6. The last Adam and new creation presents Christ as the initiator of a new creation of believers as Adam was of the old creation (1 Corinthians 15:22, 45; 2 Corinthians 5:17).

7. The bridegroom and bride beautifully emphasizes the intimate fellowship and co-ownership existing between Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:25-33; Revelation 19:7-8; 21:9).”

You can read all of the Bible verses listed in this post by clicking here.

Study To Apply

October 27, 2025 — 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.

Jude calls Christians to contend for the faith without contention and without compromising the truth. Last week we learned that one of the first disciplines to help us do this is: Study God’s Word and then study it some more.

What do we mean by using the word “study”?

Paul counsels his friend and protege to study God’s Word (see 2 Timothy 2:15 in the KJV). But the word study (Greek: spoude) simply means diligence aimed at a goal. So what’s the goal? To contending for the truth (2 Timothy 2:14-18, 22-26). Jude is addressing a similar issue ( see Jude 4).

(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.)

Just as Paul told Timothy to stick with “the Word of truth,” Jude says we need to be reminded of God’s Word (Jude 5).

Jude is writing to people who probably have first hand—maybe even eyewitness experience—knowledge. They have either heard it from someone who was right there, or perhaps from a friend who heard it from someone who was there. And yet, certain godless men have already slipped in among you and are teaching lies.

Jude goes back to Scripture (vv. 5-7):

Israelites delivered from Egypt rebelled against God and died in the wilderness
angels who were in God’s presence were expelled from heaven and await an eternity in hell
the residents of Sodom and Gomorrah experienced deliverance from Abraham but chose to debase themselves

Jude says, “In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies” (v. 8) by changing “the grace of our God into a license for immorality” (v. 4).

So we study the Scripture to apply it first to our own lives (James 1:22-25).

Jude uses four examples of people who knew the Word of God intimately, but in their pride wouldn’t apply it to themselves: Lucifer, Cain, Balaam, and Korah (vv. 9-11).

The devil—pride is what turned Lucifer into satan.
The way of Cain—God warned him about sin crouching at his door, but he ignored it.
Balaam’s error—he tried to calculate how close to disobeying he could get without actually disobeying because he wanted earthly rewards.
Korah’s rebellion—the Greek word for “rebellion” is antilogia: literally anti + Logos, or contradicting the Word of God.

Jesus warned the most learned men of His day against this (John 5:39-40) and we need to humbly receive God’s Word in order apply to our lives.

If I don’t diligently study the Scripture, I cannot apply it to my life and I am doomed to repeat the same fatal errors. I must study God’s Word diligently so that it can change me. Only then may I teach others (1 Timothy 1:3-7).

If you’ve missed any of the other messages in this series from the Book of Jude, you can find them all here.

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, application, Bible study, Book of James, Calvary Assembly of God, God's Word, Jude, sermon, video. 2 Comments »

Links & Quotes

October 25, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

As I was studying the Book of Jude, I came across this phrase, “Though you already know all this, I want to remind you.” This prompted these three quick thoughts that I want to share with my fellow pastors.

I have a lot of new video content on my YouTube channel every week. Please check it out and subscribe so you don’t miss anything.

Using the words from Isaiah 40:10-11, Sarah Young has Jesus speaking these words to us: “Adverse circumstances become growth opportunities when you affirm your trust in Me no matter what.”

Ken Blanchard has long used a challenge for leaders to catch their teammates doing something right. That phrase has now become the title of a biography about Ken. He says, “Great leaders who want to encourage and motivate their people set up a positive cycle:

A great leader catches someone doing something right and praises them.
The leader’s praise helps the person feel good about themselves.
People who feel good about themselves produce good results.
A great leader notices when people produce good results.
See #1.”

This is a very encouraging read for men! Scott Hubbard writes, “You may not have ability for preaching and teaching, as Timothy did. But the Holy Spirit does not leave any Christian giftless. … You may have a small vision for your life; God does not.”

An amazing series from T.M. Moore on the law in a Kingdom economy. T.M. writes, “Christians don’t keep the Law to be saved; we keep it because we are saved, because it is the path that Jesus walked (1 John 2:1-6); and we recognize its value for helping us realize more of the life of holy, righteous, and good works for which we have been redeemed (Romans 7:12; Ephesians 2:8-10).”

Geologists have discovered what Creationists already proposed about plate tectonics related to the Flood described in the Bible. “Flood geologists have predicted that plate motion slowed at the end of the Flood year, and now conventional scientists are finding it to be true.”

The Assemblies of God has always responded to popular religious trends with solid biblical exegesis. The “latter day rain” movement in the 1940s is a good example.

“Mature leaders swallow their egos and recognize God as their power source. They walk confidently in His authority, but never assume credit for it. Faith enables them to stretch, while humility enables them to stoop.” —John Maxwell

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Assembly of God, church history, difficulties, exegesis, gifts, Holy Spirit, humility, Isaiah, John C. Maxwell, Kenneth Blanchard, law, leadership, maturity, pastoring, prayer, quotes, Sarah Young, Scott Hubbard, T.M. Moore, video. Leave a Comment »

Micromanagement Stifles Creativity

October 23, 2025 — 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.

Leaders have an important balancing act to perform every day: remaining in control of their organization without becoming a controlling leader. Over-controlling leaders who micromanage end up stifling creativity that could be unleashed in their teammates.

Check out the full conversation on The Craig and Greg Show episode The Balance of Control.

Here’s that quote I shared from Tim Irwin’s book Derailed: “Lack of courage shows up in many organizations as micromanagement, failure to empower others, risk aversion, overcontrol, and perfectionism.”

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Craig And Greg Show, creativity, Dr. Tim Irwin, leadership, quote, video. Leave a Comment »

God Provides For His Servants

October 22, 2025 — 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.

God promised to provide for Jeremiah if he remained faithful to preach the word God had given him. Jeremiah did deliver a hard message that turned out to be highly unpopular, and as a result those who heard his sermon became quite angry with Jeremiah.

In what I think is a very human response, Jeremiah began to complain to God—

Your words were found, and I ate them; and Your words were to me a joy and the rejoicing of my heart, for I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts. I sat not in the assembly of those who make merry, nor did I rejoice; I sat alone because Your powerful hand was upon me, for You had filled me with indignation. Why is my pain perpetual and my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Will You indeed be to me like a deceitful brook, like waters that fail and are uncertain? (Jeremiah 15:16-18 AMPC)

God had to speak a correcting word to Jeremiah—

If you return and give up this mistaken tone of distrust and despair, then I will give you again a settled place of quiet and safety, and you will be My minister; and if you separate the precious from the vile—cleansing your own heart from unworthy and unwarranted suspicions concerning God’s faithfulness—you shall be My mouthpiece. Let them return to you—not you to the people. (v. 19)

Jeremiah got over his pity party and once again continued to faithfully deliver God’s message, despite what people thought of him or said about him. Jeremiah even remained resolute in his devotion to God when the rulers of the people abused Jeremiah or threw him into prison or threatened to kill him.

Just as God promised, as the Babylonians pressed in on Jerusalem, the people flocked back to Jeremiah to ask him to intercede before God on their behalf (21:1-2; 37:3; 42:2)

Remember that God had promised to take care of Jeremiah, assuring him of a place of quiet and safety. God also said,

Truly your release, affliction, and strengthening will be for good purposes; surely, Jeremiah, I will intercede for you with the enemy and I will cause the enemy to ask for your aid in the time of evil and in the time of affliction. (15:11)

This promise was fulfilled when Nebuzaradan—the commander of the imperial guard in Nebuchadnezzar’s army—came to Jerusalem:

Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had given these orders about Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard: “Take him and look after him; don’t harm him but do for him whatever he asks.” … [Nebuzaradan] had found Jeremiah bound in chains among all the captives from Jerusalem and Judah who were being carried into exile to Babylon. When the commander of the guard found Jeremiah, he said to him, “The Lord your God decreed this disaster for this place. And now the Lord has brought it about; He has done just as He said He would. All this happened because you people sinned against the Lord and did not obey Him. But today I am freeing you from the chains on your wrists.” (39:11-12; 40:1-2)

God never promises His servants their task will be easy, but He does promise both temporal provision and eternal rewards for His servants who remain faithful to Him and to His calling.

In my book Shepherd Leadership, I talk about a time God had to correct me when I was throwing myself a pity party.

And in my book When Sheep Bite, the entire third section contains biblical strategies to help God’s servants not give in to the very natural response of fight-or-flight, but how to tap into the supernatural response of faithfulness.

If you are a spiritual leader, I would encourage you to pick up a copy of both of these books. And keep in mind that God always provides for His servants.

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎