On The Record

March 20, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

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When Jesus is getting ready to feed the multitude that had gathered to hear Him speak, Jesus asked Philip a question: “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” (John 6:5). It seems like a fair question, but the next verse gives us insight into Christ’s motivation behind the question:

Jesus asked this only to test him, for He already had in mind what He was going to do.

Jesus had something in mind, but He wanted to know what Philip had in mind. If Jesus had not asked Philip to be on the record up front, Jesus could have multiplied the loaves and fish, and then Philip could have said, “I knew You could do it! I knew it all the time!”

But to test us, Jesus needs to get us on the record. The word test means to know the value of something; to know its strength; to know what it’s capable of.

My faith cannot be grown if it’s not tested. It cannot be accurately tested if I’m not on the record first. Jesus knows what He’s going to do: Glorify the Father. I can say that’s what I wanted all along after the miracle is done, but then my faith hasn’t grown one iota.

I can only see my faith grow when I am on the record (as Philip was) in saying, “How in the world could we get enough money to fix this problem?” Especially when Jesus isn’t even going to use money to fix that problem!

Here’s the principle:

NO testing = NO growth

It’s only when I see that my faith is not as big as it should be that I can say, “Lord, I believe You, but help my unbelief.” He will bring me into a test so that I can grow, and the Father can be glorified. It’s scary being on the record, because only then can I see how much more growth I need!

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My Mediator

March 19, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

If anyone ever felt his pain was undeserved, it was Job! His life is so invaluable for us to be able to answer the question, “Where’s God in the midst of my dark times?”

Job tried to makes sense of what was happening to him. Sometimes he thought God was so awesome and so powerful that He was completely unknowable. God was a faceless, unapproachable Being. At other times Job thought God was so righteous that He would have nothing to do with him. So in the depth of his despair he called out for someone to be his mediator (see Job 9:33-35).

An effective mediator has to be someone who can understand and relate to both parties. He cannot be partial to one side, nor unsympathetic to one side. He has to be able to relate to both parties. In this case, he would have to be able to relate to both God and man—he would have to be able to be able to understand this Indefinable Power and this Supreme Morality and man’s struggle to come to grips with both of these views of God. Jesus is that Mediator.

[Jesus] gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. (Philippians 2:7)

God Himself chose to step into all of our pain!!

The Bible describes Jesus as a Man of sorrows, One familiar with suffering, One acquainted with grief.

Jesus knows your pain even more acutely than you know it yourself. He wants to take all of your pain, and bear it for you. Jesus is not some faceless, unknowable Entity; He’s not aloof, He’s not unapproachable, He’s not unmoved by your pain. Will you let Him carry your pain?

He wants you to know Him as your Mediator:

Jesus understands every weakness of ours, because He was tempted in every way that we are. But He did not sin! So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved kindness, and we will find help. (Hebrews 4:15-16)

What a Friend we have in Jesus

All our sins and griefs to bear

What a privilege to carry

Everything to God in prayer

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Listen To This!

March 14, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

There are a lot of voices out there. A lot! Facebook, Twitter, email, texts, news reports, conversations with friends, opinions of experts, sermons from pastors.

Jesus said,

I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not accept Me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. (John 5:43)

How quickly I tune in to…

…that expert

…this esteemed pastor

…that doctor

…this teacher

…that specialist

…this author

…that friend

But all he or she can share is what he or she knows.

When Jesus speaks, it is with all the wisdom that is known, AND with all the wisdom that hasn’t even been discovered by man yet. He is all-knowing, all-wise, all loving. Jesus should always be my first and final authority.

Am I listening to His words? Or am I tuning in to someone else?

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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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Great Plans!

January 16, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

As Jesus was approaching Jerusalem just prior to His passion, He told His disciples, “Everything that is written about the Son of Man will be fulfilled” (Luke 18:31).

Nothing about Jesus Christ’s life was haphazard, or random, or coincidental. Everything was a part of a perfect plan. So in order for everything about His life to fulfill the prophesies, every word He spoke and every action He completed also had to be fulfilling. And they were (see John 12:49-50)!

Sadly, His followers “did not understand any of this” (Luke 18:34).

Sadly, many people today don’t understand their own life’s purpose.

Sadly, often times I don’t either.

But God has a perfect plan for you and me.

All the days ordered for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be. (Psalm 139:16)

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)

I don’t have to lack understanding in this (John 14:16).

I can pray for wisdom (James 1:5).

And Jesus Himself is praying for me to follow the Father’s plans (Hebrews 7:25).

God has great plans for my life—and for your life. Don’t be like the disciples that did not understand any of this. Pray … ask for God’s wisdom … ask for the Holy Spirit’s illumination … and trust in Christ’s interceding prayer for you.

May your words and actions today fulfill the plans God has for you!

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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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What A Friend

January 6, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer. (Joseph M. Scriven, 1855)

He’s the Friend that sticks closer than a brother.

He’s the Friend that’s always there.

He’s the Friend who knows what you need.

He’s the Friend who can provide what you need.

What a Friend!

How much we miss out when we don’t talk to our Best Friend!

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Pray More

December 16, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

I love this passage from J.C. Ryle that I read on the J.C. Ryle Quotes blog.

Pray for yourselves—that you may know the Lord Jesus, and cleave to Him—that you may be kept from falling—that you may serve your generation—that you may be sober in prosperity, patient in trial, and humble at all times.

Pray for the congregation to which you belong—that the word of the Lord may have free course in it, and be glorified—that the household of faith may become stronger and stronger, and the household of unbelief weaker and weaker.

Pray for your country—that her ministers may preach the Gospel, and be sound in the faith—that her rulers may value the Bible, and govern according to it—and that so her candlestick may not be taken away.

And pray for your minister—that he may be strong to work, and willing to labor for your good, that all his sicknesses may be sanctified, and all his health given to the Lord—that he may be ever taught of the Spirit, and thus be able to teach others—that he may be kept faithful unto death, and so be ready to depart when he is called.

Let us all pray, one for the other—I for you, and you for me—and we shall be blessed in our deed!

We can never pray too much!

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Evangelizing The Evangelized?

December 14, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

I was talking to a friend the other day about church growth, and we both notice something disturbing: Most of the “new” people coming to church are actually not so new. Much of what has been called church growth is actually church transplants.

We’re not reaching the lost. Ouch!

I think Howard Hendricks nails it with this:

“The Gospel is failing to produce results in some places today because it lacks an audience. Christians in churches are busy evangelizing the evangelized. We constantly face the danger of developing a fortress mentality: making occasional excursions into unfriendly territory and scurrying back to the safety of our church and its people when opposition arises. We tend to derive security from friendly surroundings rather than from Jesus Christ, and so we fail to penetrate our society for Christ.”

I pray my greatest strength is my relationship with Jesus Christ, and that my driving passion is for others to know this beautiful relationship too.

May God help me to have an audience in Cedar Springs!

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Pray Long

December 13, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

How long is a long prayer? Do you get tired (or bored!) after just a few minutes? Do you start to nod off to sleep if the prayer goes longer than expected? Does your mind wander? Are you too busy to pray more than just bullet-point prayers?

Jesus was about to make a huge decision. Of all of the people who called themselves His disciples (there were a lot of them), Jesus was going to choose twelve to be His apostles (Luke 6:13, 17). These were the men who would spend the most time with Jesus; the ones who would hear His most explicit instructions; the ones who would be called upon to take the gospel to the four points of the globe after Christ’s ascension into Heaven.

How did Jesus choose The Twelve from the huge multitude?

“He spent the night praying to God” (Luke 6:12).

This Greek word for spent the night is unique in all of Scripture. Only Luke uses it here to describe how Jesus prayed. Doctor Luke—who would know better than most how the body craves sleep—uses this unique word. In essence Jesus was going to cease from all activity AND avoid any inactivity (like sleep) to pray about this important decision.

Principle: The bigger the issue = the longer the prayer.

  • How many times do I pray just one-and-done prayers?
  • How many times am I too distracted/tired/busy to pray more than a few minutes?
  • What wisdom am I robbing myself of by my short prayers?

Don’t get me wrong, God does answer the one word prayers (like HELP!). But there is something powerful about praying long.

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