Condemnation; March 27, 2019

Posted on April 3, 2019 by jgarrott

Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

This is an extremely important verse, particularly in light of all that follows. It would be easy to read Paul’s description of our position in Christ and think, “I’m not like that.” If we actually need to repent of something that’s one thing, but the devil likes to accuse us (after all, that’s what his name means) of things that have no real basis in fact. We are indeed in Christ if we receive His forgiveness and salvation by faith, but the devil loves to insist that we are not. We must not forget, he’s a liar! What we need to do, when we read such packed passages as Romans 8 (and actually, any Bible passage) is to ask the Holy Spirit to open our mind and heart so that we can grasp what He is saying to us and receive it. Sometimes reading the Bible rightly brings conviction and repentance, but repentance always brings forgiveness and cleansing, (1 John 1:9) and that is joyful indeed. The devil wants to rob us of that joy, because he only comes to steal, kill, and destroy, (John 10:10) but he has no power to do that if we are submitted to God, (James 4:7) so that is what we need to do. After all, that could be said to be a description of what it is to be in Christ Jesus!

This naturally applies as much to me as it does to anyone, and it is also a vitally important truth for me to communicate as a pastor. I have dealt with far too many Christians who labored under condemnation! Actually, many of those were basically unwilling to repent, and realizing that, instead of genuinely humbling themselves to repent, they just condemned themselves. That is tragic! Actually, there are linguistic problems to expressing this issue in Japanese, so I’ve got to have the wisdom and anointing of the Holy Spirit in doing so. I can think of several people right now who need to get this straight in their mind and heart, so I have my work cut out for me. I’m never to give up, but neither am I to strive in my own strength. I can’t get these truths across on my own, but the Holy Spirit can use me to get it done, so my job is to stay available and responsive.

Father, thank You for this reminder. You know who came to mind as I wrote, and I ask You to reveal this truth to them, whether You use me in the process or not. May we as a church walk in all that it means to be in Christ Jesus, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Union with Christ; March 26, 2019

Posted on April 3, 2019 by jgarrott

Romans 7:4 So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God.

By current standards this verse would be considered PG13, at least, and many adults would be uncomfortable with it as well. We have made sex to be “attractively dirty,” and have trouble considering it as something spiritual at all. Frankly, I think that is to our great loss. We lower it to the level of animals, and that deprives us of some of the most beautiful imagery in the Bible. Here, this is also something of a “gender bender,” because it speaks of believers of either gender “bearing fruit” (birthing children) for God. Even secular psychologists tell us that sex has a strong emotional component, and treating it lightly can cause severe emotional damage. Paul goes even further, speaking of spiritual unity in sex, even if it’s with a prostitute. (1 Corinthians 6:15) That’s pretty extreme! Today, someone having only one partner throughout life is the exception rather than the rule, and that is a very sad state of affairs. Sometimes it takes a special revelation from God for us to grasp the reality of our “union” with Christ. Even talking about it feels awkward! However, God designed us so that the marital relationship can teach us a great deal about our relationship with Him, if we will allow it to do so.

This naturally applies to me as much as it does to anyone else. I have been enormously blessed with a good marriage, and we celebrate our 50th anniversary this year. That has given me a lot of appreciation for this spiritual truth. My wife and I are not only united physically, but spiritually to a degree that I could not have imagined 50 years ago. Over those years we have also grown in our unity with our Lord. I’m very grateful that there’s no such thing as “spiritual menopause;” we can keep having spiritual children as long as we are on this earth. Medical reasons have limited us to two physical children, but we have many more spiritual children and pray to keep growing the family! However, just as with physical children, “it takes two to tango;” I cannot generate spiritual children on my own. I’ve got to “stay intimate” with my Lord if I’m going to keep “bearing fruit” for Him.

Father, thank You for this glorious reality. It’s hard to write about, even for me! I do pray that I would be able to draw ever closer to You, so that our union may produce the fruit that You intend, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Salvation; March 25, 2019

Posted on April 2, 2019 by jgarrott

Romans 3:22-24 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Verse 23 is one of the “proof text” verses many Christians have memorized as part of the “Roman Road” of evangelism/salvation. That’s not bad, but we always need to read Scripture in context, so I’m glad the NIV doesn’t use verse numbers as sentence divisions. (The Japanese puts a period at the end of 22, but 23 and 24 are part of the same sentence, so 23 by itself leaves you hanging.) Verse 23 is a statement of our guilt, and that is indeed important. If we don’t understand we need salvation, we aren’t going to receive it. However, Paul’s point is much bigger than that. In verse 22 he says, “There is no difference.” The Japanese is even more specific: “There is no discrimination.” Racial discrimination has been a problem with mankind at least as far back as recorded history. In the early Church, the whole question of whether Gentiles were even eligible for salvation was a major issue that God had to deal with rather dramatically, first with Peter individually (Acts 10) and then with two major Church Councils. (Acts 11 and 15) Paul was in a sense the instigator of the second of those Councils, so there neither was nor is any question of his position on the issue. Here, verse 23 gives the diagnosis, but verse 24 gives the remedy, and that is justification by faith. We tend to choke on that word, taking it as theological and difficult, but it actually is much more common than we think. Legally speaking, we speak of “justifiable homicide” in the case of killing someone in self defense. Many years ago I heard justification, as in this verse, explained as “just-as-if-I’d never sinned.” That may not cut it with your English teacher, (and I am one) but it’s not a bad explanation in terms of the spiritual reality of salvation. Paul’s point, that every human being needs to grasp, is that absolutely everyone is in need of salvation, and it is equally available to us all through faith in Jesus Christ. The first half of that might sound like bad news, but it’s just recognizing reality. The second half is Good News indeed, which is why it’s called the Gospel.

I have perhaps more understanding of this than many people, because at one point I had the stupidity to feel that my pedigree made me “more eligible” for salvation than others. NO! There is NO DIFFERENCE. I am just as much in need of God’s grace as a mass murderer. I am thankful that God has kept me from being a mass murderer or anything similar, and I am grateful for my spiritual heritage, but the absolute purity of God means that the slightest sin disqualifies us completely from being united with Him. That’s why Jesus had to die on the cross for me, to cleanse me from all my sin. And He has given me understanding that the cross is enough to atone for any sin, even mass murder. Repentance is painful to our pride, but it is absolutely glorious, because it opens us up to all that God has done for us in Christ Jesus. That is my message, and I am to proclaim it far and wide.

Father, thank You for this powerful reminder. We have seen many people on this trip, and all of them have been in need of repentance in some way – and that includes us! I ask Your grace and mercy for us all, that the tricks and traps of the devil may be defeated and we all walk in the completed work of Christ, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Righteousness; March 24, 2019

Posted on April 2, 2019 by jgarrott

Romans 1:17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

Here Paul is stating the overarching theme of the whole letter to the Romans. There is obviously a little difficulty in translating one expression in this verse. Where the NIV says “by faith from first to last,” and gives “from faith to faith” as an alternate translation in a footnote, the Japanese says, “starts in faith and continues in faith.” We are never more at risk to the devil’s wiles than when our faith wavers, not so much in strength as in what we are trusting. When we are walking in total dependence on God, we are righteous indeed. However, as soon as we think, “I’ve got this,” we are in grave danger, as Paul pointed out to the Corinthians. (1 Corinthians 10:12) We also tend to trust things like organizations, or even our own pedigree. I was hardly righteous when I thought I was in good shape because my parents were missionaries. We can’t depend on the faith of someone else, no matter how connected to them we might be. However, when our faith really is in Jesus Christ the Lord, we are made to be the very righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21) This really is a very deep subject, which is why Romans is the most “theological” of Paul’s letters. In the process, Paul recorded some of the most glorious truths in the whole Bible, giving shape to the foundation of our faith, and we have every reason to be deeply grateful.

I’m not sure I would say Romans is my favorite book in the New Testament, but it’s certainly not at the bottom of the list! Romans 8 is Cathy’s favorite chapter in the whole Bible. As I read Romans, and specifically, read portions of it each day for the next several days, I need to focus on what God is saying to me personally now, not relying on past insight or “standard interpretation.” I am not to put my faith in the words themselves, but in the Lord who speaks them to me. That can be a tricky point at times. I am to walk in the obedience that comes from love, (John 14:15) knowing that my righteousness comes not from what I do but from the One whom I serve, so that He may receive all the glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. It’s a very basic point, but if the foundation is weak, everything can crumble. Help me indeed walk in obedient trust all the time, taking my eyes off of myself and keeping them on Jesus, (Hebrews 12:2) so that I may not be deceived by the devil or anything else. Thank You. Praise God!

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The Fear of the Lord; March 23, 2019

Posted on April 1, 2019 by jgarrott

Acts 26:17-18 “‘I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'”

How glorious can you get? This is the commission of every missionary, yet so few accept it. Actually, it is the commission of every believer! We fail to grasp the reality of what it means to be a witness of Jesus Christ, (Acts 1:8) and so fail to make disciples as Jesus told us to do. (Matthew 28:18-20) As a result, we fail to be genuine disciples ourselves, going along for the ride instead of actively participating in the process. I think a major part of the problem is that we fail to understand what it means to be “under the power of Satan,” and that apart from Christ, that is exactly where we and everyone else is. We can’t understand salvation if we don’t understand damnation. There’s an old fashioned word for you! We have lost a great deal as the devil has worked to eliminate it from our vocabulary. I’m reminded of a story I read recently of someone who prayed the Lord’s Prayer as they were dying, and at first found themselves in hell, before Jesus called them up to heaven and subsequently sent them back to earth. They reported that it was pitch black, and they heard horrible, agonized screams. They said, “Where am I?” and a voice replied, “Where do you think? This is hell.” The devil has mounted a full-force campaign to make us think that hell is a fiction, because he doesn’t want the fear of hell to drive anyone to God. As long as we think the worst that can happen to us is “the lights going out,” we aren’t going to have much incentive to deny the lusts of the flesh. (1 John 2:16) Without the fear of God we are total idiots, as we and everyone around us proves every day. (Proverbs 1:7) This is also behind the devil’s push to destroy discipline as a concept in raising children. When parents can literally be arrested for spanking their children, those children lose all sense of accountability, and that is exactly what the devil wants. Legalism is not the answer, and we are indeed saved by grace and not by works, (Ephesians 2:8-9) but without the awareness of right and wrong, we are hopeless.

This has been an issue all my life, and I think it is for everyone. I was incredibly blessed to have strongly believing parents who did their best to raise us in the fear and love of the Lord, but that lesson didn’t “take” perfectly, as I don’t think it does for anyone. I had plenty of love, but not enough fear! It took me a long time to understand that genuine love for Him requires obedience. (John 14:15) As a pastor and missionary I seek to raise up disciples for Jesus, but they all have the same struggle. Sometimes it takes a close encounter with the consequences of disobedience – depression, disease, or a host of other things – before people wake up to just how amazing God’s grace is. I am not to put people down, and I am always to speak a message of hope, but I must not sugar-coat the consequences of our turning our backs on God. I see people all around me, people I love and care about deeply, completely ignoring God in their daily lives, and I can only pray God’s mercy on them.

Father, thank You for allowing us to make this trip, and for Your guidance and support in it. It has grieved me to see how few people give You any priority in their lives, even though they may profess love for You. I do ask Your grace and mercy on us all, so that as many as possible may escape the clutches of the devil and come into Your life indeed, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Speaking Truth; March 22, 2019

Posted on April 1, 2019 by jgarrott

Acts 24:25 As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.”

This has always seemed a little amusing to me, if it weren’t so serious. Many, many people have Felix’s response to hearing the Gospel. Paul wasn’t preaching “your best life now,” he was telling it like it really is, that we are accountable before God for everything we say and do, and it is only by faith in His grace, through the cross of Christ, that we have any hope at all. Frankly, I don’t think the Gospel gets presented that way very often. However, Paul was so committed to God’s truth that he could only speak the truth in love, whatever the consequences to himself. He demonstrated earlier in the chapter that he could be just as smooth a talker as the “district attorney” who was accusing him, but he wasn’t going to say anything that was less than the truth, even to get himself out of a really tight spot. If he had buttered Felix up, instead of confronting him with his need for repentance and faith, he might well have been released. However, the years of his imprisonment that followed allowed him to write the letters that form half of the New Testament, and all mankind has been blessed. He had already written some of those letters, but some of them could not be written, as far as he was concerned, until he had gone through more. Here he gives us a perfect example of “speaking truth to power.” We need to follow his example, even if the consequences to us are the same as they were to him.

Of course this applies to me as much as it does to anyone else. I am not to offend needlessly, but I am certainly not to hold back from anything the Lord is saying because of a fear of offending. I have done that far too many times! I am not to be needlessly confrontational, but I must overcome my fear of man that makes me draw back from conflict. I am to allow the Holy Spirit full control of my mouth, whether I am speaking English or Japanese, and not just when I’m speaking in tongues. I must not value people liking me more than I value their eternal salvation!

Father, thank You for this reminder, particularly as the next 48 hours will be packed with personal interactions. I pray that my words would be gracious and “seasoned with salt,” (Colossians 4:6) blessing my hearers and also challenging them to draw close to You, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Serving God; March 21, 2019

Posted on March 31, 2019 by jgarrott

Acts 21:13 Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

Some see this as Paul stubbornly seeking martyrdom, but I can’t be at peace with that idea. As I see it, God had given Paul assurance of what He wanted him to do, and then He spoke through Agabus and others to test Paul’s obedience. Martyrdom wasn’t Paul’s goal, but it wasn’t something he shied away from. His commitment to Christ was complete, body, soul, and spirit, and he considered that what happened to him was God’s business, so long as he was being obedient. Having already been stoned to death once (Acts 14:19-20, 1 Corinthians 12:2-4) and seeing heaven for himself, he had no hesitation to return! That said, his goal wasn’t heaven itself, but rather to serve God. (Philippians 1:20-24) The Japanese have a term they use for what in English we call “commitment to full-time Christian service.” That term is kenshin, meaning to give your body, just as you would give money for an offering. I like the term, but I feel it’s something every believer should do, not just those God wants to be “professional Christians.” God has different jobs for each of us, but He wants each of us to be fully committed, dedicated, to Him. Our job description as far as the world is concerned could be just about anything at all, if we are morally and ethically upright. Paul was an apostle, but he was also a tent maker, which is a fairly mundane occupation. We are to be committed to Christ as he was, considering that every part of our life and being belongs to Him.

Of course this applies to me as much as it does to anyone else. God has gifted and called me as a teacher, but that doesn’t make me any better than anyone else, it just makes the rules a bit stricter for me. (James 3:1) I want to be as much of an example as Paul was, and that is a high bar indeed. I take great comfort in knowing that he was fully aware of his own imperfections, as I am. (Philippians 4:1) There are moments when I would be delighted if God would take me home to Himself, but like Paul, I know He still has work for me to do here. (Philippians 1:22-26) I am not to try to dictate to Him, to be in control, but rather rest, relax, and rejoice in Him, just as He has told me to do. This trip is a real test of that, because the total lack of routine keeps me somewhat on edge, but again as Paul said, I can do it through Christ who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13)

Father, thank You for this reminder. This morning I was hit with the strong desire to be back in Omura, but the wedding which is the purpose of this whole trip is in two more days. What I am going through is a far cry from martyrdom! Help me fully receive the lessons You are teaching me so that I will grow as You intend, blessing those around me in the process, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Trusting God; March 20, 2019

Posted on March 30, 2019 by jgarrott

Acts 20:32 “Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”

This is how Paul was able to move on from place to place. It wasn’t that he was abdicating responsibility, he was trusting God with those to whom he had ministered. That can be a difficult call at times. Some evangelists indeed seem to care nothing about follow-up with those who “make decisions” in their services, but that’s not how Paul was. His letters show that he was deeply concerned for and about those who had come to the Lord, but as he says here, he knew that God in His grace was more than able to take care of them. It is significant that he specifies “the word of His grace,” that is, Scripture, since his own letters came to be acknowledged as fitting into that category. We aren’t in the same situation of literally writing the Bible, but we can follow up with written encouragement and admonitions of various sorts. However, the focus must always be on God and what He says. It’s not that we are to worship the Bible, forgetting the Holy Spirit who is the Author, but we are to keep it as the standard, both for ourselves and for those to whom we minister. Much of our anxiety comes from trying to be in control, effectively putting ourselves in God’s place. Just writing it out like that makes it clear how absurd it is, but we have a persistent tendency to think everything depends on us, and even want it to, for the sake of our own importance. That attitude requires repentance! God is God, and He guards and guides His children.

This is of extreme relevance to me, since I am away from my congregation for three weeks and I am concerned for my successor. The Lord has shown Himself faithful already in this period of my absence, and He is going to continue to do so even when I am gone from this earth. My task is to train the believers in feeding on the Word themselves, not depending on being spoon-fed in the services but growing in their personal relationship with God. I am to keep myself personally faithful, listening obediently to the Holy Spirit and trusting God with absolutely everything else, because He’s smart and I’m not, He’s powerful and I’m not.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for how You have been demonstrating Your faithfulness throughout this trip. I pray that Your perfect will may be done in every detail, both here and in Omura, so that Your kingdom may indeed come, for the salvation of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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The Holy Spirit; March 19, 2019

Posted on March 30, 2019 by jgarrott

Acts 19:2 [He] asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”
They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

This section of Acts 19 is something I heard discussed a great deal when I was first introduced to the Charismatic Movement back in the ’70s. However, the Japanese puts a different slant on this verse than the NIV does. Where the NIV says, “We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit,” the Japanese says, “We have not heard that the/a Holy Spirit is given.” (Japanese doesn’t have articles, so the question of “the” or “a” remains.) Given the standard baptismal formula of “In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” I would think there wouldn’t be any Christians today who haven’t heard that the Holy Spirit exists, but many seem to be ignorant of the Biblical reality that He is given to believers to abide with and infill them. That is tragic. It should be obvious to any earnest believer that we can’t live in full obedience to God in our own strength. That’s why Jesus so famously said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be My witnesses.” (Acts 1:8) We tend to focus on the gifts the Holy Spirit gives, as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12 and elsewhere, but the fundamental purpose of the Holy Spirit being given to believers is to enable them to live as God’s children, rather than “merely human.” (John 1:12-13, 1 Corinthians 3:3) There are many people who essentially give up trying to obey the Bible because humanly speaking, we can’t do it. That’s why Peter said so forcefully, “Why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear?” (Acts 15:10) Jesus told us to “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) Anyone with half a grain of self-awareness knows they can’t do it! Even Paul famously acknowledged that reality. (Philippians 3:12-14) However, the Holy Spirit, as part of the Trinity, is indeed perfect, and the more we allow Him to fill and motivate us, the more we will be like Jesus, accurately expressing and doing the Father’s will.

My own experience of the baptism in the Holy Spirit was delayed because I was distracted by all I had heard about the gifts, and specifically the gift of tongues. It was only when I let go of my preconceptions that I was able to receive. I have since then experienced all the gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12, but I have learned that being filled with the Holy Spirit is more fundamental than any gift. Just yesterday we were with a friend who, to her knowledge, has never spoken in tongues, yet who is radiantly filled with the presence of God. That’s what God is after. Spiritual gifts are useful tools, but they are no more than that, and are never ends in themselves. They are certainly not “merit badges!” I desire that all to whom I minister would be filled with the Holy Spirit, not just to “get happy,” though it is certainly a joyous thing, but so that they would be able to deal with all of the many frustrations of life, as radiant witnesses of the power of God.

Father, thank You for this clear reminder. Help me operate more and more in the flow of Your Spirit, and help me guide others to do likewise, so that in all things Your Name may be hallowed and Your kingdom come as Your will is done, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Women in Ministry; March 18, 2019

Posted on March 25, 2019 by jgarrott

Acts 18:26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.

On this trip I was talking with someone about the issue of women in ministry, and this very passage came to mind. Some people reference such passages as 1 Corinthians 11:1-16 and insist that women are never to teach men, or even a mixed group. However, we also have this passage. What came to me as I was sharing with my friend (a woman, by the way) is that when this couple is referenced, the wife is always given priority. It’s not “Aquilla and Priscilla,” but “Priscilla and Aquilla.” (In Acts 18:2 Aquilla is mentioned first, but that is a result of the narrative. In verse 18 of the same chapter, and from then on, Priscilla comes first, including in Romans 16:3. The one exception is in the greetings conveyed in 1 Corinthians 16:19.) This isn’t a minor thing, because they were given the task by God of teaching Apollos, who became a major Bible teacher and someone Paul referenced in 1 Corinthians 3. If women are never to teach men, that would be entirely out of line. It is my personal conviction that men are indeed to have the headship in the home, as Paul discusses in Ephesians 5, and by extension it is very natural for them to be in leadership otherwise, but that excluding women is putting God into a box He hasn’t chosen. Our focus is to be on God and listening obediently to Him, whatever vessel He chooses to use.

This is very close to my family, because my grandfather, W. O. Carver, was a champion of women, building a training school for them at a time when they were not allowed to enroll in theological seminaries. It has since been absorbed into the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, but for a considerable period of time over half of the Southern Baptist foreign missionaries were graduates of that school, either as single missionaries or as missionary wives. With recent swings in church politics, my grandfather’s name and portrait were removed from the school, but I leave that in God’s hands. The point is, God will use any submitted, committed vessel, and we are to let Him be Lord.

Father, this isn’t an issue I worry about most of the time, but I thank You for bringing this passage to mind the other day. Thank You for all those who are committed to You, and for Your grace in using us. May men and women alike revere Your name as holy and serve as agents of Your kingdom by doing Your will fully, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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