April 8, 2017

Posted on April 16, 2017 by jgarrott

John 3:20-21 “Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”

This reads like a commentary on current events! It feels like saying “honest politician” is an oxymoron, but recently bureaucrats have been in very much the same category. The world does not like honesty and frankness, for precisely the reason Jesus gives here. They work at putting up false fronts to cover up what they are doing behind the scenes, forgetting that nothing is hidden from God. (Hebrews 4:13) However, we have to be careful here. Saying “they” implies that we are always innocent, and that’s not the case. It is easy to point fingers at major offenders, but we are prone to doing things “in secret” ourselves. We become adept at fooling ourselves, sometimes even more than at fooling others. It is well known that the first step in dealing with addiction is acknowledging you have a problem. The thing is, God is always ready to help and to forgive, if we will make the choice to be honest and repent. That’s why the Bible talks so much about confessing sins. 1 John 1:9 and James 5:16 are both well known, for excellent reason. Light is a marvelous disinfectant! The Catholic church has formalized confession, but that can both make it less accessible and trivialize it. Our focus needs to be on Jesus Himself, rather than on “designated representatives,” because He is the Light. (John 8:12 and many more)

With my focus on honesty and openness, that doesn’t mean that secrets aren’t sometimes appropriate. Last month I had the privilege of officiating at a surprise “wedding” for a couple on their 50th anniversary. They had never had a ceremony, and their children and grandchildren planned it for them in great secrecy. That was delightful for all involved! Honesty and openness also doesn’t mean we are to spill all we know all the time. On the one hand that can hurt people needlessly, and on the other hand it can be downright boring! I have created problems for myself and others in this area. As John said, I need to walk in the light as He is in the light, both for the sake of fellowship with my brothers and sisters in Christ and for personal purity. (1 John 1:7) I am to be a carrier of the light in every situation, but never with a holier-than-thou attitude. That will turn my light to darkness! I am to rejoice in God’s grace to me, and extend that grace to all around me.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I do get disgusted reading the news at times. Keep me from letting that blind me to my own weaknesses. May I rejoice to walk in Your light at all times in all ways, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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April 7, 2017

Posted on April 11, 2017 by jgarrott

John 11:48 “If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”

On one level this is an absolutely astounding statement for religious leaders to make, but on another level, if we see them as political leaders, they could be clones of some of the people in the news today. On a religious basis, they have just acknowledged that Jesus was performing miraculous signs. You would think that would make them want to know more about Him and follow Him themselves. However, religion was just window dressing for them; they were really politicians at heart. As such, their primary concern was for their own position, influence, and authority, with no real concern for what was actually right and even best for those under their authority. We see that going on every day in the news. The good thing is, even though they did horrible things for the worst reasons, God was still in control, and the redemption of all mankind was accomplished. We aren’t to stop opposing evil people, exposing their activities for what they are, but at the same time we are to trust God to bring good out of whatever transpires. It seems unthinkable that Assad is using poison gas against children and babies, but God can use even that to bring about His purposes. The world is indeed a messed up place, but God is still God, and we haven’t seen the end of it all yet.

This is something I have known intellectually for a long time, on the basis both of Romans 8:28 and my own experience, but it can be hard to remember. I’ll never forget watching the second plane hit the World Trade Center on live news. The man on the scene reporting the first plane strike was facing the camera and didn’t see it, and the people in the studio here in Japan were crying out in horror. I was too. God used even that horrible incident to bring about the repentance of many, and more miracles took place that day and in the days following than we will know. Sadly, the repentance didn’t stick for all too many people, but the fault there was certainly not with God. I am to seek God all the time, but particularly when events seem bad. I am to remember that He will allow nothing that He can’t turn around to use for good, (Romans 8:28) and trust and praise Him. That isn’t always easy by any means, but the more I do it, the more I will grow in faith as His child, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me remember, and proclaim, that we wouldn’t have Easter without Good Friday. Help me be a carrier of faith to all, so that as many as will may repent and believe, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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April 6, 2017

Posted on April 8, 2017 by jgarrott

John 11:40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”

Here Jesus continues His dialog about faith with Martha. She began (this time around at least) by stating, in verse 22, that Jesus was greater than any circumstances. Jesus responded to that in agreement, including verses 25 and 26 that are used at most Christian funerals. It is interesting that here He says, “Did I not tell you,” but if he had said these exact words to her it wasn’t at this time. What He had said to her was, “Your brother will rise again.” (verse 23) God speaks to us again and again about faith, about trusting Him more than we trust our own senses or intellect, but He has to repeat Himself because we are so slow to listen. Our faith tends to be weak for any of a number of reasons – or all of them. We are prone to ask for things without checking with Him first, so we end up asking for what won’t be good for us. We ask with a specific time frame in mind, and when He doesn’t meet our schedule, we give up. We ask for entirely selfish motives. The list could go on and on. Hebrews 11:39-40 makes it clear that the reward for faith may well not come in this life, but it is absolutely certain. When requests are always answered promptly and affirmatively, you end up with presumption and entitlement rather than faith. God is a better Father than that! We need to rest in the assurance that He will do what is best for us, regardless of what it looks like to our natural selves.

We are in a continuing lesson in this very area. We have felt like God was telling us He would give us the land next to the church building, but then our plans fell through and it was sold to a developer. Then the Lord renewed the assurance of His plans to my heart just a few days ago. Last night in the middle of the night Cathy was up but hadn’t turned on any lights, and she saw a light moving around on the property next door. We cannot predict how, but we are being affirmed that God is going to manifest His glory by giving us that land. The point now is to keep praying, keep believing, and keep praising Him.

Father, I hesitate even to write this, because it seems so absurd to my human intellect. Thank You that You aren’t limited to what I can figure out, not now any more than You were in Bethany 2000 years ago. Help me walk in faith and obedience whatever my senses, my mind, and especially the world, are telling me, so that Your will may be done on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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April 5, 2017

Posted on April 8, 2017 by jgarrott

John 11:27 “Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”

It is very significant that this, the second of the two great declarations of who Jesus was and is, was made by a woman. The first was of course the one by Peter in Matthew 16:16. That passage gets quoted and preached on a lot, but this one gets relegated to funerals for the most part. It is glorious for that, but this verse is often left off. (I’ve done that myself.) Martha is often spoken of as less “spiritual” than her sister Mary, because of the incident in Luke 10:38-42 when Martha was concerned about “practical” things but Mary just wanted to listen to Jesus. However, here Martha is the one who is magnificent, with a clear-eyed faith that serves as an example for every believer even today. Her statement in verse 22 is one we all need to remember: “But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” That was in the face of her brother having been buried for four days already! The Bible, and Jesus specifically, honors women to a degree that is often unrecognized. Peter, the one original Apostle we know for sure was married, recognized the physical differences between the sexes, but spoke of women as “equal heirs” of God’s blessings. (1 Peter 3:7) It is true that many men disrespect women even today, (and many women disrespect men) but the “feminist” movement has done little to restore Biblical balance. The inconsistencies in it are most obvious in their support for Islam, which has institutionalized the oppression of women to a degree that is unparalleled. God created men and women to be very different, and thus function differently, but as complete equals. Feminism focuses on the matter of equality to the point that they try to ignore or deny the differences. Much of the foundation of the whole LGBT movement is jealousy, which manifests in both directions. The devil is out to steal, kill, and destroy, (John 10:10) and sex is perhaps his favorite target. We have got to remember that “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28)

Once again I am blessed by the home in which I was raised. My grandfather, W. O. Carver, was a champion of women serving God, and my mother was appointed as a missionary before my father was, even though she arrived in Japan later. (They were married in Japan.) That made her very resentful of being “relegated” to child care when I was an infant (I’m the youngest of four) because she was “just as much a missionary” as my father. It took a long time for her to realize that she was touching people that my father couldn’t touch, and I would guess that there are as many people in heaven because of her as because of him. In my own ministry, I know full well that I could not be and do what I am without my wife, and I am frequently impressed with how she touches people much more effectively than I do. I am in the more visible position, but I’m pretty confident she is more loved! I couldn’t begin to count how many times she has saved my skin (among other things) by a timely, Godly word or action. We are very different in many ways, but after 48 years we are a lot alike now, too. She is my Mary and my Martha (to get back to the original passage), and I am deeply grateful.

Father, I didn’t expect to write on this! Thank You for Your grace to us both. May we, as one in Christ, be and do all that You desire and intend, destroying the works of the devil and setting many people free, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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April 4, 2017

Posted on April 6, 2017 by jgarrott

John 11:16 Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

I have always loved the whole story of Lazarus’ death and resurrection. This particular verse strikes me because Thomas tends to get a bad rap as “the unbelieving one” after Jesus’ resurrection. Here, however, he shows a fierce loyalty to Jesus that is unsurpassed by any of the other disciples. Frankly, none of us knows what following Jesus is going to mean in our earthly lives. There are preachers who focus on the blessings to the exclusion of everything else, but Jesus Himself said that in this world we would have troubles. (John 16:33) He also said that we would have conflict because of Him. (Matthew 10:34) We don’t like to hear that sort of stuff! Sometimes we need to be like Thomas, with a plain, dogged commitment that hangs in there regardless of circumstances. Thomas wasn’t in it for the perks, he was in it because he believed Jesus was the Lord, and a disciple is true to his Lord. Thinking about it, Thomas showed a very Japanese attitude. Loyalty has long been one of the highest values in Japanese society, sometimes to the point of severe distortion and absurdity. The famous story of “The 47 Samurai” is a case in point. (The Japanese title translates as, “The Storehouse of Faithful Hearts.”) A minor feudal Lord is unfairly disgraced and forced to commit ritual suicide, and 47 of his retainers sacrifice their own families and their own lives to avenge his death. That sort of attitude and action seems almost incomprehensible to most Westerners, but the story was long held as something of an ultimate ideal of loyalty, inspiring the infamous “kamikaze” suicide fighters of WWII. That is certainly a distortion, but we would all benefit from more of Thomas’ attitude. We are too prone to follow Jesus for the “perks,” and fall away when things get difficult. Jesus talked about that, too, in His parable of the different kinds of soil. (Matthew 13:1-9, and more)

I find myself challenged by all of this. I think my loyalty is fairly secure, but I can’t presume. I’ve had rough patches in life, but God has been more than gracious to me. As a pastor I deal with people and their problems all the time, and sometimes get accused of insensitivity when I tell people that Jesus is greater than, and worth more than, all their problems. I am not to sugar-coat the Gospel; it is more than marvelous all on its own. I am to teach both John 16:33 and 2 Corinthians 4:17, never promising easy street but insisting that it is all more than worth it. Like Thomas, I am to follow my Lord regardless of the immediate consequences to myself, knowing that His plans for me are good, (Jeremiah 29:11) and He is to be trusted.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the idea of preaching on “Jesus’ Japanese Disciple.” May I not only be loyal to You, but also effective in drawing others into loyal commitment, so that together we may tear down the gates of hell that have bound the Japanese people for so long. (Matthew 16:18) Thank You. Hallelujah!

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April 3, 2017

Posted on April 6, 2017 by jgarrott

Luke 9:23 Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

I have preached on this verse many times, but it still hits me every time I read it. Sometimes we think we want to follow Jesus, but when push comes to shove, we follow our own comfort or convenience or whatever. We can’t wait for a crisis to learn to follow Jesus, it needs to be ingrained in us through our daily choices. We hear of martyrs who choose death rather than denying Jesus and either wonder how they could do it, or else think, “I could do that,” without any track record to back it up. I often remember James and John, the sons of Zebedee who were among the original 12 apostles. When, in their desire for glory, they brashly said that they could drink the same cup Jesus was going to drink (not knowing He was talking about crucifixion), Jesus said they would indeed do that. (Matthew 20:22) James was the first of the 12 to be martyred, but tradition tells us that John was the only one of the 12 to die a “natural” death. The thing is, both of them gave their lives for Christ; James just did it all at once, while John did it one day at a time. I think James had the easier course! Our problem is that we look at everything from a physical, temporal perspective, when we were created for eternity with God. The better we remember that, the better we can get through whatever trials we experience here (John 16:33) and the more joy we have in the process.

I am once again reminded of the story line in Silence, the book by Shusaku Endo that came out as a movie this past year. The saddest thing about it was how the priests (reflecting Endo’s own faith, or lack of it) discarded Christianity in order to save people from physical torture and death. Had that been the attitude of the early believers, Christianity would never have made it into the 2nd Century! It was believers who lived by this verse who amazed the Romans, who grudgingly said, “These people really know how to love each other, and they really know how to die.” That’s how I want to live! I doubt that I will be called to martyrdom the way James was, but I must accept martyrdom the way John did, one day at a time. It can be much harder to die to myself than to have someone else do the job for me! I am not to draw back, however long or narrow the road might seem, but remember that the glory that awaits me far outweighs anything I could experience here. (2 Corinthians 4:17)

Father, I’ve certainly had my moments of complaining, but I feel You have been so gentle and gracious toward me. Thank You. Thank You for the assurance that You will get me through anything You will bring me to. Help me live in consistent obedience, always available for however You want to use me, so that all of Your purposes for me may be fulfilled, on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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April 2, 2017

Posted on April 4, 2017 by jgarrott

Galatians 6:14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

We have little grasp of the absurdity, on the face of it, of speaking of “boasting” in the cross, but Paul’s immediate readers understood it very well. Movies give us a picture of crucifixion but it is a sanitized one at best, because the Romans generally didn’t waste any clothing on someone they were crucifying. Such a horribly cruel execution was the furthest thing possible from something to “boast” of. However, the cross of Christ was the ultimate demonstration of God’s love for us. What Paul was boasting of was how much God loved him, and each of us. What he continues to say is also vitally important. It is actually a restatement of something he said earlier in the same letter: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) The cross is really our only hope of living truly holy lives, because death is the ultimate answer to temptation. Through His cross Jesus took the penalty for our sin, so we are freed from it. It is as we allow that cross to be operative in our lives that we are freed from the power of sin, even in this life. It is as we graduate from this life to the next that we are freed from the presence of sin. That’s what Paul was talking about with “the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.”

I am as much in this process as anyone. None of us has anything to boast of except God’s overwhelming, amazing, grace and love. If I forget that even for a moment I fall into pride and hypocrisy. Those who look at me and think they could never be like me don’t know that I am just like them, apart from the grace of God. My calling is to be a witness of Christ, by His Spirit. (Acts 1:8) If I try to do that on my own, my flesh gets in the way and I make a horrible mess of it all. If I rest, relax, and rejoice in God’s grace and love toward me, then that joy becomes a powerful magnet to draw others to Christ. I need God’s wisdom and guidance each moment, because He’s smart and I’m not, but if I will trust Him obediently, that wisdom and guidance are fully available. The biggest risk is of my thinking I’m doing it, instead of Him doing it through me. I’ve had more than enough of trying to do it myself!

Father, thank You for this reminder. I have no words to thank You enough for Your grace and love. As David said, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14) Thank You. Praise God!

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April 1, 2017

Posted on April 3, 2017 by jgarrott

(From now through the 21st the readings are on The Cross, but then go back to being on God’s Provision. The cross is God’s ultimate provision for our salvation!)

1 Corinthians 1:18, 25 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.

The Gospel is absurd on the face of it. Why would omnipotent God come to earth as a frail human being in the first place? Why then would He die in shameful agony in our place? It simply doesn’t make sense to human intellect, and must be received by faith. This passage is of great importance to anyone who is confronted by those who ridicule the Gospel – which is to say, most of us. Far too many Americans are cultural Christians, accepting the Bible as mythology rather than as objective truth. That doesn’t do them any good at all. I have come to the conclusion that a major reason God designed salvation the way He did was precisely so that no human being could take personal credit for their own salvation. Paul brings that out again and again, not just here but in Ephesians 2:8-10 and elsewhere. Pride is one of the greatest hindrances to salvation. To be saved, we have to accept that there is no reason other than love that God would have sent Jesus to the cross, because the cross was really our penalty, not His. That really annihilates pride. Understanding this is so important that long ago the Church decided to expand the commemoration of the cross from Passion Week to Lent. Whether a formal structure is the best way to do that is open to debate, but it is undeniable that without the cross we have nothing, because we would be totally unqualified and unable to approach God, much less become His children. Too many Christians, and even preachers, “tone down” the message of the cross so as not to offend, not realizing that they are abandoning the foundation of everything. The message of personal sin, accountability to God, and God’s grace is offensive to those who will not humble themselves before God. We cannot change that, and so must not fear giving offense by proclaiming the Gospel.

I have to confess that I have let fear of offending keep me quiet more times than I could count, and really more times than I am aware of. There are some evangelists who seem to delight in offending. Some are “shocked into faith” by that, but more are turned off needlessly. I am not to seek to offend, but I must not fear offending more than I fear God, or fear the person I am talking to going to hell. That can be a hard call at times. Japanese society values interpersonal harmony very much, so the risk of offending by proclaiming the Gospel is very high. However, people have watched us, watched this church, for years, and see that we are motivated by the love of God. That is the best counter to offense. It was God’s love that caused Him to send Jesus in the first place, and it must be His love that motivates us to share the Gospel, whether people are offended or not.

Father, I ask for wisdom and anointing for sharing the Gospel, especially in this neighborhood, where the people are so warm to us. I don’t want them just to like us, I want them to love You, repenting of their unbelief and receiving Your salvation. I pray that in the months ahead Your Spirit would both prepare hearts and speak through us so that many may be drawn into Your kingdom, Your family, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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March 31, 2017

Posted on April 2, 2017 by jgarrott

Deuteronomy 4:39 Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other.

This is the definitive statement of monotheism. Many cultures balk at this. India is famous for its multiple gods, and Japan describes itself as “The Land of 8 Million Gods.” In human history, atheism as an organized thought system hardly reared its head before the end of the 19th Century, but over the next century it became the darling of the “intelligentsia.” The interesting thing is, numbers of really intelligent people, like Einstein, insisted that the universe couldn’t exist without a Creator. Just recently I watched a video of Michio Kaku, an astrophysicist who is very influential in the area of physics known as String Theory, and he was saying that the orderliness of the universe demands a Creator; chance couldn’t possibly explain its existence. However, both Einstein and Kaku had/have trouble with the idea of a personal God who cares about and is involved in the affairs of human beings. The problem is, that is at the very core of the Gospel. Actually, that is the shocking, scandalous foundation of the Bible, and thus Judaeo Christian society. From beginning to end, the Bible tells us that there is one God who created us, and He is both Holiness and Love. We have such trouble getting that through our heads! The attraction of atheism is that if there is no God, then there are no moral restraints, but as many people are pointing out, no one would really want to live in a world with no moral restraints, because they don’t want other people doing bad things to them, whatever they might want to do to other people. There is a severe logical inconsistency there. The only real solution to it all is a Creator who not only set up physical laws for the universe, He set up moral laws as well. It only stands to reason that the way to success comes from following the Creator’s Instruction Manual.

I had the enormous blessing of growing up in a home that was both intellectually/academically rigorous and totally dedicated to God who loves us enough to die for us. That formed the foundation of my world view, and I have benefited ever since. My frustration is that very few of the people I deal with have that same world view. Very few people think deeply enough about why the universe exists as it does, much less why they exist as they do. We are creatures of appetite and emotion, which isn’t bad in itself, but we need to go beyond that. My task as a witness to Christ, (Acts 1:8) not to mention being a pastor, is to speak the truth in love so that people’s eyes may be opened to God who loves them, so that they may repent of their imagined independence and believe the Good News of Christ, for their eternal salvation.

Father, You know me better than I know myself. You know that I love you, but that I am inconsistent in my obedience. You love me anyway, with Your amazing grace, and You continue to draw me closer to You. Thank You. You know how much I want to draw others into Your family, but that I can’t do it in my own strength and wisdom. I ask You to cleanse and fill me more and more so that nothing may interfere with Your Spirit drawing people to Yourself through me, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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March 30, 2017

Posted on April 2, 2017 by jgarrott

Deuteronomy 4:9 Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.

Several times Moses stresses that the Israelites aren’t to forget what they have experienced, but are to pass that information on to succeeding generations. We tend to forget that at that point they had no Bible, and most of the people were likely illiterate anyway. The only way to communicate over time was through repeated oral tradition. Granted, that was far more developed back then, out of sheer necessity, than it is today, but that still didn’t make it easy. America today is a good example of what happens in just a few dozen years if the process of teaching young people gets neglected or skewed. Man-on-the-street interviews expose almost unbelievable ignorance of the most basic facts of American history, and far too many schools teach hatred of America. That’s tragic enough, but ignorance of God is even worse. Frankly, that too has greatly increased in the US. The point is, those who do know God must be active in communicating that knowledge to others, or it simply dies out. God can and does reveal Himself supernaturally at times, but His fundamental plan is for His children to reproduce spiritually. Biological reproduction is all well and good, but spiritual reproduction is even more important, because physical life without eternal life is a “passing breeze,” as the Psalmist said. (Psalm 78:39) Many people wonder what their life means, why they exist, and those who know God are responsible to share their own knowledge of God so that others may know as well. We are not enjoined to teach philosophy; Moses is clear about teaching personal experience. That’s all the more reason to seek to experience God more so that we will have more to teach!

This certainly applies to me, since as a pastor my whole life is dedicated to teaching others about God. The thing is, if it remains their knowledge of my experience, it won’t do them that much good. My goal must be for them to experience Him themselves, and so choose to feed on His Word and grow in Him. I do need to share my own experiences so that what I teach will be far more than abstract. As a Teacher I tend to feel that just dumping truth on people should be sufficient, but it seldom is. I need to come alongside them and teach them how to get into the Word themselves, and I haven’t been very good at that. Of course, we are all dependent on the Holy Spirit, because as Paul said, spiritual truths are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:12) My teaching must be preceded, supported, and followed up with prayer. I have plenty of room to grow there! God desires a big family, and I need to be totally committed and obedient to Him for that purpose.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the upcoming new fiscal year. Japanese churches, and Japanese society in general, make much more of that than I would on my own, but it is a good opportunity to reexamine the how and the why of doing things. Thank You for the theme You’ve given me for Sunday’s message. I pray that both my preparation and my delivery would be fully guided and empowered by Your Spirit, so that Your truth would indeed communicate to each one and produce rich fruit, for the salvation of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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