Thursdays With Oswald—Serving Like Christ

March 1, 2012 — 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.

Am I Serving Like Christ?

The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve… (Matthew 20:28)

     Jesus also said, ‘Yet I am among you as the One who serves’ (Luke 22:27). Paul’s idea of service was the same as our Lord’s—‘…ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake’ (2 Corinthians 4:5). We somehow have the idea that a person called to the ministry is called to be different and above other people. But according to Jesus Christ, he is called to be a ‘doormat’ for others—called to be their spiritual leader, but never their superior. Paul said, ‘I know how to be abased…’ (Philippians 4:12). Paul’s idea of service was to pour his life out to the last drop for others. And whether he received praise or blame made no difference. As long as there was one human being who did not know Jesus, Paul felt a debt of service to that person until he did come to know Him. But the chief motivation behind Paul’s service was not love for others but love for his Lord.

     …The institutional church’s idea of a servant of God is not at all like Jesus Christ’s idea. His idea is that we serve Him by being the servants of others. Jesus Christ actually ‘out-socialized’ the socialists. He said that in His kingdom the greatest one would be the servant of all (see Matthew 23:11). The real test of a saint is not one’s willingness to preach the gospel, but one’s willingness to do something like washing the disciples’ feet—that is, being willing to do those things that seem unimportant in human estimation but count as everything to God.

From My Utmost For His Highest

I cannot add anything to this brilliant observation. But I can tell you the parts that the Holy Spirit is really working in my heart:

  • “…called to be a ‘doormat’ for others—called to be their spiritual leader, but never their superior.” God, help me to keep my pride in check.
  • “The real test of a saint is not one’s willingness to preach the gospel, but one’s willingness to do something like washing the disciples’ feet.” May I never shrink back from willingly serving at the lowest level of society.

UPDATE: This idea of servant-leaders plays prominently in my book Shepherd Leadership: The Metrics That Really Matter.

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Even Before You Ask

February 19, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

A couple of weeks ago a lady in our church asked me to pray for a need in her life. She is a single Mom, as well as a caregiver for her bed-bound grandmother, which means money is tight.

She knew her car needed some repairs, so she took the car to the mechanic on Thursday afternoon. His initial estimate was $400. On Sunday we prayed about this, and joined our faith that God would either provide the funds, or provide another way for her car to be repaired.

Here’s a powerful verse of Scripture—

…Your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask Him! (Matthew 6:8)

This lady returned to her mechanic the next day, and he told her the repairs had been completed. But the repairs were not as extensive as he originally thought, so the bill was only $105.

Now, here’s the best part—on Thursday, this lady had looked at her financial situation and had set aside all the money she could afford for this repair: $125!

So not only did God provide for her even before she asked, but she even gave the mechanic a $20 tip!

I love the fact that God knows what we need even before we ask Him!

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Whose Plans?

February 13, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

Sometimes what needs to go on my To Do list seems logical. But logical to whom? If I’m not careful I can get so focused on doing the next logical thing, that I miss out on the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

Bruce Wilkinson said it this way—

“If we aren’t passionately and deliberately focused on carrying out God’s agenda with God’s heart, we’ll end up putting our own agenda first. We’ll increasingly look for the kind of missions we enjoy most. We’ll tend to ask God to bless our busyness for Him instead of asking Him to send us on the miracle mission of His choice.”

Ouch!

I don’t think the Bible is against To Do lists, but I need to make my lists the right way.

Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:15)

Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)

With those verses in mind, this is what I’m praying:

Dear God, I want to decided right here and now that Your agenda is more important than mine. Not my “To Do” list be done, but Yours. I die to my plans so that I might live out your plans.

I am trying to Live Dead to my agenda this week.

If you’ve missed any messages in our series called Live Dead, you can find them all by clicking here.

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Live Dead

February 7, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

Put this in the category of “contradiction” or maybe “oxymoron.” However you want to classify it, the phrase just doesn’t make sense to the natural mind. Jesus tells us to die so that we might live—

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.” (Matthew 16:24)

We are to deny our agenda, to follow His.

We are to not seek our advancement, but His.

We are not to pursue our passions, but His.

We have to die to self to live for Him.

We have to live dead.

I’m going to be diving into this topic beginning this Sunday. Many have already purchased a Live Dead journal, in order to take a 30-day journey of building our understanding of what it means to live dead. If you are near Cedar Springs, please join me this Sunday. If you live elsewhere, I encourage you to check out the live dead materials (click here to go to their website), and begin your own journey of dying to yourself so that you might live for Christ.

Check out of the messages in this series:

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Set Them Free!

January 23, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

Jesus has some pointed words for us in Matthew 5—

Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. (vv. 23-24)

Notice that Jesus says that your brother has something against you. Since the first word of this verse is therefore, we have to back up a couple of verses to get the context. In the preceding two verses Jesus talks to us about our anger, our harsh words, and our rash judgments leveled at others. In other words, things we have done to others which has made them upset at us.

In our prayer time, the Holy Spirit will help us remember what we have done. Now what are you going to do about it? Excuse it? Justify it? Or will you rectify it? Will you be obedient to go and make it right?

Until we do, we’re keeping our offended brother or sister in bondage to us. But as soon as we ask forgiveness, we set them free.

I love what C.S. Lewis said about recognizing where we may have offended someone—

“When I come to my evening prayers and try to reckon up the sins of the day, nine times out of ten the most obvious one is some sin against charity; I have sulked or snapped or sneered or snubbed or stormed. And the excuse that immediately springs to mind is that the provocation was so sudden or unexpected. I was caught off my guard, I had not time to collect myself…. Surely what a man does when he is taken off guard is the best evidence of what sort of man he is. Surely what pops out before the man has time to put on a disguise is the truth. If there are rats in the cellar you are most likely to see them if you go in very suddenly. But the suddenness did not create the rats; it only prevents them from hiding. In the same way the suddenness of the provocation does not make me an ill-tempered man: it only shows what an ill-tempered man I am.”

When the Holy Spirit shows you the rats in your cellar—when He helps you remember how your ratty words or behavior hurt someone else—take care of it immediately! It’s the fastest way to freedom!

I will be speaking on The Danger Of Prayerlessness again next Sunday. I hope you can join me.

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Defeating Temptation

January 18, 2012 — 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 probably the best-known prayer, the one Jesus taught us to pray, there is a line I have breezed past way too many times without thinking more about it. It says, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13).

This prayer is addressed to our Heavenly Father, the One Who is all-loving and all-powerful. God loves us and He gives us His power. Even power to defeat temptation.

Sometimes we have to battle the same temptation again and again and again. Perhaps we have seen that we are overcoming that temptation more times than we’re being overcome by it; perhaps not. Sometimes it’s a totally new temptation that sneaks up on us each time. In either case, God knows what temptation we are going to face.

This line of the prayer is really saying, “God, please don’t bring me into battle with a temptation I’m not ready to face. Help me to be ready to overcome that temptation when it comes” (see 1 Corinthians 10:13; James 1:13-17).

NEWS FLASH—Instead of waiting to pray for help until I’m facing a temptation (a reactive prayer), I can pray for God’s help before I even face the temptation (a proactive prayer).

In my mind, proactive is way better than reactive!

Check out what John Bunyan learned about this—

“…I did not, when I was delivered from the temptation that went before, still pray to God to keep me from the temptations that were to come; for though, as I can say in truth, my soul was much in prayer before this trial seized me, yet then I prayed only, or at the most principally, for the removal of present troubles, and for fresh discoveries of His love in Christ, which I saw afterwards was not enough to do; I also should have prayed that the great God would keep me from the evil that was to come. … This I had not done, and therefore was thus suffered to sin and fall, according to what is written, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. And truly this very thing is to this day of such weight and awe upon me, that I dare not, when I come before the Lord, go off my knees, until I entreat Him for help and mercy against the temptations that are to come; and I do beseech thee, reader, that thou learn to beware of my negligence, by the afflictions, that for this thing I did for days, and months, and years, with sorrow undergo.”

What would happen if the next time you are facing a temptation you could say, “Hello, temptation! I’ve already prayed about you, and my Heavenly Father has already given me strength to defeat you”? Don’t you think you would be much more successful? I do!

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

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A Symphony Of Prayer

January 9, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

Here’s something amazing Jesus said about prayer:

Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth AGREE about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in My name, there am I with them. (Matthew 18:19-20)

The word for agree has an interesting definition. It literally means to be in harmonious agreement. If you’ve ever listened to a piece of music, I’m sure you know the difference between melody and harmony. Melody is typically the notes you sing along to; harmony is made by the accompanying notes which fill in the musical number.

So Jesus doesn’t tell us to simply pray the same words as someone else, but to be in harmony with them… fill in their prayer with complimenting notes.

But the Greek word itself is very suggestive too. The Greek word translated agree is symphōneō, from which we get our word for symphony.

Again, you probably know that one person is not a symphony, but a solo artist. But when other instruments are added, the music swells and builds and becomes a masterful piece of art!

So too with our prayers. How beautiful it is when we pray together. It is literally a symphony in God’s ears! And not only that, but He says “There I am with them.” God Himself stops to hear this beautiful sound.

I hope you have a prayer partner with whom you can harmonize and make beautiful music together.

And be sure to join me next week as we continue in our series The Danger Of Prayerlessness.

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Practical Is Spiritual

December 7, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

In Matthew 25, Jesus shows how very practical acts of service are also very spiritual acts of service. Quite simply Jesus says,

  • If someone’s hungry, give them food.
  • If they’re thirsty, given them water.
  • If they need a visit, go visit them.

What makes these practical acts spiritual is this word from our Heavenly Father: “Whatever you did for those in need, you did for Me.”

So here’s a very practical—and spiritual—thing Calvary Assembly of God is doing this Christmas: A Bottom Blessing. We’re accepting donations of diapers, pull-ups, and wipes to take to the Alpha Family Center. This crisis pregnancy resource center in Cedar Springs helps so many young families, so we want to help them in a very practical way. Anytime between now and Christmas Day, bring your diapers or wipes to the church, and we’ll deliver them to Alpha.

If you don’t live around Cedar Springs, find a practical way to help others in need in your community. As you do, you’ll be doing something very spiritual as well… something to which God says, “Well done!”

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Love For A Traitor

November 9, 2011 — 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.

Just a couple of hours before He would be arrested and so cruelly mistreated, Jesus had one last meal with His disciples. The meal began after Jesus had assumed the lowest of all positions, and washed all of His disciples’ feet.

Then He took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.” (Matthew 26:27)

Do you realize that this “all of you” included Judas the traitor?

Judas, the betrayer of Jesus, was there. He ate the bread and drank the wine of the first Communion. Jesus washed Judas’ feet. The traitor was right there when Jesus said, “This is My Body broken for you. This is My blood spilled for you.”

But it’s even heavier to think that He also said to me, “Drink of this cup, Craig.”

For Jesus surely saw my sin and my betrayal before He went to the Cross. I was the traitor, and He washed my feet. I betrayed Him by my sin, and He told me to eat and drink the reminders of His suffering for me.

How can I ignore such wondrous love?

How could I ever treat lightly such a sacrifice?

How could I ever hang on to my betraying sins in light of the forgiveness He purchased for me?

Jesus loved me—the traitor, the betrayer—and died for me. What a beautiful Savior!

My friend Dilip has released his debut album The Great Reversal (I hope you will buy this amazing CD), but I love the words of his song Beautiful Jesus:

All my words cannot describe just how beautiful You are
Earthly love cannot compare to the Perfect Love that bled and died
Beautiful Jesus, I stand in awe of You
Beautiful Jesus, I’m captivated by Your wondrous love
So I bow my knee, humbled by this mystery
How can it be? King of Majesty, You rescued me
You gave it all for me
More than I could ask for
All I ever need is You, Jesus, Lover of my soul
 
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Watch Your Prepositions

November 7, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

Prepositions are interesting words: they tell us the position of something relative to something else. Changing just one small preposition changes the whole meaning—“I left my wallet in the car” or “I left my wallet on the car.” In the first case, you can probably find your wallet again. In the second case, your wallet could be anywhere along the side of the road!

There’s a well-known story in the Gospels where a woman anoints Jesus with an expensive perfume. Some people are upset that she would “waste” something so valuable. But as Jesus corrects their incorrect view of this, notice the preposition He uses:

She has done a beautiful thing TO Me. (Matthew 26:10)

Most of the time we think we do things for Jesus. But He really doesn’t need us to do anything for Him, does He? After all, He is all-sufficient, all-powerful, all-knowing.

But Jesus loves when we do something beautiful TO Him!

We often praise God because of what He has done; that is, we praise Him for His deeds. But what if we praise God for Who He is; that is, give praise TO Him?

For is good, but TO is best.

I’m going to be watching my prepositions, to make sure I’m not only doing things for Jesus, but to Him as well—not just giving praise for what He’s done, but praise TO Him for Who He is.

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