Knowing God; April 30, 2019

Posted on May 2, 2019 by jgarrott

Ephesians 1:17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

I could easily write on anything from here through the end of the chapter, but since it’s basically all one sentence in Greek, sentence divisions in either English or Japanese don’t line up with verse numbers! The truths of God are all marvelously interconnected, which is why we indeed need “the Spirit of wisdom and revelation” to get it all straight. That’s one of the issues with finite, imperfect man relating to infinite, perfectly holy God. Life in Christ is a constant series of discoveries. That’s one way it is analogous to marriage, except in marriage the discoveries aren’t always good! That’s why one of the great anticipations we can have of heaven is that “I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12) It was precisely because Paul was a very intelligent person, the equivalent of a PhD or more today, that he recognized the limits of merely human understanding. He knew from his own experience that human intellect alone can’t get to God; it takes God’s revelation for us to grasp Him. We are all born with a basic ability to sense, receive, and in a way grasp the love of God, but the world and the devil quickly act to blunt and distort that. One factor is that our imperfect human fathers often do a poor job of expressing Father God to us. That’s why so many people today carry what has been called a “father wound,” needing but lacking an assurance of the Father’s unconditional love. That would can come from simple absence, with so many homes not having a father present, or from lack of discipline, since discipline is an essential expression of love, (Hebrews 12:7-11) or from inappropriate, capricious or even sadistic discipline. Any or all of those can blind us to God’s love, and in such cases special revelation is called for. Thankfully, God can and does provide that. There are countless testimonies of people who have discovered the love of God when they had no reason to believe a father could ever love them. I think that’s what Paul is talking about here. The Holy Spirit will always lead us to Jesus and to the Father, if we will open our hearts to Him.

I was incredibly blessed with a father who loved God and sought to express Him in every area of his life, but he was no more perfect than I am. However, he did a good enough job that most of the revelations I have had of God have been along the lines of, yeah, I knew that, but now I really know that. Even so, I know I always have more to learn, and I also know I have things I need to unlearn, because they aren’t actually true. Ever since I first read it I have loved C. S. Lewis’ statement that one thing we can be sure of about heaven is that we will all discover we were wrong somewhere. That’s why I need to operate in humility at all times, indeed asking for “the Spirit of wisdom and revelation” so that my mind and heart can grow to grasp more of God. As a pastor and teacher I am always seeking to lead others into a deeper knowledge of God, but I must never think that my own knowledge is perfect or even complete. However, I must also not hold back from sharing what I do know, asking the Holy Spirit to make any necessary corrections as it is imparted to others.

Father, thank You indeed for revealing Yourself to Your children. May we all be hungry to know You more and more, opening ourselves up to Your Spirit to be used by You for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Salvation; April 29, 2019

Posted on May 2, 2019 by jgarrott

Ephesians 1:13-14 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

It’s certainly no surprise that Ephesians appears a great deal in the list of readings based on “in Christ.” If Romans might be called the foundation of Paul’s theology, then Ephesians might be called the pinnacle, and there is nothing higher or more glorious than being in Christ, the Son of God. These two verses express how we come to be in Christ: by receiving the Gospel in faith. That’s why we are to share the Gospel: so that as many people as possible may have the opportunity to be in Christ as well. Paul then expresses a major function of the Holy Spirit, one that we sometimes have a cultural barrier to understanding. In Western culture, seals are a rare and specialized thing. When my father went to the US consulate in Fukuoka to create a document giving me permission to get married, (since I was 20 and the age of majority for men was 21, 50 years ago) an embossing seal was affixed, along with some red ribbon. (That’s the origin of the term, red tape, which again, few people really understand today.) It looks very fancy and official, which it is. Japanese culture, on the other hand, still uses carved name stamps a great deal, even though there has been a rather rapid move away from them in the past few years. Paul says the Holy Spirit is such a stamp, a seal (minus the red tape) saying that we are official, and are not to be denied. That official status is as an heir of the Kingdom of God, and that is glorious indeed.

I have loved Ephesians for a long time, and practically every word of it is underlined in my Bible. I was introduced to the idea of the baptism in the Holy Spirit in 1973 and received it in 1974, and have been growing in my knowledge and appreciation of the work of the Holy Spirit ever since. That said, I still have a long way to go! As Paul says a little later in this same letter, what God has done and provided for us is beyond human knowledge. (Ephesians 3:17-19) It gives me great joy and peace to know that I am an heir of the Kingdom, even though I really grasp only a fraction of all that means. As an heir, then, I am to be active in telling others how they too can be-come heirs, because adding more in no way diminishes my share, since God is infinite.

Father, Your salvation really is almost too good to believe. I ask for Your anointing so that more and more people may indeed believe, for their eternal salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Rules; April 28, 2019

Posted on April 29, 2019 by jgarrott

Galatians 5:13 You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.

This is a verse that needs to be preached far and wide! This whole letter is speaking strongly against legalism, but this verse is the counter to keep the pendulum from going too far. There are those who indeed abuse the grace of God, ignoring, condoning, and even promoting various sins of the flesh while proclaiming that they are “better Christians” than those who seek to submit themselves to the way of life that God has laid out as best for us. The degree of ridicule that was heaped on Mike Pence for his personal rule of never being alone with any woman other than his wife was downright astounding. That degree of purity makes those who choose impurity uncomfortable! A major purpose for rules is to provide guidelines. A conscientious parent, not to mention psychologists, will tell you that children will invariably test their boundaries, but they will seldom go far past them. God’s rules aren’t to bind us, they are to protect us from the countless dangers that surround us. John hit the nail on the head when he said, “This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.” (1 John 5:3) As Paul says, we are free. He told the Corinthians, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Corinthians 3:17) However, he also said this to the Galatians, and we need to maintain that balance.

This of course applies to me as much as it does to anyone. I have a personal policy of no alcohol, and the biggest reason for that is that in my position as a teacher and a pastor, many people look to me as an example. I personally have a very high ethanol tolerance (I once tried to get drunk on bourbon and didn’t succeed) but many people don’t. At the same time, I know that someone like me with very high tolerance is more in danger of chemical (as opposed to emotional) addiction, and I certainly want to avoid that. Alcohol is just one of many “pleasures of the flesh” that entice us. Gluttony is a constant danger, and the world today is steeped in sexual temptation. I am to remember and practice what Paul says here, not being legalistic but not being stupid, either. Like Mike Pence, I need to be wise and loving even when ridiculed. As a pastor, I deal constantly with people who have trouble in this area. I am to speak the truth in love, not condemning but not condoning either, always holding out the possibility of repentance and forgiveness, regardless of the sin.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all You are doing on so many levels. We have a very full schedule today. I ask your anointing on the service here, and on the Coaching seminar this afternoon. May the Body of Christ be built up all around, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Differences; April 27, 2019

Posted on April 29, 2019 by jgarrott

Galatians 3:28-29 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

I quote verse 28 as the basis for gender equality every time I do marriage counseling, to tell the husbands that though they are organizationally the head of their household, (Ephesians 5:23) they are not of greater value in the eyes of God, and they are to walk in all respect and humility. However, these days some people are insisting that gender is a social construct, in defiance of science and common sense. That’s not what this is saying at all. This is saying that whatever your situation or condition as far as the world is concerned, if you have been born again in Christ by faith, (John 3:3) you are an equal heir of all the promises of God. That is absolutely huge, but it doesn’t destroy our differences. Paul himself expounded on the importance of differences in 1 Corinthians 12 and elsewhere. Saying that a man is a woman if he feels like it, or vice versa, is denying the very necessary differences God built into us. What Paul is speaking against here is the human tendency to rank everyone by value. It is when we treat differences as indicative of intrinsic value that we get into trouble. Going back to Paul’s discussion in 1 Corinthians 12, “If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.” (1 Corinthians 12:19-20) Unity does not mean uniformity! In the Church we should be celebrating both our unity and our differences, rejoicing in how we supply each other’s needs. That’s how marriage should be, and ultimately, how society as a whole should be. That we aren’t there yet doesn’t mean that we are not to be aiming for that goal. However, the way to get there is not at all to deny that differences exist. Rather, it is to respect each other as being of fully equal value.

Growing up as a Caucasian in Japan, I have always been aware of differences. On my first visit to the US, shortly before turning four, I insisted on speaking Japanese to the first African-American person I met, because to me, anyone with skin darker than my parents’ had to be Japanese. I certainly didn’t consider them to be of any less value. Throughout my life I have met people with a wide variety of abilities and disabilities. I have learned that none of those things make those people any less – or more – human than I am. At the same time, I know that different people have different functions, in society and in the home. I learned very early that I was not my parents! As a pastor, part of my task is to make the believers comfortable in their differences, each supplying what the Lord has given them and rejoicing in the unity of value and purpose that we have in Christ.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for today, and all You have planned in it. There are a wide variety of things to be done. Help me recognize the task at hand and focus fully on it, not being distracted by what is ahead but doing each thing as unto You, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Works of Faith; April 26, 2019

Posted on April 28, 2019 by jgarrott

Galatians 3:5 Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?

It really strikes me that the Galatians, for all their legalism, had still experienced the gifts of the Holy Spirit and miracles. That makes me feel the majority of churches in “developed” countries are formula-based, rather than faith-based. That is, we grant membership if someone says the right words, rather than if they really believe God. Faith is indeed a seed that grows, and we aren’t to demand maturity before baptism, but the question really arises as to whether we actually believe the things we profess. And that applies to pastors as well as to baptismal candidates! My maternal grandfather had a rather dismissive expression for the whole idea of “formula” Christianity: “Into bliss and out of blister.” That is to say, the idea that just saying a few words will get you a ticket to heaven instead of hell. What we say is important, as Paul himself stressed in Romans 10:9-10, but even there, faith is absolutely essential. As was said many years ago about the faith/works controversy, genuine faith works. We don’t earn God’s favor by what we do, but if we believe Him and love Him, we will do what He has said. The question then becomes whether we really believe Him enough to allow Him to do things that our “sophisticated, rational,” minds can’t explain or even comprehend. It is no accident that miracles are far more common in “undeveloped” countries than in wealthy ones. We end up depending on what we can do, instead of on the God who can do anything.

This is a matter of immediate urgency for me. Three and a half years ago my wife had surgery to correct scoliosis that had progressed to the point of putting her into a wheelchair. Yesterday, arrangements were finalized for her to have a second surgery, because the vertebra just above the area that was previously straightened and fused has shifted to the point of causing her intense pain. I am very grateful for good medicine, good hospitals, and good doctors, all of which we have. However, I can’t help noticing the paucity of miracles in my ministry, and I wonder if my faith isn’t badly distorted. Paul’s own experience of physical problems is a clear statement that God isn’t a “miracle vending machine,” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10) but I can’t help feeling I should be seeing far more of the supernatural in my ministry than I am. I need to break out of the fear of embarrassment that holds me back, so that God will be free to do whatever He likes through me, whatever it makes me look like.

Father, thank You for this Word. I feel trite, thanking You for Your grace when my wife is the one who is in pain. Keep me from trying to dictate how You will act, but also keep me from drawing back from any way in which You want to use me for the sake of the Body of Christ and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Life in Christ; April 25, 2019

Posted on April 28, 2019 by jgarrott

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

This is a justly famous verse, so much so that I have heard American Christians use expressions like “220 power” to refer to it. However, even most of the people who quote it don’t really live it out. We hang onto “the life I live in the body” with fierce tenacity, prioritizing the flesh over the spiritual and essentially despising the grace and blessings of God. It’s not that we do it intentionally, it’s that we get distracted and deceived by the devil and the world. We generally don’t need much encouragement to go that direction! Our pilgrimage (a very appropriate word, actually) on this earth is a process of learning more and more to “fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen,” (2 Corinthians 4:18) so that we may truly “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.” (Matthew 6:33) That is what it is to abide in Christ, and let His words abide in us. (John 15:7) That is power indeed!

All of these Scriptures come easily to my mind, for which I am grateful, but that in itself is no guarantee that I’m living them out. My own pilgrimage has been one of allowing the Word to go from my head to my heart, and from there to my hands and feet, and not just to my mouth. I can talk the Christian life until your ears fall off, but that’s not the same thing as my living it out. I’m reminded of the very true saying: “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” When I speak the truth in love, the love needs to be the dominant element, preparing the way for the truth to penetrate. That happens only as I am aware of God’s love for me and how hopeless I am without it, so that I will allow that love to flow through me to the other person. As soon as I focus on myself, that gets distorted. I’m just a cracked clay pot, (2 Corinthians 4:7) and I must never forget it! I should be overwhelmed that God would choose to use even such as I am to do His work for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the texts that came in in the middle of it, allowing me to express your love to someone who feels very isolated and alone. I indeed pray that they would discover the joy of taking their eyes off of themselves and fixing them on Jesus, allowing You to fill them with Your presence and use them for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Accurate Ministry; April 24, 2019

Posted on April 27, 2019 by jgarrott

2 Corinthians 13:11 Finally, brothers, good-bye. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

Several differences in translation caught my eye about this verse. In Japanese it says, “Finally, brothers, rejoice. Become perfect. Receive comfort. Be of one heart. Maintain peace. If you do that, the God of love and peace will be with you.” I’m particularly struck by the NIV saying, “good-by,” and the Japanese saying, “rejoice.” It really makes me wonder what Paul actually said. Sometimes, someone leaving (or shutting up) does make us happy! Also, “listen to my appeal” seems quite different from “be comforted.” Actually, whatever way you translate it, this verse fits in with the fact that Paul has said some pretty strong things in this letter, but it is all out of the love he feels toward the recipients. We get the mistaken idea that being loving keeps us from being firm, when that isn’t the case at all. We have the expression, “tough love,” but often we don’t get that right. Sometimes our “toughness” is just being self-centered, and sometimes our “love” is just taking the easy way out. We too need to aim for perfection, recognizing that we aren’t there yet, and strive to let the Holy Spirit be in control of our words and our actions. We need to remember that God is indeed “the God of love and peace,” but our perception of both of those things is often distorted.

My use of this chapter has been focused on the benediction in verse 14, which I quote or paraphrase very frequently. I’ve got to remember that the things mentioned there – the grace of Jesus, the love of the Father, and the fellowship of the Spirit – are my goals for each person I interact with. I need to remember that I can’t do any of that in my own strength and wisdom, and so walk in grateful humility. God does impart His wisdom to those who ask, (James 1:5) and His power does operate through His children, (1 Corinthians 15:10) but that’s all His doing and I cannot be presumptuous. I need to remember that verse 11 applies as much to me as it does to those to whom I minister.

Father, thank You for this reminder. When I am struck by the imperfection of others, help me remember my own! May I be an open channel of Your grace, love, and fellowship to all, so that together we may indeed be knit into the Body of Christ, bringing Your kingdom to this earth as we do Your will, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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God’s Power; April 23, 2019

Posted on April 27, 2019 by jgarrott

2 Corinthians 12:8-9 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

This passage is well known, but I think very few people actually live it out. We are so in love with the idea of being strong, of being able to do things by ourselves. Paul wasn’t a believer at the time and didn’t hear it, but just before His crucifixion Jesus said plainly, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) We don’t like that! Paul had to be put through something of a wringer to get it through his head, and I don’t think we’re any better. We have such trouble grasping the infinite, perfect, power and wisdom of God. However, the better we do grasp it, the more we are able to allow that power and wisdom to flow through us, instead of getting in the way. We tend to set conditions, to try to bargain with God, but that is absurd on the face of it. We need to say, “OK God, You do Your will in and through me, and I’ll do my best to tag along and not get in the way.” That’s the attitude Paul was talking about when he said he would “boast of his weaknesses.” There have been many “broken vessels” throughout Church history who have been mightily used by God, but there have actually been many more who had to be broken because of their pride and never really recovered. That is tragic. We need to strive to grasp this truth before we bring tragedy on ourselves and those around us.

This hits very close to home because of how I have struggled with pride over the years. I am frequently reminded of how many years it took to really grasp that it’s not that God’s smarter than I am, it’s that God’s smart and I’m not. The suite of abilities He’s given me are his, not mine, and trying to use them on my own never ends well. As a pastor, I am currently dealing with someone who has run full tilt into their own weakness, and can’t seem to get over it. They still haven’t grasped that God wants to use their weakness as a channel of His power to bless many. My own wife is a marvel to many for all that she does, but right now she is actually looking forward to her second back surgery (that just got scheduled) in the hope that it will eliminate her current severe pain. I don’t think she was proud as such, but she has always been an “over-performer,” usually on behalf of others, and now she is having to let others do for her. It’s not something she takes to easily! In both of those cases I’ve got to remember that I’m not “Mr. Fix-it,” as I would like to be, but that God is capable of using even me if I will be yielded to Him. God’s grace is indeed sufficient for us all!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You that we were able to get the surgery scheduled yesterday. I ask Your special grace for Cathy in the two weeks until it takes place. We have a busy schedule through the end of this month. I pray for wisdom and peace for us both, in dealing with her situation and in dealing with all the other situations around us as well, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Spiritual Warfare; April 22, 2019

Posted on April 24, 2019 by jgarrott

2 Corinthians 10:3-4 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

Life is a battle, whether we recognize it or not. Satan is spoken of as “your enemy the devil,” (1 Peter 5:8) and Jesus said he “comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” (John 10:10) That certainly calls for us to be battle-ready! However, as Paul says here, the weapons God has provided for us are up to the job, if we will use them. The issue then becomes recognizing what our weapons are and learning to use them effectively. The most explicitly stated is the Bible, the Word of God. (Ephesians 6:17) We need to get it into our hearts and minds to allow the Holy Spirit to bring it up whenever and however necessary. There are various stories of people’s lives being saved by bullets being stopped by a Bible in their pocket, but that’s not what this is. This is getting the content of the Word into us so that it can come out again as called for. However, Scripture isn’t our only weapon. Even in that famous passage in Ephesians it speaks of “Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” (Ephesians 6:18) Prayer, and specifically prayer guided by the Holy Spirit, is a weapon. That’s not limited to prayer in tongues; He can guide prayer in any language, but we need to allow Him to do so. I think most of us recognize those two weapons, but there are more that I think get overlooked, specifically, forgiveness and blessing. It is amazing what forgiving someone can accomplish! Often it is the key, and the only key, to demolishing demonic strongholds, just as Paul speaks of here. I couldn’t count the number of “works of the devil” I have seen torn down by forgiveness. However, to operate in forgiveness we have to recognize how much God has forgiven us. Pride totally “dulls the edge” of forgiveness. The other weapon is blessing. Proverbs says, “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.” (Proverbs 25:21-22) I have seen amazing things happen from words and acts of blessing. We will see unimagined victories if we will recognize and use all the weapons God has provided for us.

I am by nature a rather non-combative person. I was almost court martialed in basic training in the army when I wrote and gave a dramatic performance of a distinctly anti-war poem in a post-wide talent show. (This was in 1970.) However, I have had to learn that the fight comes to me, even though I’m not looking for a fight. For quite a few years one of my “theme verses” has been something Jesus said just before His crucifixion: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) That “trouble” can be pitched battle, but in Christ, I am always on the winning side. At the same time I know that I cannot take things for granted. The full quote of what Peter said that I mentioned earlier is, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” (1 Peter 5:8-9) The battle is no joke! As James said, resisting the devil requires first submitting to God. (James 4:7)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for Your presence in the battles that currently involve me. I am not alone! I ask for wisdom and anointing in the specific interactions I will have today, that all the weapons You provide may be used effectively, for the deliverance of Your children and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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The Meaning of Easter; April 21, 2019

Posted on April 23, 2019 by jgarrott

2 Corinthians 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

What a marvelous passage for Easter! Actually, the message of Easter is throughout the New Testament, because it is absolutely central to the Gospel, as I will be preaching this morning. This verse describes what happened spiritually at the cross. At the time, Jesus was the only one who was aware of what was going on, but He considered going through all that agony to be worthwhile to accomplish this. What love! Everything about God’s plan of salvation is amazing, when you think about it. We sing, Amazing Grace, but it was also amazing love and even amazing wisdom. God knew that nothing less would be sufficient to deal with the sin of mankind, so He was willing to do what was necessary. We don’t really grasp that very well. We don’t grasp how utterly sinful it is that we ignore our Creator and move out on our own. We were created for fellowship with Him, and yet we turn our backs on Him and fail to fulfill the purpose for which we were created. If a human inventor makes something that doesn’t do what he intended, he destroys it, or at least abandons it. God didn’t do that, but rather gave of Himself to redeem us, to restore us to the purpose for which He created us. That He would go so far to do that is really beyond human comprehension. The more we grasp it, the greater our praise, gratitude, and obedience. When we fall short in any of those areas – and we all do, all too often – it is a demonstration of our lack of appreciation for what went on at Calvary. Today we celebrate the full follow-through, that Jesus rose from the death He died in our place, showing that in Him we too have eternal life. If that doesn’t fill you with joy, nothing will! Going back to this verse, believers are positionally the righteousness of God, but that is still being worked out in this life, and will be completed when we stand before Him. We aren’t to despair at our failures, but know that the cross was sufficient for those too, repenting of those sins and receiving God’s full forgiveness and cleansing. (1 John 1:9)

I have as much need to meditate on the cross as anyone. Lee Grady just wrote a beautiful piece for Charisma about how Jesus was fulfilling Psalm 22 on the cross, and since He quoted the first verse of it, (Matthew 27:46) was probably thinking about it the whole time. I would do well to meditate on not just that Psalm but on all the implications of what Christ did for me personally, not just dismissing it as abstract theology. It is too easy for preachers to forget that the messages they preach are for them, too, and not just for their congregations! I too need to walk constantly in praise, gratitude, and obedience, because my Lord is worthy of nothing less.

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for the computer crashes that have caused me to write parts of it multiple times. That helps cement it in my heart and mind! May I indeed live it out, and communicate it effectively to others as well, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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