Virtual Vitamins

Luke 13:23-24 Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.

At first glance, this really doesn’t seem like the Gospel as it is generally presented. When we cannot contribute to our own salvation, Jesus’ instructions to “try hard (make every effort) to enter the narrow gate” don’t seem to make much sense. If I read the rest of the Bible rightly, the problem is one of timing. Far too many people who have heard the Gospel put it off until “later,” thinking to enjoy the deceitful pleasures of sin until the last minute and then follow Christ. After death they will indeed regret that bitterly, as Jesus describes in the following verses. We need to be on our guard against the distractions and deceptions of the devil, who tries to keep us from following Christ. That indeed requires our full cooperation, and is something we need to work at as long as we are in this life. The gate to salvation is indeed narrow, because it is Jesus Christ alone, and many are offended by that. Some of the things that are said on the subject would be completely laughable if they weren’t so tragic.

I’m not to run around pointing fingers and trying to decide who, among those who claim Christ, is or isn’t saved. That would be high­ly counterproductive. However, I must be very clear in my own presentation of the Gospel, not erecting false barriers but in no way glossing over the need for repentance. I know without question that God wants people to be saved even more than I do, but I also know that He doesn’t violate our free will, forcing us to choose Christ. God is indeed sovereign, but free will is no illusion. That puts me somewhat at odds with both Calvinists and Arminians! I am reminded of C. S. Lewis’ famous statement that one thing we know for certain is that when we get to heaven, we will find that all of us were wrong somewhere! I am to be faithful in communicating the Gospel as effectively as possible to as many as possible, nurturing those who receive it in their faith, raising up disciples who will in turn raise up more disciples, for as long as the Lord leaves me here. I am not to be satisfied with my own salvation, but seek to take as many with me through that narrow gate as possible.

Father, You grace is indeed still amazing. Help me operate in that grace on every level, not trying to figure everything out on my own but listening carefully to You. When You don’t give me an immediate answer, help me rest quietly in trust. May I be fully active in my obedience, without trying to do anything simply in my own strength and wisdom. May I be a good steward of all You have placed in me, so that all of Your plans for me may be fulfilled, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Luke 13:12-13 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.

The Greek says “you have been loosed from your infirmity.” The Japanese says “healed” and the NIV says “set free from,” and that’s an important difference of nuance. In any case, however, Jesus spoke to the woman rather than to the disease. The Hunters, who traveled extensively teaching on healing and saw a lot of results, tended to address the problem, commanding it to leave or be healed. Luke specifies that Jesus used that approach with such people as Peter’s mother-in-law, (Luke 4-38-39) but the point, I think, is that He healed differently in different situations. Formulaic healing, prayer, or anything else soon runs into barriers, because we live in an incredibly diverse world. It is easier to stick to formulas, and when they work, rejoice, and when they don’t, blame something else. However, we are called to listen to God and be obedient to whatever He tells us. Only then will His power be manifested through us for His glory.

I try to listen to God’s directions and obey them, but I have a lot of room for growth. A danger inherent in ministry longevity is the tendency to do what has worked in the past, rather than asking God for fresh directions. I need to be aware of that! For example, I need to be open to variations in the message I preach at chapel weddings. I feel it’s a good one, and that the Lord has used it to impact people, but canned is never as good as fresh. I need to remember that God likes new things (Isaiah 65:17), and also that I can do absolutely nothing on my own, without Him doing it through me. (John 15:5) That’s not to say that age or even familiarity disqualifies anything from being useful, but it is to say that I must be flexible and not take anything for granted. Sticking with the familiar generates the temptation to think, or even say, “I can do it,” instead of, “God can do this through me.”

Father thank You for this reminder. It’s not what I thought I was writing on when I started! Help me be both humble and flexible, with no confidence in myself but complete assurance in You, being bold in my obedience so that Your purposes may be accomplished through me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Luke 12:34 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

This very simple little verse explains much of human psychology. It makes an enormous difference what we consider valuable. Materialism has long been rampant, it just takes different forms with passing fashion. I feel one of the reasons God allows natural disasters is to try to teach us what really is important by stripping away all that isn’t. Sadly, even then we sometimes refuse to learn. Those who have learned to live well, hold things loosely and people closely, and faith the closest of all. Two Christian songs come to mind. One is, “Using Things and Loving People,” and the other is, “Prayer is the Key to Heaven, but Faith Unlocks the Door.” Society, with the strong encouragement of the devil, teaches us to value things like material wealth and what we can get with it, to the point of treating a child in the womb as an inconvenience to be disposed of, and those out of the womb as not much better. That attitude also feeds human trafficking, which is currently at extremely high levels despite being technically illegal. The reason the second song comes to mind is that we can’t appropriate the true treasure God has for us (heaven) without faith. Many people can mouth pious words, but their attitudes and actions show that they don’t really trust the one to whom they claim to be praying. Only through faith can we make God our treasure, but if we will do that, everything else falls into place.

I still have problems with misplaced priorities at times, but thankfully age and experience have gone a long way in straightening me out. As a pastor I deal with the consequences of misplaced values and priorities all the time. Sometimes I wish for a “good sense pill” I could give people to take! Since such doesn’t exist, I’ve got to pray for people and speak the truth in love to them. Several come to mind who are currently struggling in this area of values. I can’t “fix” them, but I can be available for God to speak through me to them, so that is where my focus should be. I must not take their failures as my burdens, but neither am I to dismiss them from my mind and heart and fail to pray for them. I need to exercise the weapons God has given me on their behalf (2 Corinthians 10:4-5) so that they may be set free to choose rightly, for their salvation.

Father, thank You that You do use me to impact others and draw them to You. I pray that I would value You and them enough to be fully available to You for that purpose. Help me be a faithful steward of all You place in my hands, but hold it all loosely, valuing Your kingdom and those for whom Christ died rather than anything temporal. May Your name be hallowed and Your kingdom come as Your will is done, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Luke 12:6-7 “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

This speaks to us on several levels. In the first place, it teaches a right attitude toward animals. They are to be respected and treated well, but they don’t begin to compare with human beings in value. There have always been those who have mistreated animals, but now there are people who act as though animals were more valuable than humans! Of more importance is the clear teaching of God’s very personal interest and care for us, almost to the point of absurdity. Unless we have very little left, few of us think at all about how many hairs are on our heads! The lesson is not simply that every detail of our being is “entered into God’s database,” so to speak, but that He cares. That is truly mind boggling. With this age of information technology and data overload, the idea of God knowing everything about us isn’t so hard to grasp, but that caring part is a real kicker. Through the centuries that reality has amazed and comforted generations of believers, but the sad thing is, many people don’t believe it. Some refuse to believe because they don’t want the accountability that goes with it, but some just can’t get their minds and hearts around the reality that God’s love really is that big. Peter’s instructions to “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7) almost seems like a throw away line, but it is a secret to peace and joy that has eluded many, many people, including many who claim to be Christians.

I was raised with a strong self image, but many were not so blessed. As a pastor I deal with many who seem absolutely crippled in this respect. We have twisted things around to the point that a good self image is considered conceit in some circles, even Christian ones. However, this isn’t at all a matter of saying we are perfect, just that God loves us anyway, and that makes us enormously valuable. I need to be an open channel for the Holy Spirit to speak that reality through me to those around me who are hurting so deeply for lack of grasping it. I see so many who treat themselves as not valuable, and they are the ones I am to lift up. I see others who treat others as not valuable, and I am to call them to account. That’s not because I am any authority in myself, but because I an ambassador of the God who made and cares about us all.

Father, thank You for the privilege of being Your agent. Thank You for being able to impact many, in church, in secular teaching, and otherwise. I pray that the message I project would be consistent and true to Your heart. Help me lift many to a right appreciation of Your love, so that Your truth may set them free indeed from all the traps of the enemy, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Luke 11:13 “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

It is interesting to the point of being bizarre how we don’t trust God to give us what we need. Probably that comes at least somewhat from our awareness that many of our “needs” are no more than wants. However, God delights to give good things to His children, and He is certainly not stingy. That, of course, applies in spiritual things as well as material. I have been bemused to see people afraid to ask to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, thinking they might get an evil spirit instead. There is a danger in seeking manifestations ahead of seeking the Spirit Himself, but if we are desiring and asking to be baptized and filled with the Spirit of God so that we may serve Him better, then we are certainly not going to get anything less. Jesus was very clear on that point, and we should be no less certain.

In my own experience, seeking a specific manifestation greatly got in the way of my being baptized in the Holy Spirit. Once I stopped insisting on how it was going to happen, God was more than true to His promise. A couple of months later, the manifestation that I had been seeking was given to me as well, and over time I have experienced all of the gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12, but all of that came after opening myself to God in the Person of His Holy Spirit. I need to encourage the believers to trust God to be true to His Word and pour His Spirit out on them, receiving whatever gifts He desires to give them without insisting on particular gifts as proof that He has done what He said He would do. Likewise, I need to obey the admonition in Ephesians 5:18, which according to the tense of the Greek verb tells us to “Keep on being filled with the Spirit.” When I am in the position of pouring out, I need constant refilling! I use the analogy often, but I’ve got to remember that I’m a pipe, not a pot. “Fill my cup, Lord,” just doesn’t cut it. I need a continuous flow of the Holy Spirit so that I may refresh those around me. Thankfully, Jesus promised exactly that, for those who fully believe in, that is, trust, Him. (John 7:37-39) I need to press in for more of God so that those with whom I interact may receive more of God.

Father, thank You for Your faithfulness. Thank You for yesterday, for speaking through me and for how well that was received. Thank You for all You are doing in this body of believers, transforming us into the likeness of Your Son. Help us all press in for more of You, so that we may demonstrate Christ to the world around us, drawing more and more into Your family, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Luke 10:40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.

The NIV says “distracted” and the Japanese says “unable to settle down,” but the picture is both clear and familiar. Often the devil distracts us with things that in themselves are good, but they aren’t first priority in God’s economy. The difficulty is that from our low viewpoint, we often can’t see what first priority should be, because we can’t see what’s ahead for what’s right in front of us. Different people see different priorities because of their differing gifts, and sadly, that can make for a great deal of conflict. As we grow in maturity we are better able to listen to God as to what He sees as important to be done right now, and what is to be done later or even not at all. This is a major issue for every pastor, because he must shepherd people of all gifts, whatever his personal gifts might be. As a general rule, worship and receiving the Word come first, with fellowship in the Body of Christ coming next, but all sorts of peripheral issues can distract from those. It’s not that the peripheral issues aren’t valid, it’s that they are peripheral.

This is a major issue in this church, to the point that people have left the church over it. With small numbers, those who feel housekeeping is a high priority feel overburdened, just like Martha in this story. Today’s message is on precisely this issue, and I don’t have the wisdom and skill to communicate it properly on my own. I’ve got to be fully submitted to the Holy Spirit so that I won’t say anything He’s not saying, and be willing to transmit everything He is saying. I know that the message I have outlined is a very good one, but I am not to be so tied to the outline that I fail to be available to the Spirit.

Father, help! Thank You for making me aware of my own inadequacy in this. Keep me from making anyone feel devalued, but also keep me from restraining Your Word out of fear of how people might react. Fill me with Your love, for You first and then for each one who hears, so that nothing will get in the way of Your Word penetrating each heart and accomplishing that for which You send it, for our transformation and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Luke 10:20 “However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

It’s not a bad thing that evil spirits are subject to believers who are operating in Jesus’ Name, but if we start rejoicing over that sort of thing the focus shifts from Jesus to us, and that’s a very bad thing. The most dangerous thing about spiritual authority is the way that it can trigger and feed into a lust for power. It has been said that “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” The only one for whom that doesn’t apply at all is God. The more we operate in spiritual authority, the more careful we must be to couple that with humility and gratitude. Absolutely no one is worthy of the authority that is available in the Name of Jesus Christ, and we’ve got to remember that. Rejoicing in our salvation is a different matter! Humility and gratitude are much easier in that case. Anyone who is genuinely saved knows they didn’t earn that salvation. Also, things like evil spirits submitting to us are external incidents, and so are variable. Once our names are written in the Lamb’s book of life they are there forever. (Revelation 3:5 and many more) When circumstances get us down, we need to rejoice in our salvation.

I like the line, “I know we’re supposed to take one day at a time, but recently several have ganged up on me at once.” I feel somewhat like that right now! However, that in no way affects my standing in heaven, and I need to rest, relax, and rejoice in that glorious reality. Just yesterday I was reading a comic on the Internet where an older person was saying they weren’t so much afraid of death as they were worried that they hadn’t lived a sufficient life. That shows no understanding of salvation, and many if not most people are in that position – even Christians. As a pastor, I am charged with helping people understand salvation and receive it as a free gift from God. Once they have done that, I am charged with helping them grow in appropriate response to God’s grace, which is to say, discipleship. I don’t have the wisdom to do that, but if I am submitted and available to God, He can and will do it through me. I am not to let the difficulty of the task pull me down, but rejoice that my name is indeed written in heaven, and that God delights to fellowship with and act through me for His glory.

Father, thank You indeed for this glorious reality. Help me so rejoice in Christ that all who see me will desire that joy for themselves. Give me words and wisdom when that happens, so that I may help them repent and believe for their own salvation, for Your pleasure and glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Luke 10:16 “He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

Along with Matthew 10:40, this verse has implications that boggle the mind. Paul also spoke of believers being Christ’s representatives. (2 Corinthians 5:20) Some would be so foolish as to make this a source of pride or conceit, trying to put the focus on themselves instead of on Christ. That certainly accomplishes nothing good! However, if we keep the focus on Christ where it belongs, this should be a strong source of hope and encouragement for every believer. At issue isn’t the vessel, but the contents. Paul expressed that clearly in 2 Corinthians 4:7, saying we are like fragile, low-fired earthenware pots, not worth a second glance except for what, or rather Who, is in us. Jesus’ statement that Luke recorded should make us feel sorry for those who reject the Gospel we seek to share with them. The natural human reaction to rejection is hurt and anger, but this makes it clear that it should be pity. In the verses just ahead of this Jesus speaks a rather severe doom on the towns that rejected Him, and here He is saying that those who reject the Gospel through us are putting themselves in the same place. That shouldn’t keep us from sharing, but it should go a long way in protecting us from taking rejection personally.

Every missionary in Japan has probably thought about these verses many times. The Matthew passage raises many questions of what it is to receive, but this one is a bit easier to understand. The longer I minister here, the more aware I am of what a cracked, insignificant pot I am. Even so, some listen to what God says through me, and they will be blessed. It is the ones who refuse to listen who break my heart. I am not to give up on them, but neither am I to take their rejection personally. I am to pray God’s mercy on them, that the Holy Spirit would indeed convict them of sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16:8) so that they may repent and believe, for their salvation. I am never to hold myself in the place of Christ, but at the same time I am to recognize that I am indeed His ambassador and representative, and speak and act accordingly. I should never do anything inappropriate to that! Any time my focus shifts from Him to me, I am wrong and in danger. I need to walk with humility, gratitude, and assurance that He will indeed use me to bring people into His kingdom for His glory.

Father, thank You for this Word this morning. There are so many distractions! Yesterday seemed crazy, with so many different things going on at once. Thank You that each thing got taken care of in turn. Today also has a variety of things coming up. Help me be sensitive and obedient to You in whatever You add to my schedule, not resenting anyone or anything but allowing Your grace and love to pour through me, so that all who will receive may indeed do so, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Luke 6:40 “A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.”

There are two sides to this statement. The first is what Jesus talked about a good bit in the Upper Room Discourse (John 13-17), that we cannot expect to be treated better than He was, because we, as His disciples, are His agents, and people will respond to us as they responded to Him. The second is that we need to be careful that we are Christ’s disciples, and not just disciples of some merely human leader. In our humanity we do need visible coaches and examples, but if our focus is on a human being, that will be a major limiter to our growth. We do indeed learn from each other, but more than that we need to strive to learn from God through each other. That might seem like no more than a difference in semantics, but it’s actually very important. God doesn’t want us to be like each other, He wants us to be like His Son. (1 Corinthians 15:49, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Ephesians 4:13) We will never approach that goal if we are focused on lesser examples.

From this standpoint, it is perhaps an advantage that I have never had a specific mentor, but that certainly doesn’t mean I am to get puffed up that “I am a disciple of Christ!” I need to be aware both of my own weaknesses and of the fact that many are looking to me as an example. In my teaching I am not to hesitate to say with Paul, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1) However, I am to seek to point people to Christ above and beyond me. All too often I have been the limiting factor in the growth of this church and its members, and that grieves me. I want them to surpass me, but that will happen only to the degree that they are truly disciples of Christ, rather than disciples of Jack Garrott.

Father, this is an important issue, and I don’t have the wisdom to resolve it. Thank You for those who have been and are being drawn to Christ through me. Help me indeed point them, attach them, to Christ rather than simply to me. Thank You for for having me run into that woman yesterday in the store, who in the past has said she didn’t know if she believed in You, but she believed in me. I pray that she and any like her would encounter You indeed to become Your disciples, and I pray that I would be faithful in encouraging them and nurturing them in that journey, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Luke 5:23-24 Which is easier: to say, `Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, `Get up and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. . . .” He said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”

Jesus specifies here that He is healing this man in order to teach those present the level of His authority. Jesus often used object lessons in His teaching, such as calling in a child to teach them about pride of position. (Luke 9:46-48) He was the consummate teacher, using parables with the crowds who had little foundation to understand what He was really saying, and being very explicit with those close to Him who had been walking with Him long enough to start putting the pieces together. In this case, I feel the man would have recovered over time, having had his sins forgiven, but Jesus used the more dramatic healing to demonstrate a vitally important point. God knows what each situation calls for, and how people will respond. That’s one of several reasons why we can’t dictate to God when and how miracles will occur. We need to have our hearts tuned to recognize and profit from the things God is doing all around us, whether or not they are spectacular.

Many times I have desired miracles to demonstrate God’s reality to unbelievers, but I haven’t seen many. That’s not to stop me from praying for them or expecting them, but it is to say that my focus is not to be on miracles, but on Christ. When a “miracle ministry” gets going, generally the focus shifts pretty quickly from Christ to the miracles, and often to the one “doing” the miracles. That is a travesty that generally drives people away from true devotion and obedience to God. I am to seek to draw people to Christ by whatever means He enables, whether that be miracles or anything else, because every­thing is secondary to bringing people into the kingdom eternally.

Father, I do continue to ask for miracles to confirm the Word You speak through me, because there are so many who can’t bring themselves to acknowledge that You are who You say You are. Help me be faithful on every level, whatever is going on around or through me, so that I won’t get in the way of people coming to Christ, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!