June 29, 2012

Posted on June 29, 2012 by jgarrott

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

I use this passage quite frequently, but it’s always good to have a reminder. Sadly, for most Christians this passage is potential, rather than practical. That is to say, it could be true of us, but it’s not the way we really live. What a waste! When we try to fight as the world does, we lose, because we are too nice for that! The victories of the world are gained dishonestly, in all sorts of underhanded and even cruel ways. We should have nothing to do with that! However, that doesn’t mean in the least that we are defenseless, or lacking “firepower” (to use a term Paul would not have understood). That’s what Paul is talking about here. If we refuse to copy the world’s methods, but rather stand firmly in Christ by the power of His Spirit, we will be amazed at all He will do through us. Right now some serious battles are being waged in America, with evidence of that on the political scene. (The real battles aren’t political, they are spiritual, but we see evidence of them in the political realm.) If Christians try to “fight fire with fire,” they will crash and burn. If they focus on personal obedience to God and His Word first of all, and then act in line with that, then all sorts of things will change. Too many Christians are powerless against the world because they live like the world! If we fail to deal with the devil’s strongholds in our own lives, we won’t be successful against such strongholds in society around us. God’s weapons are indeed powerful, but they’ve got to be applied on the “home front” first.

This is, of course, how I’ve got to live, and this is how I am to lead
the flock in their daily living. The key is in Paul’s speaking of “every thought,” making thoughts obedient to Christ. It is heartbreaking when someone chooses to think as the world does, instead of choosing to trust God and receive the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:16) However, I have been encouraged to see people recently making the clear choice to trust God, and that always leads to victory. I need to help all the believers understand that we are all constantly in the battle, and so we must always keep on the full armor of God. (Ephesians 6:11-18) Any time we set aside any part of that we lay our­selves open for defeat, at least in the short term. I’ve got to help the believers not only understand that they need to keep the armor on, but also that they can actually do it, by the grace and power of God. The devil has convinced too many that they are powerless before him, when nothing could be further from the truth. I need to help them understand that the devil hates us because he fears us, because we have divine power to demolish his strongholds!

Father, thank You for this potent reminder this morning. Thank You for the ministry You have allowed me to do over the past 24 hours. I ask Your wisdom and anointing as I go this morning to bind the wounds of a battlefield casualty. Help me minister faith, hope, and love to him, that he may stand up in Christ, fully clad in Your armor, to see Your victory in each of the situations that face him, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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June 28, 2012

Posted on June 29, 2012 by jgarrott

2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Virtually every heresy has some root in truth. If that weren’t the case, fewer people would be caught up in such things. This verse is among many that have been abused by the “Prosperity Gospel” group to insist that God wants everyone to be financially wealthy. Too bad for them, the totality of Scripture doesn’t give that picture at all. At the same time, this verse is important in helping us trust God as our Provider. Trusting Him as Provider in no way removes our responsibility to be diligent at whatever tasks have been assigned to us, and to be good stewards of whatever has been supplied to us, materially and otherwise. This verse not only points out that God is able to provide, it also says that such provision is so that we will “abound in every good work.” The best take I’ve seen on the Prosperity Gospel material is the late Wendell Smith’s book, Prosperity with a Purpose. It is very true that God is never at a loss for resources, but His provision is never just to “fatten us up.” America has far too much of that! We need to be focused on God’s kingdom and His righteousness, as Jesus said so clearly. (Matthew 6:33) If we will do that, we will discover that indeed, “Where God guides, He provides,” as the aphorism says.

This is a matter of rather acute concern in this church right now, as we are in negotiations for purchasing the land the church building stands on. For those who trust God as Provider, there is unanimity that God is opening a door for us, and we are to go through it. For others, this is a terrifying step into the unknown for such a small congregation. As I have been seeking to communicate, and as several people have really grasped, the question is not whether we have the resources at hand right now, but whether God is telling us to do this. I have experienced God’s provision so many times in so many different ways that I simply look forward to discovering how He’s going to provide this time. However, I need great grace and wisdom in dealing with those who don’t yet have that level of trust. I am reminded of God’s dealings with Gideon, when He told him, “You still have too many people for Me to get the glory.” (Judges 7:2-4) God isn’t likely to be involved in any plan that is fully “feasible” by human standards! That’s not at all to say that we are to be stupid and careless about anything, but simply that our eyes are to be fixed on Christ in obedience, leaving everything else up to Him.

Father, thank You for all You are doing here. As I commented to someone just yesterday in reference to their own personal struggles, growth is seldom comfortable. We are certainly an imperfect grouping of imperfect people, but in Your grace You choose to use us anyway. Thank You. Help us receive the lessons You are teaching us and grow in every way You intend, for Your kingdom and Your glory indeed. Thank You. Praise God!

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June 27, 2012

Posted on June 29, 2012 by jgarrott

2 Corinthians 5:20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

I had to memorize this verse in elementary school as a Royal Ambassador (a Southern Baptist boys group), and what a blessing that was! At the time, I wasn’t particularly excited about having to memorize anything, but the principle that we are God’s agents and representatives is a vitally important one. When we get it through our heads and into our hearts, it colors absolutely everything we do. There has been yet another scandal recently of US officials acting entirely inappropriately in a foreign country, and that’s just a mirror of the scandals that occur when Christians do likewise. The point is, it’s not just Church leaders who are ambassadors, it is every Christian, and that’s very hard for many people to grasp. Every facet of our lives should reflect the presence of Christ in us, the hope of glory, (Colossians 1:27) but we consider that too high a standard, and we flinch from it. That’s because we think of it as something we have to do, instead of it being something that God will do in and through us, if we will allow Him to do so. (Philippians 2:13) We also tend to have our pet sins that we don’t want to let go of, and we know they are inappropriate for an ambassador of Christ. What a waste! There is no sinful pleasure that can compare with the magnificence of full fellowship with God, but the devil does all he can to hide that truth from us. We need to trust God and believe His Word, rejecting the lies of the devil.

I wish I could say I walk in this consistently, but that would be dishonest. I too am a work in progress, so like Paul, I need to forget what is behind and press forward into all that God has placed before me in Christ. (Philippians 3:13-14) I feel like the truth that we are Christ’s agents is a major part of my ministry, and it is disheartening every time a believer declines to accept that it applies to them. They are comfortable with the idea that a pastor might be such a representative, but they shrink back when told that they are likewise. I can’t get through to them in my own wisdom and strength, so I need to be fully available to the Holy Spirit for Him to do it through me. I do see believers waking up to this reality, and that is very encouraging. I am not to focus on the negatives but keep my eyes on Christ and trust Him to build His Church, so that we may be raised up as a mighty army, tearing down the works of the devil (1 John 3:8) and setting many free to enter into God’s salvation. (Luke 4:18-19)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the privilege of being Your representative, and for Your patience with me when I fail to live up to that standard. Help me keep growing, improving my “batting average,” and help me lead the believers to do likewise, so that together we may be effective ambassadors indeed, drawing many into Your kingdom for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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June 26, 2012

Posted on June 28, 2012 by jgarrott

2 Corinthians 5:8-9 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.

When our faith gets to this point, all sorts of things are taken care of. However, most of us aren’t quite there yet. We are very attached to our physical bodies, in all the meanings of the phrase. That’s a good reason for God to allow them to wear out over time, so that we can look forward to being free of them! When that really is our perspective, then we are free to let pleasing God be our overriding motivation. Sadly, for most of us, pleasing our bodies takes precedence over pleasing God, and that gets us into all sorts of trouble. That is one of the major benefits of fasting: training in choosing to please God over pleasing our bodies. We are called to be good stewards of our bodies, but not to be ruled by them. It’s not wrong to eat good food in appropriate quantities, for example, but choosing more food over pleasing God shunts us away from blessings He desires and has prepared for us.

I probably don’t fast as often as I should, but it’s certainly not a foreign concept to me. What has taken more time to work through my head and into my lifestyle has been exercise. I’m certainly not a sportsman, so I have had to choose exercise for the sake of exercise, not to pamper my flesh but to keep it in good operating condition for as long as God says I need to keep using it. My body shape hasn’t changed much over the past 40 years, and I’m certainly not into “plus sizes,” but there has been a migration over time from muscle to fat. Most of that is a natural change in metabolism with age, but the Lord pointed out to me that I don’t have to accept it passively. That takes on urgency when I consider that I am practically a clone of my father, cholesterol balance and all, and he didn’t wake up after heart surgery a few days after his 64th birthday. Since that milestone comes up for me in just a few months, I need to focus on pleasing God! It was said of my father, by a missionary who visited him in the hospital a couple of days before his final surgery, that “I never saw a man with more reason to live, or more ready to die.” I desire to live like that, pleasing my Lord until He calls me home.

Father, You know my heart better than I do. You know the ways in which I live this out, and the ways in which I fail to do so. Thank You for Your grace and patience with me. Help me be a good steward of this body for as long as You want me to use it, but keep my focus on You rather than on my body. May I indeed be pleasing to You, now and throughout eternity. Thank You. Praise God!

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June 25, 2012

Posted on June 28, 2012 by jgarrott

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

This understanding is of vital importance for the life of victory that God intends for us. As long as our hearts and minds are fixed on the world around us, which includes our own bodies, we will not have the peace and joy that are ours in Christ. I’m sure Paul didn’t arrive at this position of faith quickly; this letter was written late in his ministry. The Japanese translation for verse 17 very appropriately uses exactly the same word used in John 16:33, where Jesus says, “In this world you will have trouble.” The combination of Chinese characters is a little unusual, including the one for a medical patient and the one that is used for all sorts of difficulties. Miracles of healing were a striking part of Jesus’ ministry and were a powerful tool for evangelism in the early church, as they are today. However, as Paul discovered, physical healing isn’t always God’s best for us, as much as we would like for it to be. Later in this same letter Paul relates how God told him that His grace was all he needed, even though he asked for healing. Such a situation can make or break you. Many people become introspective and embittered, when what God desires is what happened with Paul: spiritual growth and maturation that resulted in blessing for many and glory for God.

I hadn’t expected to write on medical issues, because my own current “troubles” aren’t that, but the principle is the same all around: if our hearts are fixed on Christ and His kingdom, we’ll be able to get through anything. That isn’t always easy to remember, especially when the troubles are church related! I need to trust God with the church and the people in it, giving more than lip service to the fact that it is His church first and foremost. It is my church, in that I have been assigned to it as shepherd, and I am not to be irresponsible, but neither am I to try to carry it myself; I can’t do it. Time and time again I have seen circumstances that looked bad work out for great blessing, and I’ve got to trust, in practical terms, that Romans 8:28 is always true. I’m not to “write off” anyone, but neither am I to think or feel that God’s plans for this church are dependent on any individual, least of all me.

Father, thank You for yesterday and all it held. Thank You for the message You spoke through me, and that it seemed to communicate to most who heard it. Thank You for how You are growing and maturing each of us. I pray that all of us would be fully open to how You want to work in and through us, so that we will be useful workmen in Your kingdom indeed, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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June 24, 2012

Posted on June 28, 2012 by jgarrott

2 Corinthians 3:4-6 Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant–not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

This is an enormously important passage for anyone in Christian ministry, and I can’t begin to do it justice, really, in a morning devo­tional time. However, I will try to touch on the main points. The first is that we should minister with assurance (the NIV says confidence). This is not being cocky, but it is not being timid, either. Paul had to remind Timothy that the Holy Spirit is not a spirit of timidity! ( 2 Timothy 1:7) In America today it is politically correct to say, and act like, there are no absolutes and we can’t be sure of anything. That’s a lie from the pit of hell! A minister of Jesus Christ needs to be able to say, “I know whom I have believed.” (2 Timothy 1:12) The second thing is closely tied in with that, and that is that our competence, our assurance, doesn’t originate with us, but with God. That’s why being cocky doesn’t fit. The assurance of a true minister of Christ is based on deep humility, an awareness that they can’t possibly do anything right on their own. (John 15:5) Only when we get self out of the way can we have the rock-solid assurance that is available in Christ. The third thing is that all of this is by the Holy Spirit. The line, “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life,” is quoted a good bit, and with good reason. I have seen so many ministries and ministers try to operate on some sort of rules-based system, and it simply doesn’t work. It’s not that rules in themselves are bad, it’s just that as soon as we get them codified, we tend to rely on them instead of on God Himself. There are indeed absolutes, as I’ve already said, but without the Living Water of the Holy Spirit, legalism is dry, dead, and deadly. (Maybe this would be a spiritual zombie, because though it is dead, legalism still kills those it entraps!)

This is something the Lord has been working into me over the years. I have had a lot of trouble with thinking I was competent on my own. I have a high IQ and a wide variety of abilities of various sorts (just not in sports). I knew that God loves everyone equally, but I still thought my “gift package” put me in a special category. Sadly, it’s not been very many years since God finally got it through my head that He’s smart and I’m not. My challenge now is in communicating the understanding I’ve been given to those in my flock who are called into full-time ministry. (There are two at the moment, and two others are currently pastoring other flocks.) I started to say this isn’t Sunday morning sermon material, but then that might not be bad either, because every believer needs to understand that God can, wants to, and will use them as His ministers if they will allow Him to do so.

Father, the challenge is huge, but the possibilities are exciting. Help me be an open channel to transmit everything You pour into me, so that the Body of Christ may be built up indeed, as a mighty army to destroy the works of the devil and bring multitudes into Your kingdom, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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June 23, 2012

Posted on June 23, 2012 by jgarrott

2 Corinthians 1:9 Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.

As I have occasion to remember and/or quote fairly often, God is more interested in our character than in our being comfortable. (It is awkward that in English, “comfort” and “comfortable” are so related, because this chapter makes it clear those are entirely different things.) This verse certainly brings to mind the Andrae Crouch song, “Through it All.” God allows hard things and hard times in our lives to grow us spiritually and emotionally. God doesn’t want to spend eternity with a bunch of immature brats! It was precisely because Paul went through so much that he was able to finish so strong, as comes out so clearly in 2 Timothy, his last letter that we have recorded. It is only in going through trials that we gain the rock-solid assurance that God can take us through anything, because that’s not just an intellectual proposition. God doesn’t just give us trials, certainly; He delights to bless us in countless ways. However, in the final analysis, we find that many of the things that seemed like hard trials were actually great blessings, because of how they changed us and opened our eyes and hearts to God.

I’ve been in the middle of just such a learning experience, and I am grateful. My wife, Cathy, was showing many symptoms of lupus, and the specialist agreed that was what they all pointed to. We have friends who have struggled with lupus for years, and had one who died of it, so all sorts of scenarios ran through our minds. When we went back for the results of all the blood tests, the figures were so low that they didn’t meet the criteria set by the Health Ministry for a lupus diagnosis! That doesn’t change the immediate symptoms, but it does remove many of the “what if” scenarios from our minds. In the intervening two weeks, Cathy and I both had to deal with those scenarios and choose to trust God, thereby growing in our faith that He is indeed the One who raises the dead, just as this verse says. The experience has made our appreciation for each other, and for each moment, much sweeter. That is a blessing!

Father, I can’t say I sailed through this most recent trial, but You indeed brought me through it. Thank You. Help me indeed trust You fully, not being passive, but not being anxious either. Help me be active in my obedience, knowing that You will never bring me to anything You will not also bring me through, even including death – my own or that of anyone else. Thank You. Praise God!

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June 22, 2012

Posted on June 23, 2012 by jgarrott

1 Corinthians 14:26 What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.

The first thing that stands out to me in this verse is that it is talking about full, active participation in church meetings; these weren’t passive occasions. The contrast to what goes on in most churches today is actually quite strong. It’s obvious Paul isn’t talking about meetings of a hundred or more people, much less several thousand, as in mega-churches today. There were no dedicated church buildings, and people’s homes weren’t so large as to accommodate more than a couple of dozen people at the most. In that context, everyone was expected to contribute, and that led to growth on every level. Today we are so used to the large-meeting model that even home groups tend toward the performer/audience dichotomy. As Paul pre­sents it here, everyone participates, but each contribution is different, thereby building up the whole. It has been said that in churches today 10% of the people do 90% of the work. I can’t be sure of the actual breakdown, but that doesn’t seem to be far from the truth. Every believer needs an opportunity to contribute and to know that they are contributing. That knowledge itself builds them up! I’m not talking about pride here, I’m talking about the awareness that we are all valuable parts of the Body of Christ, included and actively participating in His plan. In my observation, that awareness is for the most part sadly lacking.

So I’m lecturing the pastor here. (Me!) This church is still small enough that total participation is a practical possibility, but I haven’t implemented it sufficiently. I must not be so concerned with such details, as the audio/video recording, that I convey to the believers a sense that they are in the way. In the past we had “testimony time” that allowed for open participation, but we had people who spoke out of a sense of obligation, which really didn’t build up the Body, and we occasionally had some really off-the-wall things. I need God’s wisdom and guidance in reinstating more open participation in a way that will build up the whole. As pastor, I need to be willing to step in to guide or correct, but I must have love – for the individual and for the Body of Christ – as my motive, and not my pride or perfectionism.

Father, You’ve instructed me to speak on Tools on Sunday, to help the believers know how You have equipped them. Help me give them full and appropriate opportunities to use those tools, so that together we may be fully useful to You, drawing many into full discipleship, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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June 21, 2012

Posted on June 22, 2012 by jgarrott

1 Corinthians 14:12 So it is with you. Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church.

The NIV for this verse seems to me to be something of a put-down, and I don’t think that was Paul’s intention. Paul was simply trying to help them understand that there are gifts more helpful than tongues when it comes to building up the Church. The Japanese makes it clear that they were earnestly seeking spiritual gifts, and Paul wanted them to do that. He just wanted them to clarify and purify their motives. This really brings to mind my own experience with the Charismatic Movement, which started back in 1973. Everyone was excited about tongues, just as they seem to have been in Corinth. I wanted the power of the Holy Spirit, so I sought the gift of tongues. God very graciously didn’t give it to me until after I had realized that all of the gifts are no more that tools for building up the Church, as it says in this chapter, as Christ’s witnesses. (Acts 1:8) In this chapter Paul stresses the gift of prophecy, particularly in contrast to tongues, but I know of at least one group (and I’m sure there are several) that has gotten off balance by an over-emphasis on prophecy! Spiritual gifts are good and should be sought, but always with the desire and motivation that the Body of Christ be built up. I personally find the gift of tongues very helpful in private prayer, both to pray while I need to be focused on something else, like driving, or to pray for situations where I know very few details. However, I haven’t “given a message in tongues” in a group meeting in many years, if ever. I have heard such messages that, with interpretation, really did build up those present, but they have frankly been the exception.

So the question is, what do I do now? As a pastor, I would like to see more expression of gifts of the Holy Spirit among the believers here, but I want to keep the focus on Christ and His kingdom, and not on gifts themselves. I very much want each believer to grasp what gifts they already have, as well as what gifts are available to them, without anyone getting fixated on the presence or absence of any one gift. That takes more wisdom and skill than I possess in myself, so I have to seek God and depend on Him! I seek to preach prophetically, which is not to say “predicting the future,” but rather, “speaking out what God is saying.” I need to help the believers understand that God will always equip them for anything He sends them to do, and that He desires to do through them more than they can even imagine at this point.

Father, thank You for this reminder, to go along with all the rest You have been saying to me over the past few days. I ask You to make it clear to me what You want to say through me in this coming Sunday’s message, because right now I’ve got far too much for one service! I have a physically and emotionally packed schedule for the next three days. Help me be quiet before You in simple trust, so that I may be fully obedient in all You show me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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June 20, 2012

Posted on June 22, 2012 by jgarrott

1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

It is, of course, of great significance that in the middle of his long discussion of gifting and “body life” in the Church, Paul inserts this beautiful exposition of agape love. Of all the things God gives us, none is greater than His love, because everything is predicated on that love. John 3:16 of course makes it clear that it was His love that made Him send His Son to be our Savior, and Paul points out that when He has given us His Son, everything else follows. (Romans 8:32) You hear people boasting of various things God has given them, but you never hear people boasting of love. That’s because, as this chapter makes clear, love never boasts! The more we open up to and grasp the love of God, the more we are transformed into the likeness of His Son. (2 Corinthians 3:18, Ephesians 4:13, 15) John went so far as to say that “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4:8) When God gives us His love, He gives us Himself. It is important to understand the nature of God’s love, and that’s why He had the New Testament written in Greek, with its multiple words for different kinds of love. This isn’t the time or place to go into a long discourse on that, but it’s important to remember that by ourselves, we can’t generate God’s kind of love. That’s why we have to receive it in faith, for it to flow through us and transform us.

Once again I have a huge advantage over most of the people around me, because I was born and raised in a family steeped in the love of God. Such love is very hard to explain, and must be demonstrated. This was an issue even in the 1st Century, and John said clearly that love that doesn’t follow through in action can’t be said to be God’s kind of love. (1 John 3:17-18) It’s not that loving words aren’t important and useful, it’s that true love goes far beyond words. People are impressed, and even amazed and/or deeply moved, by the relationship Cathy and I have, because it includes both words and actions, and it cannot be hidden. Between husband and wife is one thing, but I am called to be a channel and a demonstration of God’s love to everyone I encounter. Of course there are many differences in relationships, but God’s love is the same. His love will draw people to salvation by faith as nothing else can, and I must never forget that. I remember a pithy saying I heard years ago: “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” I’ve been called a walking encyclopedia, and various things of that sort, but none of that makes any difference if I’m not allowing the love of God to flow through me.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You that Your love isn’t something that can be studied, it must be received. Help me open up more and more to Your love, so that it may flow more and more freely and abundantly through me, for the blessing of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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