December 18, 2013

Posted on December 20, 2013 by jgarrott

Luke 1:80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel.

I’ve mostly skipped over this verse when I’ve come to this passage before, though I couldn’t count how many times that’s been. I don’t know that I’ve ever underlined it. However, it grabbed my attention just now. Somehow I get the image of what today we would call a “strong-willed child.” Books have been written about the difficulty of parenting such children! It’s entirely possible that John lived in the desert because he didn’t really get along with anybody very well. We often forget that God uses imperfect vessels to do His work. We tend to put those who obviously have an anointing up on pedestals, and all too often they fall off! That’s not what God intends at all. The other side of that is that we exclude ourselves from being used by God because of our awareness of our own imperfections. That is equally outside of His plan. As it says in Psalm 103:14, God “knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust.” We aren’t to excuse our failures, but neither should we think that God is in the least surprised by them. He loves us anyway, and He wants to use us anyway. As that most familiar of all Scriptures (John 3:16) tells us, He loves us so much He sent His Son to die in our place, so that we might be brought into His family as children and heirs. You don’t throw out a child because they’re slow to be potty trained! God knew the risks He was taking when He gave us free will, but He also knew He didn’t want robots, or even pets, but true children with the potential of reflecting His character. We are not to write anyone off, including ourselves, because of flaws or failures, but rather look to God who is more than able to cleanse and use imperfect vessels.

The longer I live the better I understand this. Young people can at times be very unforgiving, of themselves or of others. I believe this is actually a major motivator of suicide. I am to encourage every believer to “be holy, as He is holy,” (1 Peter 1:15-16) but at the same time help them deal with this very imperfect world we live in. When God created it, it was very good, (Genesis 1:31) but sin has corrupted it, and we live with the consequences. The love and grace of God, perfectly expressed in the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ, are the answer to sin and its consequences. That is the message I am to communicate as effectively as possible to as many as possible, even though I and they are imperfect. I must not let imperfections, in me or in anyone else, blind me to the love and grace of God.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for those with whom I’m working right now. There is so much I want to communicate to them, but I can’t do it all at once! I really understand what Jesus said in John 16:12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.” Give me patience, love, and wisdom to share all I should when they are ready to receive it, so that they may be led out of they lying traps of the devil into the freedom of Your Spirit, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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December 17, 2013

Posted on December 20, 2013 by jgarrott

Luke 1:63-64 He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God.

This is one of my favorite “sub-plots” of the Christmas story, because I have a lot of empathy with Zechariah. He had spent nine months mute, to teach him that God does not speak idly, but during that time he had obviously communicated with his wife Elizabeth, probably a great deal, on various levels. It is very impressive that she was the first to insist that the baby be given the name assigned by the angel, even though she hadn’t been there to hear it in person. Then we get to Zechariah himself, and when he is obedient to what he had been told, he is released from the muteness that had been imposed to teach him faith. I certainly don’t doubt that he praised God! God allows us to go through all sorts of things to teach us to trust and obey Him, but He is never malicious about it. I’m sure that Zechariah gained all sorts of blessings over those nine months, even though growing faith was the greatest of them. He was being prepared to be John’s father indeed, not just biologically, and John’s later career shows that he did a pretty good job of it. We don’t know how old any of them were when Zechariah died, but since he was already “an old man” at the time of John’s birth, they might not have had very many years together. However, he made good use of the time he had, and as the saying goes, “the rest is history.”

I’m certainly challenged in my own faith by this story. How well do I live in expectant obedience to God? A pastor friend of mine preached on this story just this past Sunday. I’d like to ask him for a copy of the recording! I am greatly blessed to have a high level of communication and unity with my wife, and her faith is a real boost to mine. We are to encourage each other in faith and obedience to God, as Zechariah and Elizabeth obviously did, and leave the results up to Him. We have indeed “birthed” spiritual children who “proclaim in the desert, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’” (John 1:23) That is a high privilege, and we want to birth more! However, as any mother will testify, giving birth is painful business. We are not to run from the “birth pains,” but keep trusting God who is in control of it all, so that His plans may indeed be fulfilled on His schedule for His glory.

Father, thank You again for what You are doing, even if the process can be painful for us at times. Thank You for the answers we are seeing, and for the ones we don’t see yet. Help us wait patiently for the latter, trusting and rejoicing in You so that we won’t miss one blessing because of being focused on the timing of another. May Your Name be hallowed in all we say and do and are, so that Your kingdom may come as Your will is done, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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December 16, 2013

Posted on December 17, 2013 by jgarrott

Luke 1:45 “Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!”

This verse hits me every time I read it. I like how the Japanese strengthens the verbs here: “believed fully” and “will positively happen.” I am reminded of what Jesus told Thomas: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29) Mary had seen Gabriel, but her faith was certainly in the rock-solid category. Elizabeth certainly had the right idea here, that such faith brings great blessing. So often we miss such blessings by failing to believe and so going to “Plan B.” Faith like Mary’s doesn’t even have a Plan B! The difficulty comes in distinguishing between what God has said to us and what our imaginations cook up, particularly when it is something we desire. People who try to work up faith for a luxury car or something similar are setting themselves up for disaster, as Paul pointed out. (1 Timothy 6:9-10) God tells us He will provide abundantly, but when it is Him and not our flesh speaking, the provision is always incidental to the purpose for which it is given, to serve God in advancing the knowledge of Him for His glory. “Name it and claim it” is ultimately a lie, not because God’s promises aren’t real but because our lusts misappropriate those promises. However, we must not throw out the Word of Faith message because some misapply it. Rather, we must ask and allow the Holy Spirit to purify our thoughts and desires so that we will indeed desire God’s will and nothing less. When that happens, we can believe with full assurance.

I just got word that someone I care a great deal about has just had a prayer answered, and I rejoice with him. It was something he had a lot of company in praying for, but the timing was not what he or we might have chosen. However, I do know that I prayed consistently that God’s very best would be accomplished, and I believe we are seeing that. I have received some awesome promises about the ministry here, and my faith for them is strengthening. It’s been over 30 years since we came to Omura, so the timing certainly isn’t on the human scale, but that doesn’t change the faithfulness of God. I am to receive the faith God offers, and rest, relax, and rejoice in full assurance that His plans will be fulfilled on His schedule for His glory.

Father, thank You for how beautifully things went yesterday in so many ways. Thank You for that as a reminder that You have everything else in control, too. This is already turning out to be one of the most relaxed Decembers I’ve had in a long time. I pray that I would continue to operate on Your schedule, in joyful anticipation of what You are going to do, for my blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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December 15, 2013

Posted on December 17, 2013 by jgarrott

Luke 1:37 “For nothing is impossible with God.”

This is one of the shorter verses in the whole Bible, but it’s also one of the most important, from two standpoints. The first is the message itself, which is one that God has had to keep reminding people of throughout history. We get caught up in life as we know it, and we can’t imagine that things could be any different. Essentially, we forget that God is God, and if He spoke the universe into being, then nothing else presents any obstacles. The second reason this verse is so important is the specific miracle to which it refers. This is talking not just about a virgin being pregnant without artificial insemination or anything of the sort, it’s talking about God’s solution to the whole problem of human sin. The devil doesn’t mind our feeling guilty; that’s a tool he loves to use to make us feel miserable. What he doesn’t want us to understand is that God has provided a solution for our guilt, and that is what the angel is talking about here. He wasn’t just telling Mary she would be pregnant, he was telling her she would bear the Son of God. In a sense, he was announcing John 3:16, that is, the whole Gospel. From the human perspective, it’s not only impossible, it’s beyond imagination. That’s why Paul keeps talking about God’s plan of salvation as a “mystery,” in Ephesians and elsewhere. We could never have dreamed it up! If we are going to walk in all that God desires and has planned for us, we need to remember that indeed, nothing is impossible for Him.

This is certainly pertinent for me, as it is really for every believer. I just pray that my response will be more like Mary than like Zechariah! I am just as prone as anyone to limit my expectations to my experiences, even though I have more reason than most not to do so. I have seen God work in marvelous and unexpected ways more times than I could count, yet I still don’t expect Him to do the unexpected! (English is a strange language, but I don’t know that any language could have expressed that any better.) I need to ask and allow Him to remove the brakes, the limitations on my faith, so that I will be totally available to Him for whatever He wants to do through me. After all, it certainly won’t be on the class of what He did through Mary!

Father, I do ask You to remove all limitations from my faith, in every aspect and on every level. Help me not set up things in my own mind that You’ve got to do before I’ll believe it’s you. Rather, help me be so submitted to You that the devil will find no hooks in me, but will be frustrated at every turn. Work Your will in and through me, displaying Your strength in my weakness, so that Your plans may be brought to fruition for the salvation of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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December 14, 2013

Posted on December 17, 2013 by jgarrott

Luke 1:18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

In many ways Zechariah is the very picture of the majority of people today. He was so fixated on his circumstances as he saw them that he couldn’t believe they would change even when an angel told him directly! Gabriel was giving him extremely good news, something I am sure he had desired intensely for many years, and he couldn’t receive it. That’s quite sad, really, but I’m sure there are countless people today who are no better off. It’s like we’re wearing blinders and staring in mirrors, and we can’t imagine that things could be any different. God has the riches of heaven ready to pour them out on us, and we won’t even look up to see it. I’ve just run into a chart that was produced from a study that was done to help teachers relate better to students from a different socioeconomic class, and the spiritual implications are quire remarkable. The categories in the chart are Poverty, Middle Class, and Wealth, and it lists the typical mindset people in each category have in various different areas. I can’t reproduce the whole study here, naturally, but the point is that Christians are spiritually in the Wealth category because they are children of God, but most of them have a Poverty mentality when it comes to spiritual things, not to mention material ones. Zechariah illustrated that with his response to Gabriel, and Gabriel had to take drastic action to snap him out of it. He wasn’t punishing Zechariah so much as he was applying necessary discipline, just as it talks about in Hebrews 12:4-11.

I have certainly had my own struggles with this issue. I have an immense spiritual heritage, passed down from generations before me who have served God wholeheartedly, but I have been less than fully effective in sharing and investing those spiritual riches. At the same time, I am constantly confronted with people who are deeply mired in a Poverty mentality, so concerned with their own survival that they can’t imagine God would use them to bless someone else. That’s really sad, not to mention self-defeating. I have gotten kickback from some people when I have tried to get them to take their eyes off of themselves and their circumstances. They have insisted “You don’t care, much less understand, about me and my situation!” It hurts to be told that, but it doesn’t change the reality that if they would lift the eyes of their hearts they would discover that God has already met their every need, because they are His children and He loves them.

Father, You know who stands out in my mind as I think of this issue, but they are far from alone. For starters, everyone in this church needs to get a better grasp of who they are in Christ! Years ago You gave me the conviction that if Your children in Japan wake up to who they are in Christ, they will not only transform the Church, they will transform the nation and the world. Let it be so, Lord, and use me in the process, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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December 13, 2013

Posted on December 14, 2013 by jgarrott

Luke 1:8-9 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.

So often we forget that in the sight of God there are no “coincidences.” With our extremely limited view of things we are surprised and/or disappointed by a lot of things, but surprised is something God never is. (That’s a proof that Jesus was operating as a human being filled with the Holy Spirit, because He was surprised by such things as the faith of the centurion in Matthew 8:10) That doesn’t remove human responsibility for our actions, nor does it mean God is pleased with everything that goes on. However, it should give believers great boldness to move forward in obedience to whatever they feel the Lord is directing them to do. Drawing straws seems to us to be a cavalier way of seeking God’s will, but something similar appears many times in the Bible. It becomes a problem when we set up false choices. Sometimes we think the answer must be A, B, or maybe C, when God is thinking D. Drawing straws doesn’t work in that case! In the particular instance here, there was no problem because it was not a matter of whether, but of who, and it is clear that Zechariah was indeed God’s choice, because He had important business with him. I don’t think that fatalism is right, because that says that it doesn’t matter what we do, things are going to happen anyway. However, every believer in Christ should walk in much more assurance than we usually do, because if we are actively seeking to follow God, He is certainly going to guide us according to His perfect plan.

This is something I have grown in understanding over many years. I can’t say that I have it down perfectly yet, by a long shot! I can’t ignore such things as spiritual warfare, not just because I’ve experienced it but because the Bible mentions it quite a bit. I remember something the Lord said through me when I was praying with one other believer several years ago, and that was that I was not to be surprised at what surprised others, but rather to expect God to do good and great things. As a pastor I often deal with people who are afraid of the future, in one way or another. I am constantly challenged to impart faith and hope to them. Once again, I can’t do it in my own strength and wisdom, so I have to rely on the Holy Spirit. However, He’s certainly up to the task!

Father, thank You for this encouraging Word this morning. I needed it! Thank You for the various things You did yesterday, and for all You are going to do today. Help me rest, relax, and rejoice in You in every detail and on every level, trusting that You are God indeed and more than able to take care of everything. Help me cooperate so that You can do it using me, instead of in spite of me! Thank You. Praise God!

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December 12, 2013

Posted on December 14, 2013 by jgarrott

Zechariah 9:12 Return to your fortress, O prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.

Because of verse 9, which was fulfilled on what is called Palm Sunday, one week before Jesus’ resurrection, (Luke 19:28-40) this passage is universally recognized as Messianic. However, about all we get generally from this verse is the “twice as much” statement, and we don’t really think very deeply about “twice as much what?” Something that comes to mind right now as I read this is that the oldest son, the heir, received “a double portion” compared with any other children. This is actually what Elisha was referring to when he insisted he wanted a double portion of Elijah’s spirit when Elijah was taken up to heaven: he wanted to be the heir. (2 Kings 2:9) What this verse in Zechariah is promising is that in the reign of the Messiah, those who have anchored their hope in God become heirs, and that will more than compensate for anything they have lost in any way because of their faith. When you think about it, that’s a pretty glorious promise! Jesus fleshed this promise out in answering Peter, in Matthew 19:29, and He upped the ante to a hundred times! As it says in Isaiah 28:16 (quoted by Paul in both Romans 9 and 10) someone who trusts God will never be dismayed, or put to shame.

I have certainly tasted the abundance of God’s faithfulness, even if my bank account hasn’t looked like it most of the time. I’ve gotten into trouble only when I’ve trusted, or put my hope in, something other than the Lord. He has grown my faith over the years, not so much with supernatural impartation but by incremental steps. Things that used to rattle me a lot don’t bother me nearly as much, though I still have plenty of room for more growth! A growing part of my job description at this point is imparting faith and hope to those who don’t yet have the personal track record to give them rock-solid assurance. I know I can’t do that in my own strength and wisdom, but I know from experience that God can use me to get that job done, so my responsibility is to be available actively, looking for opportunities for God to use me. That’s not to say that I’m to be pushy, but it is to say that I’m to be expecting such opportunities so that I won’t miss them. I have such opportunities frequently, most often on a one-to-one basis but sometimes with groups at a time. I am to strive to be in as close fellowship with the Holy Spirit as possible, so that I won’t miss a cue.

Father, thank You for the joyful privilege of being Your agent. There are times, when people are slow to receive, that I get tired. Forgive my weak faith! Help me be so committed and connected to You that Your grace flows through me unhindered, for the blessing of all I encounter and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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December 11, 2013

Posted on December 12, 2013 by jgarrott

Isaiah 60:1 “Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.”

God’s perspective and our perspective are often so different. This is a statement by God to every believer in Jesus Christ His Son, yet so many refuse to believe it. A line from The Glass Menagerie applies to them, even though the original isn’t meant spiritually: “I may rise, but I refuse to shine.” When we refuse to believe what God has done for us in Christ, it might as well not have happened. This applies not only to eternal salvation, our “ticket to heaven,” if you will, but to our daily walk of victory over the wiles of the devil. We are assured that “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37) However, we walk defeated so much of the time! John’s statement in 1 John 5:4 is spot on: “This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” Paul calls faith “the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” He knew well that the attacks that come against us can be like flaming arrows, but he had experienced the reality that faith is stronger. Faith is itself a gift from God, (Ephesians 2:8-9) but each one has been given some measure of faith already. (Romans 12:3) Faith could be called “spiritual muscle,” because it must be fed and exercised to grow. We feed faith by reading the Bible and associating with, or at least reading about, people who are mature in faith. We exercise faith by acting on it, choosing to trust God rather than our senses or the many voices of doubt in the world. When we do that, we discover that the promises of Scripture were indeed given to us, and that they are fully operative and powerful. We will rise and shine, not with any glory of our own but with the Glory of God, which He has so graciously poured out on us.

I am finding increasingly that my role as a pastor is that of “faith trainer.” These days we not only have trainers in the gym, we have “life coaches” and a host of others. I am not the source of faith for anyone, but I can encourage them to reach out and receive the faith that God offers them, and to exercise what they have received. I am in the middle of a fairly intense time of that with some people, and if I look at my own abilities I would certainly be tempted to throw in the towel. However, I too need to exercise the faith I have been given! It’s no good urging others to do anything I’m not doing myself. I need to walk in the peace that comes only from trust, from “knowing Whom I have believed.” (2 Timothy 1:12) Every year Christmas is a hectic season with so many things on the schedule, and most years I end up pretty strung out. So far this year things have been different, but I must keep my focus on the One who will enable me to do everything He calls on me to do. (Philippians 4:13)

Father, thank You for the privilege of sharing the grace You have poured out on me. Thank You for the invitation that came yesterday to give a testimony at the Pastors Conference next month. Help me be an open channel for You toward each individual, each group to whom You allow me to minister, so that one by one, church by church, city by city, nation by nation, the Body of Christ may be built up, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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December 10, 2013

Posted on December 12, 2013 by jgarrott

Isaiah 53:1 Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

I’m sure this chapter was a great puzzle to the scribes, and probably the source of quite a few arguments as to what it might mean. God’s plan was so audacious, so “out of the box” that no one could really imagine how it would transpire until it actually took place. Even then it took quite a while for it to sink in that the events that had been witnessed were what the prophets had talked about. Peter, after his unique experiences with Jesus, then Pentecost, then years of ministry, had no trouble identifying Who and what this chapter was about, so he had no hesitation in referencing it in his letters. (1 Peter 2:24) However, it’s still true that the Gospel can be pretty unbelievable. One common response is, “it’s too good to be true.” That it is, but it’s still true! It violates our logic that the Creator of the universe would care that much about us on this insignificant speck of dust we call the earth, but He does. That’s why the Gospel has to be “revealed” to people: they don’t just pick it up on their own. God uses all sorts of methods to supply the information, but it always takes the touch of His Spirit for it to sink in and engender faith. He prepares hearts in various ways, plowing the soil to receive the seed of the Word. (Luke 8:11) Sowing that seed is where we come in. We often have no idea how prepared the soil might be, but even the richest, softest soil is unfruitful if no seed is sown. I watched an interview just yesterday with Bill Wilson, who has had a marvelous ministry to inner-city children, and learned that he was saved when the man who rescued him, after his mother walked off and left him, sent him first to a Sunday School summer camp. He has duplicated that grace to countless people in the years since. God used horrible circumstances to prepare his heart to receive, and someone was faithful to be God’s instrument to sow the Word in love and grace.

Naturally, I desire to sow as faithfully and effectively as possible, but I must also be available to plow and water, if I am to have the joy of participating in the harvest. (1 Corinthians 3:6-8) I have said that ministry in Japan is akin to plowing rock, and at times that seems an apt metaphor indeed. However, I do have the joy of seeing changed lives, even if not as often as I would like. I am never to give up, but seek always to be increasingly available to the Holy Spirit for Him to use me however He chooses to impart faith, not only for salvation itself but also to walk in the health and victory that Jesus purchased on the cross.

Father, You know those to whom I minister far better than I do. I ask for clear guidance moment by moment, in every detail, so that I may be an effective tool in Your hands to destroy the works of the devil and set people free, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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December 9, 2013

Posted on December 10, 2013 by jgarrott

Isaiah 49:6 He says:
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”

From our perspective it’s interesting that the early Church didn’t pick up on this and similar passages until after Peter’s dramatic encounter with Cornelius in Acts 10, and they were slow about it even then. Today, far too many Gentile Christians ignore the first part of this verse and forget that Jesus came to restore the tribes of Jacob, that is, Israel. We are so prone to exclude others for one excuse or another, thinking that will somehow “leave more for us.” That shows we have no grasp at all of the infinity of God! Infinity divided by any number at all is still infinity, so there is literally no limit at all to the number of people God can accommodate in heaven, if they will but repent and believe. Jesus did say that comparatively few will find the way, (Matthew 7:13-14) but that is because people tend to love their sin more than they love the truth. Conversely, John was shown “a great multitude that no one could count,” rejoicing before God in heaven. (Revelation 7:9) It is certainly not our business to set limits on God’s grace! We are to be true to our calling to be witnesses of Christ, (Acts 1:8) proclaiming salvation by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9) for all who will repent and believe. (Mark 1:15)

This is of course the story of my life, as an American pastor in Japan. I also have good friends who are physical descendants of Abraham, with whom I share faith in the Messiah. I constantly see people trying to exclude others for various reasons, hardly any of them valid. Being such a mixture of cultures myself, I am an object lesson that externals don’t matter. That comes as a shock to some people who meet me! This church is unique in being bilingual, but at the moment we happen to have only two nations represented. In the past we have had people from half a dozen countries. Now that I think about it, we currently have people who weren’t born in the country of their citizenship, as well as people of mixed ethnicity. I guess we’re a pretty good “melting pot” after all! However, I’m not to “rest on my laurels,” but actively seek all who will repent and believe, without erecting artificial barriers of any kind.

Father, thank You for Your inclusive heart. I ask for grace to reach those who exclude themselves, for one reason or another. Use me to reveal to them that You love them as much as You do me, and You desire intimacy with them as much as You do with me, so that all the lies of the enemy may be defeated and many people brought into Your family, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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