God’s Grace; May 30, 2019

Posted on June 1, 2019 by jgarrott

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

When I read this, and even when I decided to write on these two verses, somehow I forgot that they have been set delightfully to music verbatim in Japanese. (The song actually starts from the second sentence in verse 23.) Because Japanese generally takes more syllables to say the same thing as English does, I had to “translate” it to put the song into English.

When Jesus Christ our Savior comes in glory for His Bride,
may there be no spot in you to make you run and hide.
May your whole spirit and your soul, body and mind
Be blameless when Jesus comes to see what He will find.
The God of peace who calls you
is faithful through and through,
and so I declare to you,
We know, we know that what He’s promised, He will do.

It’s a nice song, but it’s an even more wonderful truth. If we are honest, we can get anxious about our own weaknesses and failures. If we acknowledge them to God and repent, He wipes them out like they never happened. (1 John 1:9) Actually, the first part of John’s first letter deals with that issue a great deal. The most dangerous thing about sin is pride, because pride is what keeps us from repentance, and repentance is our only hope before a Holy God. The cross of Christ is sufficient to deal with any sin, but we have to acknowledge that sin and submit it to Jesus for His blood to cleanse us from it. If we are humble before God, verse 24 is the best news in the world. As in every other area of life, God has already done the “heavy lifting,” so all that is required of us is the decision of our will to accept what He has done and follow through in obedience. And even there, we quickly recognize that in our own strength we are incapable of full obedience, but just as this says, He will do it.

This is something I have had the joy to experience more and more as I have walked with the Lord. I have actually had people accuse me of being “too good,” but I’ve got enough of a past to know that’s an absolute impossibility. God’s grace is sufficient for us, (2 Corinthians 12:9) not just to get us through suffering but also to enable us to escape temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13) and walk in fellowship with Him. However, at every step we are called to choose obedience, and that is where the rub comes in. I have chosen disobedience more times than I like to think about! That said, this passage is still true, and I am deeply grateful.

Father, thank You for Your truly amazing grace. I am as much in need of it as John Newton was, and he was a slave trader before God got through to him. Help me be an open channel of Your grace to those around me, never proud or holier-than-thou toward anyone, but allowing Christ to shine through me to draw people to Himself, for their salvation and His glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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

Community; May 29, 2019

Posted on May 31, 2019 by jgarrott

1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

There are almost countless reasons to avoid isolation as a Christian, but this is one of the main ones. We weren’t made for isolation. That’s why solitary confinement is considered special punishment in prison. The flip side of that is that many of the frustrations and irritations of life come from our interactions with other people, but that’s simply part of being human. God created us for community, because His first purpose in creating us was for fellowship with Himself. If we weren’t social beings with one another, we wouldn’t be very good children with Him. Frankly, we need each other. There’s a well-known story of a pastor who went to visit one of his members who rarely attended church, and the member insisted he could worship God on his own, in “the cathedral of nature.” It was a chilly day, and there was a fire in the fireplace. The pastor didn’t say anything, but took the fire tongs and moved one burning coal away from the others, out onto the hearth. Neither man said anything for a while, watching the coal go from flaming to glowing, and then gradually get darker and darker. After a while, the church member abruptly said, “I’ll be in church this Sunday.” We need each other for encouragement, to build each other up. Otherwise, we lose our flame and the devil has an easy time with us. Excessive focus on the organization, the institution, of church certainly presents problems, and there have been many reactions against that down through the years. In Japan there’s even a denomination called “The Non-Church Movement.” Even though they are called that, they still get together for meetings! Just the other day I was in a group of pastors from various denominations, and some of them were talking about how their time was so taken up by organizational meetings. That is a distortion, certainly, but as it says in Hebrews, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25)

This is an important thing for me to remember, because I have tended to be a loner for much of my life. God in His wisdom matched me with an extremely social woman who has never met a stranger in her life, and over the past 50 years I’ve become reasonably social. As a church, we are organizationally independent, so I have had to be intentional in reaching across denominational lines for fellowship. I would hate to be tied to multiple committee meetings each week, or even each month, but I do need to be tied to other pastors, as well as to the believers in this church and others. I need to be encouraged and built up, as well as to do that for others. The many current methods of electronic communication can be very helpful, but there is a major danger in the level of abstraction they insert. I am not to think a text message is an adequate substitute for face-to-face interaction, or even for voice communication. I deal with people who try to withdraw, to interact only with their phones, and they are a strong cautionary tale. I must be gentle and persistent in breaking through their barriers, and very careful not to erect such myself.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for teaching me over the years how much I need other people, and for showing me they need me as well. May I be the part of the Body of Christ, in every way, that You want me to be, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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

Sexual Immorality; May 28, 2019

Posted on May 31, 2019 by jgarrott

1 Thessalonians 4:7-8 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.

I don’t see how you could be any more clear and logical than this in standing against the tide of sexual immorality, both heterosexual and homosexual, that floods society today. Those who insist that they can be “good Christians” while identifying themselves by their immoral lifestyle are talking a logical impossibility. I would be the last person to insist that anyone could not possibly be a child of God, but the truth in verses 3-8 here is black and white. There is a very good reason the Spirit of God is called the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:9 states clearly, “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” Rejecting holiness is rejecting the Holy Spirit, and that is fatal. The reason Paul talked so much about this sort of thing was that Roman society had a lot of parallels to society today, with people exalting fleshly pleasures over everything else. One of the emperors even married his horse! Just as in Paul’s day, we are called to be clear and uncompromising, speaking the truth in love but not failing to speak the truth because of accusations of “hate speech.” The Holy Spirit is incompatible with persistent unholiness. We all stumble at times, but as this passage says, rejecting God’s call to holiness, specifically including sexual purity, is rejecting God Himself.

I was in college in the late ’60s, so I was in on the groundwork of much that is going on today. I did not get through completely unscathed, but God in His great mercy allowed me to get married at 20, and guarded me around some serious traps that were laid for me even after that. I would be the last person to deny the strength of our physical drives, but I also know that I am called to present my body as a living sacrifice to God, in all holiness. (Romans 12:1) Sadly, even some people very close to me have been tricked by the devil in various ways, just as I have been at times. I have seen the damage that rigid legalism can produce and I certainly want to avoid that, but my heart aches for those I care about who are walking in deception. I am to model purity and at the same time always be loving, even when love requires strong, uncompromising words and actions. I don’t have the wisdom for that, so I’ve got to be open and responsive to the Holy Spirit at all times. He is the one who convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment, not me. (John 16:8-11)

Father, thank You for giving wisdom to those who ask. (James 1:5) Help me receive Your wisdom and act on it, drawing people out of the traps of the enemy and into Your light and life by the power of Your love, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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

Fruitfulness; May 27, 2019

Posted on May 29, 2019 by jgarrott

1 Thessalonians 3:8 For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord.

It’s fascinating to me that Greek seems to have the same sort of idiom that Japanese does, but English doesn’t, at least as a common expression. It’s an idiom that means “a reason to live.” Within the past year I’ve read an American article that talked about what a valuable concept this was, as commonly expressed in Japanese. The whole idea is something that gives meaning to living, enjoyment and hope. Everyone needs it, and many people seem sadly to lack anything of the sort. For anyone in Christian ministry, Paul’s statement rings very true. Knowing that you have had a positive impact, that people are walking in fellowship with Jesus Christ because of your input into their lives, can get you through some really dark times. Frankly, I don’t remember this being mentioned, much less taught explicitly, when I was in seminary. Institutionalized religion tends to be all about orthodoxy and numbers, when Jesus came into this world for people. Accuracy in our understanding of God’s truth is important, certainly, but people can be theologically right and spiritually dead. We do rejoice when many people turn to the Lord, but Jesus focused His ministry on 12 people, and one of those was a traitor. In our quest for bigness, we tend to lose sight of the individual and their relationship to our very singular Lord. I am again reminded of John’s statement that “It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. (2 John 1:4, emphasis added) Not everyone is good soil, (Luke 8:4-15) but we rejoice in whatever crop we get.

This is very understandable to me right now because we are attempting our first real vegetable garden since coming to Omura. The soil was not good, but we removed a lot of rocks and tilled in 150kg of fertilizer. We spread mulching plastic, poked holes and planted seeds, watered, and waited. Not everything has come up, but a lot has, and it’s exciting. Spiritually, over the past 37 years we have done much the same thing. The “germination rate” is notoriously low in Japan, so we have rejoiced at every sign of green. We have had some that seemed to flourish, but then produced no fruit, much like the famous Japanese flowering cherry trees. However, we have had some who have indeed really “gotten it,” and they give us hope and encouragement to keep going. It is possible, and we pray, that some of the seed we have planted has born good fruit where we haven’t seen it. It is God’s crop, after all, and it is His business who gets to harvest it. However, results we can see are certainly encouraging.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the harvest workers You have recently sent to us. (Luke 10:2) May we indeed listen to Your instructions as to how to till, how to plant, how to water, and how to harvest, so that we may have the harvest that You desire, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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

Pastoral Ministry; May 26, 2019

Posted on May 27, 2019 by jgarrott

1 Thessalonians 2:11-12 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

There are various descriptions of pastoral ministry scattered through Paul’s letters, and most reference parenting. Verse seven says “like a mother,” and here he calls fathers to mind. That’s all well and good, but when we haven’t had good parents as examples, the truth can get distorted. We are actually created with a parenting instinct, but some people are remarkably successful at suppressing that. We all tend to have our hearts melted by small, helpless creatures, and examples abound of animals bonding with little ones even of other species, like a cat nursing rabbits, for example. Sadly, some of us are more like male lions that, when they take over a pride, will often kill young lions that were sired by a different male. Being self-centered works against the parenting instinct, and it is definitely out of bounds for a pastor. The ultimate example of parenting is of course Father God Himself. None of us perfectly reflect Him, but all of us can reflect Him to some degree, and it should always be our ambition to do so more and more. That applies to biological and adoptive family relationships, but it also applies to spiritual relationships, and that’s where pastoral ministry comes in. Catholics call priests “Father,” even though Jesus cautioned against it. (Matthew 23:9) When Catholic missionaries first came to Japan they used a term that had served them well in China that, in Chinese, means “spiritual father,” but unfortunately in Japanese comes across as “god father.” That immediately calls to mind the term for a Shinto priest, which means “god owner.” Language, and particularly translation, has caused many problems in the history of the Church! People in pastoral ministry are to relate to those in their care as parents, but not with an inflated sense of self-importance. We are to be aware of our imperfections and seek to let God correct and overcome them.

I am of course talking to myself here. In many ways I have run from pastoral ministry, enjoying teaching but not enjoying “burping and changing diapers,” to extend the parenting metaphor. There have been times of active repentance and surrender in that area. I have even gone so far as to tell people not to go into pastoral ministry unless they can’t help it, but that was not the best turn of phrase. I continue to have plenty of room to grow in pastoral ministry, to be neither aloof nor dictatorial, so that those under my care may grow as our mutual Father desires. I too have room to grow in recognizing and responding to His love, so that I may accurately reflect that love to those around me.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I pray that I may indeed be the child that You desire as well as the father You want me to be to others, so that together we may be knit into Your family, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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

Working Faith; May 25, 2019

Posted on May 27, 2019 by jgarrott

1 Thessalonians 1:3 We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

This verse is one of many Biblical responses to what has been called “easy-believism,” that is, the idea that if you agree with a few religious propositions, that’s the end of the story. Throughout his letters Paul deals with the conflict between legalism and libertinism. On the one hand, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast,” (Ephesians 2:8-9) but on the other hand, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do,” (Ephesians 2:10) and, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning, so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (Romans 6:1-2) The Thessalonian believers were demonstrating that genuine faith is not passive, but is active in obeying the One whom we believe. Likewise, love is not just a matter of words. Some kinds of labor can only be inspired by love (and I’m not just making a joke about childbirth). And when it comes to plain, simple endurance, nothing beats the hope that is available only in Christ Jesus our Lord. Jesus told us plainly that life on this earth isn’t easy, but that in Him, we can be confident. (John 16:33) We are called to be faithful, but need to understand that we can do that by the grace and power of God that He has already provided. All that is required is our act of will, the obedience that comes from love that is inspired by God’s love for us.

This of course applies to me as much as it does to anyone else. I too am tempted to say the right words and leave it at that, instead of following through in full obedience. James clearly says that is just deceiving myself. (James 1:22) I’m all too good at that! I too am tempted to think that since God’s grace covers everything, it doesn’t matter what I do. And the devil certainly does his best to get me to give up, to think and feel that being faithful to God is for nothing. That’s one of the biggest lies ever! As a pastor I am constantly working with others to help them walk as citizens of God’s kingdom, but I must not fail to do so myself. Tomorrow I’m speaking on Citizenship, on our rights, privileges, and responsibilities as citizens of the kingdom of God. I need to let the Holy Spirit reveal that even more to me personally, so that I may live it out as an example and encouragement to others.

Father, thank You for all that You are doing. Thank You that Cathy got out of the hospital yesterday and we were able to attend the concert of a Christian musician friend last night. Thank You for the various things You are doing in this church, both those I am aware of and those I’m not. Thank You for continuing to work on me, to make me a better reflection of Your Son. May all that I say and do indeed draw people to You, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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

Rewards; May 24, 2019

Posted on May 26, 2019 by jgarrott

Colossians 3:23-24 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

It’s important to remember that Paul is specifically addressing slaves here. We may think we have a bad boss, but this leaves us no wiggle room. This is why a dedicated Christian is always going to be the best employee. People will do amazing things if they think the reward is big enough, and we have the biggest reward imaginable awaiting us. The Japanese here specifies, “inherit God’s kingdom.” You can’t get a bigger or better reward than that! Keeping this focus in our lives eliminates all sorts of stresses. If we are consciously serving the Lord Christ in all we do, frustrations and irritations fade into insignificance. When our vision of Christ as high enough, (as I spoke on this past Sunday) doing anything at all for Him becomes joy rather than drudgery. That’s part of the “peace that passes understanding” that Paul talks about in Philippians 4:7. When we get worked up about what others are doing, we need to remember the very next verse here: “Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.” (Colossians 3:25) When we really have it through our hearts and minds that God is our Boss, we can rest, relax, and rejoice, just as He has told me personally to do.

I am in the perhaps enviable position of not having a human “boss,” but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a lot of stuff to do. Not having a human taskmaster, I need to listen all the more carefully to what my Lord is telling me to do. I exist because of Him and for Him, and the better I remember that, the better off I am. Today being my 50th wedding anniversary, I am extremely aware of the incredible rewards and blessings God has prepared for those who love Him. Realizing that I have tasted only the barest hints of them completely blows my mind! Anything on this earth is bearable in comparison. I find myself understanding more and more what it means when it says that Jesus endured the cross “for the joy set before Him.” (Hebrews 12:2) It is a truism, but God is indeed good all the time.

Father, thank You for Your indescribable grace. Thank You for the past 50 years, and for the incredible partner You have given me with whom to get through them and enjoy them. She has been and is indeed “a helper suitable for me.” (Genesis 2:18) Thank You for Your grace in allowing her to get out of the hospital today so that we can spend the day together other than in the hospital. Today is indeed a reward, and a magnificent one. It’s hard to grasp that it will pale in comparison to all that lies ahead. May we receive each moment in gratitude and praise, for Your pleasure and glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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

Christian Living; May 23, 2019

Posted on May 24, 2019 by jgarrott

Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

This whole chapter is really loaded with very good stuff, but it can all be overwhelming at times. This verse provides a very simple rule of thumb that can straighten it all out if we get confused. Is what you are saying or doing something you can do in Jesus’ name? Is it something for which You can thank God, or which will cause others to thank God? It’s amazing how much asking that can cut through the clutter and confusion the world and the devil try to dump on us. In a sense, this is the very definition of being a Christian: living your life in Christ. All of the stuff in this chapter that comes before this verse is good and helpful, but it’s easy to get legalistic about it all. Jesus’ biggest conflicts were with the legalistic scribes and Pharisees! If we are living in harmony with His character – which is what was meant in the 1st Century by doing things in someone’s name – then we will be free from both legalism and from bondage to our physical appetites, such as are mentioned in verse five. And this verse also brings up the matter of gratitude. A word study on giving thanks can be very enlightening. It comes up a great deal, and is a major key for unlocking the abundance God has prepared for us as His children in Christ.

This is easy for me to write and talk about, but I must never forget to apply it in my own life. That is a constant risk for those who are in the position of teaching others. Thankfully, teaching something is one of the best ways of learning it yourself! That’s all well and good when it comes to something like Medical English (which is what I teach in schools) but the truths of the Word are far deeper than intellectual knowledge. I learned a long time ago that having something in my head is not the same as having it in my heart to live it out. I’ve got to be totally honest with myself and with God, rejoicing that He has cleansed and saved me and repenting immediately when I stumble, because I do that. That is living in Jesus’ name and giving thanks to the Father through Him.

Father, thank You for this reminder. It is very, very basic, but I must never think that I am somehow “above” the basics. Help me live out Your Word indeed, leading others to do likewise, so that together we may bear abundant fruit, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Basics; May 22, 2019

Posted on May 24, 2019 by jgarrott

Colossians 2:6-7 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

This chapter is loaded with deep truth, but this simple admonition is what resonates with me right now. One way you could express the message of these two verses is, “Stay the course.” It is amazing how many people fit the unproductive examples in Jesus’ parable of the sower and the seed. (Matthew 13:18-23) We allow any of a wide variety of things to distract us from following through with God’s call on our lives. God calls us first of all to Himself and to life in His kingdom. That means different things for each individual, but the things mentioned here are basic and should be universal. They are, first and foremost, the Lordship of Jesus Christ, which means we are to put down deep roots (going back to Jesus’ parable) and grow up tall, with strong faith, not deviating from the basics of the Gospel, and responding to God’s grace with gratitude. There is no believer to whom those things do not apply, whether your specific assignment is president of a seminary or driving a garbage truck. Just this week I’ve talked with more than one person about how we expect famous people who happen to be Christians to be spiritual giants, when often they are immature and distracted by their very fame. That’s not fair to them, and it is often used by the enemy to mislead others who tend to go by this world’s standards of importance. We keep coming back to James’ admonition to apply the truth we know. (James 1:22) If we will be consistent in doing that, we will be the rich soil of Jesus’ parable, bearing abundant fruit for His glory. (John 15:8)

This is nothing if not practical, and we are in the middle of more training in it, particularly in the area of “overflowing with thankfulness.” It currently looks very unlikely that my wife will get out of the hospital today, as was originally scheduled. That is a major blow to us emotionally, because our 50th wedding anniversary is coming up in two days and we were counting on her being out by then. As I so often tell others, God is more interested in our character than our comfort, and we need to be grateful that He knows better than we do and is always working for our best. He is clearly doing good things in this church, and we need to focus on Him rather than on ourselves. If we will do that, our roots will grow ever deeper and our faith ever stronger, to bear good fruit indeed for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. It’s not easy dealing with emotions and expectations and the like, not to mention the physical wringer Cathy is going through. I pray that today’s tests will be accurate and the doctor’s decisions likewise, cooperating with Your full healing and health for Cathy, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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

Christ in You; May 21, 2019

Posted on May 22, 2019 by jgarrott

Colossians 1:27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

I have heard the last phrase of this verse quoted many times over the years, but I’m not sure even theologians understand it, because it is far above and beyond human logic and understanding. To grasp it, we have to receive direct revelation from God, which is why it is such a mystery. This is different qualitatively from the fact that God is infinite, and so is everywhere and in everything. People who focus on that aspect tend to go all New Age and even animistic, and that certainly doesn’t agree with the Bible. This is what Jesus talked about repeatedly in the Upper Room Discourse and Pastoral Prayer, (John 13-17) which is in defiance of human physics and mathematics and several other disciplines. “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17:20-21) That explicitly includes us, yet it defies human logic. How can we be in the Godhead and the Godhead in us? That’s why Paul calls it a mystery, and why it is so glorious. We don’t yet experience it in fullness, which is why it is the hope of glory, but the tastes we get are utterly magnificent, even if we lack words to express them to others.

I have had a few tastes of this, and I have gotten some pretty blank stares when I’ve tried to tell people about them. I’ve had moments in worship when I was more sure that God was real than that I was real, for example, and I’ve also experienced such intense joy that I thought my physical body might give up and die so that I would go directly to heaven. I’ve read that hallucinogenic mushrooms and drugs like LSD can have similar effects, but those are counterfeit. Even so, I can understand how people could become emotionally addicted to them, wanting more of the experience. I certainly want more of God! This is not something I can make happen even in myself, much less for someone else, but knowing that God desires that sort of a relationship with us is a driving force in my life. “Eternal life” can seem like an abstract idea, but what I have tasted is the opposite of abstract. I want the reality of Christ in me, for me and for everyone else. It is for this that we are saved.

Father, it’s interesting but not accidental to be reminded of this when Cathy is going through so much physically. Thank You that we aren’t defined by the physical. I pray that You would speak this to her spirit, soul, and body right now, filling her with Your peace, so that she may await with joy the manifestation of Your best for her, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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