Response to Persecution; October 1, 2025

Posted on October 2, 2025 by jgarrott

Acts 8:4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.

Just like the apostles in yesterday’s reading, the “ordinary believers,” on being scattered by persecution, continued to do the very thing that had provoked the persecution! The pressure just deepened their conviction that the truth they had experienced was more important than their comfort or even their physical life. After all, they had eternal life! That attitude is all too rare today, particularly in “comfortable” countries like the US or Japan. That’s why the very public martyrdom of Charlie Kirk had such an impact. It showed millions of people that God’s truth is worth dying for, which is the opposite of the effect desired by the gunman. Young people today live in what would have been unimaginable luxury not that many years ago, and they are hungry for something to give it all meaning. There is no deeper or higher meaning than being a child of God! Once you accept that God is your Father and Jesus died for you, rising from the grave to prove what He has provided for you, everything else fades into insignificance. It has rightly been said that “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” The forces of evil made a huge tactical mistake when they shot Charlie Kirk!

I’ve never liked the idea of suffering, particularly, but martyrdom itself has never scared me. Maybe that’s easy for me to say, because I’ve never been particularly persecuted for my faith! The point for me is to be like the believers mentioned in this verse, constantly sharing the Gospel wherever I go. In a little over a week Cathy and I will be going to the annual meeting of the Japan Cockayne Syndrome Network. Not only will I have interaction over three days with the families and doctors who will be there, I will have two formal opportunities to share, once with parents of children who have already died, and once with the whole group in a memorial service for those who died in the past year. I am to seek God’s wisdom in all of that, but be totally unrestrained by worries about how I will be seen or received. We are already loved by most of the people in that group! However, my sharing of the good news of Jesus isn’t to be limited to when I’m out of town. I’ll be having my feet and legs massaged today by someone who is not yet a believer, and she’s another real opportunity. Tomorrow I will be seeing a man I’ve been working with for several months, as well as getting a haircut from my regular barber. Both of them are targets! I am to recognize the opportunities the Lord gives me and make full use of them, so that the family of God may continue to increase, one person at a time.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me be an effective communicator of Your Gospel, not being afraid of man but being bold in You, so that Your Word may have its full work through me, (Isaiah 55:11) for the salvation of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Priorities; September 30, 2025

Posted on October 1, 2025 by jgarrott

Acts 5:41-42 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.

Two things stand out about this: they rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor – and quite painfully at that – and they continued to do precisely what they had been beaten for. This goes back to what they said to the Sanhedrin: “We must obey God rather than men.” (verse 28) We tend to want the easy road, but Jesus cautioned us very strongly: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14) Our priority needs to be the kingdom of God and His righteousness, (Matthew 6:33) rather than anything this world can give us, either tangible or intangible. In America today, strict and open obedience to God can lead to various “social costs,” but in some places in the world it can lead to active persecution and even martyrdom. It is only when we “press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called [us] heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14) that we can both endure and rejoice in all we encounter here.

To me, this raises the question of how have I suffered for my obedience to God? I don’t think I have, particularly. I have had rough spots in my life, but who hasn’t? On the contrary, I feel like I have been blessed incredibly, and honored in the process. I am grateful, but have I really done all that God wanted me to do? The lesson to me is that I must not be slack in doing whatever God asks of me. I believe God has told me to write my autobiography, but I have hardly been diligent in my follow-through. Recently He has been giving me opportunities to evangelize, and sometimes those are inconvenient. That I would complain about inconvenience in something like that! I am to focus on my Lord and His kingdom, serving Him with all that I have and am, because He is more than worthy of my total devotion, just as He was for these apostles.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for Your incredible grace toward me. As my father did before me, I can certainly claim Psalm 16:6. “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.” May I be the steward You want me to be of all that You have poured out on me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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The Great Commission; September 29, 2025

Posted on September 30, 2025 by jgarrott

Acts 2:38-39 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

This is another way of expressing the Great Commission, expressed memorably by Jesus just before His ascension. (Matthew 28:18-20) Doubled up like this, there’s no question that God means it! Jesus spoke it to those who were to exercise it, and Peter spoke it to those who were receiving it, but we fit into both categories. If we have repented, been forgiven, and received the Holy Spirit as a gift, then we are to go into all the world and make disciples for Jesus Christ. It’s just that simple. However, a sad percentage of Christians are satisfied with just their own salvation, declining to share the Gospel with anyone else. We make all sorts of excuses – I don’t speak clearly, I’m too busy, nobody will listen, I’ve never been to seminary (!) – and the list goes on and on. Not one of those holds any water at all, and can be refuted easily from the Bible. We tend to compare ourselves to famous evangelists, and disqualify ourselves before we even start. That’s a terrible mistake, because it cuts us out of the flow of God’s plan of salvation for the world, and there’s no greater joy that being included in that flow.

I’m very much preaching to myself here. My excuse was simply, “I’m not gifted as an evangelist.” How stupid! I’m gifted in various other ways, and grateful to be so, but exercising any one of those giftings requires effort on my part, and I was simply too lazy to evangelize! In any case, the gifts don’t belong to us, but rather to the One who gives them, and we are accountable to Him for how we use them. Right now I am discovering the joy of making use of the opportunities God gives me for sharing His truth with others, and I’m grateful! I will probably never speak to stadiums full of people, seeing thousands come to Christ at one time, the way Billy Graham and Reinhard Bonke did, but that’s not the point. I am to seek out the opportunities God gives me to share the Gospel and make full use of each one, for the salvation of souls and for His glory.

Father, thank You for what You’ve been doing in me in recent months – years, actually – in opening my eyes to the joys of evangelism. I do pray that those to whom I’m currently ministering would come to full commitment soon, and that I will recognize each new person You bring to me as well, so that Your plan of salvation may be wonderfully fulfilled, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Public Prayer; September 28, 2025

Posted on September 29, 2025 by jgarrott

John 17:13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.”

Prayer can get complicated. It is talking to God and not to man, which is why Jesus told us to go into a private place to pray, (Matthew 6:6) and he put the Pharisees down for liking to pray in public places. (Matthew 6:5) However, sometimes our prayers need to be heard by those we are with. Jesus, who did everything perfectly, is here saying that He is praying out loud for the sake of His disciples who could hear Him. He wasn’t praying to His disciples, but He was praying for them, in more senses than one. I’m sure every Christian has been blessed at times to hear other believers pray. Those words can be encouraging, and even prophetic and healing. However, if we are caught up in how our prayers will sound to other people, they won’t be prayers at all. We’ve all heard “prayers” like that, and probably have said a few ourselves. Prayer must be focused on the One to whom we are praying, but when that is the case, it can bless others as well.

At this point there is a young woman in another part of Japan who calls me most days, to receive advice but most especially to hear me pray for her, I think. I could, and do, pray those same things for her when I’m not on the phone, but hearing me pray is a blessing to her. We have an interdenominational prayer meeting here once a month, and the main feature is hearing people from different churches pray for specific topics, allowing their words to inform and expand our own prayers. All that said, it is very common for Japanese believers in particular to be hesitant to pray in public, because they are worried about what others will think of them and their prayer. As a pastor, I seek to grow each believer in prayer, to focus on God and know that He is the almighty Creator who loved them so much that He sent His Son to die for them. When we have that framework, prayer of all sorts becomes a delight. I am to be a model “pray-er,” letting people know by example that God is accessible, that He is really listening, and we don’t have to put on airs, but just be open and honest with Him. I am to stay focused on my Lord and delight to talk with Him, guided by His Spirit, so that His words may flow through me for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. May I be the prayer warrior You want me to be, indeed “praying without ceasing,” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) so that Your will may be done through me for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Prayer; September 27, 2025

Posted on September 28, 2025 by jgarrott

John 16:24 “Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.”

We don’t often think about how prayer changed after Jesus’ resurrection. We automatically tack, “In Jesus’ name, amen,” on the end of every prayer, but it’s actually nowhere near that simple. Prayer existed long before Jesus was born, and is a part of virtually every religion. By definition, prayer is simply asking, and in Elizabethan times was often used that way between people, as witness Shakespeare. In modern usage, prayer is generally used to mean talking to deity, and in its fullest form, it’s talking with deity. We tend to overlook the fact that in the Model Prayer Jesus taught His disciples, (Matthew 6:9-13) there’s none of the “In Jesus’ name” business. That we can talk to the Father in the name of the Son is absolutely astounding, yet we take it so lightly! The most important thing about prayer is that we are indeed talking with the Creator of the universe. That awareness should keep us from being flippant, at least! Jesus is here recognizing that we get happy when we get what we ask for. That’s not something to be ashamed of, but it shouldn’t be our primary motivation for prayer. When done right, prayer is fellowship with our Creator, and nothing is higher or deeper than that. John Denver was hardly a theologian, and may well not have even been a Christian, but there’s a line that has always struck me from his song, Rocky Mountain High: “Talk to God, and listen to the casual reply.” Far too many people pray without expecting any real reply, and that’s tragic. We ask for things, and if we get them, we say, “God answered my prayer.” However, our spiritual ears are seldom tuned well enough to hear Him talk to us with any specificity or detail. Sometimes He will respond to us through the Bible, and we should be reading it with that anticipation. Sometimes He will talk to us through the people around us, even if they have no idea they are prophesying. And sometimes, He will talk to us through our own mouths, if we will yield ourselves to Him. The thing is, we were created for fellowship with God, and the more we move into that, the more peace, joy, and satisfaction we will have.

As I have written before, I grew up in a home where prayer was as natural as breathing, and I’m deeply grateful. After all, He can hear everything that goes on. That said, I wasn’t taught to be listening for God’s reply. The first time I ever heard God speak specific words to me without any human agent, I had been asking for wisdom and guidance about some issue, and when I finally took a breath, I heard very clearly, “Well then, shut up!” I was totally shocked, but then I had to laugh at my own foolishness. I now find that He speaks to me in many ways, and I’m still learning to listen. As a pastor, my highest desire for each of the believer in my care is that they too find that God cares enough about them to talk to them, as well as to listen to them. If we will grow to be a congregation in constant communication with our Lord, He will be free to do anything at all through us!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the incredible privilege of prayer. May I exercise it more and more and lead others to do the same, so that Your purposes may be accomplished in and through us for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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The Upper Room Discourse; September 26, 2025

Posted on September 27, 2025 by jgarrott

John 15:9-10 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.”

Every parent, if they’re honest, will confess that it’s easier to love a child that does what they’re told. Some people would say that’s violating “unconditional love,” but it’s a fact. We can love unconditionally only in the abstract; in practical terms, behavior matters. We’re afraid of that, because we know our behavior isn’t that good! However, this is the tension of reality. This is precisely why we are saved by grace through faith: it is only through the perfectly obedient Son that we can be accepted as righteous and holy. (Ephesians 2:8-9, and various other passages) The thing is, it’s all interrelated. If we love God, we will keep His commandments! (John 14:15) It is definitely worthwhile to do in-depth study of this Upper Room Discourse, and to do such study repeatedly, because it is of vital importance. It is what Jesus wanted to be sure His disciples heard before He was crucified, and as such, cannot be overestimated. The repeating themes are love, joy, obedience, and the Holy Spirit, along with the opposition we will encounter from the world. It’s impossible to have too much understanding of those. We all desire joy, and as Jesus said in the very next verse, abiding in God’s love certainly generates joy! It’s actually impossible to separate all these things, so the wisest approach is simply to seek more of Jesus. If we will do that, we will be obedient and loving and joyful, fully assured of the love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

This is of course how I seek to live my life, but I’m on the way, not arrived, just as Paul was. (Philippians 3:12-14) People comment that I am kind and gentle and the like, but my temper can be sharp at times. People think I am perfectly righteous, but God knows better! I certainly desire to live in perfect step with the Holy Spirit who is in me, (Galatians 5:25) but sometimes my rhythm gets off. Obedience is a choice, and I need to make that choice more and more consistently, for my blessing and the blessing of those around me.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I do love the Upper Room Discourse, and I want to make it more and more part of me, to live it out in every detail. I can’t do that in my own wisdom and strength, but nothing is impossible for You, so I ask You to do it in and through me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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The Holy Spirit our Teacher; September 25, 2025

Posted on September 26, 2025 by jgarrott

John 14:26 “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

This is a vitally important verse about the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Far too many Christians think of the Holy Spirit strictly in terms of gifts and power, forgetting that He is also the One who teaches us about all the things of God, just as Jesus did. This was absolutely essential in the early days of the Church, before the writings that were codified into the New Testament existed, but it is still certainly necessary today, because the devil never stops lying. We need the Holy Spirit to show us what is right, but now we have the Bible to confirm things, because there are certainly lying spirits out there. What we need to do is to be committed to doing whatever God tells us, and to have the humility to not try to figure it out on our own. Both of those can be difficult! We think we are committed, but when push comes to shove, we have a tendency to rebel. The point of humility can also trip us up, because pride can take on all sorts of disguises. We are to use the minds God has given us, yes, but always remember that God’s smart and we aren’t. That’s part of what Jesus meant when He said that we have to become as little children to enter heaven. (Matthew 18:3) If we have the commitment and the humility, then the Holy Spirit will teach us absolutely everything we need to know.

I’ve stumbled in both those areas, but particularly in the area of humility, as I keep being reminded. However, God has been faithful in spite of my foolishness. Last night I didn’t go right back to sleep after getting up to go to the bathroom, and the Lord showed me things about the message for Sunday, as well as the song we’re supposed to sing after the message. I don’t have to “manufacture” messages! He gives me interactions with various people throughout each day, and if I am sensitive to Him, I will be His agent to each of them, for their blessing and His glory. Right now, I’m still wrestling with getting a new computer fully set up for all I need to do with it. That might seem like a completely different area, but God has the necessary knowledge and wisdom for that as well. I just need to be quiet enough to listen!

Father, thank You for Your faithfulness, in absolutely every area. Help me not be anxious about anything, but be actively obedient to You in all You show me to do, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Spiritual Warfare; September 24, 2025

Posted on September 25, 2025 by jgarrott

John 9:33 “If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

I have always loved this story of the man born blind. That he was totally uneducated goes without saying, given his physical handicap. However, there was nothing wrong with his mind! You could say he had the advantage of not having had legalism drilled into him, the way the Pharisees had. Totally uneducated, he completely demolishes the arguments of the Pharisees, based on simple logic. I am naturally reminded of Charlie Kirk, who never attended college, but made a career of going to colleges, talking with students and faculty, and demolishing their mistaken ideas with logic and, frankly, the truth of God. Because the Left couldn’t overcome him with words, they killed him with a bullet, whereas this man was banished from the synagogue. Those in opposition to God and His truth do all sorts of bad things, but we need to remember what John said in his 1st letter: “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4) This man born blind was put out of the synagogue, and experienced who knows however much other social consequences, but he met the Messiah, and was able to worship Him in person. Charlie Kirk was assassinated, but he went directly before his Lord in heaven, and his ministry, his life work, has exploded, and looks to change the nation and the world. As Jesus repeatedly cautioned His disciples, we will encounter opposition of all sorts, but when we are anchored in Him, we have nothing to be afraid of. Nothing can overcome God!

I have commented repeatedly that I sometimes wonder how closely I am walking with God, because I don’t feel I have encountered very much direct opposition. However, God is my Judge, and I don’t even judge myself. (1 Corinthians 4:3-4) Reading the Frank Viola book on the New Testament Church, I have a much better grasp of all the opposition Paul faced, and I’ve had it easy! I am to remember that it is the devil who doesn’t want Japan turning to Christ, and so be unrelenting in my spiritual warfare against him. I should be on offense, not defense! There are people to whom I’m ministering at this point who seem close to opening their hearts, and I’ll see two of them today. They are in no way my enemies, but I must be strong on their behalf against the enemy who has trapped their minds and hearts to this point, so that they may receive God’s truth and be set free indeed, for their salvation and God’s glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the powerful impact Charlie Kirk has had on countless people, breaking the chains that have held them back from being bold for You. May we indeed rise up, a mighty army, just as in Ezekiel’s vision, (Ezekiel 37:1-14) to bring in Your great harvest, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Sowing and Reaping; September 23, 2025

Posted on September 24, 2025 by jgarrott

John 3:36 “Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.”

There is joy in sowing, and joy in reaping. In terms of evangelism, we tend to focus on the joy of reaping, but there can be no reaping without sowing, and there is joy there as well. However, going to the agricultural source of the metaphor, both of those can be hard work! It’s interesting that Jesus here speaks of both wages and joy. In many places the Bible assures us that we will be rewarded for our labors, but on top of that we get the joy and satisfaction of having done the work of God and of His kingdom. And we must not forget that all of this is in relation to eternal life. Our perspective is always limited. We basically see just what is in front of our noses, if we even see that accurately! God invites us to lift our eyes and see things as He does. (He’s explicit about that in verse 35.) We aren’t to ignore the things that are in front of us, but we need to realize that there’s always far more to any situation than what we can see. When we have that understanding, we can rejoice whatever the immediate task might be, trusting that God will work it all out for our blessing and His glory. (Romans 8:28)

Just recently the Lord has been showing me more and more joy in sowing. I have wanted to be a reaper, gathering in the harvest, but the timing of that is God’s business. God has been showing me the joy of expressing His love in various ways, preparing people’s hearts to receive the seed of the Gospel, and then scattering that seed in countless ways. Harvest is indeed exciting, but every step of the process is important, and the better I understand that, the more joy and satisfaction I will have. The Lord has brought people to me that I wasn’t seeking, and that is a reminder that salvation is His business. I’m not to be so Calvinist that I think I have nothing to do with it, but I’m never to think that I can save anyone on my own. He is the source of eternal life! I am to be faithful and diligent at the tasks He gives me, taking joy in the privilege of serving Him, and remember that payday is coming!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for opening my eyes more to the joy of sowing, and even of tilling and weeding. Keep me from giving up in any way, but rather help me to rest, relax, and rejoice in You, just as You have told me to do, so that the results may be exactly what You intend, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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God’s Supply; September 22, 2025

Posted on September 23, 2025 by jgarrott

John 3:34 For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.

This was written specifically about Jesus, but it actually applies to everyone whom God sends. Problems in ministry are never because of God’s supply, but only from our capacity to receive and apply all that God supplies. It’s not clear whether this verse is something John the Baptist said, or something John the Apostle wrote in commentary. Either way, it’s the Word of God, and evidence of the truth of this verse. How’s that for circular reasoning? We get all involved in the people God uses, to the point that we tend to forget that it’s God who is actually saying and doing the things we admire. Charlie Kirk is an excellent case in point. He was totally committed and submitted to God, and God used him accordingly, accomplishing more through him in 31 years than most people see happen in twice or even three times that span. It’s like Paul said, “We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” (2 Corinthians 4:7) He also demonstrated this verse, speaking the words of God and allowing God’s Spirit to work through him. We can do the same! I keep coming back to the awareness that any weakness in the Church, and in individual believers, comes from a misplaced focus on the temporal rather than the eternal, the terrestrial rather than the heavenly. We are accountable for our stewardship of every resource, every opportunity God gives us, and we aren’t to treat them lightly. However, we have got to remember that those things are never more than tools to use in accomplishing God’s will. I recently heard three men talking about how men in particular can be enamored of tools of various sorts, whether a car or a drill or an airplane or whatever. That isn’t necessarily bad, but it can quickly veer into idolatry, and that’s very bad. We need reliable tools, but our real reliance must be in the One who provided them, and nothing less.

I’ve certainly tangled with this issue. I have relied on my intellect and skills more times than I like to think about, and I still get great satisfaction from a new computer. Recognizing that, I have great hesitation in making such purchases, but with the upcoming end of support for Windows 10, I just ordered a replacement for the computer I’m using at this moment. I have the fairly unusual need for multiple bays for optical drives, since I produce the CD recordings of our services, and such cases are no longer common. I didn’t want to go to the headache of buying a motherboard and rebuilding everything, but at just the right moment, God showed me a listing for a refurbished computer, and it will arrive this week. I still have the headache of getting all the necessary software installed, but God will get me through that, and I’m mildly excited. Of far more importance is the progress I’m seeing in someone the Lord is drawing to Himself. That man came to the service yesterday, and I’ll see him again this morning. God has sent me to him, so I’m to speak God’s words to him by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit within me, knowing that God will do what needs to be done.

Father, thank You indeed for Your supply. Help me be the steward You want me to be, accomplishing Your will for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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