March 11, 2012

Posted on March 11, 2012 by jgarrott

Matthew 16:24-25 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.”

Nickie Gumble makes an excellent point in the Alpha Course videos when he points out that when Jesus said this, a cross was purely and simply a device for execution. Carrying a cross would have been like carrying a noose around. This was certainly not a fashion statement! Jesus was saying in the clearest terms that following Him meant leaving everything else behind, even your own life. That’s not a popular message even today! Actually, the richer we get, the harder it becomes to leave it all behind. This is not to say that anyone who has material wealth isn’t following Jesus, but it is to say that anyone who is following Jesus isn’t owned by what they own. Far too many people are prisoners of their possessions. Material things are for use, and must never come ahead of following God in our priorities. Jesus actually talked about this issue fairly frequently, most famously in Matthew 6:19-20, where He said that our hearts will be with whatever we treasure. Jesus must be our greatest treasure! When that is the case, we will find life indeed, and treasure that those with a materialistic viewpoint can’t imagine.

This is the mindset I was raised to follow, but I can’t say I’ve been consistent in it. Too often I find myself valuing things over people, my comfort over sharing the Gospel. That benefits no one! I have plenty of room to grow in the area of considering it all rubbish for the sake of knowing Christ. (Philippians 3:8) As a pastor I need to be setting the example in every area of my life. Left to myself, I’ll never do that right! That’s why I need to be conscious and intentional in seeking God’s help and protection, pressing in to Him, striving to be aware of the choices I’m making so that I may make the right ones. I’m not to be nervous or anxious about this, because God has promised to do it in and through me, if I will allow Him to do so. (Philippians 2:13, Galatians 2:20) I can’t do it, but God is more than capable of doing it in and through me.

Father, thank You for this reminder, not just that I can’t do it on my own but that You will do it in and through me. May I lead all the believers in discarding everything else so that together we may gain all that You have for us in Christ, drawing many with us into Your kingdom, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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March 10, 2012

Posted on March 10, 2012 by jgarrott

Matthew 15:33 His disciples answered, “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?”

It is rather comforting to me that the 12 disciples were so slow to learn, because that means there’s hope for me! It seems to have been a matter of weeks at most since Jesus had fed an even larger crowd from even less, but the disciples were still thinking in “practical” terms. Practical thinking isn’t bad, and generally it’s quite desirable, but it becomes a problem when it denies room for faith. Actually, it can be difficult to keep the right balance of being level-headed while trusting an infinite God. We tend either to imagine God is going to rubber stamp whatever we dream up, or deny that God can work far beyond what we could imagine in our own strength and ability. God does not honor presumption, but He desires and honors faith. We have trouble telling the difference sometimes! We need to be humble in asking God what He wants to do, but when He makes that clear to us, we need to have full assurance that it is going to happen. However, even then we need to give Him permission to do it His way, rather than insist He do it our way. Faith can seem simple, even simplistic, on the surface, but there is actually such depth to it that we do not grasp it all for as long as we inhabit these bodies.

I am at times amazed, or at least disappointed, at my own lack of faith. As many years as I’ve walked with the Lord, as much as I’ve seen Him do in my own life and in those around me, I still get anxious at times. I still try to figure out just how He is going to do what He has promised, and I get worked up over timing. Sometimes I wonder how I can encourage others in faith when my own seems so weak! However, even here God’s grace is sufficient, and as Paul discovered, when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10) I am not to be satisfied with my current level of faith, but neither am I to berate myself, much less despair. God is able to use even such a one as I am for His glory. That is perhaps the greatest miracle!

Father, thank You again for Your grace. Help me trust You without being presumptuous or irresponsible, being firm in faith without being pie-in-the-sky. Help me deal with the sometimes harsh realities of life without losing the awareness and conviction that You are above and greater than it all. And help me give You thanks and praise for it all, even before I see Your answers. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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March 9, 2012

Posted on March 10, 2012 by jgarrott

Matthew 14:16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

There is no question that this statement by Jesus was a major shock to the disciples, because they knew full well they didn’t have enough food for 10,000 people. However, Jesus said this knowing that He would supply the resources for what He was telling His disciples to do; they just had to submit what they did have to Him. He does that today as well, and the responses are all over the map. Some people refuse to acknowledge what He’s telling them to do, because they know they don’t have the resources in themselves, and they have no vision to trust Him for the supply. Some people recognize the need, but likewise failing to trust God, they just sit around bemoaning the need. Other people recognize the need and recognize that God is more than able to supply, but they fail to submit and commit what is in their hands, because they don’t trust that God is more than able to meet their needs as well as the external need. And then there are those who recognize the need and that God’s telling them to meet it, and commit everything they have and are to the task in obedience to God. They are the people who see miracles!

I know this and can write about it, but how well do I follow through myself? I’ve seen God’s provision time and time and time again, yet I still have a tendency to hold back, particularly in the areas of my time and energy. I’ve been through financial pinches so many times that I pretty well take them in stride, knowing that God will supply at the right time in the right way, even if I have trouble imagining what those are. Such pinches do raise my stress level, though, proving that my faith still has plenty of room to grow! Where I am currently under training is in meeting spiritual and emotional needs in others. I certainly can’t meet those needs in my own strength and wisdom, but if I will offer myself for the task, God will meet those needs through me. Often I don’t see, much less understand, how my words and actions are meeting those needs, but I see the results down the line, and I can only give God thanks and praise. I am never to act in conceit or presumption, but I am to act in the assurance that God will use me for blessing, for His glory.

Father, thank You for all You are doing here. Thank You that the paperwork for transferring the title of the building from me to the church finally went through yesterday. Thank You for the necessary courage and persistence for that. Thank You for how You are working in individual hearts and lives, for the healing, deliverance, and growth that are being manifested. I pray that I would not hold back anything in any way, but be totally available to You for however You want to use me, so that Your name may be hallowed as Your kingdom comes and Your will is done, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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March 8, 2012

Posted on March 8, 2012 by jgarrott

Matthew 13:11-12 He replied, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.”

From a strictly human standpoint, this seems grossly unfair. However, God knows what each person will do with what they have been given, and that changes everything. God’s gifts are not to be put on a shelf as trophies, they are to be used in obedience to Him to advance His kingdom and give Him glory. This should cause every believer to examine themselves to see what they are doing with the knowledge of God that they have been given. If they are tending to hypocritical self-righteousness, then they really haven’t appropriated that knowledge and it will be taken from them. If they are recognizing their own weakness and delighting in God’s grace, then they are ready to be given more and more understanding of God. The more we do know God the more we will know Him, but the more we think we know enough of God, the less we will really know Him. As Paul recognized, the Christian life is not one of having arrived, it is one of pressing in for more of God. (Philippians 3:13-14)

This is of course as relevant to me as it is to every believer. Since pastors are in the position of teaching others, there is always the risk of thinking we’ve arrived, that we don’t need to keep pressing in for more of God. This is perhaps what happened to Solomon, and his early wisdom was replaced with foolishness. Many high profile leaders through the years have been felled by just such deception. Anyone who knows anything of God should always be pressing in to know more, because we can never know everything of Him. After all, He’s infinite, and we’re finite. That doesn’t mean I’m not to have assurance of the things I do know, and teach them accordingly, but it is to say that I must do so with humility, recognizing that I’m teaching partial truth. As Paul said in the famous Love Chapter, “Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12) I need both humility and assurance, and above all gratitude, as I seek to lead others to press in with me for more of God.

Father, thank You for Your grace. May I never take it for granted, foolishly thinking I have earned it. Help me feed the sheep as they need and as You intend, not failing to take in Your Word myself, so that together we may grow as You desire, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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March 7, 2012

Posted on March 8, 2012 by jgarrott

Matthew 12:34-35 “For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.”

his relates directly to the famous computer acronym, coined, I believe, by the legendary Grace Hopper: GIGO – Garbage In, Garbage Out. If you don’t give a computer accurate data, it isn’t going to give you accurate results. Likewise, it relates to the saying that “You are what you eat.” That saying is perfectly accurate on some levels and total nonsense on others, but Jesus’ statement is perfectly true: you express what is in you. That’s why the words of the Psalmist are so important: “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11) To go back to the computer analogy, we change the output by changing the input. That’s why regular Bible reading and church attendance are so important. The world and the devil are constantly trying to pour junk into us, and the only practical, effective way to counter that is to fill ourselves with good stuff. Of course that includes being filled with the Holy Spirit, but we have to give Him plenty of material to work with, and that means taking in the Word of God on a regular, consistent basis. Someone was trying to claim that if you couldn’t remember what the sermon was about a couple of days after going to church, then you might as well not have gone to church in the first place. The appropriate counter to that is that not being able to remember what you had for a given meal a few days ago doesn’t mean you didn’t need to eat it in the first place! We need to fill our minds and thoughts, and consequently our hearts, with good stuff. This is what Paul was talking about in Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.” Nothing fits Paul’s description better than the Word of God!

I have the incredible blessing of having been steeped in the Bible from infancy, but there’s a difference between taking in the Word as knowledge and really digesting it and making it part of you. Over the years I have struggled with following through on the truth I have known. For that matter, I still have problems there! However, God is faithful, and He continues to guide and correct me. As a pastor, I have the difficulty of trying to encourage the believers to fill themselves with the Word without coming across as conceited and “holier than thou.” They haven’t had my advantage of growing up steeped in the Bible, so I’m not to put them down for where and how they are at the moment. However, I’m not to imply that they don’t need to keep taking in the Word and growing spiritually.

Father, thank You for Your amazing grace toward me. Help me be a good steward of all You have placed in me. Thank You for the privilege of blessing the people at the graduation party last night, and for the good response I had from several of them. I pray that the words You spoke through me would remain in them and bear rich fruit. May I not be stingy with what You have entrusted to me, but may I not overwhelm people either, rather feeding them the appropriate food at the appropriate time, so that they may grow as You intend, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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March 6, 2012

Posted on March 8, 2012 by jgarrott

Matthew 11:27 “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

This is a huge claim on the part of Jesus, and as such it is extremely important. It makes it clear that prayer is an essential part of evangelism, because we can talk until we’re blue in the face, but people won’t know God until Christ reveals Him to them. Accordingly, we need to pray that Christ would indeed do that by His Holy Spirit. The other side of that is that we do need to be available as His instruments, proclaiming the Gospel so that the Holy Spirit may use the words that come from our mouths in convicting and convincing people of God and their need for Him. It is something of a truism, but God indeed doesn’t need our ability, but just our availability. Everything He gives us is for the advancement of His kingdom and for His glory, however much it blesses us in the process. We need to remember the first part of this verse, which is echoed in the first part of the Great Commission. (Matthew 28:18-20) Jesus really is Lord, and the only way to the Father, and to eternal life, is to acknowledge that. (John 14:6)

Again, I have had the incredible privilege of being raised in a home that acknowledged the Lordship of Jesus in every area. However, I still have room to grow in applying that Lordship to all the details of my life. I need to apply the truth I have just written and be faithful in prayer for the salvation of those I encounter. I am to be active in sharing the Gospel, but not think for a moment that I can persuade anyone to receive it, unless the Holy Spirit does that work in their heart. As a pastor, I need to teach and train the believers in prayerful evangelism, not being limited by their self-perception but rather emboldened by their perception of God. Our most recent baptisms should be a good object lesson in that, because they are people whose own son had essentially given up on, but now they are beautifully saved. I need to help the believers understand that God does the saving but they are part of the process, so that they will rejoice to be available both to pray and to witness, for the salvation of many.

Father, we need to keep growing! We need to grow spiritually, in our understanding of and obedience to You, so that we will be prepared to receive, nurture, and disciple those You want to bring into Your kingdom through this church. May we not hobble our own faith and obedience by continually looking at our own weaknesses and difficulties, but rather lift our eyes to Christ and expect great things of You, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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March 5, 2012

Posted on March 5, 2012 by jgarrott

Matthew 10:40 “He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me.”

Cathy and I can’t get away from this verse, because we have been received so graciously by so many people in the 30 years we have lived in Omura, yet so few of those have made an open commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord. That puts us in the position of having to leave the question of anyone’s salvation up to God, and not to try to figure it all out ourselves. That’s not really a bad situation to be in!

We do not know what goes on in people’s hearts, but God does, and we need to let that be enough. We are to keep striving to make disciples, but not cut people off because they don’t meet our standards. God is more than able to work in people’s hearts and lives, and we are simply to strive to stay available to Him as tools. When the Bible says repeatedly, “They that call on the name of the Lord shall be saved,” (Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13, quoting Joel 2:32) we are to give people as much opportunity as possible to know His name, so that in the hour of need they may call on Him. God is certainly far greater than we are, and that’s a very good thing. We cannot save anyone on our own, but He is more than able to use us to save many.

Father, I believe You have many in this city who are not currently identified as Christians, but who have received Your Word at some point in the past. I ask for a massive harvest of those “hidden Christians,” overflowing every church in this city and starting new ones to boot, rising up as a mighty army for You, for the salvation of the whole nation, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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March 4, 2012

Posted on March 5, 2012 by jgarrott

Matthew 10:19-20 “But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”

It is worth noting that this is specifically plural. Jesus wasn’t just talking to one person, or even just to the 12; He was talking to every believer, every disciple down through the ages. This doesn’t mean that we aren’t to immerse ourselves in Scripture, much less that sermons aren’t to be prepared before they are delivered. However, it does mean that we aren’t to rely on tricks of oratory, manipulating people through psychology. That is possible, and sadly, there are those who do it in the name of Christianity, though I would be slow to say they do it in the name of the Lord. It does mean that God can and will take human vessels and deliver His Word through them, if they are yielded to Him.

I don’t expect to be hauled before any court of law for my faith, though there are those to whom that is happening all the time in Islamic countries. However, I am often “on trial,” so to speak, because being a Christian is part of my public and private identity. People often say things to me that are in effect challenges, and I need to be available to God to let Him speak to those through me. Actually, this happens within the church as well as outside of it, because my job as a pastor is not only to protect the flock but also to stretch their understanding and lead them into more knowledge of God and commitment to Him. When that disturbs the status quo, when it draws people out of their comfort zones, sometimes they react against me rather than recognizing their need to grow. I am not to fear that, but love them enough to allow the Holy Spirit to speak through me to them. Every time I get into the pulpit I acknowledge that my words alone will benefit no one, and I ask God to speak through me. That must never degenerate into an insincere formula, but must always be the honest attitude of my heart. Only then will God’s Word through me accomplish His will in the hearts and lives of those who hear.

Father, thank You for this reminder. You’ve given me a strong Word for this morning, but a joyful one for all who will accept it. I pray that Your Spirit would work in the heart of each person who is to hear this message, either this morning or later electronically, so that they may receive Your truth and allow it to set them free from the traps of the enemy. May we be a people who delight You because we delight in You, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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March 3, 2012

Posted on March 5, 2012 by jgarrott

Matthew 10:7-8 “As you go, preach this message: `The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.”

This is one of those rare passages where I prefer the NIV to the Japanese, because of the phrase, “as you go.” If we think we have to get to some sort of destination before we can proclaim the Gospel, we will never proclaim it. Likewise, if we think we have to get to some sort of destination before we serve the Lord, we will never serve Him. As so many have pointed out, life itself is a journey. The destination, either heaven or hell, is of course extremely important, but all of our life on earth is before we get there. We do pass various milestones in the process, such as birthdays and special events, but they are transit points and not destinations. The point is, we are to be proclaiming God’s Word and working His works all along the way. Graduating from seminary doesn’t suddenly make someone a good servant of God; they need to have a heart to serve Him before they even enter seminary. Many people want to be “fully prepared” before they do anything. The thing is, they’ll never be fully prepared! God calls and sends us to do things that are beyond our ability. If that weren’t the case, we could do them on our own without His calling. We are to be obedient to Him precisely because we know that if He doesn’t do it through us, it’s not going to happen. If we could run around healing the sick, raising the dead, and casting out demons on our own, what would God have to do with it? We are to be obedient to Him, allowing Him to use us far beyond our ability, as we go and not just after we have reached some particular place of training or maturity. The only thing Jesus told His disciples to wait for was the Holy Spirit. (Luke 24:49) From that point on we are to go and grow, for His glory.

Japanese society is very aware of qualifications and titles, and it can be very difficult to get people to attempt things for which they feel they aren’t qualified. That accentuates the tendency seen in churches in many countries to let the vast majority of the work devolve onto just a few “qualified” people. On top of that, the vast majority of Japanese churches are quite small, so it can easily lead to burnout of those “qualified” people. There are indeed gifts and skills that need to be recognized and nurtured, but everyone has opportunities for communicating the love and grace of God. My job is to help them recognize those opportunities and take advantage of them, giving them tools, yes, but more than that, helping them open their eyes, minds and hearts to allow God to work in and through them.

Father, You know better than I do that this is an issue I have struggled with as long as I’ve been in ministry. I do ask for an outpouring of Your Spirit on this church, so that each member will rejoice to allow You to work in and through them, tearing down the strongholds of the enemy and setting many captives free, for the salvation of this city and this nation, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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March 2, 2012

Posted on March 2, 2012 by jgarrott

Matthew 9:8 When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to men.

When we read this story we tend to think that the authority the people were so in awe of was that of healing the paralytic. However, Jesus Himself specifically said that the healing was simply to demonstrate that He had authority to forgive sins. That is the greater authority, because it has eternal impact. With this and other healings fresh on their minds, Jesus sent out his 12 disciples shortly after this, conferring on them the authority He had been exercising. That might be taken as a one-shot thing, except that after His resurrection, Jesus explicitly renewed authority to forgive on His true disciples. (John 20:23) That’s awesome authority! People today often seek healing gifts, but they pay little attention to the greater gift of forgiveness. We aren’t to run around excusing sins, and particularly not our own, but especially when people demonstrate faith, we have been given authority to forgive them. We aren’t going to do that unless we have a grasp of how we ourselves have been forgiven by God, but if that awareness is in place, then we can forgive others in God’s name. We must keep in mind that this isn’t excusing, giving them permission to keep sinning. Such a person doesn’t receive the forgiveness that is offered! However, if there is repentance, there is no limit to the forgiveness.

The whole issue of forgiveness continues to be very big on my radar. I need to seek to understand, appropriate, and communicate all the truths surrounding forgiveness more and more. Jesus telling us we are forgiven to the degree that we forgive is a very sobering thought. (Matthew 6:14-14) The better I am aware of how dependent I am on God’s forgiveness, the more forgiving of others I will be. I need to keep in my awareness that forgiveness is an authority conferred on me by God, and exercise that authority in full obedience to Him. Japanese often have trouble understanding forgiveness, but they do understand authority. At some point I need to do a full study and teaching on the authority that has been imparted to us as believers. That might open some eyes!

Father, I have battered my head against the Japanese lack of understanding of forgiveness for many years. Thank You for this fresh insight into the issue. I ask You to reveal it to my spirit and confirm it through Your Word, so that I may in turn impart it to the believers. May we walk in all that You intend for us, so that we may walk in none of the junk the enemy tries to mire us in, experiencing abiding in Christ through the infilling of the Holy Spirit, drawing many to salvation, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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