May 20, 2012

Posted on May 22, 2012 by jgarrott

Acts 1:7-8 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Verse 8 is widely and frequently quoted in Pentecostal/Charismatic circles, but it strikes me that verse 7 is extremely relevant today. We are seeing various things that would certainly seem to point to Last Days and the coming judgment, and the temptation to get tied in knots over it all is very real. However, Jesus says very clearly here that that’s not our business. Our business is to be His witnesses, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Any thinking person at times ponders the meaning of their existence, and I think the answer is found in the “first two” commandments: loving God and loving our neighbors. (Matthew 22:27-40) Loving God puts us into right relationship with Him, preparing us to spend eternity with Him. Loving our neighbors means communicating the love of God to them, to draw as many as possible to join us in right relationship to God. Everything else is of at best secondary importance to those two. An awareness that we aren’t here forever is a valuable thing, and the awareness that God is going to bring everything into judgment is too. However, being anxious about when and how, as the disciples were, simply distracts us from our task of being witnesses for as long as God keeps us here.

This is frequently on my mind, given the world political situation and the fact that I’m about four months from the age at which my father got his, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” I am quite aware of how blessed he was, but I am not to envy him. Rather, I am to be faithful at each task I am given, not being anxious about the next one but trusting God with the past, present, and future. I am to live in the moment, knowing that I am already participating in eternal life, and that God is more than able to handle everything properly. Recently I have had opportunities to express that mindset to others, and I even had a dream of my doing that just this morning. I must not admonish others and then fail to walk in it myself! There are many things that work to distract me, to make me anxious on various levels, and I must stand firm against them all. It is not mine to know when and how, and that’s a good thing; I’m to be a witness.

Father, thank You for this strong reminder. Help me remember it at all times, not growing weary in doing well, but allowing Your power to flow through me on all levels to accomplish Your will on Your schedule for Your glory. The devil is adept at presenting “what if” scenarios to my mind. Help me stand firm in You, knowing that You are more than able to handle anything that happens, and that in Christ, we are more than conquerors. (Romans 8:37) Thank You. Praise God!

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May 19, 2012

Posted on May 22, 2012 by jgarrott

John 17:13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.”

This morning I think is the first time it has really dawned on me that Jesus is here doing something that I sometimes do myself, yet I have taught that you should not do, and that is pray for the benefit of those around you. You could call it “teaching prayer.” The fact that Jesus did it makes it clear that it is real prayer, but at the same time it is teaching for those who are physically hearing it being prayed. Jesus made it very clear that we aren’t to pray in front of people for the sake of seeming pious, but rather be focused on the One to whom we are praying, (Matthew 6:5-6) but here He states that the reason he is praying this out loud on earth is so that His disciples may hear and be blessed. A careful reading of the whole prayer, which is to say all of chapter 17, shows that it is clearly a genuine prayer, but that Jesus was consciously teaching His disciples at the same time. Most of us have experienced being “preached at” in someone’s prayer, and that isn’t much fun. However, this passage makes it clear that sometimes the Holy Spirit will indeed have us pray for the benefit of those who are physically present.

This is something I have been aware that I do at times, but I have always felt somewhat guilty about it. This tells me I’m to stop feeling guilty! However, I must be very careful that every prayer is genuine as prayer, and is not just a lecture disguised as prayer. My goal is that every prayer would be guided by the Holy Spirit, (Romans 8:26, Ephesians 6:18, Jude 20) and not be anxious about anything else.

Father, thank You for this Word. It is another release from bondage, though perhaps a minor one. Thank You for the liberty and joy of fellowship with You by Your Spirit. Help me continue to grow in that, and draw and encourage many others into it as well, so that we may be Your children indeed, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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May 18, 2012

Posted on May 18, 2012 by jgarrott

John 17:8-9 “For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.”

In some circles it is popular today to insist that everyone should be absolutely equal (even though they don’t practice that themselves). They insist that God is grossly unfair because He doesn’t act that way. There are many things we don’t know and can’t know, but Paul points out in Romans 1:20 that God has revealed Himself through His creation to every human being, which makes our response to Him our individual responsibility. What Jesus is saying here is that His disciples received the Word of the Father that Jesus spoke to them, and that put them in the enviable position of His praying for them. The people I just referred to would scream that it was unfair that He specified He wasn’t praying for the world in general, but the world in general rejected the Word He spoke to them. It is in receiving God’s Word that we become His, as this passage says. That’s why it’s all the more tragic that many in America today are explicitly rejecting all or part of the Bible. That’s no way to be a child of God! As Jesus said in John 15:7, we have to retain His Word in us for us to remain in Him. That doesn’t mean memorization (though memorization is not at all a bad idea) but meditating on the Word to put it into practice and make it part of us. If we will do that, Hebrews 7:25 says that Jesus is continually praying for us even now!

I struggle sometimes with the sad reality that some people will not be saved. Indeed, it is a problem of the will, because they choose to reject God’s free offer of salvation, not wanting the submission to God that goes with it. I am not to give up on them, but neither am I to use up my emotional and physical energy on them and so neglect those whose hearts are more open. The difficulty there is, I’m not a good judge of who is in which category! I’ve got to be completely submitted and obedient to the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to order my days and speak through me, so that I may be fully available to share Christ with those who are ready to receive. As He has pointed out to me in our Wednesday night prayer meetings, there is no way any individual could personally pray for every prayer-worthy item, so I need to be yielded in that area as well, not failing to pray but not feeling guilty, either. I need to be active on behalf of all who will receive, and rejoice in that.

Father, there are some things that threaten to “pop a circuit breaker” in my mind and heart when I dwell on them. Help me trust You fully, not trying to be in control but recognizing my own weakness and foolishness. Thank You for Your salvation, and for the privilege of sharing that with others. I pray that in Your mercy, many more would indeed open their hearts to receive, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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May 17, 2012

Posted on May 18, 2012 by jgarrott

John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

I couldn’t begin to count how many times I’ve used this verse, in conversation as well as in messages. As I have said, we would just as soon Jesus hadn’t “promised” that we would have troubles! Actually, though, this isn’t a promise so much as it is a simple statement of fact, and with that awareness, the rest of the verse is wonderfully encouraging. The first part says that He told us things so that we would have peace. Japanese uses slightly different words for inner peace and the absence of war, and here it is the word for inner peace. Some people would give anything for inner peace, but it is the free gift of God to all who will trust Him. The second encouraging thing in this verse is Jesus telling us to rejoice in spite of our troubles, because He has already won out over the world. I’m reminded of the words of a very secular song, “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head”: “the blues they send to greet me won’t defeat me.” This was before the cross, yet Jesus said He had already defeated the world. I wonder if perhaps it’s recorded that way because Jesus reminded John of what he had heard as he was writing this as an old man, and that was of course many years after the cross, but that’s not particularly important for us. We know Jesus died, rose again, and 40 days later rose to the Father. That should give us great courage and joy indeed!

I have tried to communicate this truth to many people, but I must not forget to act on it myself! I, too, am subject to disappointments and frustrations, trials and anxieties. As Jude said, I need to build myself up in faith and pray in the Holy Spirit! (Jude 1:20) As Jesus said, and Peter acknowledged, His words to us are spirit and life. (John 6:63, 68) I have a lot of the Bible in my head, but it is as I get it into my heart that I walk in the inner peace God intends for me, regardless of my external circumstances. Acknowledging something as empirical fact is not the same as being assured of it in your spirit. I need to allow the Word to work into and through me more and more, not only so that I may enjoy all that God has for me, but also so that I may transmit His grace freely to those around me.

Father, thank You for the degree to which I have experienced this, and for the anticipation of walking in it more and more. It is indeed a great and glorious privilege to be a channel of Your grace to others. Keep me growing as a channel, so that Your name may be hallowed and Your kingdom come, as Your will is done in and through me for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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May 16, 2012

Posted on May 18, 2012 by jgarrott

John 15:4-5 “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Once again the passage is so rich it would take more than a lifetime to fully appropriate it all. These two verses express a reality we don’t like to admit. To use a phrase my mother taught me, human beings are “independent as a hog on ice.” We don’t like to take directions and we think we can do it all on our own. What we don’t realize is that, as it says here, we can do nothing on our own. Every breath we take is a gift of the grace of God! That’s why life itself is stewardship; we are accountable to God for what we do with it. As I have written several times in the past, that is the primary motive behind the majority of vehement atheists: they don’t want to acknowledge their accountability. Even among Christians the real impact of these two verses is often ignored. People may think they are doing great things for God, but if they are failing to stay fully connected and grounded in Christ in the process, they find everything falls apart and they have accomplished nothing. We’re back to Jesus’ statement that at the Final Judgment there will be people who will point to great things they have done in in His name, but He will say He never knew them. (Matthew 7:21-23) It doesn’t matter what we do, if it isn’t done in Christ, in full submission to Him, it will not bear lasting fruit.

This is of course very applicable to me, as it is to every believer. There are those who are in awe of my being a “real live missionary,” but that is meaningless if I’m not being obedient to Christ. I’ve got to be careful that I don’t try to figure out what God needs to have done and set out to do it. He doesn’t need my help in that area! Rather, I need to be humbly available to Him for whatever He wants to do through me, whether it’s something I would ever have thought of or not. I, of course, want my life to be fruitful, both the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and otherwise, but as Jesus made very clear in these two verses, that will never happen unless I am firmly grounded in Him. The good news is, God wants me to be fruitful, as it says in verses 8 and 16. I don’t have to be uptight about it, but rest, relax, and rejoice in Him.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Sometimes I try doing a “fruit inventory” on my own, and get a bit depressed about it. Help me release that to You as well. Help me remember that I don’t know the impact I have on people, much less how that ripples out to others. Help me trust You enough to walk in total obedience, letting You be the judge of me and everything else, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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May 15, 2012

Posted on May 18, 2012 by jgarrott

John 14:20-21 “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”

The Upper Room Discourse (John 14-17) is incredibly rich, supplying a lifetime of meditation. (It’s called that even though 14:31 indicates they left the Upper Room at that point, and Jesus kept talking as they were walking to Gethsemane.) Verse 20 here expresses a physical impossibility that is a glorious spiritual reality. My father’s doctoral dissertation was on the various uses of “in Christ” (and similar expressions) throughout the NT, but he told me he didn’t really understand it until, as a single missionary in Japan with PhD in hand, he was touched by God in a sovereign way. That is to say, it wasn’t something he could really grasp by studying, God had to reveal it to his spirit. The key to being open to that revelation is found in the next verse, where Jesus made it clear that genuine love for Him always expresses itself in obedience. We tend to think of love in terms of emotion, but this is a very objective criterion. At the same time, this is not a grudging obedience, out of fear or obligation. If we really love Christ we will desire to obey Him, and our failures in that area will grieve us. Strictly human nature gets a kick out of breaking rules, but love doesn’t. If our own sins don’t grieve us, we need to examine ourselves to see if we are really in Christ!

I can’t begin to write all that is contained in these two verses, because I still haven’t appropriated it all myself! One of the joys of the Christian life is continual growth, as Jesus reveals Himself to us more and more, just as He said in verse 21. However much more of Him I might understand than someone else, that is never a true source of pride, because He is infinite, and there is always far more that I don’t grasp than I do. I am to keep pressing in for more of Him, in committed obedience, and I am to seek to bring others along with me on the same journey. As He had me write in the song, “5 O’clock in the Morning,” there’s always more!

Father, thank You that there is always more of You, more of Christ, more of Your Spirit. Thank You for my physical father’s example, just as he changed the lyrics to “I Want More of Jesus” to include the phrase, “So I’ll give Him more of me.” Help me indeed give You all of myself, receiving all You reveal to me, so that I may be transformed more and more into the likeness of Your Son, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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May 14, 2012

Posted on May 14, 2012 by jgarrott

John 14:1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.”

I started to say that this is very timely advice for this day and age, but then I realized that this has been true in every age. Circumstances will always push us toward anxiety if we fail to have our hearts firmly grounded in Christ. There is certainly a great deal in the world today to get any thinking person upset. That’s why this verse is all the more vital today. The Japanese for this verse agrees with the majority of English translations in saying “Believe in God; believe also in me.” However, I rather like the NIV’s use of “trust.” Sometimes we think of “believing” as simply agreeing to a set of facts, but this is far deeper and more practical, more active than that. I’m reminded of the story, over 100 years old now, of the French tightrope walker Charles Blondin at Niagara Falls. After crossing repeatedly, and even pushing a wheelbarrow across, he asked his audience if they believed he could do it with a person in the wheelbarrow. They enthusiastically said “yes,” until he asked for a volunteer to ride the wheelbarrow! As I remember the story, he did succeed, but that rider was demonstrating the kind of faith Jesus is talking about here. If we are mistrustful, we will flail around in the wheelbarrow!

This is something I have known for a long time, yet I continue to need refreshers, and God is faithful to provide them. Sometimes the things that upset me are national or global, such at the current political situation. Sometimes they are closer to home, such as computer problems. Sometimes they very close to me, yet much broader, such as church problems. Whatever they might be, Jesus’ words are true: “Do not let your heart be troubled.” It is in trusting in and for specific things and situations that my faith grows, not only for those things but in general. I am not to berate myself for my lack of faith, but neither am I to be satisfied with it. What Jesus is presenting here is a choice, and I need to make it consistently, to trust God rather than allowing my heart to be troubled.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the good day yesterday, and also for pointing out how an ultimately insignificant thing can rob me of joy. Thank You for Your anointing in the message, and for the good feedback I was feeling as I delivered it. Thank You that the new computer performed well in making the CDs of the service. Thank You for what You have planned for the day today. Help me rest, relax, and rejoice in You throughout this day, trusting You indeed, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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May 13, 2012

Posted on May 14, 2012 by jgarrott

John 13:34-35 “A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Sometimes we forget that commands are among the things Jesus gives us. (You could say equally that they are among the things God gives us in Christ, but splitting linguistic hairs isn’t particularly beneficial.) However, we also need to remember that He enables us to obey every command He gives us, if we will allow Him to do so. (1 John 5:3) We often have a knee-jerk reaction to any sort of command, much like a small child whose favorite word is “No!” That’s because, again like that child, we don’t realize that God’s commands are for our benefit. We like to cherry-pick the promises out of the Bible, not acknowledging that the vast majority of them are conditional on obedience. Here, if we want people to recognize us as disciples of Jesus, we have to love one another. That doesn’t seem so hard until we start considering how Jesus has loved us, and then we suddenly realize that here too we need God’s help. Sacrificial, unconditional love does not come easily for us! However, as with all of God’s commands, the benefits are immense. It doesn’t take a great deal of observation to realize that there is no greater blessing than being an open channel for the love of God. All the unhappy people in the world are in some way blocking the flow of the love of God to and through them. It’s no accident that the “greatest commandment” is to love God and the next is to love our neighbor. (Matthew 22:36-40)

I was immersed in love from before my birth, but many are not so blessed. However, we cannot blame circumstances for everything. Just yesterday I was hearing about adult twins, one of whom is a very happy, open person and the other is sour and bitter and unhappy. It was all in how they perceived and responded to their circumstances, not in the circumstances themselves. As a pastor, I not only need to keep my own focus on Christ so that I will recognize and transmit the overwhelming love that is poured out on me, I need to help the believers do the same. As a church we desire that people recognize that we belong to Christ, so we need to be active in our obedience to this command! James and John both pointed out in their letters that lip service doesn’t cut it, either in loving God or in loving our neighbor. I need to help the believers recognize the practical expressions of love they can give and receive, so that we may be bound together in love indeed.

Father, You are indeed growing us in this area. Thank You. I pray that You would open the eyes of our hearts more and more, to see Jesus first of all, and then seeing Him, see one another as You see us, so that Your love may flow unhindered, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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May 12, 2012

Posted on May 14, 2012 by jgarrott

John 12:20-21, 32 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Feast. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.”
“But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.”

It was extremely significant that Greeks, who would be at the center of the spread of the early Church, came actively looking for Jesus, and He recognized it. What they said to Philip is very appropriately inscribed on many pulpits: “Sirs, we would see Jesus.” Preachers all to often forget that they aren’t supposed to be the center of attention. In too many churches they are, and that leads to many problems. Jesus said that when He is lifted up, He draws everyone to Himself. If the preacher is lifted up, that doesn’t happen. Conversely, if visitors are lifted up, ie. “seeker sensitive” churches, they may be drawn, but not to Christ. There should be no unnecessary barriers in the way of even first time visitors coming to Christ, but if the focus is human- centered, the results will be humanistic wood, hay, and stubble. (1 Corinthians 3:12-15) Everything a church does should be Christ-centered, because only then will He build His Church. (Matthew 16:18)

Since I am a preacher, this is extremely applicable to me. I tend to talk a lot, and that can put me in the spotlight, particularly when I stand out physically from the majority of the people around me. Either in the church or the classroom, I am used to being up front and talking! There is grave danger if I appropriate all that attention to myself, emotionally and spiritually. In school, the focus needs to be the subject matter. In church, the focus must be Jesus; He is the subject matter! To the degree I keep the focus on Jesus, He will draw people to Himself. I keep coming back to the awareness that I can save no one, however much I might like to. Jesus is the Savior, and He can and will save all who come to Him. My job is to make it as easy as possible for them to come.

Father, this is extremely basic, but I need this reminder from time to time. Thank You. Help me indeed lift up Jesus, pointing people to Him, acting as His agent without getting in the way of their seeing Him, so that as many as possible may be drawn to their salvation, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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May 11, 2012

Posted on May 11, 2012 by jgarrott

John 11:5-6 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.

The Japanese here carries the specific feeling that it was because of, not in spite of, His love for Lazarus and his sisters that Jesus stayed where He was two more days after hearing the news of Lazarus’ illness. That’s something that’s awfully hard to wrap our minds around. We want instant gratification, but God often has something better in mind. Psychologists say that a tolerance for delayed gratification is one of the surest signs of maturity, and I can easily believe it. We have trouble accepting the fact that things in our lives affect far more than just us. Sometimes God delays things for our direct benefit, and sometimes He delays them for the benefit of others. However, if we truly love our neighbors as ourselves, we won’t complain! In this particular instance, Jesus’ delay not only resulted in Lazarus being restored to his sisters, it was a powerful witness of the character, power, and authority of Christ, providing the framework for Jesus to say things that have echoed down through the centuries for the benefit of countless millions of people. Someone has said, “Everything God does is love, whatever it looks like at the time.” Nothing could be more true!

I have certainly experienced this countless times, but it has taken a long time to work through my thick skull. I guess that’s why maturity is associated with gray hair! I must say it’s a relief to be able to grasp it, even though I’m still far from 100% at the task. As a pastor, it’s a huge challenge to communicate this to the flock. I can’t force maturity on anyone! However, God does use me to speak His truth to others and help them along the way. It is interesting to see, as I teach medical English to Japanese therapists and nurses, how the assorted medical problems that have happened in my family are used by God to bless my students, not simply to teach them terminology but to give them understanding of what is involved in the total picture of patient care. I certainly had no idea of that when most of those things were going on! I need to help the believers in this church grasp the reality that we cannot see the total picture, but God does, and He is indeed working all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for making it clear what I’m to share in Sunday’s message. You indeed work all things together for good! Thank You for the recent lessons in patience, trust, and gratitude. Help me continue to apply what You are so faithful to teach me, not only for myself but also for the benefit of all around me. Your grace and blessings are indeed amazing, limitless, and I so often lose sight of that. Help me keep it in focus so that I may be an unpolluted channel for You to flow through to others, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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