October 28, 2016

Posted on October 31, 2016 by jgarrott

Acts 1:14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

This is the very first mention of Jesus’ brothers as being among the believers, or even those who followed Him. Paul mentions that Peter got a personal visit from Jesus after the resurrection, apart from the other apostles, and after all of that, that He appeared to James, who was His half-brother, pointing out that he (Paul) was tacked on almost as an afterthought. (1 Corinthians 15:3-8) Evidently James managed to convince his other brothers, because they were present here. Often we have the most difficulty evangelizing our own family, even though they are the ones we most care about. In our case it may well be because they know all our imperfections, but in Jesus’ case I think it was simply that familiarity breeds contempt. Until the resurrection, Jesus’ brothers couldn’t see that He was the Messiah, rather than just their slightly weird older brother. It is very significant that Jesus wanted to be sure His family was included before the Holy Spirit was poured out. It is also significant that even though James later was a pillar of the Church in Jerusalem, at this point he and his other brothers were definitely “low on the totem pole,” under the apostles whom Jesus had chosen personally. They evidently weren’t considered at all when it came to replacing Judas, because they didn’t fit the criterion of having been with the group “from the time of John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us.” (21-22) At this point they were newcomers to faith, though they had known Jesus humanly speaking longer than anyone but Mary.

This brings up the whole issue of the complexity of human relationships. Relationships change with time and circumstances, and should not be presumed on. At her recent 50th high school class reunion, Cathy discovered that everyone had changed, in more ways than just appearance, and some more than others. Some of that was expected, and some was surprising. She discovered rapport with people she had not previously been close to, and some relationships had cooled. I experience the same thing in various ways. I think the lesson is not to write anyone off, but leave things in God’s hands. My own position in my family has shifted, because though I am the youngest, I am the one who followed in our father’s footsteps as far as occupation. I am not to take that lightly, nor be presumptive either. I am to relate, not just to my siblings but to everyone, as an agent of God’s love, grace, and mercy, so that all the plans of the enemy may be defeated and God’s will be done, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this insight. I was talking about some of it just the other day with a pastor friend. Help us all fulfill the place in Your family that You intend, so that together we may build up the Body of Christ, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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October 27, 2016

Posted on October 31, 2016 by jgarrott

John 17:20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message.”

It has always been very meaningful to me that Jesus prayed for us today in the hours before He was crucified. After all, we certainly fit the category of those who have believed because of the apostles’ message. The thing is, just what He prayed for us is extremely important. The kind of unity He prays for here, which He touched on earlier in the Upper Room Discourse, (John 14:10, 17, 20; 15:5, 7) defies not only human psychology, it defies the laws of physics! We have our categories that we think are all distinct, but Jesus’ terminology here blends all of that. Apart from an act of God, human beings don’t have the kind of unity Jesus is talking about, but then He is God, and He’s talking to the Father, so all restrictions are off. This is certainly not something we can accomplish on our own, but we can submit ourselves to cooperate and participate in it. There are those who steadfastly resist unity! This sort of unity is in a way defined by the Greek word, agape (love). Verse 23 here echoes John 13:35. “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” We cannot have unity with the Father and the Son, much less with one another, apart from the love of God. It was no stretch for John to declare that “God is love,” (1 John 4:8) because both of the two “greatest commandments” deal with love, (Matthew 22:36-40) and then we have passages like this. We won’t do it perfectly while we are on this earth, but complete unity in God’s love is certainly something both to strive for and to look forward to.

The unity of the Body of Christ has been one of the foundation stones of my ministry. My convictions in this area are why I have chosen to be non-denominational, despite a strongly denominational background. They are why I have worked over the years to build up the Omura Ministerial Fellowship, with both Protestant and Catholic participation. They are why I regularly take part in interdenominational conferences. However, such “macro” activities don’t mean much if I deny the “micro” unity that is called for in this church. I am to seek the unity of the Spirit on every level, first with my Lord and then with His children. I am not to join with them in sin, certainly, but am to call them into the unity that God makes possible by His grace. I am to remember that any child of God is my brother or sister, even if we disagree or if one or the other of us is being a brat. I am not to fear discipline, but understand that is part of love and is necessary for genuine unity.

Father, this whole topic is huge, which shouldn’t be surprising. Help me grasp it more and more, so that everything Jesus prayed for here may be fulfilled indeed, in us and through us, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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October 26, 2016

Posted on October 28, 2016 by jgarrott

John 17:15 “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.”

Often enough, conditions in the world, in life, make us want just to escape. That’s natural, but it’s seldom God’s best for us. We can’t handle constant battle, and so need occasional retreats, but we can’t make escapism a way of life and have any real success at life itself. Growth and maturity come through struggle. A famous example is that of “helping” a butterfly get out of its cocoon. The cocoon is easily demolished by human intervention, but the insect that emerges can’t fly, and can hardly be called a butterfly, with completely crumpled wings. It needs the exertion of getting out of the cocoon on its own to pump blood into its wings and make them straighten out so that when they dry fully they will be usable. We see this all the time in raising children. Children who always have everything done for them, who always get the “easy way out,” never grow and mature to be genuinely independent human beings, and are of little use to themselves or to anyone else. This is a truth we don’t like to hear! People today want everything the easy way. The Internet has ads for pills to “melt belly fat while you sleep.” Even if they worked you wouldn’t be healthy, because you’d have no muscle tone. The flip side of that, and another major factor in Jesus’ prayer, is that you can’t defeat the enemy if you aren’t present at the battle. We are told that “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” (1 John 3:8) We are called to join Him in His ministry, and we can’t destroy stuff we don’t confront. Jesus wants us protected, but He doesn’t want us to leave the battlefield. Suicide is the ultimate cop-out, because it says that whatever personal angst we might be going through is more important than what we might accomplish by trusting God through to the end. In many places and using many different expressions the Bible assures us that sticking it out always brings the best reward.

I recognize a strong conflict-avoidance tendency in myself, so I am certainly talking to myself here. At the same time, as a pastor I am constantly dealing with people who struggle in this area. Some of them look at me and don’t recognize how much I’ve had to “grin and bear it,” so they resent it when I tell them the truth about their own situations. Frankly, sometimes I do have to walk away from them for a while, physically speaking, but I am never to fail to pray for them. I am to speak the truth in love always, challenging them to recognize God’s abundant, perfect provision so that they may do what they are called on to do to take hold of that provision. Life on this earth isn’t easy, but if we choose faithful dependence on Christ we will enjoy His victory. (John 16:33)

Father, this is a very timely Word. You know those who came to mind as I wrote, and You know the escape reaction I feel with all the mess about the upcoming election. Help me not flee any of it, but rather rest secure in Christ in the middle of it all. May I not draw back from any effort You want me to make, and may I never forget that You will supply whatever it takes to do whatever You have for me to do. Thank You. Praise God!

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October 25, 2016

Posted on October 27, 2016 by jgarrott

John 17:4 “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.”

It is the prayer of every servant of God that they be able to make this statement before they leave this earth. The thing is, most of us have only a very limited grasp of what God has planned for us to do. Paul pointed out that God has prepared a “to-do list” for each of us, (Ephesians 2:10) but we often don’t read it very well. We tend to add things He hasn’t intended and overlook what He really wants of us. In the process we add a lot of stress to our lives and miss out on a lot of satisfaction. Often we get anxious about how long we have on this earth, but compared to eternity, even a hundred years is just a blink. Rather, we need to be focused on how we are using however much time we have. My father died at 64, but my brother-in-law commented just recently that my father had accomplished as much as most people would in three lifetimes. Regardless of any accuracy in that statement, what puts it all into perspective is realizing that Jesus left this earth before He turned 34, and His public ministry was just three and a half years long. From my current perspective, three and a half years ago seems like just yesterday! We need to seek the Lord for His plans for each day and commit ourselves fully to fulfilling them, rather than seeking our own agenda.

It has been many years since I first focused on two Scriptures to apply them to myself. In Luke 17:10 Jesus said, “So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” I feel I am far from having fully done my duty! The second is the commendation given in the famous parable of the talents: “’Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:21) I have a deep hunger to hear that someday! I have currently exceeded my father’s lifespan by four years, but the jury is still out as to how well I have followed God’s to-do list for me. I well remember the statement of a missionary who visited my father in the hospital shortly before the heart surgery from which he didn’t wake up. The missionary said, “I never saw a man with more reason to live, or more ready to die.” I want to live like that!

Father, thank You for Your faithfulness that is infinitely better than my own. Help me not be anxious about any of this, but rather rest, relax, and rejoice, just as You have told me to do. Help me read Your to-do list for me more accurately, not stressing out over things You never put on there and not overlooking anything You do want me to do. Help me not fear the assessment of people, but rather work for Your approval alone. I know I cannot earn Your commendation in my own wisdom and strength, but I also know that You never ask anything of me that You do not provide whatever is necessary for me to complete it. May I live in that knowledge consistently, doing Your will on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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October 24, 2016

Posted on October 27, 2016 by jgarrott

Luke 22:43-44 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

Under some circumstances, prayer can be really hard work. Most of the time it is refreshing, releasing burdens completely to the Lord, but sometimes that’s not the case. It is significant that an angel was sent to strengthen the very human Jesus, but even so the stress level was so high as to cause rupture of the capillaries around His sweat glands. (I wonder what His blood pressure was?) Something can be very difficult and still be God’s very best for us. We don’t like even to think about that, much less accept it, but if, for example, Paul had not been stoned and then drug out of the city as dead, (Acts 14:19) he probably would not have had the taste of heaven that so impacted his ministry. (2 Corinthians 12:1-6) Jesus knew what was coming, and every cell in His body rebelled at the idea, but He also knew that was why He had been born into the world. (John 12:27) The conflict nearly did Him in before He ever got to the cross! However, as both our Example and our Redeemer, He pressed through to the victory, though there was indescribably suffering along the way. We are all too prone to “wimp out,” not accepting the help God offers so that we may endure, but rather ducking tail and running. Running can be appropriate in the case of temptation, (1 Corinthians 10:13) but not in the case of suffering. This is why suicide is a denial of faith that God can act redemptively in suffering. When we are focused on the pain of the moment we lose sight of the God who is above and beyond it all, and forget that He can and will use the most horrible things for good, if we will release them to Him. (Romans 8:28)

I remember when my mother was terminal with metastatic cancer. She was in Kentucky and I was in Japan so I didn’t see it first-hand, but we were told that her body was visibly bumpy from all the tumors, and those in her brain were robbing her of her memories. I wept and asked God to take her home, but it was some time before He did. After He did, though, I heard that the nurses in the terminal care facility talked about how she blessed them, smiling and being kind to them even in the middle of her own suffering. We worry our heads over “why bad things happen to good people,” writing books on the subject, even, when two facts cover the whole situation: we live in a fallen world, and God can and does use everything that is yielded to Him for good. I couldn’t count how many times I’ve quoted John 13:33. “In this world you will have trouble, but rejoice! I have overcome the world.” He said that just before He experienced today’s passage, but as it says in Hebrews, He “endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2) We need to trust and follow Him.

Father, this isn’t a very “happy” Word, but it’s an important one. I have no idea what lies ahead of me, or of anyone, but I know that the final end result will be glorious for all who are in Christ Jesus. Help me be faithful in every detail, whether it seems easy or difficult, so that all of Your purposes for me may be fulfilled, on Your schedule and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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October 23, 2016

Posted on October 25, 2016 by jgarrott

Luke 22:31-32 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

What a deeply meaningful incident! It tells us a great deal about life in the world as it is and how we are to respond to it, including to our own failures. In the first place, it touches on why the devil is allowed to do some of the things he does. Sifting isn’t a bad thing, but it might feel bad to the wheat. The purpose of sifting is to remove impurities, not only chaff but also little rocks and the like that can get into the mix. We really don’t want impurities in our lives, but the problem is, too often we can’t distinguish accurately what needs to go. Sifting takes care of that. The second thing is that Jesus knew full well that Peter was going to fall flat in the process. He didn’t pray that Peter wouldn’t fall, He prayed that he wouldn’t lose his faith. There’s a huge difference. Precisely because Peter so publicly denied knowing Jesus, he was thereafter forever insulated from pride, from thinking he could get it right on his own. That’s valuable indeed! We don’t want to fall, and we don’t want those we care about to fall, but if faith remains, God can indeed use our failures for good, for us and for those around us. (Romans 8:28) When Jesus first gave Simon the name, Peter, he was far from being a rock of stability, but this incident went a long way in making him the rock that he indeed was in the early Church. As Jesus told him to do, he strengthened his brothers and he fed Jesus’ sheep. (John 21:15-19)

This is an important lesson for me to take to heart. I can see how God has used some of my failures to shape and purify me, so as a pastor I am to pray that He would do the same for those under my care. I agonize sometimes over what my “sheep” get into. I am to pray that they not be led into temptation, (Matthew 6:13) but even more I am to pray that their faith not fail. I may even find I have a Peter or two in the flock! I am to trust God that He will not allow anyone to go through more than they can bear if they will turn to Him, and so pray that everyone, myself included, would keep our hearts turned to Him even when we fail, not letting go of our faith. When that happens, we will indeed be built up as living stones into a House suitable for our Lord. (1 Peter 2:5)

Father, You know who is on my mind as I write. I indeed pray that their faith would not fail, but rather that they would be purified and strengthened to in turn strengthen their brothers and sisters, for the blessing of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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October 22, 2016

Posted on October 24, 2016 by jgarrott

Luke 21:34 “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap.”

It struck me as I was reading this just now that Jesus was talking to people who were following Him, yet He mentioned dissipation, drunkenness, and anxiety. To me that says that some people whom “religious” people have written off might well be genuine Christians. Certainly not wise Christians, but heirs of eternal life even so. We are not to excuse such behavior, but neither are we to cross people off because of their mistakes. Incidentally, the “dissipation” mentioned here is the same term applied to the Prodigal Son, who spent his money on prostitutes. Paul roundly and rightly condemns such behavior, (1 Corinthians 6:15-16) but it is something that can be repented of. Ephesians 5 needs to be our guide. Many areas are covered there, but the guiding principle is in verse 15: “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise.” I am reminded of something I read by the late Jamie Buckingham about drinking alcohol. He realized that as a Christian he was free to do so, but at the same time there was a distinct possibility that his doing so would cause someone else to stumble, so even drinking in moderation wasn’t the course of wisdom and love. That said, I think we tend to exclude many people the Lord does not. We are to teach and admonish, but we are to love as we have been loved by God, and that covers over a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8)

I grew up in a strictly tea-totaling home, and frankly, very few alcoholic drinks I’ve tried have tasted good to me. I consider that a blessing! I have seen countless examples of people condemning unwise behavior in others while ignoring their own, (Matthew 7:3-5) and I have fallen into that trap myself. I am not to condone or excuse sins, but I am to forgive them. There is a huge difference, and I must not let the devil blind me to it. At this point in my life some people are put off by my being so “holy,” thinking they could never be like me and so not trying. I am not to “get in the mud” with them, but I am to make it as clear as possible that it is only by the grace of God that I am as I am, and that same grace is available to all who will receive it. I stumble even now, certainly, but they don’t see that. I’m not to go around “bragging” of my sins, but like Isaiah I am to walk in the humility that comes from seeing the holiness of God. (Isaiah 6:5) I am to be an open channel of His love and grace to all, so that as many as possible may be drawn into His kingdom, His family.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I deal with people all over the spiritual spectrum. Keep me from pegging them in a particular place in that spectrum, or even trying to. Help me rather love them as they are and where they are, without being content to leave them there. That’s what You did when You sent Jesus. Keep me from distorting that love. Rather, help me transmit it clearly and strongly, so that many may be brought from darkness to light, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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October 21, 2016

Posted on October 24, 2016 by jgarrott

Luke 18:17 “I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

The Japanese translates this, “cannot enter,” but this time it’s the NIV, backed up by various other English translations, that really makes me think. We do well to consider how a child receives things, in contrast to how an adult might do so. If you offer a child something that seems attractive to them, they accept it, generally with delight. An adult, on the other hand, might calculate what strings might be attached, or even whether they are worthy to receive such a thing. The reason we have to accept the kingdom of God like a child is that it is literally going to cost us the world, since we have to let go of the material to take hold of the spiritual, and we could never be worthy of receiving it in our own right. A little child doesn’t think these things. If they trust the one offering the gift and it seems attractive to them, they take it, period. In this fallen world that can be dangerous for children, since all too many people are not trustworthy and the devil is adept at making evil glitter. That’s why Jesus had such severe words for those who “cause little ones to stumble.” (Luke 17:2) We need to exercise clear discernment when it comes to things in this world, but rejoice to receive the things of God like wide-eyed children.

Perhaps the reason this verse speaks to me so strongly is that I know people who decline to receive salvation precisely because they are too “adult.” Tragically, I have lost some close friends who fit into that category. We have someone who has attended this church for over 10 years and won’t accept Jesus as Savior and Lord precisely because they don’t want to give up a particular pleasure, and at the same time they don’t feel worthy because of that very pleasure. I have never confronted them about that activity, but they have been exposed to Christianity for over 50 years now, and that seems to be their position. They continue to come to church because we welcome them, and they are lonely. I need to keep praying that they would have the courage to act as a little child and receive what their Father is offering them, in all simplicity.

Father, You never said that getting the Gospel across to people would be easy. Help me never give up, but keep speaking Your truth in love so that as many as will may enter in, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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October 20, 2016

Posted on October 23, 2016 by jgarrott

Luke 18:1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

Sometimes Jesus’ disciples asked Him to explain the meaning of His parables and sometimes He volunteered the meaning, but here Luke gives the point even before he records the parable. That could well be because of the extreme importance of the lesson! Where the NIV says, “give up,” the Japanese says “lose hope.” We give up on various things for a variety of reasons, most of them trivial, but losing hope is more tragic. As I am frequently reminded, God’s time frame is different from ours. Peter put it in terms of a thousand years and a day, (2 Peter 3:8) but actually it is even greater than that, because God is outside of the flow of time entirely, acting within time as He wills. Sometimes the answer to prayer is in eternity! It takes a lot of faith to accept that, but such faith is far more likely to see miraculous answers to prayer than a more shallow faith would be. As it says in Psalm 42, (just to mention one example) we are to put our hope in God, not in any merely human agency. Our hope is not ultimately in any specific chain of events, but rather in God’s perfect will being done, in our lives and in this world as a whole. That’s what we are to keep praying for, without ever giving up.

This is something I’ve known in my head for a long time, but sometimes my heart and emotions have trouble keeping up! Like everyone else, I want answers NOW. Just as acceptance of delayed gratification is a major yardstick of maturity psychologically speaking, the same may be said of spiritual maturity. I don’t want to lose childlike wonder at the goodness of my Father, but at the same time I desire the spiritual maturity to accept His timetable without fuss. He has told me personally that there are many things in the world today that are not pleasing to Him, but that means I’ve got to accept His timetable for fixing them all, and trust that He can and will do it. That is utterly beyond my imagination, because it is humanly impossible, so again as He has told me personally, I’ve got to rest, relax, and rejoice, trusting Him implicitly and explicitly. That is praying without losing hope.

Father, thank You for this important reminder. Thank You for the times this computer has crashed in the process of my writing this. That may have been intended by the devil to block me from receiving it, but You used it to repeat Yourself to me to cement the message. Help me apply everything You say to me, not deceiving myself but serving as a demonstration of Your truth and grace, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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October 19, 2016

Posted on October 23, 2016 by jgarrott

Luke 11:13 “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Luke 11 invites many comparisons with the similar content in Matthew 6 and 7. I think it is futile to argue over whether Jesus said similar things more than once (which is highly probable) or whether either Matthew or Luke simply used an edited collection of teachings (which is quite possible). In either case, the similarities and differences give us things to think about. In this particular verse, the Pentecostal/Charismatic Movement has seized on the promise of the Holy Spirit. There are a lot of factors here. One is that Luke, as a companion of Paul, heard about Jesus only well after the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Church. He mentions the Holy Spirit a great deal in Acts, from the events at Pentecost all the way through to the end of the book, and was obviously aware that the Holy Spirit was the soul and the engine of the Church. The other factor that strikes me right now is that the implication from the way this is written that the Holy Spirit is the very best thing God could give anyone. I think that was Luke’s own experience, and he didn’t hesitate to report Jesus putting it this way. Children ask their parents for a lot of things. Sometimes the requests are granted, sometimes they are denied, but sometimes the parent gives the child something better than what they asked for. I think God does that with us a lot. The only problem with that is that, because it isn’t what we asked for, we sometimes don’t recognize how good it is. The Holy Spirit is God Himself. He gave Himself to us in the Person of His Son to redeem us from our sins, and He gives Himself to us in the Person of His Spirit to empower us and to remake us in the likeness of His Son. (Romans 8:29, 2 Corinthians 3:18) If we really understand that, we will ask for, and welcome, the Holy Spirit at every turn.

This is an understanding I have been growing in over the years. I don’t think I’ve ever expressed it quite the way I just did, and I am deeply grateful for the revelation. This actually could be big in my ministry from this point. Just as many people don’t understand their need for Jesus as their Savior, so many Christians don’t understand their need to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18) As was pointed out to me in 1974, we receive everything from God by faith. I need to encourage people to trust God to give them the very best, and by definition, that is indeed Himself, in the Person of His Son and His Spirit.

Father, thank You indeed for this Word. I feel like it’s huge! Help me communicate it effectively so that as many as possible may receive it, for their salvation and eternal blessing and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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