September 29, 2015

Posted on September 30, 2015 by jgarrott

1 Thessalonians 2:11-12 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

Here we have the heart of a pastor expressed. Paul didn’t have any physical children but he certainly had multitudes of spiritual children. Of course Timothy was most like a son to him, but to a degree everyone he had ministered to was his child. We often overlook this part of Paul because of his strong words in various areas, but this shows that he didn’t just write 1 Corinthians 13, he practiced it. However strong his words, they were undergirded, and usually overlaid, with the love of God. His desire was that he “present everyone perfect in Christ,” (Colossians 1:28) and he gave all he had and was to that end. We are so prone to be distracted by all sorts of things, from status to salary to almost anything, but if we forget to be good fathers to our spiritual children, we’ve thrown everything out the window.

I have long bemoaned my “lack of pastoral gifting,” but I can identify with this passage very much. As a physical father I know how I feel about and relate to my physical children, and it’s really not much different from how I relate to my spiritual children. I tend to express the same parenting style in both situations. I think I have been affectionate but not terribly controlling. I have delighted to teach when asked, but have been burned by the response when I have tried to instruct when there was no receptivity. I do know that my desire is always that my children express fully all that God has placed in them, doing His will on His schedule for His glory. And when they do it, I could burst with pride! The service here on the 20th was a good case in point, as they had a good service, proclaiming the love and faithfulness of God through His Word, even though Cathy and I weren’t here. I was absolutely delighted to hear the recording of the service, and felt like my efforts are being rewarded. I am not the perfect physical father and I am not the perfect pastor, but God can and does use me in spite of myself, and for that I am deeply grateful.

Father, thank You indeed for Your faithfulness. Thank You that there will be more opportunities for my spiritual children to blossom as I am preoccupied with Cathy’s hospitalizations. I pray that You would use everything that happens to build us all up individually and as a part of the Body of Christ, so that all of Your plans may be fulfilled indeed, on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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September 28, 2015

Posted on September 29, 2015 by jgarrott

1 Thessalonians 1:3 We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

I have doubtless written on this verse many times before, but I can’t resist writing on it again. Properly understood, this deals with every kind of dysfunctional Christian. The Thessalonian believers were hardly dysfunctional! Today, far too many Christians simply fail to work. They show up at church when it is convenient, to receive the various things the church offers, but contributing through active participation doesn’t cross their minds. This verse calls their faith into question! If we really believe that apart from Christ we are lost in our sins and headed for hell, but that by the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made a way for our eternal salvation, then gratitude, at least, will cause us to look for every way we can find to serve Him. It is my impression that far too many church members don’t even believe hell exists, much less that they are worthy of hell apart from the grace of God. Genuine, accurate faith is going to work. Then we have “labor of love.” That expression is used fairly widely, and I think we understand it fairly well. The difference between work and labor is the level of effort involved. For example, good parenting is far too much work if it is not motivated by love. (Good parenting is ultimately less taxing and far more rewarding than bad parenting, even though it’s more work in the short run, but that’s another whole subject.) We are told to love God and love our neighbor. (Matthew 22:37-40) If we are obedient to those commands, then “labors of love” will be the norm rather than the exception. Finally we have the patient endurance that can only come from genuine hope. Frankly, there’s very little patient endurance in the world today, in the Church or out of it! However, it’s still true that, as psychologists have been saying for many years, tolerance for delayed gratification is one of the greatest indicators of maturity. We live in a largely infantile society! When we have firm hold on the hope that is in Christ alone, then we can get through junk that would demolish us otherwise. In my opinion, the Thessalonian believers had discovered the keys to a happy, productive life. We would do well to emulate them!

These factors are as true in my life as they are for anyone, so I need to keep watch over myself. Is my faith keeping me active? Is my love making me willing to go the extra mile? How do I deal with disappointments and frustrations? Frankly, it’s that last point that’s the biggest issue! Just this morning the church computer has declined to boot, so I will have to deal with that as soon as possible. However, meanwhile the Lord has provided effective work-arounds, and as long as I keep my eyes on Him I don’t have to get all stirred up. The biggest thing on that front is my wife’s slate of medical problems. The devil would love to attack my faith through that, but when my faith, love, and hope are in good shape I can get through it all and be the support and encouragement she needs. We will both be much more like Christ when we’re through all of this than when we started, and that’s something to look forward to with gratitude.

Father, thank You again for Your overflowing, overwhelming grace. May I be an open conduit of that grace to all I encounter, today and each day, so that they may be led to You for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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September 27, 2015

Posted on September 29, 2015 by jgarrott

Colossians 1:28-29 We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.

It’s not surprising that Paul would try to cover all the bases in writing to a group of people he had never met, but Colossians certainly is loaded! This particular passage should be operative for every minister of the Gospel. It is a reminder that whereas the power is from God, we’ve got to give it all we’ve got. It’s not much use having power available if it isn’t put to use. However, at times it is generally hard work, and anyone who would serve God must not shy away from that. The content of the work is expressed in the first half of this passage: proclaiming Christ, admonishing, and teaching. The goal of that is also made clear: the maturity of every believer. (The Greek can be taken either as “perfect” or as “mature,” and the Japanese here goes with “mature/adult.”) That indeed calls for wisdom; we can’t be stupid about it. A discussion of wisdom would be another complete Bible study, at least, but we’ve got to remember that it’s God’s wisdom that is called for, and not humanistic thinking. As with the power involved, God supplies the wisdom but we’ve got to use it. Unwise ministry is all too common! Being God’s instrument of ministry is glorious, but it calls for full commitment, diligence, and faithfulness.

I think my biggest problem in all of this is laziness. I get tired, and at times I am tempted to chuck it all. That wasn’t Paul’s attitude, and it shouldn’t be mine. There are those who applaud my faithfulness in ministering in Omura for 34 years, so far, but longevity by itself isn’t that admirable in my book. The question is, what have I done with myself and my opportunities during that time? God is the Judge, and I’ve not been without fruit, but I don’t see any room for personal pride. After all, Jesus said that “You also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” (Luke 17:10) I don’t know that I’ve really done my duty, and I certainly haven’t done everything I could have. I need to remember that God’s wisdom and power are always available and not shrink back from any task He gives me, so that His will may be done on His schedule for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me not forget such things as the book You’ve had me start. Help me be diligent indeed, appropriating all of Your provision and applying it as You intend, building up the Body of Christ for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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September 26, 2015

Posted on September 28, 2015 by jgarrott

Colossians 1:3-4 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love you have for all the saints.

Colossians is unique among Paul’s letters in that it was written to people he had never met. (He had also never been to Rome when he wrote Romans, but there were several people there he knew personally.) He knew about the believers in Colosse because of Epaphras, who was right there with him at the time and had doubtless been telling him all about his experiences in evangelism there. Even at that remove, Paul could and did pray for the Colossian believers, because he knew from what Epaphras told him that these were his brothers and sisters in Christ. When you think about it, Paul had great confidence in the work of the Holy Spirit in imparting spiritual truth to people. We tend to think people need theological degrees before they can understand the depth and height of the Gospel, but there were no such degrees in the 1st Century and the Church had explosive growth. They understood that they were totally dependent on the Holy Spirit, but we tend to rely on our programs and institutions, and we are far weaker and poorer for it. Paul heard from Epaphras that the Colossians had faith in Christ and love for the saints (that is, other believers, not some special category of “super Christians”) and that was enough for him. Particularly where people have limited access to the Bible heretical teaching can be a real problem, as has shown up in China and elsewhere, but even in such places the Holy Spirit is remarkably faithful. We would do well to get it through our heads and hearts that it doesn’t really depend on us. God will use us, and He delights to do so, but as Don Francisco sings so memorably, “He could have used the dog next door, if He’d been so inclined.” God has a plan that is in some way different for each of His children, so we need to trust Him with it not only for ourselves but for others as well.

The vast majority of the people to whom I’ve ministered over the years are not in this physical vicinity at this point. That shouldn’t make me anxious, but rather prompt me to prayer. God can shepherd them far better than I ever could! I couldn’t begin to name them all individually, but I can pray for them by categories and more personally as God brings them to mind. Just yesterday we heard from some of that “far-flung flock,” and I do pray for them to be guarded and guided in faith and obedience. Some are going through difficult life transitions. I pray that they would not lose sight of Jeremiah 29:11, which they heard from me, but have peace and joy as they seek what God’s plan is for them right now. I need to remember that we are indeed part of one Body, and that our Head is equally concerned for us all.

Father, in thinking about it I realize that I have spiritual children in quite a few countries. That’s amazing! Most of those are people You brought here for a season and then took elsewhere, but some were birthed into Your Body right here. Thank You that I don’t have to be anxious about any of them, but can trust Your Holy Spirit to do in and for them all that they need. I pray that You would guide my every interaction with them so that together we may be built up as You desire and intend, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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September 25, 2015

Posted on September 28, 2015 by jgarrott

Philippians 2:12-13 Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

I have preached on this so many times it’s hard not to do so again! The point of these two verses is that God does the “heavy lifting” in our lives, but that doesn’t mean we don’t play a part. The “fear and trembling” here means that we realize that God is perfectly holy and all-powerful, so relating to Him is never just playing games. We are to be active in seeking God’s will and doing it as we know it. It is very true that God gives us the desire to do so, but we are never to stop with feelings, but rather follow through. God indeed enables us to do exactly that, but we have to accept the strength of will and body that He offers us. It is always sad to see someone who knows what God wants them to do but they can’t believe that He will enable them to carry through and do it. Sometimes that means they need further training from God, so we aren’t to give up on people on the basis of timing, but we all need the faith to trust that “Where God guides, He provides,” as someone has said, in every area: material, physical, emotional, and spiritual.

I have experienced this more times than I could count, but that doesn’t mean I don’t still get anxious at times. That should give me empathy for those to whom I minister, many of whom have great difficulty in this area. It is a joy to watch God do things through me, and I desire that joy for everyone in this church. However, I can’t force them to accept it! I am to remember that we have an enemy who is always out to steal, kill, and destroy, (John 10:10) so I am to operate in humility and prayer, but at the same time with boldness. God has called and commissioned me as a shepherd to His flock, so I can be assured that He will enable me to do everything called for. Sometimes those tasks catch me by surprise, and sometimes they seem daunting indeed, but God will always follow through, and He will even use me in the process.

Father, thank You for all the experiences of this past week, including the faith-training of not knowing if we would make our connection in Osaka last night. Thank You that we did make it, and that our baggage even made it on the plane to Nagasaki. Thank You for the many people to whom we were able to minister, both those expected and unexpected. I pray that everything You did through us would be sealed by Your Spirit in the hearts of those for whom it was done, so that they would be brought into closer fellowship with You, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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September 24, 2015

Posted on September 28, 2015 by jgarrott

Philippians 1:21 For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

This verse is so famous that I almost skipped it, but it is certainly famous for a reason. Anyone apart from Christ cannot wrap their mind around it, and even for many Christians it seems an unattainable goal. However, it is reality for every believer whether we realize and/or trust it or not. Even if our faith is too weak to be free of the fear of death, if we are clinging to Christ alone as our Savior then we gain immeasurably when we pass from this life through death to life in Him. In some ways a more serious issue is how few Christians grasp the reality that they are Christ walking around in their daily lives. There is no pride in that, but it gives an awareness that God can and wants to use each of His children to do His will and to draw others into His family. If we fail to realize that “For me, to live is Christ” then we will fail to keep ourselves available to Him and we will fail to expect Him to use us.

Reading this just now brings to mind a man who died two weeks ago. His cause of death was pneumonia, but he had a type of senile dementia (not Alzheimer’s) that contributed greatly to his overall physical decline. He was never baptized and his funeral was Buddhist, but I still expect to see him in heaven, because very shortly after he was diagnosed with dementia a few years ago he sat across a table from me in our church sanctuary and said, “I want to cling to Christ.” To me that was a public confession of faith, and I believe our Lord received it that way. His death was indeed great gain for him, because it freed him from the physical and mental prison that had held him increasingly tightly over the years. The thing is, the same thing can be said of every believer who leaves this life. Even my father, who died at 64 while still in a very active career as a missionary, gained immensely by leaving his body behind. Many people indeed considered it a huge loss, but it wasn’t to him. It has been quite a few years since I was afraid of death, and I’m not sure I ever have been particularly, but like Paul I need to consider those around me who will be affected when I do die, and so live as a responsible steward of this body. I want to so live that wherever I go people experience Christ, not because I’m wonderful but because He is, and He is in me by His Spirit. I don’t want “For me, to live is Christ” to be just a slogan, but daily, practical reality.

Father, thank You for Your truly amazing grace. Thank You for the glorious reality of abiding in Christ and Christ in me. Help me live that out more and more, so that more and more people may be presented with the truth and challenged to repent and believe, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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September 23, 2015

Posted on September 27, 2015 by jgarrott

Ephesians 4:1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

The way the Japanese phrases this points out something a lot of Christians miss, to their great loss. The Japanese says, “You who have been called.” Far too many Christians believe that “calling” is just for “full-time Christian workers” of one sort or another. Paul was called to be an apostle, as he said repeatedly, but he considered that every one of his readers was just as much called as he was. Callings are individual, and as such are supposed to be different. However, if you don’t think you have been called, the exhortation to “live worthy of the calling you have received” becomes meaningless. At the very least, every believer is called to be a witness! (Acts 1:8) We are likewise called to make disciples and teach those disciples what Jesus taught. (Matthew 28:18-20) The average “person in the pew” thinks those are all the work of “5-Fold Ministry” people, (Ephesians 4:11) but immediately after those ministry gifts are listed, it says that such people are to “prepare God’s people for works of service.” In other words, my job as a pastor is to equip people to walk worthy of the various callings they have received. It is not to do everything for them!

This past Sunday was a very good step in that direction, with Cathy and me completely out of town. Reports are that it was a marvelous service! I need to help people experience how good it feels to do what God created them to do, which includes serving in the Body of Christ. That doesn’t mean lecturing them, but rather coming alongside them and walking them through things. I’ve not been very good at that, tending to feel and act like a “truth dump” was all they needed. Very few people respond well to that! I need God’s wisdom for one-on-one discipling, so that each of the believers may recognize the callings they have received and rejoice to move forward in them.

Father, I feel like you want me to speak on this Sunday, but that will be another “truth dump.” Help me follow through with each individual as You direct, so that they will recognize all that You have done for them and intend for them and rejoice to walk in it, for the blessing of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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September 22, 2015

Posted on September 27, 2015 by jgarrott

Ephesians 2:19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow-citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household.

The glorious reality of the Family of God is one that resonates more in some churches than others. In some churches, unity seems to be based more on externals than on common faith in a common Lord, and that is sad. However, some churches indeed display the glorious unity of the Spirit, and that transcends even blood ties. Actually, though, the unity of the Spirit is a blood tie: the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross, just as Paul wrote about in the verses before this one. The way to enjoy the unity of God’s family that He intends is not to focus on “we’ve got to have more unity,” but on our common Lord who makes it possible. In my observation, the vast majority of problems in the Church can all be solved by lifting our eyes off of ourselves and fixing them on Christ. That’s simple to say, but frankly not always so easy to do. We are very used to looking at ourselves first, and if we get around to it, looking occasionally at the people around us. Looking at Jesus doesn’t even enter into the picture. It is frankly impossible to have spiritual unity that way, and that is a huge loss. If we call God “Father,” then we should realize that we are indeed members of the same family, brothers and sisters to each other.

I have experienced the unity of the Family of God in a wide variety of places and I have failed to sense it in some surprising ones. I find that familiarity and status are all too often the criteria for acceptance. I have gone into churches and been totally ignored, or gotten looks like, “What are you doing here?” and then been introduced as a missionary (high status) and people suddenly become effusive. That’s not the Family of God! (Actually, I’ve also been introduced as a missionary and gotten, “So what?”) In our church, that is cross-cultural by definition, we enjoy a good bit of the unity of the Spirit, but those who fail to operate in it are consistently those who can’t get their eyes off of themselves. Self-centeredness never produces anything good! I must be gentle and firm, speaking the truth in love so that people may be liberated to walk in the fullness of all that God has done for us in Christ.

Father, thank You for all that You did for and through us yesterday, and all that You have planned for today. May we be Your agents of grace and love to each person we encounter, drawing them into the unity of Your family, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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September 21, 2015

Posted on September 27, 2015 by jgarrott

Ephesians 1:17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

We’re back to trying to figure out how to divide up Paul’s long sentences! However, this verse and the first part of the long sentence to follow make it clear that it takes an act of God for His magnificence really to get through to our puny human brains. Thankfully that’s something He enjoys doing, if our hearts are open to Him. The point, though, is that it is a heart matter rather than something strictly intellectual. Those who try to approach God just from the intellectual angle really don’t get very far at all. That’s why so much “theology” is just pious mud, if that. Some “theologians” have even discarded piety! As the Bible says so many times, it takes fearing God to have any wisdom in the first place, and those who make pronouncements about God without having their hearts submitted to Him in love do no more than proclaim their own foolishness. However, to those who really are submitted to Him in love, God delights to open His treasures of wisdom and understanding, just as Paul is praying here.

As one who desires to know more and more of God, I need to keep my heart focused on loving obedience. It’s not that reading what others have written about God isn’t helpful, it’s that my starting point must be the cross and the Word. If the author I’m reading makes light of either, then I know that what they have written is useless at best and a devious trap at worst. It is indeed a blessing to read the testimonies of others who love God and have found Him to be faithful, but I have encountered too many writers who use the Bible as no more than window dressing for their “theory of the hour.” I am not to be distracted by such things, but as has been said, “chew up the meat and spit out the bones.” As a pastor, I’ve got to remember that intellectual arguments aren’t going to do any lasting good for anyone. I am not to run from them any more than Paul did, but my goal must be the operation of the Holy Spirit in the hearts and minds of my hearers, so that His life may be manifested in their lives.

Father, thank You for the opportunity I have this morning to speak explicitly of spiritual things to the people gathered for this meeting. Thank You that there will be two more Christians besides Cathy and me present. I pray that I would be an open conduit for Your love and grace to flow through me by Your Spirit, so that all present may be drawn closer to You, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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September 20, 2015

Posted on September 26, 2015 by jgarrott

Ephesians 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

This introduces one of Paul’s famous tumultuously long, packed, and thoroughly Greek sentences. It’s broken up when translated into other languages, but it’s anyone’s call as to exactly how to break it up, so sentence/verse divisions are all over the place. What follows this verse is actually one of the most glorious statements of what God has done for us in Christ in the whole Bible. The biggest reason it isn’t as famous as John 3:16 is that it’s so long! It is mind-boggling to think about the magnificence of God’s grace toward us. Gratitude should govern every moment of our lives, but unfortunately we tend simply to forget it. “Every spiritual blessing in heaven” is a literally infinite category, so we tend not to think about it, to our great loss. It is so much more pleasant to obey God out of gratitude and love than out of obligation and fear!

As a pastor I need not only to focus on gratitude in my own life but lead others to do the same. I have a limitless list of things to be thankful for myself, but I need to help others realize that their own list isn’t much shorter, even if it might be different in particulars. There are some pretty miserable people in our church, and they made themselves that way by refusing to lift their eyes off of themselves and their circumstances and lift them to Christ. I think perhaps Cathy’s and my current situation, where we continue to rejoice in God even while facing circumstances that make our friends anxious for us, may wake a few of those people up. I certainly hope so! I must not be boastful about it all, but Jesus said we are to let our lights shine, so I’m not to be shy about it either. God is worth bragging on, even though I’m not!

Father, thank You for getting us safely through the long trip here, and for the reception that awaited us. Thank You that it included dinner! Thank You especially for the opportunity to talk with the two ladies about faith, even though it was at a time when we’re usually in bed! I pray that You would give several more such opportunities over these two days, and that as I prayed yesterday, we would see fruit of salvation. The one lady last night is an inactive Catholic, and I think You gave her a lot to think about through me. May it result in a vital, personal, relationship with You, not just for her salvation but for the salvation of many more through her, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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