Ministers; May 29, 2022

Posted on June 2, 2022 by jgarrott

1 Corinthians 9:16 Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!

There are all sorts of motives for becoming a Christian minister. To some, it seems like a glamorous occupation, being respected by all without a great deal of effort. That’s a terrible misunderstanding! I have encountered some “ministers” for whom the Gospel seemed to have very little to do with them! It only stands to reason that Christ’s representatives are chosen by Christ, but even with that understanding we need to remember that one of the original 12 apostles actively betrayed Him, and none of them were perfect. Even Paul, who wrote this, was very forthright about not being perfect. (Philippians 3:12-14) There is no room for pride, but only gratitude that God would use you in spite of yourself. There are indeed many ministers who have that attitude, but it is certainly not universal. However, when God has given us a job to do, we are indeed in trouble if we fail to do it, just like Paul says here. Perhaps the greatest demand on a minister is simple faithfulness, getting in there and doing the job regardless of circumstances. Such faithfulness will never go unrewarded.

Of course this applies directly to me. As the son and grandson of ministers, some would think I was just “continuing the family business,” but that’s hardly the case. I had to struggle with being willing to go to seminary, and I had to struggle twice over being willing to pastor a local congregation. Teaching comes naturally and easily to me, but dealing with messy interpersonal relationships can take a real toll! The first time I accepted a pastorate it was because God showed me I needed the experience if I was going to relate fully to Japanese pastors (whom I thought would be the focus of my ministry). The second was when I had sheep and there was no other shepherd available! That one really was hard, because the reasons for the situation were precisely those messy interpersonal relationships! In the 38 years since that second surrender I have indeed learned the meaning of, “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11) I can claim perfection no more than Paul could, but also like him, I know what I have to do and am committed to doing it.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the experience last night of filling in for a minister friend. Your presence and anointing were clear, and it felt very good, even though the schedule wasn’t exactly convenient. I do pray for all Your “under-shepherds,” that they would be encouraged and strengthened to do each task that You set for them, that the Body of Christ may be guilt up indeed and You be glorified. Thank You. Praise God!

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The God of Hope; May 28, 2022

Posted on June 1, 2022 by jgarrott

Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

What a beautiful benediction! I don’t know that I’ve ever heard it used in a church service; I know I’ve never used it. Likewise, “The God of Hope” isn’t a title we often hear for our Creator. Events in the world around us can certainly make us feel hopeless, and that feeling itself can be very damaging, even fatal. I don’t think anyone ever commits suicide when they are brimming with hope! Hope can be contagious. I like that Paul uses the phrase, “overflow with hope,” because that means it splashes onto those around us. Hope is closely tied to gratitude, and as Dennis Prager points out frequently, gratitude is essential for happiness. Someone who is ungrateful is not happy, and neither do they have much genuine hope. Events like the recent school shooting in Texas hit us hard, and reasonably so. That was a tragedy indeed on two scales, both that the mental illness of the perpetrator wasn’t fully recognized and acted on ahead of time, and that law enforcement didn’t get into the classroom to stop him for a full hour after the shooting started. There is indeed much evil in the world, but if we focus on the evil, we will lose our gratitude and our hope. The world was given to mankind at creation, but we turned around and gave it to the devil through sin. However, the God of Hope had a plan, and He sent His Son to take the penalty for our sins and give us the hope of eternal life. When we really grasp that, gratitude and hope will be unfailing whatever is going on around us.

This of course applies to me. The incident in Uvalde was horrible, but looking at it dispassionately, the toll was no worse than a bad weekend in Chicago, and it totally pales in comparison to what has happened in Ukraine in the past three months. I’ve got to remember that we live in a fallen world and stand firm and tall in Christ, not trying to “fix” things in my own wisdom and strength but being yielded and obedient to the only One who indeed can fix things. He might even use me for some tiny part of it! I am challenged regularly by circumstances, dealing with people and events that I would prefer to be otherwise. I’ve got to keep my focus on my Lord, walking in gratitude and hope so that it may indeed overflow to those around me, creating a “lake of hope” in the dry desert of the world, for the glory of God.

Father, thank You for this Word. You’ve given me some beautiful imagery. May it not stop with pretty words, but be worked out in the lives of many, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Living Like Jesus; May 27, 2022

Posted on June 1, 2022 by jgarrott

Romans 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

The 13 verses from 9-21 are an extremely concentrated, extremely down-to-earth guide to living as a Christian, and this verse essentially sums it all up. You could say that this passage is the answer to the question, “what would Jesus do?” Society would be very different if every avowed Christian actually lived this way! The devil knows this, so he does all he can to try to convince us that this is “impractical,” that “no one could actually live this way.” However, like everything else he says, that’s a lie. Jesus obviously lived like this, and those who are in Him can do so as well. When we try to take control, to do things in our own strength, we fail miserably at this sort of lifestyle, but humble submission to the Holy Spirit will bring us through every time. Just recently a report was released about sexual abuse in a major Protestant denomination in the US. Since my immediate ancestors were very active in that denomination, I at least knew of, and in some cases knew directly, most of the people named in that report. Those men were blinded by what other people (and the devil) said about them. They lost the fundamental humility necessary to live as Paul describes here. The devil is absolutely nasty, and he respects no one. To do as this verse says, overcoming evil with good, we’ve got to be as the song says: “In Christ alone I place my trust.” The moment we trust even ourselves, we are open to deception.

The textbook that I use in teaching medical English to Japanese has the line, “I don’t have confidence in myself.” The Japanese word for “confidence” is written with characters that literally mean “self belief.” I tell my students that I don’t like that Japanese word, because I don’t believe in myself. I have betrayed myself countless times! However, I believe in God, so I can have assurance, without trusting in myself. That might seem to be no more than word games, but I think it’s very important. I have been tripped up far too much by pride, and I know the damage that can cause. The world is certainly full of evil, and I’m not to shut my eyes to it. However, neither am I to fix my eyes on it, but rather fix them on the One who has overcome evil and death, and by abiding in Him, allow His victory to operate in and through me.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all that You have been doing in, around, and through us in these days. My schedule looks empty today, but I have a lot I need or want to take care of. Help me not forget things and let them slip through the cracks, but rather spend each moment in obedience to You, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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God’s Grace; May 26, 2022

Posted on May 29, 2022 by jgarrott

Romans 11:6 And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

This chapter as a whole is talking about the salvation of the Jews, and as such is very important, but this one little verse has deep implications for everyone. A surprising number of Christians, though saved by grace through faith, (Ephesians 2:8-9) turn around and essentially negate that grace through trying to earn God’s favor. The problem is hardly new: Paul’s letter to the Galatians was written about this exact issue. However, if it was important enough for Paul to write a whole book of the Bible about it, we had better pay attention! The problem can actually become pretty complicated. It’s not at all that our actions don’t matter. We are accountable to God for everything we do and even every word we say. (Matthew 12:36) However, that doesn’t negate the fact that we can never be good enough, since we are fundamentally stained with sin. The path of salvation isn’t climbing a mountain, figuratively or literally, but simply recognizing our absolute need of salvation and believing that Jesus died for us. Once we have done that, then our activities are to be a response to that overwhelming grace, not an effort to earn it. As Paul said right after that famous bit I already mentioned about salvation by grace through faith, God has plenty for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10) Abiding in God’s grace is never stagnant. The doctrine of “Once saved always saved” doesn’t mean we get put on a shelf until we eventually go to heaven. We can’t earn salvation, but the better we grasp God’s love and grace, the more totally we will be dedicated to serving Him however He desires.

Of course this applies to me the same way it does to everyone else. I have dedicated my life to serving God, and the Bible is clear that I will be rewarded for that, but it is only by God’s grace that any of it has even been possible. I recognize that I have urges within me that utterly disqualify me from approaching God in His holiness, but at the same time I am assured that the cross of Christ was sufficient to cover all of that. When I was in high school I did a presentation in an English class on methods of torture, some of which I had thought up myself! I know that in my flesh I am capable of unspeakable horror and filth, but I also know that God’s grace is sufficient even for me, and when I am yielded to Him, He actually uses me. It is my infinite privilege to share that grace with others, in word and in action, with the prayer that they too may repent and believe for their salvation.

Father, thank You for Your grace that is beyond words to express fully. Help me live every moment in response to that grace, with gratitude that wells up in praise and worship to You, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Entropy; May 25, 2022

Posted on May 28, 2022 by jgarrott

Romans 8:20-21 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

Every once in a while it’s good to write on a passage I haven’t underlined previously! As I read this just now it hit me that this is describing the repeal of entropy, of all things. Entropy is considered to be one of the foundational principles of the universe, that things wind down and deteriorate – which is why evolution is such an absurdity. The very people who deny the existence of a Creator likewise insist that entropy is real, totally missing the disconnect in their thinking. However, just as there is both nuclear fission and nuclear fusion, God isn’t limited by the “law” of entropy. The world doesn’t have to always “run downhill!” Just recently some physicists have advanced the previously heretical idea that the laws of physics might not be constant, and here we have Paul saying that they are indeed going to change. Pardon me for being a total geek, but that’s exciting! As I am reminded with some frequency, our concept of God is too small. On one level that’s unavoidable, since God is infinite and we aren’t, but it’s something we should work to get past. He does indeed reveal Himself to us in various ways, just as He did to Paul here, and we need to keep our hearts open to that revelation. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would do that work in us, (John 14:26) and that’s a major reason to seek to be filled with and in step with the Spirit. God is far too big for us to grasp Him on our own!

Of course this applies to me. I have been tripped up by pride in my high IQ, when human IQ is effectively zero when compared to God. I need to absorb as much as possible of the Bible, since God isn’t going to contradict Himself, but I am not to be limited by the human systems that men have created by their interpretations of what is written. God isn’t limited by anything! I have been a fan of science fiction since I entered my teens, and already many of the things I read 60 years ago are part of our daily lives. Physical things are trivial compared to the spiritual, but that’s an illustration of the danger of saying, “never happen.” I need to have faith and expectation that God is going to fulfill His Word, regardless of how things might look at any given moment, so that I will be available to Him for whatever purpose He might have for me, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this Word. I’m a bit blown out of the water! Help me open my heart to You fully so that I will neither hold back nor go astray, but follow You fully in all that You want to do involving me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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God’s Love; May 24, 2022

Posted on May 28, 2022 by jgarrott

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

The depth, the magnificence of this chapter, indeed of the whole book of Romans, boggles the mind. It’s no wonder that it was very quickly recognized as being as much the Word of God as the Old Testament! Here we have the ultimate answer to anyone who doubts the love of God. John 3:16 is of course justly famous, but here Paul is being very specific that Jesus didn’t die for us because we in some way deserved it, but simply out of the overflow of His grace and love, because that’s who He is. As John also expresses in the fourth chapter of his first letter, the love in question isn’t ours but God’s. Ours is no more than a poor imitation at best. Human love can indeed be mag­­nificent and sacrificial at times, but it never comes up to the level of God’s love for us. From the perspective of the world’s religions, love seems a very strange thing to base everything on. For example, the very word, Islam, means “submission.” We are to submit to God, but out of love for Him that reflects His love for us. Judaism absolutely venerates the Law of Moses, but when He was asked what the most important law was, Jesus famously responded, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40) Imagine that! All the Law is predicated on love! Human love can’t handle that load, but God’s love certainly can, and Jesus proved it by His death and resurrection.

I was blessed to be born and raised in a home that was characterized by love, both God’s and man’s, but not everyone can say that. As a pastor I deal frequently with people who have a very distorted concept of love, because they don’t have the foundation of God’s love in their heart and mind. For that to get through to them, they need to see it in me first. My life needs to be predicated on love, just as Jesus said. As we had prayed it would be, I think our recent church barbecue was something of a “love bath” for everyone who attended, and I believe that was a powerful witness to those who are not yet believers. I am personally very conscious of love at the moment, because today is our 53rd wedding anniversary. The past 53 years have certainly been a training course in love! However, as wonderful as our love for each other has been and continues to be, it is no more than a pale reflection of God’s love for us. I am to revel in that love first and foremost, allowing it to flow through me to those around me, for His glory alone.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Your love truly is beyond human vocabulary to express. Thank You for the words You gave Paul to give us some insight, at least. May I respond to Your love as You desire and intend, so that more and more people may open their hearts to receive Your love, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Active Faith; May 23, 2022

Posted on May 26, 2022 by jgarrott

Romans 4:21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.

This verse is a sentence fragment both in English and in Japanese, but I feel it contains a vital truth. Yesterday I spoke on Living Faith, talking about the importance of practicing what we say we believe. Abraham is a prime example of that, as Paul discusses at length in this chapter. In practical terms we often fail to believe either that God can or that He will follow through on what He has said, either in the Bible or perhaps to us specifically. Such lack of faith often deprives us of much that God intends for us, and at the very least it robs us of peace and joy along the way. We are very prone to dictate, at least subconsciously, what, when, and how we want God to act. That is so foolish! In these reading on Hope we have had passage after passage that point out our lack of perspective and our need to trust God with every detail of our lives. Even, or perhaps precisely, when things don’t seem to be going as we would like, we need to rest, relax, and rejoice in God, just as He has told me personally to do. Not only will that put us in position to make full use of the opportunities and the materials God supplies, it will also vastly improve our enjoyment of the process!

This certainly applies to me in every respect! Yesterday we had a church barbecue, which had been weighing on me because I’m not only an introvert, I also am not much of a planner. Everything went off remarkably smoothly, with God providing the workers necessary for each task when it needed to be done. To our great joy, one of the closest neighbor families did show up for the barbecue, though not for the program we had beforehand, and God’s love was abundantly in evidence throughout. God came through! On a far larger scale, God gave us a vision many years ago of Omura again becoming the foremost Christian city in Japan, as it was for a time 450 years ago. We don’t see much movement in that direction with our physical eyes, but that’s all the more reason to be like Abraham, convinced that God was big enough and powerful enough to do what He had said, even though Abraham himself was “as good as dead.” (verse 19) I’m currently 73, and my body is currently reminding me that recovery time slows with age, after all the activities of yesterday. Physical factors aside, there is no way that I myself could transform this city into a hotbed of faith, but nothing is impossible for God. If He wants to use me in the process, I’m available!

Father, thank You indeed for Your perfect faithfulness. Thank You for the discovery that the wife of the couple who came is an Occupational Therapist and works with some of my former students, and so was predisposed to think well of us. I pray that You would get past the Japanese “allergy to religion” and show them the difference between religion and a living relationship with their Creator, and that their transformation would be a trigger that would draw more and more into Your family, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Evangelism; May 22, 2022

Posted on May 26, 2022 by jgarrott

Acts 28:24 Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe.

What strikes me about this short verse is the difference between those who believed and those who didn’t believe Paul’s Gospel of the Kingdom. Their background was essentially identical, as devout Jews living in Rome, but some chose to believe and some chose not to believe. (The Japanese doesn’t say “were convinced,” but simply “believed.”) Faith, and the salvation that results, is ultimately a choice, and God doesn’t force us. That is an essential thing to remember for anyone involved in evangelism. We are saved by grace through faith, and that faith is a gift, (Ephesians 2:8-9) but we have to choose to receive that gift. These people all had equal opportunity hearing what Paul had to say, but some chose to receive faith and some chose not to receive. That reality can be heartbreaking for those sharing the Gospel, but we have to release each situation, and each person, into God’s hands. Sometimes something that is said lies dormant like a seed, and only later sprouts and bears fruit. We are never to stop scattering the seed! We should also be encouraged by stories like this. After all, if Paul had uneven results, who are we to expect better?

This is, naturally enough, extremely appropriate for me to remember. Japan is certainly famous for uneven results! There have been, and are, magnificent Japanese Christians, but the statistical probability of a Japanese accepting and living out the Gospel is one of the lowest in the world. The reasons for that have been widely discussed and debated, but it all boils down to this: we don’t know! I am to be faithful to share, always seeking the wisdom and guidance of the Holy Spirit so as to do it as effectively as possible, but the results aren’t up to me. There is no evangelism “technique” that has proven results. Today we will be having an evangelistic program and barbecue, hoping to share Christ with our neighbors, but we can’t force them to take part, much less repent and believe. What we can do is be open to the Holy Spirit, loving God and loving the people around us, and allow Him to bring the fruit that He desires.

Father, thank You for this reminder at the beginning of a very full day. Help me not be uptight about anything, but rest, relax, and rejoice in You, just as You have told me to do. I have a track record of being snappy at others when I feel stressed. I ask You to keep me from that. It would be nice if I didn’t feel stressed, but that’s not the issue! Help me be an accurate reflection of my Lord Jesus, drawing people to Him by Your love, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Public Speaking; May 21, 2022

Posted on May 24, 2022 by jgarrott

Acts 26:29 Paul replied, “Short time or long–I pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.”

This is the conclusion of an absolutely magnificent, beautifully reasoned testimony. It obviously impressed the socks off of King Agrippa! The thing that probably impressed him the most was the fact that a chained prisoner would speak so boldly to those with legal authority to do almost anything to him. Like Peter at Pentecost, Paul was allowing the Holy Spirit to speak through him, and it was powerful indeed. In rather drastic contrast to Peter, Paul was highly educated and trained, probably in oratory as well as in theology. I find it interesting that verse one mentions that he “motioned with his hand.” I think that was probably a standard oratorical signal in those times to indicate that a speech was about to begin, since they didn’t have microphones and amplifiers to get people’s attention. However, it wasn’t oratorical training that came through most strongly, but the power of the Holy Spirit. I think the Greek here must say, “with little or with much,” because where the NIV says, “short time or long,” the Japanese says, “few words or many.” The point is that when it comes to testifying and speaking for God, quality matters much more than quantity. Sermon length has been debated for centuries, and Paul himself famously preached to the point of putting people to sleep. (Acts 20:9) Even Jesus, in the Upper Room before Gethsemane, kept going on for quite a while. However, the content of the Upper Room Discourse is some of the most magnificent in the whole Bible, so there was nothing wasted or irrelevant. We need to let the Holy Spirit be in control of both the accelerator and the brake when it comes to speaking, so that we will deliver precisely what our hearers need and can receive.

This hits very close to home, since as a teacher and pastor I make my living by speaking. I have had hearers go to sleep, both in the classroom and in the worship service. However, I strive to keep my output interesting and relevant enough to avoid that as much as possible. In both settings, I find that some people use sleep as a means of escape from information they find difficult or unwelcome. I have little control over that, but I can and do pray for my hearers that they would receive what the Lord knows they need from my words. Since I preach bilingually, interpreting for myself, I am constrained by people’s attention span, since everything takes twice as long to say. That makes it all the more important to deliver God’s truth in compact, penetrating form. I don’t have sufficient wisdom for that, but the Holy Spirit does, so I am to rely fully on Him.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You also for the message You’ve given me for tomorrow. I pray that I would indeed deliver it with Your words in the power of Your Spirit, so that it may accomplish that for which You send it, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Living Out Our Faith; May 20, 2022

Posted on May 24, 2022 by jgarrott

Acts 24:16 “So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.”

Luke’s very faithful record of what went on in this courtroom sounds like it could have happened yesterday. People haven’t changed! That’s why the Bible is as relevant today as it was when it was written, despite many changes in technology. The world we live in today would have been unimaginable to people back then, and indeed, things we take for granted were literally the stuff of science fiction less than a hundred years ago. That said, the people living with all that technology are still completely human, with the same hopes, fears, and motivations. With that awareness, what Paul says here is very important. He is stating that he lives according to his faith, which his accusers also claim to do. The thing is, what we really believe is shown by our actions. Paul’s conviction that there would be a resurrection and subsequent judgment caused him to live an exemplary life. Recently Elon Musk said that he expected to go to hell, but it didn’t bother him because he knew that the majority of mankind was going there too. As Bill Whittle and Alfonzo Rachel pointed out, that shows that he doesn’t actually believe in hell, or in heaven for that matter. The Beatles’ song, Imagine, is widely loved, but it is an attempt to deny our accountability before God. That is foolish in the extreme! If it didn’t matter what we believe that would be one thing, however not just the Bible but all of human history shows us that what we believe makes a huge difference. Paul’s enemies on this occasion were so vehement against him precisely because he had been one of them, a “Pharisee of Pharisees,” as he had proclaimed before the Sanhedrin just days before. (Acts 23:6) The thing is, they weren’t living out the faith they proclaimed, and Paul was. We are very quick to attack those who make us look bad. It is vitally important that each of us ask God to show us how we are being inconsistent with what we say we believe, so that we may repent. As James pointed out, we are experts at deceiving ourselves! (James 1:22) Only the Holy Spirit working in us can keep us straight, but as Paul said, “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)

This naturally applies to me. I have long felt that James 1:22 was written expressly (though not exclusively) for me. I am quite good at deceiving myself! As a pastor I deal constantly with people who are struggling with the gap between what they honestly say they believe and how they live their daily lives. I have that same struggle! I can’t “fix” myself, much less anyone else, but I can point them to the One who can, just as Paul wrote to the Thessalonians. I am not to despair at failures, my own or anyone else’s, but yield everything to God and keep pressing in toward Him. I need to believe He won’t give up on me, or on anyone else, and live accordingly!

Father, thank You for this encouraging reminder. I had been wondering what I was to share with the congregation on Sunday! I pray that I would be increasingly faithful in living out the faith You have placed in me, so that Your purposes may be accomplished in and through me for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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