Salvation; October 6, 2023

Posted on October 7, 2023 by jgarrott

Acts 15:11 “No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

The importance of this meeting in Church history cannot be overstated. Having been in a lot of church meetings, I can imagine the scene very easily. Tensions and emotions had risen quite high by the point Peter made this vitally important pronouncement. As he said in verse seven, God had chosen him as “point man” in sharing the Gospel with Gentiles, and he and Paul were on exactly the same page here. Paul later famously restated Peter’s declaration in Ephesians 2:8-9, and it is something that needs to be renewed in every spiritual generation. The moment we think that our actions can in any way earn salvation for us, we are putting ourselves into the place of God. Christ alone is the Savior! God does have stuff He wants us to do, as Paul said in Ephesians 2:10, but that is after we are saved for eternal life. Yesterday I watched a video of Ray Comfort talking with several people in the US about salvation and the Gospel, and it was remarkable how they all tried to make salvation about being “good people,” even though every one of them had had church exposure, at least. That shows that American churches aren’t really communicating the Gospel! What makes this so prevalent is that we all want to take credit for our salvation so that we can take pride in it. Pride is precisely what caused Lucifer’s downfall! Salvation requires a level of humility that some people reject. The “Judaizers” in this conference wanted to take pride in the things they considered made them Jewish, and Peter is here proclaiming that every human being is on level ground when it comes to salvation. The Judaizers didn’t like that!

Since I’ve always been a Gentile this might not seem so pertinent to me, but as an MK in Japan I saw missionaries who seemed to attach cultural elements to salvation, requiring Japanese to behave in certain ways. Whereas it is true that there are elements of popular Japanese culture that violate Biblical principles, there are elements of American culture that do the same! Culture, religion, and faith are all different, but they certainly tend to bleed into each other. There are many Japanese who can’t imagine how they could be fully Japanese without participating in Buddhism and Shinto, and they have a great fear of becoming “un-Japanese.” At the same time, many missionaries feel, at least subconsciously, that “The American way is the Biblical way.” Sometimes it is, but sometimes it isn’t! As a “Third Culture Kid” I have an advantage in seeing the flaws in both cultures, but that puts me at risk of thinking I’m always right, perhaps even more than monocultural people do. We’re back to the necessity of humility, and that’s where I stumble all too often. I rejoice when God manages to use me and speak through me, but any truth that comes from my lips originates in Him, not me, so I am to be grateful, and neither proud nor presumptuous.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Having hit 75 I garner a lot of respect simply from age, but that number just means I haven’t died yet! Help me be genuinely humble before You, accurately transmitting what You have said and are saying, so that Your truth through me may indeed set people free, (John 8:32) for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Church Leadership; October 5, 2023

Posted on October 6, 2023 by jgarrott

Acts 14:23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.

I have long been impressed by the organization, or you might say, lack of organization, of the New Testament Church. Later Paul writes to Timothy that an elder “must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil.” (1 Timothy 3:6) He may have written that from painful experience, because all of the “elders” chosen at this point were new believers! However, Paul and Barnabas didn’t have any other options, so they moved forward and trusted God. We tend to put in all sorts of humanistic requirements and “qualifications” for church leadership, seemingly forgetting that the Church, and each local church, belongs to Christ and not to us. Today there are many churches that have lost connection to Christ, even though they are still in good standing with their denominations, because the leadership has stopped trusting in the Lord they say they serve. Recently Tucker Carlson, hardly considered a “religious leader,” has given some speeches that were far better sermons than some that are proclaimed in pulpits! We look for academic credentials and the like, instead of looking at fruit the way Jesus told us to do. (Matthew 7:15-20) The Church needs to follow people who are genuinely following Christ, just as Paul did, (1 Corinthians 11:1) instead of people who are following their own ambitions or prideful thinking.

It has always bothered me that some denominations require academic examinations be passed before someone is given the title of Pastor. Japan is very academically minded and tends to relegate things to “experts,” so I can see how it happened, but I can’t see that it’s a good thing. After all, someone becomes a shepherd by taking care of sheep, and that’s precisely what “pastor” means. Lots of things about being a shepherd you can’t learn until you start doing them! I feel it’s a lot like marriage. No one has the maturity for it until they get married! Right now many people, myself included, are wondering who my successor will be in this church. What gives me peace is that there already believers in this church who have produced solid fruit, and there are others associated with us who are likewise fruitful. God already has several “candidates” lined up! I need to trust God myself and keep my eyes open for others who likewise trust Him, knowing that the church belongs to Him and He will provide everything necessary.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You that I’ll be out of town this weekend, giving the believers a chance to taste the reality that the church belongs to You and not to me. May we continue to grow and move as You desire and intend, for Your pleasure and glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Perspective; October 4, 2023

Posted on October 5, 2023 by jgarrott

Acts 14:18-19 Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them. Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead.

To me this is very reminiscent of Palm Sunday and Good Friday, where Jesus was lauded as the Messiah and then handed over to the Romans to be crucified. Crowds are very unreliable! The people here were wanting to worship Paul and Barnabas as gods, and then Jews from Antioch and Iconium convinced them to stone Paul. We never know what will happen! However, as horrible as this was, this was in all probability the time when Paul was taken up into heaven, as he describes in 2 Corinthians 12:2-4, and I’m sure he was very grateful for that experience. God indeed uses everything that is submitted to Him for our good! (Romans 8:28) We don’t know how the ripples will spread, so to speak, either from what we do and say or from what happens to us, so we need to be active in submitting and committing everything to God. That requires real faith, because we aren’t very good at it, but the better we get at it, the more peace and joy we will have. As it says in Hebrews, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:11) We need faith both to reject the adulation of men, as Paul and Barnabas did, as well as to stand firm in the face of their attacks.

At this point I’m getting a lot of flattery, as people are shocked to hear I’m as old as I am, and as people at my schools respond to the idea that this is my last term of teaching there, so I need strength of character to stand against that. I’m not to be rude, but I particularly need to stand against such things going to my head. God alone is worthy of praise and glory, but my flesh covets it! As I’ve written recently, I don’t feel like I’ve encountered much real persecution, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen at any point. I’m not to seek it out, but neither am I to run from it. After all, everything on earth is by definition temporal, and thus not worth comparing to what awaits me in eternity with my Lord. Again, Paul said it well: “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18) And that applies to the things that seem enjoyable, as well as the things that do not.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I’ve been very slow to learn this, but I don’t think I’m unique in that slowness. Help me indeed apply and live out all that You show me, so that Your purposes and no other may be accomplished in my life, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Response to Persecution; October 3, 2023

Posted on October 4, 2023 by jgarrott

Acts 13:52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

The single largest provocation for the persecution that the believers experienced at this point was jealousy, as it says clearly in verse 45. However, the response on the part of the believers was joy, and openness to the Holy Spirit. In the Church today, local churches are just as likely to become jealous of secular organizations and seek to copy them, even to the point of discarding the truths of God completely. Just yesterday I saw a news report of a church that was “unapologetic” for having a “drag queen” program in the service! Talk about getting things backward! When churches lose sight of their purpose and their Lord, they have nothing to draw people, nothing to offer. The world might welcome them as their own, since that is what they have become, but they have cut themselves off from the Source of life, and are dead indeed. In the Upper Room Discourse just before He was arrested (John 13-16) Jesus made it clear that persecution was “part of the package,” so to speak, but in the very last verse of that, just before He started praying, Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) That’s precisely what the disciples mentioned here experienced. “Toning down” our expressions of faith to try to avoid trouble doesn’t work; it just robs us of our joy and peace in the Holy Spirit.

As I have written before, I don’t feel like I have been persecuted for my faith. At times it’s almost worried me, making me think I wasn’t being true to my Lord! However, I have certainly had trouble of various sorts, just as Jesus said. I have been betrayed and even ridiculed, but I would hardly call that persecution, compared to what I know my brothers and sisters in faith in other places experience. I have indeed experienced what this verse says, being filled with joy and the Holy Spirit, and I am deeply grateful. I am to so live that those who are hungry for peace and joy will come to me to receive what God gives so freely, for their salvation and His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Right now I am filled with thoughts of our neighbor, who was taken to the hospital last night for what will likely be the last time. I pray that he would remember the things I’ve shared with him over the years and cry out to You in this time of need, to receive the eternal life that only You can offer. May he accept Your salvation while he still has the opportunity, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Contextual Ministry; October 2, 2023

Posted on October 3, 2023 by jgarrott

Acts 13:38-39 “Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.”

Here, from verse 16 on, we have a clear sample of the sort of message Paul preached to the Jews of the diaspora, that is, the Jews who lived elsewhere than in the geographic area of Israel. As he says in verse 16, he included the Gentile proselytes, those who believed in the God of Israel, because all of these people had a foundation in the Torah and the Tanach to understand that Jesus was the fulfillment of prophecy. This was very different from preaching, as he later did, to total heathens who had no foundation. This is an example of contextual ministry, adapting the presentation, though not the truth of the Gospel, to the specific situation and audience. Paul himself described it this way: “To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.” (1 Corinthians 9:20-22) The danger in this approach is that some people have lost sight of the Gospel in the process, calling themselves “seeker-sensitive.” We must not let go of the reality of the holiness of God and the sinfulness of man. Grace is grace only when it’s necessary! Churches that never speak of sin are dangerous indeed. From Peter at Pentecost on, apostolic preaching in the New Testament pulls no punches, but lays out human depravity and the necessity of repentance before there can be any thought of salvation. Today we seem to live in fear that someone will be offended. We need to realize that the Gospel is offensive to anyone who wants to hold onto their sin, just as Jesus said. (John 3:19-21) Contextual ministry is an important tool, but we must never let that idea take precedence over the reality that we are sinners in need of a Savior.

As someone involved in cross-cultural ministry all my life, this couldn’t be more relevant. Missionaries are faced with the issue constantly. Frankly, the personal evangelism techniques I was taught in seminary in the US have been remarkably ineffective in Japan, because the average Japanese has zero foundation to hear and understand the Gospel. I know that some with the gift of evangelism have made good use of such tools as the “4 Spiritual Laws” tract, but they are an exception. I have to start with the idea of a Creator, a transcendent God to whom we are accountable, because Shinto has a multitude of gods and Buddhism is fundamentally atheistic. However, I have had some successes. God is amazingly good at meeting people where they are! I am never to give up, but rather be sensitive to Holy Spirit, listening to Him and speaking what He is saying, so that the lies of the enemy may be exposed and people be brought into the freedom of the Truth. (John 8:32)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for Your faithfulness to me on every level. I pray that I would be fully available to You at all times to do or say whatever You desire for whatever context I find myself in, so that Your purposes may be accomplished for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Assignments; October 1, 2023

Posted on October 2, 2023 by jgarrott

Acts 13:2-3 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

Two things stand out to me about this passage. The first is that there was multiple leadership that totally ignored distinctions of race and social class, and the second is that when God chose some to go out for work elsewhere, not only did they not hesitate, they sent the best. Barnabas obviously had the most seniority, since he had originally been sent out by the Jerusalem church to check on things in Antioch, and Saul was the most on fire. Of course they were only agreeing with the Holy Spirit’s choices, but it still had to be somewhat painful for the church in Antioch. God doesn’t choose the lazy ones, the ones who barely get by. Of course, removing these two required that the other three leaders, and the church as a whole, step up and do more, but that too was for their growth. God doesn’t ignore the “lazy” ones, the ones who “barely get by,” He challenges them to move in closer to Him, to recognize and fulfill their calling in Christ. The New Testament pays a lot of attention to specific people, but the rest all have their place as well. Whether you are in the spotlight has no bearing on whether you are a child of God. We all need to recognize that we are included in God’s plans and rejoice in that fact, giving ourselves to Him however He directs, for His glory.

Naturally, this applies to me as much as it does to anyone. Growing up in a missionary family, I was very aware that God has different tasks for different people. On visits to the US I ran into people I was very glad were not on the mission field in Japan! However, God had ways in which He wanted to use them where they were. Right now I am feeling more and more strongly that God is going to be taking me away from this congregation, not to live but to minister elsewhere on repeated short-term trips. That’s going to require that the believers step up and do things they have been leaving for me to do. A week from today will be a taste of that, as Cathy and I will be in Tokyo and they will have a service as usual, including a meal after the service, when meals have been very much Cathy’s territory. I don’t know what all will go on, but I know that it will be good, even if there are seeming “disasters” in the process. I have allowed this church to be largely centered on me, which is simply wrong. I am in strong agreement that being centered on Jesus is essential for any church, and for the Church as a whole, but I haven’t acted like it sufficiently. I haven’t been good at delegation, at genuinely trusting people with responsibilities, and that has hobbled this church. I think God is taking me away from the church for its sake, as much as for any other reason. I delight to share the Word, but others need to recognize that God speaks to them as well, and step up to share what He has said. I won’t stop talking wherever I am!

Father, thank You for this timely Word. Help me do exactly what You intend and nothing else, allowing others to do what You have for them, so that the Body as a whole may be built up, for the blessing of all involved and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Christian; September 30, 2023

Posted on October 1, 2023 by jgarrott

Acts 11:26 The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.

This is indeed an inflection point in history, because words matter. There has been a good bit of discussion over why they started being called Christians at this point, and indeed, just what “Christian” meant at that point. The Japanese Bible says “person/people of Christ,” which seems straightforward enough, but in English I’ve heard people insist that the Greek would be better translated “little Christs.” To me, the best explanation is simply that they were constantly talking about Christ, so the name was applied to them. In northern Japan there is a grave that the locals say is that of Christ, that he came there, married a Japanese woman, and eventually died. By far the most logical explanation for that is that he was a Nestorian believer from China, who talked about Christ so much that the name was applied to him. Thinking of all of that, how much do we talk about Christ? Several years ago I heard it expressed this way: “If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” “Cultural Christians” are an issue around the world. Even in Japan religion is often seen as a family affair, so you are whatever your parents are. That makes youthful rebellion an excellent time to evangelize, because people are much more open to abandoning their parents’ religion. In any case, most people today seem unlikely to talk about their faith, whatever it is. In contrast, adherents of the “religion” of transgenderism can’t seem to stop talking about it! When those who are deceived by the devil are so vocal, what’s with those who know the truth? The love and grace of God through Jesus Christ should be our main, consistent, topic of conversation.

I’m talking to myself here. As I have written before, the evidence I had that God had indeed been true to His Word and baptized me in His Spirit was that I was talking to a total stranger about Jesus. Since I desire to be filled constantly with the Spirit, I need to let that be an indicator of my spiritual health. I will talk your ears off about just about anything, since I have broad interests and fairly broad know­ledge. I need to be less of a “walking encyclopedia” and more of a “fountain of life!” For that to happen, my thoughts need to be filled ever more with Christ, because just like Jesus said, “Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34) While we were in seminary my wife drew a cartoon figure that was filled with words like fear, joy, pride, kindness, and the like. The caption was, “Whatever you are full of will spill out when you are bumped.” (We currently have that framed and on our wall.) I want to be so full of Christ that He will “spill out” consistently and abundantly, giving real meaning to the title, Christian.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me consciously choose to think and speak of Christ until it becomes fully automatic, informing people of Your grace and love and drawing them to repentance and faith, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Acceptance; September 29, 2023

Posted on September 30, 2023 by jgarrott

Acts 11:15 “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning.”

There was a very specific reason God sent His Spirit on Cornelius and his household in exactly the same way He did on the 120 believers at Pentecost, and that was to show the Jewish believers that Gentiles were just as much heirs of salvation as they were. We all have a persistent tendency to think more of ourselves by thinking less of others, and God consistently says that’s wrong. There are conditions to salvation, certainly, but immutable characteristics, like ethnicity or gender, aren’t among them. (The devil is currently making a mess by insisting that gender isn’t immutable, but that’s another discussion.) God does reward our faithfulness, (Hebrews 10:35, 2 John 1:8) but our acceptance as His children comes from the moment we believe, and is a pure manifestation of His grace. (Ephesians 2:8-10) We need to treat others as God has treated us. Sometimes they need to earn our trust, but we should accept them as they are, and ask God to change them as necessary. After all, He’s still changing us! We aren’t to set up false conditions, but let God’s love flow through us even as it has flowed to us.

Acceptance has been a big issue in my life, as it is for many. I grew up as a Caucasian in Japan and went to school as a Missionary Kid on a US Air Force base. That didn’t make acceptance easy! I am what is called a TCK, a “third culture kid,” someone who synthesized my own culture from those of my parents and my environment. I have more in common with a Swiss man who grew up in South America (whom I know on Facebook) than with the majority of people I deal with every day. It is painful when Japanese don’t accept me as Japanese, even when I’ve lived here longer than they have, and it is healing when brothers and sisters in Christ of various nations accept me as one of their own. I have learned the reality of Paul’s statement, “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 3:20) And I am never to let my own wounds keep me from accepting another person for whom Christ died.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the healing You have given me, and for the privilege of tasting the rejection that Jesus experienced. (John 1:10-11) May I be Your agent in every detail of my life, so that people may be accepted into Your family by faith, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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God’s Methods; September 28, 2023

Posted on September 29, 2023 by jgarrott

Acts 10:44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.

This makes it very clear that even after Pentecost it wasn’t, and still isn’t, necessary for hands to be laid on people for them to receive the Holy Spirit. There are examples of Him coming on people both with and without the laying on of hands throughout Acts, as well as Paul’s references to laying hands on people in his letters. I think the point is to remember that God isn’t limited; He can do things however He likes. Our place is to keep ourselves available so that His will may be done, whether He chooses to use us or not. I have known people who were very uptight about this sort of thing, but God’s not! I think the more we try to put the things of God into formulas, the further away from Him we become. I wonder if Peter was irritated that people didn’t wait for him to finish talking before they started praising God in Tongues? It’s possible, but I rather doubt it because God had beaten it into Peter that He was in charge, not Peter. We need to remember that same lesson, and simply pray earnestly that God’s name would be acknowledged as holy and His rule and reign be established as His will is done, in, by, and around us, for His glory.

I’ve seen God work in a variety of ways and I’ve heard testimonies of many more, but I still tend to expect Him to work in ways that I’ve seen before. How foolish! I think that God actively likes variety, to keep us from trying to reduce Him to a formula. I earnestly desire to be used by God to empower His children, especially in Japan, but I’ve had to come to the place of desiring the empowerment more than I desire to be used in the process. Frankly, I think that makes it more likely that I will be used, but that’s entirely up to Him. Various things about my daily life and schedule are changing, and I need to focus on being sensitive and obedient, whether God wants me to speak or be silent, act or just pray. His plans are always good and perfect, and my joy is in seeing them come to pass.

Father, thank You indeed for Your plans. Thank You for desiring the Japanese people for Yourself, for Your family, Your kingdom. I do pray that the darkness that has bound this nation for so long would be shattered, and Your children be set free to be all that You created them to be, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Healing; September 27, 2023

Posted on September 28, 2023 by jgarrott

Acts 9:34 “Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and take care of your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up.

Peter had quite a track record of healing by this point, famously including the man at the gate Beautiful (Acts 3) and people being healed when his shadow fell on them (Acts 5). That kind of experience naturally builds faith! The thing about Peter was that his past track record had showed him he could do nothing right by himself. It was his total dependence on God that made him available for God to use him in miraculous ways. This particular healing has a lot in com­mon with the one in Acts 3, but Peter’s only precedent for raising Dorcas from the dead, in the verses following this, was having been present when Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus, as recorded in Mark 5 and Luke 8. However, he had been present in the Upper Room when Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:12) We may not have Peter’s track record, but Jesus’ statement is as true for us as it was for Peter. We pray for healing, but do we expect people to be healed? We forget that in many if not most of the healings recorded in the Bible, the operative agent was a command rather than a prayer. Sometimes the command is to the disease to leave, but more often it is to the afflicted person to receive their healing, as here. I don’t think we act like that very often! The difficult point comes in our awareness of authority. We have no authority in ourselves to command disease, injury, and death to leave, but Jesus has given believers the right to speak and act in His name, and as He declared just before His ascension, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. (Matthew 28:18) Our faith is not to be in our ability to do anything, but in His ability to do anything at all, even using us.

I have prayed for healing for people many times, but I haven’t done much commanding. I have seen people healed, but nothing as dramatic as the stories in this chapter. I have desired that God confirm His Word through me by signs and wonders, but I haven’t seen that much. I think that I have persistently thought that I was going to do these things! My track record has certainly taught me that I can’t do them, though it has taught me that God can and will speak through me. I need to remember that, and allow Him to speak healing and other miracles through me as He desires, so that people may repent and believe for their salvation.

Father, thank You for this clear Word. It is very pointed, when Cathy has so many medical issues. I do know that healing isn’t always Your best, just as You told Paul, (2 Corinthians 12:9) but I also know that looking at myself and my abilities will block me from being available to You. Help me be so fixed on Jesus that His words in the Upper Room may be fulfilled indeed, for the salvation of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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