May 22, 2013

Posted on May 24, 2013 by jgarrott

Hebrews 5:13-14 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Back in the middle ’70s there was a Christian song by Amy Grant called Fat Baby that was about this very issue. Barring medical problems, physical maturity is automatic over time. Emotional and spiritual maturity, however, are much less so. Being a baby seems to have advantages to some people, so their delayed or even arrested development is essentially their choice. I visit a mental hospital every week, and there are some patients I would put into that category, because they have no will to mature. Spiritually speaking, I would say that the problem is even more widespread. There are lots of church members who want to be bottle or spoon fed, and resist efforts to teach them how to feed themselves. That’s just as pathetic as the people in the mental hospital! The writer here is pointing out that the path to maturity is very simply, daily living. It is by our responses to our circumstances that we determine whether we will be matured by them or simply wounded by them. Everyone has “close calls” of one sort or another. If we choose to learn from them, we will be better able to avoid them in the future. If we don’t learn, then the next time we might “go over the edge,” experiencing real disaster. Spiritually, there are benefits to maturity that are unimagined by the immature, because intimacy with God, developed through obedience, brings peace and joy that are unshakable.

Sometimes I have people indicate that they wish they were like me. I am not to draw back from that, any more than Paul did, (1 Corinthians 4:16) but I have to make it clear that what is called for is faithfulness in daily living. You can’t attend a seminar and gain instant maturity! I do need to make maturity as attractive as possible, to help people in their motivation. I am not to draw back from admonishing and correcting, but I need to maintain relationships that allow for that. And of course, I am never to think I have “arrived,” any more than Paul did, (Philippians 3:12-14) but keep pressing in faithfully myself.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the various training opportunities You’re giving each of us in this church. Some are where they are by choice, but most of us have just stumbled into our particular training camps. For some, it’s exciting, for some it’s exhausting, and for some it’s downright frightening. I ask Your grace for each one. Help me be both the roll model and the encourager You want me to be, shepherding and nurturing the flock as You intend, so that we may all grow in Your grace for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

May 21, 2013

Posted on May 22, 2013 by jgarrott

Hebrews 1:14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

It has always been interesting to me how many people seem to be so taken with angels. I understand that they are impressive and all that, but we are offered a direct connection with the Creator through His Son who died for us, and that to me completely eclipses angels. Actually, that is the point of this first chapter of Hebrews. Worshiping angels is on a par with worshiping any other created thing, and every holy angel deflects worship to God. (Revelation 22:9 and many more) The only angels that accept worship are those that fell with Lucifer, and you DON’T want to be involved in devil worship! That said, angels are nice to have around. In the Bible, they are either God’s messengers to His people, or God’s warriors on behalf of His people. Either way, that’s nice! From all accounts, Biblical and otherwise, they are pretty impressive, so anyone who doesn’t have their eyes firmly on Christ could really be distracted by them. After all, even John the Apostle offered worship to an angel, in the reference above! The lesson for us is that we are to press in to know more of God in Christ, not to know more about angels. TV programs like Touched by an Angel aren’t bad, because they remind people that there is a spiritual world we don’t see with our physical eyes, and at least the episodes I saw seemed to keep the focus on angels being servants, but we still have to be careful where we place our focus.

I’ve not seen any angels myself, but my wife Cathy has, and she will tell you they are pretty impressive! However, even having seen them repeatedly, I don’t think she’s ever offered them worship. I am to be aware that they are there, but not dwell on it. There have been a few times when I have apologized to the Lord for keeping my guardian angel (Matthew 18:10) so busy! I have had some scrapes that were so close that my escape seems supernatural in retrospect. I am to be grateful, but certainly not presumptive. I can’t demand that God protect me from my own foolishness, even though He has done it many times. My focus is to be on loving and serving God in obedience, knowing that He will provide all the backup necessary if I am truly doing that.

Father, I’ve never been obsessed with angels, but some people are. Help me relate rightly to them, and help me stand firmly against any and all fallen angels, so that in all things Your Name may be hallowed and Your kingdom come as Your will is done. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

May 20, 2013

Posted on May 22, 2013 by jgarrott

Titus 3:3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.

Paul certainly knew how to give a pithy description! He didn’t pull any punches, and he included himself in what he was describing. If we fail to realize how bad off we are without Christ, we are far less likely to turn to Him, and once saved, if we fail to realize how bad off we were without Him, we won’t have a full appreciation of His grace. Reading this verse just now, whole categories of people just came to mind. The difficulty with that is that it could lead to my being dismissive of people in those categories, and Jesus loves them just as much as He loves me – and that’s a lot! I am not to write anyone off, but realize that God’s grace is as essential to me as it is to them; the only difference is that I’ve accepted it. Such people can’t imagine life any other way, and so they think Christians are total hypocrites, and that under the surface Christians are just the same as they are. They are right in that we have the same human nature, but they are wrong in that once you are born again by faith in Jesus Christ, you are indeed a new creation, as Paul so famously said in 2 Corinthians 5:17. When I was in seminary I had a bumper sticker that said, “Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven.” That’s the way it is, and we must not forget it.

This is, of course, as true today as it was back when I was in seminary. Now, people tend to put me on a pedestal, thinking they can’t achieve what they see me as being, or despising me because I don’t measure up to what they think I should be. That’s a problem! I am as human as they are, and the same grace that has been poured out on me is available to them. If I am to be effective in communicating the Gospel I must genuinely be humble at all times, not thinking I’m better than others but letting God love them through me. That’s not always easy, because we are all too often unlovable! I need to remember Paul’s words in Ephesians 4:32: “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Father, thank You for this reminder. I find I am most prone to despise people at a distance, but despising isn’t good any way I look at it. Help me be an effective instrument of Your grace, at a distance through prayer or close up in every interaction, so that as many as possible may be brought from death to life, from darkness to light, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Posted in Christian | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

May 19, 2013

Posted on May 22, 2013 by jgarrott

Titus 2:11-13 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Frankly, not too many people seem to have this understanding of grace today. We tend to think of it as a “get out of jail free card,” when this presents a very different picture. I find in my reading that I keep coming back to the point that grace is not license. This is a point Paul had to spend some time on in writing to the Romans, because our devious minds look for ways to “get away with” all sorts of things, not understanding that every one of God’s rules are for our good. Up until Christ, people would have said that the Law did all the things that Paul talks about here, and Paul spent much of his ministry trying to liberate people from that way of thinking. The whole letter to the Galatians was written for that purpose. The better we understand the grace of God, the more we will rejoice to be obedient to the Holy Spirit. In talking with young couples about parenting I point out that we are insecure without boundaries, and proper discipline establishes those boundaries in children. God gave the Law to give us some boundaries, but we spend all of our time running over those boundaries! What Paul is saying here is that when we grasp the grace of God, we rejoice to walk in the security of His love for us, boundaries and all.

I’ve spent plenty of time jumping boundaries, and I know the very literal, physical rush of deliberately doing something I know is not right but that caters to my flesh. I have also experienced the grace of God exactly as Paul lays it out here, and I am deeply grateful. The pleasures of sin are no match for the grace of God! This should give me insight in dealing with others, because everyone struggles with this in one way or another. I am not to excuse sin, in myself or in anyone else, but I am to remember and to teach that the grace of God is far more powerful, and infinitely more rewarding, than any sin. To the degree that I allow the Holy Spirit to impart that understanding to the believers through me, we will walk in peace, joy, and victory, and that is what God desires for us.

Father, thank You for the magnificence, the completeness of Your grace. Help me be an ever-increasing channel of that grace, in all purity, rejoicing in it myself even as I extend it to others. Keep me from giving the mistaken impression that is called “hyper grace,” and keep me also from diluting Your grace in any way, so that this church may walk in all that You intend, for the destruction of the works of the enemy and the salvation of many, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Posted in Christian | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

May 18, 2013

Posted on May 22, 2013 by jgarrott

2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction.

This is yet another concise description of pastoral ministry. They are scattered through Paul’s letters, either talking about what he was doing, or here, as specific instructions. Here it is particularly poignant because he is aware that his martyrdom is fast approaching. Japanese has a nuance difficulty with the usual word for “preaching,” because it carries overtones of scolding, as in the country music song of many years ago, Daddy, Don’t Preach. To avoid that nuance, translators often use “proclaim,” which is what this verse says. The next line comes out as, “Do it thoroughly (or firmly), whether times are good or bad.” There is always room for growth in that area, because the Bible is so deep that most of us barely scratch the surface. Then comes the fun part of pastoral ministry – NOT. I personally feel that someone who gets a kick out of “correcting and rebuking” has got some real problems! Where the NIV says to do it with “great patience,” the Japanese says, “expend all gentleness,” and then it says to do these things “never ceasing to teach.” Whew! I think it’s pretty obvious that pastoral ministry is not for the faint-hearted! In fact, doing it right is impossible without the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit. That’s why anyone who feels led in that direction needs to work first on their inner life, on their fellowship with God by His Spirit, before they go standing in pulpits. Lots of people fall down in this area. Any part of what is sometimes called “The 5-fold Minis­try,” as listed in Ephesians 4:11, is a high and noble calling, but if it is attempted in human strength and pride, it leads to disaster.

As the son, grandson, and great grandson of pastors, teachers, and missionaries, I don’t think I ever felt it was an unusual calling, but I also don’t think I ever felt any pressure from my family to go that way. At the grave of Robert Livingston, when I was not yet 11, I told my parents, “I’m going to be a missionary.” However, that soon gave way to a desire to be an archaeologist, and after that a chemical engineer, and so on. It was quite a struggle to be willing to go to seminary. After that, I protested a good bit before accepting a pastorate in rural Virginia, and then when the Lord made a way for us to come to Omura, my own intention was to be a teacher but not a local church pastor. I had no problems with the idea of proclaiming the Word and teaching, but I didn’t want to “expend all gentleness to correct and rebuke and encourage!” God, as usual, had a better idea, and here I am over 31 years later, and He has been faithful. He has done more work in me than I’ve done in the church!

Father, thank You for Your incredible patience with me, when I have so often been less than consistent and submitted toward You. Thank You for the ministers You have raised up through me. Sometimes I think they choose that road because they think “I can do a better job than he does!” I ask Your blessing and anointing on each one, both those who have gone out in ministry and those who are preparing even now. May we all be faithful, not in our own strength but in Yours, so that the Body of Christ may be built up and Your Name be hallowed. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

May 17, 2013

Posted on May 18, 2013 by jgarrott

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

This is naturally one (of many) of my favorite passages in the Bible. There are many important points wrapped up in it. In the first place, it deals with how the Bible came to be written. There’s an important difference between “inspired” and “dictated.” Inspiration originally means to take in breath, as opposed to expiration, which is breathing out. Those two words have taken on so many corollary meanings that the NIV used “God-breathed” for clarity. (The Japanese uses “God’s spiritual feeling,” which doesn’t exactly click in literal English translation!) Each of the many writers of the Bible wrote using the vocabulary at their disposal, with their writing style reflecting their personality and their culture. However, the content, the meaning, of what they wrote was from the breath, the Spirit, of God. (In Hebrew as well as in Greek, “breath” and “spirit” are the same word.) Failure to acknowledge that has caused many “theologians” and “Bible scholars” to depart from the faith completely. There were indeed editors and translators and scribes between the original writing and what we have today, but God was still in charge of the process. When we read any translation of the Bible today, we need to be seeking the Author behind all of that, to hear what He is saying to us specifically. It is because of this divine nature of the Bible that it is indeed useful for all the purposes Paul mentions here. And we must not forget the purpose of all of this: preparing God’s people to do His will. The Bible is not to be read in the abstract, in a vacuum, but in the context of our daily lives, to be applied as protection, guidance, and power for everything the Lord intends. When we understand that, no day is complete without going to the Word to see what God has to say.

I am frequently reminded of how blessed I am to have been born into the family I was, a family that so loved God and His Word. I have been said to be “addicted to the Bible,” and I rejoice to claim that. My father and both grandfathers were all Bible scholars and two of the three even produced their own translations of parts of the Bible. They understood all the difficulties of text and translation, but their commitment was to the Author rather than human scholarship. I don’t have the foundation in Hebrew and Greek that they did, but that is the environment in which I was raised. For my part, my first task is to apply Scripture consistently in my own life, and then communicate the truths of Scripture to others. I am in what is called “cross-cultural evangelism,” but actually, all evangelism is cross-cultural, because any merely human culture is often sharply different from the culture of the kingdom of God. I am to seek and apply the wisdom and guidance of the Holy Spirit to bridge the divide and bring as many as will come into the kingdom of God.

Father, thank You for Your Word. My words fail me in expressing proper appreciation! Thank You for the incredible privilege of communicating Your Word to others. May I be increasingly effective, so that more and more people may be rescued from the lies of the enemy and brought into the light of Your truth, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

May 16, 2013

Posted on May 18, 2013 by jgarrott

2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

This whole passage should be foundational for all seminaries! Probably most quote at least this verse, but sadly, not so many really instill the totality of it into their students, probably because only a fraction, if any, of their faculty really live it out. A careful study of this passage would go a long way toward preventing many of the shipwrecks of ministry that happen every year. Even this verse is loaded with foundational principles for a minister. Where the NIV says “one approved,” the Japanese says “fully trained.” The expression combines the characters for “training” and for “ripe,” as in ripe fruit. We all encounter training from the Lord, but how we respond to it determines whether we really “ripen” from it, or just get bruised. There’s a real difference! Sometimes the very trials that drive people out of ministry are intended by God to mature them to make them far more useful in His kingdom. And then there’s the matter of dealing with Scripture. This is where many seminaries have become total train wrecks! Scholarship and an understanding of the difficulties of translation and cultural context are important, but they must be on the foundation of approaching it as the Word of God, or human conceit will lead you completely astray. I know of schools that teach that the Bible is essentially a collection of mythology and fables, and then have the gall to call themselves seminaries! That can hardly be called “correctly handling” (or “explaining,” as the Japanese has it) the Word of truth. And then there’s the whole matter of applying yourself fully to this work as an offering to God. “Do your best to present yourself to God” isn’t a bad translation, but we probably gloss over it most of the time. Properly understood, it removes all grounds for laziness, either physical or spiritual, while at the same time recognizing that the power and the results are God’s.

The seminary I attended did moderately well in the items touched on in this verse, but it could have done far more to instill the principles of the passage as a whole. I have current seminary students in my care, and I need to be active in communicating these truths and training the students in them, so that they may avoid shipwreck. The most important part of that is of course to set the right example. I feel I do a fairly good job of that, but I could certainly do more to help them understand just why I do the things I do in the way I do, without making them think that’s the only way they can be done. I need to be very careful how I present and explain Scripture to the flock, so that it will be understandable to them and easy for them to apply to the situations they experience in their daily lives. That is how I am to present myself as a living sacrifice to God.

Father, thank You for this very clear reminder. Thank You for how far You have brought me, and for the assurance that You will continue to guide and train me so that I will indeed have no reason to be ashamed. May I live each day in humble, joyful obedience to You, so that all of Your purposes for me may be fulfilled, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Posted in Christian | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

May 15, 2013

Posted on May 16, 2013 by jgarrott

1 Timothy 6:9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.

Ambition is a complicated thing. Setting goals and working toward them is good and commendable, but the nature of those goals is of utmost importance. If, say, a person’s goal is to invent things that make life easier for us and for others, that’s a good thing and they might even become wealthy in the process. However, if a person’s goal is not inventing to help people but rather for the money itself, someone with the same gifting and ability will never be satisfied or happy. That’s the fundamental problem with all sorts of gambling: the lure is the thought of getting rich without benefiting anyone else in the process. Wanting to provide for our families is not bad, but when the money itself becomes the goal, we’re in real trouble. That’s why Jesus said that we’re to “lay up treasure in heaven,” rather than materially. (Matthew 6:19-21) As He said, our heart is with what we value, and money is a barren place for hearts. Dickens’ famous story A Christmas Carol illustrates that truth with great skill. Until his heart is changed, Scrooge is the most pathetic figure of all, even more so than Tiny Tim, because Tiny Tim knows he is surrounded by love, and he receives it. Money can be useful, but it is totally heartless, and if we see it as our goal, we become heartless too.

The longer I live the better I understand why Jesus talked more about money than He did about heaven. How we interact with money reveals so much about us! I have had pipe dreams of what it would be like to be wealthy, but God has graciously not allowed those to become goals. As I have told many people many times, knowing that God is my provider has been very liberating. I deal with many people who can’t seem to grasp that God really knows what we need better than we do, and He’s not stingy. Matthew 6 is familiar to many people, but they have trouble really believing and trusting it. I need to walk in consistent trust and obedience myself, and I need wisdom and anointing to speak faith into people’s hearts. However, liberation from the love of money, the desire to be rich, is a choice, an act of the will, and I can’t do that for anyone; all I can do is pray, and speak God’s truth in love.

Father, the whole issue of goals and priorities is huge, and I run into it constantly. Help me not look down on those with mistaken goals and priorities, but rather draw them into the liberty of Your Spirit by word and by example, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

May 14, 2013

Posted on May 16, 2013 by jgarrott

law1 Timothy 1:8-9 We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels.

Because of differences in sentence structure I had to pick up the last of verse 10 to complete the sentence in Japanese, which illustrates why speakers need to complete their sentences before turning things over to their interpreter, if the two languages involved are English and Japanese. Anyway, this passage makes an important point about legal systems in general. If people were all good, seeking to do good to one another and please God, we wouldn’t need any laws. However, it’s precisely because not everybody is that way that we do need laws. The current hoopla over gun laws in the US is a good case in point. People that commit crimes using guns aren’t going to obey the existing laws, so more laws will have no benefit. Laws are a means of delivering appropriate punishment to those who wouldn’t obey them in the first place. That’s why legalism in the Church is so meaningless, and that’s what Paul is addressing here. If our motive is to please God, then we don’t need laws, we need hints. If our motive is to see what we can get away with, we need laws! Down through the centuries, people have used church regulations as excuses to do whatever wasn’t mentioned in the regulations, and that’s no way to live. We’re back to Augustine’s instructions to “Love God and do as you please.” When we love God sufficiently, we aren’t going to be controlled by anything else, including “the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.” (1 John 2:16)

As I’ve been reminded recently, rules are helpful and necessary for little children, and failure to establish and enforce them can be very damaging in establishing a good moral compass in them. However, I recognize in myself the impulse to break any rule that is imposed on me. (That’s why enforcing rules is so important in raising children.) I need to keep watch over my heart most of all, because my love for God is not perfect, and temptations to place other things ahead of Him are real. As Paul pointed out to the Romans, “Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” (Romans 13:10) If we are really obeying the First and Second Commandments, (Matthew 22:37-40) we don’t need any other laws, we just need suggestions in how to implement those two. I need to remember that in my own life, and I need to keep that as a guiding principle in serving as a pastor and teacher.

Father, thank You for Your love. Words are not sufficient to express the gratitude and obedience called for. Help me live my life as a declaration of my love for You and for my neighbor, so that I may be an example to others of true discipleship, for their edification and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

May 13, 2013

Posted on May 14, 2013 by jgarrott

2 Thessalonians 1:6-7 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well.

It continues to be interesting just how different the English and Japanese translations can be, even though they start from the same Greek. Here, the English starts with “God is just,” but the Japanese puts that idea at the end and changes it to, “For God, this is the right (just) thing.” In either case, however, the point of the passage is that those who pick on God’s children will indeed “get what’s coming to them.” We are all born with an innate sense of fairness. This actually is a powerful argument against atheism, because if we are just biologically determined, then there is no moral framework at all, and “justice” is meaningless. There is a great deal of injustice in the world, and we are prone to get all worked up about it. Every time a particularly egregious example comes up the media have a heyday, because people revel in righteous indignation. However, that’s only with things that fit current “political correctness”; far worse things often get ignored if they don’t fit the political narrative. Be that as it may, on a personal level we often get worked up over what seems “unfair” to us, and that’s what Paul is addressing here. He is actually echoing something that has been repeated at least since the days of Moses: God takes care of all of that. (Deuteronomy 32:35) Actions have consequences, and God doesn’t miss anything. We actually should feel sorry for those who are mean to us, because they are storing up for themselves consequences they don’t even want to think about.

I haven’t been fixated on this issue, but it has tripped me up a few times. Any time I have tried to make “payback” my business, I have gotten into far more trouble than it was worth. God is certainly big enough to take care of all of that! I frequently run into people who have an aggrieved sense of fairness, and it becomes a major stumbling block for them, poisoning their hearts and minds to the point that they can’t receive and enjoy the blessings God has for them. That’s tragic! This is why Jesus spent so much time talking about forgiveness. When we are focused on “paying back,” we haven’t forgiven, and that blocks God’s forgiveness toward us. (Matthew 6:15) Now that’s serious! We need to realize that we are more in God’s debt than anyone could ever be toward us, just as Jesus expressed so clearly in His parable in Matthew 18. I need to remember, and help others realize, that God is more than big enough to take care of everything, far better than we ever could.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me communicate it effectively to those who are struggling in this area, so that together we may escape the traps of the devil and walk in Your peace and joy, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment