May 10, 2012

Posted on May 11, 2012 by jgarrott

John 10:27-28 “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.”

This is an enormously comforting passage for those suffering persecution for their faith, but it is also a cautionary passage for “cultural Christians.” It indeed teaches eternal security for those who are committed to Christ, but it also makes it clear that if you aren’t distinguishing what He says to you, with the intention of sticking with Him, then He’s going to say, “Depart from me; I never knew you” (Matthew 7:23) at the Last Judgment. That should give anyone pause! I’m reminded of how one child mis-heard the Lord’s Prayer: “Our Father who art in heaven, how do you know my name?” That’s a valid question, considering our weak grasp of God’s omnipotence, and here Jesus is assuring us that He indeed knows us, better than we know ourselves, as a matter of fact. For any child of God … that is, anyone who has repented of their sins and honestly chosen to follow Christ as Lord … this passage is insulation against and comfort in any attack, not matter how severe.

I have no question that I am a child of God, but that doesn’t give me room to be complacent. I indeed recognize His voice, but I must be careful that I don’t ignore it, but rather follow regardless of the difficulties. He will never lead me to anything He won’t lead me through, so I am not to hesitate to follow. I get tied in knots over all sorts of things, but that shows the shallowness of my faith and my lack of focus. If I am fully grounded in Christ, why would anything get to me? However, God knows my weakness better than I do, and He loves me anyway! As He’s been telling me for a year and a half now, I need to rest, relax, and rejoice in His love, grace, and plans for me.

Father, I berate myself at times when You aren’t berating me. Forgive me. Thank You for the lessons You teach me, and for the awareness that I am learning, though not nearly as quickly as I would like. Help me extend to others the same grace and patience You have poured out on me, which is to say, never in pride but in profound gratefulness. Help me be both consistent and effective in pointing people to You, so that as many as possible may walk in the liberty of Your Spirit, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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May 9, 2012

Posted on May 11, 2012 by jgarrott

John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

I use this passage so often that I have it memorized in Japanese as well as English, but it’s still worth meditating on regularly. When Scriptures become so familiar, there’s a real danger of their losing their meaning in our hearts, as in the old expression of familiarity breeding contempt. That would be a tragedy! I probably use this verse most often because of how clear it is about the devil’s character. It’s important to know our enemy. However, we will never gain the victory God intends and Christ provided for us by focusing on the enemy! We need to know him well enough to recognize him and his schemes, but our focus must be on Christ our Lord. This is a real problem with some deliverance ministries. They end up giving glory to the devil and demons by paying them so much attention, and that is a recipe for disaster. Yes, there is a lot of demonic activity in the world, but the devil craves worship and adulation, and he accepts fear as a close substitute. Christians must remember that the Holy Spirit in them is far greater than the devil (1 John 4:4) and walk in assurance and not fear, exercising the authority that Christ has entrusted to us. (Matthew 10:1)

This is an area where I need more growth. (Aren’t they all?) I know the facts of the matter, yet I have had only occasional success, as I have seen it, in delivering people from demonic oppression. Today I will be dealing with a very specific case in point as I visit the mental hospital. I have been instrumental in healing and/or deliverance for several people who were hospitalized there, but one man is a particularly tough nut to crack (and I mean nothing disrespectful to people with mental problems). He’s not insane, as we usually think of such things, but he is consummately self-centered, and that has kept him in and out of mental hospitals for over half his life. I do not want to write him off, particularly since I also minister to his parents, but I have no wisdom for the situation. I must remember that I am not my own, I belong to God, paid for by the blood of Jesus, (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) and accordingly be totally sensitive and obedient to Him, allowing His authority to flow through me. Deliverance is no problem if I will walk in that fully.

Father, I feel like I have known these things already, yet I have not walked in them fully. Thank You for continuing to take me deeper and closer to You. May I speak, act, and live as Your agent, in this and every area, so that You may be glorified and Your will be done as Your authority, Your Spirit, Your life flows through me. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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May 8, 2012

Posted on May 11, 2012 by jgarrott

John 7:31 Still, many in the crowd put their faith in him. They said, “When the Christ comes, will he do more miraculous signs than this man?”

Miracles have a purpose, and that is to confirm the Gospel. (Mark 16:20) The religious leaders were so caught up in their theology that they couldn’t recognize the Son of God, but the “uneducated” populace didn’t have such a problem. However, that’s a double-edged sword, because there are demonic “signs and wonders” as well. The Bible is certainly the ultimate physical authority at this point, but we must not throw the baby out with the bath water. Heidi Baker and others have had massively effective ministries among people who couldn’t care less about millenial theories and the like. As I wrote in a paper for Systematic Theology way back in my seminary days, the whole Cessationist position is a mind game to excuse the absence of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in churches today. It doesn’t take much spiritual sensitivity to be aware that we are in the Last Days. I and many others believe God wants to use all of the things Jesus did in His ministry, and more, (John 14:12) to bring in a massive harvest of souls in these last days.

Having written that, I have to confess a paucity of signs and wonders in my own ministry. It’s not that there haven’t been any, but rather that there haven’t been very many. I don’t feel I’m to run around focusing on such things, and especially not trying to “work them up,” (as if I could!) but I need to have an active expectation of God doing things through me that are completely beyond my ability, for the specific purpose of demonstrating His reality to people so that they may believe and be saved. That’s not going to happen if I am focused on the material, on the problems rather than on Christ who is the solution. It all boils down to intimacy with and availability to Him. I am not to seek signs and wonders per se, but rather God’s kingdom and His righteousness, and leave everything else in His hands.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the many times I have had of seeing You do things, hearing You say things, through me that I knew didn’t originate in me. Help me be so in tune with You that You are free to do through me whatever You would like, drawing people into Your kingdom for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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May 7, 2012

Posted on May 6, 2012 by jgarrott

John 6:68-69 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

Peter knew whom he believed, (2 Timothy 1:12) and he knew what He alone could give. (John 4:10) That is exactly the position every Christian should be in. However, it’s important to note that it was after this that Peter denied three times that he knew Jesus, from a strictly material impulse to save his own skin. Being in a good place spiritually doesn’t mean we can coast! It is important to be reminded, even to remind ourselves, of the central truths of life in Christ. The list is very long of “theologians” who have completely abandoned saving faith in their pursuit of esoteric knowledge. We have to keep our foundations firm, or whatever superstructure we build will collapse. That is exactly the point of Jesus’ parable of the two men who built their houses, one on rock and the other on sand. (Matthew 7:24-27) In Luke’s record of that parable, he puts it right after Jesus’ rhetorical question, “Why do you call me, `Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46) Failing to exercise the faith we have is a recipe for weakness, just as it is physically. Reciting creeds does no good if we are not living them out in our daily lives.

I can say with assurance that I know whom I have believed, but I can also say with equal assurance that I want to know Him better! I am still far from perfect in my obedience, and not just because I don’t always hear Him clearly. I desire that each member of this church press into God with all they are and have, but I’ve got to lead the way by example, especially in that area. I am not to duck the difficult issues, retreating into my comfort zone. Christ is my comfort zone! That is, He should be, but my flesh sometimes thinks otherwise. I read of those in India, China, Pakistan, and elsewhere who suffer horribly for their faith and yet live in joy and peace, sharing the Gospel in spite of it all, and I am humbled. I have never shed my blood for my faith, (Hebrews 12:4) and I must never walk in conceit.

Father, I am so prone to look at my insignificant problems and think they are huge, instead of looking at Christ and realizing just how insignificant my problems really are. Forgive me. Saturday was a good case in point, with an emotional roller coaster over entirely temporal issues. Help me give you thanks for Your many blessings without crashing down over the bumps in the road! I pray for Brother Piro, who has gone to minister to a friend who has been given just three more weeks to live. There’s a situation worthy of earnest prayer! Help me see all things from Your perspective, trusting You even when I don’t see how things will turn out (which is usually). May I trust and obey You enough to be Your co-laborer indeed, even as You had me say in the message yesterday, so that all of Your plans may be fulfilled, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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May 6, 2012

Posted on May 6, 2012 by jgarrott

John 6:44-45 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: `They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.”

Once again we have to deal with the mystery of God’s sovereignty and man’s free will. I think the key is in the second of these two verses. Isaiah said, “They will all be taught by God.” However, not everyone listens and learns! As a teacher myself, I know all too well that the attitude of the student makes as much if not more difference in how much they learn than their native ability. There are of course wide variations in teaching style and ability, but for any given teacher, one student might soak up the material like a sponge, while another might not learn hardly anything. I’m reminded of the many passages in Proverbs that contrast Wisdom and Folly. Listening to and learning from God, and consequently coming to Christ and receiving eternal life, ought to be a “no-brainer,” but a heartbreakingly large number of people don’t make that choice, though it is offered to them. We can’t blame God because “He didn’t draw me,” we can only repent of our stubbornness at the many times He gave us opportunities to respond.

This is a major issue for me, because the vast majority of people around me have not responded to God’s invitation. The devil is a consummate liar, and he has deceived so many! However, I’ve got to remember that the Holy Spirit in me in greater than the devil in every way, (1 John 4:4) and not give up extending the invitation. I am to pray earnestly and faithfully, participating with God in His work of salvation, allowing Him to speak His invitation through me, rather than trying to convince people by my logic or otherwise. I am to know that any rejection is not of me but of Him, and so not draw back, but rather keep pressing in. I need to lead the flock as we grow together in our understand of prayer, spiritual warfare, and what it means to be God’s co-laborers, (2 Corinthians 6:1) so that His name may be hallowed and His kingdom come as His will is done in and through us.

Father, You are indeed moving beautifully among us, and there are many distractions. Help us focus on You, choosing to listen and learn, so that we may be and do all that You desire and intend, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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May 5, 2012

Posted on May 6, 2012 by jgarrott

John 6:29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

I had not heard the term, “Easy Believism,” before about three years ago, but it certainly describes all too many churches. The problem has actually been around a long time. My seminary professor grandfather called it “Into bliss and out of blister.” It essentially means the idea that parroting a few words, saying you believe in Jesus, gets you into heaven and out of hell, with no attention paid to how you live from that point. That actually caused the great divide between Arminius and Calvin, but there are plenty of churches with that problem from both of those church traditions. I believe in eternal security, but I also believe that saving faith produces fruit. Jesus was very firm on both sides of that issue. Salvation by works was never His doctrine, but He was very clear that calling Him Lord without walking in obedience is meaningless. (Luke 6:46) As James stresses throughout his letter, it’s not a division between faith and works, it’s that true faith works.

I grew up with pretty clear teaching on this subject, and now I’m charged with teaching others about it. I don’t want to put unnecessary barriers in the way of anyone coming to Christ, but neither do I want to let people think that faith is passive. The Lord is continuing to teach us about faith and trusting Him, and I need to be in the forefront of that. People need to be challenged, but they don’t need to be driven by the pastor. Finding the right balance there can be difficult! I need to put feet to my own prayers, without thinking or feeling that I’ve got to generate answers, and that’s the attitude I need to teach the believers as well. “Rest, relax, rejoice,” doesn’t mean “Be lazy!”

Father, You are pouring blessings out on us, and we need to be faithful with them. As is frequently true, at this point I’m not sure exactly how I need to grow, but I am aware that I have that need. Help me be sensitive and obedient as You open doors, open my mind, and open my heart, so that I may be Your agent indeed, for Your will to be accomplished on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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May 4, 2012

Posted on May 4, 2012 by jgarrott

John 5:19-20 Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does.”

Several things speak to me from this. The first is, if you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus. Jesus said that even more explicitly to his closest disciples in the Upper Room, when they asked Him to show them the Father. (John 14:8-9) God knew full well that without such a concrete example, humanity would get caught in a philosophical swamp and never get out. Indeed, human philosophy apart from Christ has exactly that effect even today. It’s not that philosophy itself is bad, it’s that without Christ it has no bedrock, nothing really to stand on, because it defines things by mankind, and any truly objective analysis will show the foolishness of that. The second thing I get from this passage is that Jesus did what He did because He was watching the Father all the time. Our behavior is very different when we are watching God than when we are not! There is no substitute for having the eyes of our hearts turned to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Hebrews 12:2) The third thing I get is that because of His love for Jesus, the Father showed Him what He was doing so He could participate. This is striking, because Jesus tells us that the Father loves us in essentially the same way. (John 16:27) We cannot know all that God is doing because He is infinite and we are not, but He will show us as much as we need to see in order to participate in it. It is part of the mystery of faith that the Creator of the universe allows us to take part in what He is doing, and not just be pawns on a chess board. That’s why prayer is both amazing and vital, because it is an integral part of our participation with God in His work in the world.

I feel like I am being lifted higher and higher, and my problem is in how to bring the flock along with me. As God shows me these things, the big question is how I am going to follow through in obedience. Last night I was shown that I am to speak on prayer this Sun­day, and now I know much better why. That’s why He didn’t let me complete the notes last night! This is extremely big and extremely important, and I know I have no wisdom or vocabulary to communicate it properly on my own, so I’ve got to operate in humble obedience, both in completing my notes and especially in delivering the message. I need to let Him show me how much to share, and how, so that His Spirit may work it into my hearers just as He is working it into me.

Father, thank You for Your truly amazing grace! Thank You for loving us enough to show us what You are doing, in order to let us participate. I ask You to improve my spiritual eyesight and hearing so that I won’t miss any of what You show me, but be a useful co-laborer with You, for Your glory. (2 Corinthians 6:1) Thank You. Hallelujah!

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May 3, 2012

Posted on May 4, 2012 by jgarrott

John 4:10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

Reading this verse this morning I have a strong echo of James 4:2, “You do not have because you do not ask God.” Jesus famously said, “Ask, and it will be given to you.” (Matthew 7:7) There are many reasons people don’t ask, and Jesus is here pointing out that a major one is ignorance of God and what He can and will provide. We take prayer so lightly because we don’t really grasp that we are praying to the Creator of the universe, the One who spoke everything into being and who cares for us enough to send His Son to die for us. We have very little grasp of what He can and will give us, if we will only ask. What we do ask is very often distorted by wrong motives, as James pointed out. (James 4:3) When we pray such prayers, God as a good Father does not grant them, and we get the idea that prayer isn’t much use. However, God delights to give His children good things, as any father does, so we need to approach Him as obedient children. The more we learn of Him, the more we will pray, and the freer our prayers will become. God isn’t much interested in stiff, formal prayers, or rote prayers that have no heart behind them. Many people rattle off the Lord’s Prayer with no thought at all as to what it really means, and the results are no more than you would expect. An awareness of the character of the One to whom we pray makes all the difference.

I was greatly blessed to grow up in a home where prayer was as natural as breathing, and understood to be as important. I didn’t see my parents spending so much time in prayer, but I knew they did it, in daily devotions and otherwise. Growing into such a lifestyle of prayer has taken me all my life to this point, and I’m not through yet! I often forget that other believers, even, don’t have the same background in prayer that I do, and I presume too much. I need to make full use of the opportunities God gives me to teach others what I know of prayer, even as I keep learning myself. I am still amazed that infinite, omnipotent God is moved by our prayers, and I need to communicate that joyful wonder to as many as possible.

Father, thank You for prayer meeting last night. Thank You for guiding my prayers so that one of those present was strongly impacted and given more understanding of what it is to pray in faith. Thank You for the gift of faith. I ask You to continue to grow us into a praying body that grasps who You are and what it is to participate through prayer in what You are doing. Help us be aggressive in our prayers, tearing down the strongholds of the enemy in individuals and in society (2 Corinthians 10:4) so that multitudes may be set free to enter Your kingdom, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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May 2, 2012

Posted on May 4, 2012 by jgarrott

John 3:36 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”

Because Greek doesn’t use quotation marks, we don’t know if this statement was made by John the Baptist, as the NIV has it, or by John the Apostle, as the Japanese has it. Either way, it is certainly a statement God caused to be included in the Bible, and it leaves no wiggle room. It is in perfect agreement with Jesus’ famous statement in John 14:6. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” If that weren’t true, it would be incredible conceit! Most Japanese, and now many Americans, consider all religions more or less equal, and say that they “go to the same place.” The Bible will have none of that! People who hold to a genuinely Biblical world view are called narrow, bigoted, and worse, but Jesus also said, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14) It’s not that God wants people to be destroyed, it’s that He’s holy, and cannot compromise with sin. I like how the Japanese says, in today’s verse, “Those who will not listen to and obey the Son will not see life.” Salvation is all about obedience, not just repeating a formula. If we are to receive the eternal life God has for us, we have to submit all of our lives to Him.

My life is dedicated to communicating this truth, and I run into all sorts of roadblocks and excuses. Japanese are most likely to fail to understand the need for salvation in the first place, and Americans are most likely to think that if they say the right words, it doesn’t matter how they live. Neither attitude leads to life, as today’s verse makes very clear. I cannot force this truth into anyone’s heart and mind, but I can be available to the Holy Spirit to speak that truth in love so that people may be brought to repentance and true faith. I am not to give up on anyone, though I am tempted at times! I am to remember God’s incredible patience toward me, and exercise that same patience toward others. However, that doesn’t mean I should fail to speak the truth to them, to make the necessity of salvation through Christ very clear. Such failure would certainly not be love! I must be willing to risk their rejecting me for the chance that they might stop rejecting Christ.

Father, I keep coming back to the sometimes painful reality that I can’t do this in my own strength and wisdom. There are some people I want as brothers or sisters in Christ, to have them with me in heaven, so badly I can taste it, yet I cannot bring it to pass. Help me release them and myself into Your hands, so that I won’t get in the way of Your work in their hearts. I do pray Your grace and mercy on them, on us all. My Your name be hallowed and Your kingdom come as Your will is done, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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May 1, 2012

Posted on May 1, 2012 by jgarrott

John 3:19 “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.”

I deal with some people who are not Christians out of simple ignorance or because, hearing the Gospel, it simply seems too good to be true and they dismiss it. However, there are others, far more than it might seem on the surface, who indeed grasp the general framework of the Gospel but decline to receive it, precisely as Jesus says here. Repentance is a huge wall for those who haven’t done it, but once done, in retrospect it looks almost insignificant compared to the magnificence of God’s grace and love. There are two factors blocking repentance. One is a love of evil deeds, and the other is pride. We hate to admit we were wrong, and that is the very foundation of repentance. Men in particular tend to be this way, as in the classical example of a man driving around for hours rather than admitting he’s lost, but women can be this way too. The problem is, unless we’re lined up with God, we’re wrong by definition. When Jesus began His ministry He started by echoing John the Baptist: “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news.” (Mark 1:15) The commitment to believe involves repenting of unbelief, because as Jesus said in the verse before this one, unbelief brings condemnation.

This is intensely personal for me, because there are so many whom I want to see saved, who seem so stubborn in their unbelief. It breaks my heart. I need to remember that it breaks God’s heart far more, because He literally loves each of them enough to send His Son to die for them. There is even one who comes to church regularly, but loves his pet sin too much to be willing to let go of it to receive life. I have no wisdom or strength to get through to these people, so I need to keep praying for them and allowing God’s love to flow through me to them. The man I will see tonight is a particular case in point. Pride is his prison, and he doesn’t even see that the door is already open. It is the Holy Spirit who convicts of sin, righteousness and judgment, (John 16:8-11) so I need to be fully available for however He wants to use me in bringing this man to repentance and faith. That actually is true of everyone to whom I minister, so humble, trusting obedience must be my constant attitude.

Father, I do pray for those to whom You allow me to minister. I cannot save them, as much as I would like to, but You have already done the hard part, providing salvation through Your Son. I ask You to pour Your grace out on me and those whom You have given me to love, that they may be brought out of their various prisons and into Your light and life, in the liberty of the Spirit, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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