Authority; April 9, 2020

Posted on April 11, 2020 by jgarrott

John 19:11 Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”

Authority is a strange thing. God is the ultimate source of every bit of authority, and how we use it can be a grave responsibility. Even in a time of severe persecution Paul wrote, “There is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” (Romans 13:1) That’s one reason fathers and husbands are so important. It has long been noted that our relationship with our biological father greatly colors our relationship with God, who is our heavenly Father. Paul wrote about the authority of the husband/father in the home, in Ephesians 5, but there too we are no more than stewards of God’s authority. In one of the two times it is recorded that Jesus was amazed, a Roman Centurion expressed the whole matter of authority very clearly: “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” (Matthew 8:8-9) We have no authority if we are not under authority, and all of that traces back to God. That’s what Jesus is saying here, even though the authority in question was being used to mistreat him horribly. That’s not to say that we are to be doormats; history is filled with people who served God in defiance of human authority. Peter put a point on that before the Sanhedrin when he said, “We must obey God rather than men!” (Acts 5:29) It was a very big deal indeed when Jesus said, just before rising to heaven, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matthew 28:18) We need to submit to His authority first and foremost, and respond to, and exercise, all other authority in relation to that.

I have always had a somewhat uneasy relationship to authority. I was never particularly rebellious, but I have had a tendency to feel I knew better than whoever it was that had authority over me. Bureaucracy is a major frustration to this day! In its ultimate evil expression, it extends to those who conveyed the orders and kept the records of the Holocaust. We see echoes of that in the “deep state” that is being exposed in America today. However, I recognize their motivation, because when I thought I “knew better,” I wasn’t submitting myself to God, but was rather setting myself up as the authority. At the same time, I have hesitated to exercise authority in the church, and the church has suffered for it. Authority and responsibility are inextricably intertwined. The church belongs to God and Jesus said He would build it, (Matthew 16:18) but He has told me to feed His sheep. (John 21:17) Paul spoke of the authority he had been given to build people up, not tear them down. (2 Corinthians 10:8) I must not run from my responsibility to exercise the authority God has vested in me to feed, guide, and otherwise build up His children, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You that my school classes start again today. Help me exercise the authority I have been given over my students to build them up, not tear them down. May I so demonstrate Christ to them that they will be drawn to seek Him themselves, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Kingdom Authority; April 8, 2020

Posted on April 9, 2020 by jgarrott

John 18:36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

A weakness of every Japanese translation of the Bible that I have seen is displayed here. Where English specifies “kingdom,” the Japanese simply says “country.” It is true that all countries of that era were either kingdoms or empires, but still, “country” has a very strong sense of physical territory, whereas “kingdom” puts the emphasis on the king, the ruling authority. That’s why the declaration in heaven is, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.” (Revelation 11:15) It’s not that all the countries on earth will be transformed into heaven, it’s that, as Jesus said in the Great Commission, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matthew 28:18) When Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come,” He was speaking of His authority, His Lordship. If we want to operate in the kingdom of God, we need only to be completely submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Jack Hayford’s well-loved song, Majesty, hits the nail on the head: “Majesty, kingdom authority, flow from His throne unto His own; His anthem raise.” Jesus’ Lordship was not granted by the world, it was granted by the Creator, so there was and is nothing in and of the world that can take it away. Pilate owed his position to politics, to the Roman Empire and to the emperor, and he could see that Jesus was indeed operating in an entirely different dimension. That’s why he worked pretty hard, really, to let Jesus go, but ultimately his fear of political realities kept him from it. We today are very aware of politics, but we’ve got to remember that all authority ultimately rests in Christ Jesus alone.

I have been aware of authority and political systems most of my life. I was in the 7th grade when Nikita Khrushchev took his shoe off to pound the podium with it in a speech at the UN, saying “We will bury you.” (I even wrote a report on it for my English class.) I am a citizen of the freest democracy in the world and a resident of a country that has been learning democracy for the past 75 years, but I have been very aware of other governmental systems. That whole issue is also expressed in the matter of Church government. Sadly, many churches forget that Jesus is an absolute ruler, and they out-vote Him! No human being is supposed to be a dictator, particularly in the Church, but we’ve got to remember where all genuine authority originates. The Founders of America got it right when they recognized that our rights are given to us by our Creator, not by government. The assorted assaults on those rights actually originate in a defiance against that Creator. I need to remember that, and appeal to God in every case. In my own life, I’ve got to remember that I am a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven, completely subject to the authority of my King. That said, there is tremendous freedom in that, because the rights of citizenship in God’s kingdom include the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit, and “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Corinthians 3:17)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me operate fully under, and in, the authority of Jesus Christ my Lord, so that Your will may be done in and through me, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Repentance; April 7, 2020

Posted on April 9, 2020 by jgarrott

Luke 22:61-62 The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Many people down through the centuries have thought about what was different between what Judas did and what Peter did. We say they both “betrayed” Jesus, but Judas planned to do it and he received money for it. Peter, on the other hand, just kind of fell into it without thinking, out of fear for his own safety. Both of them had a moment when they realized what they had done, (Matthew 27:3 and here) but what they did then is the big key. Judas knew he had blown it, but he tried to stay in control, returning the money he had received and killing himself. Peter, on the other hand, acknowledged his own inability to be in control. It doesn’t spell it out here, but I think he threw himself on the mercy of God, acknowledging that he had no right to claim such mercy for himself. I think Don Francisco’s song He’s Alive is powerfully anointed and captures what happened with essentially historical accuracy. The point is, Judas regretted but didn’t repent, whereas Peter repented totally. The Japanese term for repentance provides real insight. It is a compound that means, “regret and redo.” Judas regretted his actions, but rather than turning to God in humility, he chose the self-centered dead end (no pun intended) of suicide. Peter, in contrast, just let go of everything. As a result, after His resurrection Jesus gave him a private audience, just as Don Francisco memorialized in song, (Luke 24:34, 1 Corinthians 15:5) and he was gloriously restored. We all stumble and fall at times, as John wrote so clearly. (1 John 1:8-10) However, again as John wrote, if we acknowledge our sins and failures and surrender our will to God for Him to turn us around, He will do that. It doesn’t matter how great the sin, because God is always greater and more powerful than the sin, just as I said in this past Sunday’s message. God can always enable us to start over, even if we have missed a great blessing by our unfaithfulness.

This is a very real issue in my life, as it is in the life of every human being, because indeed, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) It was quite a few years ago, when I was struggling with a particular “besetting sin,” (Hebrews 12:1) that I realized that the more I dwelt on what I had done, the more likely I was to do it again. (2 Peter 1:9) It was when I realized that God could and did forgive me in Christ that I was able to let go of it and move on. That is what the “redo” of the Japanese “regret and redo” is all about. There is no repentance without regret, but there is also no repentance without faith that God can enable us to redo. That faith was what Peter had, but Judas didn’t.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for what You have taught me about repentance. Help me be effective in leading others into repentance, that they too may receive Your forgiveness and cleansing in full, to escape the traps of the enemy and walk in Your victory, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Situational Obedience; April 6, 2020

Posted on April 8, 2020 by jgarrott

Luke 22:35-36 Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?”
“Nothing,” they answered.
He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.

In my Bible, verse 36 is underlined in English but neither verse is underlined in Japanese. There is so much else that is important and famous in this section that these verses get overlooked, and that is unfortunate. The remark about buying a sword is used by gun rights advocates, reasonably enough, but the thing that speaks to me right now is that different circumstances call for different actions. That’s not to call for “situational ethics,” which are in general an abomination, but rather to say that we aren’t to act the same way all the time. God’s truth is unchanging, but how it is applied isn’t. Paul picks that up in Romans, when he says, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” (Romans 12:15) Keep in mind this is the same Paul who said, “Be joyful always.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16) We need to let the Holy Spirit guide us and not be rigid. That’s not at all to say that some sins are OK in some circumstances; the 10 Commandments don’t change. However, even there we need to remember that the 6th Commandment is “You shall not murder,” (Exodus 20:13) rather than the more traditional, “Thou shalt not kill.” The Hebrew words are distinct, and a police sniper who takes out someone who has a knife to someone’s throat isn’t committing murder. We need to let the Holy Spirit have full access to our hearts and minds, because otherwise we will be rigid on issues where we should be flexible and wobbly on issues where we should stand firm. Frankly, this is what spiritual maturity is all about. We need to let God be God, whatever that means to our preconceptions.

I was raised with the concept of absolute truth, and for that I am very grateful. It is no accident that the idea of absolute truth is under constant attack these days, because the devil knows that with no absolute truth there is no absolute God, and he wants to steal God’s place in people’s hearts and minds. My father lived by the principle of absolute honesty, and I have tried to do the same. However, I have learned (or rather, I am still learning) that absolute honesty doesn’t necessarily mean always saying everything you know, however true it might be. I have hurt people needlessly many times doing that. I am to speak the truth in love, and sometimes that means being quiet. The question of what would Jesus do (WWJD) was a fad and then a cliché, but it’s still a good principle. That said, I can’t reliably know what Jesus would do by my own intellect; I’ve got to let the Spirit of Jesus guide me. Today will not be identical to yesterday, so I need to seek, hear, and obey God’s instructions for today.

Father, thank You for this Word. The lack of underlining shows I haven’t really heard it before. Thank You for generating in me the habit of daily devotions. I pray that I wouldn’t just go through the motions, but actively fellowship with you, not just in these morning times but throughout each day, so that I may know Your will and do it, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Trusting God; April 5, 2020

Posted on April 7, 2020 by jgarrott

John 14:1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.”

Jesus was of course saying this just before His arrest, trial, scourging, and crucifixion, all things that would trouble His disciples to the very limit. It was only much later that they were able to recollect what He had said, and with clear evidence of His resurrection, receive His peace in full. That said, His words here apply to us today just as well. Our hearts are troubled by many things, in our personal lives, in world events, and where those two overlap. Right now the world is in considerable turmoil over COVID-19, and the Lord speaks these words to us. One of the biggest reasons God allows all sorts of trials into our lives is to test and grow our faith. We don’t know how strong our faith is until it’s tested. Sometimes we find that it’s not much more than wishing, “I hope this is the case.” Sometimes we find that it is a solid rock that will anchor us in the fiercest storm. The thing is, faith is a gift from God, (Ephesians 2:8-9) but it also requires our will to be exercised. We always have the choice of whether to trust God or not. When we choose to trust Him, the rewards are essentially limitless. As John said, and as the hymn triumphantly proclaims, faith is the victory that overcomes the world. (1 John 5:4) God offers that victorious faith to us, but we have to choose to receive and exercise it. This isn’t a matter of ignoring reality, it’s a matter of saying that even in the middle of the most horrific events, God is still God and He is still love, and I will cling to Him even when everything else is taken away.

This is something I think about from time to time, particularly since I live in a place that suffered severe persecution and produced many, many martyrs. Those martyrs are certainly witnesses that God is faithful! (Hebrews 12:1) Just yesterday I saw a meme on Facebook that had Jesus telling someone, “You say that your health is in my hands, but you still need to maintain distance, wash your hands, and disinfect.” I am not to use faith as an excuse to be foolish or presumptuous. That was tested for me this past week, when someone sneezed in my car, without a mask, and the next day I had a sore throat. I frankly don’t like masks, especially since surgical masks make my glasses fog, but yesterday I did my best to wear one when talking with others, not as protection for me but to protect them from me, in case I have the virus. I’m not particularly afraid of getting sick, but I don’t want to be a carrier for others to get sick. My faith needs to be humble, as well as secure!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me be a carrier of Your grace and love and faith, and not of the virus! I ask for wisdom and anointing in my every interaction, that people will have their eyes opened to You and choose to trust You, for their eternal blessing and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tribalism; April 4, 2020

Posted on April 7, 2020 by jgarrott

John 10:16 “I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.”

It is deeply meaningful that when Jesus was talking about being the Good Shepherd He specifically talked about Gentile believers as well as Jewish believers. Up until this point, despite the many prophecies of Isaiah and others, the vast majority of Jews could not imagine the promises of God applying to anyone other than the physical descendants of Abraham. Actually, the majority of Jews today are that way, and some Gentiles have flipped that around with “Replacement Theology” and insist the Jews have lost their place in God’s plan. All of that is wrong from every angle! The further back in history you go, the more you encounter “tribal theology,” with each group having their own god or gods. Sadly, tribalism is still very much alive today, and we see the results everywhere. Different groups are different, and independent nations are important, but when we deny the humanity of the “other,” we are denying our Creator and inviting destruction on ourselves. I have quoted verse 10 of this chapter more times than I could count, and denying the humanity of our opposition is a powerful tool of the “thief [who] comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” We cannot stand against him unless we recognize his tricks and refuse to participate in them. He is smarter than we are, but we serve the God who is smarter than everyone and everything else, and if we are submitted to Him, He will guide us correctly. As James said, it is when we are submitted to God that we are able to resist the devil and have him flee from us. (James 3:7)

This naturally applies to me, as it does to everyone. Growing up as a Caucasian in Japan, I am very aware of tribalism! However, I know a God who is big enough to overcome all of that, and I rejoice in that knowledge. And since I know Him, I seek to introduce Him to everyone around me, whatever their “tribe” might be. National and racial distinctives are part of God’s love for variety that is so evident in nature. However, when we allow those distinctives to divide us, rather than enrich us, we are being deceived by the devil and are allowing him to steal all sorts of blessings from us. When Jesus laid down His life, as He talks about immediately after this verse, He didn’t do it just for one “tribe” but for all mankind. That’s why John 3:16 says God loves “the world,” and “whoever” believes in the Son will be saved. Revelation 5:9 and 14:6 make it very clear that God’s salvation is for “every tribe and language and people and nation.” The Family of God supersedes every distinction!

Father, I see so much division for the sake of division, and as much as it grieves me, I know it grieves You more. I pray that indeed Your kingdom would come and Your will be done, uniting all Your children in Christ. That will be glorious indeed!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Work of Ministry; April 3, 2020

Posted on April 6, 2020 by jgarrott

2 Timothy 4:2, 5 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage–with great patience and careful instruction.
But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

We are again presented with Paul’s urgent desire for his spiritual son, as he himself faces his impending martyrdom. He doesn’t wish an easy life for Timothy, because he knows it’s not going to happen. However, he desires a faithful, fruitful life for him so strongly that we can feel that desire reach out of the page and grab us. Paul has learned the hard way not to depend on people. Some few are dependable, but they are few and far between, as he expresses from verse nine on. That said, he knows that God is absolutely dependable, and that is his comfort. His final ministry instructions to Timothy, coming at such a point in his life, are very pointed and helpful for anyone who would be a disciple of Jesus Christ. The English word, “preach,” is unfortunate here, because we now associate it so strongly with a formal church setting. I much prefer the Japanese, “proclaim/declare.” We aren’t to limit such activity to when we are standing in a pulpit, as the very next sentence makes clear, in the Japanese at least: “Do this firmly, when the time is good and when it’s not.” It is very important that Paul uses the expression, “the Word,” here, because that both limits it to what God is saying and expands it to everything God is saying. God speaks to us to correct, rebuke, and encourage as He teaches us, and we are to be His agents in passing that on to others. In that process we are to “do the work of an evangelist,” whether we are gifted in that area or not. We like to limit our ministry to the areas in which we are gifted, and in general that’s not a bad idea. However, we are never to use gifting or the lack of it as an excuse not to “do the work of our ministry.” Everything else is secondary to getting people into the kingdom of God and out of the clutches of evil.

I have been aware of this passage for as long as I have been aware of my own calling as a minister of the Gospel. Frankly, I don’t feel I am particularly gifted as an evangelist, and my track record shows that. Every salvation is of course an occasion of great rejoicing, but I often feel they happen in spite of me rather than because of me. On the other hand, I will teach until the cows come home – and all my hearers are asleep! I can’t say that I enjoy rebuking, but God sometimes does it through the words He gives me to speak. I too need to keep my head in all situations and endure hardship. Paul doesn’t say it here, but that includes, “without complaining.” Rather than griping about difficulties, I need to rejoice that my Lord has found me worthy of experiencing them (John 16:33) At the moment I am very grateful that yesterday’s sore throat seems to have been unrelated to COVID-19, and that it isn’t bothering me now. However, that scare was educational in several ways, and I need to give God thanks.

Father, thank You indeed for Your all-encompassing grace toward me. Thank You not only for Your healing, but also for the strength and wisdom You gave me to get things done yesterday. It’s exciting to see the garden coming along. Guide me today in what to plant where, and how and when, so that it will all bear abundantly, not just for us but for others with whom we will share our produce, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Scripture; April 2, 2020

Posted on April 5, 2020 by jgarrott

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Some people might try to discount this passage, saying that the Bible is praising itself. However, when Paul wrote this to Timothy, He didn’t know he was writing the Bible! Though actually, by this point others who had read Paul’s letters were already putting them on a par with the Old Testament. (2 Peter 3:16 At the time Peter wrote that, probably some people considered it scandalous, or downright blasphemous, but time has borne out his judgment.) We don’t have the same commission Paul did of recording what God was saying, but we too can and should speak and write what He says to us. We have the same Holy Spirit, and God wants to make His heart known through all of His children. That isn’t to say that we are to get all puffed up and think that our every word is “Gospel truth,” because it isn’t. For that matter, not everything Paul said had the same weight. We need to weigh our words, and allow others to weigh them, to see whether they agree with what is already recorded in the Bible. If they don’t agree, guess which one is right! There have been many writers down through the centuries who have indeed recorded things God was saying. C. S. Lewis comes to mind, as do Augustine and many others. However, all of those are to be judged on the basis of the Bible, and we are to seek the help of the Holy Spirit in keeping it all straight. As C. S. Lewis wrote, one thing we can be sure of is that when we get to heaven, every one of us is going to discover that we were wrong somewhere! We are to operate in all humility, but recognize that God hasn’t changed, and He is just as capable of speaking through us as through someone else. After all, He even spoke through a donkey! (Numbers 22:21-33)

Just last night at prayer meeting I was talking about how we are to be God’s agents in our everyday lives, recognizing and making full use of every opportunity He gives us (Colossians 4:5) and speaking out His truth in love. To do that, it certainly helps to have a lot of the Bible stored up in our hearts and minds. I was greatly blessed to be raised in a home that was immersed in Scripture, so verse 15 could have been written about me. However, I have learned the hard way that there is a huge difference between knowing Scripture intellectually and putting it into practice, applying it in every detail of life. I often think James 1:22 was written especially for me! (I also feel Proverbs 3:5-7 was written for me.) Regardless of my IQ, I have demonstrated my stupidity more times and in more ways than I could possibly count! I need to let the Word continue to operate in and through me, correcting and shaping and growing, and I need to be available for God to use me however He chooses, speaking or not speaking as He directs, and not just out of my own head, as I am so prone to do. If I will do that, He will breathe through me, and many will be blessed.

Father, Thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the reminder last night as I lay there in bed and realized my throat hurt a bit, as it does now, that I am not personally immune to COVID-19, and acting as though I were benefits no one. Japan has not stressed social distancing, and I find myself sharply aware of just how many people I come in contact with. I ask for Your wisdom and clear guidance, that I would not be an agent of harm to anyone, and that Your life and peace would prevail. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Word of Truth; April 1, 2020

Posted on April 5, 2020 by jgarrott

2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

The whole 2nd letter of Paul to Timothy is deeply touching, because it display’s Paul’s father-heart toward his spiritual son. He is trusting God to do the work, but he wants Timothy to be fully cooperative. Like any parent, he would like to be right there to help Timothy out in every situation, but they are already geographically separated, and Paul knows it won’t be long before they are in different worlds entirely. Even Paul had difficulty letting go of his children! Here we have advice that is given lip service, at least, in many if not most seminaries, but sadly, it stops at lip service in far too many. At the time Paul wrote this the New Testament was not yet codified, and he had no idea this very letter would be included. One teacher’s words were taken as being as authoritative as those of another, and false teaching spread like gangrene, as he says in verse 17. (The Japanese says, “like cancer.”) That made the instructions in this verse all the more vital, and it was why the New Testament was indeed codified later, so that people could know what was indeed “the word of truth” and what was imagination and lies. Today, despite the presence of the New Testament, we have people actively twisting the truth, just as they did in Paul’s day, and words like gangrene and cancer are no less appropriate to describe it. Every pastor and Bible teacher needs to remember James’ words: “Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” (James 3:1) Sadly, many “workmen” will indeed be ashamed when the time comes to judge their work. Paul certainly didn’t want that for his son Timothy.

This verse really hits home for me because I tend to be very focused on the Word, on the Bible being God’s truth to and through me. That has led to some problems in my ministry, because I tend to preach every time I open my mouth, and the Church is far more than just a place for preaching. It came as a shock to me, early in my study of the Coaching Movement, to have it said that my attitude tended to produce a pastor-centered church, rather than a Jesus-centered church. I argued that one internally for quite a while! I have come around to understand what they were talking about, but at the same time I feel that the Bible is to be the guide for absolutely everything. My desire is that every believer will have an unshakable habit of taking in the Word daily, allowing God to speak to them through it, and then putting it into practice. When that happens I won’t need to preach, because everyone will “Let the word of Christ dwell in [them] richly as [they] teach and admonish [one] another with all wisdom, and as [they] sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in [their] hearts to God.” (Colossians 3:16) That is indeed correctly handling the Word of truth!

Father, thank You for the confirmation the other day that at least one of my physical children is being obedient to this. I do pray that as I am obedient to it myself, all of my spiritual children would internalize it as well, so that the Body of Christ would indeed be built up and Your kingdom come as Your will is done, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Succession; March 31, 2020

Posted on April 1, 2020 by jgarrott

2 Timothy 2:1-2 You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.

In his second letter to Timothy Paul is obviously very aware that he is nearing the end of his race. (2 Timothy 4:6-8) Accordingly, he is very focused on the success of his successor. Just as he has entrusted the truths he received from God to Timothy, he now tells Timothy to entrust those truths to the next spiritual generation. Many people have noted that the Church is always no more than one generation away from extinction; God’s truth must be passed on. That’s why in the Great Commission Jesus didn’t say, “make converts,” He said, “make disciples.” (Matthew 28:18-20) A disciple is going to transmit what they have received to others, so that they may in turn pass it on as well, just as Paul says here. It’s important to note that Paul specifies reliable/faithful/trustworthy (all of those are justifiable translations) people. It does little good to depend on flakes! That said, none of us are particularly reliable apart from the grace of God. Paul isn’t telling Timothy to find perfect people, because there aren’t any. However, he is telling him to be a good judge of character. Usually, God will bring people to us, and if we are sensitive to the Holy Spirit, we will recognize those into whom we are to pour our all. After all, Jesus chose the 12, and from among them he chose Peter, James, and John. They certainly weren’t perfect, as the Bible records, but despite stumbling, they showed themselves faithful. We are to proclaim the Gospel to all who will receive it, and we are to pour ourselves unstintingly into those who the Lord shows us, so that they will in turn continue to spread the Gospel.

The whole subject of succession has been a touchy one for me over the years, because each time I have had a potential successor, they have gone somewhere else! That said, there are several in active ministry right now who are the result of my ministry, and for that I am deeply grateful. I continue to ask the Lord to make it clear who is to succeed me in this place with this flock, and trust Him for health and energy until His choice is clear. Just yesterday I had enormous encouragement in this area in a video chat with one of our daughters. (I am very grateful for the technology that enables us to do that, each of us on our respective devices.) She was talking about the foundation she feels we gave her, how she is aware of God all the time and how Scripture wells up from within her. I had tears of joy over that! I have no fears for my grandsons, with a mother like that! God is the ultimate judge of my success in every area. I am to keep walking in faithful obedience, letting Him do through me whatever He desires, so that His name may be acknowledged as holy and His kingdom come as His will is done.

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for faithful children, both genetic and spiritual. May I be a faithful child to You indeed, for Your glory alone. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment