June 19, 2012

Posted on June 19, 2012 by jgarrott

1 Corinthians 12:18-20 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

I couldn’t begin to count how many times I’ve preached and taught on this concept, and I will doubtless do it many times more. People have such difficulty grasping the reality that unity does not mean uniformity. We spend a great deal of time and energy, emotional and otherwise, trying to push and punch people into boxes of all sorts, when that’s not the way we were created. Self-image problems come from people feeling they don’t fit the box that is designated for them. God created us different because that’s how He wants us! However, we are never to use this important truth as an excuse not to grow and improve ourselves. Babies being different and “perfect” doesn’t mean they don’t need to grow! Each individual has a different set of gifts and abilities, and a correspondingly different function, in secular society and in the Body of Christ. Likewise, each individual has a different set of challenges to overcome to become the very best that God intends them to be. One trap here is that being different doesn’t mean we aren’t similar, but being similar doesn’t mean we are the same. We have common needs, the greatest of which being a right relationship with our Creator, abiding in His love through obedience. We are mature when we realize that such obedience isn’t going to mean the same thing for everyone.

Not only do I need to walk this out personally, as a pastor I need to get it through to others. That is a major challenge! In fact, I have come to the firm conviction that it is quite impossible for me, so I’ve got to let the Holy Spirit do it through me. The only one who can properly coordinate the magnificent diversity that is the Church, is God. Peter spoke of believers as living stones, built into God’s house. (1 Peter 2:5) The problem is, too many people visualize that like bricks, which are as close to identical as possible, when actually we are like the magnificent Inca walls that still exist in the Andes, where no two stones are the same, yet they fit so closely you can’t even slip paper between them. I talk about that sort of thing until I’m blue in the face, but intellectual understanding doesn’t equal emotional acceptance. I need to pray for and work patiently with people, so that our rough spots may be ground down with a minimum of anguish until we fit together indeed, each unique but in glorious unity, for the glory of God.

Father, thank You for this word picture. You know who in the church is struggling in which area, and I ask Your grace and mercy for them. Help us all see ourselves and each other as You see us, so that we may interact in love and joy, fulfilling all of Your plans for us, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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June 18, 2012

Posted on June 19, 2012 by jgarrott

1 Corinthians 12:1 Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.

Well, for once I really don’t care for how the Japanese translation I use expresses something. The Japanese says, “I really want you to know the following things.” I guess that’s more polite than accusing people of potential ignorance, but I’m much more likely to call a spade a spade than the average Japanese is. The point is, ignorance about the gifts of the Holy Spirit is not a good thing, yet it is very common. There is even a lot of ignorance and/or misinformation in Pentecostal/Charismatic circles, which can make things all the more confusing. One thing that contributes to the confusion is the different Greek words that are translated “gift” in different passages. This isn’t the place to go into a discourse on that, but Don and Katie Fortune’s teaching on the subject is excellent, though their focus is on what they call the “motivational gifts” discussed in Romans 12. The point is, ignorance of spiritual gifts leaves us unaware of the resources God has for us, which means we generally don’t make full use of them. I have been using the theme of “God’s Gifts” in drawing up the month­ly Scripture Reading Lists for several months now, and we’ve still got a way to go before getting through Revelation. There’s a lot of information in the Bible! We do need to know what are spiritual gifts and what are otherwise, but we especially need to remember that “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17)

I have preached and taught on this subject a good bit, but I still feel there is very little understanding at times. Maybe that’s because I don’t understand spiritual gifts well enough! I am not to give up, and I need to remember that each new believer is totally without information on the subject, and not fail to teach them. New Believer Training is an area in which I’ve not been very consistent, and that’s not good. Another factor is that believers who move here from other areas, and of course other churches, have widely varying levels of understanding of each of the subjects I try to teach. They might seem very mature because of their understanding in one area, or even their level of commitment, but be largely ignorant in another area. Raising well-rounded children isn’t easy! As in everything else, I need the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit even to begin to get the job done properly. That shouldn’t discourage me, because I know that wisdom and power are available to me, if I will submit myself to Christ. More than anything, I need to teach with the idea of those people in turn teaching others, for genuine multiplication. (2 Timothy 2:2)

Father, thank You for helping me understand how totally dependent I am on You. Help me be more and more of an open conduit for You to flow through, sharing Your love, grace, and mercy with as many as possible, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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June 17, 2012

Posted on June 17, 2012 by jgarrott

1 Corinthians 11:32 When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.

This verse includes two important terms that I am not satisfied with how they are expressed in Japanese. The first is discipline. This is obviously a central Biblical concept, and in English it is easy to see the connection with being a disciple. However, in Japanese, the term used simply means punishment, and that is sadly inadequate. I’m no Greek scholar, but my understanding is that the Greek meaning is close to the English, which isn’t too surprising when English has some Greek roots. Last year I preached for six months on discipleship, but I certainly didn’t exhaust the subject. I quit using the word “disciple” in my sermon titles because I was exhausting my audience! Even in English we have trouble grasping that the life of faith is discipleship, and obviously in Japanese that’s even harder to get across. The second term that doesn’t come across the same in Japanese is “condemned.” The Japanese term essentially means “pronounced guilty,” which isn’t quite the same thing. Those who are in Christ are guilty of sin, but they aren’t punished with death because Christ has taken that punishment on Himself. That’s a difficult thing to get across simply in Japanese! I find myself tempted to agree with Francis Xavier, who said that “Japanese is a language invented by the Devil to hinder the spread of the Gospel.” Not withstanding, Xavier and the missionaries who immediately followed him reaped a pretty remarkable harvest in Japan in just a few short years. The Holy Spirit can overcome any barriers, linguistic or otherwise.

This of course is something I deal with constantly, since I minister in Japan in Japanese. That’s one reason I preach my messages in Japanese first, and then interpret into English. Otherwise, I might say something I couldn’t interpret! (Actually, my wife tells me I sometimes forget what I’ve said and only give a partial interpretation into English, but that’s a different problem.) The issues of discipline and condemnation are closely tied to the whole concept of forgiveness and atonement, and there again I’m up against a linguistic wall. When the character that is used most widely for “forgiveness” actually means “permission,” there’s obviously difficulty understanding what the Bible is talking about! It’s highly ironic that I’m frequently in the position of explaining Chinese characters to Japanese, when my own written Japanese is very limited! However, as I’ve already said, the Holy Spirit can overcome any barriers, and I’ve got to remember that and depend on Him. I also need to remember this issue in helping believers grow and mature. Believing Christ for salvation doesn’t instantly give them full understanding of all the issues involved! Of course, this is true for any pastor in any language and culture, so I have no room to complain. However, I must stay aware of my dependence on the Holy Spirit and presume nothing, so that He may indeed overcome all the barriers, for the salvation of many and for the glory of God.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me walk in the truth I know! I ask for Your anointing as I deliver the message this morning. Thank You for the illustration You gave me through Cathy. I pray that all who hear would indeed receive the Word, from You and not just from me, so that chains may be broken and people set free to receive all that You have for them, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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June 16, 2012

Posted on June 16, 2012 by jgarrott

1 Corinthians 7:7 I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.

In chapter 11 Paul tells his readers to imitate him, but thankfully here he is acknowledging that everyone is supposed to be different. Slavish copying of anyone, no matter how fine an example they might be, is never a good idea. For example, not everyone is supposed to quit their job, leave their family, and wander around the countryside teaching all who will listen, even though that’s what Jesus did. Paul recognized both his natural desire that everyone be like him, as well as the fact that it would be a bad thing for that to happen. Most of us experience some degree of stress over this issue, some more than others, desiring that everyone match us, instead of our having to accommodate others. It doesn’t take much sensitivity to realize that God loves variety. No two sunsets are the same. If they were, we would lose our appreciation for the really spectacular ones. I remember visiting some people on an outlying island here in Nagasaki Prefecture. As we were driving from the ferry terminal with the windows down, Cathy and I were really blessed by the abundance of bird calls we heard, whether we saw the birds or not. However, our hosts didn’t even notice them! Familiarity indeed breeds contempt, and that applies even to personalities and abilities. We need to let the differences among us sharpen our appreciation for everyone, even ourselves. Most people with low self esteem think everybody can do whatever they can do, when almost invariably they can do some things that others find very difficult. It is precisely because we are different that we need each other.

The Lord keeps directing my attention back to this truth, because I have had real difficulty with it in the past. I too want everybody to be like me! Thankfully, however, the Lord has patiently brought me to a place of far greater appreciation for our differences. That’s a good thing, particularly since I’m a pastor! I not only need to recognize and acknowledge the abilities of others, I need to help them do so as well. Japanese culture teaches everyone to be self deprecating, and sadly, that works so well that a remarkable percentage of people really believe they can’t do anything worthwhile. I need to help them understand that God has given them abilities and tasks that aren’t identical to those He’s given anyone else on earth. Only when they realize that can they move into the joy, satisfaction, and fruitfulness of being Christ’s witnesses, His agents, in every area of their lives.

Father, You showed me several years ago that when Japanese believers wake up to who and what they are in Christ, the whole world will be changed. I pray for that! I offer myself for however You want to use me to that end, so that Your Name may be hallowed, Your kingdom come, and Your will be done, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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June 15, 2012

Posted on June 16, 2012 by jgarrott

1 Corinthians 4:7 For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

This is a beautifully pithy needle to prick the bubble of the proud! And it’s one that I have needed for myself more times than I’m happy to admit. What we do with what we’ve been given is our responsibility and our gift to God, but every bit of the raw materials of whatever accomplishments we might have comes from God, through one channel or another, and forgetting that puts us in a very foolish and precarious place. Our existence itself, not to mention every breath we take, is a gift from God. The better we understand that, not in resentment but in deep gratefulness, the better off, and the happier and more satisfied, we will be. History is filled with “self made men” who died terribly empty, because they failed to recognize and acknowledge the Source of all they had. Recognizing our dependence on God is pivotal for salvation, because it teaches us our accountability to Him. Anyone with the courage to be honest will admit that they have violated their own conscience at times. When that is combined with an understanding of the purity, the holiness, of the One who created us, then it brings conviction of sin and a hunger for the grace of God. Our problem is that we compare ourselves with other people, and we can always think of someone who is “worse” than we are. That’s no excuse! We don’t want to admit that the best merely human person who ever lived is still a sinner in need of God’s salvation by grace through faith.

This is of course what I struggle against every day in seeking to bring people to salvation. If I’m going to be effective in that, I’ve got to remember it myself! I have walked in more kinds of pride than I could count, and none of them ever did me any good. The longer I live the more aware I am of the frailty of mankind. My evangelism needs to be motivated by the awareness that neither I nor the person I’m talking to has any guarantee of being around tomorrow, along with the fact that both physical and spiritual life are gifts from God. I have the amazing privilege of offering people God’s free gift of spiritual, eternal life, and I must take full advantage of it. With that, I am also charged with helping the believers understand that they have the same privilege, so that they too may take full advantage of it, for the salvation of many.

Father, I continue to be sharply aware of the fact that You are working in each member of this church. May we all receive Your gifts with joy, even when they are uncomfortable at the moment, so that we may be open channels for Your grace to flow through to all those around us, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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June 14, 2012

Posted on June 16, 2012 by jgarrott

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.

There are several things in these two verses that are overlooked or misunderstood by a lot of people. The first is that all of the 2nd person pronouns here are plural; Paul is not just talking about individuals. American culture is so fiercely individualistic that we tend to read such passages wrong, and that leads to assorted distortions. It’s not that each individual isn’t important, it’s that the individual isn’t more important than the group, or the whole. The second is that surprising­ly many churches really don’t know that the Holy Spirit dwells in them, or at least that’s how they act. Just as each individual receives the Holy Spirit to some degree when they believe, but might later open up to be immersed in the Spirit, (though ideally those should be simultaneous) in the same way churches, though residences for the Holy Spirit, might keep Him boxed up in one way or another. That is why Paul had to write about not quenching (1 Thessalonians 5:19) or grieving (Ephesians 4:30) the Holy Spirit. I have read a very interest­ing analysis of the difference between doves and pigeons. In the Bible the Holy Spirit is compared to a dove, not a pigeon, and check­ing out the differences can be a very worthwhile study. The third thing to remember about these two verses is that Paul isn’t speaking of the Church, or even individual churches, as physical buildings. He is in the middle of the construction metaphor, but it doesn’t take much insight to realize it is just a metaphor. When Paul was writing, churches didn’t have buildings! People today think that if they aren’t arsonists, they aren’t damaging the church. That’s not the case! Ru­mors, jealousy, back-biting, complaining – these are the things that destroy a church. Of course, gross sin on the part of leadership also comes into this category, but that’s not what Paul is talking about here. We are called to be Christ’s instruments, not get in His way, as He builds His Church. (Matthew 16:18, 1 Corinthians 14:12)

As a pastor, this is obviously a matter of great concern for me. I have had to deal with divisive people, jealous people, complainers, whiners, and more, but God is faithful, and the church has survived. I need to be firm with people who are being destructive toward the church, but always speak and act in love. It will help me stay in focus to remember that the first commandment is to love God, and then to love my neighbor. Otherwise, my love for my neighbor can get pol­luted by my desire for them to like me, and that can really mess things up. Even as I am vigilant for the church, I must remember that it is Christ who builds His Church, and I am no more than a minor workman.

Father, thank You for all that You are doing among us by Your Spirit in these days. Everywhere I look I see evidence of that, and I am grateful. Help us individually and as a body to welcome all You are doing, not simply for our blessing but so that we may be transformed into a powerful unit of Your kingdom, bringing many from darkness to light, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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June 13, 2012

Posted on June 16, 2012 by jgarrott

1 Corinthians 2:12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.

God has given us so much that we can’t begin to grasp it all without the help of the Holy Spirit! The Japanese makes it clear that these are grace gifts, not anything we have worked for, so that makes it all the more imperative that we have the Holy Spirit’s guidance in understanding them. There is actually a great deal of misunderstanding of what God gives or doesn’t give. People become jealous of spiritual gifts, sometimes because those who have them parade them like merit badges. People don’t have because they don’t ask, or because they are focused on physical comfort and/or pleasure, as James reminds us, (James 4:2) We tend to think that what we have is just for us, when that is rarely the case. God blesses one so that they may in turn be a channel of blessing to another, and all may give thanks to God. Even the ability to work and gain wealth that way is a gift from God (Deuteronomy 8:17-18) that is to be used in turn to provide for and bless others. (1 Timothy 4:8) Some people want to use God as a celestial ATM, just as the US government is training so many people to be dependent on welfare. This actually has been a problem since the earliest days of the Church, and Paul had a very crisp answer: “For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: ‘If a man will not work, he shall not eat.’” (2 Thessalonians 3:10) God supplies abundantly, beyond all we could ask or think, (Ephesians 3:20) but He doesn’t spoil us, because He is the perfect Father. We really need the help of the Holy Spirit to keep all of that straight!

As a pastor, not only do I need to let the Holy Spirit open my eyes as to all the Father has given us in Christ, I also need to be His agent in guiding the believers into that same understanding. I need to be willing to be as blunt as Paul was to the Thessalonians, but be very careful that everything I say is in love. (Ephesians 4:15) There are those who, because of their life experiences to this point, have real difficulty trusting God for His provision. I need to be gentle with them, sharing my knowledge of God’s faithfulness from my own experience without putting them down for their lack of faith. I have a lot of stories to tell in that area! At the same time I need wisdom in dealing with those who demand from God, who insist that He do things the way they have laid out in their minds. I can’t say I’ve never done that myself! It all boils down to listening to the Holy Spirit with a responsive heart. If I will do that, He will take care of everything else.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the many things You are teaching all of us in this church in these days. May we receive the lessons with grateful hearts, growing as You desire and intend, so that all of Your purposes for us, individually and as a church, may be fulfilled on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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June 12, 2012

Posted on June 13, 2012 by jgarrott

1 Corinthians 1:9 God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

For once I really like the turn of phrase of the NIV, but there’s a difference in nuance between the NIV and the Japanese. Where the NIV says that we have been called into fellowship with Christ, the Japanese says that we have entered into fellowship by God’s calling. The whole matter of fellowship with God is of the utmost importance for everyone, because that is why we were created. We cannot have that fellowship apart from Christ, because our sins separate us from God, and only the cross of Christ bridges that gap. However, some who have accepted the atoning work of Christ still don’t value the fellowship that is available to them. That’s an incredible waste! The whole point of heaven is an eternity of unbridled fellowship with God. If we don’t value such fellowship now, what are we looking forward to? This lack of understanding of fellowship with God is evident in two areas in particular: church attendance and personal devotions. Far too many people look on church attendance as an obligation, or as no more than a social occasion. We do gather for fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ, but when Jesus said that “where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them,” (Matthew 18:20) joint worship should be our highest priority. When it comes to personal devotions, there too people view it as an obligation to be avoided, when actually it is “face time” with the One who loves us more than anyone else ever could. I would go so far as to say that no one is a genuine Christian without having at least tasted fellowship with God, because God always responds to genuine faith, but many don’t recognize what they have, and so don’t seek to refresh and deepen that fellowship.

I can never forget an experience I had in a small (4 person) prayer meeting. As we sat in a circle singing praise to God, just our voices, I felt such a weight of joy that in my heart I told the Lord, “If You have anything more for me to do on this earth, You’d better let up, because my physical being can’t take more of this.” I certainly look forward to an eternity of that! I have had many, many times of intimate fellowship with God, though none as intense as that one. They have come in corporate settings, they have come in private devotions, and they have come at times when I didn’t expect them at all. I am deeply grateful for each one, but as a pastor, my heart aches for each of the believers to have such fellowship themselves, and to value and seek it. We can’t generate it, though some try with psychological manipulation in church services, but we can hold ourselves available for it, knowing that God is faithful, just as this verse says. If we don’t gather with other believers for worship, and if we don’t take time regularly to read the Bible, pray, and listen to God, then we can’t expect much in the way of fellowship with Him!

Father, thank You for Your overwhelming grace toward me. Help me never take it lightly. I ask for wisdom and anointing so that the eyes of the believers may be opened to the incredible riches that are available to them in fellowship with You. May we as a church be marked by Your presence, when we gather and in our individual lives, so that many will see and be drawn into salvation themselves, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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June 11, 2012

Posted on June 13, 2012 by jgarrott

Romans 15:4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Now there’s a good verse to motivate people to read the Bible! It amazes me sometimes how people are so hesitant to read the Bible, but there are a number of reasons for that. The most fundamental is that spiritual things are spiritually discerned, (1 Corinthians 2:14) and someone who has a heart closed to God isn’t going to get much out of the Bible. However, there are other factors as well. A relatively modern problem is the matter of archaic translations, or unnecessarily difficult ones. As someone who does a fair amount of translation work, I fully understand that a perfectly defensible translation can also be largely unreadable. Particularly with Scripture, the challenge to remain true to the original text and yet be easily readable in the target language is immense. The Japanese Bible in particular has some problems there. Even so, if it is approached as “a book from God to me,” then there is no limit to the treasures it contains. Many people today are desperate for the encouragement, endurance, and hope the Bible offers, yet they don’t know the supply is so close at hand.

As I say frequently, I was raised in a home that was steeped in the Bible, and that was a blessing greater than I have words to express. The challenge for me as a missionary pastor is to instill a love for the Word of God in those around me. I recently had someone at the mental hospital throw away a New Testament I had given him because he started reading from Matthew 1, and the list of unpronounceable names in the genealogy totally turned him off. I feel the fault was mine, because I hadn’t given him any advice as to how to go about reading it. I do better with the couples I counsel before their weddings, pointing out that the Gideon Bibles I give them have a section in the very front called “Help in Time of Need,” that lists various sit­uations we all encounter at one time or another, and applicable passages for each one. It is hard for me to remember sometimes that few people indeed have the foundation for reading and receiving the Bible that I have received. That’s true even for the believers in this church, and I need to come alongside them and teach them how to mine the Scriptures for the riches they contain, not just tell them to read the Bible, with no guidance at all.

Father, thank You for how You are continuing to teach and grow us individually and as a church. Thank You for the service yesterday, and for the board meeting that followed. That board meeting was awesome! Thank You for the honesty that was expressed, and for the desire to trust and serve You. It’s as You showed me years ago: when Japanese believers wake up to who and what they are in Christ, the nation and the world will be transformed! Help me be fully useful to that end, so that Your Name may be hallowed, Your kingdom come, and Your will be done, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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June 10, 2012

Posted on June 13, 2012 by jgarrott

Romans 12:4-5 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

Being faced with what part of Romans 12 to write on puts me in quite a bind; it’s such a rich chapter! However, these two verses point up a perennial problem in the Church, and really in any organization. We stubbornly expect everyone to be like us, and we are somehow offended when they aren’t. God knew very well what He was doing when He made each human being unique. As I tell couples before I do their weddings, God puts us together because we need each other. Separately, we are incomplete. When husbands and wives have such trouble really grasping that, it’s no surprise that individual church members have difficulty with the idea! In the Church, we tend to ask, or at least desire, that everyone have the same ministry priorities as we do, and are sometimes even deeply hurt when that is not the case. It was very liberating to me to receive, and later teach, Don and Katie Fortune’s teaching on Motivational Gifts, based on Romans 12. They do a very good job of making the issue clear, which helps us accept one another and work with one another, cooperating instead of conflicting. However, I have found that there are quite a few people who, because of their gifting, personalities, and experience, have very little interest in even hearing about this issue, which leaves them in a state of constant friction with brothers and sisters in Christ. That is sad! Actually, it is our innate self-centeredness and pride that get in the way of understanding this issue. Sports coaches are fond of the truism that “There is no I in team.” We like to think we are the center of the universe, and that is simply not true for any of us.

It is perhaps fitting that I be trying to communicate this truth, because I have tended toward feeling like if I couldn’t do something, it didn’t need to be done. I have indeed been given a wide variety of abilities, but I am no more “complete” in myself than any of us is. I have taken a long time to accept emotionally that I genuinely need every member of the church, and not just as an audience. How self-centered is that! With age, some things come more easily, but I am forced to acknowledge that other things are no longer wise for me to attempt. I have also learned that I’m not smart, God is, and that has been very liberating. In that process I’ve come to understand how hurtful to this church it has been that I haven’t allowed others to express their gifting. As a pastor, I should be looking more to develop the gifts in others than express my own. We are indeed members – organs, limbs, etc. – of the same body, and I must never let that awareness slip from my mind.

Father, thank You for the tiredness I feel this morning, because it helps me be more aware of my dependence on You. I ask for wisdom in what to do myself and what to ask others to do. I ask also for wisdom in what to do when. There are a number of things that need to be done before this morning’s service, and I have no personal enthusiasm for any of them at the moment! Help me submit myself, body and soul, to You fully, so that You may do through me all that You desire to do that way, and through others what You desire to do through them, so that together we may accomplish Your purposes on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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