March 23, 2013

Posted on March 25, 2013 by jgarrott

John 17:26 “I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

Jesus’ high priestly prayer in John 17 is worthy of a lifetime of study, but right now this verse stands out to me. It focuses on two things: knowledge of God and God’s love. The original text says knowledge of God’s Name, and it’s worthwhile thinking about why that is. It is certainly true that names were treated as much more important in those days. Naming was done with great care, because a person’s name was felt to capture and express the essence of that person. Names were not shared so lightly as they are today. However, in the case of God, we can’t possibly know everything about Him, so Jesus shared what He could, and that was God’s Name, with all its implications. We do well to study the way God is named in the Bible. Jesus said He made God’s Name known in order that God’s love would be in His disciples. That’s huge, any way you look at it. We are incapable of receiving God’s love without having some grasp of who He is and what He is like, because otherwise we twist and distort His love beyond recognition. Jesus said He would continue to make God known to us in order that God’s love, and Christ Himself, might be in us. That should be motivation to know more of God! I’m back to my father’s pet phrase: “Give all you know of yourself to all you know of Christ.” That is how we grow in our capacity to receive God’s love and let Christ live in us.

I don’t know how old I was when my father came up with his very simple, profound formulation, but my memories of him using it certainly go back a long way. That of course gave me an advantage for putting it into practice, but I wish I could say I had been more consistent in doing so. However, at this point I am also called to be on the other side of that transaction, making God known to others so that His love may be in them. I am to keep pressing in to know more of God myself, being filled and stretched by His love, but I must never think that I am the end recipient of that love. Rather, I am to be a conduit, letting His love flow through me to all who will receive it. And I am to teach them of God so that they may receive it!

Father, thank You for expressing my calling in this way. Thank You for surrounding and filling me with Your love. Help me express it accurately, without distortion, so that people may be brought from darkness to light, from death to life, healed and delivered, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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March 22, 2013

Posted on March 25, 2013 by jgarrott

John 16:12-13 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”

With our human weakness and limitations, there’s only so much we can absorb at one time. It was without question a great comfort to Jesus to know that He didn’t have to instill everything into His disciples before the cross, or even before His ascension. It is important to recognize the various titles used for God’s Spirit. We most often speak of Him as the Holy Spirit, because that is the most common term for Him in the Bible, but here He is called the Spirit of Truth, and elsewhere He is called the Spirit of Jesus (Philippians 1:19) or the Spirit of Christ, (1 Peter 1:11) and of course the Spirit of God. (Genesis 1:2) In addition, Jesus refers to Him just before this, in verse 7, as the Counselor (Paraclete), which is a term He introduced in John 14:16, followed immediately by the title in this passage, the Spirit of Truth. God’s Spirit is all of these things, but we tend to try to put Him in one box or another and ignore His other activities and functions. That cuts us off from a lot of blessings! Here, Jesus is speaking of Him as the ultimate Teacher. We all encounter teachers of various sorts throughout life, but the Holy Spirit is the only one who can lead us into all truth. Actually, that’s a good tool for discerning spirits, because evil spirits are lying spirits, and the Holy Spirit never lies. A word of caution here, however: sometimes we aren’t in a position to know if something is true or not. I remember one time that I spoke something by the Holy Spirit that seemed totally impossible to those who heard it, but it was fulfilled in a way that they couldn’t imagine at the time.

This is of the utmost importance to me, all the more so because my primary gifting is that of Teacher. I must be constantly vigilant to allow the Holy Spirit, and Him alone, to speak through me. I am not to teach my imaginings as truth, but confirm things through the Bible before I teach them. Many times I have learned things as the Holy Spirit spoke them through my mouth. I must never think I am exempt from anything just because I’m the one who said it! I must remember that my capacity and my hearers’ capacity is limited, and both accept and give incremental teaching. It won’t be until heaven that we will “know fully, even as [we are] fully known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12) It is significant, and a great blessing, that I was raised by a father who had absolute honesty as one of his core principles. I can’t communicate God’s truth with any trace of dishonesty on my part. I need to be so familiar with God’s voice, through being immersed in the Bible, that I will be able to distinguish immediately when He is speaking to me by His Spirit, and reject every other voice in my heart.

Father, You know this is how I want to be, and that I’m not fully there yet. Help me keep growing! Help me indeed receive all that You say to me, not distorting it by humanistic interpretations, and help me understand what of that You want me to share when and how, so that Your Word may go forth through me to accomplish Your will on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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March 21, 2013

Posted on March 22, 2013 by jgarrott

Luke 18:9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable:

This is a justly famous parable, and it’s important to understand to whom Jesus told it and why. Actually, the NIV and the Japanese give a slight difference in our understanding here, because where the NIV says “to,” the Japanese says “about.” It’s probable that there were some self-righteous people present when Jesus told this parable, but He wanted other people to hear it as well. Some people are indeed like the tax collector in the parable, convinced they are totally unworthy to approach God. Jesus was telling them that their humility opened the way, and that God would receive them. That said, the primary target of the parable is indeed the self-righteous. Jesus has no problem with people who do the right thing, naturally enough, but His problem is with those who are so proud of themselves for doing the right thing that they look down on those who don’t meet their standards. It is clear from Jesus’ interactions with the Pharisees as a group that they paraded their “righteousness” every chance they got, and from Jesus’ standpoint, and God’s, that completely negated any “rightness” in their actions. God wants us to be obedient to His rules, but He wants us to understand that it is only by His grace that we are able to do so. Thinking or feeling you’ve done it by yourself puts God completely out of the picture, and that is the foundation for sin.

This is a temptation I certainly have to deal with. I live what many people would call a pretty straitlaced life, but the moment I start being proud of that, it becomes a liability. I am to live as a faithful steward of my body and my time, but I must remember that it is only by the grace and power of God that such a life is possible. When Paul said, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength,” (Philippians 4:13) he was echoing from the other side what Jesus told His disciples in the Upper Room: “Apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) I am to be as accurate a reflection of Christ as possible, but I must remember that it is only by His grace that it is possible.

Father, thank You for Your grace. I remember a deacon in a church I pastored years ago asking me if a holy life was actually possible, and he was a really good man. Help me be a demonstration that it is possible, not by human strength but by Your grace, so that those around me will be encouraged to walk in holiness by Your grace, instead of giving up in discouragement. Thank You. Praise God!

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March 20, 2013

Posted on March 22, 2013 by jgarrott

Matthew 25:37-39 “Then the righteous will answer him, `Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'”

It is very significant to see that the righteous people, that is, those who did the right thing, weren’t thinking about “I’m serving Christ” as they did all these things. In other words, they weren’t thinking about doing them for a reward. These aren’t things people get paid to do, generally. Motivation is very important. Sometimes we do good stuff for our own sakes! Serving others out of a hope of reciprocity isn’t really serving Christ. How we treat those who can’t really do anything for us really reveals our hearts. It is significant, and encouraging, that Pope Francis has been noted for just this sort of attitude throughout his ministry to this point. I am not a Catholic and I have a number of significant theological differences with them, but I rejoice that Francis took the first available opportunity to point out that Christ, not the Pope, is the Head of the Church. I define “the Church” a bit differently, but I couldn’t agree more with his statement. Not just the Catholic church, but every church needs to be about the business of serving Christ through serving those around them.

Raised with the examples I had, helping others has always seemed very natural to me, but I can’t say I always do it without resentment! I need to remember Paul’s admonition, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” (Colossians 3:23) In that passage he’s addressing slaves, but I must remember that I am Christ’s slave, and serve others out of love for Him. I am not to consider anything my own, but acknowledge His ownership and Lordship, using things as He desires and directs, for His glory.

Father, this can be a hard point. I’m still very selfish! Help me indeed value fellowship with You above anything material, and above any use of “my” time, so that Your purposes may be fulfilled in and through me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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March 19, 2013

Posted on March 22, 2013 by jgarrott

Matthew 23:24 “You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.”

I cannot read Matthew 23 any more the way I used to, since watching the Visual Bible video of Matthew. The whole chapter is a diatribe against the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, but by a miraculous expression of God’s grace, the actor portraying Christ in that video made it clear that it is an anguished cry of love. Jesus didn’t hate the teachers of the law and the Pharisees, He wanted them to wake up to their condition and repent, so that they could have the fellowship with the Father for which they were created. This particular verse has become well known because the imagery Jesus used is so extreme as to be unforgettable. Gnats and camels indeed! We can hardly get the picture out of our heads! However, what the religious leaders were doing was indeed that drastic, and Jesus wanted them to realize it. Elsewhere, Jesus points out that they had invented a loop hole to excuse abandoning aged parents, (Matthew 15:3-6) but they were picky about how many steps you could take on the Sabbath! That’s a major problem with legalism: rules replace purpose. When we focus on wording, we forget why the rules were given in the first place. That’s why Jesus distilled the entire law into two: love God, and love your neighbor. (Matthew 22:36-40)

As with virtually everyone else, my life has been a tension between law and grace. The problem has been that I haven’t loved God enough to be careful to follow His rules. However, each time He has brought me to repentance I have understood His grace a little better, which has caused my love for Him to grow. That has in turn enabled me to love those around me better, for blessings all around. I have learned by experience that God is indeed love, which is why He has given us instructions to help us avoid the consequences of foolish actions. As I teach and counsel others, my goal is to help them understand the law of sowing and reaping, (Galatians 6:7) so that they may repent of sowing rebellion against God and start sowing righteous­ness. (Hosea 10:12)

Father, thank You for Your grace. Help me continue to grow in my grasp and appreciation of it so that I may communicate it better to those around me. Everyone is in need of Your grace! Help me both articulate it clearly and demonstrate it consistently, so that as many as possible may be brought to repentance and faith, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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March 18, 2013

Posted on March 19, 2013 by jgarrott

Matthew 21:31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”

I am continually struck by the practicality of the Bible. It says some really deep things, but it always comes back to how those things affect how we live. Jesus’ chief enemies were the people who said all the right things, but didn’t live them out. He frequently did what we have here, asking those who questioned Him to give the punch line to His parables. That way they couldn’t escape the truth of His words! Words are important. Hosea 14:2 says, “Take words with you and return to the LORD. Say to him: ‘Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips.’” Likewise, Hebrews 13:15 says, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of lips that confess his name.” Paul even says that words are necessary for salvation, in Romans 10:9 “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” However, words alone don’t cut it, and that’s where so many people trip up. Sadly, the way some preachers present the Gospel, they give the impression that all you have to do is say a few “magic words” and you’re home free and don’t have to worry about being obedient to God. That’s exactly what Jesus was countering here. In Luke 6:46 He said, “Why do you call me, `Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” Our commitment to Christ is gauged by our obedience, not just our words.

Ouch! I’m a man of words, by gifting and temperament, so this hits very close to home. This issue keeps me dependent on the grace of God! I’ve got to be vigilant that I don’t stop with words, but follow through in practical obedience to whatever my Lord says to me. I’ve said nice things to and about God since my childhood, telling my mother, “I really, really love you, but not as much as I love Jesus” before I was even in the 1st grade, but there have been more times than I could count that I have ignored what He said to me, or even went directly against what I knew He was saying. That should give me real empathy for those to whom I minister! However, this verse presents the standard by which I must evaluate my actions. There is a hymn, I am Satisfied with Jesus, that asks the question, “Is my Master satisfied with me?” It is only by practical obedience that I will get the accolade I desire: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me keep growing in practical obedience indeed, speaking Your Words and being obedient to them myself, rather than preaching at people. May I be an example of Your grace to all, so that they too may be drawn to practical discipleship, for the salvation of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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March 17, 2013

Posted on March 19, 2013 by jgarrott

Matthew 13:40-43 “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.”

I would venture to say that these verses have been preached on very little in the past 50 years, at least. A couple of days ago I was reading something by William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, in which he was essentially prophesying dangers that would come to the Church. One of those was the disappearance of preaching about hell, and that has certainly happened. The problem is, just as grace doesn’t seem so amazing until we understand how much we need it, in the same way descriptions of heaven don’t seem so marvelous to most people until they understand the alternative! The NIV blunts the impact of this passage by saying “everything that causes sin,” whereas the Japanese says, “everyone who causes sin.” That is only logical, because God’s kingdom doesn’t consist of things, but of people. We have a cartoon image of hell, with horned devils checking thermostats and stuff like that, when the Bible is far more graphic. Being “thrown into a blazing furnace” doesn’t sound nice at all! The simple fact of the matter is, in our weakness we don’t respond sufficiently to future rewards, so we need the real threat of future punishment as well. It’s like little children. Regardless of what some people say these days, spanking and the like is essential for raising them properly. God isn’t “out to get us,” any more than parents hate the children they discipline. Quite the contrary, as the Bible points out. (Hebrews 12:4-6) Hell is the natural consequence of sin, and God wants us to know that to give us more impetus to accept His offer of salvation.

Frankly, I’ve not been much of a “hellfire and brimstone” preacher myself. I need to preach on hell more often! I have shied away from using fear as a motivation for salvation, yet the Bible does not. We are indeed to fear the eternal consequences of rebellion against God, and seek to serve Him in all gratitude and obedience. This could well be a key to why some who have joined the church have failed to repent of their sin – which is another thing William Booth warned about! I need to help people understand just what it means that “The wages of sin are death,” (Romans 6:23) so that they will have more impetus to leave their sin in genuine repentance, rather than just being cosmetic about it all.

Father, thank You for Your grace toward me. Thank You that You never leave me as I am, but keep prodding me to grow as You know I need to. Help me preach Your Word without fear of offending, because the Gospel is indeed “a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,” (1 Corinthians 1:23) so that as many as will may be saved, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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March 16, 2013

Posted on March 17, 2013 by jgarrott

Matthew 10:39 “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

In any language this famous saying of Jesus violates our normal thinking, but I find the Japanese particularly illuminating here. In literal translation into English, it reads: “He who considers his life his own will lose it; he who loses his life for My sake will make it his own.” Confused yet? The point is, everything we have, even includ­ing our lives, we have received from God. If we try to hang onto our lives and everything they include, saying “MINE,” we will lose it all. However, if we fully acknowledge the Lordship of Christ, holding all things loosely because they belong to Him, then we will walk in eternal life that will never be taken away from us. Few people reading this will be confronted with physical martyrdom, but we all face the loss of things we consider to be part of our lives. Some people lose physical abilities through disease or accident. If they focus on what they have lost and become bitter, they will lose the peace and joy that God intends for them. If they focus on God instead, they will find that His grace is indeed sufficient for them, (2 Corinthians 12:9) and will be channels of blessing to all those around them. Some people lose physical possessions through fire, theft, or natural disaster. If they mourn those things, which are not alive, excessively, they will fail to appreciate the people in their lives. (Luke 12:15) All of us lose people close to us through death. Mourning is natural and important, but here again, if we get stuck in the mourning, we fail to move on to the life that is on the other side of it. All of this boils down to seeking God first and foremost, recognizing that He is the source of everything good, and trusting Him with it all.

As a pastor I often need to counsel and comfort those experiencing loss of various sorts, and frankly, many of them don’t want to hear this message. However, that doesn’t make it any less true. Looking back over my own 64 years to this point, I have experienced loss of each of the kinds I’ve mentioned, but it doesn’t feel like I’ve lost much of anything. At the time, some of those losses were quite painful, but with every one, God has shown Himself to be all I need. I have said for many years that of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, James had the easier life, because he was able to give it all at once, whereas John lived longest of all the original 12 apostles, and is the only one said to have died a natural death, giving his life in many ways, including exile on the island of Patmos. I am not to try to dictate how my life will be given, but rather hold it loosely, in every facet of it, so that God may make the use of it that He desires, for His glory.

Father, You know even better than I do that my biggest hangup in this area is time, that I tend to be jealous of my time. Thank You for the growth I have experienced in this area. Help me indeed release everything to You, down to each second, so that Your purposes may be accomplished on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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March 15, 2013

Posted on March 17, 2013 by jgarrott

Matthew 9:12-13 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

These two verses contain some of the best news ever, but sadly, many people do not receive them that way. Anyone who recognizes that they are a sinner in need of salvation rejoices to hear these words of Jesus, but anyone who tries to insist they aren’t a sinner is left out in the cold. That’s the problem with the whole “I’m OK, you’re OK” idea. In a completely relativistic society, there’s no perceived need for a Savior, and that’s the way we’re headed. If all choices are equal, there is no guilt for whatever choice is made. However, the fallacy of that way of thinking is increasingly obvious, as some individuals choose to commit mass killings. That’s the problem with the whole “gun control” debate right now. People need to be taught from childhood that right is right and wrong is wrong, but then that would force people to admit that homosexuality is unnatural and abortion is murder, and they refuse to do that. God’s salvation is available to all who will receive it, but to receive it, you have to admit that you need it! People’s unwillingness to do that is tragic indeed.

This has always been an issue in Japan because, as many scholars have noted, Japanese culture is “shame based” rather than “sin based.” Children are disciplined by being told, “people will laugh at you,” rather than, “that’s wrong.” The word for “sin” is closely connected to the idea of crime, so people think that if they’ve done nothing the police would be interested in, they are without sin. The thing is, Japanese people do have consciences, so this analogy falls apart after a point, but the problem is that admitting sin is seen as a source of shame, so they are very reluctant to do that. The irony in all of this is that the Japanese term for repentance, which translates literally as “regret and start over,” is actually much easier to understand than the English term. God has planted me in this culture to bring people the good news of His salvation and train them as His disciples, so I need to trust Him to give me the wisdom and insight necessary to get that job done. It’s for sure I don’t have what it takes on my own!

Father, thank You for this reminder of the task that is before me. Thank You for the successes You have given me. I sincerely wish there were more of them! Help me press in to You, seeking You above and before everything else, even including harvest, just as You told me to do early this month while I was in Tohoku, so that You may pour Your grace into and through me as You desire, building up the Body of Christ for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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March 14, 2013

Posted on March 17, 2013 by jgarrott

Matthew 6:25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?”

I find I refer to this passage, and especially verse 33, a great deal, but what struck me just now was that this verse, that starts the passage on not worrying, starts with “Therefore.” Many years ago I heard a message on, “When you see a therefore, make sure you know what it’s there for.” The logical connections within the Bible are very important! This passage follows the very famous one about our attitude toward money, that concludes with, “You cannot serve both God and money.” Then we have this “Therefore.” The whole point, which is repeated so famously in verse 33, is that we need to be serving God and nothing else. If serving God is really our focus, then all anxiety becomes superfluous, because God, as the Creator of everything, has no trouble supplying the needs of His servants. We have such trouble getting that through our heads, because we are so used to serving money! We slave away at jobs that aren’t fulfilling, longing for the day when we can retire, instead of seeking God’s plan for our lives that will not only put food on the table, it will give us joy and satisfaction as it gives glory to Him. We serve money, that is, materialism, in more ways than we realize, and materialism is a very cruel master. There is no real peace or joy in materialism. Those who win lotteries, for example, are really excited and happy at the moment, but that fades very quickly, and assorted anxieties take their place. After all, everything on this earth is temporary, including our physical lives.

Here again I have what some people might view as an unfair advantage, because my parents worked at something they would have done even if they hadn’t been paid, so I never had the environment of “working for money.” That has had the unwanted side effect of my being a bit irresponsible with money at times, but in general it has been a huge plus. There was a period in my life, right after I got out of the Army, that I did a wide variety of jobs in an effort to provide for my family, but even then I don’t think the focus was on the money as such. As it turned out, all those jobs were interesting, and they gave me skills I never would have gained otherwise. It was during that period that my wife and I decided to take the plunge of taking out the tithe first, instead of at the end of the month, and from that month we discovered that our money went further! We have tested God’s promises and found them to be true, so I have no hesitation in repeating Jesus’ words. Don’t worry; trust God and rejoice!

Father, thank You for Your faithfulness. Thank You that You are trustworthy in every area, and not just finances. Yesterday a mother who was anxious about her son came here, but he loves You, and she has nothing to worry about! Help her understand that and trust You. Help me speak Your truth in love at all times to everyone, so that we may all be freed from the trap of anxiety, to walk in Your peace and joy, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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