Communicating the Gospel; September 17, 2017

Posted on September 20, 2017 by jgarrott

Nehemiah 8:12 Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.

It has been pointed out by a number of scholars that the function of the Levites mentioned in this story was probably translating/interpreting from Hebrew to Aramaic. (The NIV refers to that in a footnote to verse 8.) The people had been living for more than a generation in Babylon, where everyone around them spoke Aramaic, so that was their normal language. Hearing the Bible in Hebrew would be like Americans today hearing Chaucer in the original; there would be things they could understand, but much they could not. Since these people were committed enough to God to move all the way back to Jerusalem, no wonder they were glad to be able to understand His Word! I’m reminded of videos I’ve seen of people groups finally getting the New Testament, even, in their own language, rather than having to use a different language even if they understood that other language. Groups such as Wycliff do a great service! That said, Americans have no excuse. There are more English translations of the Bible than I can keep track of, yet sin and rebellion are absolutely rampant. The Gospel needs to be presented in understandable language, but ultimately, reception and obedience are up to the individual. As James so famously pointed out, hearing it but not acting on it is just deceiving yourself. (James 1:22)

This whole issue gets complicated in Japan because of the nature of the Japanese language. The famous Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier said that Japanese was a language invented by the devil to hinder the spread of the Gospel! I personally have met several Japanese Christians who were fluent in English who said that the Bible was much easier for them to understand in that language than in their native one. That said, there are some Biblical concepts that seem clearer to me in Japanese than in English. However, in general the Bible in Japanese tends to be opaque. That certainly presents a challenge for evangelism! My father was a linguist, with a fluency and depth of knowledge of Japanese that brought awe, even in academic circles. His Masters degree was in Hebrew and his PhD was in Greek, and at the time of his death he was working on a fresh New Testament translation. A close Japanese family friend did the base translation from Greek. My father checked it for accuracy, and then sent it to another Japanese to be checked for smoothness and understandability, and then my father checked it again to make sure the meaning hadn’t been changed. The irony of that is that they deliberately chose a non-Christian to do the smoothness check, because they wanted to avoid “churchese,” but even after working through half the New Testament, to my knowledge he never became a Christian. Language barriers are important and need to be overcome, but spiritual barriers are even more important. Strictly speaking I don’t have a language barrier, but I certainly encounter spiritual barriers. Even ministering to Christians I often feel like I’m beating my head against a wall, because they can’t seem to grasp concepts that seem completely obvious to me. Knowing my own inability, I am thrust back on trusting God, and that’s not a bad thing. I am not to give up, but keep walking in faithful obedience, letting the Holy Spirit use me to get through to as many people as will receive what God offers so freely. It’s His Gospel and His Church, and I need to rest, relax, and rejoice to be part of what He is doing.

Father, You know what is going on and who needs what. I pray that I would be faithful as Your agent, not judging or rejecting but letting Your love flow through me, so that strongholds may be destroyed and people set free to walk in the liberty of Your Spirit, for their infinite blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Response to Opposition; September 16, 2017

Posted on September 20, 2017 by jgarrott

Nehemiah 6:9 They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.”
But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.”

Nehemiah was faced with satanic opposition expressed through people, but he recognized what was going on and he turned to God. Once again he is an example for everyone who would serve God even today. It has been said that if you’re not encountering opposition, you must not be following God. Our flesh would like the easy road, but God loves us too much to leave us that way. We do need times of refreshing, but it is the hard climb and the long slog that strengthen us and teach us to depend on Him. God never allows circumstances that are too much for us if we will turn to Him in them, but if we fail to turn to Him they can be completely overwhelming. The two recent hurricanes in the US are good examples. Given their size, there has been remarkably little loss of life, even though there’s been a lot of property loss. Material things are temporary anyway, and God has used these “natural disasters” to tear down barriers between people and expose others to show us their true character. Those are things to be thankful about! Jesus expressly didn’t pray that His disciples be taken out of the world with all its conflicts, but that they be protected from the devil. (John 17:15) When we encounter difficulties of all sorts we need to pray with Nehemiah, “Lord, strengthen me.”

I almost laughed when I read this morning’s passage, because it is so perfectly analogous to our immediate situation. We do face immense difficulties, but God is more than able to handle them if we will trust Him enough to walk in yielded obedience. Right now the devil is working overtime to discourage those who are central to this plan of God. We need to turn each thing over to God and choose faith, receiving what He has provided. Our flesh would like to receive funds first, but God knows that faith and obedience are more important by far. He has provided the faith if we will accept it, but the obedience is our sacrifice of praise to Him. (Hebrews 13:15) God has told me I’m to be the “faith engine” for this project, but I can’t force anyone to trust God. All I can do is model victorious faith for them and pray for their eyes and hands to be opened to receive it for themselves. God’s plans are good, and they will come to pass.

Father, thank You for this extremely clear Word this morning. I needed it! It seems there are many discouraging voices, though not so many are directed at me. Help me stand in the gap for those who are under such fierce attack, that they may grow from what they are going through and not be destroyed. May the strongholds of the enemy be torn down instead, so that everyone involved in this project may walk in the liberty of Your Spirit, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Stress; September 15, 2017

Posted on September 18, 2017 by jgarrott

Nehemiah 5:13 At this the whole assembly said, “Amen,” and praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised.

What a refreshing statement! It is a sad commentary on human nature that it is noteworthy when people do as they promise. This particular incident is noteworthy in that it indicates there was a famine in the middle of all the other stuff that was going on. (verse 3) Nothing happens in isolation. We would like our lives to be linear, one thing happening at a time, but that’s seldom the way it is. All sorts of things happen at once, and that is a major source of stress in our lives. However, as has been said many times, stress isn’t what happens to us, it’s our response to what happens. We get stressed out because we want to be in control, when in fact we control very little of our lives. Life is filled with choices, but not in the way we would like it to be. We don’t get to choose whether a hurricane will come our way, (either physically or metaphorically) but we can choose how we will respond to that hurricane. Nehemiah was certainly in “hurricane territory” in what he was doing, but his focus was on the only One who could make sense of it all. Once again he is an excellent example for us. There are no direct references to prayer in this part of the narrative, but if the people were saying “Amen” and praising God, there’s no question that Nehemiah dealt with the issue at hand on the basis of obedience to God. We need to remember that, in the words of a song, “God’s got it all in control.” Our first choice in dealing with any situation is to recognize and acknowledge that fact, and let Him show us how to respond. Running from situations is never the answer. Sometimes God tells us to wait, and things resolve without our doing anything, but we had better be sure we are listening to God if we take that course. Often our stress comes from a desire for conflict avoidance, but we need to remember that God trains our hands for battle, (Psalm 18:34, 144:1) and not run away.

This is certainly a timely Word! I have commented several times in recent months that nothing I’m asked to do would seem so difficult if it didn’t all come at me at once! I’m certainly no more in “hurricane territory” than Nehemiah was, and I need to seek and receive God’s guidance as he did. I need to yield not only my circumstances, but my response to those circumstances, to God. I need to remember that song I mentioned and choose to rest, relax, and rejoice, just as He’s told me personally to do. The temptation to run around like a chicken with its head cut off is very real at times, but my Head is Christ, and I must never be separated from Him.

Father, thank You for this reminder. It’s a good Word for my birthday! I no more choose most of the things that happen to me than I did the time and circumstances of my birth. Help me be at peace with that and allow You to use me, today and each day, to accomplish Your purposes on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Leadership Skills; September 14, 2017

Posted on September 17, 2017 by jgarrott

Nehemiah 4:14 After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”

As a good leader, Nehemiah knew how to motivate those he led. He was honest about the difficulties, and he placed the focus first of all on the Lord. Next, he reminded the people of their families, who were worth fighting for. We can be impressed with how great our obstacles are and we can be impressed with how great God is, but we still need to know why the whole issue is worth our effort. Things are seldom handed to us without our effort, and we tend to fail to value them if they are, so we need to know that the goal is worth our effort. Nehemiah, with God’s wisdom and guidance, covered all those areas, and got excellent cooperation as a result. Once again he is a good example for us to emulate.

I am impressed yet again with how extremely topical and relevant the story of Nehemiah is to our current situation. The Lord has told me I’m to be the “faith engine” for the church, specifically in our current project, and reading about Nehemiah helps me understand how that is to work. We have another called business meeting this Sunday, and I think my greatest task is to help the believers grasp the benefits to what we are planning. Right now they are seeing the difficulties, and they don’t see how this will be a blessing to them. They could use a clearer, higher image of God, but the immediate issue is what’s in it for them. I’m afraid I haven’t thought very much about this to this point, and it shows. I am being given what I think will be a very encouraging message for the worship service, but I still need to follow through with helping all the people understand the potential benefits of this project, to them, to this church, and to the vision You have given us of this city again being the foremost Christian city in the nation. I touched on some of those points at the last called business meeting, but I didn’t express them clearly enough. Another point of Nehemiah’s example is that he participated fully in all he asked others to do. I am not to ask others to do things and then not lift a finger to help them. The flip side of that is that I’ve got to give them opportunity to participate, and not try to do it all myself. That has been my pattern far too much over the history of this church. I need to help people see what God is doing here, and give them full opportunity to participate.

Father, thank You for training me as I need it. I have been weak in leadership and administration, and You’ve given me someone to mentor who’s strong in administration but weak in some other areas. Help us work together as You intend to accomplish what You desire, so that Your Church may be built up by You through us, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Examples; September 13, 2017

Posted on September 17, 2017 by jgarrott

Nehemiah 4:9 But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.

Once again we have Nehemiah’s deep faith and clear-headed practicality. Faced with deadly threats, they didn’t just pray and they didn’t just take military precautions, they did both. However, the prayer came first. This is precisely what is happening in the US government today, and it is refreshing to the point of being shocking. The release of a photo of a recent cabinet meeting in which they are all bowed in prayer, led by Vice President Pence, was so different from the attitudes expressed in recent years as to be almost unbelievable. In past administrations, if anyone prayed, they didn’t let other people know about it! Nehemiah of course isn’t the only Biblical example of prayer first and then action, but he’s a particularly good and consistent one. Obviously prayer was an automatic reaction for him, but he was clearly a man of action in other ways as well. Jesus is the only perfect example we have, but we can certainly learn from other people in the Bible as well. Paul mentions learning from bad examples, (1 Corinthians 10:6-11) but there are plenty of good examples as well – including Paul himself! Hebrews says it very clearly: “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever.” (Hebrews 13:7-8) In other words, since Jesus doesn’t change, the faith and obedience that worked for others is going to work for us. That’s good to remember!

I have encountered many excellent examples throughout my life, growing up in a missionary household and associating with many giants of faith. One thing I learned, even as a child, was that such people might be giants, but they were just as human as I was. We had people staying in our home overnight who are literally in the history books, and I learned such things as what they liked for breakfast. Such an environment is a rare privilege, and it gave me the awareness that God uses imperfect vessels, so He could even use me. I am no Nehemiah, but if I will pray and act as he did, God will work through me. God indicated to me last week that I’m to be a “faith engine” for the believers here. However, just being strong in faith myself doesn’t accomplish that. I need His wisdom to communicate faith to others, so they too may believe and act. If we will do that, we will in turn be examples for still others, for the glory of God.

Father, thank You for this Word, and for making it clear what I’m to speak on Sunday. I pray that I would indeed follow the good examples that have been set before me and not the bad, so that Your plans for me and for this church would be fulfilled, on Your schedule and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Authority; September 12, 2017

Posted on September 16, 2017 by jgarrott

Nehemiah 2:20 I answered them by saying, “The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.”

Nehemiah’s confidence was in Whom he served. God had prepared him for this work by having him serve as an official of one of the most powerful absolute monarchs in human history. Here he proclaims that he is serving One even more powerful than Artaxerxes. He had a lot of hard work ahead of him, but his success was guaranteed by the Creator of the universe. He fully understood delegated authority. This puts him in the category with the Roman centurion whose faith was praised by Jesus. (Luke 7:1-10) If we don’t grasp being under authority, we won’t know how to exercise authority. People often crave authority, but they don’t understand the responsibility that goes with it. Politicians and bureaucrats are often guilty of this, failing to grasp that they are under the authority of the constitution and the citizens of the nation. They are responsible to exercise wisely the authority they have been given, in all humility, and are to be held accountable to the people of the nation. Nehemiah was not operating in a democracy by any means, but he was not arbitrary in exercising the authority he was given. Rather, he held himself open as a channel for the power and authority of God to flow through him. That makes him a magnificent example for us.

I am finding enormous applicability and encouragement in the story of Nehemiah. In our case, the one who is against us is the devil, and he keeps lying to us and to others to try to discourage us. Like Nehemiah, we need to be firmly fixed on the One we serve, and so refuse to hold back or be discouraged. It’s just like James said: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) I still prefer the way the Japanese puts it: “Submit yourselves to God. Then, resist the devil and he will flee from you.” It does no good to try to resist the devil in merely human strength, because he will twist our own thoughts and actions against us. We cannot rely on what we have already been given, but rather walk in humble, moment-by-moment obedience. If we will do that, the God of heaven will indeed grant us success.

Father, I didn’t expect to read such an extremely applicable Word this morning. Thank You. Help me communicate this truth effectively to all the believers so that we may be united in faith. I do ask for wisdom, just as You gave it to Nehemiah. May we neither run ahead nor lag behind, but follow Your schedule in full obedience, working faithfully but being anxious about nothing, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Prayer Tweets; September 11, 2017

Posted on September 16, 2017 by jgarrott

Nehemiah 2:4 The king said to me, “What is it you want?”
Then I prayed to the God of heaven.

Nehemiah really understood what used to be called “telegraph prayers.” Since telegraphs have disappeared with the progress in technology, that’s a very dated expression. Maybe today they would be called “prayer tweets.” The point is, he knew how to pray a very brief, focused prayer in the middle of doing something else. Here, he is praying in the middle of an audience with an absolute monarch, which would seem to demand his total attention. I would guess that the content of his prayer was probably, “Lord, help!” God obviously answered his prayer, giving him wise words to speak. This whole encounter was clearly orchestrated by God to achieve the rebuilding of Jerusalem, but in the middle of it, Nehemiah couldn’t be sure of that. He was literally “flying on a wing and a prayer.” He hadn’t planned to petition Artaxerxes to allow him to go rebuild Jerusalem, but God opened the door and he walked through it. The lesson for us is that it’s not wrong to plan ahead, and it’s generally very wise to do so, but God often has better ideas than we have thought of, and we need to be responsive to Him. Had Nehemiah not been open about what was bothering him, Artaxerxes would not have asked him this question. Had he then answered in his own wisdom, instead of with the words God supplied, the result would have been very different. We need to expect “divine appointments” and be spiritually and emotionally prepared to make the most of them. As Paul said, “making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:16) Staying in constant touch with the Lord is the best way to do that.

I’ve never been tempted to use Twitter, but I’m pretty familiar with “prayer tweets.” I find that I pray in the middle of almost every activity, and God is faithful. Sometimes I just vent to God, and He responds amazingly. Sometimes I don’t see an immediate response, but the act of prayer helps me focus on what God wants in the situation. That’s a pretty good answer to prayer, if you ask me. As a pastor I try to teach the believers to “pray without ceasing,” just as Paul said, (1 Thessalonians 5:17) but some of them seem to hesitate to pray at all! I was greatly blessed to be raised in a home where prayer was as natural as breathing, but hardly anyone around me was raised that way. I am not to put them down for it, but walk alongside them, encouraging them step by step, until they can walk and skip and run in prayer on their own, as God wants them to do.

Father, thank You for that image You just gave me. Thank You for the reminder that most of the believers here are just toddlers, spiritually speaking. Help me indeed be useful to You in teaching them to make full use of all that You have provided for them, so that as mature Christians they may in turn teach others, destroying the lies of the devil and bringing Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Bible-based Prayer; September 10, 2017

Posted on September 14, 2017 by jgarrott

Nehemiah 1:8 “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses.”

This one part of Nehemiah’s prayer tells us a great deal about him, which is that he was very familiar with the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament, at least. We don’t know how much of the rest of what we consider the Old Testament was available to him, but he applied himself to what he had. Books were hand copied in those days, in drastic contrast to today, when electronic publishing has made even printed books old hat. However, abundance can make us take things lightly. I would dare say the majority of American households has one or more copies of the Bible, but familiarity with it to apply it is a sadly rare thing. In contrast, Nehemiah had no more than what we would consider a Bible fragment, but he knew what it said and applied it to his circumstances, not excusing himself or his ancestors. Our prayers would have more weight if we based them on the Word the way Nehemiah did, rather than just presenting wish lists to God. He hears when we pray to Him, but we need to be in line with Him when we do so, and nothing is more helpful in that than familiarity with the Bible. However, how we use the Bible in prayer is very important. I have known people who delighted to find promises in the Bible and then demand that God fulfill them. Generally such people ignore the conditions that go with virtually every one of the promises, and by failing to fulfill the conditions, they don’t see the promises fulfilled either. In this case, Nehemiah remembered both the “if” and the “then,” and prayed in great humility. We would do well to follow his example.

I grew up steeped in the Bible, but I don’t remember my parents focusing especially on God’s promises. They were too busy following Him for who He is! That is a magnificent example and spiritual heritage for me, but that’s no reason for me to be complacent. I am indeed very familiar with the Bible but not as much as I could be. Most importantly, I don’t apply it as fully as I could. I am to walk in consistent humility, recognizing God’s grace to me and expressing that grace to those around me. I am to lead by word and by example, drawing others into intimacy with the Lord their God. In Japan, that often involves helping them understand who God really is, in contrast to the theology and superstition in which they were raised. I am to be grateful for my own spiritual heritage, but not think that makes me intrinsically better than those who are not so blessed. I am to speak God’s Word, in prayer and however else He allows me to do so, so that it will accomplish everything for which He has sent it. (Isaiah 55:10-11)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me indeed receive Your Word to apply it, and not simply to transmit it to others. Help me fulfill Your conditions so that You may fulfill Your promises, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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God’s Grace; September 9, 2017

Posted on September 12, 2017 by jgarrott

Ezra 9:13 “What has happened to us is a result of our evil deeds and our great guilt, and yet, our God, you have punished us less than our sins have deserved and have given us a remnant like this.”

This is the place far more people need to come to: recognizing that we have gotten far better than we deserved. We write, and read, books such as Why Bad Things Happen to Good People, and lump ourselves automatically in with the “good people,” when an honest assessment of God’s laws and our actions would bring us to a very different conclusion. Paul put it this way: “Do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you towards repentance?” (Romans 2:4) God’s rules are meant for our good, and on top of that, He is by His very nature worthy of our total obedience. Most of the time we simply ignore Him! We tend to be like the nine lepers Jesus healed, rather than the one who came back to thank Him. (Luke 17:11-19) We accept His blessings and think we earned them, rather than recognizing His grace toward us. We love the song, Amazing Grace, but we understand it very little. If God acted toward us as we act toward each other, the human race would have been destroyed long ago! Of course the ultimate expression of God’s grace is the birth, life, death, and resurrection of His Son Jesus. None of us would have sacrificed our own child for such ungrateful wretches as we are! An accurate grasp of who He is and what we are will certainly lead us into love and devotion to Him, out of sheer, amazed, gratitude.

This is something I’ve known intellectually for a long time, but my gratitude isn’t consistent or absolute. I can indeed say, in the words of a song by Bill Gaither, “The longer I serve Him the sweeter He grows.” I have no legitimate room to complain about any part of my life, but I do it anyway. I torment myself with resentment and frustration, rather than trusting my Lord who has been so incredibly gracious toward me. I listen to my flesh or the world instead of to Him, and I fail to do what He tells me and I do what He has told me not to do. That’s no proper response to His love and grace! In the middle of my imperfection, I am tasked with shepherding the flock of God. That should keep me on my face before Him even more than it does. Like Paul, I am well aware that I’m not yet made perfect, (Philippians 3:12-14) and I won’t be until I stand before His throne. Meanwhile, I need to keep working on getting out of the way so that He can manifest Himself through me, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I am often tempted to resentment at what happens to me, as well as to the idiocy of thinking I am better than other people. Help me walk in grateful, consistent humility, so that nothing will get in the way of what You want to do through me to draw others to Yourself, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Fasting; September 8, 2017

Posted on September 12, 2017 by jgarrott

Ezra 8:21 There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions.

The point of fasting is humility before God. It is an acknowledgment that we can’t do things on our own, but are dependent on God. Considering the social conditions of the day and the sheer quantity of silver and gold they were transporting, (verses 26-27) I can certainly understand their being aware of their need for Divine protection! The thing is, we are all constantly in need of God’s gracious support, protection, and provision, but too often we don’t recognize that fact. Fasting is a way to remind ourselves of how helpless we are apart from God. Jesus was quite blunt when He said, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) We don’t like to admit that! Jesus’ word picture was that of a grape vine, which was very familiar to his disciples, and it’s one we can understand pretty easily too. A cut branch can be stuck in water and look nice for a little while, but once it’s cut, that’s really the end for it. Fasting gives us a very minor, physical taste of what it’s like to be cut off from our Supply. It isn’t to try to manipulate God. All too often we labor under the illusion that we could do such a thing, as though our positions were reversed. What fasting does is “clear the deck” so that we can better hear what God is saying to us, so that we may be obedient to Him and walk in what He has for us.

At one point I fasted fairly frequently, but somehow that faded out for several years. A couple of weeks ago I fasted for the first time in quite a while, but only for 24 hours. I felt oddly guilty for breaking the fast, when in the past I have gone as long as a week, but the fact that I was fasting alone was a factor. The flip side of that is that in recent years I have become increasingly aware of my total dependence on God, so in a way the need for additional fasting isn’t as great. However, thinking that way puts me in great danger of spiritual pride, which can be fatal! I have been feeling that we needed to fast as a church, but I think I was the only one who actually fasted after I preached about it. I did lay out the ground rules fairly clearly, I think, but my impression was that no one took up the challenge. I need God’s wisdom to help the people understand what fasting is all about and be willing to try it, as an offering to God. With the magnitude of the challenges ahead of us, we have plenty of reason to recognize our dependence on God!

Father, You’ve brought this subject up several times in recent weeks. Help me follow through in obedience to You, so that we may line up with all that You want to do in and through us, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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