Sanctified Experiences

June 2, 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. 

Even with the Voice of the Holy Spirit in our ear and the Mind of God giving us insight, we still “miss it” sometimes. Maybe it’s fear or impatience or immaturity, but we try something on our own and the results are painful. 

I like the maxim, “Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn.” It’s true, but in order to learn I need a proper lens or a wise tutor to help discover those lessons from my experiences. This is what the Holy Spirit does for us: He helps us make senses of our “misses.” Otherwise, if I don’t learn from these painful experiences I will become either arrogant and God opposes this kind of pride (Proverbs 14:7; James 4:6a), or I remain ignorant (Proverbs 15:32; James 4:6b). 

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

Peter heard from Jesus that the baptism of the Holy Spirit was intended to empower the Christians to take the Good News of Jesus to all people—including Gentiles. Peter struggled with this part, as would all good Jews. In their minds, Gentiles weren’t eligible for the blessings of God, especially not the gift of eternal life which would allow them to be in God’s presence forever! 

Before we look at Peter, we need to remember what was happening with Saul/Paul at the same time. Saul met Jesus (Acts 9:3-15), and he then went to Jerusalem (vv. 26-28; Galatians 1:13-19). 

Now let’s go back to Peter. He had just seen a vision from God and heard the Voice of the Spirit (Acts 10:9-16, 19-20). In obedience to this Voice, he went to Cornelius’ house and was given the Mind of God to preach to them. These Gentiles not only accepted Jesus as their Savior but were baptized in the Holy Spirit (vv. 44-48). 

Now let’s switch back to Paul for a moment. Antioch became the home base for Paul and Barnabas (where the believers were first called Christians), and apparently there was a large Gentile population there. At one point, Peter came to visit and struggled with whether or not the Gentile Christians must then convert to Judaism. Peter was struggling with obedience to the vision that God had shown him, his disobedience was beginning to affect others (including Barnabas), and Paul called Peter out on this (Galatians 2:1, 7-14). 

Back in Jerusalem, the Jewish Christians were insisting that the Gentile Christians become Jews. It was this controversy that prompted the Jerusalem Council. At this Council, Peter responded like one who had throughly learned a lesson from his previous “miss” (Acts 15:5-11). 

I like this verse in the Amplified Bible, particularly one phrase: I will praise and give thanks to You with uprightness of heart when I learn by sanctified experiences Your righteous judgments (Psalm 119:7 AMPC). 

Sanctified experiences. A “miss” that the Holy Spirit uses to teach us. The “miss” has been sanctified to become a learning experience. This is what Jesus said the Spirit of Truth would do for us (John 16:13). 

There are things we simply experience, and then there are “sanctified experiences” where the Holy Spirit teaches us an invaluable lesson. These sanctified experiences are what the Holy Spirit uses to bring our thought and conduct into alignment with the perfect standard of God’s Word. 

The Holy Spirit never condemns us for our missteps (Romans 8:1), but uses them for God’s glory (v. 28). 

Just as Paul had to help Peter learn to pay attention to the Voice of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit wants to make us learner-teachers as well. In Psalm 119:7 the Hebrew word for “learn” is lamad which is also the word for “teach.” In other words, I’ve learned it well enough to teach it to another person. Even David with his sinful behavior—a really big “miss”—learned from the lesson from the Spirit of God so well that he could teach others (Psalm 51:10-13). 

Spirit-baptized Christians can lean into the Spirit of Truth to help them learn sanctified experiences from even the difficult things that have happened to them. 

If you’ve missed any of the other lessons in this series, 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. ◀︎◀︎

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Links & Quotes

May 31, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

When there is a misunderstanding between the leader and a team member, insecure leaders want the other person to change. Secure leaders, however, take ownership and ask, “What do I need to do differently?” Check out more from The Craig and Greg Show.

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.

In elaborating on the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:13 about Christians being the salt of the earth, T.M. Moore wrote, “In Jesus’ day, salt had three primary functions. Most people would have understood two of these, but only those raised in an Old Testament framework would have known about the third.” Read more about what churches should be considering about how they season the community around them.

In his “Look at the Book” series, John Piper expounds on the many ways Paul refers to Jesus in his second letter to Timothy. There are several ways, but Paul’s preferred way is “Christ Jesus.” Pastor John unpacks the Hebrew and Greek origins of these words and titles, and why he thinks Paul especially gravitated toward this title.

“Aerosols from penguin excrement may help trigger cloud formation, reducing solar heating and helping stabilize local areas of the Antarctic climate, study finds.” Hmmm, it’s almost like God designed His creation to take care of itself—because He did!

And an article in Science says, “According to secular models of Solar System formation, Earth, as an inner Solar System planet, should have little to no water.” And yet more than 70% of Earth is covered with water!

Aelred of Rievaulx wrote, “In friendship there is nothing more outstanding than faithfulness, which seems to be both the nurse and guardian of friendship. In all of life’s turns, in adversity and prosperity, in joy and sadness, in delightful and bitter circumstances, it reveals itself to be comparable to friendship, holding in the same regard both the humble and the exalted, the poor and the rich, the strong and the weak, the well and the infirm.”

Commenting on Aelred’s words, T.M. Moore observed, “Don’t we all want friends like that, who not only will provoke and prod us to grow in the Lord, but will stand by us in good times and bad, when we’re up and when we’re down? But if we would have such friends, we must be good stewards of their trust. This, again, is why spiritual friendships must be grounded in the Lord and focused on Jesus if they are going to bear the fruit of His indwelling Spirit.”

Evolutionary scientists claim to have made some steps forward in their understanding of the origins of life by using “the last universal common ancestor (LUCA).” But creationists like those at ICR observe that, “This mysterious LUCA is an unknown entity that existed from an unknown time ago at an unknown place by an unknown chain of unknown processes.” Clearly, the hypothesis that is the most straightforward and explainable is that God created the life in our universe just as the Bible states.

Along the same lines, Glenn Schrivener asks, “What do you think was there ‘in the beginning’—before peoples, planets, and protons? If you could hit rewind on the history of the universe and go back as far as possible, what would you find?” Then he gives us four possible things we may consider.

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God’s Loving “Stop!”

May 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. 

Does it sound loving when the Bible says that God’s hand was against His people to defeat them when they went out to battle? It’s actually one of the most loving things God could do for them. 

Check out the full message from which I took this clip. 

Not only does Judges 2:15 say, “Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against them to defeat them,” but these words from Isaiah 63 are just as startling—

In all their distress [God] too was distressed, and the angel of His presence saved them. In His love and mercy He redeemed them; He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. Yet they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit. So He turned and became their enemy and He Himself fought against them. (Isaiah 63:9-10) 

But this got their attention: “Then His people recalled the days of old” (v. 11), repented of their evil ways, and turned wholeheartedly back to God. 

Remember that the opposite of love is not hate, but the opposite of love is apathy. If God simply ignored their sin, He would not be loving them. It is God’s love that causes His loving hand to be against us in our sinful ways so that we will recall, repent, and return. 

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

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Counting Noses

May 28, 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. 

One of the reasons I felt prompted to write Shepherd Leadership was that I saw too many CEO-like metrics being used by pastors to gauge the success of their church. The subtitle of my book is “The Metrics that Really Matter.” 

Check out this excerpt from a recent blog post from T.M. Moore—

     “Even a cursory reading of Revelation 2 and 3 will convince us that Jesus has expectations for His churches. He has in His mind a template and pattern for how a church should be built and what it should look like as it takes on its calling as the Body of the Lord in its community. The seven churches Jesus singled out in these chapters represent the Church in every age and place. His assessment of these churches puts us on notice concerning how we should assess the state of our church at any time and what we must do to bring our expectations into line with His.

     “We’re not very good at this. Counting noses, tallying up contributions, and reporting on baptisms and new members—these are the criteria at which we typically aim and to which we point in determining the health of our churches. But these criteria appear nowhere in Revelation 2 and 3. Jesus is looking for more.” 

You can check out the rest of T.M.’s thoughts here. 

I was honored that T.M. Moore wrote an endorsement of Shepherd Leadership: “Craig Owens has it right: Jesus appointed church leaders to be shepherds over His precious flocks. The combination of Craig’s Biblical understanding, practical insights, and consistent personal practice make Shepherd Leadership a book every pastor should read.” 

To learn more, pick up a copy of my book for yourself. 

I would also encourage you to check out this list of blog posts and video clips where I discuss in more depth the right and wrong metrics for our churches and para-church ministries. 

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

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A.I. Bots And Temptation

May 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. 

Believe it or not, an article about A.I. bots got me thinking about temptation.

Check out this episode of The Podcast. 

The Scriptures I reference in this episode—Genesis 3:1-6; Luke 4:1-13; 1 Peter 5:8; James 4:7; Hebrews 12:2. 

And some other blog posts you could read to go deeper on this topic:

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

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The Mind Of God

May 26, 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. 

Last week we talked about the Voice of the Holy Spirit. I love the phrase from 1 Samuel 9:15 where God “told Samuel in his ear” about Saul’s arrival and what he should say to Saul. Then the Holy Spirit’s Voice for all of us is foretold in Isaiah 30:21. 

It’s great hearing the Spirit’s Voice, but He also empowers us to know the Mind of God. 

This is not something that automatically comes to every Christian at the moment they invite Jesus to be their Lord and Savior, as we see mention of immature Christians throughout the New Testament. 

Even after Jesus is resurrected from the dead, we see His followers as unsure, troubled men. We meet their…

  • lack of faith—Luke 24:11; Mark 16:14 
  • wonderment—Luke 24:12 
  • troubled minds—Luke 24:37; John 20:19 
  • lack of understanding of Scripture—Luke 24:44 

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

This is all post-resurrection but pre-conversion, but look at what happens next. After Jesus breathes on them (John 20:22), they are peaceful (vv. 19, 21, 26) and they can now understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:45-48). 

As we’ve said, we shouldn’t stop at salvation. Certainly, Jesus wanted more for His followers than merely salvation. He wants His disciples empowered for witnessing and disciple-making (Luke 24:48; Acts 1:4-5, 8). 

Check out these examples of the Holy Spirit sharing with us the mind of God:

  • Joseph—Genesis 41:16, 38-40 
  • Daniel—Daniel 2:19-23, 27-28, 47 
  • Peter—Acts 2:14f; 3:17-26; 4:8-12 
  • Stephen—Acts 7 
  • Philip—Acts 8:30-35 

And just in case you think this is just for “super spiritual” people, look how the Holy Spirit helps the whole Church share the Gospel—

After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God boldly. … Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. (Acts 4:31, 8:4).

This was always God’s plan! Paul harkens back to prophecies like Isaiah 55:8-9, Isaiah 40:13, and Jeremiah 31:33 when he writes about Christians having “the mind of God” in 1 Corinthians 2:6-16. 

He says, “These are the things revealed to us by His Spirit” (v. 10). 

What things? “Things God has prepared for those who love Him”—things which human eyes haven’t seen, human ears haven’t heard, human minds haven’t conceived (v. 9). These are the the very thoughts of God Himself! 

Just as my spirit is the only one that knows what’s really in my mind, the Holy Spirit is the only One Who knows the mind of the Father and Son (v. 11). We have been given the Holy Spirit “so that we may understand what God has freely given us” (v. 12). Contrast this with the dull, unfruitful minds of both unbelievers (2 Corinthians 4:4) and carnal Christians (Philippians 3:18-19). 

This mind of God is given to us for our edification so that we can be empowered witnesses and disciple-makers. So don’t stop at salvation, but be baptized in the Holy Spirit, and then keep on being filled with the Spirit. 

If you’ve missed any of the messages in this 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. ◀︎◀︎

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Links & Quotes

May 24, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

The apostle Paul demonstrates how a confident leader empowers his teammates to soar—he believed the best in them! Check out the full conversation Greg and I had on The Craig and Greg Show about leaders as gardeners.

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.

In the spirit of C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters, in this post Grimgod talks to his nephew Globdrop about the battle over the definition of masculinity. “If total amnesia of man and woman was not our aim, what was? Stripping those definitions of unwanted details. Man reclaimed that he is, not what he is. They reclaimed the temple, yes, but what remains? The gold, carried away. The glory, departed. They raise their flag above ruins. Is this their triumph—that a man is what his body tells him? Is this all? What is a man? A male adult human. What is the difference? Chromosomes. Bone density. Muscle mass. Voice depth. This is the meager strip of land they repossessed, and we smile at it.”

A recent discovery of a mosasaur fossil in Mississippi has evolutionists buzzing about macro evolution. But the facts say otherwise: “The fossil record shows mosasaurs have always been mosasaurs. These and other terrestrial and marine creatures were buried in a series of violent events one could easily attribute to a massive flood. Proteins, pigment, and other biomolecules uncovered in mosasaur bone provide compelling evidence that these reptiles existed recently—as in thousands of years ago.”

A missionary who thought his years of ministry had accomplished nothing and his daughter who had been estranged from her father both discovered just how much God had done through their ministry.

I love this perspective from Detroit Tigers player Brewer Hicklen, “Almost 1100 days… This journey has molded me and I’ve smiled through most of it, but boy have there been some days where I never thought I’d get there. To anyone that feels defeated—don’t ever give up. God has you in that journey for a reason. Failure is a beautiful thing.”

“Four considerations seem to hold especially in the case of friendship: love, affection, security, and delight. Friendship involves love when there is a show of favor that proceeds from benevolence. It involves affection when a certain inner pleasure comes from friendship. It involves security when it leads to a revelation of all one’s secrets and purposes without fear or suspicion. It involves delight when there is a certain meeting of the minds—an agreement that is pleasant and benevolent—concerning all matters….” —Aelred of Rievaulx 

“Psychologist Henry H. Goddard studied tired children and found that they had a burst of energy when he said something encouraging to them. But when he said something negative, they became even more tired.” With that in mind, here’s a 30-second rule to help you better engage others in conversation. 

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The Power Of Personal Experience

May 23, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

The religious leaders asked a man who had been healed by Jesus of his blindness  whether he though Jesus had sinned by healing on the Sabbath. He said, “I do not know whether He is a sinner and wicked or not. But one thing I do know, that whereas I was blind before, now I see” (John 9:25). 

I find it interesting that the Pharisees didn’t try to argue whether or not this man had truly been healed—that was obvious to everyone!—but they wanted to discredit Jesus and call Him a sinner because He healed on the Sabbath day.  

Those with a personal experience of Christ’s life-changing power (like this former blind man) are never at the mercy of those with an argument (like the Pharisees). 

In fact, this man who can now see not only has the most sound logic, but he has immediately become an evangelist for Jesus as well! 

The man replied, “Well, this is astonishing! Here a Man has opened my eyes, and yet you do not know where He comes from. That is amazing! We know that God does not listen to sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and a worshiper of Him and does His will, He listens to him. Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this Man were not from God, He would not be able to do anything like this.” (John 9:30-33)

I love this truism: The man with an experience is never at the mercy of the man with an argument. I have blogged extensively about this. Check out these posts. 

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Don’t Forget To Remember

May 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. 

I was honored to be invited to offer the commencement address for some amazing students graduating from the Parent Teacher Co-op program. 

I think we rush too quickly through our celebrations. It seems that at each milestone, we pause only briefly to move on toward the next milestone. But if we don’t celebrate well, we are actually setting ourselves up for a disappointing future. 

It’s very telling that after the perfection of Creation, God took time to celebrate His own handiwork. And then He called us to do the same. That’s what a sabbath really is: A time to celebrate what God has done for us, and what He has empowered us to do for His glory. I think the reason many older people become more contemplative and nostalgic is because they rushed through their life without taking time for sabbath celebrations.

If you look at the history of the Israelites, you will see majestic mountain peaks followed by depressing valleys. What sent them sliding into their valley was one thing: forgetfulness. Time and time again, God sends His prophet to chastise the Israelites for failing to take a sabbath rest. They forgot to honor God and celebrate Him, but instead they rushed along to the next thing. What brought them out of their valley and back to the mountain was also one thing: remembering. Celebrating God for who He is.

So I challenged these graduates—and you—with this. At each milestone in your life…

  1. Thank God for His blessings
  2. Celebrate your own hard work. 
  3. Recognize the help you’ve received from others. 
  4. Determine which lessons to keep, which to enhance, and which to leave behind. 
  5. Find someone to share the journey with you.

Don’t forget to remember!

I would suggest at a minimum celebrating the sabbath each week as God gave us that example, but you may find that you have a moment to celebrate even a small win in the middle of the day in the middle of your week. If you do that, I think your appreciation for God’s blessings will keep you even more dependent on His abiding presence. 

You may also be interested in a couple of related blog posts and videos:

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

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More Popular Than Jesus?

May 21, 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. 

In March 1966, at the height of Beatlemania, John Lennon was quoted—

“Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn’t argue about that; I’m right and I will be proved right. We’re more popular than Jesus now; I don’t know which will go first—rock ’n’ roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right but His disciples were thick and ordinary. It’s them twisting it that ruins it for me.” 

Maureen Cleave, the reporter who included this quote in her article about the Beatles, tried to clarify that John was talking specifically about the Church of England, especially when John mentions the disciples of Jesus twisting the words and example of Jesus as it is recorded for us in the New Testament. 

But I wonder if the same argument could be made today about the “stars” in the evangelical movement? Many of those who claim to be preachers of the Gospel have both an online and in-person following that rivals that of the Beatles of the 1960s. Their gatherings are rock concert-esque, with their fans spending lavishly on their books, videos, and seminars. 

But here’s my question: Are these “rock star preachers” making Jesus famous or themselves famous? 

How would John the Baptist’s words sound coming out of the mouths of these mega-stars: “[Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease. He must grow more prominent; I must grow less so” (John 3:30 AMPC)? 

Before John was born, the angel Gabriel told Zechariah that John “will be great in the eyes of the Lord” (Luke 1:15). 

Notice: “Great in the eyes of the Lord” is so infinitely better than “great in the eyes of the world”! 

John’s whole life was one of confident humility (or humble confidence). He spoke God’s Word confidently, but wasn’t seeking the praise of men nor intimidated by the criticism of men. As a result, God’s Spirit remained on him in an unmistakable way. 

God will use anyone in the way that He used John, if they will only have the same attitude John had: “I must decrease and Jesus must increase.”

May I suggest this attitude-adjusting prayer for everyone who has been called by God to herald the Good News about Jesus—

Heavenly Father, as I preach today may all eyes move past me and turn to Jesus. “He must increase, but I must decrease. He must grow more prominent; I must grow less so.” Thank You for this opportunity You have given me today to point people to You. May I only be seen as great in Your eyes, but may the world view me only as Your humble servant. 

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

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