Response to Opposition; August 15, 2021

Posted on August 19, 2021 by jgarrott

Mark 8:11-12 The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. He sighed deeply and said, “Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it.”

When Jesus had just fed 4000 men, plus women and children, on seven loaves and a few fish, the absurdity of this demand of the Pharisees is obvious. They weren’t interested in getting a sign, they were just trying to get Jesus into trouble. Again I am in no way suggesting that Donald Trump was/is a Christ figure, but this sort of behavior seems very familiar to us today, considering how Trump’s political enemies, including the media, attacked him. As a conservative commentator said, Trump could have come up with a cure for cancer and they would still have attacked him for it! Just as Jesus did in this case, the only thing to be done for such behavior is to walk away from it. Trump’s angry self-defense was a major weak point for him. Rather than copying Donald Trump, we need to do as Jesus did, speaking truth and walking away to keep doing whatever the Lord has told us to do. The temptation to get into arguments and even fights can be intense at times, but yielding to that temptation is generally detrimental. There are those who are called to present truth through the medium of debate, but it has become glaringly obvious that those opposed to truth aren’t interested in debate, because they know they will be exposed. We are to speak the truth in love as the Lord gives us opportunity, but not respond with angry words when we are attacked. We aren’t to back down, apologizing when we have done nothing wrong, but rather speak God’s truth with God’s wisdom in God’s love. In the current climate, that will often get us accused of “hate speech,” but nothing could be further from the truth. It is not love to deny biology, for example. There are powerful spirits of delusion loose in the world, and bowing to them is damaging to everyone involved. The intensity of the current conflict leads many to feel we are indeed in the Last Days, and that could well be the case. Our response to everything must be to abide in the One who is the way, the truth, and the life, (John 13:6) and let Him be our defense.

Just yesterday, on the way back to the gallery from picking up some lunch at a nearby convenience store, I was accosted by a young man who was evidently with Sokagakkai (the Buddhist equivalent of Jehovah’s Witnesses). I responded to him politely, but said I was very familiar with Buddhism, having written a paper on it, and I didn’t let him tie me down. Not long after that he showed up in the gallery, where I welcomed him as I did other visitors, with the prayer that my words and my attitude would in some way communicate the love of God to him. I could have picked apart anything he could have said to me about Buddhism, but I don’t think that would have in any way drawn him to Christ. As has been said, people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. That’s far more than a clever play on words! I am certainly tempted to get defensive at times, and too often I yield to that, but I need instead to let God be my defense, He’s got it all covered!

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for all that You are doing. Thank You for Your protection in this weather, and that the rain looks likely to let up a bit today. We had the fewest visitors we’ve ever had in a day at the gallery, I think, in 12 years of holding these annual shows, but one of those visitors was very important indeed, and I thank You for the opportunity to minister to her. I ask for Your anointing on the service this morning, on the time at the gallery this afternoon, and on our last day at the gallery tomorrow. May the people that You intend attend each thing, being impacted by Your Spirit and drawn to You, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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God’s Supply; August 14, 2021

Posted on August 19, 2021 by jgarrott

Mark 6:41 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all.

This is of course a very famous story. However, there is one detail I have always wondered about. Did the bread and fish multiply as He was breaking them, or as the disciples were distributing them? If it were just as Jesus was breaking them, He would have been doing that a long time! I think it must have happened both times, so the disciples were actively involved in the multiplication. That must have been exciting indeed! This reminds me of the story of Elisha and the widow’s jar of oil. (2 Kings 4:1-7) God’s supply is infinite, but being finite ourselves, we have a lot of trouble grasping that. One of the beautiful things of His kingdom is that we sometimes get to be part of that supply. It’s like the disciples in this story, distributing bread and fish and the supply just not running out. They might have been hesitant at first, but I’d bet they got pretty enthusiastic before they were done! The thing is, we don’t experience that joy until we get started giving out. Just thinking about letting God’s supply flow through us doesn’t make it happen! James was very pointed about this (as he was about a number of things). “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?” (James 2:15-16) It is true that there are countless needs all around us, and we can’t be involved in every one. However, God does want us to be involved in His supply chain, and we need to be open to do whatever He directs. If the disciples had tried distributing the bread and fish on their own, they would have run out in very short order. However, if we are focused on our own resources, we will never hear and obey when God says, “Give.” It is sadly true that some religious hucksters have twisted this spiritual truth to get people to give to them. I’m glad I won’t have to answer for them before God’s throne! We must not let such works of evil keep us from participating in God’s works that He wants to do through us.

As I have written before, I have been very slow to get involved in material provision for others. Thankfully, in recent years that has changed somewhat, and I am grateful. To be honest, I am constantly bombarded with requests for funds. Many of those are noble and good, but I get so many I turn them all off! It has taken a real change of mindset to choose a few to which to contribute. More personally, I have experienced many times the joy of meeting a need of someone close at hand. That’s fun! That’s why I feel like I can understand how the disciples felt when they were distributing the bread and fish. Another side of that is the matter of giving emotionally and spiritually. Always giving and seldom receiving in that area is the recipe for burnout. The only answer for that is to deepen and broaden our connection to our supply, our infinite Lord. He does tell us to take time off, just as Jesus tried to do with His disciples in this story, but even when that doesn’t work out, as it didn’t in this story, God’s grace is sufficient if we will open ourselves up to Him. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Father, thank You for this strong reminder. We were pretty done in when the hotel where we had been planning to take a break called to say they would be closed because of COVID. Thank You for the ministry we were able to do yesterday, and that You are going to get us through the rest of this time in the City Gallery. This continuous rain storm, that looks to to continue for as much as another week, is also draining. It’s interesting to see Nagasaki weather in the national news! Help us indeed take our eyes off of ourselves and our circumstances so that we can let Your supply, Your grace, love, and joy, flow through us unhindered, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Morning Devotions; August 13, 2021

Posted on August 15, 2021 by jgarrott

Mark 1:35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

This verse has always been an encouragement to me, but a lot of people seem to prefer to ignore it. Getting up early to pray requires adherence to priorities that can be very difficult in modern society. Sleep is of course essential for everyone, and many things combine to keep us up late at night. Early morning prayer was easier before electricity! Actually, many people are becoming aware of the dangers of late-night “screen time,” whether it be TV, computer, or increasingly, smart phones. Phones these days have “night mode” to cut down the amount of blue light emitted, but that doesn’t correct the basic problem of staying awake late. As people get older they naturally tend to go to bed earlier and get up earlier, so I’m not very convincing in talking to young people about early morning devotions! All of that is actually peripheral to the central issue of placing fellowship with God first, in both time and energy. One thing Jesus did here can be very important, and that is getting away from distractions, and specifically other people. I’ve been at Christian meetings where they were trying to encourage people to have morning devotions, but everything was organized into groups. Group worship and group prayer are wonderful, but they are no substitute for a personal, individual relationship with Heavenly Father. That’s why “a solitary place” (the Japanese says, “a lonely place”) is highly advisable, if available.

I’ve written before about how I knew morning devotions were advisable, but when I tried to get into the practice as a college student I didn’t last long at all. I think I literally fulfilled a Japanese proverb about abandoning resolutions after three days. It wasn’t until several years later, as a married father, after God showed me the state of my soul and I repented in tears, that I became hungry enough for God that I actually got into the habit of praying and reading the Bible every morning. That’s been 48 years ago now, and I can hardly imagine living any other way. Whatever people might say of me now, I certainly wasn’t an “old codger” when I started! Because my handwriting is so poor, or perhaps because I’m such a geek, I’ve found computers to be very helpful for my devotional notes, but some people might be the other way around. As a pastor, I think getting the believers into a consistent practice of daily devotions is one of my strongest goals, but I have little wisdom in how to make it happen. It all comes down to answering the Father’s call to come close to Him.

Father, thank You for enabling me to answer Your call. I pray that I would be increasingly effective in encouraging others to do so as well, so that together we may be the useful disciples that Your desire, doing Your will on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Human Weakness; August 12, 2021

Posted on August 15, 2021 by jgarrott

Matthew 26:41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

Every time I read this passage I remember an experiment that was done in the early days of computer translation between languages. It was at the height of the Cold War, so naturally Russian was the target language. They input, “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” and converted to Russian, and then they fed that back into the computer the other direction. What came out was, “The vodka is good, but the meat is rotten.” Algorithms and computing power have both come a long way since then, but computer translation is still a very hit-or-miss business. The Japanese here might be a little harder to scramble: “Even if the heart is burning, the physical body is weak.” We have all experienced that! We have the best of intentions, but simply don’t follow through. The good news is that God loves us anyway, and He doesn’t give up on us. Peter and John, two of the people specifically addressed here, went on to magnificent ministries, though they had other lapses along the way. We need to remember that, along with Paul’s clear words that “It is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:13) He works on our heart, our intentions, and then He enables us to follow through more and more. Sometimes He enables us to do the right thing even when we didn’t intend to! We aren’t to be satisfied with being weak, but at the same time we aren’t to be constantly accusing ourselves over it. Repentance is a daily activity, but it shouldn’t lead to despair. We’ve got to remember that God is more powerful than our weaknesses, and rest in that assurance.

This certainly applies to me! If I were fully effective in all my desires and intentions, Japan would be an actively Christian nation by now! I am constantly confronted with the reality that I can accomplish nothing good on my own; I am totally dependent on God. That said, my obedience is still required. As Paul said, “It is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.” (1 Corinthians 4:2) I am never to use my obvious weaknesses as an excuse. I am given tools of various sorts, and various opportunities to use them. I am responsible and accountable for all of that. I couldn’t begin to count up all my failures in that area, because I’m not even aware of all of them! I am never to complain, but remember that God’s grace is just as sufficient for me as it was for Paul. (2 Corinthians 12:9) If I were always strong, God wouldn’t get the glory! I am to keep growing in obedience, so that His purposes may be accomplished in and through me on His schedule, for His glory alone.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for what You are doing in the photo show. Cathy and I are already feeling the strain, and today is just the 3rd day! It was a major blow yesterday to get a call saying that the hotel where we had planned to take a little rest after the show is over will be closed because of COVID. We still aren’t at peace or agreement about what to do instead. Thank You that You know our needs better than we do. Help us indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in You, knowing that Your plans for us are good indeed. Thank You. Praise God!

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Last Days; August 11, 2021

Posted on August 14, 2021 by jgarrott

Matthew 24:12-13 “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

People have been reading this chapter for 2000 years and responding either rightly or wrongly, regardless of the historical era. There are scholars today who say that much of this was fulfilled in AD 70, at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. That is possible, but as I commented when the reading was in Isaiah 7, many prophecies had, and continue to have, multiple “fulfillments” in different ways. Pointing at various things in this chapter and saying they have already been fulfilled doesn’t mean they aren’t coming up for their final, ultimate fulfillment. Since Jesus was adamant about no one knowing when the world would end, (Matthew 24:36) the point for us is to be on our guard against the various dangers and pitfalls mentioned. I have always maintained that for anyone old enough to read this chapter, the end of the world is no more than 100 years in the future! Many of the things mentioned are out of our control. Certainly earthquakes are, and generally, famines and wars. However, each of us is personally responsible for what is mentioned here. We can’t control another person’s fervor, but we are accountable for our own. We can certainly see plenty of “increase of wickedness,” (the Japanese says, “lawlessness”) so we’ve got to keep tabs on our “spiritual temperature.” Many translations say, “the love of many will grow cold,” but this is another of the few places I prefer the NIV, saying “the love of most.” That should be a very sobering thought! Frankly, we seldom pay attention unless it’s a famous person who goes apostate, but in recent years there have certainly been plenty of those. I well remember how saddened I was when B. J. Thomas declared he was no longer a Christian. Some of his songs still bless me, particularly Home Where I Belong, but that is simply evidence that the message is often greater than the messenger. We’ve got to remember that no one is above needing to take in God’s Word daily, letting it permeate our heart, and then living it out under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Those who interpret “love” as simply emotion are very quick to fall away, because our emotions are unreliable. I think every believer goes through times when they don’t feel a thing. That makes it essential that our commitment is far deeper than emotion. (Exactly the same thing can be said of marriage, but that’s another long discussion.) The Japanese renders verse 13 as “He who endures to the end will be saved.” Sometimes it does come down to white-knuckled endurance, but God is faithful. As Paul told us clearly, we must not give up and “go with the flow” of the world. (Romans 12:2)

Of course I’m talking to myself here as much as I’m talking to anyone else. The minute I think I’m “above” all this, I lay myself open to the attacks and deceptions of the devil. I see some of the things mentioned in this chapter almost every day. I’ve got to remember Jesus’ words in the Upper Room: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God ; trust also in me.” (John 14:1) I am to look forward to eternity with my Lord, whether that is at the end of all things or simply at my own personal end, and I am to strive to be faithful until that day, however white my knuckles might get from hanging on! I am to remember God’s gracious words to Jeremiah at a time of extreme distress, (Jeremiah 29:11) and rest, relax, and rejoice in my Lord, whatever the journey looks like at the moment.

Father, thank You for this Word. It is always timely! It was sad yesterday to hear that a friend’s wife is probably in her personal last days, but that is in Your hands. The question now is simply how much of the Gospel she has absorbed, and how she responds. Help me remember that I may be the only opportunity someone has to hear the Gospel. May I be faithful indeed, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Already/Not Yet; August 10. 2021

Posted on August 13, 2021 by jgarrott

Matthew 21:22 “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Here, or in the slightly more specific record in Mark 11:24, Jesus says something so extreme that it is shocking. Frankly, it violates both our logic and our experience. At the same time, just about every believer has experienced answered prayer that defied probability or even logic. The thing that hangs us up about this statement is the word, “whatever.” I find myself wanting to understand not just the nuance of the Greek, but of the Aramaic in which it was probably actually spoken. I think it’s another example of the already/not yet tension we find throughout the Bible. Just this past Sunday I spoke on Answered Prayer, and I quoted the Mark passage. That message grew out of my devotions on July 30th, which have already been posted to this blog, so I don’t need to recap too much. In that I talked about how God is outside of time, but we are in the flow of it, so we perceive things differently from Him. In practical terms, apart from theoretical physics, I think that’s best expressed as “already/not yet.” Paul wrote on this issue many times. For example, “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:11) Apparently he himself struggled with his flesh. “For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do–this I keep on doing.” (Romans 7:19) Of course, this doesn’t mean in the least that we are to give up and wallow in sin; that’s what the devil wants us to do, and he’s only out to steal, kill, and destroy. (John 10:10) God has incredible blessing prepared for us, individually and collectively, but we receive it only by faith. Genuine faith will get up after every stumble, repenting and rejoicing in the grace of God. It will recognize answered prayer, but it will not insist on a timeline for God to follow. Frankly, this is aspirational for every believer; we aren’t there fully yet! We’re back to Paul’s very clear declaration to the Philippians of his personal attitude. (Philippians 3:7-14) After that very clear statement, he follows up with, “All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.” (Philippians 3:15-16) In other words, it’s all a matter of spiritual growth, and every one of us can do that.

This naturally applies to me as much as it does to anyone. I teach and counsel constantly, yet I find myself face-to-face with my own failures and limitations all too frequently. I want to have the kind of faith that asks with total assurance, and sees requests granted. I’m very much in an already/not yet situation there, for sure! I need to remember that a verse I quote often to others applies to me as well: “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6) Spiritual growth is the order of the day, for me and for every other believer, until we stand before God’s throne in glory.

Father, thank You for this clear reminder. Help me keep growing! Help me not put others down for where they are on the growth scale, but rather encourage them likewise never to give up. After all, Jesus told His disciples the parable of the persistent widow “to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” (Luke 18:1) May I never give up, even when the “not yet” part of already/not yet seems all too pressing. Thank You for Your grace and patience toward me and all of Your children. May we indeed walk in all that You intend for us, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Marriage; August 9, 2021

Posted on August 13, 2021 by jgarrott

Matthew 19:6 “So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”

Because I use this passage every time I do premarital counseling, I have it essentially memorized in Japanese. As I tell the couples, some people get married thinking, “If it doesn’t work out we can always get divorced.” Such thinking is almost invariably a self-fulfilling prophecy. I could easily go on and on about this, since it is a regular part of my ministry, but I will limit myself to saying that God ordained marriage not just to ensure progeny but because men and women need each other in far more ways than the simply sexual. Despite what some are sadly insisting these days, men and women are fundamentally different in more ways that we are even aware of, and we are aware of a lot! Medically speaking, it’s somewhat remarkable that they can donate blood and organs to each other. The thing is, all those differences tend to be complementary, with each having strengths that match the other’s weaknesses. That’s one of many reasons why same-sex relationships are simply not the same as Biblical marriage. The fact that John was shown the Church as the Bride of Christ puts the absolute crown on this whole concept, and it’s why the devil works so tirelessly and vehemently to try to tear down marriage and family. The founders of the BLM organization were so honest as to state that one of their goals was the dissolution of the “traditional family!” And sadly, that’s just one example. Treating marriage as no more than a tradition, or even a convenience, leads to the serial polygamy we see in many entertainers, and the overall degradation of marital happiness and satisfaction in society as a whole. Failure to work out communication and conflicts is directly equivalent to cancer, because the body, that is the marriage, is fighting against itself. I’m not at all saying that people should never get out of abusive relationships, but this is more fundamental than that, even. The relationship should never be abusive in the first place! (I’d better stop, because I could literally write a book on the subject!)

Of course, this applies to me as much as it does to the people I counsel. It is always very sad when people involved in marriage counseling get divorced themselves. That doesn’t necessarily mean that their advice was bad, but just that they didn’t apply it fully to themselves. It’s always a temptation for an “expert” to think they are above the rules they espouse – as a look at politicians will tell you immediately! For myself, I am very grateful to have married at the age of 20, 52 years ago. I was so eager to get married because I had watched my parents’ relationship, and it was extremely attractive to me. I entered marriage with the expectation that it would be the biggest job of my life, and have the greatest rewards. That expectation has certainly been fulfilled! Today, people look at my wife and me somewhat in awe, but I don’t think God intends us to be an anomaly. Our relationship isn’t perfect, despite what some people think, but we are still growing, and expect to keep doing so as long as we are on this earth. It is a high privilege to point other couples in the same direction.

Father, thank You for marriage, and particularly for the marriage You have given Cathy and me. May our relationship be the open channel of Your grace and love that You intend it to be, not just to each other but to all who observe us, destroying the lies of the devil and bringing You glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Growing Faith; August 8, 2021

Posted on August 10, 2021 by jgarrott

Matthew 14:31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

This story is certainly a “Sunday school staple,” told to every child in church, but with equal frequency it is dismissed as fable by skeptics of all stripes. When everything about Jesus’ life was intentional, we have to wonder just why Jesus did this. It is an immediate followup to His feeding a huge crowd – 5000 men plus women and children – with one boy’s lunch. In that He demonstrated His authority over the physical universe in the process of meeting human need. Here, the immediate need doesn’t seem as obvious. He evidently had something of the sort in mind when He sent his disciples away while he stayed on a mountainside to pray, (verse 23) but why do it? It was a further demonstration that He was the Lord, period, as the disciples themselves recognized. (verse 33) He knew that the events of the crucifixion would shake them to the core, and He wanted them to have a foundation that would stand up to that. His words to Peter here are actually gentle, urging him to have deeper faith. (The Japanese here says, “You are a person of shallow/thin faith. Why did you doubt?”) I think He was actually pleased that Peter had managed to take at least a few steps on the water. That’s doubtless more than I could do! The challenge to believers down through the ages is to trust that when God says to do something, nothing else matters, not even the “laws” of physics, as we understand them.

This story is depicted in three oil paintings that are on the walls of a hallway of this building. At the time we were building it, James Van Farrow and his wife Roxanne were living in the area, and not only attended our services but helped out with the construction of the building. Jim is an artist, and unknown to us, he was painting with us in mind when he went home. There is a small painting of the overall scene, obviously at night, with Jesus grasping Peter’s extended hands to pull him up out of the water. There are also two large paintings, one of Peter, sinking in a panic, reaching up his hands for help, and the other of Jesus, very calm and already grasping Peter’s hands. Jim said that he was inspired to do the paintings by what we were doing, because it seemed just as impossible as walking on water! I don’t know about that, but I do know that over the years the Lord has demonstrated His sovereignty to me in more ways than I could count. I know to the depths of my being that nothing is too difficult for Him, but I still waver at my part in His plans. Like Peter, I may have taken a few steps on the water, but I still panic at times! I need to keep growing, not only in believing but also in living out my faith, so that God’s purposes may indeed be accomplished in and through me on His schedule for His glory.

Father, thank You for this encouraging reminder. As usual, there’s a lot going on, and I tend to stress out at the conflicting demands. Thank You for all You’ve enabled us to do over the past two days. Thank You for Your plans for today. Thank You for Your plans for the coming week, with my photo show in the City Gallery. I pray that in everything I may be obedient and useful to You, drawing people to You for Your glory alone. Thank You. Praise God!

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Ministry; August 7, 2021

Posted on August 10, 2021 by jgarrott

Matthew 10:7-8 “As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.”

The prayer in today’s reading is in 9:38, where Jesus tells His disciples, and by extension us, to ask God for harvest workers, but this chapter is about Jesus Himself sending out harvest workers, and they were some of the very people He had been talking to, telling them to pray. This is one of the fundamental principles of prayer that too often gets overlooked: any time we pray for something, we need to be open to being used by God to answer our own prayer. That said, this passage is of extreme importance to anyone who answers the call to ministry. I really like the NIV here (for once). My understanding is that it is indeed being true to the Greek grammar when it says, “as you go.” Ministry isn’t something you do after you get somewhere, it’s a lifestyle. I recall one time fresh out of seminary, if I’m not mistaken, when we were on a fairly long trip and stopped at a truck stop. I had a bumper sticker on my car that said, “Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven.” As I was pumping gas, someone at the next pump over noticed the sticker and said to me, “Not perfect, eh?” I didn’t launch into “The Four Spiritual Laws” or anything else, but just replied, “Definitely not.” I’m not sure what else I said, just a few words, but I had the distinct impression that I had given a clear, and strong, witness to that man. That’s the kind of thing Jesus is talking about here, I think. Divine appointments don’t show up in the calendar app on our phone! We are to be open and available to the Holy Spirit 24/7/365, not “saving up” for “revival meetings,” or even for when we are at church. Actually, church services should be focused on ministry to God, and the rest of the time we’re to be ministering to people. It is also of great importance that Jesus was clear that ministry is to be without charge. He goes on to say that ministers are to be well taken care of, but it must not be on the basis of a bill for services rendered. There have been countless violations of that principle! If we fail to remember that God is the supply for our physical needs, we will find that the supply of spiritual power for ministry dries up as well, and that is sad indeed.

Since I have been in “full-time ministry” for well over half of my life, this is of extreme relevance to me. Of the specific areas of ministry Jesus mentioned here, I’ve never raised a dead person and I’ve never encountered anyone with leprosy, but I have certainly been aware of God operating through me. The amazing thing to me is that He would use even me to do it! I seek always to help believers grasp that God wants to use them as well. Too many people think their failures and weaknesses are too great for God to overcome! When we gauge our “ministry potential” by our own abilities, we are cutting God out of the picture altogether, and that guarantees failure. I have had to learn that when Paul said, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength,” (Philippians 4:13) that applies to absolutely everything He asks me to do. My ministry is effective only to the degree that I allow Him to operate through me; I can’t possibly do it on my own.

Father, thank You for this strong reminder. Thank You for the privilege of blessing a brother and sister yesterday. That felt good! Thank You for using me in various ways, big and small. Help me be increasingly available as Your minister, so that people will know, recognize, and respond to Your love, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Jesus’ Authority; August 6, 2021

Posted on August 9, 2021 by jgarrott

Matthew 8:10 When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.”

This is a famous story, but do we really understand it? Luke 7 clarifies that the centurion didn’t actually go to Jesus himself, but asked some of the local Jewish elders to go deliver his request. That is to say, he thought that as a Gentile he might not be received, but Jewish intermediaries might have a better chance. That, along with his declaration, recorded both here and in Luke, that he wasn’t worthy of Jesus coming under his roof, shows an admirable humility that I think was inseparable from his faith. He knew authority when he saw it, being a man of not inconsiderable authority himself, and his faith, that astonished Jesus, was that Jesus had authority in areas that he knew he couldn’t touch. I think that too often, when we pray we don’t really believe that God can or will do what we are asking. The centurion didn’t have such reservations. After all, as a military commander he didn’t allow “wiggle room” for those under him when he told them to do something! We are totally subservient to and dependent on God, whether we acknowledge it or not. When we make requests of Him we need to be as ready to obey Him as that centurion’s legionnaires were to obey him. In proclaiming Jesus’ authority, the centurion was placing himself under that authority, and that was indeed astonishing. That’s the sort of faith we need to have!

I have lots of room to grow in exercising faith. I pray frequently and freely, but at times I wonder whether my faith and obedience are up to the task. I tend to make excuses for God, in case He doesn’t do what I’m asking! I have certainly experienced the Holy Spirit guiding my prayers, so I need to trust that He will continue to do so, with the complete assurance that when I pray in line with God’s will, what I ask is already done. I’ll be quoting Mark 11:24 in Sunday’s message on Answers to Prayer, and that’s still shocking to me: “Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” I want to walk in that kind of absolute assurance, but to do so I need to walk in complete obedience as well. Jesus’ authority is absolute, (Matthew 28:18) but to operate in it I need to be absolutely submitted to Him.

Father, thank You for this strong reminder. There are times when I long to be with You out of this body, so that there can be total communication and fellowship. I get so distracted by so many things! Help me recognize Your authority to the point that I operate consistently under it and in it, so that Your perfect will may be done in and through me, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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