August 15, 2011

Posted on August 19, 2011 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.”

When you come right down to it, you can’t be Jesus’ disciple without love. It’s interesting that Jesus would give this command in this way, because from one angle, love was hardly a new command at all. Jesus Himself had said that the greatest command was to love God, and the second was to love your neighbor as yourself. (Mark 12:29-31 etc.) The qualifier in the new commandment is, “As I have loved you.” That takes a lifetime of study and application! It is very significant that the Roman historians who wrote during the Christian persecutions of the first and second centuries said that Christians had two primary characteristics: they knew how to die, and they knew how to love each other. Jesus’ statement in today’s passage was indeed fulfilled, and it continues to be fulfilled. The thing is, Jesus’ sacrificial love, that goes even beyond love of self, is enormously attractive. It can’t be faked effectively, though some people try. There is no hidden agenda, just a desire for God’s very best for the loved one and a willingness to be God’s instrument in supplying it, what­ever that means. That sort of love can’t be generated, it must be received from God who is its source, but the will is still involved, because we must choose to be conduits of that love. If and when we do that, those around us sit up and take notice, and acknowledge that God is among us.

This church is growing in our obedience to this command, but like every other church, we have a lot of room for that growth. I’ve got to help everyone understand that love is never static or abstract, it isn’t a moment but a movement. We can’t rely on emotions, though emotions will certainly be manifested. We have such trouble thinking of love apart from emotions! Non-Christian spouses of some of our members, as well as some non-Christians who attend services regularly, are indeed impacted and drawn by the love they see here. That love was the biggest factor in the salvation of our newest members, and it will continue to be our strongest drawing card. Some churches rely on programs and activities to draw and keep people, but the Biblical key is the love that Jesus both demonstrated and commanded.

Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, thank You for the love that flows from You. Help me be an ever-growing conduit of that love, rejoicing in it myself as I allow it to flood through me to those around me. May we as a church truly be characterized by that love, loving You more than life itself and loving others into Your family, loving one another so that the Body of Christ may be built up in this place as You desire, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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August 14, 2011

Posted on August 13, 2011 by jgarrott

John 13:17 “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”

This one statement could be applied to the whole Bible! Nothing in the Bible is to be left as abstract, theoretical knowledge; it is all to be applied to the business of living on this earth in right relationship to one another and to our heavenly Father. Phrased differently, it could be stated as, “Obedience brings blessings.” We focus, and rightly so, on the fact that we could never earn our salvation, but in the process we tend to forget that obedience is hardly irrelevant. Paul wrote about being rewarded for the quality of our service in the kingdom (1 Corinthians 3:12-15), on top of the fundamental blessing of salvation itself. This isn’t to take away from the magnitude of eternal salvation, but it is to say that what we do does make a difference. God is the judge of the quality of what we do, and His valuation often is at odds with the world’s. (Matthew 25:32-46) We are not to be working for rewards per se, but we are to be working to please our Lord, and it is helpful to remember that He is hardly stingy with rewards. Once again we are back to the simple fact that obedience to God and His Word brings blessings.

Having said that, I am back to something the Lord has had to point out to me countless times over the years, which is that knowing the Bible isn’t the same as putting it into practice. James famously dealt with that in James 1:22 and following. Jesus’ statement in today’s passage isn’t aimed at non-believers, it’s for disciples. There is a big risk of pride in Biblical/spiritual knowledge, but such knowledge is of real benefit only when it is put into practice in love. (1 Corinthians 8:1) I’m not to inflate my ego with how much of the Bible I can quote, but rather strive to put it into consistent practice, in humble, grateful obedience.

Father, Thank You for reminding me of this yet again. Help me indeed do what I know, not being satisfied with information but rejoicing to be Your agent for Your will to be done. Thank You for enabling me to figure out how to put tags on this blog, and for how many people have started responding immediately. Help me be a good steward of all You place in my hands and heart, to build up the Body of Christ for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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August 13, 2011

Posted on August 13, 2011 by jgarrott

John 8:31-32 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

It has long been striking to me that Jesus said this, and the things following, to the Jews who had believed in Him. This wasn’t an invitation to believe, it was laying down the ground rules for being a disciple. What He is making very clear here is that mental assent to the fact that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior, doesn’t make you a disciple, and it doesn’t set you free from sin. We need to pay close attention to what He says here: “If you abide in my word.” That’s a conditional statement, so it requires an active response on our part. Many Christians only open a Bible during church services, if then. That’s not abiding in the Word! Abiding in the Word means taking it in regularly, not just reading it or listening to it but mulling it over and thinking about all the implications, allowing it to work down into our minds and hearts until it becomes part of us. Jesus says that if we will do that, then we are really His disciples. Then and only then will we really know the truth and be set free, not just from the penalty for sin, which Jesus took care of on the cross, but from the present power of sin in our lives and in the world around us. That is a desirable outcome indeed, and certainly worth taking time to pursue.

As a pastor, it is my heartfelt desire to bring each of the believers to this point, but the obstacles are many. The pace of modern society convinces most people they don’t have time for real devotions every morning. The world’s value system convinces them that if they fail to watch those late-night TV shows they are really missing out, so they are too short of sleep to focus properly even if they do manage to get up in time to read the Bible and pray. I have the luxury of a flexible time schedule which makes it relatively easy for me at this point, but my “devotional addiction” has certainly required that I get to bed much earlier than the average person these days. People look at my schedule, and the fact that I’m a “professional Christian,” and assume my devotional life just comes with the package, never imagining that God desires just as much intimacy with them as He does with me. I need to help them understand what is holding them back from the true discipleship that I feel most of the believers here really desire. It seems that people are more shocked at how early I go to bed than they are at how early I get up! I need to help them acquire and maintain Kingdom priorities for their time, so that they may avoid the traps of the devil and walk in the liberty God has prepared for them.

Father, thank You for this Word. Thank You for steeping me in the Bible from childhood, and for opening it up to me morning by morning. I ask for wisdom and anointing to bring many with me on this journey of discipleship, so that as Your free people we may be Your agents indeed, so that Your kingdom may come as Your will is done, in our lives and in society around us, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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August 12, 2011

Posted on August 13, 2011 by jgarrott

John 7:37-38 On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”

This is of course one of the most precious promises in all Scripture, but even so, far too few have appropriated it and walk in it. John, writing perhaps as much as 60 years after the fact, was careful to explain that Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit, because even in the 1st Century that was a somewhat controversial subject. People in that society were much more likely to attribute things to spiritual causes than we are today, but even so, the idea that the Creator would pour His Spirit out on human beings seemed preposterous. With the humanistic, pseudo-scientific world view so prevalent today, it seems even more absurd. Frankly, it doesn’t help that some preachers who proclaim the Holy Spirit seem much more interested in manipulating crowds with psychological tricks than in operating genuinely in the anointing and power of the Spirit. Jesus isn’t promising parlor tricks here, He is promising refreshing, He is promising life itself. When Jesus promised the Spirit for the last time in Acts 1:8, it was in terms of power. The thing is, no one has the power to live as a witness, a disciple of Jesus Christ, without the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. That creates a major problem for rationalistic humanism, because it defies human reason. We want to be able to take credit for what we do, but in God’s economy, that just doesn’t cut it. Paul put it this way: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) That was the work of the Holy Spirit in him, because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus. (Philippians 1:19) We cannot generate “rivers of living water” on our own, and anything less than that is less than what God intends for His children.

I almost missed out on the baptism in the Holy Spirit myself, from focusing on manifestations rather than on God and His faithfulness. At this point, though I have a lot of room to grow, there are indeed many who receive refreshing through me. I know with painful certainty that it has nothing to do with the vessel, because as Paul said, I am no better than an earthenware pot, cracked and chipped. (2 Corinthians 4:7) As he says in that very verse, the Holy Spirit is indeed “all surpassing power,” but the minute I try to put the focus on me, the flow stops. As a pastor, I desire not only that people come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, (1 Timothy 2:3-4) but also that they be open channels for His Spirit to flow through. Only then will they be effective witnesses, speaking God’s words and working His works, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder at a time when I feel physically miserable because of a cold. That’s further confirmation that it’s the contents, not the container, that matters. Help me walk in trusting obedience at all times, so that nothing will hinder the flow of Your Spirit through me. I wasted time yesterday, browsing the Internet because I didn’t feel like doing anything else, but that was focusing on me rather than on You. Help me get it right, not so much for me as for those who look to me as an example, so that all of Your purposes for us may be fulfilled, on Your schedule and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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August 11, 2011

Posted on August 11, 2011 by jgarrott

John 3:14-15 “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

The focus of all ministry must be to lift up Christ. He was lifted up on the cross, and of course we are not to crucify Him again, (Hebrews 6:4-6) but we are to lift Him as our standard, our focus. There is a great deal of man-centered ministry that goes on, and much of it seems very admirable to our eyes, but unless it exalts Jesus Christ, it is ultimately worthless. Feeding the hungry is admirable and indeed commanded in the Bible, but unless it is done in the Name of Jesus it merely delays for a little while their ultimate destruction. There is a lot of acrimony among even Christian groups, most of it stemming from a lack of understanding of gifting and calling, but those on the “evangelical” side must have God’s love and compassion as their motive, and those on the “social ministry” side must be clear that they do what they do because of Jesus.

I have always been on the “evangelical” side of that fence, but even so there is the real danger of focusing on bringing people in to increase the church, rather than to introduce them to Christ. And any local church has the temptation to focus on their own comfort and convenience, rather than on communicating the Gospel and raising up disciples. Right now we are seeking to identify gifts and ministries so that everyone may be actively involved, but I’ve got to be very clear that our motive and our focus must be Jesus Christ, rather than anything less. We are to serve one another because we are serving Christ, not because service is expected of us. One person is of no more value than another, but all have value because God loved us so much as to give His own Son for them. Everyone and every­thing must be viewed through the lens of Jesus Christ. Only then will we see clearly and minister effectively.

Father, thank You for this clear reminder. Thank You again for all You are doing in this church, for how You are correcting and encouraging and guiding and strengthening. Help us all receive what You are doing and follow You with joy, not lagging behind and not running off to the side, so that all of Your plans for us may be fulfilled, on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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August 10, 2011

Posted on August 11, 2011 by jgarrott

John 3:2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

Nicodemus was speaking to Jesus as one teacher to another, and as such, he knew the real thing when he saw it. Jesus had established His credentials right from the beginning of His ministry with numerous and diverse miracles, and Nicodemus acknowledged that. Jesus spoke to him appropriately for who and what he was, not in parables but with deep, fundamental truth. This left Nicodemus somewhat out in left field, particularly at first, but I’m pretty confident he didn’t forget the words he heard, even if he didn’t understand them at first. It took three full years from this encounter before Nicodemus had the courage to act on what he heard that night, but when he did, it was in the most difficult of circumstances, and he was willing to sacrifice everything to acknowledge Jesus. We don’t know how the words we speak will impact people. Sometimes it seems like there is little if any comprehension, but we need to remember that if we are speaking God’s words after Him, those words will not be fruitless, but will accomplish that for which He sent them. (Isaiah 55:11) We may never see that fruit ourselves, but we need to trust God and act and speak in obedience to Him.

This truth is of vital importance to me. If I counted on immediate response, I would have left the ministry years ago! The better I understand this truth, the less I will be brought down by people’s response, or the lack thereof. As in the parable of the sower (Matthew 13, Mark 4, Luke 8), I need to work not only in communicating God’s Word, but also in preparing people’s hearts to receive it. As was written in the latest issue of Japan Harvest Magazine, often it is the little gestures that break the soil so that the seed can enter. It has rightly been said that people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. It’s important for everyone who is trying to communicate the Gospel to remember this, and doubly so in a cross cultural context.

Father, since I have received my credentials from You (2 Corinthians 3:4-6), help me trust You to validate them, just as You did with Jesus. Help me be faithful in all stages of the process, preparing the soil of people’s hearts, planting the Word, and then nurturing them to grow strong as Your disciples. Help me trust You when it seems like the harvest is a long time coming, but help me also grow in listening to You so as to be more and more effective in all You have for me to do, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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August 9, 2011

Posted on August 10, 2011 by jgarrott

John 2:5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

This is further evidence of why Mary was chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus. Nothing in Scripture indicates that up to this point she had seen Him perform any miracles, but I’m sure that 30 years of experience had taught her that whatever He did was right. She didn’t know what He would do now, but she trusted Him. That is entirely in keeping with the character she showed when she was told she would bear Him. The faith it took to accept that commission is a shining example to all believers everywhere. However, such commissions are hardly every-day occurrences. Not knowing the solution to a problem, however, is much more common. In this story, she not only trusted Jesus herself, she exercised what authority she had to direct others to be obedient to Him, though they presumably had no such faith themselves at the time. As a result, not only they but many others benefited, and quite a few were given the gift of faith.

I certainly need to learn better how to apply this lesson myself. I am in the middle of feeling conflicted over several decisions that need to be made, and my turmoil just wastes emotional energy. I have just preached a powerful message on trusting God, yet I have trouble trusting Him to guide me in relatively minor decisions! I need to rest, relax, and rejoice in Him, because the more I’m focused on its being my decision, the less I’ll be able to hear Him as He directs me as to what is right. As today’s weather shows, external indicators are not a reliable guide!

Father, thank You for Your patience with me. Thank You for guiding me yesterday as I made the shelf unit, and that Cathy is happy with it. Thank You that I could check out digital audio recorders, and could get a couple of LED mini-reflector bulbs to try out. Thank You for having me tell people of our plans for today, even though last night’s forecast made it seem like that was a mistake. Thank You that You indeed know what I need to have and what I need to do, and the timing for all of that. Thank You for helping me understand that I’m not smart enough to get everything right. Help me also trust You fully to guide me in doing things right in spite of me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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August 8, 2011

Posted on August 10, 2011 by jgarrott

John 1:41-42 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.

Anyone who has made the commitment to be a disciple of Christ is going to want to lead others to do the same. Andrew was chosen to be one of the 12, which is a high honor indeed, but he is most famous for this first thing he did after making his own commitment. Today we can’t physically lead people to a physical Christ, so many people substitute leading them to church. That isn’t a bad thing, but sadly, whether they will encounter Christ in church is somewhat hit-or-miss. If churches consistently demonstrated Christ, then they would get a lot more disciples from those who visit them! The other side of that is that many people don’t even go so far as to lead people to church. Expecting rejection, they don’t even invite people in the first place. We have no guarantee someone will come to church if we invite them, and we have no guarantee their heart will be touched and they will open up to Christ if they do come, but we do know that neither of those things will happen if we don’t invite them! We want people to walk in off the street, hungry for God. Every once in a while that does happen, but that’s no way to grow a church! Broadcast fliers and media advertising have extremely low effectiveness, particularly in Japan. What works is the Andrew method, of believers inviting those closest to them to come see what they have found.

This has certainly been an issue for me at least as long as I’ve been in ministry. It is true that a very small percentage of those I invite to church actually come through the door, but I must not stop inviting. Likewise, I need to encourage the believers not to give up. I have no way of knowing how often they invite people to come, but I can encourage them to do it more. Of course, the essential element in all of this is the Holy Spirit, because Jesus promised the Spirit as power to be His witnesses. As a pastor, I’m not to be laying guilt trips on people for not being more effective in evangelism, I’m to be praying and encouraging them to open up more fully to the Holy Spirit. When that happens, they won’t be able to keep from drawing people to Christ!

Father, thank You for the person who walked in yesterday. Thank You for the several believers who asked him if he was a Christian. Thank You that he is, and that he wants to serve You while he is in Omura. I pray that he would be an encouragement indeed to the believers to be active in their faith, just as he is active in using what You have given him rather than focusing on barriers of one sort or another. May we all grow to be increasingly available to Your Spirit to draw people to salvation and build them up in faith, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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August 7, 2011

Posted on August 10, 2011 by jgarrott

Luke 22:26 “But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.”

This is a rare situation even today, because we human beings like our sense of rank and position. I was at a dinner last night, and there were indeed people parading their position while pretending to be all equal with everyone else. The temptation to pride of position can be very subtle, and probably no one is immune. The Christian is called to be proactive in this area, pursuing humility and seeking to serve. However, that can lead to a false humility that can get in the way of genuine service. Just as Jesus washed His disciples’ feet in the full awareness of His own power and authority (John 13:1-17), we are not to deny the gifts God has placed in us nor the authority He has entrusted to us. However, we must always remember that God gives us these things because of His grace, and not because we deserve them. That should help us be active in using all that God has provided to build others up and so strengthen the Body of Christ.

I feel I have done fairly well in this area, but that in itself has been a source of pride, which is self defeating. It doesn’t do to be proud of being humble! I’m brought back to Wayne Cordeiro’s statement that “God will not be impressed by how great I become as by how many people become great because of me.” I have plenty of room to grow in encouraging others, and indeed there is no limit to the opportunities to do so, because there are always more people. I have a tendency to overestimate my own abilities, and I need to be careful of that, while at the same time remembering that God can accomplish anything He likes through me, if I will be available. I also have a tendency to charge in and try to do things myself, without giving others the opportunity to express their gifts and abilities. For a pastor, that can be positively crippling. That is very much a problem of the moment, because we are dealing with the whole question of who serves how in this church. I need to exercise the authority God has placed in me to build people up and encourage them to express all that God has placed in them, for their blessing and for the sake of the Body of Christ.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the experience this past week of being unable to do something on the computer, even though I’m a “tech guy,” and needing the help of someone much younger. Thank You that he graciously provided the needed help, and that I’m now equipped to do that task without difficulty in the future. Thank You for having to confront my reluctance to do things that stretch me. I’m showing my age! Help me be available and flexible in Your hands at all times, both to serve and to lead, for the sake of the Body of Christ and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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August 6, 2011

Posted on August 6, 2011 by jgarrott

Luke 14:33 “In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”

This verse clarifies verse 26, which at first glance seems to be in violation of much of the rest of the Bible. It is important to note that all of this was said to the “large crowds” that were following Jesus. He wasn’t interested in numbers, He was interested in commitment, and He made that abundantly clear. To those who had made that commitment, Jesus promised abundant compensation (Matthew 19:27-29), but He wasn’t interested in having followers who wanted to tack Him onto their lives. Anyone who is determined to follow Christ must hold all things loosely, even his own life. After all, an objective analysis would show that everything material put together couldn’t begin to equal the benefits that are in Christ. Those who are after the benefits without letting go of the material, will end up with neither. Most people today don’t want to hear that, because they love the material, and that will be their doom. (1 John 2:15-17)

I am constantly running into people who would like to tack Jesus onto their lives, and don’t understand why that won’t work. Actually, there are many things in my life – for the most part, people – that I would hate to let go of, but I do know that Christ is worth it all. I am not to be concerned with hanging onto anything, because Jesus made it abundantly clear that doing that means we lose everything. (Luke 9:23-24) I am to be a good steward of everything in my hands, but I am not to grasp any of it. If God chooses to take any of it from me for a while – even the rest of my earthly life – I am to trust Him and praise Him. That’s not to say that I’m not to resist the devil who desires to steal from me, but it is to say that I am to value and trust God above all. When that is hardly easy for me, nurturing that attitude in others is harder still, but that is part of my commission as a pastor. I am to make disciples for Christ, and He makes it abundantly clear that this is integral to that.

Father, once again I am out of my depth in terms of strength and wisdom to do the job. Thank You, because it forces me to depend on You. Help me not be anxious about any of this impossible task, but trust You to accomplish it in and through me, for Your glory. (Philippians 1:6, 2:13) Thank You. Praise God!

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