November 2, 2011

Posted on November 5, 2011 by jgarrott

Nehemiah 9:3 They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the LORD their God.

This whole chapter is a beautiful example of corporate worship. They weren’t making animal sacrifices, but they were sacrificing their comfort (standing all that time) and were focusing on the faithfulness of God and their own unworthiness. There are many kinds of worship, but the focus must be on God for it to be valid. God is not happy with man-centered “worship,” and doesn’t receive it. (Isaiah 1:11-13) I am reminded of what a Chinese pastor once said when he was asked his impression of churches he had visited in the US: “I am amazed at how much you can do without the Holy Spirit.” What a condemnation! We want people to feel welcome in our assemblies, but if our focus becomes creature comforts, the assemblies themselves lose all meaning. Not every service is to be dominated by confession of sin – we should be walking closer to the Lord than to need that – but every service needs to have a sharp focus on God, and how every good thing He pours out on us is by grace, and not something we deserve. It is right for God’s children to expect good things from Him, but we must not take them for granted, or overlook our failures.

My times of confession of sin are rarely in a corporate setting, but they are real. I am not to seek to humiliate anyone, but I am to help believers understand the importance of confessing their faith and confessing their sins. When confession becomes institutionalized, it tends to lose much of its meaning. That’s not to say that corporate recitations of the Apostle’s Creed, for example, are wrong, but frequent repetition tends to dull the impact. I remember the testimony of a formerly Lutheran pastor who talked about the bondage of confessing over and over again sins that had been forgiven and therefore blotted out. The reason for the Israelites in today’s passage confessing their ancestors’ sins was because they themselves were suffering the consequences of those sins, and they had added plenty of their own. I don’t know if Japanese are often, if ever, called on to confess and repent of the sins of their ancestors. That may be one source of bondage in the Church today. I need to address this subject in prayer before I address it from the pulpit, but we need to be released from all bondage, to be and do all that God intends.

Father, thank You for this Word this morning. Help me hear You clearly and speak only what You say, rather than spouting off what­ever my mind comes up with. Help me, help us all, walk in a clear awareness and appreciation of Your grace, so that we may be fully responsive and obedient to You at all times, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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November 1, 2011

Posted on November 5, 2011 by jgarrott

Ezra 1:6 All their neighbors assisted them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the freewill offerings.

God’s provision often comes through human channels. Sometimes He allows us to discover it, most often He gives us the ability to earn or produce it, but it’s not at all unusual for Him to use human agents to give it to us. When we start demanding that people give us stuff that we haven’t earned, that becomes a major problem, as is evident in many countries around the world today. That’s just a hair’s breadth away from stealing. Sadly, many people have a sense of entitlement that causes them to demand, and often enough cross the line to outright theft. For the Christian, that should be absolutely out of the question. However, as in the situation in today’s passage, just as it was when Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, sometimes God uses the people around us, even non-Christians, to provide for His people. I think the most important thing to get from this story is that God isn’t limited in how He provides. Often, we get so focused on one particular way in which we expect Him to provide that we fail to recognize His provision through another avenue. God wants our dependence to be on Him, and not on any particular channel of provision.

I am reminded of how God caused the head of one of the companies involved in building this building to propose a payment schedule, when we ran out of money because of cost overruns. I had been looking for “pennies from heaven,” so to speak, and God had something much more mundane, yet more faith-building, in mind. As a result, this building was paid off years ago without ever paying interest to a bank. Right now we are looking at purchasing the land on which the building stands, and at this point it appears that we will again be making payments directly, rather than going through any sort of financial institution. However, God is quite capable of moving people to give us things – land, finances, or whatever – if that is what would be best for us. I need to be a faithful steward of all God provides, however He provides it, and I need to be careful not to overlook His provision however He chooses to make it.

Father, You are indeed more than generous. Thank You that we will be able to submit our formal church registration today, which will grant the church tax-exempt status. Your provision there, of people, skills, and willingness, wasn’t anything I had planned. I pray that we would be alert to recognize Your guidance as well as Your provision in everything, following Your plans step by step, on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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October 31,2011

Posted on October 31, 2011 by jgarrott

2 Chronicles 1:7 That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”

This is a very famous story, of how God allowed Solomon to ask for anything, and since he asked for wisdom and knowledge to govern, God gave him that and wealth and riches and honor as well. However, sometimes we miss the simple, basic fact that God can give us anything at all. We generally give assent to the statement that God can do anything, but in practical terms we rarely act like we believe it. Songs about “My God can do Anything,” or “There’s Nothing that God Cannot Do” are generally considered children’s songs, because adults think they know better. That’s why Jesus said we must become like little children to enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:3) Children don’t know any better than to trust God! Adults have experienced countless disappointments, large and small, and in the process have learned to shrink their expectations. The problem is, they wind up shrinking God, or at least their perception of God. Children have no real grasp of the infinite, but then neither do adults. Solomon made a good request, but an even better one would have been the one his father made: “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10) David had to go through a hell of his own making to get to the point of that request, but God answered it, and it was worth more than all the intellect and wealth that Solomon received.

My faith, too, has been shrunk by experience, but God in His grace has countered that from time to time, lifting my eyes to really see Him. Real faith will always result in obedience, rather than in self-seeking. Like Solomon, I need to seek God for the sake of the people under my care, but even more, I must seek Him for who He is, because He is more than worthy of my total devotion. I must never think that He is unable to meet any need, or even that He is unwilling to do so, but at the same time I must trust that His plan is perfect, and He knows infinitely better than I do. Times of limited visible resources are good training in faith, because as George Muller and countless others have discovered, God is never limited to the visible!

Father, thank You for all that You are doing. Thank You for the testimony in the service yesterday that referenced Muller, Hudson Taylor, and another giant of faith. Help me lift my eyes to You to see not only what You want to do here but also the part You want me to play. Help me believe and trust You, not simply on a theoretical level but in moment-by-moment, practical reality. Help me rest, relax, and rejoice in You whatever is going on around me and however busy my body might be in the process. Teach me to desire and receive Your very best for me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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October 30, 2011

Posted on October 31, 2011 by jgarrott

1 Chronicles 29:14 “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.”

Any genuine believer gives with this attitude. This attitude would be expected of someone with the Motivational Gift of Giver, but this understanding should be universal among Christians. When we start thinking, I earned this, then we are out of sync with the way we should be giving to God. It is only when we understand, emotionally as well as intellectually, that God is the source of everything, that we are able to operate in the flow of God’s provision. “Prosperity Gospel” is a perversion, but even so it contains truth. It is indeed true that God delights to bless His people, and that you can’t out-give God. However, material wealth must never be a goal in itself, and some preachers seem to be teaching that we should try to bribe God. That misses the whole point of this verse! Gratitude and appreciation for God’s provision, and consequent holding of that provision lightly, is the way to go for real peace and happiness.

This is particularly important for me to remember in this financially tight season. I’m not to give what I don’t have, but I must remember that everything I do have comes from God and not be anxiously trying to hang onto it. God is more than able to provide all I need, and He has promised to do so if my focus is on Him. It is beautiful to me to have Cathy encouraging me to give at this point, when in the past she has struggled with this issue. Perhaps that’s why the Lord has allowed me to have more trouble with it this time around than usual! I need to operate fully in the understanding David had, and do all I can to impart that understanding to the believers as well.

Father, thank You for Your abundant provision. I remind others that we can’t even take a single breath without Your gracious provision, but sometimes I seem to forget it myself. Thank You for all You have planned for today. The schedule looks packed from my point of view, but every second is Your creation and I know, by faith and by experience, that You will fit everything together perfectly. Help me rest, relax, and rejoice in You throughout the day, Giving You the thanks, praise, worship and obedience You deserve, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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October 29, 2011

Posted on October 31, 2011 by jgarrott

1 Chronicles 28:20 David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the LORD is finished.

The Biblical record indicates that Solomon didn’t begin to stray from the Lord until after the temple was completed. The potential was certainly there, because he started accumulating wives early on, but as long as his focus was on doing the work God had assigned him, he stayed on track. Actually, his father David had a similar experience, because his great failure didn’t come until he had succeeded to the point of being able to assign most of his duties to others. This tendency is the origin of the English/American proverb “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.” When our focus is on doing work we know God wants us to do, we are unlikely to wander. Modern society seems focused on creating more and more leisure time, and for those on welfare, that approaches 100%. It doesn’t take much insight to see how that has worked out! Real satisfaction and fulfillment come from accepting a challenge from God that is big enough to require His help, and then seeing it through to completion. That indeed requires strength and courage, as David said to Solomon. However, failing to accept the challenges/commissions God gives us leaves us rootless and dissatisfied, prey to a multitude of temptations from the devil.

My own challenge, of reaching Omura to the point that it is restored to being the foremost Christian city in the nation, is obviously too big for anyone to accomplish apart from God. However, the very size of it has made it less than easy to maintain my focus. I can’t accomplish it on my own, but I need to be more active in seeking how God wants to use me in the process. Focus has been a problem for me most of my life. Part of that comes from the breadth of abilities the Lord has given me, but blaming that is a cop-out. The big issue is one of laying hold of the vision God has given and applying myself fully to see that fulfilled. Failing to do that, I fail to keep myself available for all that God wants to do through me.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the things that are happening in this church, from receiving legal authorization and registration to the spiritual growth of the believers. Help me gain momentum, rather than slacking off, as we reach milestones along the way that You have laid out for us. May I be strong and courageous indeed, not considering the distraction the devil throws at me but pressing forward to the goals that You set before us, so that Your Name may be hallowed and Your kingdom come as Your will is done, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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October 28, 2011

Posted on October 30, 2011 by jgarrott

1 Chronicles 25:1 David, together with the commanders of the army, set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun for the ministry of prophesying, accompanied by harps, lyres and cymbals.

Two things jump out at me from this verse. The first is that praise and worship were considered matters of national security. Why else would the generals have been involved? The idea of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the US being actively involved in choosing people to lead worship for the President and Congress is mind boggling! However, this concept bore fruit again many years later when David’s descendant Jehoshaphat experienced a mighty victory on the basis of singers leading the army into battle. (2 Chronicles 20:1-30) We have too little understanding of spiritual warfare today, even in the Church. Anointed praise and worship is powerful indeed, tearing down strongholds not just in people’s hearts but in the world system itself. The second thing that strikes me is that these people were considered prophets. There is a long history in the OT of music being involved in prophecy, but a lot of people read the Bible and never see it. David is widely recognized as a musician, with half the Book of Psalms being his compositions (though we don’t have the tunes, since they didn’t have a system of musical notation). However, many of those psalms are clearly prophetic, and are even quoted in the NT as such. The reason the devil targets musicians so strongly is because he knows how powerful they can be against him. Music is a gift to mankind, to gladden and comfort hearts and draw them to God, but it has been greatly debased in almost every culture, and nowhere more than in supposedly “advanced” nations. The Church needs to rise up and reclaim music for what it is: a powerful tool to bless the people of God and advance the kingdom of God.

I should know this, having grown up in a musical family of faith, but there wasn’t much understanding of spiritual warfare and prophecy, so it has taken a long time for me to grasp this. The Lord has told me in the past that praise and worship were to be major weapons in our arsenal, but my understanding was shallow even so, and I haven’t followed through as I should have. It’s never too late! I need to train, not just teach, the believers to make effective use of music for the express purpose of spiritual warfare. I need to make better use of it myself! God has gifted several people in this church musically, and I need to encourage them and pray for their protection, because they are certainly under attack. I need to keep my focus clear as to what and how we are to be doing in advancing God’s kingdom right here, so that all His plans may be fulfilled on His schedule for His glory.

Father, thank You for this clear Word this morning. It was quite unexpected! Thank You for all the good work Cathy has been putting into compiling a fresh Christmas songbook. Guide in all the practical details of its physical form, but more than that, guide as we use it, so that hearts may be touched and Your Gospel proclaimed. May we not dread or resent the busyness of the next two months, but rather make full, effective use of the opportunities this time presents, drawing many into Your kingdom for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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October 27, 2011

Posted on October 28, 2011 by jgarrott

1 Kings 17:15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family.

God’s provision is sure. The reason we don’t recognize that is that we often have distorted goals and desires. James expressed it as wanting to use God’s provision for our own lusts. (James 4:3) Jesus was a bit more broad, saying that a focus on anything other than God’s kingdom and His righteousness might miss God’s supply. (Matthew 6:33) If Elijah and the widow had been focused on wanting fancy food, they wouldn’t have been in a position to receive God’s provision of whole-grain bread to keep them alive through the famine. Likewise, if the woman hadn’t been willing to use what she thought was her last bit of flour to feed Elijah, there again they wouldn’t have seen God’s provision. The problem is never God’s provision, but rather our perception. Eyes of faith will see it, but eyes without faith may very well not. God isn’t stingy, even with unfaithful people, but they end up with plenty of anxiety along with their provisions. Focusing on God in obedient trust is unquestionably the path to peace and blessing.

This is very timely, when this is a financially tight time of year. If I am focused on what I think I have and what I think I need, anxiety will be the order of the day. If I am focused on God and what He wants, then peace and joy will be the order of the day. There are those in the church in tighter financial straits than I am by a long shot. I cannot be effective in pointing them to Christ if I’m not walking in trust myself. If my focus is on what I’m going to need next week, again I will be anxious. That’s not to say I’m not to plan, but it is to say I’m to walk in trust. Jesus didn’t tell us to pray, “Give us today what we need for next week,” He said, “Give us today what we need for today.” (Matthew 6:11) We are very adept at swallowing the devil’s “what if” bait, which gets us hooked on anxiety. I need to lead the way for the believers in trusting God’s provision through a wholehearted commitment to obedience to Him.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the countless times You have proven Yourself faithful. Thank You for the abundant provision You have poured out over the years. Thank You for the many things You are doing in this church right now. Help us walk in full assurance that where You guide, You provide, so that we won’t draw back from anything You have for us to receive, to do, to be, so that Your plans may be fulfilled in and through us on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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October 26, 2011

Posted on October 28, 2011 by jgarrott

1 Kings 8:58 “May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep the commands, decrees and regulations he gave our fathers.”

There are times when the office transcends the person, and for Solomon, this was one of them. Though he personally violated the laws of Moses later in life, his words as the anointed king, son of David, were true as he dedicated the temple. The truth in this verse is that only God can keep us obedient to Him. Our will must be involved, but there is no way in our human weakness that we can perfectly follow and obey God, unless He does it in and through us. As Solomon pointed out just before he said this, God’s promises are absolutely true and faithful. However, we are not, which is why we must learn to cast ourselves on God’s grace and walk in it, rather than thinking we can go it alone even for a moment. That lesson has a hard time penetrating our stubborn hearts, but God is patient, merciful, and faithful, so we are never to give up hope.

I am in the middle of an intensive lesson in this at this very moment. As much as I teach others about trusting God in every area of life, I allow financial and other pressures to weigh me down. I have just preached on maintaining an attitude of gratitude, yet I have allowed my heart to descend into a turmoil of dissatisfaction. I need to listen to my own sermons and put them into practice! This is also a lesson to me that I must be patient, gentle, and firm with the believers in their struggles. We are together dependent on the grace of God, and I must never forget that. God’s smart and I’m not, God’s faithful and I’m not, but His grace is all I need.

Father, thank You for Your grace indeed. Thank You for allowing this spiritual/emotional attack to teach me further how dependent I am on You. Help me be consistent in wearing all of the armor You provide, as well as in advancing against the enemy, because that armor isn’t for my back! Help me walk always in Your truth, not just as intellectual assent but in obedient practice. Help me receive and walk in Your righteousness, provided in Christ Jesus my Lord. Help me walk firmly and securely with my feet shod with Your good news of peace, not allowing anything to rob me of that. Help me accept the faith You provide, exercising it effectively against everything the devil lets fly against me. Help me take Your salvation on my head, as a sign of submission to Christ Jesus my Lord and to protect me against the mental onslaughts of the liar. Help me not just admire and treasure the sword of the Spirit, Your Word, but wield it effectively to cut through every snare and bondage of the enemy, setting captives free and walking in freedom myself. And help me pray in Your Spirit at all times and in every area, because only Your Spirit knows how I need to pray. Thank You. Praise God!

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October 25, 2011

Posted on October 28, 2011 by jgarrott

1 Kings 4:29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore.

Solomon is celebrated for his wisdom, but that is terribly marred for me by his stupidity when it came to women and faithfulness to God. The evidence in verses 32 and 33 would indicate he was what today we would call a scientist, as well as being a brilliant administrator. However, by failing to impart wisdom – common sense, really – to his sons, and particularly his heir, he caused the kingdom to be split. However, that was part and parcel with his allowing and even participating in idolatry with his numerous wives. The world today is filled with people who follow his example, squandering God’s gift of intellect by failing to recognize its source. Ecclesiastes is a very sad book to me, because it is the testimony of someone who started well and finished poorly. It has some real and even deep truth in it, but it was written by a man who had lost the peace and joy of childlike dependence on and delight in God. Even Solomon in all his wisdom was not at all wise compared to God, and in forgetting that, he proved it conclusively.

I have always been taken with the story of Solomon because of my own intellectual gifts, and the fact that I come from a highly intellectual family. Sadly, several of my highly intelligent relatives have made shipwrecks of their lives in essentially the same way Solomon did. They have been a reminder to me that any gift, no matter how splendid, is worthless, even of negative value, if it is not submitted to God who gave it, and exercised in the context of faith. Like them I delight to know stuff, but God in His grace has gotten through to me to help me grasp that He’s smart and I’m not, whatever my IQ might be. I am profoundly grateful for that revelation. That doesn’t mean I’m not to exercise my intellectual gifts; quite the contrary. It does mean that I am to exercise them in humility and gratitude, seeking always for what God would have me do with them. At this point the Internet is a real temptation to me, because it is a library beyond the wildest dreams of past generations, and I love spending time in libraries! However, God wants me to make use of the information I have, and not just continually soak up more. Also, whereas knowledge of the physical world is good and useful, it doesn’t hold a candle to knowledge of God. That must be my primary focus, and true knowledge of God comes only to an obedient heart.

Father, thank You for this reminder this morning. Help me apply it as I should. As You know even better than I do, application is my weak point! Keep me from thinking for a moment that head knowledge is sufficient by itself. May I be one who puts into practice all that You have taught me, so that I won’t deceive myself. Thank You. Praise God!

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October 24, 2011

Posted on October 28, 2011 by jgarrott

2 Samuel 8:6, 14 The LORD gave David victory wherever he went.

It is interesting and meaningful that the Bible speaks of God “giving” victory to this person or that, when we tend to feel (whether or not we say) that we “achieve” victory. The Biblical terminology is a reminder that God is in control. He expects us to make good use of the brains and other resources He provides, but the outcome is ultimately in His hands. Deuteronomy speaks of “one man chase a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight,” (Deuteronomy 32:20) and there have been times that the odds were just about that extreme. Within the past 50 years, the “6-day War” comes to mind. It wasn’t that Israel’s enemies were that utterly incompetent, it was that God gave Israel victory. For most people, military victory doesn’t seem to apply to them very closely, but the same principle applies to every struggle of life. As Paul reminded us repeatedly, we are in the middle of spiritual warfare whether we like it or not. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5, Ephesians 6:10-18) As Paul indicates, we are to be actively involved in the battle, but we must remember that it is God who gives victory. As any military commander would tell you, battle-hardened troops are the best kind, but they only get that way by experience. God allows us to go through struggles in order to strengthen us. If we fail to put our all into the fight, we won’t grow stronger. At the same time, we must remember that it is God who gives victory, and rest in the assurance that if we are obedient to Him, there can be no other outcome.

This is extremely timely, when I awoke this morning aware of the spiritual battle we are in. Presuming on God is risky indeed, but failing to trust Him is equally, if not more, foolish. I am to do battle on behalf of the people of this church and of this city, not with physical weapons but with spiritual, and I am to do so with the assurance that God will give the victory. The devil delights to overwhelm us with negatives, both big and small, so keeping Christ in focus is essential. I am not to pretend the negatives aren’t there, but I must remember that they are a very small part of the total picture, and rejoice in the victory that Christ has already won on the cross. That victory will be manifested in every area of my life in His time, if I am faithful to Him.

Father, thank You for this reminder and “call to arms” this morning. Help me not draw back from any battle, either in my own life or in the church or society around me. May I learn better and better how to use the weapons You have provided for me, fully clad in Your armor, so that I may advance steadily into the victory that You have provided, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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