Outcome; February 10, 2021

Posted on February 14, 2021 by jgarrott

Isaiah 49:4 But I said, “I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing. Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand, and my reward is with my God.”

Various passages in the prophets, and particularly in Isaiah, show a blending of the prophet and the Messiah, and this is one of those. The passage as a whole is clearly Messianic, yet this particular verse would seem to be a very natural statement of Isaiah himself. I think the answer to that is part of the mystery of being in Christ, which is expressed extensively in the New Testament. My father wrote his doctoral dissertation on it, but he told me, of course many years later, that he had no real idea of what it was until he had a powerful encounter with the Holy Spirit, after he was already a missionary in Japan. Jesus talked about our being in Him and He in us a lot in the Upper Room Discourse, just before going out to Gethsemane. (John 13-17) Paul, in turn, spoke of our being Christ’s agents, His ambassadors. (2 Corinthians 5:18-29) Isaiah is here expressing what probably every servant of God has felt from time to time. We run out of our resources pretty quickly, and the results are seldom on a schedule we would like. Hebrews 11:39-40 tells us that the results are often after our death! However, every true servant of God needs to be like Isaiah here, yielding themselves to God and trusting Him to reward them appropriately, whatever the time table.

This is something with which I am deeply familiar, on a generational level, even. My father was a missionary from 1934 until He was called Home a few days after his 64th birthday in 1974, but he never saw the massive harvest for which he prayed and labored. He did have fruit from his ministry, certainly, but not at all on the scale that he desired. My mother told me after his death that on at least one occasion he prostrated himself on the floor before the Lord and cried out, “Lord, if I am standing in the way of revival in Japan, then take me out of the way!” I certainly identify with that. We have been ministering in Omura since 1981, and our current church attendance is around a dozen. However, I have baptized over 50 people over the years, both Japanese and non-Japanese, and there are people in active ministry who were raised in this church. I have had my times of feeling exactly as Isaiah states in the first half of this verse, so I need to follow through with the second half, in full faith and trust.

Father, thank You for Your faithfulness, to my parents, to Cathy and me, and to all Your children. Help us all love You and trust You enough to be fully obedient to You, doing Your will on Your schedule to produce Your desired outcome, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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World Missions; February 9, 2021

Posted on February 14, 2021 by jgarrott

Isaiah 45:22-24 “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. They will say of me, ‘In the Lord alone are righteousness and strength.'”

This is underlined in my Bible, but I honestly don’t have that clear a recollection of it. It is an absolutely clear, unequivocal statement of God’s love for all mankind, His invitation to salvation to everyone. I would imagine that this sort of prophecy didn’t make Isaiah very popular among the Jews of his day! The tradition is that he was eventually martyred by being sawed into pieces, and his insistence that the physical descendants of Abraham weren’t as exclusive as they thought they were was probably one of the reasons for that. I would think that this passage would be dear to the heart of every cross-cultural missionary, but many, like me, are probably not that aware of it. Too many people, and even whole cultures, are focused on I-my-me-mine, and are irritated at the insistence that God’s heart is bigger than that. If we want to understand the heart of God and please Him we’ve got to lift our eyes off of ourselves and our immediate surroundings. We tend to focus on The Great Commission, spoken by Jesus at the time of His ascension into heaven, (Matthew 28:18-20) but we forget that God has not changed from eternity. He chose Abram, transforming him into Abraham, because He had to start somewhere. That part is already history for us, so we need to be focused on what He says here: “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth.”

To say that this is a family tradition with me would be an understatement. My maternal grandfather, W. O. Carver, founded what is today the oldest Department of Missions in the world, at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. My parents were appointed as single missionaries and married in Japan before WWII, and one of my mother’s brothers was likewise a missionary to China, teaching in a school in Shanghai until the war forced him out. My parents are buried in Japan, and I’ve been here in ministry since 1981. All of that is a point of gratitude and satisfaction for me, but I must not make it a point of pride. It was only by the grace of God that any of that happened. Now, I am challenged to help Japanese believers understand that they too are part of God’s world-wide plan of salvation. The Japanese sense of ethnic identity is perhaps second only to that of the Jews. That makes it difficult for them to accept that a “foreign religion” has anything to do with them, and if they do open their heart and believe in Christ, that they have anything to do with communicating the Gospel to other people-groups. However, there are some Japanese missionaries in other countries, and society in general is becoming much more globalized. My particular calling is to communicate God’s love to the Japanese, and by His grace they will understand that it is to go through them to others as well.

Father, thank You for this reminder. This isn’t something I’ve preached on very much. Help me communicate Your world vision to the people so that they will understand that Your vision for this church and this city isn’t so huge after all, but just a small part of Your Plan of the Ages. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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The Love of God; February 8, 2021

Posted on February 10, 2021 by jgarrott

Isaiah 43:4 Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and I love you…

Multiple Japanese translations isolate this from the second half of the verse, leaving out the conjunctions the NIV inserts, which makes me think the Hebrew is probably the same way. That makes this, “You are precious and honored in my sight. I love you.” No wonder this is the favorite verse in the Bible for many Japanese Christians! We all have a fundamental need to be valued and loved, and yet far too many people lack that assurance, some of them completely. That leads to all sorts of aberrations, in individual lives and in society as a whole. People will do almost anything to try to get that assurance, but the problem is, it can’t really be earned. People strive to climb the corporate ladder in order to feel valued, and often enough end up being hated by the people they trample on the way. People mistake the release of endorphins for love, and end up addicted to behaviors and substances that destroy them. The only real answer to all of that is the gracious love of our Creator. If it seems too good to be true, that’s because on the human level it is. We can’t generate that sort of love, but God loved the world so much that He sent His Son to die for us. (John 3:16) Countless things interfere with human love, but “I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, no any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39) That is the answer to every issue of self-image, to every need to belong, to be valued. That doesn’t mean it’s OK to be puffed up and conceited, because God loves every other human being just as much. However, no person, from conception through physical death, is unimportant to God. There is the whole issue of sin, in violation of the holiness of God, but God’s love is so great that He gave His Son as the solution to that. He can’t excuse, but He can forgive. Those who repent of their rebellion and unbelief and understand that Jesus’ cross was their cross receive the holiness and purity of Christ Himself. (2 Corinthians 5:12) That is the glorious message of the Gospel.

This is something I have been proclaiming for many years, but at the same time it is something I am still learning. I’m a member of a “Missionary Kids” group on Facebook, and it’s interesting how many of us still struggle with the whole issue of belonging, with many not feeling “at home” anywhere. The irony is that for someone raised with the Gospel, the awareness that “our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20) should come naturally. I have that awareness, but it has come painfully, with many instances of human rejection. I need to remember that Jesus was clear that we are in the world but not of the world. (John 17:15-16) I am to open my own heart fully to the love of God so that I may be an instrument of His love reaching the hearts of those around me.

Father, thank You for Your incredible love. It does seem truly unbelievable, but by Your grace I do believe it. I pray that I would be fully useful to You so that as many as possible may come to repentance and faith as well, for a massive influx into Your family, for Your pleasure and glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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The Word of God; February 7, 2021

Posted on February 9, 2021 by jgarrott

Isaiah 40:8 “The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God stands forever.”

There are many angles to this seemingly simple statement. Isaiah has just been talking about the fleeting existence of grass and flowers as a metaphor for human life, and this is the climax of that. In sharp contrast to man’s brief life, God’s Word is permanent. But why Word? In the first place, Genesis 1 tells us that God spoke the universe into existence. Words are an expression of intent, of will. Isaiah could have said, “God’s will stands forever,” but words can be recorded, written down. You could call the Bible “The written will of God.” On top of that, we have the momentous words of the first chapter of John’s Gospel, which tell us that Jesus the Messiah is the Word of God. From that perspective, this verse is a statement of the eternal Deity of Jesus. Any discussion of this sort can quickly “get into the weeds” when you start considering things like translations and scribal errors and the like, but we must not allow such things to distract us from the fundamental reality that God has spoken to mankind and had His words recorded. However many distortions or how much noise we might feel have crept in over the centuries, if we forget that it is fundamentally the Word of God we lose everything. One of the biggest shocks of the Dead Sea Scrolls was that the most complete book of the Old Testament among them, the very book of Isaiah that contains this verse, was essentially identical to the text in general use at the time of their discovery, 2000 years after those scrolls had been hand copied. So much for scribal errors! God is quite capable of protecting His Word, even today when people are producing “translations” that do things like remove all gender-specific pronouns for God.

I was thankfully raised in a home with a deep respect for the Bible, with a father who taught Greek and Hebrew. The Bible my parents gave me after I was baptized was the RSV translation, even though the KJV was still very much the standard at that point. On top of that, I grew up bilingual with English and Japanese, so I was intimately aware of the difficulties of translation. As a result, I haven’t been so tied to the words (particularly in English) of the Bible so much as the reality that it is the Word of God. He does guide and anoint translators, in whatever language, and sometimes the specific words have enormous impact, but I seek to be aware at all times that it is God talking to me, and not just some literary creation. That is why I delight to teach the Bible, acting as a “repeater” for God. This morning I will be speaking on Words of Life, from Jesus’ statement that “The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” (John 6:63) I need to let God’s words of life live in me fully (Colossians 3:16) so that they may flow through me unhindered, bringing life to all who will receive them.

Father, thank You for this reminder, particularly considering the message You’ve given me for today. May I be fully yielded to You so that Your Word through me may penetrate and do its full work, (Hebrews 4:12) for the liberation of my hearers and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Fulfillment of Prophecy; February 6, 2021

Posted on February 9, 2021 by jgarrott

Isaiah 11:12 He will raise up a banner for the nations
and gather the exiles of Israel;
He will assemble the scattered people of Judah
from the four quarters of the earth.

I don’t think most people have any awareness of the fact that Jews from all over the world are continuing to move to the nation of Israel. It’s called “making aliyah,” and people arrive regularly. I get a newsletter from the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem that keeps me updated on such things. (Incidentally, it was the “gather” in this verse that caused this passage to come up in my search for things related to “harvest.”) The thing is, the prophecies of the Bible are being fulfilled all the time, but very few people are aware of it. It’s rather like how so many of the details of Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection were prophesied, but even His disciples didn’t recognize it until after the fact. Events in America have certainly been in a turmoil, but that doesn’t mean God has lost control. In many ways the mask has come off, which is ironic considering all the corona virus business. People are being exposed for who and what they are, and that in itself isn’t a bad thing. Connecting current events to specific Biblical prophecies can be risky, but we need to remember that God is never surprised by anything, much less be at a loss for what to do. The re-creation of the nation of Israel in 1948 was a fulfillment of prophecy that shocked the world. The reason the devil and those controlled by him are so adamantly against Israel is that its very existence is a proclamation of the sovereignty of God. As I brought up a few days ago, God said it and that settles it. That doesn’t mean that we are to let down our guard and not fight for truth and righteousness, but it does mean we never have to be anxious about the final outcome. Things won’t be smooth along the way – Matthew 24:21 and Revelation 7:14 both refer to a time of “great tribulation” – but the final outcome will be glorious.

I have never been much of an “End Times preacher,” but that may change. A lot of what I have heard in that area has tended to stoke panic and distract people from faithful obedience here and now. I certainly don’t want that. However, I do want the believers to recognize that God is very much in control, no matter how much the devil and those controlled by him thrash around. (Revelation 12:12) I have had my own moments of considerable depression over the past few months, so this is something I need to take to heart myself! As I told someone just yesterday, I will be delighted whenever my Lord tells me, “Come on home,” but until then I will live here fully, delighting to serve my Lord however He directs, participating in His plans, His kingdom, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for anointing my lips yesterday, just as I had asked. I pray that Your words through me would sink into the heart of the person who heard them and produce the rich fruit of faith, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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The Joy of Harvest; February 5, 2021

Posted on February 7, 2021 by jgarrott

Isaiah 9:3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest,
as men rejoice when dividing the plunder.

It is somehow significant that in a Scripture reading list based on terms related to harvest, we get passages directly connected to the Messiah, the Christ. This particular verse is seldom emphasized, but verses two, six, and seven of this chapter could hardly be more famous, particularly at Christmas time. Even so, we seldom think about them apart from Christmas, so it’s good that this came up now. The Japanese here is clear that “the nation” is talking about the people, and not the geographic territory. It is clear from the Bible as a whole that this is talking about the people of God, His kingdom, His family. That is indeed to grow, and harvest is a very good metaphor for that growth. “Dividing the plunder” seems a bit violent and even primitive to us today, but every person won to Christ is won from the devil and his dominion. As Paul wrote, “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:13-14) The devil steals all he can, (John 10:10) and we are indeed to plunder his strongholds. (Matthew 16:18) The joy of harvesting the seed we have planted (Luke 8:11) is so great that even heaven joins in. (Luke 15:7) We let ourselves be distracted by all sorts of temporal pleasures, when God has something far better and greater for us!

I have experienced the joy of birthing people into the family of God, but it has happened seldom enough that I am definitely subject to distractions. One issue is that I can’t force harvest, and I get impatient. I talk to others about God’s time frame being different from ours, but I don’t always remember it well myself! I have indeed “put in the sickle” too soon with some people, and that has never been good. I need to be faithful on a daily basis, trusting God with the outcome of whatever He directs me to do, looking forward to the joy of harvest in His time.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for giving Cathy the strong feeling that we are approaching explosive growth, but that it will be based on unconventional ways of “doing church.” Help me be fully open and sensitive to You to recognize what You are saying and do things on Your schedule. May we indeed fulfill Your plans in Your way, to bring in a huge harvest for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Planning; February 4, 2021

Posted on February 6, 2021 by jgarrott

Ecclesiastes 11:6 Sow your seed in the morning,
and at evening let not your hands be idle,
for you do not know which will succeed,
whether this or that,
or whether both will do equally well.

Talk about practical advice! We tend to calculate everything ahead of time, getting lost in a forest of possibilities, not wanting to “waste time” on things that “won’t succeed.” That’s no way to have real success! Right now the most visible example of that is Elon Musk. He has had numerous failures, but he is currently the richest man in the world, and he looks likely to put human beings on Mars within the decade. He just blew up another rocket, but that is his trademark: learn from your mistakes, but don’t be afraid to make them. That is the attitude Solomon is talking about in this chapter. Verse four talks about the same thing. We are to make active use of the opportunities and resources we are given, even though, or actually, precisely because, we don’t know what the outcome will be. This is precisely the theme of Jesus’ famous parable of the talents. (Matthew 25:14-30) The servant in that parable who was punished was the one who didn’t try, out of a fear of failure. The Bible is remarkably consistent in its message! We are to apply ourselves fully to whatever the Lord shows us to do, and leave the outcome up to Him.

This is extremely timely, because we are at the point of needing to plan for the next fiscal year, which starts April 1st. I have been very poor at planning, but at the Watchnight service December 31st the Lord surprised me by telling me through my own mouth that I’m to work on that this year. I’ve never been big on “special programs” in the church because my experience to this point has been one of a lot of effort for little if any lasting results. However, I need to be more like Elon Musk: not afraid of failures. At the same time, I need to be sure that the believers are on board with whatever plans are formulated. I’ve had my biggest failures in that area! I must not go off “half cocked,” but talk things through with those who should be involved, so at the very least unity will be heightened by what we do. The Lord has given this church a huge vision that is humanly impossible, but He will use human beings to bring it about, so we need to be active in our obedience, not knowing the outcome of any specific activity, just as this verse says.

Father, thank You for this clear, timely Word. Help me indeed follow through. I ask for wisdom and timing in what to say to whom, when. May we indeed be united in attempting great things for You, expecting great things from You, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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The Sovereignty of God; February 3, 2021

Posted on February 6, 2021 by jgarrott

Ecclesiastes 3:14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.

This chapter is quite well known, with the first eight verses being made into a song by Pete Seeger around 65 years ago that became internationally famous around 1965. Likewise, verse 11 is well known in musical settings. However, this verse is often overlooked. It is a statement of the sovereignty of God, and how man should respond to that sovereignty. An evangelist once popularized the saying, “God said it. I believe it. That settles it.” However, our belief or disbelief doesn’t change God. That is more accurately stated, “God said it. That settles it.” Our faith is important, but it changes us and how we experience God, and doesn’t change God Himself. For some strange reason we have trouble getting that through our heads. Some people seem to think that denying God hurts Him, when what it does is cut them off from many of His gracious blessings. It is ironic that Solomon wrote this verse, because he himself failed to fear/revere God in his later years. Solomon, though very intelligent, fell into the conceit that is common among those with a high IQ and thought he could choose his life without considering what God had said. He forgot the very truth that he himself had recorded! Man has been given the privilege of discovering what God has done in Creation, and the fact that he can do so is actually pretty impressive. However, we need to maintain a fundamental humility that recognizes that God is the Creator, and we are part of His Creation. Failure to do that leads to all sorts of aberrations, and is disastrous.

I am all too familiar with conceit, and know that it can wear a very religious face. God in His mercy confronted me with my conceit in 1972, but it has tried to resurrect many times since then. That’s not the kind of resurrection I need! I am to be a faithful steward of the gifts and abilities God has given me, but I am never to think that I am adding to or taking away from God. I am to plan, but only after asking God to guide me. I am to act, but with the awareness that I have no power or wisdom in myself. I am to stand firm in Him, knowing that, as the hymn says, “all other ground is sinking sand.” I must never let anything distract me from my focus on my Lord.

Father, thank You for this strong reminder. Thank You for all You have been doing in, around, and through me. Thank You for the wisdom You conveyed to me last night of something I should do today. Help me spend each moment of today, and each day, doing Your will and nothing else, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Accountability; February 2, 2021

Posted on February 5, 2021 by jgarrott

Proverbs 22:2 Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all.

There are differences between the Japanese and the English in the first half of this verse, but the second half is in complete agreement. The point is that there are many differences among people; no two are identical. However, the universal point of commonality is that we are all created beings, accountable to God. The wealthy are not exempted by their wealth, and the poor are not excused because of their poverty. After all, differences among people, when compared to the infinity of God, are the perfect example of an old Japanese expression: “acorns comparing height.” There are indeed differences from one acorn to another, but from the human perspective they are totally insignificant. None of us have anything to boast of before God, and it is only because of His loving grace that He cares about each of us so intensely. (John 3:16, Luke 12:7) We are surrounded with people who divide, who emphasize “equity” over equality, who feel they are superior and need to tell others what to do. They have forgotten that we are all equally created beings, and that our value depends on our Creator and nothing else. It is very telling that Karl Marx said that his goal was to “dethrone God.” By that we know who motivated him and, by extension, all who follow him today. I have recently been moved by two movies: Agenda and Agenda 2. They are currently available on YouTube, but I wonder when they will be taken off, because they expose so much of what is going on. Any time we forget we are accountable to God we lay ourselves open to the devil and his schemes.

As a photographer I delight in the created world, but I must never forget that I am a part of it. God does differentiate between humans and other things in terms of value. In the Luke passage referenced above, Jesus said that one human is worth more than many sparrows. Those who place animals on an equal level with people are also denying God. I am to look at everything in humility and gratitude, remembering that each other person is created by God in His image just as much as I am, however many differences might appear on the surface. I am never to think that my “riches” (material or otherwise) or my “poverty” make me any less accountable to my Creator. As a pastor, I have the considerable task of communicating that understanding to those in my care. I will never be successful in that unless I grasp and practice it myself.

Father, thank You for this Word. I certainly need Your wisdom and anointing, because “responsibility to report” is the closest I can come in Japanese to the word, “accountability.” I pray that I would fulfill my accountability to You and so lead others to do the same, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Generosity; February 1, 2021

Posted on February 4, 2021 by jgarrott

Proverbs 11:25 A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

It’s interesting how many people seem quite unable to grasp this principle. It applies in so many areas that you couldn’t really list them all. For example, if you want friends, you need to be a friend to others. The surest way to lack is to focus on yourself and your own needs. One of the fundamental tenets of counseling is that selfishness, being self-centered, never leads to happiness. God created mankind because that’s just who He is; He loves to give, and He wanted children to give to. He created us in His image, (Genesis 1:27) so we too are fulfilled only when we have someone to give to. The devil does all he can to hide that from us, promoting selfishness at every turn, but as always, everything he does is a lie. Sometimes he twists this principle around, making us unwilling to receive, but that is depriving others of the blessing of giving. It is when we recognize that God is the Source of everything we need, physically, materially, emotionally, spiritually, that we are able to open up to let Him flow all of that both to us and through us. We were never meant to be cisterns of anything, but rather channels of blessing, as the hymn says.

As in just about everything else, my performance in this area has been spotty. I have tasted how good it feels to be a source of supply for someone else, but I still feel grabby about things at times. One of the secrets to our very good marriage, that so far has run for over 51 years, is that I realized right from the start that my greatest happiness and pleasure came from blessing my wife, and I think she recognized the same principle in return. We haven’t been perfect at it, but had either of us been focused on I-my-me-mine, it would not have gone so well. However, each of us has also had to learn how to receive what the other has given, to allow the other to have that pleasure of giving. The marital relationship is the most intimate we have on this earth, but the principle applies much more broadly as well, just as this verse says. I love to hear from the Lord, and I find that sharing what I have heard cements that truth more effectively in my heart and life than just about anything else. (Of course, I do need to be careful to OBEY what God says to me!) One thing I have to be careful about is the tendency to come across as “the authority,” essentially talking down to people. That is never the way to bless them or receive blessing myself. I must always remember, and demonstrate, that everything I have is by the grace of God, and give Him the gratitude and glory that He alone deserves.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Yesterday being a 5th Sunday we just had praise and testimonies and no sermon, and it felt strange, even though we do this just about every 5th Sunday. Keep me from insisting how I am to give to others, as well as what I am willing to receive. Help me be totally sensitive and submitted to Your Spirit in every area of giving and receiving, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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