Conflict; January 26, 2019

Posted on January 29, 2019 by jgarrott

Matthew 22:46 No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on on one dared to ask him any more questions.

I would imagine the disciples got a huge kick out of this. Verse 34 says that He had “silenced the Sadducees,” and here He has taken care of the Pharisees as well. However, I really think this incident was one of the motives behind Jesus’ arrest, flogging, and crucifixion. Human beings are all too prone to resort to violence when they don’t have logic or truth on their side. We certainly see that today, in very sad abundance. Japanese has an expression that translates as “violent words.” In America today, you can’t turn on the news without being flooded with such, and often the violence doesn’t stop with words. We must be careful to respond as children of God, and not go on the attack ourselves. That’s not to say that we are to be foolish, or that we are not to defend ourselves, but it is to say that that we must remember that God is our fortress, and not get all anxious and defensive. We are to speak the truth in love, not trying to “make points” as such, but praying that the truth will penetrate and set people free. (John 8:32)

I am all too familiar with using words as weapons, because I did it myself when I felt inferior as a child because of my lack of athletic ability. Pride of intellect doesn’t ultimately do anybody any good. As an adult, and particularly as a teacher and pastor, I have learned the damage my words can cause, even when damage isn’t intended. It is much like a parent, whose words have enormous power in their children’s lives, for either good or bad. I have both built people up and torn people down with my words, and I must keep close watch on them. James talks about the irony of both good and evil coming out of our mouths. (James 3:9-10) My mouth should be a spring of life-giving water, not of brine. I have never liked conflict, but I have had to learn the hard way that conflict avoidance does not lead to conflict resolution. I am indeed to speak the truth in love, but I am also to allow the Holy Spirit to control when I speak and when I remain silent. I am all too prone to speak whether it is appropriate or not!

Father, thank You that You are continuing to train and grow me. Thank You that I have more control than I used to over the impulse to just say something. May I not run from conflict any more than Jesus did, but rather speak and act in total obedience to You, so that Your name may be acknowledged as holy and Your kingdom come as Your will is done, for Your glory alone. Thank You. Praise God!

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Speaking for God; January 25, 2019

Posted on January 28, 2019 by jgarrott

Matthew 17:5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”

Here we have a repeat of the Father’s pronouncement at Jesus’ baptism. (Matthew 3:1-17) However, here He adds something: “Listen to Him.” Rather than continuing to speak from a cloud, the Father makes it clear that Jesus is His mouthpiece. Likewise, when Jesus was about to be crucified, He told His disciples, “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.” (John 16:12-13) In other words, the Trinity is in complete unity when it comes to what to say. When we listen to the Holy Spirit we are listening to Jesus and to the Father as well. It is a major step down, but believers are also to speak what God is saying. That is what prophecy is all about, but this certainly isn’t limited to what we think of as prophecy. We are to express God’s character and His will in all that we say. That’s why Paul said, “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.” (Ephesians 5:3-4) Even some ministers today fall into speech patterns like that, thinking they are being “more relatable.” Peter made it clear that the way we speak should be appropriate for God’s representatives. (1 Peter 4:11) God often chooses to speak through human instruments, but when He uses us, it shouldn’t have to be drastically different from how we speak all the time.

I have had many times of realizing God was speaking through me, and sometimes He has done so when I wasn’t even aware of it. I remember a time a Japanese pastor spoke to me and thanked me for something I had said to him years previous, because it had completely shaped his ministry for the better. I didn’t remember ever having done so! Of course when I speak from the pulpit I seek to be an open conduit, accurately transmitting whatever God wants to say, but my focus must not be limited to such formal occasions. Just yesterday someone was pouring out their frustrations to me by texting, and I felt led to respond simply by texting them that their value was not defined by the person who was frustrating them. They might have taken that as a complete non sequitur, I don’t know, but I believe it was God’s word to them. I know full well that when I speak out of my own heart and mind that there’s nothing special about it, so I am never to be proud or presumptuous about God sometimes speaking through me. Rather, I am to seek His help to live in such a way that I am available to Him at all times, for either speech or action, to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8) and otherwise do His will, for His glory.

Father, thank You for the incredible privilege of speaking and acting as Your agent. Help my whole life be appropriate to that, so that I may not be deceived and so that You alone may be glorified. Thank You. Praise God!

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Opposition; January 24, 2019

Posted on January 28, 2019 by jgarrott

Matthew 11:1 After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.

I think the NIV translators did their readers a real disservice here by saying, “in the towns of Galilee,” when in a footnote they do say, “Greek in their towns” Thankfully the Japanese sticks with the Greek, because I think it’s significant. The context of this verse is extremely important, and the Japanese picks that up better, too, using “cautioning in this way” instead of “instructing.” Chapter 10 is all about how Jesus sent out the 12, and the content is worthy of an entire seminary course, in my opinion. He told them all about how they would run into trouble with their own families, and even be arrested, but that God would be with them. It was specifically on that basis that He then went to teach in their towns. I’m sure there were several disciples, if not all of them, who were pretty nervous about that. He was going to make waves, and they might get caught in the undertow! It was in this context that John the Baptist’s disciples showed up. He of course had been imprisoned, and would shortly be killed, for failing to be politically correct in speaking the truth. That was a graphic example of the opposition the disciples too would face over the years of their ministry. We tend to hang back at the prospect of backlash, but Jesus had no such hesitation. We need to remember that the disciples were mostly from right around where Jesus Himself was raised, and people had already threatened to kill Him in His own “home town.” (Luke 4:14-30) It is generally far easier to proclaim truth to strangers than to those close to us, but Jesus makes it clear that we aren’t to back off from either.

I am something of an anomaly, because I have always been considered an outsider even in my own home town, simply for racial reasons. Also, my immediate family were and are believers, so I’ve never had any conflict there to my following Christ. Cathy likewise grew up in a Christian family and of course lives in Japan, but when we visit rural Virginia where she grew up, she gets a mix of awe at being a “real live missionary” and distrust that she might “show them up” for their lukewarm Christianity. Right now she feels more “at home” here in Omura! All that said, I have a strong streak of conflict avoidance; I don’t like to fight. I have backed off of far too many situations where I needed to be more assertive as a representative of Christ. I need to be willing to be disliked! I’m to deal with everyone with “gentleness and respect,” (1 Peter 3:15-16) but accept that people aren’t always going to treat me that way.

Father, thank You for this strong Word. Right now I feel fairly universally liked, and that’s nice, but at the same time I haven’t brought very many people into Your kingdom. I ask You to show me when and how I have backed off when I shouldn’t have, so that Your Word may penetrate more hearts to cut off their chains. (Hebrews 4:12) May I always speak the truth in love, but also never fail to speak the truth, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Kingdom Principles; January 23, 2019

Posted on January 26, 2019 by jgarrott

Matthew 10:39 “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

Many things about the kingdom of God fly in the face of normal human thinking, and none more so than this. These days we have lots of “self-help” programs that promise to help you “find yourself,” when Jesus says that focus is totally counter-productive. We have public figures that gain huge followings by promising “your best life now,” when Jesus says that’s an illusion. Each human life is precious from the moment of conception, but modern society, under the influence of the devil who wants to steal, kill, and destroy, (John 10:10) teaches us that the lives of others may be discarded; it’s all I, my, me, mine. Actually, nothing could be more empty than that. It is when we relate rightly to our Creator that we discover the value in those around us, and ultimately in ourselves as well. Nothing declares the bankruptcy of society more than the passion some people display for the “right” to abortion. That is sacrificing another human life for the sake of your own, and really, your own convenience. Nothing could be more outside the kingdom principles Jesus proclaimed. It is when we choose to let go of things, releasing them to Jesus, that we receive them in truth. Our minds can’t parse that on their own, so the way to understand it is in terms of priorities. Here, Jesus has just said that we aren’t to love our family members more than we love Him, but that doesn’t mean at all that we aren’t to love our families. Paul points out that “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” (1 Timothy 5:8) When we genuinely “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength,” (Mark 12:30) then everything else will fall into place behind that.

This is as important for me to remember as it is for anyone else. The devil tempts me to focus on myself just as he tempts everyone else. I have the huge advantage of having been raised in a home where my parents genuinely placed Christ first, but they weren’t perfect either. Toward the end of his life, my father said that his one regret was that he hadn’t prioritized his family ahead of his work. For those in “Christian service,” that is an easy deception to fall into. Loving God doesn’t mean ignoring my family! I am to seek God’s will at all times, allowing Him to order my priorities, knowing that only in Him does my life have the meaning, the value, for which it was created. I am to look at others as having equal value with me, and act accordingly. Words alone don’t cut it. Christ is my life, and I must never forget it.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me indeed leave my life in Your hands, living each moment under Your direction so that Your purposes may be fulfilled on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Joy; January 22, 2019

Posted on January 26, 2019 by jgarrott

Matthew 3:17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

It is going to be interesting over the next several months to figure out where in the passage the Greek preposition “in” appears. More literal translations might preserve the form, but at the expense of understanding for most readers. If memory serves me, the King James does say, “In him I am well pleased.” The Japanese expresses it as, “I rejoice [because of] him.” However, the point of reading the Bible each day is to hear what God is saying to us, not just gain academic knowledge. What this says to me is that if the Father finds joy in Jesus, how much more should we do so? We find joy and pleasure in all sorts of things, but many of them are fleeting indeed. The Bible, and human experience down through the centuries, tell us that the deepest joy is found in relationships, and most especially in our relationship with our Creator, our heavenly Father. The Father was fully pleased with Jesus because they were perfectly aligned, and Jesus was fully obedient – though fully human. Our greatest joy comes when we partake of that alignment by being in Jesus by faith. Conversely, that is when we are most pleasing to the Father. The study of joy in the Bible is a fascinating one, but what comes immediately to mind is John’s statement in his third letter, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” (3 John 1:4) That joy came to John because not only he but his spiritual descendants were in alignment with Jesus, who is Truth. (John 14:6) That is the joy we should seek, because it leads us into eternity.

I can never forget the moment of pure, unadulterated joy I had in a time of worship in a small prayer meeting several years ago. It was so intense that I asked God to back off a little, if He had anything else for me to do on this earth, because I didn’t think my physical body could take it. That was just a moment, but I have an eternity of such joy to look forward to! Addictive drugs are so powerful because they give tastes of a counterfeit joy that leaves people craving for more. When fentanyl, for example, is so deadly, you wonder why people would go near it, but they are hooked on the deadly euphoria. I’ve never tried drugs, but having tasted God’s joy, I’m certainly hooked! I have the privilege of telling people such joy is available, but I can’t force them to accept it. Sadly, “Just say no” seems to be the motto of too many people, spiritually speaking, when the opposite is true of physical pleasures. I am to speak God’s truth in love, praying that it will penetrate to set people free from the lies of the devil, who only wants to steal, kill, and destroy. (John 10:10)

Father, thank You for Your joy. I have no words that are adequate to express that, so help me live in such obedience and fellowship that You find joy in me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Children and Fruit; January 21, 2019

Posted on January 25, 2019 by jgarrott

Matthew 3:8-10 “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Two things speak strongly to me from this passage. The first is that fruit is vitally important. Jesus Himself said that “By their fruit you will recognize them.” (Matthew 7:20) However, in thinking about fruit we have to remember that a tree doesn’t decide on its own what kind of fruit it will produce. You can’t get oranges from an apple tree! Of course, oranges and apples are both good, but there are also trees that produce inedible fruit. What governs the fruit is the character of the tree. That’s why repentance must not be a matter of words only. If there is no heart change, then there will be no change in the fruit, and John makes it clear that’s very dangerous. We aren’t very good at changing our own hearts, but we have been given the ability to choose. If we choose humility before God, if we choose obedience to Him, then He takes care of everything else. A tree doesn’t get anxious over whether it can produce fruit, it just expresses its nature in season. The second thing that speaks to me here is that we aren’t indispensable to God. That might sound pretty severe, but John is pointing out that God, as the Creator, can make for Himself anything He likes. Frankly, sometimes I wonder about God having created mankind as we are and putting up with our nonsense as much as He does! However, He wanted children and not robots, and any parent can tell you children don’t automatically do what their parents would like. That said, we must not take God’s grace and mercy for granted, but seek to please Him out of gratitude for all that He has done for us.

This passage is intensely personal for me, because God brought it to mind at a crisis point in my life. Cathy had suffered a miscarriage, and the doctor made it clear that another pregnancy would be quite life-threatening for her. We had two daughters, but I really wanted a son. That was when the Lord brought to mind the line about raising up children out of stones, and He spoke it to me as sons, and not simply children. I am very proud of my biological daughters and wouldn’t trade them for anyone, but God has indeed given me some spiritual sons, and I am very grateful. At the same time, I am also very aware that spiritual children don’t always do what you would like, either! I am to pray for my children, both biological and spiritual, but continuously yield them to their Father in heaven, because I can’t control them and it wouldn’t be good if I could. I am to keep watch over my own fruit, allowing God to tweak my character to bring it more in line with Christ, and I am to speak the truth in love to all my children so that they too may choose full obedience to God.

Father, thank You for all that You are doing. Help me be fully responsive to what You tell me to do, but not be anxious about any of it. You know the two sons I am particularly concerned for at the moment, and You know their situations far better than I do. I ask Your very best for them, that they may produce the fruit for which You created them, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Evangelism; January 20, 2019

Posted on January 25, 2019 by jgarrott

Rev 22:17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.

Even with all the horrendous descriptions of plagues and disasters and judgment, the message of Revelation is still the same as that of the rest of the Bible: repent and believe for your salvation. (Mark 1:15) In this verse, the Spirit is of course the Holy Spirit of God. The bride, on the basis of this book, is of course the Church. We have no trouble with those. However, then it gets very personal, saying that everyone who hears the call is to pass it on. That’s where we have a severe breakdown. The vast majority of Christians have never invited anyone to come and drink of the water of life. I was talking recently with another pastor, saying that evangelism has been watered down to the point of simply inviting someone to come to church, and he countered with the opinion that the majority of believers haven’t even done that. I am of the conviction that in the Early Church, virtually all evangelism took place outside of meetings, with few exceptions. In other words, people were believers before they ever attended a church meeting. (Acts 5:13-14) That is to say, those who had heard the message and received it, passed it on. We need to get back to that today. We are so politically correct, so afraid of offending, that we don’t dare to tell someone that without Christ they are headed for hell. Part of the problem is that we aren’t sure if we believe it ourselves! We like to think that if someone is a “nice person” they are OK, when the Bible is very clear that’s not the case. We don’t like to admit that “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) We want a salvation without repentance, and that’s simply not going to happen. The devil does all he can to suppress the message of repentance, because he knows he can never stand against repentance and faith. However, to come back to the imagery in this verse, no one is going to drink of the water of life until they admit they are thirsty. The job of the evangelist is to help people realize they are thirsty, and then offer them living water.

I get worked up over how the average believer never shares Christ with anyone, yet I do it too little myself. I have had the privilege of leading several to go through the motions, but God is the judge of whether they were really born again. I cannot let that stop me, but must keep making the most of every opportunity the Lord gives me to share the Good News of salvation. (Ephesians 5:16, Colossians 4:5) My prayer must be to recognize those opportunities and not hesitate when they appear. I, too, fear offending people! I cannot save anyone by my own strength and wisdom, but I can be a tool in God’s hands to get the job done. I’m not to worry about whether I’m a good looking tool, or whether I’m a strong or even an appropriate tool. If God wants to use me to hammer in a nail, I’m to rejoice even if I think I’m a wrench! It is a statistical fact that people with Teacher gifting, like I have, seldom become evangelistic missionaries. I’m not to use that as an excuse! I have heard God’s call and I’m to transmit it, so that as many as will may indeed drink of the water of life.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I make too many excuses too much of the time. Help me be fully faithful and available, and leave the results up to You. Thank You. Praise God!

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Light; January 19, 2019

Posted on January 21, 2019 by jgarrott

Revelation 21:23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.

The Bible is full of references that connect God to light, in both the Old and New Testaments. Of course, God started Creation with light. (Genesis 1:3) John speaks of Jesus as light, (John 1:4-5) probably because he had heard Jesus speak that way about Himself. (John 3:19) James speaks of it slightly more obliquely, (James 1:17) but in John’s first letter he says definitively, “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” (1 John 1:5-7) Of course, Isaiah spoke one of the most famous prophecies of the Messiah. “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” (Isaiah 9:2) When you come to Jesus, there’s no escaping the light! That’s bad news for those with something to hide, as Jesus pointed out. (John 3:19-21) Coming back to this verse in Revelation, the point is not a matter of physics, but rather that God illuminates far better than anything physical ever could. It follows that human attempts to hide are totally futile. One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is the Word of Knowledge. (1 Corinthians 12:8) That operates by the Holy Spirit illuminating something we couldn’t see otherwise. We have had people leave this church because they were afraid they were going to be found out! The point is, we are to live lives with nothing to hide, and we aren’t to be afraid of the dark, literally or figuratively, because our God is light.

I am to rejoice in the light myself, and I am to be a conduit of the light to those around me. (Matthew 5:14) I am to be careful, when the Lord illuminates things to me that people want hidden, that I speak the truth in love, and only as He directs. I’m not to take pride, much less feel superior, that God has shown me things about people and situations, but I am to ask for His wisdom and guidance as to what He wants me to do with that information. Occasionally He shows me things I’d just as soon not know! However, I am to keep growing toward the light, just as a house plant will do. Recent studies have shown how essential sunlight is to our physical health, and God’s light is even more essential to my spiritual health!

Father, thank You that I grew up in a very well-lit family, spiritually speaking. Thank You for repeatedly shining Your light into areas that I wanted to keep dark. Thank You for Your incredible grace and mercy toward me. May I be an open channel of that grace and mercy toward all, so that nothing will hinder Your light. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Faith; January 18, 2019

Posted on January 21, 2019 by jgarrott

Rev 21:6-7 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”

This is the passage to remember when everything seems crazy and nothing seems to go right. Christ in His glory on the throne explicitly told John to write this down, (verse 5) because it is vital information to help us get through all the junk on this world. Throughout Revelation we see the phrase, “he who overcomes.” To me, that brings to mind what Paul wrote to the Romans: “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37) Paul gives quite a list of negative things that would threaten to overcome us, but he says clearly that in Christ we are the ones who overcome, and more. Jesus’ statement to John here brings to mind what He said to the disciples while He was walking the earth with them, that He indicated to me was to be our Verse for the Year: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32) Here He uses the term, inherit, but the effect is the same. We literally can’t imagine all that means. (Ephesians 3:20) The point for us here and now is not to sweat the small stuff, but rest in the assurance that in the final analysis it’s going to turn out better than we have words to describe. That can be really difficult sometimes, but the key is to do as the old hymn says: trust and obey. Faith is a choice. The devil does all he can to hide the results of that choice from us but we need to make it anyway. Trusting obedience is the road to the victory referenced here. (1 John 5:4)

This is a lesson I’m still learning. I am still prone to accept the anxiety the devil tries to heap on me, but I’ve learned by experience that all such anxiety is counterproductive, benefiting no one and robbing me of peace and joy. It’s been several years now since the Lord told me to rest, relax, and rejoice. I’m still learning, as I said, but I can certainly testify that that’s the way to go. Japanese has an expression, “The seed of a headache.” Every day brings plenty of those! I’m not to plant them, much less water and tend them, but I see many around me who do exactly that, torn up by things that haven’t happened yet and may never happen. As a pastor I am responsible for my flock as well as for myself. I need to speak the truth in love, teaching people to trust our totally trustworthy Lord, so that all the lies of the devil may be defeated.

Father, thank You for this reminder. You know the several people who came to mind as I wrote that. I do ask Your grace and mercy for each of them, that they may learn to lift their eyes to You and rejoice. Help us be faithful to do what You have prepared for us to do, (Ephesians 2:10) but indeed be anxious for nothing, (Philippians 4:6) for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Truth and Honesty; January 17, 2019

Posted on January 20, 2019 by jgarrott

Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.

It’s interesting when technology starts catching up to the Bible, so to speak. Much has been made of the “mark of the beast,” mentioned in various places from Revelation 13:16 on. That is now entirely possible, and is even being done in some places in electronic form, where an embedded chip enables people to pay for things simply by waving their hand over a scanner. The technology itself is neutral, but it is all too easy to see how it could be used for total control of the lives of individuals or even entire populations. In this verse, the idea of every detail of our lives being recorded is already coming shockingly close to reality, with Google, Facebook and the like knowing so much about us. That freaks some people out, and such human-run corporations are hardly to be trusted, but we forget that God has always been omniscient; we just never had an emotional grasp before of what that looks like. We are constantly trying to hide things from others, and even from God, but this verse is a reminder of the foolishness and futility of doing so. We need to remember that it is the devil who is the liar, (John 8:44) and God is always true. (Romans 3:4) Anyone who genuinely fears God – and that is the very definition of wisdom (Job 28:28) – is going to be honest and open, because we are called to be like God.

This is an issue in every culture, and certainly so in Japan. With a strong predisposition to population density, even when land is available to spread out in, there is a concurrent fixation with “personal space” on an emotional level. It can be shocking how little people know about even their close neighbors, and that is by choice from both sides. My father was led to a personal principle of absolute honesty shortly after he arrived in Japan as a missionary in 1934, and he raised his children on that principle. That made us very different from those around us, and it had nothing to do with our complexion or the color of our eyes. I remember being expected to tell lies in various situations, and have even lost friends over my refusal to do so. It can make for awkward situations, but it’s nice not having to remember what I’ve said to whom! Jesus’ statements about coming to the light in John 3:19-21 come to mind. I am not to go around accusing people of lying, even when I am sure they are being less than truthful, but I am always to speak the truth in love, letting God sort it all out. I am to take comfort in the assurance that nothing escapes His attention, and every lie will be exposed and condemned.

Father, it is very troubling when I see and hear Your children not walking in truth, not from a doctrinal standpoint but in their daily lives. I pray Your grace and mercy for them, that they would have a revelation not only of Your omniscience but also of the nature and character of the devil, so that they may commit themselves to truth, for their liberation (John 8:32) and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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