June 2, 2015

Posted on June 3, 2015 by jgarrott

Luke 18:43 Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.

We’ve had this story, or a very similar one, three times now. What stands out to me in reading this just now is how the man followed Jesus, praising God, and how his doing so caused all the people to praise God. (The Japanese uses different words for praising God for what the individual and the group did, but I don’t know that that’s significant.) This brings to mind Internet websites like Godvine that give God glory for things He does for and through people. I am frequently moved to praise God myself in watching the videos or reading the accounts. (There is a fair amount of fluff, or strictly humanistic stuff, but some real gems do provoke genuine worship.) God works all the time, and when we recognize His hand and give Him the credit for it, we are blessed, even if the specific action was for the sake of someone else. There are orders of magnitude here; the crowd’s praises didn’t have the urgency and intensity of those of the man who was healed, I’m sure. However, all praise and worship of God is good, because it takes our focus off of ourselves and places it on Him, where it belongs. The Practice of the Presence of God (by Brother Lawrence) is a Christian classic, but such spiritual exercises best start with gratitude. If we recognize His hand then we are more aware of Him in general, and we are better able to walk in fellowship with Him.

I am as prone to focus on irritations as anyone, but I have certainly learned by experience that doing so benefits no one and nothing. Irritations by their very nature grab our attention, but if I choose to focus on the magnificence of God’s grace and love toward me, instead of on the irritation, then the irritation itself fades to insignificance because I am seeing it in perspective. In the whole Bible one of the most practical passages for living a happy life is found in Philippians 4:4-9. Being consistent in everything that says guarantees a life many levels above what most people experience. Verse 8 in that applies specifically to what we’ve been saying here. When we think about things for which we can praise God, it changes our entire outlook. I wish I did it more consistently, but I’m getting there! I’ve got to be a good example of what I teach, as I seek to lead others out of the negativistic thought-traps of the devil. God is always worthy of thanks and praise; as long as I remember and practice that, His victory will ultimately be manifested in my life.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Yesterday had some distinctly “good” things in it, making it easy to be grateful. Help me not forget to thank and praise You even when things don’t seem to be going as well. May my life itself be a praise to You, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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June 1, 2015

Posted on June 3, 2015 by jgarrott

Luke 15:17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!'”

Rebellion against God is indeed a form of insanity. When we turn our hearts to God and accept His offer of life, everything changes. As this famous parable shows, life in rebellion is enjoyable only for a brief time, because we have cut ourselves off from the Source. It took time, but this son woke up from the insanity of rebellion and realized that his father’s house was the place of provision. The problem is, so many people don’t realize they are starving, much less that their heavenly Father is waiting for them to come to Him. That defines the task of the evangelist: helping people see both their need and God’s supply. Assorted things get in the way of that. First of all there is pride, a fierce desire to be in control. That is certainly demonstrated in this story. Sadly, many people don’t realize what a mess they’ve made of things, because their perception of what is good is so distorted. That actually is the second big hindrance to people turning to God: they don’t grasp how much better things could be than what they are experiencing. People who have never experienced it can’t really imagine the joy and peace of intimate fellowship with God. I will never forget the testimony of a man I baptized in his late 70s, who said in his confession of faith, “I really don’t know what I was doing before now.” He had lived what the people around him considered an admirable, upright life, but when he discovered the Savior, everything else faded to a blur. Like the Prodigal Son he came to his senses, and rejoiced indeed.

As I shared in the service yesterday, I spent time away from my Father’s house myself, all the time not realizing what I was doing. I thought I was still safely at home! God’s grace, amazingly enough, was sufficient, and I did come to my senses. However, as a pastor in Japan I am surrounded by people who don’t really know the Father exists, much less that He loves them and wants them to come to Him to receive life. The perception that Christianity is a foreign religion is still very strong, and people fear becoming “un-Japanese.” The spiritual blindness is truly oppressive, but I serve a God who can open blind eyes, and that is to be my prayer. Like the older brother in the Lord I mentioned earlier, people can encounter Christ at any age, and I am never to give up. I cannot save anyone by my own strength or wisdom, but I can and must be available to God for Him to use me to draw as many as will come to Him.

Father, thank You for all You are continuing to do in this church. Lots of unexpected things happen, some of which seem good at the time and some not. Help me trust You fully, to be obedient to You completely, being anxious for nothing but walking in Your peace, love, and joy, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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May 31, 2015

Posted on June 1, 2015 by jgarrott

Luke 18:14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

A proverbial Japanese expression comes to mind as I read this: “acorns comparing height.” When we as human beings compare ourselves to one another, given the differences between us and God, it is indeed like acorns comparing height when viewed from the human perspective. The difference between the Pharisee and the tax collector in this story isn’t so much what they did as how they saw themselves: the tax collector knew he was a sinner, and the Pharisee didn’t. Legalistic righteousness is never enough to approach the throne of God, but through the blood of Christ, the grace of God is sufficient for even the “vilest sinner,” as the old hymns put it. That’s not at all to say that we aren’t to strive to live holy lives, repenting immediately when the Holy Spirit brings sin to our attention, but it is to say in the strongest of terms that we aren’t to be proud about it. Such pride in itself is one of the worst sins. Our lives should be filled with the wonder of God’s grace. One hymn expresses that beautifully: “I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene and wonder how He could love me, a sinner, condemned, unclean. How marvelous, how wonderful is my Savior’s love for me!” When we lose that perspective we have lost more than we know. Self-righteousness keeps us from forgiving others, and Jesus said very clearly that cuts us off from being forgiven. (Matthew 6:14-15) Self-righteousness cuts us off from God’s supply on every level, because it is a deception that says we don’t need God. It is at the root of all our complaining about what we get in life. The thief on the cross beside Jesus should be our example: “We are only getting what we deserve.” (Luke 23:41)

I write frequently about God’s grace in rescuing me from the pit of pride I had dug for myself. I was horribly separated from God and yet sure I was closer to Him than those around me. I didn’t approach the Pharisee in this story in terms of toeing the line, but I had his attitude toward whoever wasn’t me. The stupidity of that amazes me, as I look back on it. To receive God’s grace we have to acknowledge that it is unmerited; that is part of the very definition of grace. My task now is to walk in grateful appreciation and obedience, leading others by example as well as by word to draw close to the only Savior. That is something I can’t do on my own, but nothing is impossible for God, and His grace is all I need.

Father, I have experienced Your grace from the moment of my conception. Help me recognize it more and more, allowing it to flow through me to those around me, liberating them from the traps of the devil and drawing them into full fellowship with You, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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May 30, 2015

Posted on June 1, 2015 by jgarrott

Luke 10:29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

This teacher of the Law sounds like most of us! We are all very interested in justifying ourselves, not wanting to admit just how wrong we are. However, God sees through that without even trying. Instead of accepting correction and making changes, we dig in our heels and insist we are right. Among people, one person is as likely to be right as another, but before God, He is always right, and we had better remember it! The best thing about this man trying to justify himself was that it caused Jesus to tell one of His best-loved parables. “Good Samaritan” has entered the vocabulary and even the law books, protecting people who seek to help others out of the goodness of their hearts. This teacher of the Law was doubtless an upstanding member of the community, respected by all who knew him, but he was just as human as the rest of us. It is a hard thing to grasp that we are none of us perfect before God, which makes us all equally in need of the cleansing, atoning blood of Jesus Christ. When we have received that by faith, then and only then do we have righteousness in Him and standing before God the Father. From that point on, our lives are exercises in seeking to “live a life worthy of the calling [we] have received.” (Ephesians 4:1) Like Paul we struggle with that, as he famously recorded in Romans 7. We need to be honest about that part as well, with ourselves and with God, and not be proud in our dealings with anyone, but extend the grace that we ourselves have received because we had no hope without it.

I can never forget God’s grace in showing me the condition of my heart over 40 years ago. Growing up steeped in the Bible and the knowledge of God I was baptized at age seven, but the reality of grace and the fact that I had no hope without it didn’t sink in very deep. Repentance was not my strong suit! When God showed that to me I was devastated, but His action could not have been kinder. I tend to draw back from confrontation, not wanting to hurt people and not wanting them to dislike me. That benefits neither them nor me! Knowing how much I benefited from God confronting me, I need to be willing for Him to use me in confronting others, and leave the consequences up to Him. I am certainly not to run around accusing, but I am to speak God’s truth in love at all times, whether or not that truth, or even that love, are welcomed. I am to accept God’s love for me and let that love flow through me unhindered to those around me, whatever form that needs to take.

Father, I didn’t expect to write on confrontation when I started from the story of the Good Samaritan! Thank You for speaking what we need to hear, even in unexpected ways. Thank You for the magnificent things You are doing in this church. I pray that I would be available to You on every level for what You want to do, both accepting Your work in me and being Your agent toward others, so that together we may be transformed into the Body that You desire, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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May 29, 2015

Posted on May 30, 2015 by jgarrott

Luke 6:27-28 “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who ill-treat you.”

This is a very famous teaching of Jesus, echoing the Sermon on the Mount, but one little detail of it caught my attention just now. Jesus is addressing His remarks to “you who hear me.” God speaks to us a great deal, but much of the time we simply don’t hear Him. Jesus several times spoke of those who had “ears to hear.” (Mark 4:23, etc.) To Ezekiel the Lord spoke of people who had ears to hear but simply wouldn’t listen. (Ezekiel 12:2) Sadly, that describes far too many people today. For some, it’s like a husband who has a mental switch that turns off any time his wife starts talking. That’s a common phenomenon and is tragic enough, but it’s even worse when we turn off God. When Jesus gave John the messages for the seven churches in Revelation He said each time, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation 2:7, etc.) That’s even one ear! There are many reasons we don’t hear God, but I think the biggest one is preoccupation with self. We’re so full of ourselves we have no room for God. How foolish is that? We make ourselves into our own little gods and so deny the Creator of the universe who loves us enough to send His Son to die for us! As long as our focus is on ourselves, our perception of what God is saying will be distorted at best. That’s perhaps the greatest benefit of true praise and worship: we focus on our Lord and Savior, caught up in His magnificence, and so open up to receive anything He wants to pour into us, be it instruction or encouragement or spiritual gifts or anything else.

I’ll never forget the time I was really wanting to hear from God and was “bombarding the gates of heaven,” so to speak, when I paused to take a breath and I heard Him say, so very clearly, “Well then, shut up.” I think I’ve gotten a little better at listening to Him since then! Even as I tell others to do, I need to be expecting Him to speak to me, with joyful anticipation. I delight to experience Him speaking through me, but I must never think that what He says is just for “the other guy.” In my morning times with Him He often gives me messages for the church, but I must always remember that I am as much a part of the church as anyone else. I need to let Him be my “audiologist,” adjusting my “spiritual hearing aid” to tune out the background noise to distinguish exactly what He is saying, with no distortion. And I need to remember that, as with physical hearing aids, if I fail to be properly connected, the feedback will be irritating rather than helpful to those around me.

Father, thank You for this Word. That illustration is interesting! Help me indeed listen to You faithfully and lead others to do the same, so that we may be the obedient children You desire, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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May 28, 2015

Posted on May 30, 2015 by jgarrott

Luke 1:67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

Throughout the Bible, when it says someone was “filled with the Holy Spirit,” the most common activity connected with that is prophecy, even for people who were not considered prophets as such. Before Pentecost such instances were pretty rare, but after Pentecost they could actually be said to be the norm. Even in the Early Church there were people who had specific gifting, the office, if you will, as prophets. Agabus (Acts 11:28; 21:10) comes to mind. However, Paul urged everyone to prophesy. (1 Corinthians 14:1-5) Today we mystify prophecy and associate it with fortune telling, when that is not the New Testament picture at all. Particularly for those given to the Church as Prophets (Ephesians 4:11) there is often an element of speaking out what has not yet happened in the flow of time, but that is far from the only, or even the major, focus of New Testament prophecy. Prophecy is very simply, speaking out what God is saying. Most often God speaks to us about right now, and as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 14, He does so to comfort and encourage us and build us up. We can imagine how comforted, encouraged, and built up those who heard Zechariah speak must have felt! Too many people seek spiritual gifts for themselves, that is, to make them feel big and important, rather than as tools to bless others. That is a complete degradation of the whole idea. We are to seek to be filled with the Spirit and to exercise His gifts in order to draw people to Christ, build up His Body, and give Him glory.

I well remember that when I was seeking to be filled with the Holy Spirit for the sake of the gift of tongues, nothing happened. However, when I sought the filling on the basis of God’s promise, with no strings attached, He followed through. However, to teach me a lesson, perhaps, at that time no “spiritual gifts” were manifested, but I was given a completely new and natural boldness to witness to others of Christ. In the years since then I have experienced every spiritual gift mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12 at least a time or two. Other than tongues, which are frequent but devotional, the most common has been prophecy. That has only occasionally been predictive, but it has always been encouraging. I seek to be prophetic, that is, to speak out what God is saying, every time I am given an opportunity, but He is the judge of how faithfully I do that. Like Paul, I strongly desire that everyone in my care likewise speak out what God is saying, by the presence and power of His Spirit. We limit ourselves so badly by only looking at ourselves, instead of at our omnipotent Lord who wants to use us for His glory!

Father, thank You for placing this burden on my heart. Help me be effective first of all with the flock in my direct care. Enable me to help them lift their eyes to Christ and move out in all that You have planned for them. Help me also be effective in communicating this truth more widely as You give opportunity, through writing and speaking. May I indeed express what You are saying when and how You are saying it, so that many may be raised up as the disciples You seek, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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May 27, 2015

Posted on May 28, 2015 by jgarrott

Luke 1:58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.

It’s interesting how many times mercy is mentioned in this unfolding of God’s plan of salvation. That a previously barren woman would have a child at all was and is a cause for great joy, as countless Internet videos attest, but it was particularly significant in the society of the day that the baby was a boy. Women were, sadly enough, devalued, a holdover from days when physical strength was a prime requirement for survival. One of the scandals of Jesus’ ministry was that He was so accepting of women, and even allowed them to sit at his feet and receive teaching. (Luke 10:38-39) It seems to me particularly significant that He revealed Himself after His resurrection first to a woman. (John 20:10-17) Some feminists today attack Christianity as being “oppressive of women,” not realizing that the genuine liberation of women stems from the attitudes taught in the New Testament. With remarkable illogic they equate differing roles with different value and demand sameness instead of equality, suffering hugely in the process. Paul has been widely accused of misogyny, but he was the one who wrote, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28) It is indicative of the spirit behind radical feminism that they ignore the horrible oppression and abuse of women in Islam, choosing instead to attack the one religion that gives women full dignity and value.

I was raised in a family that certainly valued women. My parents became missionaries individually as singles, and courted and married in Japan. My maternal grandfather was a champion of women in ministry, founding a school to train them when the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary wouldn’t accept them as students, and at one point over half of the foreign missionaries under appointment by the Southern Baptists were graduates of the Carver School of Missions. Today there are Southern Baptists who don’t want to admit my grandfather was ever around, and his portrait has been removed from the building that was absorbed into the seminary. Be that as it may, I have a high respect for women, but I would not make the mistake of thinking they are identical with men. That’s part of the whole lie of homosexuality, because men and women were created to be complimentary to each other, balancing each others’ strengths and weaknesses. I do a lot of marriage counseling, and this point is a major part of that. When we expect someone of the opposite gender to be the same as us, we get into a lot of trouble! This is a soap box I could spend a lot of time on, but this isn’t the time or place. I am to express God’s truth in love in every area of life, so that people may receive that truth and be set free indeed from the multiple traps of our enemy the liar. (John 10:10)

Father, I certainly didn’t expect to write on this when I started! Thank You for Your perfect plan for every area of life, for expressing it in Your Word and bringing it to life by Your Spirit. May I walk in Your truth consistently, doing Your will in Your way on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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May 26, 2015

Posted on May 27, 2015 by jgarrott

Luke 1:51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

Time and again the Bible reminds us that God knows what’s really going on inside our minds and hearts. These days you hear a lot of comments about “the death of privacy,” but that’s never been an issue when it comes to God. It is alarming when governments and individuals who don’t have our best interests in mind know too much about us, but again, that’s never an issue with God. We get antsy about God’s omniscience only when we are in rebellion against Him. Sadly, that’s all too often. However, for those who are submitted to Him and seeking to follow Him, His omniscience is a great comfort. We don’t have to get worked up about those who plot evil because we can be assured that in the final analysis, they will never “get away with” anything at all. God allows us free rein, for the most part, during our lives on this earth, but as Hebrews 9:27 reminds us, we will all die and face judgment. The most dangerous of all behaviors is the one mentioned in this verse: being proud in our inmost hearts. It is that pride that makes us think we can get by with ignoring God’s rules, and it is actually the sin of Satan, because he desired God’s glory for himself, and so was transformed from an angel to the devil. (Ezekiel 28:14-15) We cannot be in right relationship with our Creator unless we remember who He is and who we are, and act accordingly.

This issue is an increasing focus of my ministry. Not only do we need to maintain honest humility before God, as Christians we need to be aware of all that God has done for us in Christ, and who and what we are when we are in Christ. That’s what I’m writing a book about even now! I need to remember that apart from the grace of God not only do I not have the capacity to grasp the magnificence of what God has planned, I certainly don’t have the ability to communicate it effectively. This is what Paul was talking about in Ephesians 1:2-13, that my maternal grandfather referred to as “The Plan of the Ages.” I am blessed to come from generations of people who sought to grasp and communicate that plan, and I am to fulfill my own part in that plan as well.

Father, thank You for Your overwhelming grace and love. I don’t have words or ability to praise You properly for it all now, so thank You for the assurance that I will be able to do so in heaven. I do ask that You use me effectively in what I write, say, and do, so that Your love and grace may indeed communicate to as many as possible so that they may repent and believe, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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May 25, 2015

Posted on May 27, 2015 by jgarrott

Mark 10:52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

There is a difference between the Japanese and the NIV that jumps out at me. Where the NIV says “healed,” the Japanese says “saved.” Young’s Literal Translation also uses “saved” there, so I’m guessing that’s pretty accurate. He certainly acted like he was saved after this, following Jesus. Physical healing isn’t predictable, though it is certainly possible by God’s grace. However, repentant faith will always bring salvation. I don’t think the name, Bartimaeus, would have been recorded if he hadn’t remained with the group of those who followed Jesus. He was quite possibly among the 120 in the upper room at Pentecost. Like the man born blind in John 9, he had a powerful testimony: “One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” (John 9:25) When we forget from what Jesus saved us, our discipleship can get shaky. Particularly for those who have never been what the world calls “bad,” this can be a real problem. However, the issue is not what the world approves or doesn’t, it’s our failure to align with the holiness of God, and none of us does that. We get glib with verses like “For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23) and “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord,” (Romans 6:23) but we tend to forget they really apply to us. I certainly don’t recommend that people do something horrible so that they will better understand salvation. Rather, we need a revelation of just how horrible ignoring God and going our own way really is. People don’t intentionally choose hell, but they do intentionally choose their own way over God’s, and that’s actually the same thing. We need to realize that applies to us as much as it does to the guy on death row, and get serious about our gratitude for the salvation that has been given us.

Ouch! That exposes several areas for repentance. I could name several “major” sins I have committed in my life, though the police wouldn’t be interested in any of them, but this points out how often I fail to place God first in my thinking. I’m not plotting sin, I’m simply ignoring God. At the very least that lets down my defenses and makes me open to assorted attacks by the devil. I need to stay spiritually awake all the time, focused on Christ Jesus my Lord and keeping Him first in all my thoughts and actions. There is no question that is the way of greatest satisfaction and blessing.

Father, thank You for Your overwhelming grace toward me. Keep me from forgetting that even for a moment. Help me walk in the obedience of gratitude, not falling again into the trap of taking Your grace for granted, so that I may be true to You on every level, for the blessing of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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May 24, 2015

Posted on May 25, 2015 by jgarrott

Mark 5:19 Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”

This is the first time that I’m aware of that Jesus gave instructions for personal evangelism, and it certainly contains lessons worth applying. In the first place, Jesus didn’t tell him, “Follow me for three years and then you will be fit to tell others about me.” That’s what we tend to do today, sending people off to seminary. It’s not that seminaries are bad necessarily, though some are, but that they aren’t a prerequisite. When we confuse faith with academics we get into real trouble. What Jesus did tell the man was to go to the people who knew him best and tell them what had been done for him. I find that people often have the greatest reluctance to evangelize their own families. That comes from a failure to take the focus off of ourselves. We know we aren’t perfect, and those closest to us can see that most clearly, and we think that disqualifies us from witnessing. How foolish! It shows we have forgotten what a big thing the Lord has done for us in saving us, and how much mercy was involved. If we were perfect, we wouldn’t need mercy! This particular man had something of an advantage in that area, because everyone knew what a state he had been in, and the change had certainly been dramatic. That called for humility on his part; it would have been emotionally easier to go somewhere people didn’t know what a raving lunatic he had been. However, that’s precisely why Jesus told him to go home: there would be no room for pride, so all the glory would go to God. (If it were today, the owners of the pigs would probably try to sue him for their financial loss!) We need to let go of our fear of how people will see us, and honestly share the magnificence of our Savior’s grace.

This issue is one I have certainly struggled with as a pastor. Japanese have a great reluctance to talk about religion, and tend to be very private people in general. There is a strong awareness of how they appear to others, and a desire not to be seen as strange. (Actually, that attitude isn’t unique to Japan!) On top of that, there is a national tendency to leave things up to experts. I find that the believers are more than willing for me to evangelize, but doing it themselves is an entirely different matter. I’ve got to come back to what Jesus said in Acts 1:8, because the Holy Spirit is the One who gives us power to be witnesses. Trying to browbeat people into evangelizing is total futility, because even if they go through the motions it won’t be effective. I need to remind them of what a great thing the Lord has done for them and how great God’s mercy has been toward them, and let the Holy Spirit take it from there.

Father, today is Pentecost. I ask You to pour Your Spirit out indeed on the Body of Christ world-wide, and very specifically on Your children in this city and in this church. May we catch fire no less than the early church, having our own impurities burned out and being a bright beacon to draw many into Your kingdom, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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