Bible study | Craig T. Owens

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Thursdays With Oswald—Jeremiah 29

October 25, 2018 — 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.

Jeremiah 29

[These are notes from Oswald Chambers’ lecture on Jeremiah 29.]

The great message of the prophets is that evil and tyranny are there by the permissive will of God, there is never any room for thinking that these things happen by chance (cf. Isaiah 45:7). Never tie God up in His own laws; He is never guided by precedence. If a prophet is more concerned with logic than with loyalty to God, he will always mislead. …

We have no control whatever over external history; God has, and as saints we have to wait in patience wherever we are placed in the providential order of tyranny. …

Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage…. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper (Jeremiah 29:5-7). Jeremiah commands the people to obey God’s order in the dust and dirt of captivity. When we become rightly related to God we are loosened from everything around us, and the danger is to imagine we have to get out of the world. Our Lord did not pray that His disciples should be taken out of the world, but that they should be kept from the evil. It is nothing but unmitigated cowardice to get out of the world; we have to remain unspotted in the midst of it. “Do you mean to tell me I can live a holy life there?” If you cannot, the grace of God is a fiction. External surroundings make no difference to our inner life, but our inner life makes a telling difference on our surroundings (see Philippians 2:15). …

Our problem is not one of proportion: how much worldliness can I live in? but of spiritual insight which will enable me to live a holy life in the midst of worldliness, looking for the fulfillment of God’s promises.

From Notes On Jeremiah

Christians living here on earth are truly “temporary residents” or “aliens and strangers,” as Peter calls us. As such, we sometimes feel a bit perplexed about the evil all around us and how we’re supposed to respond to it and to the Earthlings who question us about it.

Chambers reminds us that God is not surprised by the evil, nor is He surprised where we are. All of these things are under His sovereign control.

We are not to give in to evil, compromise with evil, or even try to pretend that evil doesn’t really exist. We are to live with our eyes fixed on Jesus regardless of our evil surroundings. This is the only way we will shine like stars in our evil world, and point the way for Earthlings to have a relationship with Christ for themselves.

Shine on!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Bible study, Christianity, evil, God's promise, God's Sovereignty, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Jesus Christ, Oswald Chambers, Philippians, shine. Leave a Comment »

Saturday In The Proverbs—What A Waste! (Proverbs 29)

October 20, 2018 — Craig T. Owens

[Each chapter in the Book of Proverbs contains thoughts that fit into a theme; they are not just random thoughts gathered together. In this “Saturday In The Proverbs” series, I will share a theme that I see in each chapter. But the cool thing about God’s Word is that you may see an entirely different theme. That’s great! If you do, I would love for you to share it in the comments below.]

He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy (Proverbs 29:1).

God gives us SO MANY opportunities to experience His blessings, but when we continually flout His laws, we squander what we could have enjoyed.

We waste things like…

…personal growth (vv. 1, 19)
…nurturing relationships (vv. 2, 5, 8-11, 24, 27)
…wealth (v. 3)
…leadership opportunities (vv. 4, 12, 14, 18, 26)
…escape from heartache (vv. 6, 15, 17, 20, 21)
…relieving others’ suffering (v. 7)
…revelation / insight (vv. 13, 19)
…growing in righteousness (v. 16)
…lasting peace (vv. 22, 23, 25)

Don’t waste what God wants to give you!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Bible study, God's blessing, insight, leadership, opportunity, peace, personal growth, proverbs, relationships, righteousness, wealth. Leave a Comment »

Thursdays With Oswald—Jeremiah 27-28

October 18, 2018 — Craig T. Owens

Jeremiah 27-28

[These are notes from Oswald Chambers’ lecture on Jeremiah 27-28.]

God does not act according to His own precedents, therefore logic or a vivid past experience can never take the place of personal faith in a personal God. … God is constantly stirring up our nests that we may learn that the only simplicity there is is not the simplicity of a logical belief, but “the simplicity that is in Christ” [2 Corinthians 11:3]. …

Never try to explain God until you have obeyed Him…. The only bit of God we understand is the bit we have obeyed. … Never be surprised if there our whole areas of thinking that are not clear, they never will be until you obey (John 7:17). …

We never gain any knowledge by intellectual curiosity, but only as a relationship of simplicity to God is it maintained. In John 9 Our Lord was dealing with religious teachers who had known God’s way in the past but they were blind to His ways in the present. … Our Lord’s phrase “blind leaders of the blind” was used of those who built their teaching as to how God would act in the future on their knowledge of how He had acted in the past, instead of on a personal knowledge of God. …

We have to keep in unbroken touch with God and give every soul the same freedom and liberty before God as God gives us. …

No silence is so profound as the silence that falls on a soul that has quenched the Spirit of God by concentration on religious convictions. … Our only safety is in concentration on God with nothing between.

From Notes On Jeremiah

God is infinitely creative—He never has to repeat Himself. For proof, just look at the billions of unique snowflakes!

We must be very careful not to say, “God, You worked just like this last time so I expect You to work exactly the same way this time.” Let God be God; let Him do what He knows is best to do. Don’t tell God how He’s supposed to work, and don’t teach others to interact with God the same way you have interacted with God.

Let God be God—unique, inimitable, creative, sovereign, omnipotent, personal—with you and with others.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: 2 Corinthians, Bible study, Creator, Gospel of John, insight, Jeremiah, Jesus Christ, obedience, omnipotence, Oswald Chambers, quotes, Revelation, simplicity, uniqueness. 2 Comments »

11 Quotes From “Notes On Jeremiah”

October 17, 2018 — Craig T. Owens

Oswald Chambers gives us some unparalleled insights into the Book of Jeremiah. This is a must-read for serious students of the Bible. Check out my full book review of Notes On Jeremiah by clicking here.

“Very few of us understand why clouds of darkness come. It is God trying to get us into line with the prophets and apostles. It is the Holy Spirit seeking to bring us into the place of vicarious intercession, and we nearly always misunderstand it and say, ‘I must have sinned,’ or ‘I must get out of this, I have got the blues.’”

“We do not need a new Gospel; what we need is the old truth re-stated to hit the things that are wrong today.”

“Few of us realize the power God has given us to grip on the threshold of the mind as in a vice the things that ought not to be there.”

“The Cross of Jesus Christ is not a martyrdom, it does not procure salvation; it is the only salvation.”

“Beware of ever saying to yourself, ‘God’s law is not exactly binding to me, I am under grace.’ To be under grace should mean that we can fulfill the law of God gracefully.”

“Prosperity that does not spring from a godly motive is the external sign of having forsaken God.”

“We cannot answer God’s call collectively (John 6:68-70). Never get disturbed out of hearing God’s voice by saying other people have not heard it.”

“Human nature hates God’s message that there is a bad tendency inside that has to be plucked out, and unless it is it will damn us.”

“Jesus Christ’s salvation is the destruction of the sinner in the man, not of the man.”

“The measure of my misery when I turn from God is proportioned to my knowledge of Him when I walked with Him.”

“Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Old Testament prophets are inseparable from one another, for in the Person and the teaching of our Lord all that the prophets taught is in part fulfilled, and will be completely fulfilled.”

Every week I post longer passages from Oswald Chambers’ books in my “Thursdays With Oswald” feature.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: apostles, Bible study, Cross, Gospel, grace, Holy Spirit, Jeremiah, Jesus Christ, Old Testament, Oswald Chambers, prophet, prosperity, quotes, salvation. Leave a Comment »

Notes On Jeremiah (book review)

October 16, 2018 — Craig T. Owens

Oswald Chambers always gives me unique perspectives on passages of Scripture—even ones that I thought I already knew quite well. He does this again as he dives deep into one of the major prophets in his book Notes On Jeremiah.

These Notes are really his lecture notes from his classes at the Bible Training Institute. Once again, these classes were cut short by the outbreak of The Great War (what we now call World War I), so we only have his brilliant insights through Jeremiah chapter 29.

Chambers himself noted, “The conception of these studies is that man must look higher for the source of life and salvation than the experience of life. … Jesus Christ is the only One Who can throw light on the prophecies of Isaiah, and He is the only One Who throws any kind of light on the acute suffering and amazing misery of this prophet [Jeremiah].”

Indeed, many of Chambers’ lectures start with “the experience of life” that most of us have had (or are having at present), and then he tries to take us both higher and deeper. Using Jeremiah’s prophesies like a searchlight, Chambers shows how these Old Testament words find their ultimate relevance and fulfillment in the dazzling Advent of Jesus Christ.

Jeremiah was prophesying in the darkest days of Judah, just before the city was overthrown by the Babylonians. In the face of this darkness, Jeremiah shines out a light of Ultimate Hope. This is a valuable resource for Christians today who are living in sin-darkened days.

If you are looking for a great companion resource for your Bible reading time in Jeremiah, please add Notes On Jeremiah to your library.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Bible study, book review, fulfilment, insight, Jeremiah, Jesus Christ, Old Testament, Oswald Chambers, prophesy, prophet, Revelation. 3 Comments »

Saturday In The Proverbs—The Perils Of Breaking God’s Laws (Proverbs 28)

October 13, 2018 — Craig T. Owens

Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but such as keep the law contend with them (Proverbs 28:4).

I could jump off a tall building, but the law of gravity demands I will pay a painful—perhaps even a deadly—price in the end.

Violating God’s laws are no less painful and deadly. Break them at your own peril.

If you do violate God’s laws, the consequences include:

fear (v. 1)
more rulers and more rules being imposed on you (vv. 2, 15, 16)
justice is perverted (vv. 3, 5, 6)
shame (vv. 7, 18, 22-24)
insecurity (vv. 8, 19, 26)
your prayers are unheard by God (v. 9)
retribution coming back to bite you (vv. 10, 13, 14, 17, 20, 21, 27)
embarrassment (v. 11)
a backlash from others (vv. 12, 25, 28)

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Bible study, consequences, embarrassment, fear, injustice, insecurity, law, prayer, proverbs, shame. Leave a Comment »

Fight Or Flee?

October 11, 2018 — Craig T. Owens

But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith… (1 Timothy 6:11-12).

Psychologists tell us that when faced with certain situations our bodies instinctively prepared to fight or flight. Knowing which situations to fight and which to run from are crucial for living a long and productive life.

It’s no different in the spiritual realm.

Christian leaders must know which things are worth the fight, and which things they simply must flee. To flee from things we should fight shows a lack of courage. But to try to fight the things we should run from shows a lack of wisdom.

A mark of a godly leader is one who knows what to fight and what to flee.

Three things you must FIGHT for…

…the purity of the true faith (1 Timothy 6:12; Jude 1:3)
…the disempowered (Proverbs 31:8-9; Matthew 21:12-13)
…the devil (1 Peter 5:9; James 4:7; Ephesians 6:11)

Three things you must FLEE from…

…idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:14)
…sexual sin (1 Corinthians 6:18; Genesis 39:12)
…earthly riches (1 Timothy 6:9-11)

Don’t try to fight the things you must flee from, and don’t run away from the things you must fight for. Pray for God’s wisdom to know which is which.

This is part 29 in my series on godly leadership. You can check out all of my posts in this series by clicking here.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: 1 Peter, 1 Timothy, Bible study, Book of James, courage, devil, disenfranchised, Ephesians, Gospel of Matthew, idolatry, immoral, Joseph, Jude, leadership, proverbs, sexual purity, spiritual warfare, wisdom. Leave a Comment »

Thursdays With Oswald—Jeremiah 25-26

October 11, 2018 — Craig T. Owens

Jeremiah 25-26

[These are notes from Oswald Chambers’ lecture on Jeremiah 25-26.]

The prophets were holy men, not mechanisms; they were “moved by the Holy Ghost” [2 Peter 1:21] to say what they did. Each prophet had a distinct characteristic of his own, they were not all “moved” in the same way. We are not meant to be “channels only,” we are infinitely more responsible than “channels.” …

Jeremiah continually warned the people that if they did not repent and come up to God’s standard for them, He would blight all that they possessed, including Jerusalem and the Temple. That was what enraged them against Jeremiah. They said he used his prophetic right to tell an untruth; for, they argued, God would never destroy His own holy city or the Temple in which He was worshiped (26:11). Any position before God based on a foundation other than living in the light of God and depending upon Him, is doomed to destruction.

From Notes On Jeremiah

God’s Word is still as viable and applicable to us today as it was in the days that Jeremiah and the other prophets spoke, and in the days the New Testament authors penned their words.

J.C. Ryle issued this warning to us, “Let us beware of despising the Old Testament under any pretense whatever. Let us never listen to those who bid us throw it aside as an obsolete, antiquated, useless book. The religion of the Old Testament is the embryo of Christianity. The Old Testament is the Gospel in the bud. The New Testament is the Gospel in full flower. The Old Testament is the Gospel in the blade. The New Testament is the Gospel in full ear.”

God’s Word IS speaking to us today. The question is—are you and I willing to obey what God says to us, or are we more interested in making arguments about its relevance?

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: 2 Peter, argument, Bible study, God's Word, Holy Spirit, inspiration, J.C. Ryle, Jeremiah, New Testament, obedience, Old Testament, Oswald Chambers, prophet, relevance, Scripture. Leave a Comment »

Battle Ready

October 8, 2018 — Craig T. Owens

The Bible says that satan prowls around like a lion, looking for an opening to devour Christians. Are you battle ready? The Apostle Peter gives us all of the battle preparation that we will need to be victorious!

One of the most important things we need to do is prepare ourselves before the battle even begins. Peter lists two key components: (1) self-control and (2) alertness (1 Peter 5:8-11).

This Greek word for self-control is only used six times in all of the New Testament. Peter uses it three times in his first epistle, and the Apostle Paul also uses the word three times. It’s amazing to see the similarity in uses between the two of them.

Both apostles use self-control in the context of the value of prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:6, 8; 1 Peter 4:7). In other words, Christians don’t wear armor to fight; they wear armor to pray. We have to be self-controlled enough to stick to the business of prayer.

Restraining prayer, we cease to fight

Prayer makes the Christian’s armor bright

And satan trembles when he sees

The weakest saint upon his knees. —William Cowper

Then both apostles use the Greek word for self-control in the context of using God’s Word as a spiritual weapon (2 Timothy 4:1-5; 1 Peter 1:10-13). Jesus used this same strategy in his battle in the desert against satan (Matthew 4:1-10)—Jesus was praying before the devil came to tempt Him, and then He defeated the devil’s temptations by quoting Scripture.

Peter says the devil “prowls around like a roaring lion.” Notice that important word: like. The devil has always been an imitator—trying to be like God, he was expelled from Heaven, and then he deceived Adam and Eve by telling them they could be like God too. He’s using the same strategy now.

Augustine pointed out, “Christ is called a Lion because of His courage; the devil because of his ferocity. The Lion comes to conquer, the other to hurt.”

So Peter encourages us to “resist him, standing firm in the faith.” You resist the devil when you…