February 17, 2017

Posted on February 19, 2017 by jgarrott

Genesis 35:2-3 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes. Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone.”

It is interesting to me how, ever since reading Cultural and Theological Reflections on the Japanese Quest for Divinity, my eyes have been open to see the theological framework of people in the Bible, especially the Old Testament. I understand how thoroughly Western I have been, despite having been born and raised in Japan. My mono­theistic worldview kept me from recognizing that the Patriarchs, even, didn’t share that worldview. Here we have Jacob telling his household that his God is Boss, so all the others are to be discarded. There’s no telling how many that might have been! What cemented this for Jacob was, as he says here, the fact that God met him, spoke to him, and protected and provided for him. God Himself had to specify that He was almighty (verse 11). Otherwise, all gods were on some sort of sliding scale of power, depending both on locality and the issue in question. Western thinking today tends to see such things as black and white, theist or atheist, but those lines are blurring again today, with “postmodern” culture rejecting absolute truth. The devil is a consummate liar, and he doesn’t care which lie he uses to deceive people, so long as he can keep them from genuine repentance and faith for salvation. The point is, it is very helpful to understand where people are coming from in their understanding of God, but none of that changes the fact that we all need to know our Creator and relate rightly to Him while we have the opportunity to repent and believe, that is, while we are physically alive.

I am only now understanding just how very different my worldview is from those around me. That’s interesting, considering how long I’ve lived in Japan! It’s clear that I don’t have sufficient wisdom to communicate the Gospel effectively on my own, so I’ve got to be actively dependent on the Holy Spirit to do it through me. I need to speak to people where they are, rather than demanding they come up to where I am, and I am not to put them down for where they are! This is why personal testimony is always more effective than theology. It is why Cathy’s friends, especially at her rehab, are opening up remarkably, because they are seeing what it’s like to live with personal faith in a Creator who loves you. The Lord has allowed me to lay down a foundation in this city, and now I need to let Him build on that foundation to raise up a mighty Church of people who are committed to Jesus Christ as Lord. I am not to focus on how wrong people’s current theology/worldview is, but rather allow the Holy Spirit to straighten them out through direct encounters. Nothing else will do the job, but He is up to the task.

Father, thank You for how You are continuing to grow and teach me. May I make the use that You intend of all that You place in me so that I may be a good steward, doing my part in Your plan, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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February 16, 2017

Posted on February 19, 2017 by jgarrott

Genesis 28:20-22 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s house, then the Lord will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.”

Once again I am struck by how extremely limited, deficient, really, a concept of God the patriarchs had. It kind of puts things into perspective to think about the size of any rock Jacob might have selected as a pillow. Some “pillar!” This is very reminiscent of the little roadside shrines that are still common in rural Japan (and are occasionally spotted even in big cities). Reading the book about the Japanese concept of God has really opened my eyes to this issue. Jacob had such a low image of God that he thought he could bargain with Him, but God blessed and used him anyway. This really shows how God meets us where we are, not leaving us there but leading us “onward and upward,” to use C. S. Lewis’ phrase. The thing is, it doesn’t matter where we are, God wants us to come to Him. Just where we are in the journey doesn’t matter as much as the direction we are headed. People who quibble over minor points of theology are missing the whole point. None of us get it all perfectly on this earth, (another point from C. S. Lewis) so rather than being hung up on having it right, we need to be focused on where we are headed and Who is going to get us there. Anything less, and we run the risk of His saying to us, “Depart from me. I never knew you.” (Matthew 7:23)

This is a cautionary word to me as well. With my background it is all too easy for me to fall into the “I’m right and they’re not” mentality. I even had that attitude at a point when I was personally very far from God! Especially ministering in Japan I need to be careful not to look down on people for having a “tribal god” mentality. Many people are drawn to Jesus, but strict monotheism is too much of a stretch for them. Rather than lambaste them and drive them away, I need to make it clear that for Jesus to be your God, you have to join His tribe, and that is done by repentance, faith, and baptism. (Lest anyone try to split theological hairs with me, no, I don’t think baptism by itself saves anyone, nor is it requisite for salvation, as witness the thief on the cross. However, it is an extremely important rite of passage, out of the realm of darkness and death into God’s marvelous light and life.) I am to keep leading those in my care toward a higher understanding and appreciation of God, but not put them down for wherever they happen to be at the moment. After all, I’ve still got plenty of room to grow!

Father, thank You for this reminder. I pray that I would apply this truth effectively in leading more and more people into Your family, so that Your Holy Spirit can teach them more and more of just Who and what You are, and together we can be Your people indeed, for Your pleasure and glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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A Special Post

Posted on February 17, 2017 by jgarrott

This blog is an edit of my daily devotional writing, so this post is quite out of the ordinary. However, February 16th happens to be the anniversary of my first date with Catherine Davis Gourley, and that first date was 48 years ago. It’s now the 17th here in Japan, but it’s still the 16th where that first date took place. There were many remarkable things about that occasion, not the least of which being my writing my parents the next day that I had found the girl I wanted to marry. Eleven days after that first date we were engaged, and we were married in May, less than 24 hours after I graduated from college. (To be honest, several of our friends checked their calendars to guess when the baby would be born, but that wasn’t the situation at all. Our older daughter wasn’t born until September of the following year.) These 48 years have been a marvelous journey, made all the more marvelous by the partner “suitable for me” that God provided. I am well aware that many other courses would have been possible, and I vigorously tried to pursue some of them, and I am deeply grateful for God reining me in and setting me on His path. At this point God allows me to perform quite a few weddings, with premarital counseling required. I try to help the couples understand just how great a gift God has given them so that they may steward it wisely, for their own benefit and His glory. May all who read this likewise know that marriage is the biggest job of your life, but it carries the biggest rewards. It is God’s 2nd greatest blessing, following only salvation itself. To Him be all thanks, honor, glory and praise!

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February 15, 2017

Posted on February 17, 2017 by jgarrott

Genesis 26:12 Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him.

To be honest, most of the messages I’ve heard that used this verse were distortions of Biblical truth. “Prosperity Gospel” preachers link this to such passages as 2 Corinthians 8:1-15 and talk about “seed faith,” saying that if you “plant” offerings into their ministry you will get a hundredfold in return. I won’t say that never happens, but when it does, it is by the urging of the Holy Spirit and not by the pleading of some preacher. What this verse says to me right now is that if you don’t plant, you won’t harvest, but that has very little to do with money. If you aren’t getting out the Good News of salvation, then people won’t be added to the Family of God. It is true that often we harvest what others have planted, but somebody had to plant! By the same token, seed that we plant is often for others to harvest. God will bless us, but we are not to be passive, even if we don’t see any direct fruit of our labors.

This is extremely applicable to anyone ministering in Japan, because by any objective measure, Japan has the lowest rate of return on investment of personnel, time, and money of any country when it comes to evangelism. God made it very clear that this was where He wanted me to be, but I can’t say it’s been easy. I’ve got to keep my eyes on Him and keep planting, rejoicing in whatever harvest I see but not making my obedience dependent on “results.” That’s not to say I’m not to examine how I do things, so that I may improve my plowing, planting and watering, but it is to say I’m to find my joy in serving Him, knowing that my reward will eventually make it all more than worth it. (2 Corinthians 4:17)

Father, this has been a particularly rough few days, with the rejection from the Agricultural Land Committee coming in the middle of a bad cold. That’s real training in “giving thanks for everything!” (Ephesians 5:20) Help me focus indeed on pleasing You, on how You see me, rather than on how anyone else views me, so that I may be available for whatever You want to do through me, for the sake of the Body of Christ and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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February 14, 2017

Posted on February 16, 2017 by jgarrott

Genesis 26:3 Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham.

We need to remember the context of this statement from God. Verse 1 starts off with, “Now there was a famine in the land.” We don’t have much emotional connection with that statement, but in those days, with no refrigeration and negligible international trade in foodstuffs – things we take for granted today – a famine meant people, or at least livestock, starved to death. Such famines occurred from time to time throughout the Bible, but when a drought happens today we are quick to blame “global warming,” or at least “climate change.” The fact of the matter is, weather does change, and it is hubris to think mankind has very much to do with it. (Other than the drastic effects of deforestation, but that’s another story.) The point here though is that God is telling Isaac to “tough it out” and not go looking for literally greener pastures. As the story continues we see that he was richly rewarded for his obedience, but at this point it was essentially blind faith. God promises us great blessings, but at the same time He doesn’t promise us “easy street.” Sometimes we have to tough out a famine, either materially or spiritually. Such things rightly cause us to examine ourselves to see if we have heard God correctly, but if we have confirmation from Him, then obedience is far more important than visible results.

Once again the Lord has spoken directly to my circumstances. I have been ministering in Omura for over 35 years now, but current Sunday morning attendance is around 10. We have been very caught up recently in the dream of building an assisted living facility on the land next to the church here, but yesterday the Agricultural Land Committee put a nail in that. At this point I’m having to work through the stages of grief about it, and that’s not easy. However, looking at the situation objectively, I realize that emotionally I was substituting the land and building for the fruit I wasn’t seeing in people. Such a facility wouldn’t be bad, but I’m not going to take land and buildings to heaven. This is an opportunity to reexamine the ministry here and be sure we have the focus God intends. The pastors conference we attended last week was on “Gospel Centered Church.” I need to let the Lord show us how to restore our center, so that we will be bearing the fruit that He desires rather than whatever our imaginations come up with.

Father, thank You for Your faithfulness. Thank You for showing me Your purpose in not letting us go ahead as we had been planning. Thank You also for pointing out that it was precisely my failure to plan that made us ineligible for the rezoning that was called for. Help me get through the grief of the death of the dream so that I can see Your dream for us, which is without question better than anything we could come up with. Thank You. Praise God!

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February 13, 2017

Posted on February 16, 2017 by jgarrott

Genesis 24:50 Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the Lord; we can say nothing to you one way or the other.

Sometimes the Lord makes things extremely clear, and when He does so, we had better get in line. The social context here is unfamiliar to modern society, but the vast majority of marriages were arranged, and the “bride price” was the order of the day. Abraham’s servant had given ample evidence of the wealth of his master, and Rebekah’s parents had no social reasons to object. However, it was the specificity of the servant’s prayers and how God had answered them so completely that really “sealed the deal.” I’m sure that Rebekah was listening to all of this, and it is significant that when it occurred to them the next day to ask her opinion in the matter, she opted to go with Abraham’s servant on what was for her a great adventure into the unknown. (Genesis 24:57-58) Maybe she didn’t like any of the local boys! In any case, though God didn’t speak in an audible voice on this occasion, His guidance was certainly clear. We seldom hear Him this clearly, but the point is that obedience is always called for. When God opens doors, we had better go through them, but we also need to be discerning, because as Jesus said, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14) Any door that God opens is going to be in line with the principles He has already laid down in His word, but the devil will tempt us to cut corners to make things happen the way we want them to.

This is, as always, applicable to me. We have been getting mixed signals about the land next to the church building. God has provided the funds miraculously, but legal and human factors stand in the way. Today I will be taking a petition and a letter to the Agricultural Land Committee at the city office, seeking to get them to remove the legal barrier to our purchasing the land. Even if they do so (for which there is no legal precedent that I am aware of) there remains the matter of the current landowner, who has certainly demonstrated himself to be difficult in the past. Nothing is impossible for God, but He seems to be piling up the circumstances to make it very clear this could only be His doing. I honestly don’t know where my faith is in this. Part of me is reconciled to the land being sold to a developer, part of me doesn’t want to give up, and part of me is just tired of the whole mess and wants to put it behind me. I can’t make anything happen, but my actions are still important in what is going on. The very intensity of the spiritual and health attacks we are experiencing right now is an indication that this is somehow a big deal in the scheme of things. I am to stand in the completed work of Christ Jesus and exercise His authority so that His plans may be fulfilled, on His schedule and for His glory.

Father, thank You for what You have brought us through to this point, and that You will take us all the way through to the end. (Philippians 1:6) Thank You for the rest and healing we experienced last night. Help us indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in You throughout today, so that Your will may be done in and through us without distortion, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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February 12, 2017

Posted on February 15, 2017 by jgarrott

Genesis 24:15 Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder.

This line immediately brings to mind the Lord’s words to Isaiah: “Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.” (Isaiah 65:24) That in turn brings to mind Jesus’ words: “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matthew 6:8) We get all tied in knots over all sorts of things, when what is called for is obedient trust. Some people look at this and want to know why we should pray in the first place, since God knows everything. If we fail to pray, we fail to focus our hearts on God and we miss the joy of knowing he hears us and cares about us individually. Abraham’s servant was overjoyed to have his prayer answered even as he prayed. I’m sure he came out of this experience with far more faith than he had before it happened! One of our problems is that we tend to focus on the times we don’t receive what we ask for, instead of recognizing the many times God is gracious to us. Actually, often God’s “No” answers are at least as gracious as His “Yes” answers, but we seldom understand that until later, if at all. Prayer is fundamentally communication with our Father, and is more than worth pursuing whatever our immediate situation.

I am deeply grateful to have been raised in a home where prayer was as natural as breathing, but that still doesn’t mean I make full and proper use of it myself. I do pray a good bit, but I am still growing in intercession and in praying in full harmony with the Holy Spirit. I am quick to pray about my own felt needs, but they are generally trivial compared to the needs of so many of my brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. I delight to pray in words the Holy Spirit provides, but I need to be just as guided by Him when I pray in English or Japanese. When I pray in full submission and faith I can be assured that God will do what is best, whether I see that response immediately, as in this story, or not until years later, or even until after I am gone from this earth. I am not to insist on my timetable. I have seen God answer prayers, and specifically my prayers, more times than I could count. I am to ask, seek, and knock, (Matthew 7:7-8) and at the same time rest, relax, and rejoice in my Father’s love and provision.

Father, thank You for this reminder. You know my current situation better than I do, with a full day today but feeling like I’m coming down with a cold again, and then a momentous day tomorrow and another full day the next day. I ask for health and strength as I need it, to do Your will on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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February 11, 2017

Posted on February 15, 2017 by jgarrott

Genesis 24:6-7 “Make sure that you do not take my son back there,” Abraham said. “The Lord, the God of heaven, who brought me out of my father’s household and my native land and who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give this land’—he will send his angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son from there.

By this point Abraham’s faith was pretty firm. He had experienced God’s provision enough times in enough ways to be sure that He would provide a wife for Isaac. In the next verse he gives the servant an “escape clause,” so to speak, but I really think that was for the servant’s sake rather than from any doubt on his part. The Biblical instructions to “be anxious for nothing” (Philippians 4:6, Matthew 6:31, 34) do get easier to follow with experience, but we have to be careful not to create “needs” in our own imagination, but rather let the Lord show us what we should be asking for. (Psalm 37:4) God is perfectly faithful, but we must not be presumptuous. We must be humble and keep our priorities straight. As a good Father, God delights to give good things to His children, (Matthew 7:11) but He isn’t going to give us stuff that will be bad for us. When our hearts are genuinely set on God’s kingdom and His righteousness, (Matthew 6:33) everything else will fall into place. Someone has said, “Where God guides, He provides.” That is true indeed, even if it isn’t in the Bible.

I have experienced God’s provision in more ways than I could possibly count, but I still have momentary anxiety at times. I need to keep growing! I still have trouble with trying to dictate just how God is going to meet a particular need. That’s not exactly smart. I even have been known to decline His provision at times, not wanting to be greedy. As Isaiah told King Ahaz, when God says ask, He means ask! (Isaiah 7:10-13) I know I won’t stop God’s plans, but I can easily miss out on blessings that He intends for me, and for others through me. We have been in a period of intensive training in this area for the past few months in relation to the land next door. I continue to feel strongly that God intends that land for the advancement of His kingdom, but I also recognize that I have been somewhat presumptive about it, and right now it is going to take a genuine miracle on His part for the legal hurdles to be cleared and the owner agree to sell to us, when he has stated definitively that he has decided to sell to the developer. The neighbors have been very supportive, and Monday I will take a petition to the Agricultural Land Committee, but I don’t know that there is any legal precedent for our actions, and Japan is very strong on precedent. Even clearing that, the owner has shown himself to be very stubborn. All that said, nothing is impossible for God, (Luke 1:37) and I need to walk in the peace of that assurance.

Father, thank You for all You have done over the past four days at the conference. As they were saying there, now we’re back to “reality.” Help me remember that You are just as powerful here as there, and be faithful as Your agent for Your will to be done, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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February 10, 2017

Posted on February 14, 2017 by jgarrott

Genesis 23:20 So the field and the cave in it were legally made over to Abraham by the Hittites as a burial site.

This chapter is a fascinating look at social and legal customs of the day. The group action, the offer to “give” the land, all the terminology involved, all sound very “Oriental” to Westerners today. The point is, God provided what Abraham needed, but didn’t violate the customs of society in the process, since those customs didn’t violate His rules. The price paid was a steep one, but earlier passages make it clear that Abraham could afford it, and he didn’t hesitate. The point is, God provides, but He most often uses very prosaic means to do so, that a non-believer would not recognize as being from Him. He does use miraculous provision at times, like ravens feeding Elijah, (1 Kings 17:4-6) the widow of Zarephath’s oil and flour not giving out, (1 Kings 17:7-16) and the huge crowd being fed from one boy’s lunch, (John 6:1-13) but those are certainly the exception. The thing is, the “non-miraculous” methods are just as much God’s provision as the miraculous. Our place is to trust God to provide and not insist on exactly how He is going to do it.

This is intimately connected with me just now, because of the issue of the land next to the church that we want to purchase to build an assisted living facility. God has already provided the funds, in a way that is certainly close to miraculous, but the neck now is the impatience of the owner and the legal hoops involved. God has already let us know that He has more land available to us elsewhere in the city, but I cannot let go of the feeling He intends the land next to the church for us as well. I cannot dictate to Him and I should not try, but I am to trust Him fully and be obedient to whatever He shows me, so that we may stand in the flow of His provision in order to do what He desires, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder at this time. Thank You that everything is in Your hands. Thank You for the demonstration of Your presence and power in the service last night. Help me operate in Your power more and more consistently, not just in “religious” settings but in every area of my life, so that Your will may be done in and through me for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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February 9, 2017

Posted on February 14, 2017 by jgarrott

Genesis 22:17 “Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies.”

I have heard this passage used numbers of times, especially in conferences like the one I am attending now. It generally is used with tones of triumphalism, somewhat removed from the nitty gritty of normal church life. Marc Estes has not used this passage, but last night he said something that relates strongly to this. He said, “You will never get the city into the church until you get the church into the city.” That struck me, both for its simplicity and its truth. God does intend for us to express His victory in this world. If that were not the case, Jesus would not have told us to pray for God’s kingdom to come. The thing is, you can never have victory without going into battle. In spiritual warfare we have the “air campaign,” with focused prayer and intercession. That is indeed essential. However, we also have the “ground campaign.” You can’t take territory without “boots on the ground.” That’s what Marc is talking about. We can’t expect people to walk into our churches asking to be led to Christ! That sometimes happens, and it is glorious, but it is certainly rare. This isn’t talking about door-to-door evangelism necessarily, though that can have its place at times. Such things sometimes have the effect of turning people off to the church. Jehovah’s Witnesses certainly don’t have a very good reputation among most people! However, church members need to be consciously present in society as Christ’s representatives. If your neighbor, coworker, or classmate doesn’t know you are a Christian, they won’t turn to you when some circumstance in their life opens their heart, and you will have missed an opportunity. Paul tells us to “make the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:16) We have to be present to recognize the opportunities we are given. We have to be in the fight to take the gates of our enemy. We can claim, “the gates of Hades will not overcome us,” (Matthew 16:18) but we can’t conquer without being there.

Last night as I was hearing this message I was thinking along the lines of having to go to coffee houses and such, which has never been my lifestyle. That isn’t necessarily the case, though it wouldn’t be a bad idea. The thing is, I need to set the example for my flock of consciously being present in society. I am widely known in the city, but I’m not necessarily conscious about it. Japanese are very private people, and so less likely than Americans to open up about felt needs to even their close friends. However, if I’m not “within reach,” so to speak, they won’t turn to me regardless of the level of their need. As I am reminded fairly frequently, the fact that I am Caucasian makes it all the less likely that a Japanese would open up to me, but at the very least I need to set the example for the flock so that they will be available to those who are close to them. Lecturing them isn’t the way to go! I am to be active in seeking the Holy Spirit’s guidance as to how to apply the things He’s speaking to me in these days.

Father, thank You for the opportunity to come here and be challenged like this. May I not slough this off after I get back and return to “business as usual,” but remember and apply all You are saying to me, so that I and the church may be transformed as You intend, for the salvation of many and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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