preaching | Craig T. Owens

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Was That Sermon Successful?

July 20, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

Pastor, ever had one of those times when you delivered what you thought was an amazing sermon, but when it was over people looked completely unmoved?

Or maybe you sat down with someone to tell them something that would be so beneficial to their lives, and they responded by lashing out at you?

What happened? Did you miss something? Wasn’t God in your sermon or in your counseling time?

The Apostle Paul has some great insight for us—

Now this is our boast: our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God…. (2 Corinthians 1:12)

Paul didn’t rely on external observations to gauge his success in following God, but he listened for the internal witness of the Holy Spirit. Paul wasn’t living to please an audience of people, but an audience of One. He was listening for either the approval or the reproof of the Spirit.

Those you and I preach to may say, “That was wonderful! Great word, pastor!” and have no change of heart at all.

Others may scowl at us, but only because the Holy Spirit is using our words to bring about a deep heart change in them.

So we cannot use the facial expressions, or the compliments, or the complaints of others to know if we hit the mark or not. We have to let the Holy Spirit testify to our conscience whether or not we have been obedient.

I’m praying for you (and for myself): Holy Spirit, remind us of this. Help us to be tuned into You, and not into the external cues we think we may be observing. You alone can approve or reprove us.

Posted in Pastoring. Tags: 2 Corinthians, conscience, counseling, Holy Spirit, Pastor, preaching, sermon. Leave a Comment »

Lord, I Need Your Anointing!

July 6, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

How miserable to try to preach a sermon if God’s anointing is not on it! The most gifted speaker’s words sound hollow without God’s help. The most educated theologian’s thoughts are mere babbling without the Holy Spirit’s aid. All your hours of pastoral study are utterly wasted unless the power of Christ is present.

Pastor, let these wise words soak in…

“I know that it is dreadful work to be bound to preach when one is not conscious of the aid of the Spirit of God! It is like pouring water out of bottomless buckets, or feeding hungry souls out of empty baskets. A true sermon such as God will bless no man can preach of himself; he might as well try to sound the archangel’s trumpet.” ―Charles Spurgeon

“Keep yourself full to the brim in reading; but remember that the first great Resource is the Holy Ghost Who lays at your disposal the Word of God. The thing to prepare is not the sermon, but the preacher.” ―Oswald Chambers

“Apart from divine help, the enterprise of a Christian minister is only worthy of ridicule. Apart from the power of the Eternal Spirit, the things which the preacher has to do are as much beyond him as though he had to weld the sun and moon into one, light up new stars, or turn the Sahara into a garden of flowers. We have a work to do concerning which we often cry, ‘Who is sufficient for these things?’ and if we be put to this work but have not your prayers, and in consequence have not the supply of the Spirit, we are of all men the most miserable.” ―Charles Spurgeon

“The character of our praying will determine the character of our preaching. Light praying will make light preaching. …The preacher must be preeminently a man of prayer. His heart must graduate in the school of prayer. In the school of prayer only can the heart learn to preach.” ―E.M. Bounds

“If you preachers lose your compassion, you can stop preaching, for it won’t be any good. You will only be successful as a preacher if you let your heart become filled with the compassion of Jesus.” ―Smith Wigglesworth

Posted in Pastoring. Tags: anointing, Charles Spurgeon, E.M. Bounds, Holy Spirit, Oswald Chambers, pastoring, prayer, preaching, quotes, sermon, Smith Wigglesworth. Leave a Comment »

Be Your Sermon

June 22, 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.

Pastor, what’s God been speaking to you personally?

How has the Holy Spirit been working your sermon on your heart this week?

What has Scripture shown you about you (not just about your congregation)?

When you tell your congregation how God has been working on you, the Word comes alive. Because now they don’t see you as a perfect person preaching at them, but as a fellow traveler who’s hearing from God and learning on the journey just as they are.

“The preacher must throw his thought into his teaching. He must not weary the people by telling them the truth in a stale and unprofitable manner with nothing fresh from his own soul to give it force. Above all he must put heart work into preaching. He must feel what he preaches. It must be with him. It is never an easy thing. He must feel as if he could preach his very life away before the sermon is done.” ―Charles Spurgeon

I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day;

I’d rather one should walk with me than merely show the way.

The eye’s a better pupil and more willing than the ear;

Fine counsel is confusing, but example’s always clear.

And the best of all preachers are the men who live their creeds.

For to see the good in action is what everybody needs.

I can soon learn how to do it if you’ll let me see it done;

I can watch your hands in actions, but your tongue too fast may run.

And the lectures you deliver may be very wise and true,

But I’d rather get my lesson by observing what you do.

For I may misunderstand you and the high advice you give,

But there’s no misunderstanding how you act and how you live. (Edgar A. Guest)

C’mon, pastor, let us SEE your sermon!

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Posted in Pastoring. Tags: authenticity, Charles Spurgeon, Edgar Guest, Holy Spirit, pastoring, poem, poetry, preaching, quote, sermon, transparency, video. Leave a Comment »

Be A Foolish Preacher

June 15, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

Pastor, do you realize how clever we try to be?

We come up with a catchy sermon series and add some stylish graphics.
Then we labor over sermon titles that sound so compelling.
As we write our sermons we try to dream up memorable patterns, like all three of our main points start with “S,” or we spell out the word “P.E.A.C.E.”

When the truth of the matter is, what we’re saying is foolishness.

Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength. (1 Corinthians 1:20-25)

You don’t have to try to make God’s Word clever. It is already profound!

You don’t have to try to make it memorable. The Holy Spirit makes it memorable (John 14:26)!

You don’t have to make the Bible relevant. It is the most relevant, applicable wisdom that humanity has ever known!

D.L. Moody said it this way:

“If God has given you a message, go and give it to the people as God has given it to you. It is a stupid thing for a man to try to be eloquent. Make your message, and not yourself, the most prominent thing. Don’t be self-conscious. Set your heart on what God has given you to do, and don’t be so foolish as to let your own difficulties or your own abilities stand in the way.”

Don’t try to be clever. Just be Spirit-led and you will utter the most profound, compelling, and memorable words ever spoken by a preacher!

Posted in Pastoring. Tags: 1 Corinthians, apostle Paul, Bible, Dwight Moody, Gospel of John, Holy Spirit, pastoring, preaching, quote, relevance, sermon, video. 1 Comment »

God’s Truth, Not Your Comfort

June 8, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

Some time ago I was asked to speak in a church setting outside of my church. The audience was a blend of people from all different church backgrounds, and perhaps even some without any church background. I talked about the hopelessness of trying to pay-off our sin debt on our own, and the amazing love that Jesus showed when He paid our debt in full.

After the service, a couple of pastors in the audience wanted to speak with me about my message. They were moved by what they called “the impact” of the message, and especially about the way I called sin “sin.” As I spoke with them further, I discovered that they were somewhat hesitant to speak so openly and plainly about sin, because it unsettled some people in their congregations.

But here is the sober reality—

The Word of God IS unsettling because we cannot read it or hear it and remain unchanged.

Our job as pastors or preachers is to speak the Word. When we do, the Holy Spirit will bring the necessary conviction and pull hearts toward repentance. Here’s what Oswald Chambers wrote about this:

“When we preach, we are not simply proclaiming how people can be saved from Hell and be made moral and pure; we are conveying good news about God.

“In the teachings of Jesus Christ the element of judgment is always brought out—it is the sign of the love of God. Never sympathize with someone who finds it difficult to get to God; God is not to blame. It is not for us to figure out the reason for the difficulty, but only to present the truth of God so that the Spirit of God will reveal what is wrong. The greatest test of the quality of our preaching is whether or not it brings everyone to judgment. When the truth is preached, the Spirit of God brings each person face to face with God Himself.”

Pastor, just speak the truth. You’re not trying to win a popularity contest, but to share with people how to step into a deeper relationship with God Almighty!

One final thought from Chambers: “Never water down the truth of God. Let it have its way and never apologize for it.”

Posted in Pastoring. Tags: biblical truth, conviction, Holy Spirit, Malachi, Oswald Chambers, pastors, preaching, quotes, truth, video. 1 Comment »

Filled To Be Emptied

June 5, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

This is a post especially for my pastor friends.

Dear Friend,

I know you have a lot on your mind. You’re probably reviewing how Sunday went and thinking about what you’re going to share next Sunday. You’ve probably got a pretty full agenda this week: staff meetings, board meetings, maybe a counseling appointment or two, and a hospital visit. There’s lots happening (there always is, right?).

Can I break into your week to ask you a simple question: What did you read in your Bible this morning for you? You know, your personal devotional time—what was God’s Word saying just to you?

Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote this:

“We are reading the Word of God as God’s Word for us. Therefore, we do not ask what this text has to say to other people. For those of us who are preachers that means we will not ask how we would preach or teach on this text, but what it has to say to us personally.”

Here’s a simple principle: You cannot give to others what you have not received yourself. So you need to be filled up so that you can be emptied out.

Although your week may be busy, please, please, please take the time to read God’s Word for yourself. It will help you and your congregation as well.

May God fill you and then empty you, my friend, for His glory!

Cheering you on, I am your friend,

Craig

Posted in Pastoring. Tags: Bible study, busyness, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, God's Word, pastoring, preaching, quote, refresh. Leave a Comment »

“Too Long”?

March 31, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

Check out these words of insight from Seth Godin:

“Too long.” You’re going to hear that more and more often.

The movie, the book, the meeting, the memo… few people will tell you that they ran short.

(Shorter, though, doesn’t mean less responsibility, less insight or less power. It means less fluff and less hiding.)

As a pastor, I laughed when I read few people will tell you that [your sermon] ran short. That is so true!

But Seth’s conclusion is right on target. In the attempt to keep our message at just the right length, we must be cautious of reducing the insight or the power. Instead, get rid of the fluff and the posturing.

Posted in Pastoring. Tags: pastors, preaching, quote, responsibility, Seth Godin, teaching. 1 Comment »

What’s Your Point?

March 23, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

As I am preparing my message for each Sunday, I have one point that I want everyone to have clear in their hearts and minds when they leave. It’s sort of my “finish line.” I say, “If they get only one thing from this message, what should it be?” This is the part where I spend quite a bit of time.

Then I read this from the Apostle Paul:

When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. (1 Corinthians 2:1-2)

So what’s my point?

Something clever and witty?

Something that shows how eloquent I am?

Perhaps another rule to follow?

Or another application to make?

Oswald Chambers says, “To say that we are called to preach holiness or sanctification is to miss the main point. We are called to proclaim Jesus Christ….” (emphasis mine)

My point should be only this:

To help people see Jesus more clearly.

Anything less than this is to miss the point.

Anything more than this is attempting to make myself sound eloquent.

Posted in Pastoring. Tags: 1 Corinthians, apostle Paul, Jesus Christ, Oswald Chambers, pastoring, pastors, preaching, quote. Leave a Comment »

Preparing The Preacher

March 2, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

A friend of mine was preparing to preach his first sermon at a new church, and he was (as anyone might understand) nervous. He had all sorts of concerns: Is this the right word for this congregation? Will my thoughts make sense to them? Have I prepared enough for this message?

It was that last question that jogged my memory of a quote I had read from Oswald Chambers in his book Approved Unto God. The title of that book comes from a passage a Scripture in which preachers are told to correctly handle the Word of God as a worker that is approved unto God (2 Timothy 2:15).

Check out this pearl of wisdom:

“Keep yourself full to the brim in reading; but remember that the first great Resource is the Holy Spirit Who lays at your disposal the Word of God. The thing to prepare is not the sermon, but the preacher.” —Oswald Chambers (my emphasis)

God doesn’t need His Word prepared—it’s already perfect. But He does need to prepare me to deliver the message. He needs to remove my opinions, my preconceived ideas, my hang-ups with that particular passage, my hesitation to share it.

The Holy Spirit of God needs to prepare me. And I need to let Him do it.

It’s a heavy, awesome responsibility to be “the one” sharing God’s Word to a group of precious people. I dare not even attempt it unless I have let the Spirit prepare me first.