intimacy | Craig T. Owens

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Be Before Do

June 10, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

The baptism in the Holy Spirit is not primarily about a Christian doing more for God. Its primary purpose is to draw a Christian into deeper intimacy with God.

This means that we don’t have to present to God an impressive spiritual resume in order to be baptized in the Spirit. It also means that God is not going to baptize us in the Holy Spirit so that we can do impressive things for Him. We are baptized in the Holy Spirit to experience a greater one-ness with God.

In John 16:5-15, Jesus lists three primary functions of the Holy Spirit. All of these are to draw us closer into God’s intimate embrace:

He convicts us (v. 8). He points out anything which is hindering our deeper and sustained connection to God.
He guides us (v. 13). Specifically Jesus says the Spirit guides us into all truth. And since Jesus is the truth, the Holy Spirit guides us deeper into Him.
He enlightens us (vv. 14-15). The Holy Spirit reveals to us the mind and character of Christ, so that we can become more and more like Him.

“The primary work of the Holy Spirit is to restore the lost soul to intimate fellowship with God.” —A.W. Tozer

Our heart’s cry should be for intimacy with God, just as David cried out—

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me. (Psalm 51:10-11)

God wants people to BE with Him before He wants them to DO for Him.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: A.W. Tozer, Calvary Assembly of God, Holy Spirit, intimacy, Jesus Christ, King David, Pentecost, sin, truth. Leave a Comment »

The Intimacy Of The Holy Spirit

June 9, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

“Oh, Jesus! Knowing we do not deserve anything, knowing You want intimacy, knowing we must approach You in faith, longing to be overshadowed by You… would You strengthen us one more time? Would You fill us with Your mighty Spirit one more time? Whatever in me it is that hinders or grieves Your Spirit, would You expose it, would You help me hate it, would You remove from me at any cost what restricts the flowing of Your Spirit through me? Help me, Holy Spirit, to confess and forsake what grieves You. Get the ‘I’ out of me, that the ‘Thee’ may rise. Amen.” —Dick Brogden

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Calvary Assembly of God, confession, Dick Brogden, Holy Spirit, intimacy, Jesus Christ, sin. Leave a Comment »

Furious Longing

January 23, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

There is a passage of Scripture in the Book of James which has caused many people to propose many different explanations. I’m not a theologian, but here’s my take on this—

Or do your think the Scripture says without reason that the spirit He caused to live in us envies intensely? (James 4:5)

Envy in the Greek is a neutral word; it becomes a virtue or a vice depending on its context. I could long for a deeper relationship with my wife (virtue), or I could long for a drug that gives me a temporary escape (vice).

The Greek word for envy can mean pursue with love (virtue), or lust after forbidden desires (vice).

“The spirit [God] caused to live in us” came from a loving Creator, and was intended for us to long for Him. When God created man in His image, He said, “Let Us create man like Us” (Genesis 1:26). In the Triune God there is a furiously intense longing among Father, Son, and Spirit. Each part of the Godhead longs for the entire Godhead to be glorified—this makes the Godhead indivisibly and gloriously One. This is the same spirit God placed in man.

Of man God said, “It is not good for man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18). The God-implanted spirit of man longs to give love and to receive love. Our God-implanted spirit longs to connect.

But for what do we long? We were made to long for intimacy with God. If we substitute or exchange this with a longing for temporary worldly things, we are rightly called by James “adulterous people” and “an enemy of God” (James 4:4).

“But God gives more grace” (James 4:6) that we will turn from our temporary longings to long after Him. James almost seems to be saying that those in the church have their hearts hanging in the balance. Of the other eight times this Greek word for envy is used in the Bible, they are in the positive (or virtuous) connotation.

James is imploring us—longing for us—to not be the exception. Longing for us to humbly admit our need for God and to receive even more divine grace. Longing for us to tip our hearts toward God and renew the passionate, furious longing for which we were created.

O God, I want my passion to burn furiously for You alone. Jesus, may I follow Your example to only do what pleases the Father. Holy Spirit, may I hear Your voice if my heart ever begins to turn toward anything but my Beloved.

(I explored this idea further in a whole series of messages called Craving.)

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: apostle James, Book of James, envy, Genesis, God's love, Godhead, intimacy, longing, prayer, Trinity, virtue. Leave a Comment »

Why Do You Read The Bible?

August 20, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

Do you exercise? Why? What’s the purpose of all of your exercises? To get stronger? To last longer? To get or stay healthy? Yes! But to what end? Why do you want to be stronger, have greater endurance, or better health?

I could ask the same question regarding the spiritual realm: Why would you want to do a spiritual workout? To quote more Bible verses? To have more endurance in prayer? But why do you want to know more of the Bible, or pray better or longer?

Our goal should be simply this: To know God more intimately.

We have to be careful about being so focused on the workout that we miss the purpose (or should I say the Person). Andrew Murray wrote this:

“Christian! there is a terrible danger to which you stand exposed in your inner chamber. You are in danger of substituting Prayer and Bible Study for living fellowship with God, the living interchange of giving Him your love, your heart, and your life, and receiving from Him His love, His life, and His spirit. Your needs and their expression, your desire to pray humbly and earnestly and believingly, may so occupy you, that the light of His countenance and the joy of His love cannot enter you. Your Bible Study may so interest you, and so waken pleasing religious sentiment, that—yes—the very Word of God may become a substitute for God Himself, the greatest hindrance to fellowship because it keeps the soul occupied instead of leading it to God Himself.”

Our spiritual workouts should help us integrate God’s presence into our souls. He is not just someone that we know about; He is the One we know. The One we have let into our hearts. The One who is at the very center of our being. He is the CORE of who we are.

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him. Have the roots [of your being] firmly and deeply planted [in Him, fixed and founded in Him], being continually built up in Him, becoming increasingly more confirmed and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and abounding and overflowing in it with thanksgiving. (Colossians 2:6-7 AMP)

Don’t lose sight of WHY you read the Bible, and respond in prayer; of why you glorify God and enjoy Him forever; of why you go through your spiritual workouts. You do all of this because Christ is in you, and you are in Christ, and you want to strengthen this core relationship, and let everything else that you do flow out from this core!

If you have missed any of the messages in our P119 series, you can access them all by clicking here.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Andrew Murray, Bible study, Calvary Assembly of God, Colossians, intimacy, prayer, Psalm 119, quote, sermon. 3 Comments »

The Danger Of Turning Back

March 21, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

Jesus never hesitated to speak the truth. After one such time, a sad verse appears: From this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him. (John 6:66)

The words of Jesus are so countercultural, so counterintuitive, that they might be shocking to our human ears. We get used to thinking along certain lines, and then Jesus says, “That’s not the way. I AM the only way.”

Why do these statements ruffle us so much? I think they remind us that He is Lord, and there is no other. We like to think that we have options … we think, “Surely He means this” … we convince ourselves that there is some wiggle room. But we are wrong.

Jesus says: I AM. His way is the only way.

Some people turn back when they hear this. That’s to say, they don’t deny Jesus is Savior, but they no longer want to do the hard work of being His disciple. “Turn back” means to separate; it’s the opposite of coming alongside or following Jesus.

“No longer followed” in this verse is translated “walked no more” in the King James Version. They stood still. If we choose to stand still or to turn back, we miss out. Those who turned back missed out on the miracles, on the personal conversations, on the deeper intimacy with Jesus.

Those who turn back say believing in Jesus is enough, but they think discipleship is just too hard. Can they still have salvation that leads to eternal life? Yes, but it becomes harder and harder because they want to try to pursue it on their own.

I’d rather keep on walking, keep on learning, keep on maturing, keep on following.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: counter-cultural, counterintuitive, discipleship, discipline, Gospel of John, intimacy, Jesus Christ, work. 1 Comment »

Thursdays With Oswald—The Intimacy Of God

March 15, 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.

The Intimacy Of God

The 139th Psalm ought to be the personal experience of every Christian. My own introspection, or exploration of myself, will lead me astray, but when I realize not only that God knows me, but that He is the only One who does, I see the vital importance of intercessory introspection. Every man is too big for himself, thank God for everyone who realizes it and, like the Psalmist, hands himself over to be searched out by God. We only know ourselves as God searches us. ‘God knows me’ is different from ‘God is omniscient’; the latter is a mere theological statement; the former is a child of God’s most precious possession—‘O Lord, Thou hast searched me, and known me.’

From Biblical Ethics

I love the line, “We only know ourselves as God searches us.”

He knows me better than I know myself. If I ever hope to mature, I can only do so as I make this my daily prayer:

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends You, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. (Psalm 139:23,24)

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: discipleship, intimacy, maturity, omniscience, Oswald Chambers, prayer, Psalm. 1 Comment »

Still So Much More To Learn

November 22, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

I was thinking about the disciples of Jesus. Can you imagine the things they heard and saw! With their own eyes they saw those jaw-dropping miracles. With their own ears they heard His profound teaching. They watched and heard Him pray. No one ever had the kind of access to Jesus than these men.

And yet, they were still so spiritually dull…

They couldn’t grasp what Jesus was teaching, even when He explained it to them privately.
Their faith was sorely lacking.
They argued among themselves over such petty things.

If these men—with their almost limitless access to Jesus—were still struggling in their faith, what would make me think I have ever “arrived”?

There is still so much more for me to learn about Jesus.

And I do want to learn more! I want to press in—closer and closer, deeper and deeper! I never want to stop learning my Savior’s heart and will!

What about you? Do you want more?

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: disciples, discipleship, intimacy, Jesus Christ, lifelong learner, maturity, Michelangelo, quote. Leave a Comment »

Soul Work (book review)

June 24, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

You probably think that being a monk is a full-time occupation, right? But what if you could learn from the most committed monks, without actually moving to a monastery? That’s exactly what Randy Harris shows us in Soul Work: Confessions of a Part-Time Monk.

I’ll admit that I was hooked more by the subtitle of this book. After all, whoever heard of a part-time monk. Randy Harris set out to find out more about the deep spiritual walk for which so many monks and hermits are renowned. In the beginning of the book, Randy states that there was something he disagreed with in almost every monastery or hermitage he visited. But he culled through all they had to offer, and presented the best practices in Soul Work.

In short, there is much to learn from the unhurried, quiet, peaceful, and deeply-abiding lives of those who separate themselves from general society. What a huge contrast with our frantic, noisy, stressful, superficial lives. Randy shares what he learned about…

Deeper intimacy with God
A more refreshed outlook on life
A life infused with hope
More meaningful prayer times
Greater levels of obedience
God-honoring humility
A more satisfying relationship with God

But we won’t pursue any of these things unless we are truly dissatisfied with our current spiritual level. As Randy wrote,

“We do not move in our spiritual lives until we experience some dissatisfaction with what we’ve got. … The first step toward living an intimate life with God is to realize our own desperation, and that desperation comes largely by developing some sense of God’s holiness.”

This is not a casual read. It’s a book that forced me to confront how much more of God I really wanted in my life, and if I was willing to make the necessary changes to achieve greater intimacy. I was challenged by Soul Work, and I think you will be too.

I am an ACU Press book reviewer.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: book review, God's presence, intimacy, prayer. 1 Comment »

All I Want Is All I Need

May 23, 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.

I often have a discussion with my kids (okay, sometimes I have this discussion with myself too!) about the difference between wants and needs.

Needs are requirements for life. I need oxygen, food, water, shelter.

Wants are my desires for life. I want a new computer, a faster car, a closer Starbucks.

But as I mature in my relationship with Christ, shouldn’t my need for Him and my want of Him become more and more similar? Shouldn’t the deepest longing (want) in my heart be for the one thing I need most?

Nicholas of Cusa wrote:

Who would think of paying a man to do what he was yearning to do already? For instance, no one would hire a hungry man to eat, or a thirsty man to drink, or a mother to nurse her own child. Who would think of bribing a farmer to dress his own vineyard, or to dig about his orchard, or to rebuild his house? So, all the more, one who truly loves God asks no other recompense than God Himself.

When my want for God’s closeness and my need for His closeness become one, this is a simple song with a profound meaning:

All I want is more of You

Nothing I desire, Lord, but more of You

I pray my wants and needs will more closely align as I fall in love with my Savior again and again and again and again!

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Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: intimacy, Nicholas of Cusa, priority, quote. 1 Comment »

Experiencing The Spirit (book review)

May 19, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

Years ago I read Henry Blackaby’s outstanding book Experiencing God, which helped me see God’s relationship with me in a whole new light. Now Henry and Melvin Blackaby have done the same thing with the role of the Holy Spirit in a Christian’s life in Experiencing The Spirit: The Power of Pentecost Every Day.

I’m a fourth-generation Pentecostal, so I’ve grown up with a solid understanding of the Holy Spirit. But Experiencing The Spirit created in me a longing for something more. I don’t want it to just be a head-only theology, but a heart-felt relationship. In fact, this question in the book hit me right between the eyes: Do you spend more time and effort honing your skills than you do seeking the Lord and deepening your relationship with Him?

I don’t want to just know about God, I want to know Him. And a deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit is what allows that to happen. The Apostle Paul prayed for the church at Ephesus, and I want to make that my prayer too…

I pray that out of His glorious riches the Father may strengthen me with power through His Holy Spirit in my innermost being, so that Christ may dwell in my heart through faith. And I pray that as I am being rooted and established in love, I may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that I may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

For a more intimate relationship with the Spirit of God, I recommend checking out Experiencing The Spirit.