Biblical Illiteracy; June 9, 2024

Posted on June 10, 2024 by jgarrott

Revelation 2:20 “Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and eating food sacrificed to idols.”

This is an area of church discipline that we don’t think about very much. At the time this was written, the Canon of Scripture wasn’t yet settled, which made heresies easier to teach. I’ve heard that this is an issue in China, where, because of government oppression, the Gospel has spread much faster than the availability of Bibles. In such situations, someone can seem very “spiritual” without it being the Holy Spirit. However, the believers in Thyatira were still held responsible for tolerating such junk. They at least were operating under the Holy Spirit! This points up the dangers of Biblical illiteracy. Far too many Christians in America, even, have little idea of what is in the Bible, attributing such things as “God helps those who help themselves” to it when it’s not there, and failing to know that it does speak directly to many of the sins and excesses that are prevalent in the world today. A Bible isn’t a good luck charm, to be kept on the shelf or cof­fee table, or even in a purse, but not read. The more familiar we are with the Bible, the less likely we are to be led astray by evil spirits, even though they can seem very convincing to the ignorant.

One of the many blessings God has poured out on me was being raised in a family that read, loved, and obeyed the Bible. I was given a full Bible after I was baptized at seven, and had read it through by the time I was 10. (It was something to do while my father was preaching in Japanese!) My personal issue has never been ignorance, but rather in deceiving myself by thinking that knowing the words was enough. (James 1:22) After the Lord convicted me of spiritual pride when I was 24, I finally got into the habit of daily devotional reading, allowing the Lord to speak His Word to me each morning. Over 20 years ago now I heard Wayne Cordeiro explain his SOAP system of devotions (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer) and have been following that ever since. One of the members here, a recovering alcoholic himself, once declared that I was addicted to the Bible. I couldn’t have been happier! That is precisely how I want to be, and how I want to lead others to be. I seek to be open and sensitive to the Holy Spirit, but I am very aware that there are other spirits as well, and my own flesh can be pretty noisy at times. I am very grateful for the written Word that serves as an anchor in all the storms of influence and explicit teaching that rage around me, (Ephesians 4:14) and I want to be increasingly faithful in putting it into practice.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for Your Word indeed. May I be faithful to keep taking it in, applying it accurately and teaching it without distortion, so that it may be fulfilled in every detail, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Dealing with Heresy; June 8, 2024

Posted on June 9, 2024 by jgarrott

Revelation 2:16 “Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.”

These people were in a place of intense spiritual warfare, but they didn’t recognize it properly. One of them had been martyred, as it says in verse 13, but some of the rest had swallowed some heresies that were prevalent at that point. (No one is quite sure what “the teaching of the Nicolaitans” was, but it obviously conflicted with God’s truth.) Jesus is calling the whole congregation to repent, but His beef is with those who were following the deceptions. That’s why He says, “I will fight against them.” That said, you don’t want to be in a situation where Christ Himself is coming against even some of the members of your group! We have trouble with “the teaching of Balaam” even today, with many churches accepting the standards and practices of the world instead of holding to the Bible, with Jesus as our example. When we recognize problems in our local church we should first pray, and then go to the pastor, but sadly, sometimes he’s a major source of the issue! As Jesus says in this verse, our own repentance is also involved, even if we weren’t directly involved in the heresy. At the very least, we weren’t sufficiently spiritually sensitive and on guard. That’s not to say we are to run around being “heresy hunters,” as some people seem to appoint themselves to be. It does, however, mean we are to be so familiar with the Word and with the Spirit that things that conflict with them are immediately obvious. When that happens, we are first to pray, and then ask the Lord what if anything He wants us to do beyond that. At the very least, we will avoid being among those He has to come against!

I don’t think I’ve had to deal with major heresies, but I have been accused of being a heretic! My leaving denominational affiliation was a very hard thing for some close family friends to swallow, since my family had been so closely associated with a particular denomination. However, when their official position was Cessationist, denying the current validity and operation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, I no longer fit. That was not an easy time, but I’m thankful to not have had to deal with denominational politics ever since that point. I seek to teach only what God says through His Word by His Spirit, and I’m thankful to say that I feel I’ve been successful in that.

Father, thank You for Your faithfulness. I’m not a reliable source or standard for anything, but You certainly are. Help me indeed stay in step with Your Spirit, so that Your will may be done in and through me for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Churches; June 7, 2024

Posted on June 8, 2024 by jgarrott

Revelation 2:4 “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.”

I have heard several sermons preached on this passage, and there doubtless could be many more. Ephesus was a church that essentially did everything right, but their heart wasn’t in it any more. Orthodoxy is good, but God wants our hearts more than anything else. We can do the right things for any of a number of reasons, but God wants us to do them because we love Him (John 14:15) These days, when whole denominations are jumping ship into demonic, hedonistic teaching, it’s easy for other churches to say, “We’re not like that,” and get self-satisfied. That’s exactly what the Pharisees did in Jesus’ day! Doctrine is important, but if it isn’t based on loving God because He first loved us, (1 John 4:19) it becomes totally empty. These Letters to the Seven Churches tell us a lot about what to look for, both good and bad, in our churches today. We need to remember that the term, church, never refers to a building in the Bible, but always to the assembled people, the ecclesia. As such, it is an organism at least as much as it is an organization, and each church will have character and personality, if you will. We need to examine the church we belong to with both honesty and love. No church is perfect, and very few are without redemptive qualities. Sometimes God will direct us to find a different church, but far more often, He wants us to be part of the solution to draw the church more into the pattern He has for it. That said, churches aren’t supposed to be identical! Churches are as different as individual believers are, just as Paul went to great length to explain in 1 Corinthians 12. However, every church should have a dedication to be obedient to Christ, based on their love for Him. If that is missing, it can hardly be called a church.

I hadn’t expected to go in this direction! However, the words flowed, and I believe I’m being obedient. The faults in this church are pretty firmly mine, because I’ve been its only pastor for the past 40 years. If love for God is lacking, then it’s because I have failed to love Him as I should. I’m grateful to say that numbers of people have commented that this seems to be a very healthy church, spiritually speaking, but that is only by the grace of God. We are continuing to grow in various ways, for which I’m very grateful. We’re about to start a regular discussion time after each Sunday morning service, for the believers to share what they got out of the message, in order to cement it in their own hearts and encourage each other. I don’t want this to devolve into “study sessions,” as though academics were the way to God, but I do want each believer to recognize when God is speaking to them and welcome His Word to apply it, all based on their love for Him. There are various things about the mechanics of this that we don’t know yet, so we’ve got to be open and flexible. At the same time, I don’t want to give up, because the process itself will grow and strengthen us.

Father, thank You for this Word, particularly at this point. Thank You for all You are doing in and around us. Help me be fully sensitive and obedient to You in every area, so that I will be useful rather than in the way, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Faith and Love; June 6, 2024

Posted on June 7, 2024 by jgarrott

1 John 3:23-24 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

Reading this chapter it feels like John is veering toward legalism, but then he states here that the laws he’s talking about are to believe in Christ and love one another. You really have to work hard to make that legalistic! The devil does all he can to interfere with our relationship with God, and one of the things he does is to make it all seem very difficult. It’s true that sometimes it feels difficult to believe, to trust God fully, but faith itself is a gift, (Ephesians 2:8-9) and if we exercise however much we have received, we find it grows exponentially to meet whatever need we face. Likewise, some people aren’t very lovable, but the more we recognize and receive how much God loves us, in spite of all our personality issues and the like, the easier it is to let that love flow through us to others. And the icing on the cake is the Spirit, who is both the Agent and the proof of all that God does in and through us. When God started restoring spiritual gifts to the Body of Christ in 1900, people were naturally captivated by those gifts and started idolizing them, in a sense. Those gifts are indeed as valid and important today as they were in the 1st Century, but John brings us back to the primary focus of faith and love. As Paul so famously pointed out in 1 Corinthians 13, without love, all the other stuff loses its meaning, not to mention effectiveness. If we really believe Christ and all that He says to us through His Word, then His gifts will operate through us as they are called for, as expressions of His love for every human being. That’s what it is to abide in Christ and be filled with His Spirit!

Whenever this subject comes up I remember Mrs. Okazaki. She was a widow by the time I got to know her, and she was as pure a channel of the love of God as I have ever met. Just being with her, you knew that God loved you! She never exercised any of the gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12 that I knew of, but she was magnificently filled with the Holy Spirit. I know that right now she is rejoicing before the Throne, along with my parents, whom she knew in this life as well. I am grateful for the spiritual gifts God has given me, but I know that God’s evaluation of me will not depend on what I have done, but on the faith and love that I have allowed to flow through me, for the blessing of those around me and for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for the example of people like Mrs. Okazaki who have illustrated Your truth to me. May I likewise be a demonstration of Your truth, Your grace and love, so that those who see me may know that You are real, and open their hearts to You for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Obeying God; June 5, 2024

Posted on June 6, 2024 by jgarrott

1 John 2:3 We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.

When John has just been writing beautifully about how Jesus’ sacrifice covers all our sins, it’s important that he follows with this statement. God’s grace is no excuse to not walk in obedience, as Paul also wrote very clearly. (Romans 6:1-2) John, of course, was in the room when Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” (John 14:15) This isn’t legalism, but a reasonable and practical guard against the lies of the devil. It’s the opposite of what the Pharisees practiced. They were all about things like how many steps you could take on the Sabbath, all the while looking down on the people around them, not realizing that God loves everyone equally. The command that John stresses in the verses immediately following this is the one to love each other. Even there, however, we need to be careful not to swallow the devil’s lies, because coddling someone in their sin is not loving them. That’s a common tactic today, with slogans like “Love is love” being used to “normalize” all sorts of perversion, including pedophilia. It all comes down to heart attitude, because if we genuinely know Jesus as Lord, our desire will be to be completely obedient to Him, just as this verse says.

This verse is both a caution and a comfort to me. I have indeed ignored God, all the while claiming and even honestly believing I knew Him better than most people. That’s a deep trap to get stuck in! At the same time, at this point He has grown me to where I do desire to be fully obedient, and I am assured in my relationship with Him. I know I have plenty of room to grow in that, as I will for as long as I am in this body, but I know the truth of what Paul said: “For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:13) I am to let the Holy Spirit be my “policeman,” keeping me on the right path. It’s nice to be on good terms with the cops!

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for the assurance that my relationship with You is not a sham. Thank You that I have tasted such self-deception to know the difference! May I indeed lead those around me to know You as well, so that together we may walk in all that You intend for us, for Your pleasure and glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Sharing Christ; June 4, 2024

Posted on June 5, 2024 by jgarrott

1 John 1:3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

I could easily write on any of the 10 verses in this chapter, and that’s why I chose this one. John is here describing, even defining, what Jesus meant when He said, “You shall be my witnesses.” (Acts 1:8) In a court of law, hearsay testimony is not acceptable; it has to be what the person speaking personally experienced. That’s the problem with many “evangelistic techniques.” If what we are saying is only what we learned in a classroom, there is no power to it. However, as has been said, a theory cannot win an argument with an experience. That’s why the current political administration in the US is in such trouble in facing the upcoming election: theories about the “good economy” are ineffective against the experienced high cost of living. That applies in evangelism as well. A person isn’t going to be very open to the idea of repentance unless they have experienced emotional pain, at least, from their sins. Actually, everyone with a halfway healthy conscience has experienced such pain, so the question is how successful they have been in numbing that pain. If we are open and honest about our own journey, their defenses will be stripped away and they will receive the Gospel with joy, knowing they need it. Effective evangelism isn’t theological, it is down-to-earth. We don’t have to go into all the sordid details of our own sin, but we need to be very aware that we ourselves are sinners, telling other sinners how to be saved.

I have experienced this in the secular world as well. In my 42 years of teaching medical English to nurses and therapists, it has been very effective to illustrate what I was teaching with my own medical experiences and those of my wife. As a pastor I have done a lot of hospital visitation, both in the US and Japan. On top of that, I have had surgeries for basal cell carcinomas, a hernia, and a badly fractured wrist. Each experience has made me a more effective teacher! And that doesn’t touch on the wide range of medical issues my wife has experienced. Those haven’t been in my own body, but they have very much been my experiences. On the flip side of that, my students have been far more receptive to what I have been teaching them when they have experienced the need for it, from a linguistic perspective or from a medical perspective. As a pastor I desire that all the believers be active in sharing what they have experienced of Christ, but that is culturally awkward. Partly as a response to the dense population, Japanese tend to be very private about their feelings and their experiences, and as believers we need to get past that. Vulnerability isn’t comfortable in any culture, but we need to be vulnerable in order to let God’s power be manifested in our weakness. It is when we share how Christ has met our needs that we receive ever more from Him, for the blessing of more and more people and for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for the message for Sunday! I ask for clear guidance and anointing as I prepare and deliver this message, so that Your children may be equipped to be and do all that You desire of and for them, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Peace; June 3, 2024

Posted on June 4, 2024 by jgarrott

2 Peter 3:14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.

This is the logical response to all the talk about End Times. It is true that many things seem to point to Christ’s return being imminent, but getting worked up over it to the point that we can’t function normally isn’t the right response. The famous words about God’s perspective in verse 8 should free us from timelines, and this verse tells us how to live however long it is. Our effort is involved, as the word “diligent” indicates, but our concern should be for holy living, and we are to walk in peace. The Japanese makes it clear that this is talking about internal peace, which is possible even in the middle of a war. That’s a good thing to remember when “peace” seems like a forgotten concept at times. Peace requires stability, and stability requires a foundation. As the hymn says, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.” If we will maintain our position in Christ, then we will be islands of peace and stability in the middle of all the turmoil and confusion that surrounds us. It has been said that “The only thing constant is change.” That might seem to be true, but Jesus Christ and the facts of the Gospel never change. That is the secret to spiritual maturity. As Paul put it, “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.” (Ephesians 4:14-15) That is peace and stability!

I was raised with a pretty good foundation of Biblical understanding, for which I am grateful. I have certainly seen some “winds of teaching” over the years! I am not to reject things because they seem different, but I am to test everything against the foundation of Scripture, guided by Holy Spirit. He will keep me straight! I desire peace as much as anyone, and I enjoy excitement at times. If I will keep my heart fixed on my Lord, I will get plenty of both. These are tumultuous times, but looking back over history, such are more the rule than the exception. I am to be a carrier of inner peace to those with whom I interact, for their blessing and God’s glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I do see countless things all around me that could easily get me worked up. Help me indeed submit everything to You so that Your peace may guard my heart and mind, (Philippians 4:6-7) for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Responding to Slander; June 2, 2024

Posted on June 3, 2024 by jgarrott

1 Peter 3:15-16 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

This passage is quoted frequently in relation to personal evangelism, but I’m not sure if I’ve ever noticed before that it’s in the context of social persecution. It is when we respond in a Christlike manner to mistreatment that “the hope that is in us” is most noticeable. There is plenty of opportunity for that these days, with those who stand up for Biblical values being reviled with countless epithets. The thing is, if we are more afraid of being called names, like racist, homophobic, misogynistic, and the like, rather than of deviating from the truth of God, then we really are in trouble. As it says here, gentleness and respect are always called for, but we are to be firm in standing on God’s truth, speaking it in His love. (Ephesians 4:15) People won’t know we have the hope of eternal life until that hope causes us to act in ways they don’t expect. When we are assured of who we are in Christ, and that our eternal destiny is in Him, then “the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,” as Shakespeare put it, won’t shake us particularly. When that is the case, then the people around us will notice! Peter’s point here is that when that happens, we aren’t to speak down to people as those who have been “enlightened,” but rather on an even level, as “one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread,” as evangelism has rightly been described.

I have been greatly blessed, and I think protected, though that’s not to say life has always been easy. I very early acquired the assurance of salvation, to the point of being cocky about it. God had to take me down a few notches and teach me that it was all grace! I have had people comment on my “great faith” when I have declined to respond to slander, but it didn’t feel so great to me. The slander wasn’t true, and therefore I largely ignored it. Incidentally, the person who was slandering me has since repented. I sometimes have trouble relating to Christians who respond poorly to being attacked, but that is probably a pride issue on my part. I am to declare the goodness and grace of God in my words and my lifestyle, whatever is going on in my life, so that people may be drawn to desire God for themselves.

Father, thank You indeed for Your overwhelming grace toward me. May I be ever more effective in sharing that grace with those around me, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Faith and Works; June 1, 2024

Posted on June 2, 2024 by jgarrott

James 2:26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

It is this section that made Martin Luther call James “a book of straw.” Luther was combatting the then-current practice of indulgences, where the Church said certain sins were excused if you paid a given amount of money. He had rediscovered the Biblical principle of “The just shall live by faith,” (Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17, etc.) and so insisted on “sola fides,” faith alone. That kept him from recognizing that what James is saying here is that genuine faith displays itself, and is demonstrated by works. After all, Jesus Himself said, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46) This passage got into this series on repentance because repentance is exactly the same way. Protestations of “I’m sorry” don’t mean much if behavior doesn’t change. God sees our hearts and He knows our weaknesses, but we must never think that is an excuse not to change. As again Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” (John 14:15) That’s pretty black and white! We are indeed saved by faith and not by works, (Ephesians 2:8-9) but saving faith will always demonstrate itself in action.

I have always considered James one of my favorite books in the Bible because it is so immensely practical. I regularly confess that James 1:22 was written for me, because I have a tendency to feel like knowing something is sufficient, rather than needing to follow through in action. The devil tries to use James to make me feel guilty for not doing more, but I can say that if I didn’t believe Jesus was the only way to eternal life I wouldn’t be here as a pastor in Japan! I like Paul, too, and as he said, “It is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:13) I am not faithful in myself, but He continues to work in me to put feet to my faith, so that I can walk out all that my heart knows to be true.

Father, thank You for Your grace, mercy, and faithfulness. Thank You for opening my eyes when I am trying to deceive myself, so that I can repent and follow You. Thank You for not giving up on me long ago! Thank You for Your plans for how You want me to manifest my faith for however long You intend to keep me here. May indeed Your will be done on Your schedule, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Complaining; May 31, 2024

Posted on June 1, 2024 by jgarrott

James 1:12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

I quote verse 22 of this chapter very often, because it is an admoni­tion to me, but this verse is a comfort and encouragement. James’ letter isn’t very long, but it is very dense, no at all in the sense of being hard to understand, but rather that every verse is filled with meaning. This verse could be rephrased as, “Don’t complain, because it will all be worth it in the end.” Paul said the same thing as, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17) Believers down through the ages have gotten tripped up by complaining, when it does them no good, and rather tears them down. Jeremiah is an excellent case in point, so it’s not something to be accusing ourselves or each other about. Rather, we should encourage each other with these verses, because trials can indeed be difficult. After all, Jesus Himself said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) When we get caught up in complaining, to God and to those around us, we lose our peace, and the only one happy about that is the devil.

I feel very blessed that God has given me this insight – though I don’t always live by it! Just recently someone was saying in my presence, “In just a week or two it will be rainy season here. So hot and humid! How uncomfortable!” I called him on it, saying, “Aren’t you Japanese?” He responded, “Do you like rainy season?” I didn’t really answer his question, but I pointed out that rainy season is an annual event and we certainly should be used to it, and bitching about it just drags us down. I wasn’t meaning to slap him down, but he looked like I had really given him something to think about. I have experienced assorted trials, both personal and general (like rainy season). I have learned the hard way that complaining indeed drags me down, without solving the issue. I am always to seek to improve whatever situation I find myself in, but if nothing presents itself, then I am to thank God for the opportunity to grow in patient endurance. Right now I am being reminded that the older we get, the longer our bodies take to recover from stresses. I did some yard work a couple of days ago and continued it first thing yesterday morning, and my back is still talking to me about it. I’m thankful I’m not used to that slow a recovery! Yesterday I was given the opportunity to talk with a lady who is in a difficult work situation, pointing out that we need to focus on the blessings we have, and she seemed to be greatly encouraged. I need to keep listening to what God says through me, and rest, relax, and rejoice in Him!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the rain this morning that keeps me from going walking, but gives me the opportunity to take care of some things here. Help me indeed give You thanks for everything, as You made it so clear through Paul that You want all Your children to do, (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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