Pastor And People Interceding

September 7, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

Prayer is the lifeblood of any church.

Look in the New Testament letters and notice how often the apostles wrote out their prayers for their congregations. Such loving, heartfelt prayers! And notice as well how many times the apostles thanked the churches for their prayers, and even requested more prayers from them.

Robert Murray McCheyne wrote to a friend who was just being ordained as a pastor—

“Give yourself to prayer and the ministry of the Word. If you do not pray, God will probably lay you aside from your ministry, as He did me, to teach you to pray. Remember Luther’s maxim, ‘To have prayed well is to have studied well.’ Get your texts from God, your thoughts, your words. Carry the names of the little flock upon your breast like the High Priest. Wrestle for the unconverted.”

And to the congregation which would be shepherded by this newly ordained pastor, McCheyne wrote—

“Pray for your pastor. Pray for his body, that he may be kept strong and spared for many years. Pray for his soul, that he may be kept humble and holy, a burning and shining light. Pray for his ministry, that it may be abundantly blessed, that he may be anointed to preach good tidings.”

Pastor, learn to pray for your congregation, and for your ministry to your flock. And then teach your congregation to pray for you. For the whole church will be strengthened when both pastor and people are interceding for each other.

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15 Quotes From “Spirit Rising”

September 5, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

Spirit Rising by Jim Cymbala makes a compelling case for diving into the full life in Christ that can only come through the power of the Holy Spirit (you can read my full review of this book by clicking here).

Here are 15 of my favorite quotes from this book (unless otherwise noted, the quotes are from Pastor Cymbala):

“No outward teaching can compare to the inward power of the Holy Spirit.”

“The Christian religion is hopeless without the Holy Ghost.” —Samuel Chadwick 

“We are not such fools to refuse good bank notes because there are false ones in circulation; and although we see here and there manifestations of what appears to be nothing more than mere earthly fire, we none the less prize and value, and seek for the genuine fire which comes from the altar of the Lord.” —William Booth

“An undeniable expression of Spirit-controlled living is that we will be lifted above the limitations of mere natural talents and abilities.”

“When we see only what we want to see in the Bible, it loses all power to transform us.”

“Thousands stand ready to split doctrinal hairs and instruct others in the fine meaning of Scriptural words—but there are so few through whom the Holy Spirit can work to bring [people] to new birth in the kingdom of God.” —William Law

“Paul warned, ‘Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God’ (Eph. 4:30). If the Spirit is grieved, He’s vexed and sad. Although we know our salvation isn’t lost by our sin, we also become painfully aware that there’s a strain in our relationship. Communion with God is affected, and we feel an uncomfortable emptiness. The sun is still there and shining, but we no longer feel its warmth. It is as if a cloud blocks it.”

“Without the Holy Spirit’s power, we’ll never have enough of what we need to become the people God wants us to be.”

“I believe one of the reasons Jesus picked those men [the twelve apostles] was specifically because they lacked natural resources. They would have to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit.”

“The Holy Spirit was sent to accomplish many divine purposes, but at the top of the list was the empowering of God’s people to reach the world with the gospel of Christ. …If we lose sight of God’s heart of love for the world—including our own cities and neighborhoods—we will experience little of the Spirit’s power, since we are on a different page than our Lord is on.”

“It’s interesting to note the first reason Mark gives for appointing the Twelve [Mark 3:13-15]. That they might be with Him. When Jesus called someone, fellowship came before ministry.”

“It’s easy to understand how prayers can be stopped in public schools filled with unbelieving students and teachers. But when God’s own people and Christian churches have little or no time for prayer, that’s another story. The angels must weep when they see our disinterest in prayer! Do we realize we’re forfeiting the help and strength promised by a faithful God to those who will simple take time to ask?”

“We are never really men of prayer in the best sense until we are ‘filled with the Holy Ghost.’” —Samuel Chadwick

“We can easily settle for ‘church’ instead of God. And every succeeding generation shaped in that mold makes it harder for anyone to dare ask, ‘Where is the Lord?’”

“Without the Spirit, Christianity is reduced to head knowledge about God, empty traditions, and a social club mentality.”

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Need Power?

August 29, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

In many ways, Labor Day marks the beginning of a “new year.” The summer fun is behind us, a new school year is starting, and everyone is settling back into their normal routine.

Undoubtedly many people begin this part of their “new year” with the same excitement as New Year’s Day, with a renewed passion to accomplish greater things. Perhaps you are thinking about some new habits for this “new year.” Or maybe you are taking a deep breath before you have to dive in to all that awaits you in the next few months.

In any case, the greatest and best thing we can do to prepare ourselves is prayer.

I always start January with a week of prayer, so I want to begin this “new year” with a week of prayer as well. So we will be having a special prayer focus September 4-7. The church will be open each evening from 5:30-6:30pm, but I encourage you to pray with us wherever you are during that week.

Here are some great quotes on the power we can gain in prayer:

“Prayer does not equip us for greater works—prayer is the greater work.” —Oswald Chambers 

“Prayer provides the powerto do what we love to do, but can’t do without God’s help.” —John Piper 

“The most healthy state of a Christian is to be always empty in self and constantly depending upon the Lord for supplies; to be always poor in self and rich in Jesus; weak as water personally, but mighty through God to do great exploits…. As the runner gains strength for the race by daily exercise, so for the great race of life we acquire energy by the hallowed labor of prayer. …Prayer girds human weakness with divine strength, turns human folly into heavenly wisdom, and gives to troubled mortals the peace of God. We know not what prayer cannot do!” —Charles Spurgeon

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14 Quotes From “Billy Graham In Quotes”

August 28, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

There are just way too many great quotes from Billy Graham In Quotes to share them all here, since the whole book is basically the best from all of Rev. Graham’s books and sermons. You can read my full review of this wonderful book by clicking here.

Normally I share some of my favorite quotes from the books I have reviewed, but that’s next to impossible for this book. So let me just say here are 14 quotes that seemed to stand out a little more to me this afternoon:

“America is said to have the highest per capita boredom of any spot on earth! We know that because we have the greatest variety and greatest number of artificial amusements of any country. People have become so empty that they can’t even entertain themselves.”

“The great flaw in the American economic system has finally been revealed: an unrealistic faith in the power of prosperity rather than in the ultimate power and benevolence of God.”

“What makes us Christians shrug our shoulders when we ought to be flexing our muscles? What makes us apathetic in a day when there are loads to lift, a world to be won, and captives to be set free? Why are so many bored, when the times demand action? Christ told us that in the last days there would be an insipid attitude toward life.”

“Our generation has become well versed in Christian terminology but is remiss in the actual practice of Christ’s principles and teachings. Hence, our greatest need today is not more Christianity but more true Christians.” 

“The very ones whose social pressure cause you to compromise will despise you for it. They probably respect your convictions, and many of them wish they had the moral stamina to stand alone. May the Lord give you added courage to be a witness for Him, even in a hard place.”

“When the Christian or the church becomes popular with the unbelieving world, something is seriously wrong. Because Christ runs counter to evil and because we are Christ-owned, we must also stand against evil.”

“Talk about God can become dreary and lackluster if God isn’t in you. Church can become a drab thing and the Bible an irksome Book if the Holy Spirit does not illuminate your soul with His indwelling presence.”

“The Gospel shows people their wounds and bestows on them love. It shows them their bondage and supplies the hammer to knock away their chains. It shows them their nakedness and provides them the garments of purity. It shows them their poverty and pours into their lives the wealth of Heaven. It shows them their sins and points them to the Savior.” 

“Some people have said that man has improved . . . [and] that if Christ came back today, He would not be crucified but would be given a glorious reception. Christ does come to us every day in the form of Bibles that we do not read, in the form of churches that we do not attend, in the form of human need that we pass by. I am convinced that if Christ came back today, He would be crucified more quickly than He was two thousand years ago. Sin never improves. Human nature has not changed.”

“It has always been a mark of decaying civilizations to become obsessed with sex. When people lose their way, their purpose, their will, and their goals, as well as their faith . . . they go ‘a whoring.’ It is a form of diversion that requires no thought, no character, and no restraint.”

“God wants to use you right where you are. Every day you probably come in contact with people who will never enter a church, or talk with a pastor, or open a Bible—and God wants to use you to point them to Christ. You may be the ‘bridge’ God would use to bring them to Himself.”

“There is not one verse of Scripture that indicates you can be a Christian and live any kind of a life you want to. When Christ enters into the human heart, He expects to be Lord and Master. He commands complete surrender.”

“The Christian should stand out like a sparkling diamond against a rough background. He should be more wholesome than anyone else. He should be poised, cultured, courteous, gracious, but firm in the things that he does and does not do. He should laugh and be radiant, but he should refuse to allow the world to pull him down to its level.”

“Our world needs to be touched by Christians who are Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, and Spirit-empowered.” 

This is an amazing book… go get it!

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Billy Graham In Quotes (book review)

August 27, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

My admiration of Billy Graham goes back to my earliest childhood. I can vividly recall the sermons and books from Billy Graham that my grandfather had on his shelf. I used to listen to those sermons when I visited his farm. In many ways, reading Billy Graham In Quotes was like a walk down memory lane.

Billy Graham has been relevant to every generation that has heard him preach because his life and ministry are solidly grounded on the timeless principles in the Bible. So every problem that society faces, every challenge that each generation is trying to conquer, every doctrinal argument that needs to be solved, Rev. Graham brings God’s Word to bear.

This book is arranged topically, and it’s amazing to read in every topic the same theme: focus on Jesus, read His Word, bring your life in alignment with His life. Time after time after time the solution is right there!

I received this book on my Kindle as a gift from my sister and brother-in-love. I enjoyed reading the book, but the search features and cross-referencing in the ebook format have been a real treat as well.

Whether or not you’ve heard a Billy Graham sermon or read a Billy Graham book, I am confident you will thoroughly enjoy Billy Graham In Quotes.

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11 Quotes From “The Greatest Thing In The World”

August 24, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

I loved the depth of insight about love from Henry Drummond’s short book The Greatest Thing In The World. This book dives into the definition of love that the Apostle Paul gives us in 1 Corinthians 13. To read my full review, and find the links for a free download of this book, please click here.

These are 11 of my favorite quotes from this book.

“Charity is only a little bit of love, one of the innumerable avenues of love, and there may even be, and there is, a great deal of charity without love. It is a very easy thing to toss a copper to a beggar on the street; it is generally an easier thing than not to do it. Yet love is just as often in the withholding. We purchase relief from the sympathetic feelings roused by the spectacle of misery, at the copper’s cost. It is too cheap—too cheap for us, and often too dear for the beggar. If we really loved him we would either do more for him, or less.”

“We hear much of love to God; Christ spoke much of love to man. We make a great deal of peace with heaven; Christ made much of peace on earth.”

“[Patience] is the normal attitude of love; love passive, love waiting to begin; not in a hurry; calm; ready to do its work when the summons comes”

“Love waives even self-satisfaction.” 

“Politeness has been defined as love in trifles. Courtesy is said to be love in little things.”

“The peculiarity of ill temper is that it is the vice of the virtuous. …No form of vice, not worldliness, not greed of gold, not drunkenness itself, does more to unchristianize society than evil temper. For embittering life, for breaking up communities, for destroying the most sacred relationships, for devastating homes, for withering up men and women, for taking the bloom of childhood, in short, for sheer gratuitous misery-producing power this influence stands alone.”

“Souls are made sweet not by taking the acid fluids out but by putting something in—a great love, a new spirit, the Spirit of Christ. Christ, the Spirit of Christ, interpenetrating ours, sweetens, purifies, transforms all.”

“Willpower does not change men. Time does not change men. Christ does.”

“What we are stretches past what we do, beyond what we possess.”

“Never offer men a thimbleful of gospel. Do not offer them merely joy, or merely peace, or merely rest, or merely safety; tell them how Christ came to give men a more abundant life than they have, a life abundant in love, and therefore abundant in salvation for themselves, and large in enterprise for the alleviation and redemption of the world. Then only can the gospel take hold of the whole of a man, body, soul and spirit, and give to each part of his nature its exercise and reward. … Only a fuller love can compete with the love of the world.” 

“No worse fate can befall a man in this world than to live and grow old alone, unloving and unloved.”

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Counsel From Billy Graham

August 24, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

There are very few people who bring to mind such a picture of ministry success, passion for lost souls, and total integrity like Billy Graham.

So for my pastor friends, here are a few quotes from this renowned preacher about study habits, sermon preparation, and message delivery.

“The sword of the Spirit—the Bible—is the weapon God has provided for us to use in this battle between truth and deception. Make it a priority to wield that sword skillfully.”

“If I stick to the Bible and preach the principles and the teachings of the Bible, and quote the Bible, it has an impact of its own.”

“The fact that God is infinite makes the study of His Word a lifetime occupation.”

“A seminary professor I once knew told his students, ‘Never preach about hell without tears in your eyes.’”

“Our preaching emerges out of what we are.”

“Sometimes I’m asked to list the most important steps in preparing for an evangelistic mission, and my reply is always the same: prayer . . . prayer . . . prayer.”

“Preach with authority. The authority for us is the Word of God. Preach with simplicity . . . Preach with urgency . . . Heaven and Hell are at stake. Preach for a decision.”

“Proclaiming ‘the whole will of God’ should be the goal—and the joy— of every church and every preacher.”

“When we preach or teach the Scripture, we open the door for the Holy Spirit to do His work. God has not promised to bless oratory or clever preaching. He has promised to bless His Word.”

“It is vitally important for local church leaders to keep in touch with the spiritual state of their members, to discuss their level of biblical knowledge, and to teach them how to study God’s Word and pray.”

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12 Quotes From “Greater”

August 16, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

This is an excellent book! Here are a dozen quotes that especially caught my attention…

“Jesus isn’t calling us to be greater than He is. He’s calling us to be greater with Him through His Spirit within us.”

“Most believers aren’t in imminent danger of ruining their lives. They’re facing a danger that’s far greater: wasting them.” 

“I talked about how many believers are stuck in mediocrity because they settle for good enough. But I think, just as often, we miss out on what God wants to do through us because we listen to the voice of the enemy telling us, You’ll never be good enough. And God could never use someone with your weaknesses, hang-ups, secret struggles, and dysfunctions.”

“God doesn’t see you through eyes of disapproval or disappointment. His presence is not a sign of condemnation. It’s actually an invitation. God is present with you, through His Holy Spirit, because He intends to uproot you from the tyranny of the familiar, shatter the monotonous life you’ve had, and take you on an adventure.”

“You can’t expect God to entrust you with a big dream if He can’t trust you to make a small start. You can’t have the Apostle Paul’s walk with God overnight. Big dream. But you can pray ten minutes a day beginning tomorrow. Small start.”

“It’s not what we do for God. It’s what we say to God—yes or no.”

“I can’t tell you where the greater life will ultimately lead you, but I can tell you where it starts. It starts where you are. You have everything you need to do all that God is calling you to do right now.”

“We often excuse ourselves from God’s greater vision because we believe we don’t have enough for God to work with. …All God needs to take your life to a higher level is all you have.” 

“Instead of always praying, ‘God bless me with more,’ dare to pray, ‘God, use what I have. Take what little I have and make it overflow.’”

“I’m learning that I don’t have to put my unfulfilled dreams and unanswered prayers in the column labeled Wasted. I don’t have to write them off as losses at the end of each year. I can trust in the Lord with all my heart and not lean on my own understanding, because He’s my Trustee (see Proverbs 3:5). …If you don’t see the results you’re praying for and you’re praying in faith, then, according to God’s will, He must be putting your prayers in a trust fund. …Everyone experiences what seem to be unanswered prayers. But in God’s economy, no one’s faith is ever wasted. God is working on our behalf even when our prayers don’t seem to be working at all. Maybe one day we’ll see that the greatest setbacks in our lives were actually the greatest setups to seeing God’s glory in places we didn’t even know to look.”

“Greater isn’t an automatic, permanent position; it’s an intentional daily decision.”

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17 Quotes From “What Matters Most”

August 14, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

What Matters Most is sure to be a thought-provoking, conversation-starting, paradigm-challenging book. You can read my full review of Leonard Sweet’s book by clicking here. To help whet your appetite for this book (that you’re going to read very soon, right?), here are 17 quotes that especially caught my attention…

“To save the world we don’t need the courage of our convictions. We need the courage of our relationships… Especially the courage of our relationship with the Creator, the creation, and our fellow creatures. Our problem in reaching the world is that we’ve made rules more important than relationships.”

“Western Christianity is largely belief based and church focused. It is concerned with landing on the right theology and doctrine and making sure everyone else toes the line. The Jesus trimtab, in contrast, is relationship based and world focused. It is concerned not so much with what you believe as with Whom you are following.” 

“Relationship is one of the things that distinguishes Judaism and its radical Christian revision from other religions: God calls us into a relationship. Christianity is much more than a wisdom tradition or a moral system or a path leading to higher states of existence.”

“We don’t follow Jesus because we understand Him or because we know the truth about Him. We follow Jesus because He is the Truth, and He leads us into truth through our relationship with Him. …The Jesus call to discipleship is an invitation to enter a relationship with the person doing the teaching, not simply an intellectual encounter with the principles He taught.”

“The postmodern quest has been misunderstood as an abandonment of the quest for truth. It is far from an abandonment, but is rather a rerouting of the quest for truth along more relational and less rational paths.”

“If we shift our focus away from truth as right teaching and correct doctrine, and instead center our lives on truth as a Person and faith as a relationship with that Person, what does this do to evangelism? Evangelism shifts from an attempt to indoctrinate a skeptic into a new belief system and makes the gospel proclamation a process of inviting others into a relationship with God. Evangelism is as much invitation as it is proclamation. It is inviting others into a relationship with God so that the Holy Spirit can make Christ come alive in them and live in them and they can live in God’s fullness and providence. Evangelism is not leading people into right beliefs about Jesus. It is introducing people to a relationship with Jesus the Christ.” 

“Obedience, in the biblical sense, is not ‘doing what you are told.‘Obedience is living relationally, even ‘indivisibly,’ with the Holy One so that we honor, uphold, receive, and follow all that God is and all that God is calling us to become.”

“It’s time to end the theological error of talking about how to make the Scriptures ‘come alive.’ The Word of God is alive. It’s we who must ‘come alive’ to the Scriptures.”

“I can either be right, or I can be in a relationship with my neighbor.”

“The Holy Spirit is not a gift to individuals. The Holy Spirit is a gift to the body of Christ.”

“Relationship, not numbers, show if growth is biblical, healthy, and truly fruitful. Perhaps it’s times to declare a moratorium on statistics in the church. What if the only thing we reported was the answer to this question: ‘Is spiritual fruit in evidence in your church? Give me the stories, not more statistics.’ My dream for the church? God’s people telling more God stories than golf stories. An authentic Great Awakening is when people can’t stop talking about what God is doing.”

“James Hillman defines deepening growth as ‘work in the dirt.’ Plants can’t grow heavenward without first growing downward. Colorful blossoms are the byproduct of bland, down-and-dirty roots. Relationships that blossom are knee-bending, hands-dirtying digs into the bedrock issues. …If our relationships are to bear fruit, they first must become rooted in the soil of the Spirit. …If you’re concerned about your dignity, think about this: Where’s the dignity in being hung naked on a tree? Where’s the dignity in kneeling down to wash the dirtiest parts of someone’s body? Where’s the dignity in being born in a manger?”

“Prayer doesn’t plunge us deeper into ourselves, but deeper into others. The early church looked at prayer as a conversation with God that brings us into greater intimacy with God and others. Prayer is not what you do to get God’s attention. Prayer is what you do to bring yourself to attend to God and to pay attention to others.”

“For Jesus it was not ‘Poor people and other outcasts, find yourself a church’; it was ‘Church people, find yourself the poor and the outcasts.’” 

“Sadly, the church is too busy connecting people with the memory of Jesus, the Jesus Who ‘once was’ or the promise of a returning Christ Who ‘is to come.’ Meanwhile, the church is neglecting the Jesus Who ‘is right now,’ the Jesus Who lives all around us in the lives of the poor, the sick, the disabled, the persecuted, and the dying.”

“Being a Christian is more about relationship with God than beliefs about God; more about the presence of God than the proofs of God; more about intimacy with truth than the tenets of truth; more about knowing God’s activities than knowing God’s attributes. It is time to move from a religion that seeks to comprehend God to a relationship that seeks to encounter and be a home for God.”

“God does not come to us offering rules; God comes offering relationship. Truth is not found in the solving of difficult theological riddles. Truth is found as we get lost in the mystery of faith. You can maintain your bearings while getting lost… if Jesus is leading the way.”

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9 Quotes from “Grant: Savior Of The Union”

August 8, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

Grant: Savior Of The Union was a very eye-opening biography to read (you can read my full review by clicking here). Here are nine passages that especially caught my attention:

“This I don’t want you to read to others for I very much dislike speaking of myself.” —Grant, in a letter to his father about the accomplishments of his soldiers 

“The first day out the regiment made it five miles. However, the next morning at six o’clock when Grant resumed the March, his men were unprepared to move. He allowed them time to rise and eat breakfast this time, but the following morning when the men were again not ready to march, Grant left without them. It must have been a sight to see half-dressed soldiers running after their commander. The remainder of the trip to Quincy was conducted in relatively good order. Grant boasted to his father that ‘my men behaved admirably and the lesson has been a good one for them. They can now go into camp and after a day’s March and with as much promptness as veteran troops; they can strike their tents and be on the march with equal celerity.”  —Mitchell Yockelson

At one battle some officers advised retreat. Grant replied, “Retreat? No. I propose to attack at daylight and whip them.”

When some in Washington, D.C., wanted to replace Grant with someone more experienced, President Abraham Lincoln said, “I can’t spare this man; he fights.”

A friend observed that at a banquet where toasts and speeches were made to honor Grant, “his face never changed its unmoved expression. It never lit up with excitement. …His silence was a native endowment, nothing studied, nothing acquired. … His greatest enjoyment was manifestly with [his wife and children]. Their presence and happiness made his face beam as nothing else would.” 

When Grant was given the rank of Lt. General—a rank no one had held since George Washington—Grant’s acceptance speech was very gracious:

“I accept the commission with gratitude for the high honor conferred. With the aid of the noble armies that have fought on so many fields for our common country, it will be my earnest endeavor not to disappoint your expectations. I feel the full weight of the responsibilities now devolving on me and know that if they are net it will be due to those armies. And above all to the favor of that Providence which leads both Nations and men.”

After Robert E. Lee signed the surrender agreement for the armies of the South, word spread to the Union forces, and celebration erupted. “Grant ordered the cheering to stop. He did not want the Union army to gloat and in any way insult the defeated Confederates. ‘The war is over,’ Grant told a staff member. ‘The Rebels are our countrymen again.’”

“It will be a thousand years before Grant’s character is fully appreciated. Grant is the greatest soldier of our time if not all time… he fixes in his mind what is the true objective and abandons all minor ones. He dismisses all possibility of defeat. He believes in himself and in victory. If his plans go wrong he is never disconcerted but promptly devises a new one and is sure to win in the end. Grant more nearly impersonated the American character of 1861-65 than any other living man. Therefore he will stand as the typical hero of the great Civil War in America.” —William T. Sherman

“Of all the American generals of the nineteenth century, it seems to me that Ulysses S. Grant better understood the role of the military in democracy than any other.” —John S.D. Eisenhower, historian and son of Dwight D. Eisenhower

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