Holy Spirit | Craig T. Owens

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Knowing God

June 15, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

I read a line in Craig Groeschel’s book—The Christian Atheist—this morning, and several thoughts have been swirling in my heart and mind. He wrote, “Get to know God. When you do, you will never be the same.” Maybe this resonates with you too.

To know God.

To really know Him.

Not just to know facts, or recite a history, or to know what He said. But to know HIM.

To know Him better. Better today than yesterday. To know His mind, His heart, His thoughts. Not knew (past tense) but know right now—this very moment.

What pleases Him? What does He long for? What breaks His heart? What are His plans for me?

Am I knowing Him?

Am I pleasing Him?

Am I living for Him today?

Am I walking in the path He wants me to?

Do I really know God?

I’m thankful for the Holy Spirit who helps me know God more. He helps me develop a more intimate knowledge. I’m so grateful that the Holy Spirit helps me to know that I am knowing God—intimately, personally, increasingly.

I will not stop my pursuit of God. I cannot stop. I don’t want to stop. I must know Him more today.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Craig Groeschel, Holy Spirit, illumination, intimacy, passion, quote, Revelation. Leave a Comment »

Everything I Need Is Right Here

June 11, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

God wants to bless people. He wants it so much, that He puts everything we need to receive His blessing right in front of us.

It’s not elusive. It’s not obscure.

I don’t need a Master’s in Divinity to figure this out:

Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. … No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.

The New Testament amplifies this:

God’s laws are written on my heart, and my conscience tells me if I’m obeying them or not (Romans 2:15).
The Holy Spirit teaches and reminds me of everything I need (John 14:26; 16:8; 13).

You don’t need a spiritual pilgrimage to find God. He’s already written on your heart what you need to call out to Him. Don’t delay another day!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: blessing, conscience, conviction, Deuteronomy, encouragement, God's blessing, Gospel of John, Holy Spirit, Romans. Leave a Comment »

No Crutches

May 28, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

In preparing for the continuation of our Ignite series, I’ve been reviewing some of my notes about the Holy Spirit. This quote from R. Hollis Gause has really been working on me:

“[Jesus] was not a crutch for [the disciples’] immaturity. … Jesus did not encourage a mindless dependency on His physical presence; instead, He expected them to be interpretive of His instructions about their mission.”

Jesus said He wasn’t leaving us orphans, but He would send us the Holy Spirit to be a constant Counselor. When I submit to the Holy Spirit’s counsel, it’s not a mindless giving in, but a mind-full acknowledgment of His role. The Holy Spirit didn’t come to be my crutch, but to be my Liberator.

The Holy Spirit prepares me to be a conduit for God’s blessings.

I cannot touch in love…

I cannot speak with power…

I cannot truly represent Christ…

if I’m operating in my own strength.

The Holy Spirit comes alongside me to

Develop agape love in my heart…

stimulate my mind with the right words…

help me behave more like Jesus…

and live mind-full of His empowerment.

To do things on my own is to live with a crutch—to live a limited life.

To live in the flow of the Holy Spirit is to live a life that is fully engaged.

That’s how I want to live every day.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: abundant living, empowerment, God's blessing, Gospel of John, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, quote, sermon. Leave a Comment »

Light Us Up

May 19, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

This Sunday, May 23, is a pivotal day for the Church. It’s Pentecost Sunday: the day the promised empowerment from God came upon the first believers and turned them into power-packed dynamos!

Wow, what a day!

But that empowerment is still for all Christians today. Unfortunately far too many people shut the Holy Spirit out of their lives. So I’m chomping at the bit to launch our new series this Sunday: Ignite: The Empowerment Of The Holy Spirit.

There is so much to say, so I’m trying to reign myself in a bit. Hope you can join us at Calvary Assembly of God over the next few Sundays as we talk about how to get lit up by the Spirit of God.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Calvary Assembly of God, empowerment, Holy Spirit, Pentecost, Pentecostal, sermon. 1 Comment »

A Voice Behind Me

April 28, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

In our series on Building Blocks, I’ve been talking about the basics of a relationship with Jesus Christ. An obvious foundation for any relationship is meaningful conversation.

If you think about any close relationship you have, the closeness was developed through conversation. Gradually you began to know their voice and know their heart. Our meaningful conversation with God produces the same increased intimacy. We talk with Him through reading His Word and through prayer.

The more you read the Bible and the more you pray, the clearer His voice becomes. Isaiah said it this way:

Your own ears will hear Him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left. (Isaiah 30:21)

Earlier this week I was on a long road trip, so I took our dog Grace with me. After grabbing some lunch, I wanted to find a place for Grace to run around and stretch her legs, but I was in a town I didn’t know. As I came to the end of the driveway, my next appointment would have been right, but I felt I should turn left instead.

I did, and two blocks away was a huge, grassy park where I could sit and eat my lunch and Grace could frolic to her heart’s content.

Did I actually hear a Voice? No, but I felt a Voice. His Voice. Yes, I believe God even cares about helping me find a place for my lunch and for my dog to run. He cares that much about me. And you too!

He’s speaking to you all the time. Are you listening to the Voice behind you?

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Bible study, conversation, Holy Spirit, intimacy, Isaiah, Jesus Christ, prayer, relationship. 1 Comment »

Learning To Distinguish

April 23, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

In Moses’ instructions to the priests, he said, “You must distinguish between the holy and common, between the unclean and the clean.”

Why? Because these men were to be leaders. He went on to say, “You must teach the Israelites all the decrees.”

If I’m going to be a leader, I must be able to distinguish.

Here’s where the Holy Spirit is challenging me. I am working on distinguishing between…

Good and Best

Acceptable and Excellent

Common and Holy

Ordinary and Extraordinary

Want and Need

Present and Participant

Quantity and Quality

I am certain that this list is just a start, and that it’s going to be a lifetime pursuit.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: growing, Holy Spirit, leadership, learning, Leviticus, lifelong learner, Moses. 2 Comments »

Two Helpful Questions

April 19, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

Some people tell me that they don’t read the Bible for themselves because they don’t understand parts of what they read, or they don’t know what to do with the parts they do understand.

To which I reply, “That’s understandable.”

The Bible is filled with timeless principles given to us by an Eternal God. The principles may be timeless, but their application is not universal. For example, God’s timeless principle of, say, honoring your parents may be applied one way by someone living in the 12^th century B.C. and applied completely differently by someone living today.

Same principle. Different application.

This is easy to say, but much harder to put into action. But I believe it is imperative that we continue to read God’s timeless principles in His Word and find daily application for our lives. So I’d like to suggest two questions to help you in this pursuit. They are the same two questions that people asked the day of Peter’s first sermon after the birth of the Christian church. Try these the next time you read your Bible:

What does this mean? (Acts 2:12)
What should I do? (Acts 2:37)

Don’t avoid reading the Bible. And don’t approach the Bible the way Søren Kierkegaard said some people do: “Many read the Bible the way a mouse tries to remove the cheese from a trap: trying not to get caught.”

I’m still learning too. Two things that help me immensely: (1) Pray before I read my Bible, asking the Holy Spirit to illuminate His inspired Word, and (2) Talk with other wise friends about the application questions I have.

If you have some strategies that are working for you, please share them in the comments below.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: application, Bible study, Book of Acts, Holy Spirit, prayer, questions, quote, Soren Kierkegaard. Leave a Comment »

Higher Standards For Greater Rewards

April 5, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

Most people think of the Ten Commandments as God’s law given through Moses. Actually the Ten Commandments are just the beginning of the laws, practices, and regulations that God gives to His people. The rest of the book of Exodus, the entire book of Leviticus, and the first ten chapters of Numbers compromise the bulk of the law.

For those of you keeping track, that’s nearly 60 chapters of rules and regulations.

Why so many? I think the answer is found in the lead-up to the Ten Commandments:

Now if you obey Me fully and keep My covenant, then out of all nations you will be My treasured possession. Although the whole earth is Mine, you will be for Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

God wants people who are treasured. A people who are priests. A people who are holy. In short: He wants pacesetting leaders.

Priests have intimate access to God, and they are people who set an example for others to follow. In order to enjoy these special privileges, priests must be held to higher standards.

These are not standards just for those of Jewish ancestry, but for anyone who is a follower of Jesus Christ. Look what John recorded in the last book of the Bible:

To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve His God and Father—to Him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

…With Your blood You purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.

Yes, the standards to be a priest—to be a holy leader—are higher. But the rewards are immeasurable!

Are you ready to bring greater glory to God? Do you want to be a pacesetting leader for the Kingdom of heaven? Then ask the Holy Spirit to sanctify you as you take on the discipline of greater responsibility. Live up to higher standards, and you won’t be disappointed by the rewards!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Exodus, God's glory, high standards, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, leadership, Leviticus, Numbers, personal holiness, priest, Revelation, rewards, sanctification, Ten Commandments. 3 Comments »

Building Blocks

April 5, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

Whether you have been a follower of Jesus for years, or you’ve just invited Him into your life, there are important building blocks that can help this relationship grow stronger. Join us as we discuss the basic building blocks of a relationship with God over the next four Sundays…

April 11—Relationships. A satisfying relationship with God shows up in satisfying relationships with others. How do we make all our relationships better?

April 18—Bible Reading. Just what is this big book and how can we use it to help us every day?

April 25—Prayer. Does talking to God sound scary? It doesn’t have to be. In fact, it can be the best conversation ever!

May 2—The Holy Spirit. His role is probably the least understood, but the most vital, for our day-to-day lives.

We’d love to see you on Sundays at 10:30am.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Bible, Bible study, Calvary Assembly of God, discipleship, Holy Spirit, prayer, relationships, sermon. 1 Comment »

God Tests Us

April 1, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

I’m challenged by this quote from Rick Warren: “God develops the fruit of the Spirit in your life by allowing you to experience circumstances in which you’re tempted to express the exact opposite quality!”

In school, your teacher had to test you to see if you knew the material. She probably didn’t want to give you the test, but she had to. It would be unkind of her to promote you to the next level of learning if you weren’t prepared for it.

God does the same thing. He tests us on what we’ve learned in order to take us to the next level of fruitfulness. Many times these tests tempt us, as Rick Warren said, to do the opposite of what we’ve learned. But if we don’t pass the test, God cannot promote us.

As the Israelites began their journey out of Egypt, twice in the first few days of their freedom the Bible says God tested them.

God tested their thirst to see if they would trust Him to provide.
God tested their hunger to see if they would still trust Him even after they were full.

God loves you so much that He wants to keep promoting you. He wants to see more and more fruitfulness coming from your life. That means He has to keep preparing you for the next test, and then administering that test. Don’t run away from His testing.

Right now you are in one of three places: