Jesus Christ | Craig T. Owens

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Don’t __________ One Another

November 13, 2019 — 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.

Check out James 4:11, “Brethren…

…do not speak evil of one another” (NKJV)
…do not accuse or malign one another” (AMP)
…do not bad-mouth one another” (MSG)
…do not slander one another” (GW)
…do not criticize one another” (NLT)
…do not defame one another” (Greek definition for katalaleo)

Why not? James gives us three good reasons:

All humans are made in God’s image. So to defame another person is to defame God.
All humans are a part of my family. “One another” (Greek allelon) and “brethren” (Greek adelphos) includes me too!
It only set me up to be judged in the same way—“What right do you have to judge or criticize others?” (TLB) … “Who are you that you presume to pass judgment on your neighbor?” (AMP) … “Who do you think you are to meddle in the destiny of others?” (MSG).

The bottom line—

If I don’t want someone to _ me, I shouldn’t _ them!

(see Luke 6:31 and James 2:8)

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Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: apostle James, Book of James, family, Gospel of Luke, Image Deo, Jesus Christ, relationships, sanctity of human life. Leave a Comment »

Thursdays With Spurgeon—God Will Not Acquit The Wicked

November 7, 2019 — Craig T. Owens

This is a weekly series with things I’m reading and pondering from Charles Spurgeon. You can read the original seed thought here, or type “Thursdays With Spurgeon” in the search box to read more entries.

God Will Not Acquit The Wicked

The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked [Nahum 1:3]. The Lord is slow to anger because He is great in power. ‘How say you so?’ says one. I answer: He who is great in power has power over himself. And he who can keep his own temper down and subdue himself is greater than he who rules the city, or can conquer nations. … When God’s power does restrain Himself, then it is power indeed—the power to curb power. The power that binds omnipotence is omnipotence surpassed. God is great in power, and therefore does He keep in His anger. … We bless God that the greatness of His power is just our protection! He is slow to anger because He is great in power. …

I have blotted out like a thick cloud your transgressions, and like a cloud your sins [Isaiah 44:22]. Not of one of all those sins that have been pardoned was pardoned without punishment. Do you ask me why and how such a thing as that can be the truth? I point you to yonder dreadful sight on Calvary. The punishment that fell not on the forgiven sinner fell there. … Sin is still punished, though the sinner is delivered. …

And now we trace this terrible attribute to its source. Why is this? We reply, God will not acquit the wicked, because He is good. What? Does goodness demand that sinners will be punished? It does. The judge must condemn the murderer because he loves his nation. …

Mercy, with her weeping eyes (for she has wept for sinners), when she finds they will not repent, looks more terribly stern in her loveliness than justice in all his majesty. She drops the white flag from her hand and says, “No. I called and they refused. I stretched out my hand and no man regarded. Let them die, let them die” and that terrible word from the lip of mercy’s self is harsher thunder then the very damnation of justice. Oh yes, the goodness of God demands that men should perish if they will sin. …

Can you by humble faith look to Jesus and say, “My substitute, my refuge, and my shield; You are my rock, my trust, in You I do confide”? Then, beloved, to you I have nothing to say except never be afraid when you see God’s power. For now that you are forgiven and accepted, now that by faith you have fled to Christ for refuge, the power of God need no more terrify you than the shield and sword of the warrior need terrify his wife or his child.

From Mercy, Omnipotence, And Justice

Have you looked in faith to the work Jesus did on Calvary so that your sins could be forgiven? If so, wonderful! You have nothing to fear from God’s justice.

If not, I plead with you—look again. God’s mercy has been extended to you at least long enough for you to read this, but His justice must fall. Don’t procrastinate another moment: Allow the acquittal of your sins that Jesus purchased with His blood to be yours this very moment!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Calvary, Charles Spurgeon, damnation, forgiveness, God's judgment, Isaiah, Jesus Christ, judgment, Judgment Day, justice, mercy, Nahum, omnipotence, patience, punishment, repentance, salvation, sinner. Leave a Comment »

What Is The Church Supposed To Look Like?

October 28, 2019 — Craig T. Owens

If someone asked you what a church is supposed to look like, do you describe steeples and crosses, stained glass windows and big wooden pulpits?

Guess what? The first Church in Jerusalem had none of those things!

Luke the historian describes the church this way: “They studied and prayed together, they ate with each other, they fed the hungry, and they took care of the poor. God performed miracles through them, everyone thought well of them, and people were getting saved every single day” (see Acts 2:42-47). Other historians of the day noted that Christians started the first orphanages, the first feeding programs, the first homes/schools for the blind, and the first medical dispensaries. They described how the Christians changed the cultural understanding of marriage and family, and how they gave dignity to women, children, the elderly, and the sick.

They did this by putting their faith into action, just as Jesus described (see Matthew 25:31-40). James reminds us that this required a deeply personal faith and a roll-up-your-sleeves attitude. In fact, James went so far as to say that faith in Jesus wasn’t enough.

Faith without works is dead. Works without faith is useless. We must believe it and live it. We need both faith and works.

Everyone can do this…

if a young kid is hungry, get involved with feeding them
if an elderly lady in your neighborhood needs a friend, stop by for coffee
if a neighbor is sick and can’t cover their usual tasks, mow their lawn
if a high school student can’t go to homecoming because she can’t afford the dress, take her shopping and buy the dress for her
if someone has an extended hospital stay, collect their mail and water their plants
if no one is visiting them in the hospital, go sit with them for a while

Jesus said, “When you do this for others, you are really doing it for Me.”

Luke didn’t say, “Every day the Christians were preaching.” He says, “Every day the Christians were serving. And then every day God was adding to their number people who were being saved.”

Your faith in action speaks a sermon louder and more convincingly than any sermon ever could.

How will you show your neighbors the love of Jesus this week?

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Bible study, biblical history, Book of Acts, Book of James, Calvary Assembly of God, Christian, church, church history, faith in action, Gospel of Luke, Gospel of Matthew, Jesus Christ, salvation, sermon, video, world history, YouTube. 1 Comment »

Thursdays With Spurgeon—The Wonder Of Christ

October 24, 2019 — Craig T. Owens

The Wonder Of Christ

Works of art require some education in the beholder before they can be thoroughly appreciated. … Because of failures in our character and faults in our life, we are not capable of understanding all the separate beauties and the united perfection of the character of Christ, or of God, His Father. …

You cannot fail to notice that men, through the alienation of their natures, are continually misrepresenting God because they cannot appreciate His perfection.… Men will misunderstand Him because they are imperfect themselves and are not capable of admiring the character of God. …

Did you ever notice, when you read the history of Jesus Christ, that you could never say He was noble for any one virtue at all? …

It is because of the complete perfection of Jesus Christ that we are not accustomed to say of Him that He was eminent for His zeal, or for His love, or for His courage. We say of Him that He was a perfect character, but we are not able very easily to perceive where the shadows and the lights blended, where are the meekness of Christ blended into His courage and where His loveliness blended into His boldness in denouncing sin.

We are not able to detect the points where they meet. And I believe the more thoroughly we are sanctified, the more it will be a subject of wonder to us how it could be that virtues that seem so diverse were in so majestic a manner united into one character. It is just the same of God.

From Mercy, Omnipotence, And Justice

As we grow in our understanding of processes and techniques, our appreciation of a work of art or a symphony grows as well. We may go from “Oh, I like that” to “That is amazing” to “This is an exquisite masterpiece!”

Christians should experience the same wonder and awe of the character of God seen in Jesus and revealed to us by the Holy Spirit.

I believe the reason the angels around God’s throne are constantly calling out, “Holy, Holy, Holy!” is because at every moment they are perceiving a new facet of His sheer awesomeness. They are calling out to one another, “Did you see that?! Holy!” And another responds back, “Yes, and look at that! Holy!”

We are invited to join in that chorus. The apostle Paul prayed that our eyes would be opened and our vision expanded to see new depths, and heights, and widths, and lengths of the awesomeness of our God (see Ephesians 3:16-19).

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: apostle Paul, awesome, Charles Spurgeon, Ephesians, God's glory, Jesus Christ, lifelong learner, maturity, perfection, praise, prayer, worship. Leave a Comment »

Thursdays With Spurgeon—Our Secure Future Hope

October 17, 2019 — Craig T. Owens

Our Secure Future Hope

First, Christ is all. Next Christ is in all His people, but the consummation, the top-stone of all, is that God may be all in all [1 Corinthians 15:22-28]. …

The fact is, our Lord Jesus Christ has performed and is still performing a work that will end in putting everything into its proper order. …

Christ is come into the world that all of the evil that is in the world should be subdued. And He will drive it out of the world. There will remain no power that will dare revolt against the Majesty of Heaven! Over the whole surface of this globe, beneath the new heavens and on the new earth, there will yet be the kingdom established all of which Jesus Christ will be the Supreme Head and over which He will reign forever, King of kings and Lord of lords! The Lord hasten it in His own time! …

I don’t know whether you catch my thought yet, but it is just this: all evil subdued, all the saints having Christ dwelling in them, Christ the head of all these saints, and then God, still as God, all the more surely and securely supreme over all things, or the head of Christ is God and God is all in all. …

I want to you, beloved friends, so to live as to be persuaded that it will be so one day, that God will be all in all—that there will come a time when we will stand before the throne of God, God in us all, and everything in us of God, when all His elect, all His redeemed, all to whom Christ is all, and all in whom Christ is, will only know God as their All-in-All!

From All And All In All

What a glorious future hope is secured for God’s saints!

If we know what is coming, why would we fear today? If our hope is secure, that means our today is secure as well. That’s why David could confidently say: I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken (Psalm 16:8).

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: 1 Corinthians, Charles Spurgeon, eternal life, eternity, God's glory, Heaven, Jesus Christ, King of kings, Lord of lords, Psalm, salvation, Savior, security. Leave a Comment »

Love Changes Everything (book review)

October 15, 2019 — Craig T. Owens

One of the most fascinating love stories in the Bible is between Hosea and Gomer. In this story, we see a picture of God’s unconditional love so clearly. Using this story as a backdrop, Micah Berteau explains how this love is still potent for all of us today. His book is called Love Changes Everything.

Micah believes our culture has watered down and diminished what love really means. And I heartily agree with him! There’s an old children’s song that says, “Jesus loves me this I know,” but Micah entitles one of his chapters: “Jesus loves me… this I don’t know.” This book is meant to help us recapture what real love is.

Weaving aspects of the rescuing love Hosea had for Gomer throughout the entire book, Micah teases out thoughts that many may not have considered. He then skillfully uses his own personal life journey to bring a modern-day feel to this love story. Each chapter opens a new facet of God’s love that is intended to dismantle all of the false definitions of love too many have previously taken to heart.

Although this book is a good reminder for a wide audience, I especially think this would be a good discussion guide for a mature Christian to use with someone who is struggling to believe that God can unconditionally love and forgive them.

I am a Revell book reviewer.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: acceptance, agape, book review, forgiveness, God's love, Gomer, Hosea, Jesus Christ, love story, Micah Berteau. 2 Comments »

Poetry Saturday—Hark! The Sound Of Jubilee

October 12, 2019 — Craig T. Owens

Hark! the song of jubilee,

Loud as mighty thunders roar,

Or the fullness of the sea,

When it breaks upon the shore:

“Hallelujah! for the Lord

God Omnipotent shall reign;

Hallelujah!” let the word

Echo round the earth and main.

Hallelujah! hark! the sound,

From the depths unto the skies.

Wakes above, beneath, around

All creation’s harmonies;

See Jehovah’s banner furled,

Sheathed His sword; He speaks; ‘tis done;

And the kingdoms of this world

Are the kingdoms of His Son.

He shall reign from pole to pole

With illimitable sway;

He shall reign when, like a scroll,

Yonder heavens have passed away.

Then the end; beneath His rod

Man’s last enemy shall fall:

Hallelujah! Christ in God,

God in Christ is All in All. —James Montgomery

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: eternity, God's judgment, God's Sovereignty, Heaven, hymn, James Montgomery, Jesus Christ, omnipotence, poem, poetry, worship. Leave a Comment »

Thursdays With Spurgeon—Christ Is Glorified In Your Uniqueness

October 10, 2019 — Craig T. Owens

Christ Is Glorified In Your Uniqueness

To my mind it is a very beautiful thing that the Lord Jesus Christ, when He comes into the soul, does not annihilate any part of the personality, but shines in each separate being, for He is not only all, but He is in all His people [Colossians 3:11]! Very well, the grace of God does not turn the Gentile into a Jew. He remains a Gentile, but Christ is in him, and therefore he is made into a new creature [Colossians 3:9-10]. … Then comes the Jew. When he is saved, Christ is in him. … The Lord Jesus Christ, dwelling in the Jew, leaves him still a member of the house of Abraham, but through the presence of the Lord Jesus within him, how wondrously his whole character is exalted! …

Yes, let a man be a brown man, or a yellow man, or a red man, or whatever color God made him! The more he keeps to his own nationality and reflects the glory of Christ from that angle, the more will Christ’s gospel triumph and the more will Christ Himself be honored! …

Christ is all, and Christ is in all His people, each one remaining the same in his individuality, but Christ shining in each one! … So note again that because Christ dwells in him, every believer becomes a copy of Christ. …

What is more, Christ in each one of these believers creates them all into one body [Colossians 3:14-15]. … Christ in you all makes you into one body in a mysterious and unique manner.

From All And All In All

God isn’t in the cloning business. He made all of us unique. Think of that: in all of human history there has never been another YOU. In all the 7.5 billion people on planet Earth right now YOU aren’t duplicated. And for however long history goes on there will never be another YOU!

When Jesus is your Lord and Savior, He doesn’t want to turn YOU into a copycat. He wants YOU to be YOU, with all your glorious, inimitable uniqueness. His Holy Spirit in YOU, helps YOU to be more YOU because the One who created YOU is now living in YOU.

How amazing is that?!

YOU be YOU. That is how God is most glorified through YOU!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: character development, Charles Spurgeon, Colossians, God's glory, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, personality, salvation, Savior, uniqueness, video. Leave a Comment »

Close To God

October 8, 2019 — Craig T. Owens

Imagine being close enough to hear God’s voice—Your ears will hear a word behind you, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left. (Isaiah 30:21)

Here’s a great question I recently heard: “What if God doesn’t want to give us answers, because He wants to give us His presence?”

Perhaps if God showed me my whole path, I might just take off down the path as fast as I could. Maybe I’d even say something like, “Thanks, God, I’ll take it from here!”

But God wants me close to Him. He wants me to hear His voice at every single step saying, “This is the way, walk in it.”

The model prayer that Jesus taught us is all about that closeness and total reliance on God’s close presence:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name [close enough to worship Him intimately],
Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven [close enough to know His heart].
Give us today our daily bread [close enough to rely on Him for all of my daily needs].
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors [close enough to know His forgiving love for me and for others].
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one [close enough to His strength to say “no” to temptations that would entice me off of His path].
For Yours is the kingdom, and the glory, and the power forever [close enough to bask perpetually in His glory and His power].

God wants us THAT close to Him—to rely on Him, to lean into Him, to be empowered by Him, to be protected in Him.

A good question for all of us to ponder: How close to God am I?

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: God's direction, God's help, God's presence, God's protection, Gospel of Matthew, intimacy, Isaiah, Jesus Christ, Lord's Prayer, relationship. Leave a Comment »

Thursdays With Spurgeon—Jesus Is All We Need

October 3, 2019 — Craig T. Owens

Jesus Is All We Need

So is it with every other ordinance, whether ordained of God or of man. It must never be placed in the front as if it were the means of salvation! I say to you who may have been sprinkled, or to you who may have been immersed; to you who may bow at your altars, or to you who may come to the communion table, I do not place these rites on a level, certainly, for some are of God and some are not. But I do place them all on a par in this respect: that they enter not into the essence of our salvation! And I say to all of you, “These things cannot save you, for ‘Christ is all’” [Colossians 3:11]. Be you who you may, and do you what you may, you will not be saved because of your natural birth or because of any supposed holy acts that you may perform! Neither will you be saved by any transactions that may be the work of a human priest! You must have Christ as your Savior and you must rest in Him alone, or you cannot be saved! He is the one foundation, “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11), for “Christ is all.” The Lord Jesus Christ sums up everything that ordinances can possibly mean and all that pedigree and descent can possibly bring, and He is infinitely more than all of them! …

You must not add anything to Christ as your ground of confidence, but just lean the weight of your sin, your sorrow, your needs, and your desires wholly and entirely upon Him who lives to stand for you before God. Christ, then, is all our trust!

From All And All In All

It’s not our family lineage, it’s not our church attendance, it’s not our religious activities. It’s all Jesus.

Jesus alone paid for our salvation, and it’s by faith in Him alone that we have the forgiveness of our sins. Don’t let anyone try to convince you that it’s “Jesus plus something else.” Nothing else needs to be added—Jesus is completely sufficient in and of Himself!