Don’t Settle

January 20, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

C.S. Lewis at his deskI shared this quote with Calvary Assembly of God this morning to remind us that we shouldn’t settle. God wants us to pray BIG and to pray LONG. He wants us to claim His promises. He wants to be glorified by answering our prayers.

“If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures…like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” —C.S. Lewis

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Performance-Oriented Church?

January 18, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

D.A. CarsonOh, my fellow pastor, may this never (ever!) be said of our churches…

“We have become so performance-oriented that it is hard to see how compromised we are. Consider one small example. In many of our churches, prayers in morning services now function, in large measure, as the time to change the set in the sanctuary. The people of the congregation bow their heads and close their eyes, and when they look up a minute later, why, the singers are in place, or the drama group is ready to perform. It is all so smooth. It is also profane. Nominally we are in prayer together addressing the King of Heaven, the sovereign Lord. In reality, some of us are doing that while others are rushing on tiptoes around the stage and others, with their eyes closed, are busy wondering what new and happy configuration will confront them when it is time to take a peek. Has the smoothness of the performance become more important to us than the fear of the Lord? Has polish, one of the modern equivalents of ancient rhetoric, displaced substance? Have professional competence and smooth showmanship become more valuable than sober reckoning over what it means to focus on Christ crucified?” —D.A. Carson (emphasis added)

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Thursdays With Oswald—Don’t Let Others Stumble Because Of Me

January 17, 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.

Don’t Let Others Stumble Because Of Me

     There is a difference between “offense” and “stumbling.” And they were offended in Him. But Jesus said unto them, “A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country…” (Matthew 13:57). But Jesus knowing in Himself that His disciples murmured at this, said unto them, “Does this cause you to stumble?” (John 6:61; see also Matthew 5:29; 11:6; 13:41; 16:23; 17:27; 18:6-7). Offense means going contrary to someone’s private opinion, and it is sometimes our moral duty to give offense.

     …Stumbling is different from offense. For example, someone who does not know God as well as you do, loves you and continually does what you do because he loves you, and as you watch him you begin to discern that he is degenerating spiritually, and to your amazement you find he is doing what you are doing. No offense is being given, but he is stumbling, distinctly stumbling.

From Biblical Psychology

In 1 Corinthians 8 and 9 Paul talks about not causing someone else to stumble because of what we do. It’s a fine line sometimes between offense and stumbling, but it’s a distinct line that the Holy Spirit can help us discern.

Jesus often offended people because their mindset was so rigid, and He didn’t act in a way that fit their rigid religious stereotypes. But Jesus was very cautious about making sure He never caused someone to stumble. As Matthew points out, Jesus fulfilled the prophesy of Isaiah: He will not quarrel or cry out…. A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out… (Matthew 12:19-20; Isaiah 42:1-4).

My prayer: Lord Jesus, please don’t let others stumble because of me! Let me have the discernment of the Holy Spirit to know when to offend, but to never cross the line to cause others to stumble. May I have Your same gentle spirit to not quarrel, and to treat the “bruised reeds” with utmost care.

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The Butterfly Circus

January 16, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

Butterfly CircusOne of the best short films I have ever seen. You will love the message in The Butterfly Circus…

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Ask & Act

January 16, 2013 — 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.

Do you want to mature as a Christian? I do! So here’s the first step…

…you may be mature and complete not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God… (James 1:4-5).

The dictionary defines mature as “complete in natural growth or development; fully developed in body or mind as a person.” The Bible has a higher definition of maturity. The phrase mature and complete (the King James Version actually says perfect) is just one word in the Greek: teleios. It’s the same word Jesus uses when He sets this standard for maturity:

Be perfect [teleios], therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect [teleios]. (Matthew 5:48)

Yikes! Talk about a high standard! I certainly can’t reach that level of perfect maturity on my own! That’s why James says we should pray for wisdom. The kind of wisdom God gives is heavenly knowledge that is perfectly practical on earth. It fits with the prayer Jesus taught us to pray, “Your will be done on earth, even as it is in Heaven.”

But there is more to maturity than just asking for wisdom. I have ASK for wisdom and then I have to ACT on that wisdom—but when he asks, he must believe and not doubt (James 1:6).

Growing in maturity is never a passive process; I must be actively engaged. God will not waste knowledge or experience. He won’t give it to me unless I’m going to be obedient enough to mature by its application.

Ask and act. God wants you to be teleios (perfectly mature) because it brings glory to Him. So ask for wisdom, but then be ready to act on it. This is the only path to godly maturity.

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Eye On It

January 15, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

I love the new TobyMac album Eye On It, because every song has a great message. Here’s the music video for the title track, which reminds me of Hebrews 12:1-2 and 1 Corinthians 9:24.

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Sanctity Of Human Life Month

January 15, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

Sanctity Of Human Life MonthJanuary is designated as sanctity of human life month. This is an issue about which I am passionate. Life is a gift from God, and the attacks against this gift are a slap at the Hand of our gracious Heavenly Father.

When a biblical principle is being attacked, we have two ways to respond: (a) Curse the darkness, or (2) Light a candle.

Since Jesus told us that we were to be the light of the world, I choose to light a candle.

There are lots of ways to do this:

  • Support pro-life legislators
  • Stay informed, and then write appropriate editorials and letters to editors
  • Pray, pray, pray!
  • Get involved with those on the front lines

In Cedar Springs we have a great pro-family, pro-life organization on the front lines called Alpha Family Center. (In the interest of full disclosure, I currently serve as the board president of Alpha, but I was a huge fan before I signed on for this.)

At Calvary Assembly of God, we are showing our support for the sanctity of human life by collecting needed supplies for Alpha during the month of January. Over the next weeks, please donate baby items like onesies, pacifiers, diapers, pull-ups, baby wipes, baby socks, or receiving blankets. You can also make a financial donation to Alpha Family Center (PayPal link).

Let’s shine brightly for life by supporting Alpha!

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From Azusa To Africa To The Nations (book review)

January 14, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

AzusaMost people are familiar with George Santayana’s powerful reminder: “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” This is why I love reading books of history. Denzil R. Miller has given us a powerful lesson of the history of the Pentecostal church in From Azusa To Africa To The Nations.

Denzil, a missionary in Africa, had a very specific motivation for writing this book: To remind African Christians how the full gospel message came to them, and how they should be responding to it. But I found that this book is a great reminder for all who call themselves Pentecostal.

From Azusa re-tells the story of the Pentecostal reawakening in the early days of the 1900s in a small church in Los Angeles pastored by William Seymour. From that small church, a worldwide revival to the fullness of the operation of the Holy Spirit began. It was a call to return to biblical roots; a call back to the message of Jesus, “You will receive power to be My witnesses after the Holy Spirit comes upon you” (Acts 1:8).

Denzil Miller aims to call the African churches back to their Pentecostal roots, but this is a call for all Pentecostals, regardless of the continent on which they live. This is a short, but powerful book, that I encourage you to check out.

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Swing The Bat Of Prayer

January 14, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

Swing the batMy son Harrison plays high school baseball. Let’s just imagine that I’m his hitting coach. In order for this relationship to benefit him, a couple of things have to occur:

  1. He has to want to improve, and
  2. He has to want to receive instruction from me.

If he thinks he knows it all already, or if he wants to just hang out with the other guys on the team to try to pick up some tips by being around them, then my role of a coach isn’t going to benefit him much.

Let’s say that Harrison knows he needs to improve, and he’s willing to listen to my instruction. We head out for some batting practice, and he lets pitch after pitch sail by him without ever swinging at the ball. If he never swings the bat, there’s only one piece of advice I can give him: Swing the bat!

The same things hold true for us if we want to improve as pray-ers. We have to want to improve, and we have have to be willing to receive instruction from the Coach (in this case, the Holy Spirit). But we also have to give Him something to work with. If we let opportunity after opportunity sail by without praying about it, there’s only one piece of advice the Spirit can give us: Pray!

Jesus said the Holy Spirit would help lead us into oneness with Him—

The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (John 14:26)

If we want to become better pray-ers, here’s how the Holy Spirit can help:

  • You have to admit that you need help in your prayer life.
  • You need to read your Bible (the everything that God says to you), and use God’s Word to help form your prayers.
  • Then, pray… swing the bat of prayer! 
  • As you pray, listen to the voice of the the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, helping you to refine your prayers.

Your prayer time can become more meaningful, if you will tune into the Holy Spirit, and give Him something to work with.

To check out the others messages in this series on prayer called Praying Circles, please click here.

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Praying The Word

January 13, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

Dietrich BonhoefferI shared this quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer this morning in my message—

“Meditation lets us be alone with the Word. …In our meditation we ponder the chosen text on the strength of the promise that it has something utterly personal to say to us for this day and for our Christian life, that it is not only God’s Word for the Church, but also God’s Word for us individually. We expose ourselves to the specific Word until it addresses us personally.”

Using the Bible as your prayer guide will take your prayers to a whole new level!

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