October 7, 2014

Posted on October 8, 2014 by jgarrott

Romans 6:13-14 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

Sexual sin has been a problem for mankind from the beginning. The Japanese says “hands and feet,” but whereas those are also parts of the body they do not have the immediate association with sin that our sexual organs do. God created us as sexual beings for a number of reasons. The first is something I mentioned in the sermon this past Sunday. If we had asexual reproduction, like single-celled animals, we would not need each other, and God is all about community. That said, sex is very much a test of our commitment and obedience to God. In God’s plan, it is a powerful glue to bond husband and wife together on multiple levels, so that they indeed become one. (Genesis 2:24 and several more) However, precisely because it is so powerful, it has great potential for misuse, as we see in the world all around us. Even in Paul’s day there were people, Christians even, who said that since God made us as sexual beings, there shouldn’t be restrictions on sexual activity. (1 Corinthians 6:13) Paul stood against that warped thinking in several of his letters, including here. The whole issue of homosexuality would be essentially a footnote on society if those with such attractions were celibate, but the whole thing of homosexuality is that it is hardly ever celibate. That said, heterosexual fornication is just as much a violation of this passage as homosexual. God has given us our bodies so that we may serve Him; any other use of them is defiance of His righteous laws.

I’ve had my own problems in this area, but God is indeed gracious. Looking back, I am amazed at how He protected me at times when there was huge danger. That said, I cannot look down on anyone because they have fallen in this area. However, I must remember verse 14 here, particularly because I’m a pastor: we aren’t under law, but under grace. That must never be an excuse for willful sin, but it is a reminder that when we do sin, we have someone on our side. (1 John 2:1) God likes to use clean vessels, so we need to walk in consistent obedience and immediate repentance when called for. The parts of our bodies, all of them, were created for God’s use for His glory. Only when they are used that way do they bring us the full joy, peace, and satisfaction God intends.

Father, by Your grace I married young, and You have protected me in all the years since. Help me be a model, a guide, and an encouragement to those who look to me, so that together we may avoid the devil’s many traps and walk in all that You desire and intend, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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October 6, 2014

Posted on October 8, 2014 by jgarrott

Romans 6:1-2 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?

These two verses express the theme of the whole chapter. The whole concept of God’s grace is so radical to human thinking that this clear exposition is very necessary. Even today there are churches that seem never to have read this chapter! Actually, the whole letter to the Romans is poison to hedonists, who focus on physical pleasure above all else. Hedonism is a popular, even much-admired lifestyle today. Many envy the “lifestyles of the rich and famous,” not realizing the existential emptiness underlying it all. It’s not even like a calf in a feed lot, being fattened for the kill, because the calf doesn’t have its eternal destiny hanging in the balance. Jesus did not save us to leave us wallowing in the muck, He saved us to wash us off, clean us up, and get us living as God our Father intended us to. Anything less is a perversion of His grace. As John wrote in his letters, that doesn’t mean we don’t stumble at times, or even fall face down in the mud, but it does mean that we aren’t at all happy to stay down, and we turn to God for cleaning any time, and as soon as, it happens. The more immediate and heart-felt that response is, the less likely we are to fall again.

As I am reminded from time to time, it was liberating for me to realize that when I repented and asked for forgiveness, I really was forgiven, and the sin was off of my record, so to speak. (2 Peter 1:9) As a pastor I deal with people all the time who hang up on that point, unable to forgive themselves and so refusing the forgiveness God offers through the cross of Christ. “But I don’t deserve to be forgiven.” None of us do. When we refuse to forgive ourselves, if we have repented, then we are placing ourselves above God. (Hebrews 8:12, quoting Jeremiah 31:34) We have such trouble believing that! The Japanese have trouble with the whole concept of forgiveness in the first place, for various linguistic and cultural reasons, and that is a major barrier to their salvation. They don’t want to abandon their traditions because they don’t believe that real forgiveness is possible. I am not to give up, but I pray for Japanese evangelists, who have come out of that mindset and so understand it, to be raised up in quantity as harvest workers. Meanwhile, my task is to equip those who have been saved so that they may be more effective as Christ’s representatives, destroying the works of the devil (1 John 3:8) and drawing people into God’s family.

Father, thank You for Your grace. Help me walk in it more fully myself, and help me be more effective in leading others to do so as well. May we be Your agents indeed, so that Your name may be hallowed and Your kingdom come, as Your will is done for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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October 5, 2014

Posted on October 8, 2014 by jgarrott

Romans 5:15, 19 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

This passage is pretty high-level theological logic, but it is important in understanding the human condition. There are those who don’t see how Adam’s sin would infect all his descendants, but that can be observationally verified. A pastor friend who had a kindergarten at his church once said to me, “Anyone who doesn’t believe in original sin should just watch the children with me for five minutes.” It is obvious that we have a rebellious, disobedient streak from early childhood. That’s why it’s so important that Jesus’ obedience made righteousness available to all. The righteousness has to be received by faith, but it is just as real as the sin that came through Adam. When we are in Christ by faith, for the first time “acting naturally” means “acting righteously.” It’s not that Christians never sin, or that unbelievers never do really good things, it’s that a person’s character, their nature, changes when they are in Christ. That’s why John could say that “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.” (1 John 3:9) (This is one time the NIV gets the Greek tense right, where many other translations miss it.) In Christ we are righteous by nature, so we need to keep our eyes on Him and act natural!

This is an important point that I haven’t always grasped. Our flesh continues to have a sinful, self-centered bent, but when we are born again spiritually, our spirits have the righteousness of Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:21) The struggle between our flesh and our spirit is something Paul wrote about a great deal, in Romans 7, Galatians 5, and elsewhere. It has been a struggle for me as well, but the better I understand that it is ultimately a “done deal,” the less struggle it is to let the Holy Spirit be in control through my spirit, and let my flesh take the role God intended for it. I inhabit my flesh and I am to be a good steward of it, but I am never to let it be in control. I can’t consistently live that way in my own strength, but by God’s grace it is gloriously possible.

Father, thank You for Cathy reminding me last night that I wanted to take melatonin before going to bed. It indeed helped me get a much better night’s sleep. Help me be a good steward of this body without placing my flesh in any way ahead of Your kingdom and Your righteousness. May I be active in my obedience, not just avoiding bad stuff but doing Your will in every situation, so that the works of the devil may be destroyed and Your kingdom come, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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October 4, 2014

Posted on October 5, 2014 by jgarrott

Romans 5:3-4 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

I was honestly wondering what the Lord was going to speak to me through this very familiar passage, praying about it, and then I started entering it in Japanese. Right off the bat, the term for “suffering” did not come up with the characters used in the Bible. My eyes being bleary first thing in the morning, I got out my magnifying glass and confirmed, and the first of the two characters was not the one Microsoft wanted to give me, but the character for “patient,” as in someone in a hospital. That’s when it hit me. This is exactly the same term Jesus used in John 16:33. “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Paul was not present when Jesus said that, and John had not yet written his Gospel when Paul wrote to the Romans, so this is something God had revealed to him by the Holy Spirit and by experience. This passage is famous because it is true, but we don’t want to accept it. We don’t like the idea of rejoicing in suffering! I deal with people all the time who intensify their suffering by complaining about it, lashing out against it instead of asking God to show them His purpose in allowing it. And that’s the Christians! People without faith cannot be expected to have this response to suffering, and they indeed seldom do. Fatalism is traditional in Japan, with suffering being somewhat expected. However, without faith that doesn’t lead to the hope and joy that Paul and Jesus talked about. That hope, and the resultant joy, are the most powerful testimony we can give, as Peter recognized. (1 Peter 3:15)

This struck home particularly because I had a somewhat rough night, waking up repeatedly, including one time with a severe cramp in my left calf, and I felt rather like a dirty rag when it was time to get up this morning. That’s included in what Paul and Jesus were talking about, and I need to rejoice! I am very aware of medical problems because of my wife Cathy’s “laundry list” of problems, including Parkinson’s Disease, but she hardly lets them slow her down. She is a real encouragement to me. I preach to others about taking our eyes off of ourselves and fixing them on Jesus, and I need to practice what I preach! As I tell others, joy is most often a choice. Mariam Ibrahim is a recent shining example, standing firm in faith under circumstances we don’t even like to think about, and there are many more around the world that we don’t know about. I need to rejoice in God’s grace and love toward me, and stand firm against all temptations to a “pity party.”

Father, thank You for the object lesson this morning to prepare me for what I just read. Help me indeed live out the truth You speak through me, and have mercy on those who struggle to do so. May I amply demonstrate the hope and joy that are in Christ alone, so that many may be drawn to receive them for themselves, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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October 3, 2014

Posted on October 5, 2014 by jgarrott

Romans 4:17 God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.

In all this talk of righteousness by faith we have to remember the object of that faith. There’s a Japanese proverb that says, “Even a sardine’s head can be an object of worship.” Believing in a sardine’s head isn’t going to make you righteous! In our finiteness we can’t know the infinity of God, but we have to know at least that He is infinite. That’s a major reason for the Biblical record, so that we can know the wide variety of things He has done to reveal Himself and save His people. Of course the ultimate example of that is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, but it isn’t limited to that. All the Old Testament stories are also to teach us about Him, sometimes in positive ways and sometimes in negative ways. (1 Corinthians 10:6, 11) We cannot grasp all that God is, so He uses expressions like “riding on the clouds” or “walking the earth” to bring Himself more into our field of view. However, this verse reminds us to go back to Genesis 1 and remember that God spoke the universe into being. Atheists try to deny that, but they can’t explain where the universe came from apart from that. They postulate a “big bang,” but can’t even imagine where or how it came to be. That actually is a pun of sorts, because it all existed because God said, “Be.” Books have been written on the subject of “Your God is Too Small,” but writing about it doesn’t change it. Each of us needs to receive a progressive revelation of the greatness of God. The more we understand, the more we are able to understand.

My own vision of God is too small, I know, but that shouldn’t keep me from helping others expand their vision of Him. By His grace I can be instrumental in someone receiving a bigger revelation of God than I have! I find I am constantly reminding people that nothing is impossible for God. (Luke 1:37) Even so, sometimes I too need to be reminded! As a pastor, one of my strongest desires is that the people in my care know that God is big enough and strong enough to use them for His purposes and His glory. That’s a very big part of discipleship. So many people have trouble believing that God could actually use them, even when they see Him use me. It’s like the angel speaking to Gideon and calling him a “mighty warrior.” (Judges 6:12) He had been threshing grain in a wine press out of fear of the Philistines! God was indeed calling something that was not as though it was! I desire that every believer truly know Whom they have believed, so that together we may be fully available as His instruments for His glory.

Father, You allowed me to talk about this with people again yesterday. Thank You. I pray that I would in no way limit by unbelief what You want to do in and through me and this church. May Your Name be hallowed and Your kingdom come as Your will is done perfectly right here, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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October 2, 2014

Posted on October 5, 2014 by jgarrott

Romans 4:4-5 Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.

Paul is being very careful here to lay this all out clearly, because it contradicts how every other religion looks at salvation. Indeed, it violates human logic. There is a song in The Sound of Music that expresses how human logic sees things. “Nothing comes from nothing; nothing ever could.” It then goes on to say, “So somewhere in my youth our childhood I must have done something good,” as an explanation for the joy of young love the singer is experiencing. It is true that actions have consequences, and we are not to forget that. However, God’s grace transcends that, and that truth is what Paul is trying to communicate here. We tend to hang up on one side or the other of this issue, and sometimes it feels like it’s both sides at once! We cannot earn salvation because we cannot be good enough; we are too stained with sin. However, we must not cheapen grace by taking it for granted. Sometimes we even ask for forgiveness ahead of time, before we willfully commit sin. That’s spitting in God’s face! On the other side, there are people who cannot seem to get free of emotional guilt. They have confessed their sins to God, but can’t seem to trust that He has really forgiven them, and that is crippling. John wrote the first part of his first letter to address exactly this issue. The foundation of an active Christian life is gratitude for salvation, not doing stuff in hopes of pleasing God to make up for what we’ve done wrong.

This is something it seems like I’m trying to communicate at every turn. Japanese in particular are very hard workers, and Japanese Buddhism tends to assign tasks as steps to enlightenment. The average Japanese thinks that’s what the Catholic confessional is all about, as assorted gags on Japanese television make clear. It’s probably also a major factor in the success of the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Japan, because they can identify with trying to earn salvation by door-to-door visitation. The problem is, all of that violates God’s plan, which Paul expressed so clearly in Ephesians 2:8-10. Salvation isn’t by works, but God has prepared stuff for us to do, and gratitude for His salvation should motivate us to apply ourselves fully to those tasks. I’ve tripped up on both sides of this, at times taking God’s grace for granted and being casual about sin, (including being lazy) and at other times having trouble grasping that I really was forgiven, so that sin had no more hold over me. 2 Peter 1:9 was liberating to me there, because continuing to beat myself up over a particular sin actually made it all the more likely I would succumb to it again. God’s plan really does transcend human logic and wisdom, so my only hope of communicating it is the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

Father, I pray for that anointing more and more. May Your words through me penetrate “to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow,” (Hebrews 4:12) so that people may be liberated from the lies of the devil to receive and walk in Your full salvation, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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October 1, 2014

Posted on October 5, 2014 by jgarrott

Romans 3:22-24 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

We tend to quote verse 23 by itself, but it’s really just a sentence fragment. With anything context is important, but doubly so with the Bible. The “no difference” here is translated as “no discrimination” in Japanese, and reasonably so, because it’s talking about Jews and Gentiles. Paul’s point is that Jews have just as much need to believe in Jesus as Gentiles do, even though the Jews are the chosen people of God, the recipients of the Law of Moses, the Psalms, and the Prophets. We tend to apply verse 23 to individuals, which isn’t exactly wrong, but it’s not Paul’s context. The kicker in this passage is actually in verse 24, where Paul points out that by faith, all can receive redemption, atonement through Jesus Christ, even though they haven’t earned it and could never pay for it. We have such trouble grasping the whole concept of atonement, but that was why God instituted the sacrificial system in the Old Covenant, to help us understand it. As Paul said clearly in Romans 6:23, what comes from sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. We have all sinned, and have therefore earned death. We have such trouble admitting that, but it’s true, and acknowledging it is the essential first step to salvation. Atonement is Jesus taking the death that we have earned on Himself, so that we don’t have to bear it. However, we have to believe He has done that, for us to receive the benefit. That’s what the Gospel is all about.

This is of course the message I preach. I am amazed at times at how much trouble people have in accepting the simplicity of it all. We tend to try to complicate it, wanting to get some measure of personal credit into the equation, but that doesn’t work. That’s a big part of why Jesus said we have to become like little children to enter the kingdom of God. (Luke 18:17) A little child can understand that “I did bad, but Daddy loves me and he made it all good.” Little children can grasp that, but they also need adults to guide and mentor them as they grow in faith and understanding. Baptizing children and then failing to mentor them in faith is a real factor in what is wrong with the American church today. I’m not to dismiss sharing Christ with children, certainly, but I’ve got to do all I can to nurture them from the point of their acceptance of Christ.

Well, Father, I didn’t expect to end up there when I started writing! Thank You for guiding us in ways we couldn’t imagine ahead of time. Thank You for the new family You have just brought to this church. Help me minister to each one as they need it, so the members of the family who don’t yet acknowledge Jesus as Lord may do so in truth, and the family be united in faith, growing together in Your grace, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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September 30, 2014

Posted on October 1, 2014 by jgarrott

Romans 3:20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.

If we don’t know we’re wrong, we won’t desire to be right. People get tied in all sorts of knots over Old Testament laws, which actually shows their inherent sinfulness. God gives us laws so that we will know what is right, what is best for us to do, but in our weakness we discover that we have broken them before we’ve even started. Paul dealt with this issue a great deal, especially here in Romans but actually in all of his letters. God’s laws are not flippant or arbitrary, but their biggest purpose is to drive us to His grace. If we think we’ve obeyed all of His laws, we’re either ignorant or willfully blind. That’s not to say at all that they can be ignored. Throwing the 10 Commandments out the window makes for total anarchy, and America is in real danger of that today. Paul and James both pointed out that love, in its purest and fullest form, takes care of the whole matter of laws. (Galatians 5:14, James 2:8) However there too, honesty compels us to say that we don’t love enough or well enough. Once again we are driven back to grace, but praise God, His grace is sufficient for us! (2 Corinthians 12:9)

This is of course the story of my life, as it is for every believer. Like everyone else, I have been forced to acknowledge my own inability before God, and that hasn’t always been easy. People looking at me today tend to think I do everything right, but even I know better, and God certainly knows better! And that’s not even bringing all the stuff I’ve done in the past into the equation. I am as dependent on the grace of God as anyone, and I must never forget that. With that understanding, I am to share the good news of God’s grace with others as God gives opportunity. Sometimes that means teaching them God’s laws so that they will understand how much they need His grace, but it doesn’t mean legalism. However, it certainly doesn’t mean saying or implying that anything goes because it’s all covered by grace. Paul had to deal with that heresy just a few verses before this one! I don’t have the wisdom to keep it all straight, but God does, and He will supply it to me as I need it, for the blessing of many and for His glory.

Father, thank You for Your Law. I desire to love it as much as the writer of Psalm 119. Thank You even more for Your love. I desire to be as much an instrument of that love as the Apostle John. May I indeed love You and love my neighbor more and better all the time, so that I may fulfill Your law and draw many with me into Your family, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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September 29, 2014

Posted on September 30, 2014 by jgarrott

Romans 2:14-15 Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.

To my knowledge this is just about the only passage in the whole Bible that hints at being right with God apart from direct faith in Jesus Christ. The only other one is Jesus’ statement that “He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me.” (Matthew 10:40) On the other side we have Jesus’ uneqivocal statement that “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) That leaves us having to let God be the judge of who is saved and who isn’t, and that’s a good thing. We tend to set up litmus tests about this, that, or the other, as though we were the final arbiter when if we were, it would be tragic! God alone sees people’s hearts, as the Bible reminds us. (1 Samuel 16:7) So what then? We are responsible for our own relationship with God, and for making a right relationship with God available to as many people as possible. That means living out the truth we know and not just giving it lip service, and at the same time expressing that truth to others, under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. That is what personal evangelism is all about. We aren’t to go around deciding whether people are saved, but we are to make it as easy as possible for them to be saved, through repentance and faith.

This is, of course, of intense interest to me as I minister in Japan. A smaller percentage of people are active Christians in Japan than in Pakistan! There is no active persecution here at all, and general public behavior sometimes seems more “Christian” than that observed in traditionally Christian countries. However, the vast majority of people have no personal faith, and only go through religious motions or rituals out of tradition or obligation. (Actually, that could be said for some nominally Christian countries as well!) That leaves people with a spiritual void, but they have great reluctance to go against what they see as family loyalty. There is a term that is often used in Japan that is translated into English as “filial piety,” but few if any English speakers have any emotional connection to what that might mean. Changing religions is seen as disloyal, and loyalty is one of the highest, if not the highest, virtue in Japan. I believe there are very many “hidden Christians” in Japan who believe that Christianity is the true religion but are afraid to be open about it. That brings them up against Jesus’ statement that “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:26) So I am left with proclaiming the Gospel and living it out, inviting as many as will to join me in that, and leaving everything else to God.

Father, this is something You know I’ve struggled with over the years, particularly when so many people have received us warmly, yet have not become Christians. (Matthew 10:40) I continue to pray for a massive, open harvest, and I also pray for peace and endurance until that happens, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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September 28, 2014

Posted on September 30, 2014 by jgarrott

Romans 1:32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

In a way, Romans 1 is comforting, because it helps to know that things have been this bad before. This reads like a description of the 21st Century, particularly in America but actually around the world. The thing that is most distressing is the strong pressure to make perversion normative, to the point that it is not just celebrated, those who continue to call it perversion are actively punished. It is a truism that you cannot legislate morality, but at this point the pressure is on to try to legislate immorality! (Actually, it is far more activist judges and public officials, rather than legislatures, that are doing the legal damage.) What is called for is steadfast obedience to God, even in the face of persecution, but then, that hasn’t changed throughout history! Those who care what God has to say have got to stand tall and strong, even though that can invite attacks, remembering that in Christ we are more than conquerors. (Romans 8:37) Society around us may be distressing and disgusting, and it is, but we have got to speak the truth in love, not compromising for the sake of social or other expediency, recognizing our own weaknesses and relying on God. It is again a truism that we are to hate the sin but love the sinner, but we must keep a clear focus on the fact that true love is not at all weak, but rather strong to insist on what is best for the one loved, rather than on what they ask for.

As a pastor I find that all areas of life are interrelated. What I just wrote about love is true in marriage, it is true in parenting, and it is true in every other part of life. That’s why Jesus could condense the entire Law into the commands to love God and love our neighbor. (Matthew 22:37-40) My job is to teach people what agape love looks like. That certainly includes words, but it must be founded on a lifestyle that practices it. I find I agree with Augustine, who said, “Love God and do as you please.” The problem is of course that we don’t love God properly, and actually don’t even love ourselves properly, but rather love pleasure. (2 Timothy 3:4) I’ve got to seek God and watch over my own heart, teaching, encouraging, and admonishing others so that they may do likewise, so that together we may avoid the devil’s traps and destroy his works, to walk in all that God intends for us.

Father, thank You for all that You are doing in, around, and through me. Thank You for the beautiful evidence of progress in some to whom I have been ministering. Thank You for the Word You have placed in me for this morning. I pray that I would deliver that Word clearly, undistorted, so that it may penetrate hearts and minds to set people free and move them into active discipleship, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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