August 20, 2014

Posted on August 22, 2014 by jgarrott

Amos 5:4-5 This is what the Lord says to the house of Israel:
“Seek me and live;
do not seek Bethel,
do not go to Gilgal,
do not journey to Beersheba.”

When things get difficult, we tend to turn to the familiar, to traditions or whatever has seemed comforting in the past. The problem is, those things were generally intermediary; if they really helped us, they were simply the medium by which God helped us. We are quick to forget that God is the source of every good, regardless of the form in which it comes to us. (James 1:17) When we focus on the form, we miss God. Here, God isn’t telling us to do anything complicated, He’s just saying to seek Him. There are times when pilgrimages can be good, but only if our goal is God Himself, not the physical location. There are times when God manifests Himself in a particular location, just as He did in the burning bush with Moses. However, the bush itself wasn’t His residence, and I doubt that Moses later built a shrine there, even though it was holy ground at the time of the encounter. This sort of thing isn’t limited to places. King Hezekiah had to destroy the bronze serpent that Moses had made on God’s instructions, because people were worshiping the serpent instead of God. (2 Kings 18:4) God alone, and not any part of His creation, is worthy of our adoration and worship. Interestingly, often the problem isn’t the place or the object itself, but the traditions we have built up. Jesus addressed that very explicitly. (Mark 7:8) That is frequently a problem with denominations, where following tradition becomes more important than seeking God through His Word and His Spirit. To all of this, and to all of us, God says, “Seek Me and live.”

I grew up in a denomination with strong traditions, many of them very good, but I have seen many people on various occasions place those traditions ahead of God. Likewise, I have seen people flock to this, that, or the other location, sometimes seeking God but sometimes seeking the place itself, with a feeling akin to magic. I myself delayed experiencing the baptism in the Holy Spirit because I was so focused on the gift of tongues. The Lord has shown me that none of these things are bad in themselves, any more than the gift of tongues is bad, but that our focus must be on Him. I know people whose focus is on theological orthodoxy. Good theology is important, but even that is secondary to seeking God Himself. We can lose sight of Him so easily, precisely because all these other things are easier to see, closer, so to speak. However, nothing is as close as God when we abide in Christ, and Christ in us.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me deal gently with those who want something they can see. Use me to open the eyes of their hearts so that they may see You indeed, and understand how secondary all these other things are. May I not despise Your tools, but may I never place them ahead of you. Thank You. Praise God!

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August 19, 2014

Posted on August 22, 2014 by jgarrott

Hosea 14:9 Who is wise? He will realize these things.
Who is discerning? He will understand them.
The ways of the Lord are right;
the righteous walk in them,
but the rebellious stumble in them.

This end note to the Book of Hosea is both simple and to the point. The first half basically says, “If you’ve got two brain cells to rub together, you’ll get this.” The second half is even more interesting. The NIV says “The ways of the Lord are right,” but the Japanese says, “The paths of the Lord are level/flat.” That gets very interesting when you consider the last contrast. Level paths are pretty easy to walk on, but rebellious people stumble anyway. It’s not the nature of the path that makes them stumble, it’s their attitude. That’s something we see all the time. As it says in 1 John 5:3, God’s commands aren’t burdensome/grievous. God’s commands are always for our good, but if we are rebellious and disobey, we will suffer the consequences. If you don’t want to stumble and get skinned up, the answer is simple: don’t be rebellious.

I’ve learned this the hard way, both through my own rebellion and watching that of others. We get ourselves into a lot of fixes the Lord never intends for us! With my current perspective and occupation I am continually encouraging and exhorting people to walk in obedience and submission to God, but a depressingly high percentage act like two-year-olds. They especially don’t like that word, submission. Veritable word storms have been written over that word! Whatever you think of submission in marriage, submission to God would seem to be the only logical course. I’ve worked with computers for almost 30 years now, and I couldn’t count the number of people I’ve helped with them. When those people listen carefully and do what I say, they find their computers perform pretty well. However, when they skip operations, get them backward, or simply distort them, they find they have a remarkably uncooperative machine. Applying that to this verse, life is the computer and God is the computer expert. Of course, I’m not all-knowing about computers, but God is by definition all-knowing about life. On top of that, He loves us and genuinely wants the very best for us. Given that understanding, submission is the only logical course.

Father, thank You again for Your patience with me, and for Your grace in patching up my scrapes and bruises. Help me express Your truth in love to those around me, in words and ways they can understand, so that as many as will may repent of their rebellion and turn to You in faith and obedience, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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August 18, 2014

Posted on August 22, 2014 by jgarrott

Hosea 10:12 Sow for yourselves righteousness,
reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up your unplowed ground;
for it is time to seek the Lord,
until he comes
and showers righteousness on you.

I really like the song that Noriko Sasaki wrote to this verse, arranging the words only a little to fit the music. Of course that’s in Japanese, but the Lord gave me a pretty good translation for it (though I sing it much more often in Japanese). This verse fits closely with a Biblical principle that is ignored all to often, and that is the Law of Sowing and Reaping. Some people are so focused on grace that they ignore it, as though our actions mean nothing, but even the New Testament brings this Law out clearly. The clearest statement is in Galatians 6:7. “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” In other words, actions have consequences. God is incredibly gracious, and by faith the penalty for sin is erased, but at the very least there is lost blessing whenever we sin. Paul used the illustration of construction materials, and said that if we build our lives with junk we will lose it all, even if we manage to hold onto eternal life by faith. (1 Corinthians 3:11-15) Far too many Christians are using this world’s plastic as their main building material! (Plastic didn’t exist in Paul’s day, but I’m sure he would have mentioned it if it had.) Just yesterday I preached on repentance, and that is the only answer when we realize we have been building with trash. Repentance is one of the primary works of righteousness, because without repentance we can’t hope to receive the righteousness of Christ. It gets complicated, as far as how we think of it, because we can never be righteous enough by our own efforts, so in that way it’s all God, but we must choose to receive and walk in the righteousness God offers to us. In a sense it all comes down to what Augustine said: “Love God and do as you please.” When our love for God is in response to a full appreciation of His love for us, then we won’t want to do anything that contradicts Him in any way.

I feel God has taught this to my heart, but sometimes I feel like I’m running into a brick wall when I try to get it across to others. We want it either to be our own effort, so we can be proud of it, or all God, handed to us on a platter so we don’t have to do anything. Sorry, neither way works. Traditionally, Japanese have been very hard workers, so they have hung up on the aspect of receiving salvation by grace. However, an entitlement mentality seems to be common among young people in all cultures, and that wants it all for nothing. I have neither wisdom nor skill in myself to counter either deception, so I’ve got to rely on the Holy Spirit. There too, however, I’ve got to make myself available, which means engaging people in conversation, giving them God’s truth and challenging them to receive it. I am not to be discouraged when that truth isn’t received, but rather keep praying and keep witnessing, so that as many as will may be saved.

Father, thank You for the fruit You have given me. Thank You for getting through my own stubborn willfulness and using me in spite of myself. Help me exercise toward others the patience and love You have poured out on me, so that I may not stand in the way of their repentance and faith for salvation, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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August 17, 2014

Posted on August 18, 2014 by jgarrott

Hosea 2:23 “I will plant her for myself in the land;I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.’ I will say to those called ‘Not my people,’ ‘You are my people’ ;and they will say, ‘You are my God.'”

The story of Hosea and his wife Gomer is one of the most touching in the Bible, and is a striking picture of God’s love for His people, who have a a nasty habit of being unfaithful to Him. This of course applies to the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but it also applies to all mankind, for we were all created to love and be faithful to Him. The story as a whole is about a terribly unbalanced love, of a man for a woman who literally prostituted herself. It would seem that she was sold on the physical pleasure of coitus without understanding the emotional and spiritual components of the act. On a physical level, she was like a sadly large number of men and an increasingly large number of women today. However, her husband pursued her for the emotional and spiritual connection, even after she had gotten herself into slavery. That’s how much God loves us! This picture of God’s love was exceeded only when Jesus Christ came as a human baby, to grow up in a human home and take the penalty for all of humanity’s sin on Himself on the cross. It is when we have a revelation of that love that we say indeed, “You are my God.”

After 45 years of marriage, the story of Hosea and Gomer is all the more striking to me. We’ve never been physically unfaithful to each other, but temptations have been there. It has been as we have grown in the spiritual component of marriage that we have been strengthened in every other area as well. I try to communicate that factor to couples I counsel, but the vast majority aren’t Christians and so have no framework for really grasping it. I’m not to give up, but keep expressing and demonstrating this truth to all who will receive it. More broadly, I need and desire to express God’s love to all, so that they may grasp it, repent of their unbelief, and say in truth, “You are my God” to the One who died for them.

Father, You give me all sorts of opportunities to express Your truth. Thank You. Thank You for the service this morning, where I will be speaking on Repentance. I pray that it would be Your Word indeed, to penetrate hearts and minds and bring Your truth. Thank You for the “demonstration wedding” I’ll be doing this afternoon, where most if not all of those present will not be Christians. May my words – Your words through me – penetrate their hearts and minds as well, to set them free from the traps of the devil and draw them into Your family, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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August 16, 2014

Posted on August 18, 2014 by jgarrott

Daniel 12:3 “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.”

This should be an encouragement to evangelism! The footnote in the NIV is worth noting, where it says that “Those who impart wisdom” would be an alternate translation for the beginning of the verse. It isn’t enough to be wise yourself, you need to pass it on. The verse as a whole is an example of Hebrew parallelism, where the same thing is stated two different ways, so that certainly supports what I’ve just said. However, to me this verse is at best a secondary encouragement. Our primary motive should be the love of God. We have tasted it in our own salvation, so we should be emboldened to share that salvation with others, just as God desires. (1 Timothy 2:4) The Bible is remarkably consistent in expressing God’s love and concern for all mankind, so the more we become familiar with it, the more we should be desiring and involved in sharing the Gospel with others. Shining like stars in the heavens is nice I suppose, but expressing the love of God is even better!

Growing up in a missionary family I’ve always known this principle, but I can’t say I’ve always followed it. Frankly, when results are so sparse, as they are in Japan, it’s easy to burn out and give up. However, that’s never the answer. God’s love is unchanging, whether people accept it or not. The photo exhibit I’m holding right now in the City Gallery of our 33 years in Omura is confirming that we’ve done a lot of “pre-evangelism,” at least, and it’s doing more in the process. As I wrote that I realized that I should have a handout available to explain why we’re in Omura in the first place, because several people have already asked that. That’s an opening to share the Gospel! I need to be sensitive to recognize, and faithful to make use of, every opportunity the Lord gives me to do just that, and leave the results to Him. Of course, as a pastor I am to nurture and train the flock of those who accept His invitation, but there too the wisdom and power must come from Him, or it will be fruitless.

Father, thank You for all the people who have come to the exhibit so far, and for those who will come in these last three days. Thank You for those who have come multiple times already, and say they want to come again. Guide me now as I write the handout You just directed me to create. I pray that it would be an effective tool to bring many into Your kingdom, Your family, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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August 15, 2014

Posted on August 18, 2014 by jgarrott

Daniel 9:18 “We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy.”

Daniel got so many things right! We should never think that we’ve been “good enough” to approach God, because we haven’t. We can only approach God on the basis of who He is, not on the basis of who we are. Daniel was both personally righteous and genuinely humble. That’s why an answer was given as soon as he began to pray. (verse 23) So often we complain to God about all sorts of things, thinking we don’t deserve them. What we don’t deserve are all the blessings He pours out on us! It is only when we grasp how amazing God’s grace really is that we step into the full flow of it. These days many people are concerned about the entitlement mentality that seems to grip such a large part of the American population. What we don’t realize is that the same problem infects the Church. We sing, “Amazing Grace,” but don’t accept that we are really “wretches” apart from Christ. When we are in Christ by faith we are indeed children of God who partake in all that Christ is, but we tend to demand the “goodies” without understanding that it’s all grace, and not entitlement.

I’ve certainly had problems with this. I have cheapened God’s grace more times than I am even aware of, by presuming on it and by failing to practice the obedience that comes from gratitude. The longer I walk with the Lord the better I understand just how deep and wide and magnificent His grace is. As Daniel did, I’m learning to approach God not on the basis of what I have done but on the basis of who He is. As a pastor, this is something I earnestly desire to communicate to the flock, but they tend to be as slow to grasp it as I was! I need to remember my own track record and exercise toward them the patience that was shown to me.

Father, thank You indeed for Your amazing, overwhelming grace. Thank You for all that You did yesterday, especially in all the human interactions. Thank You for the many people who came to see the photo exhibit. Thank You especially for the opportunity to witness so strongly to the one person, as she overheard what was being said at the pastors meeting. Lord, there are so many people we care about and want to see in Your family, but we know that our love for them doesn’t approach Yours. May we be useful to You in drawing them to repentance and faith for their salvation, as You want to do, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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August 14, 2014

Posted on August 15, 2014 by jgarrott

Daniel 9:2-3 I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.

Daniel is a good example for us in a number of ways, and this is one of them. His nation and his people were in dire straits, so He turned to God in every way he knew how. At that point the writings of Jeremiah (through his scribe Baruch) were well regarded by the faithful, but the canon of the Old Testament hadn’t even been settled. (Obviously, since Daniel’s own writings were later included.) Actually, complete Bibles didn’t really exist until the invention of the printing press, and it’s fairly significant that Daniel even had a copy of Jeremiah’s text. It means he placed high value on seeking the Lord, which we already know from the rest of his life. These days, written materials are so plentiful that we fail to value them, often missing what the Lord wants to say to us through them. In any case, Daniel took what he understood as being from the Lord and he prayed earnestly for its fulfillment. That is what we need to emulate. Too often we read the Bible and either fail to recognize that it’s more accurate than what we’re getting off the Internet, or we think that since it’s already written, we aren’t involved in its fulfillment. I read yesterday someone’s opinion that we are currently in the time of the Fifth Seal, mentioned in Revelation 6:9, because of the huge numbers of people who are being martyred in these days. If that is true, then the question becomes, what are we to do? It would seem obvious that we are to pray for strength and peace for those being martyred, recognizing that our turn might come sooner than we might imagine. These are tumultuous times, so we’ve got to remember that God is still God, whatever is happening at the moment, and in the end it will all be glorious, to the point that all the redeemed will forget whatever suffering they endured.

I have tended to be in the camp of those who have read and understood the Bible, but then failed to do anything about it. That’s not much better than those who ignore the Bible! I need to be earnest in praying for those in the middle of the turmoil, whether from open war, terrorists, or disease, not thinking that I’m exempt but recognizing that “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it.” (1 Corinthians 12:26) I am to pray, with everything that is in me, “Heavenly Father, may Your Name be hallowed, may Your kingdom come, may Your will be done perfectly in every corner of the universe,” and I am to offer myself as a tool for the fulfillment of that prayer, just as Daniel did.

Father, I do offer myself to You. Thank You for including me in Your plan. Help me recognize my part in it, however small or large, and apply myself fully to obedience, so that You may be pleased as Your will is done, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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August 13, 2014

Posted on August 14, 2014 by jgarrott

Daniel 4:27 “Therefore, O king, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue.”

Talk about speaking truth to power! If Daniel had any character flaws, lack of courage was not one of them. Nebuchadnezzar was not only an absolute monarch, literally able to order someone killed on the slightest whim, he had a track record of doing exactly that. Stalin comes to mind as a comparison. God gave even such a person as that an opportunity to repent, and he used Daniel to do it. Had Daniel said something like this without Nebuchadnezzar having had a graphic dream, the probability of his being killed in an extremely unpleasant fashion was very high. However, Daniel trusted God above all else, as the whole story of his life illustrates, and he called Nebuchadnezzar to repentance. The world might well be a very different place if more people had exercised Daniel’s kind of courage. When we fear man more than we fear God, we fail to act as God’s agents, and miss opportunities for great blessing.

I have known all my life that people in power are still people, but it can be hard to remember that in the pressure of the moment. It is very common for famous people to have drug/alcohol/emotional problems, and I think a real factor in that is that Christians hesitate to speak the Gospel to such people. How tragic! The greatest person to walk the earth, humanly speaking, still needs a right relationship with God, or their destination is hell, sooner or later. A person who has a healthy, growing fellowship with his Creator is more wealthy than Bill Gates. A person who is flowing with the Holy Spirit exercises more power than any merely human ruler. I need both to remember that and teach it, because we might give intellectual assent to the idea, but it is hard to get it worked into where we are emotionally. I am not to look down on anyone, but I am also not to consider anyone unapproachable. Everyone needs Christ!

Father, thank You for teaching me this early on, and for those to whom You have allowed me to speak. I pray that Your children around the world would grasp who they are in Christ and act as Your agents to all they encounter. May I be bold myself, with Your wisdom and anointing, so that all, high and low, may be given an opportunity to repent and believe, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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August 12, 2014

Posted on August 14, 2014 by jgarrott

Ezekiel 33:11 “Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?'”

You can’t get any clearer than this! The devil has been saying ever since the Garden of Eden that God wants less than the best for mankind, but that was a lie from the first moment it was said or even implied. So many people today think God has it in for them, that He’s just waiting to squash them for all the stuff they know they’ve done. Here God Himself is saying that’s not the case. He wants people to repent because He wants them to live, to escape the eternal death and destruction that are the natural consequence of sin. God is not a killjoy! He has given us taste buds and noses to get full enjoyment from food, but He knows that overeating is destructive to our health in many ways. He has given us the sensory and physical equipment to thoroughly enjoy sex, but He knows that outside of marriage it is extremely destructive in the long run, however much thrill there might be in the moment. When He calls us to repent, it is not because He wants to keep good things from us, it is because He wants us to escape bad things and receive His best. God is indeed the perfect, loving, heavenly Father, but we tend to have a distorted view of what love is, so the moment He starts to discipline us we think He doesn’t love us, that He’s being mean. Probably the best answer to that line of thinking is expressed in Hebrews 12, summarizing in verse 11. “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” As that passage says, human fathers do the best they know how, but they are far from perfect. However, God is indeed perfect, and that’s why He calls us to repent and applies discipline to encourage us to do so.

I’ve experienced my share of discipline, from my parents and especially from God, and that last is ongoing! However, I know the truth of both this verse in Ezekiel and the passage in Hebrews, and I am very grateful for what God puts me through. A key word in that last sentence is through; God never leaves me in a “time out” longer than necessary. Some lessons He’s had to teach me again and again, until I finally grasped them. Some are still ongoing! As a pastor I am constantly trying to help people understand that if they will really repent, that is, change the way they are living, then they won’t have to go through the junk again. We can be very dense in understanding that! I am to remember my own track record and exercise toward them the patience that was shown to me, so that together we may walk in God’s best, knowing that is His will for us.

Father, thank You for making this very, very clear statement to Ezekiel, and for your love and grace that back it up. Help me be an increasingly effective channel of that love and grace to all I encounter, so that as many as possible may be led to repentance and faith, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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August 11, 2014

Posted on August 12, 2014 by jgarrott

Ezekiel 18:30-31 “Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you, each one according to his ways, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. 31 Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel?”

This whole chapter makes it clear what repentance is all about. Again and again it speaks of getting rid of sins, throwing them out, shaking them off. People today are all too prone to think of repentance as “Oopsie! My bad.” That’s not repentance! Some sins aren’t easy to let go of, but unless the will to do so is there, there has been no repentance. Actions are important. We are saved by grace through faith, yes, (Ephesians 2:8-9) but as James points out so clearly, genuine faith acts. (James 2:14-26) If we really believe that we have sinned and that our sins cut us off from God, being worthy of eternal destruction, then we will change our behavior! Many people say they believe, but their lives are no different from those who say they don’t believe. Frankly, that puts their faith in doubt. The difference between intellectual acceptance of a set of facts and actual faith is that faith will impact lifestyle. Many people honestly don’t know the difference. When they see someone who is genuinely living in faith they think, “What a saint!” They might even think, “What a Goody Two-shoes!” There are no perfect Christians, but a genuine Christian will be open to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, quick to repent and change course when shown they are in the wrong.

This, of course, applies to me. My understanding of repentance has come the hard way, so to speak. There have been times when I thought I was a good Christian, but I thought nothing of behaviors that spit in God’s face. I’ve learned that repentance is ongoing. That is what 1 John 1 is all about. 1 John 1:9 is often used in evangelism, but the passage as a whole is clearly written to believers. I’ve got to keep my repentance up to date, because the Holy Spirit keeps showing me things I need to change. That’s called growing in holiness! I think it was Jack Hayford who used the illustration of a field with a huge boulder in it. When we commit to Christ, that boulder of sin and guilt is taken away. However, after a little bit we realize that there are head-sized large rocks here and there in the field, and we cooperate with God in getting rid of them. That’s when we start noticing the fist-sized rocks that seem to be everywhere! When I first heard that story it really clicked, and I have re-used it many times in talking with others. As I seek to lead others to repentance, I’ve got to keep my own repentance ongoing as the Spirit directs. That’s not to say I’m to live in a guilt trip; once something is repented of, it’s gone. I should be able to say with Paul, “My conscience is clear,” (1 Corinthians 4:4) but I must be quick to respond whenever the Holy Spirit shines His light on something I need to change.

Father, thank You for all You allow me to experience to show me how I need to repent, and how to repent. May I not only be responsive myself, but also effective in leading others to repentance, so that together we may walk in all that You intend for us, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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