May 31, 2013

Posted on June 4, 2013 by jgarrott

1 Peter 3:15-16 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

Here is the perfect New Testament guide to personal witnessing. All sorts of witnessing systems have been devised and taught, but none improve on this; at best they expand on it. If a person is not living with Jesus as Lord, any witnessing they do will quickly be seen as hypocrisy and will probably be counterproductive. Every facet of our lives must be on the foundation of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. That is a choice, as this passage indicates. He is Lord, but we must set Him on the throne of our own hearts by our choice. If we will do that, then our hearts will be filled with the hope that only He gives, that this world hardly even dreams of. When our lives radiate that hope, then the difference between us and those without that hope will be obvious, and those with honest humility will ask us about it. Then and only then does verbal witnessing come into play. This is not collaring people on the street and asking them if they are ready to meet God! This is preparing the soil of their hearts to receive the seed of the Word we speak, so that it may be received, sprout, and bear rich fruit. Peter goes on to specify how we are to speak, and that is with gentleness and respect. I’ve seen “witnessing” that lacked both of those qualities! That can actually immunize people against the Gospel. However, if our hearts are right, then as Peter says, people will end up being ashamed of the things they say against us to try to justify themselves by ridiculing us.

Ministering in Japan, I can’t off hand think of a single “witnessing program” I learned in the US that has been effective. People simply don’t have the cultural background that has been assumed by such programs. However, witnessing that is effective in Japan would probably be quite effective in post-modern America! The kind of witnessing Peter describes isn’t dependent on culture in any way, but rather on the beauty of Christ, projected through those who make Him Lord. My challenge as a pastor is to help people be willing to share even when they are asked. Actually, in Japan the probability of their being asked is much lower than in many other cultures, because they are a very private people, so Christians need to let it be known that they are willing to be asked. The challenges are very real, but nothing is too difficult for the Holy Spirit!

Father, thank You for the opportunities You’ve given me for witness here in this hospital. The lady just now said she will miss seeing my kind face! Whether it has been by word or by attitude, I pray that everyone You have touched through me would be unable to forget it, and would be drawn not to me but to You, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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May 30, 2013

Posted on June 3, 2013 by jgarrott

1 Peter 2:16 Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.

There are quite a few places in the New Testament where we lose the impact of what is being said by translating “slave” as “servant,” and this is one of them. Here there is the very explicit contrast to “free men,” and without understanding that context, we imagine something Peter was not thinking at all. In reaction to an increasingly controlling government, the political philosophy of Libertarianism is gaining a lot of traction in the US, but that is not at all what Peter is talking about. Still there are enough similarities that Peter’s warning here is quite applicable: “do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil.” Some in the Libertarian camp seem to want to do exactly that, removing all restrictions on things like drugs and immorality. Whether the government is involved or not, those things aren’t wise! That’s why Peter says we are to “live as slaves of God.” Paul deals with this issue in Romans 6, pointing out that we are slaves to whatever controls us, and that it’s far wiser to live as slaves to righteousness than slaves to sin. Peter agrees completely! Sadly, some people approach grace as an excuse for sin, and that never ends well. A central element of the Gospel that is often overlooked is that in Christ, we are for the first time able to not sin. Our free will is genuine, but apart from Christ, we will always choose things that violate God’s plan for our lives, which is another way of saying that we choose things that do harm to us and to others. Obedience to Christ is true liberty!

This is something I have had to learn. As I think I’ve written recently, I know the literal thrill of deliberately doing something I know is wrong, so on one level I can understand those who continually do worse and worse. Sin is indeed a drug, and it takes higher and higher doses to give us the same thrill. I’m very grateful that the Lord has helped me understand that the end of that path is absolute destruction. That’s one more motivation to try to warn those who are on that path. As the Lord told Ezekiel so clearly, a watchman bears responsibility for the destruction of those he fails to warn. (Ezekiel 33:7-9) I don’t want that on my head! James also pointed out that those who teach will be judged more strictly. (James 3:1) As a pastor and teacher, that should give me pause! However, I’m not to be anxious about it, but rejoice that God has invested in me, and delight to serve Him in everything I am and say and do.

Father, thank You again for Your perfect plan. Thank You for the witnessing of various sorts You’ve allowed me to do while I’ve been here. I pray that the words You’ve allowed me to speak and the written material You’ve allowed me to give, as well as whatever ways You’ve demonstrated Yourself through my attitude and behavior, would be fully effective in drawing people to repentance, faith, and commitment, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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May 29, 2013

Posted on June 3, 2013 by jgarrott

James 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

There aren’t many Scriptures that are more central to the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement than this one, and thankfully, the practice of praying for healing, and expecting results, has spread to many other churches as well. However, the first part of the verse, “Confess your sins to each other,” has received far less acceptance, at least in practice. That’s probably a major reason there aren’t more healings! We have a lot of trouble “getting naked” before God, much less before our brothers and sisters in Christ, and that’s what this verse is talking about. Fig leaves are a major holdover from the Garden of Eden! (Genesis 3:7) It’s interesting to realize that people don’t hesitate to strip down physically for medical treatment, but they balk at what this verse is talking about. Physical exposure is all the rage, with “wardrobe malfunctions” and people “forgetting to wear underwear,” but when it comes to being honest before God and man about who we are and what we’ve done, we run in panic. Spiritual health comes from physical modesty coupled with total honesty about who and what we are. I think the problems arise because people don’t really know who and what they are, or can be in Christ, and since their perception of themselves is so distorted, they desperately don’t want others to see them as they themselves think they are. It is absolutely foundational and essential that we realize that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23) but by itself there is no hope in that statement. We have to continue to verse 24: “and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ.” When we get both verses firmly in our minds and hearts, confessing our sins becomes a non-issue. Healing of all sorts comes from realizing that Jesus has already done it all, because we were unable to do it for ourselves. Confessing sins and praying for one another must be on that foundation.

Once again I am immensely thankful for having been raised by a father who had absolute honesty as one of his foundational principles. That’s not the same as “letting it all hand out,” however. There are times when saying too much is damaging in various ways. However, the secular proverb, “Honesty is the best policy,” is certainly true. I need God’s wisdom and guidance as to what to say to whom, and how to encourage them to open up to God, and to me when that is called for. I am to live a personally clean life, but not pretend that I am perfect. I’m not to run around telling all the things I’ve done in the past, because that could well come across as giving others permission to do the same things. I am to recognize that any failure to keep Christ first in my affections and my priorities is sin, and seek His forgiveness when I recognize it has happened. I need to be as spiritually healthy as possible, so that I may in turn help others.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for this time in the hospital, and for the opportunities for witness You are giving me. Help me make full use of each one, so that I may be an open channel of Your life and healing to others, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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May 28, 2013

Posted on June 3, 2013 by jgarrott

James 3:17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

If the truth be told, some people don’t even want this kind of wisdom! However, the results are certainly more satisfying than those from strictly intellectual wisdom. One thing to note is that this wisdom is received rather than achieved. It requires a fundamental humility that the Old Testament refers to as “the fear of the Lord” (Psalm 34:11 and many more) It is this humility that causes some people to reject it, because they are mired in the pride of Lucifer, and don’t want to acknowledge that they are utterly dependent on God. It doesn’t take much power of observation to realize that this sort of wisdom is in short supply in many areas of society, particularly politics. However, before we start pointing fingers, we need to look honestly at ourselves. Jesus’ illustration of the speck and the log is particularly applicable here. (Matthew 7:3-5) The problem is, we don’t usually use these criteria in evaluating ourselves. If we would do so, our spiritual growth would be greatly enhanced!

Of course, this applies to me as much as it does to anyone. With a high IQ, intellectual pride has always been a problem for me, and the Lord has had to show me the difference between knowledge and wisdom, sometimes through my rather painful mistakes. I am tempted to feel that because I often know more that whoever I’m with, that makes me somehow better than they are. That’s the devil’s trap! Right now I’m sharing a hospital room with three other people, which is a beautiful opportunity to share Christ with them. However, if I come across as looking down on them in any way, whatever I might say to them will fall on deaf ears. I am to let the Holy Spirit guide me in what to say when, so that my words may express His wisdom in His love, drawing these men to Christ for their salvation.

Father, thank You for this interruption to my schedule. I didn’t plan it or want it, but I receive it from You. May I make the use that You intend of this time, to accomplish Your will on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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May 27, 2013

Posted on June 2, 2013 by jgarrott

James 2:26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

Martin Luther was so consumed by his rediscovery that we are saved by faith that he called James a “book of straw.” However, it is a very needed counterpoint in our walk of obedience to God. In Luther’s day there were some in the Church who were running it as a financial enterprise, getting funding for such projects as St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Accordingly, they were putting prices on almost everything the Church had to offer, including the most valuable, forgiveness and salvation. They were ignoring Paul’s words to Timothy, talking about people “who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.” (1 Timothy 6:5) That of course is a terrible aberration, but James’ insight is essential. That is, true faith works. In Christ it is not a conflict between faith and “works.” Words are easily spoken, as the Southern Gospel song says. (“Prayer is the Key to Heaven, but Faith Unlocks the Door.”) There is no limit to the illustrations that come to mind! The point is, genuine faith will motivate us to obedience to both the First and the Second commandments, loving God and loving our neighbor in practical ways. (Matthew 22:37-40)

It is encouraging to see examples of true faith in action, as in the response to the tornado disaster in Oklahoma. Churches are in the forefront, with even FEMA fitting in under their umbrella! However, I’m not to think that James is just talking about situations like that. I am to be faithful right where I am, putting feet to the faith God has placed in me. There is literally no limit to that, because every moment of my life is to be offered to God in obedient faith. If I believe that Jesus is the only way to the Father, and I do, (John 14:6) then I will tell others about Him. If I believe that expressing love and support to the helpless is serving Christ, and I do, (Matthew 25:40) then I will be open-handed in dealing with them. Men in particular are adept at compartmentalizing their lives, not letting (or trying not to let) one part influence another, but I must not do that. All of my life, all of my being, is as a child of God, and should reflect His character and His glory.

Father, thank You for the wholeness that comes only with You. Thank You for the peace of not putting up fronts for anyone, or having to remember what lie I told to whom. Help me be increasingly effective as Your agent, so that more and more people may be drawn into Your family through seeing Christ in me, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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May 26, 2013

Posted on June 2, 2013 by jgarrott

James 1:21-22 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

Verse 22 is justly famous, but I have paid very little attention to verse 21 in the past. Anyone who is clinging to filth and the evil that fills modern society isn’t going to have a heart, or ears, for that matter, to accept the Word of God. The NIV says to accept it “humbly,” but the Japanese says to do so “with childlike simplicity.” All too often we over-analyze Scripture with at least a subconscious motivation to find a way around it. That’s not really accepting it! It is in that context that we have the next verse, which says that failure to apply the Word of God is self-deception. Looking at it that way, it is clear that we are all grand masters at self-deception! We are all quick to read or hear a passage, nod sagely and think or say, “That’s really good,” and then stop with that. That’s not receiving the Word. It is only when we apply the Word to our lives, seeking honestly to put it into practice, that we are allowing it to be planted in us fully, so that we may reap the good fruit of salvation that it offers.

This is a lesson that I’ve been slow to learn, and I’ve suffered for my slowness. I am often reminded that I first read the Bible through by age 10, but I am still learning to apply it. Sometimes my very familiarity with Scripture keeps me from receiving it with childlike simplicity, because “I know that.” That’s no way to grow spiritually and receive the blessings God has for me! As a pastor, I have the privilege of helping others learn from my mistakes. I am to be honest about those mistakes, without bragging about them. (I’ve heard some preachers who did seem to be bragging about how sinful they had been!) I am to be consistent in taking in the Word daily, not as a duty but as a delightful privilege, and always with the intention and desire to apply it both in the short and the long term. I’m not to treat it like most of us treat New Year’s resolutions, that don’t last the week, or even the day, in which they were made. As I work with others, I must recognize my own weakness and not talk down to anyone, but encourage them to walk with me as we follow the Lord.

Father, thank You for this clear Word this morning. Help me apply it! Thank You for what You’re bringing me through in my current bout with shingles. It’s a new experience for me, but by Your grace I’m certainly having it easier than most people with it seem to. I pray that I would have wisdom as a steward of the body, the time, and the opportunities You provide, so that You will may be accomplished in and through me on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Apology

Posted on June 1, 2013 by jgarrott

I appreciate each one of my readers, and especially those who have chosen to follow me, so I owe you an explanation. The past week I have been in the hospital with shingles (herpes zoster), and have not had Internet access. I have, however, been writing each day, and now that I’m out of the hospital I will be posting what I have written as soon as my wife gets it edited. (It’s great to have a live-in editor!) Blessings on each of you.

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May 25, 2013

Posted on May 26, 2013 by jgarrott

Hebrews 12:9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!

This entire 12th chapter of Hebrews is vitally important for successful Christian living, and choosing a verse even from the first half is difficult! What stood out to me from this verse was the statement that, as the NIV puts it, “We have all had human fathers who disciplined us.” Sadly, in modern society that’s no longer true. Unwed motherhood is so common as to be expected, even. We all know that such children have biological fathers, but they are not fathers in the sense this verse is talking about. On top of that, in all too many homes, even if the biological father is present, he doesn’t discipline his children, and they suffer for it. This problem has deep roots, particularly in some ethnic groups. I remember a story my mother told me from her childhood. (My mother was born in 1909.) A woman who worked for her mother shared some personal pain with her mother, saying, “They say my children are bastards, but that can’t be. Bastards don’t have daddies, and every one of my children had a daddy!” (If I recall the story correctly, she had three, with different fathers.) Rather than correcting the culture of taking marriage and parenting lightly, we have removed the shame of raising “bastards.” Some such children are blessed with a “father figure” who supplies the discipline and emotional stability they need, but the majority do not, and society is falling apart in consequence. Far too many men have never seen what a true father looks like, much less been really mentored by one, so even with the best of intentions they have no idea how to go about it. For the Christian, our heavenly Father is able to heal that “father wound,” but it takes commitment and humility to receive such healing.

I could go on for a long time on this subject, because it’s one I care about deeply. My father was certainly not perfect, but he loved us children and he loved our mother, and there was never any question about either of those things. I don’t remember much direct discipline from him, but I also don’t remember ever questioning that he was the head of our household, as it describes in Ephesians 5, and that was vitally important. I can’t lay claim to perfection as a father myself, and I don’t have any physical sons, but I do think my daughters got a fairly clear picture of what a father should be, even when I didn’t measure up. In recent years I have had the privilege of being a father figure to several young men, and it is a joy and honor, as well as a responsibility. As a pastor, I am to encourage the flock to allow our heavenly Father to make up for any deficiencies in our physical fathers, healing wounds and applying discipline, just as this verse and this chapter say. Christian life isn’t necessarily easy, but it certainly beats all the alternatives!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for being the perfect Father, loving perfectly and knowing what is best all the time. Help me trust You more and more fully, receiving Your discipline, correction, and training with obedient joy and not resentment, so that I may be an increasingly effective agent of Your grace and love, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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May 24, 2013

Posted on May 26, 2013 by jgarrott

Hebrews 11:39-40 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Here we are back to God knowing better than any human being, and therefore being all the more worthy of our faith and trust. To our eyes, it seems manifestly unfair that the saints of the faith whom the writer has been talking about would not receive what had been promised them. It’s not a matter of their never receiving what had been promised, but when they received it. We are face to face with the difficulty, from our standpoint, that we are in the flow of time and God is outside of it. Physicists agree that time is dependent on matter. God is not matter, but He created all matter, simply by speaking it into being, as it tells us in Genesis 1. God, who is totally transcendent, has a plan by which all of His children will be brought to glorious perfection, but it is beyond our intellect to grasp at this point, because we are conditioned to being material and time-bound. I recently heard the testimony of a man who had what is called a near-death experience, and what struck me was what he said about time being totally irrelevant in heaven. My wife Cathy has had a near-death experience, but that’s not a detail she noticed, or at least remembered so that she could report it. People speak of looking forward to being with their parents or grandparents in heaven, but our fellowship will be just as sweet with Abraham, Isaac, and the countless, nameless saints of history, and it will all be glorious.

Personally, I look forward most to perfect fellowship with my Lord, but I am sure that there will be unlimited other blessings as well, and it will all be beyond our power to describe or even comprehend right now. I am sharply aware of the pain of separation that we experience on earth, but I have the assurance that for those who are in Christ, such separation is strictly temporary. I do look forward to fellowship with saints of every age, because I’ve had a taste of fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ from a wide variety of countries and backgrounds. My focus right now needs to be on taking as many more with me as possible! I’m not to promise them an instant solution to what they see as their problems right now, because their perception, and mine, is often distorted. Rather, I am to point them to a heavenly Father who loves them enough to send His Son to die for them, and is absolutely trustworthy. My obedience to Him must be unconditional, and that is the commitment I am to encourage in others as well.

Father, thank You for my current experience of shingles. It’s something I’ve known about, but never experienced. It’s hardly fun, but it’s one more thing to look forward to leaving behind me! Thank You that today is my 44th wedding anniversary. That’s certainly a testimony of Your grace, blessing, and faithfulness! Thank You that however many more You give us here, we have an eternity of fellowship with one another and with You to look forward to. Praise God!

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May 23, 2013

Posted on May 24, 2013 by jgarrott

Hebrews 11:13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.

This certainly sounds very different from what is called the Prosperity Gospel! We tend to be fixated on the here and now, however much faith we claim to have, but Biblical faith is for now and for eternity. Paul put it this way: “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.” (1 Corinthians 15:19) This ties in with what John said in 1 John 2:15 “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” If we weren’t so in love with the world, we would see far more of the power of God! God does not pick on us, and our life in this world is not to be despised in itself, but we’ve got to remember that the best this world can offer is trash compared with the riches that await us in heaven. There is a Christian song that puts it very well: “This world is not my home; I’m just a passin’ through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue … If heaven’s not my home, O Lord, what will I do?” I could go on and quote the whole song, but it it is a very accurate musical expression of the truth in this verse. We don’t like to feel like “aliens and strangers!” However, as it says so concisely in Philippians 3:20, “Our citizenship is in heaven.” That needs to be our mindset to walk in the abundance of all that God intends for us, in this world and the next.

As a child of American missionaries in Japan, this way of thinking has perhaps come more naturally to me than to most, but I can’t say that I don’t have a desire to belong where I am, wherever that is. In fact, one of the most painful things for me over the years has been the refusal of most Japanese to accept me as anything other than an “alien and stranger.” I currently have permanent residency in Japan (even though it would have been easier, given my background, for me to get citizenship) because it would be all the more painful not to be accepted as Japanese if I had citizenship. It’s not so hard for me to “long for a better country – a heavenly one,” as it says in verse 16. At the same time, I do enjoy living! Yesterday I seem to have hurt my back, and I suddenly started showing symptoms of atopic dermatitis, which I’ve never had before. Both are painful! I am not to focus on the problems but rather on Christ, knowing that compared with what awaits me, any troubles I could possibly have here are “light and momentary.” (2 Corinthians 4:17)

Father, from the news and from my own experience I am certainly reminded of what Jesus said in John 16:33: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” I do pray for the people who have been so devastated by the recent tornadoes. Thank You that many are Your children, and are expressing their faith even under these circumstances. I pray Your grace on them all, and on all Your children around the world, that we may all lift our eyes to Christ and walk in the peace and joy that You intend, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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