Sharing Christ; September 12, 2023

Posted on September 13, 2023 by jgarrott

John 20:31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

I dearly love verse 21, and have even written a short book on it, but right now I feel the Lord is speaking this verse to me more strongly. Because God is infinite, there are literally infinite things that can be said or written about Him. Every believer has a trove of things they have learned through their encounters with Him. However, we need to have restraint, and not overload people with more than they can take in. As I wrote about just a few days ago, even Jesus said, “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.” (John 16:12) What we say and what we write needs to have the same motive John had in recording his Gospel. It is the highest of privileges to share Christ in such a way that people believe and receive eternal life through Him. We can’t control whether someone will believe and receive life, but it’s for sure they won’t believe if they don’t have the information necessary. We aren’t to try to “cram it down their throat,” as I have seen people accuse others of doing, but we are to make the truth available in love. The irony of such accusations is that those who are actively against Biblical standards and morality often do all they can to cram their positions down everyone’s throat! The good news is that more and more people are getting tired of that and rejecting what has been pushed on them. When we try to “convert people to Christianity” we can generate the same sort of response. However, when we share the truth in love of the Savior we have encountered personally, then the response is much better. People don’t need a religion, they need a Savior.

This feels very timely to me for a number of reasons. In the first place, I’m a pastor in Japan, where the vast majority of the people around me have not encountered Christ and for the most part know very little about Him. Sharing Him is a constant, daily activity. In the second place, I’ve started writing my autobiography, and my motive there needs to be exactly what John expresses here. People tell me my story is interesting, but if telling it doesn’t draw people to Christ, there’s no reason to write. I don’t want people to read the book and think I’m wonderful, I want them to read it and know that Christ is absolutely amazing, and He loves them enough to die for them. I have been the recipient of uncountable levels of grace, and I want to share that so that others may believe that the same level of grace is available to them as well.

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for the fresh impetus to write. I haven’t written anything on the book the past couple of days, and that’s not good. Help me actively avoid the many distractions and do what You want me to do when You want me to do it, for the blessing of others and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Faith and Understanding; September 11, 2023

Posted on September 12, 2023 by jgarrott

John 20:8-9 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)

It’s recorded here that John, seeing the empty tomb, believed, but neither he nor Peter yet understood from Scripture that this was what had been prophesied from long before. Faith is essential, but it’s not the same as understanding, and we need both. This takes us back to the message I preached yesterday, which came from what I wrote on the 5th. The disciples didn’t yet have the Holy Spirit to teach and explain all these things to them. We need to be as familiar as possible with the Bible, and we also need the Holy Spirit to explain to us what it means, so that we will have real understanding. Faith without understanding is blind. Sometimes we can’t understand what’s going on, and in that case blind faith is indeed necessary, but such situations are mercifully few and far between. Faith without sight is a blessing, as Jesus told Thomas, (John 20:29) but sight doesn’t guarantee understanding, as it says here. We need to ask Holy Spirit to help us understand things, but we are to keep trusting even when we don’t yet understand. I keep coming back to something it says in Hebrews: “These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.” (Hebrews 11:39-40) When we have that understanding, faith actually becomes much easier. We need to both believe and understand that God is both omnipotent and loving, that He is both perfectly holy and graciously merciful, and so walk in obedient trust no matter what our circumstances.

I have always liked the Southern Gospel song with the repeated line, “We will understand it better by and by.” There are some who deride that song, considering it “anti-intellectual,” but such an attitude fails to understand the limits of human mental capacity. God has given us minds and expects us to use them, but there are things that are simply beyond our grasp. That has been hard for me to accept, since my IQ is somewhere north of 150, but I have had far more peace since coming to that understanding. There’s an interesting irony there! I am to seek to understand as much as I can, with the help of Holy Spirit, but I am not to falter from the obedience prompted by faith even when I don’t understand. There are many things that are totally beyond my human understanding, and I’ve got to be OK with that, because I know that God is God and that He loves me so much He sent His Sone to die to save me.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I do pray for faith and understanding for the many who are suffering in various ways right now. You know who is particularly on my mind, but there are multiplied thousands more that I don’t even know about. I ask Your grace and mercy on us all, and I pray that indeed, Your rule and reign would be established as Your will is done, even here on earth, as perfectly as it is in heaven. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Completion; September 10, 2023

Posted on September 11, 2023 by jgarrott

John 19:30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

I quoted this verse just yesterday, but the meaning is still fresh today. Everything Jesus did was intentional, and He did it for us. He did it to fulfill the plan that He, His Father, and Holy Spirit had come up with before Creation, because they knew that mankind, given free will, would use it to sin, and that would interfere with the whole purpose of Creation. This wasn’t suicide on Jesus’ part, it was releasing everything into the Father’s hands. The verses after this record the surprise of the soldiers that Jesus had died so quickly, and one of them famously used his spear just to be sure, in the process inadvertently fulfilling another Scripture. (verses 33-37) It has always been interesting that with the 26 Martyrs of Nagasaki, this specific execution method was followed, with the martyrs tied to their crosses and then, at the signal, they were run through with two spears, one from each side, that crossed in the middle of their chest. That was actually merciful, because it was certainly a quick death. Their persecutors had evidently read this part of the Bible! They too glorified God by their faithfulness, just as Jesus did, though to a much lesser degree. The example is clear for us all: follow through with what God has laid out for us, whatever that involves, for His glory. As Paul said shortly before his own martyrdom, “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day–and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:6-8) We don’t do all this for nothing, but with the assurance that God will reward us to a degree that will make all our suffering fade into insignificance. (2 Corinthians 4:17)

I continue to maintain that I have had a relatively easy life, particularly compared to what I know that many brothers and sisters in Christ have undergone, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t had moments that felt like real trials and/or suffering. When the time comes, I want to have something similar to the sense of satisfaction – and perhaps relief – that Jesus had when He spoke the words in this verse. I certainly haven’t been as faithful as He was, but God has used me from time to time, and He still does. Just yesterday I ran into a woman whom I didn’t remember at all, but she obviously remembered me and how God had impacted her through me. I am grateful! I want my days to be spent doing God’s will, and leave the results up to Him.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for waking me in the night to pray for some people who need Your touch and the assurance of Your presence right now. May they be filled with Your peace as they trust You to work out Your perfect plans for them, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Unity; September 9, 2023

Posted on September 10, 2023 by jgarrott

John 17:20-21 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

This High Priestly Prayer of Jesus always blows my mind every time I read it, though I have read it countless times. That Jesus would pray like this for His disciples, at that time and down through the ages, just before He knew He would be arrested, horribly scourged, and then crucified, is absolutely incredible. Though the Blues Brothers made a joke of it, He was indeed on a mission from God, and He fulfilled that mission down to the slightest detail. That’s why He could say, “It is finished,” as His final words. (John 19:30) Since He was still fully human at this point I’m sure He wasn’t thinking of me individually, but even in the collective we should all be moved that He prayed for us, if we are indeed believers. And the more we think about what He prayed, the more blown out of the water we should be, because He prayed that we would be in the Godhead! This isn’t the “Borg hive mind,” but you could say that idea is a rip-off of what Jesus is praying here. Just as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are separate entities but are one God, we are to retain our individual identity but at the same time be so united with our Creator that separating us would simply be a way of speaking. Perfect agreement, perfect communication. We frankly can’t get our minds around it because we haven’t experienced it yet. What a thing to look forward to!

This strikes very close to home for me, because acceptance and understanding, and their converse of rejection and misunderstanding, have been major issues in my life. Growing up as a Caucasian in Japan, and then a Missionary Kid in a military dependents school, I was always a part but not a part of everything. I realize that just about everyone has that sort of angst to some degree, but I certainly had clear-cut circumstances for it. In college in the US I changed my major from Chemistry to Speech/English for the express purpose of improving my communication skills, since I was painfully aware of their importance. At this point in my life, I pray that God will take the words that come from my mouth and fingers and cause them to be received as He desires and intends. I have demonstrated countless times that on my own I don’t really get through, but He can do it even using me. There are some people with whom I experience real unity as brothers and sisters in Christ, and it gives me a taste of what heaven will be like. I can have assurance that it will be that way, because Jesus prayed for it!

Father, thank You for Your overwhelming grace. Thank You for having Jesus pray this prayer, and for enabling John to remember and record it. May it indeed be fulfilled to an increasing degree now, even before it comes to complete fruition before Your throne, for Your pleasure and glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Giving God Glory; September 8, 2023

Posted on September 9, 2023 by jgarrott

John 17:4 “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.”

How do we glorify God? By doing what He has created and sent us to do. In Charismatic circles we think of glorifying God by singing His praises, which is true enough, but that doesn’t mean much if we aren’t doing what He wants us to do. As Jesus Himself said, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46) We are created for fellowship with God, but it’s hard to get along with someone who won’t really listen to you. Here Jesus is saying that His absolute obedience to His Father gave God glory, and our obedience does the same. The salvation formula that Paul gave us, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved,” (Romans 10:9) falls apart if we don’t demonstrate Jesus’ Lordship by doing what He says. And that includes persistence. After all, Jesus says here, “completing,” not just “taking a stab at.” We don’t know God’s tasks for us as perfectly as Jesus did, but we are to be faithful in all that we do know, not making excuses.

This feels very timely for me, because today I have the first class of my last semester of teaching in the nursing school where I have taught for the past 42 years. I can’t say, “This is the last time. Chuck it.” My performance to this point certainly hasn’t been perfect, but at least I’ve hung in there. I must not let the sense of melancholy that so easily comes over me at this point dull the enthusiasm and vigor with which I teach. These students deserve as good as I’ve given to all that came before them. It is in following through that I give glory to God. I am reminded of the inscription on my father’s gravestone: “To do the will of Him who sent me.” (John 4:34) I have the heritage of being raised by someone who was focused on obedience to God, and I can do no less. My ultimate goal is to hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” It is only by His grace and power that can happen, but that is my goal.

Father, thank You for the heritage of generations of people who served You wholeheartedly. May I indeed do no less, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Peace in Trouble; September 7, 2023

Posted on September 8, 2023 by jgarrott

John 16:33 “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.”

As much as I quote this verse, there’s still something fresh to get from it. I just had a little difficulty typing it in Japanese because Microsoft didn’t want to give me the characters used for “trouble” when I typed it in phonetically. The characters used in this translation start with the one meaning “a patient,” as in a sick person. God is our healer, but disease and injury are part of the human condition. As I typed that I thought of Joni Tada, who broke her neck at 16 but went on to become a magnificent Christian example and teacher. I ran into a video of her just the other day, and she is still inspiring. She believes in divine healing, and indeed has prayed for others and they have been healed, but that has not been the road the Lord has laid out for her. It took her a while to get around to it, but she has discovered the truth of the first part of this verse as well: she has divine peace. There are many who have good health but no peace. I’d say she got the better end of the bargain! As I have pointed out numerous times, Jesus said this before He was arrested, scourged, and crucified. Even so, He states as accomplished fact, “I have overcome the world.” Overcoming doesn’t necessarily look like what we think it does! At the very least, we need to remember what Jesus overcame for us, and not complain.

This is something the Lord has been working into me for quite a few years now. There was a period in which I quoted this verse in just about every sermon! The only thing new this morning is the specific inclusion of disease and injury in “trouble.” I guess that’s why I responded so calmly to breaking my wrist back in January. I’ve seen all that my wife has gone through medically speaking, and compared to that, surgery for a broken wrist was no big deal! We have close family members that are going through a lot medically right now, and this verse is applicable for them as well. I need not only to keep my own faith fixed on my Lord but to help them do so as well. Even the gift of faith isn’t just for me! I need to be the steward God wants me to be of all He provides, tangible and intangible, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I didn’t expect it to be so timely! You know who needs Your touch right now, and how. I do pray that all of Your purposes for allowing this situation would be fulfilled, for the blessing of each person involved and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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The Spirit of Truth; September 6, 2023

Posted on September 7, 2023 by jgarrott

John 16:12-13 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

This is actually a continuation of what I wrote on yesterday, though there is a whole chapter in between. We don’t have to worry about anything the Holy Spirit shows us or speaks to us, because Jesus explicitly calls Him the Spirit of Truth. That is in stark contrast to the devil and his demons, since Jesus labeled him as “a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44) One thing worth noticing here is that God knows what we can handle and what we can’t, and He acts accordingly. When Jesus was saying this, Peter couldn’t have handled being told, “You will watch your wife be crucified, and then you will be crucified upside down,” even though that would have been true. A young child can’t absorb the truth that they’re going to have to work their butt off to provide for their family. God tells us what we need to know when we need to know it, and that should be enough for us. A major problem today is that those who fancy themselves as elites put themselves in the place of God, dolling out what they want the public to hear and hiding other things. Too bad for them, “There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.” (Matthew 10:26) They aren’t operating in our genuine best interest, the way God is. Fortunately for us, many things are being brought out into the open these days, and corruption is being exposed. What Jesus was talking about here, however, is deeper than that, and touches on God’s plans for us and for the universe. Not all prophecy is predictive, certainly, but God does indeed reveal to His children things He is going to do, and we need to be paying attention. It’s not wise to demand to know, but asking to be clued in with whatever we need to know is never a bad idea.

I have been used in prophecy a few times, but that is not a major part of my job description. I have known groups that in my view put too much emphasis on personal prophecy, and were quite controlling as a result. For myself, my greatest interest is in knowing more of the truth about God and my relationship with Him. Even there, God knows how much I can handle, and He has led me along over the years to be able to grasp more. I sometimes find when I am talking to people about God that my words seem meaningless to them, and I realize that they aren’t yet able to take in the truth in question. That doesn’t mean I’m to stop speaking it in love, but it does mean that I’m dependent on Holy Spirit to breathe it into people’s minds and hearts. After all, since God is infinite, there is an infinite supply of truth about Him for Him to reveal to us!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Holy Spirit, thank You for leading me into truth as I am ready and able to receive it. Help me be a faithful steward of Your truth, so that many may be set free for their salvation, (John 8:32) for the glory of God. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Learning from Holy Spirit; September 5, 2023

Posted on September 6, 2023 by jgarrott

John 14:26 “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

Modern Pentecostals and Charismatics are quick to think of the Holy Spirit in terms of power and spiritual gifts, but here Jesus is expressing another essential function. When you think about it, it is really rather remarkable that John in particular was able to remember so much of Jesus’ teaching to put it down on paper. Linguistic analysis shows that the other Gospel writers used collections of Jesus’ teachings that doubtless circulated from soon after Pentecost, if not from even before the crucifixion, but John obviously did not, and he wrote decades after the others. However, that does not make what he wrote any less reliable, because of precisely what he quotes Jesus as saying here. Holy Spirit (to refer to Him as the Person He undoubtedly is) is the ultimate Teacher. It is helpful to learn about the geography, customs, and culture of when the Bible was written, but other than that, the ultimate theological education comes from the Scriptures and Holy Spirit. We need to “attend class” every day, with the Bible as our textbook and Holy Spirit as the teacher. The better we internalize the Scripture, the more material Holy Spirit has to work with. However, just memorizing the text doesn’t cut it; we need to learn to apply it. Daily living is the practicum, but we need the classroom hours in order to know what to do. Rather than a subject like Philosophy, it’s much more like Music Theory or even Auto Mechanics. If we aren’t doing it, we won’t really grasp it. However, if our heart is in the right place, Holy Spirit is ready and waiting to coach us in the details, as well as teach us the principles.

Having been a teacher for the past 42 years, this really clicks with me. Everything I have taught has required practice on the part of my students for it to be a useful part of their repertoire. Even with something as mundane as English Conversation, I have told my students consistently, “If you don’t speak you can’t speak.” Being afraid to make mistakes is no way to learn! In deeper subjects, I have taught Medical English to nurses and therapists, and Vocal Production and Pronunciation to speech therapists. Those students all had Practicums to deal with after my classes, and some of them wanted to come back to class after their experiences in the practicum! They didn’t grasp the importance of what I was teaching them until they encountered actual patients. I have experienced the same thing myself many times, as I have had to come back to the Word and to Holy Spirit for “refresher sessions” time and time again. I am grateful for how much of the Word is in my heart and mind, but I am very aware that I need more, and more skill in applying it. However, Holy Spirit is always available to give me the further teaching and coaching I need, so I need to stay in constant communication with Him.

Father, thank You for this clear exposition. Help me be effective in sharing it with people on Sunday. May I be an effective “teaching assistant” for Holy Spirit so that all the believers may grow in knowing and applying Your Word and Your will, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Trusting God; September 4, 2023

Posted on September 5, 2023 by jgarrott

John 14:1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God ; trust also in me.”

After the Passover supper and Judas leaves, Jesus starts teaching His closest disciples in what is called the Upper Room Discourse. There is no comparable passage in the whole Bible, where God is gently, patiently, and clearly explaining spiritual reality. That Jesus is the Son of God is a settled, accepted reality here; there is no “beating around the bush.” The content is things Jesus wanted to communicate before His crucifixion, and this is His last chance for that. In this verse He expresses the necessary foundation for receiving all He has to say. If our hearts are stirred up, our minds aren’t going to be very receptive. Some translations use “trust” here, and some “believe.” I don’t have the Greek here for confirmation, but they are certainly intertwined concepts. Jesus has taught that we aren’t to be anxious all along, famously in Matthew 6 and in various other places as well, but this feels a little different. This isn’t a matter of being worried about supply, but of being uncertain about what is going to happen. The events of the next three days were certainly going to be extremely upsetting to the disciples, and Jesus was trying to prepare them. The thing is, we all face uncertainty, actually even more than we realize, because we cannot control the actions of the people around us, much less weather or geologic activity. Japan is famous for natural disasters, but the Internet is filled with reports of such things from all over the world. Sadly, some parts of America are becoming famous for human disasters, with muggings, drive-by shootings and the like. If we focus on such things and their very real possibility, our hearts will be troubled indeed. Jesus is saying, very plainly and clearly, “Don’t do that.” God has given us the ability to imagine, and it is a good gift, like everything God gives us. (James 1:17) However, like everything else, it can be misused. We are all too adept at letting “what if” scenarios play over in our minds. We need to live by faith, just as Paul said too. (2 Corinthians 5:7) Only then will we avoid the “heart troubles” the devil wants to dump on us.

This is remarkably timely, because I am having some medical symptoms that are disturbing, and I don’t currently have any connection to an appropriate doctor for them. I do, however, have a friend who is retired from that specialty, and I will call him this morning to get his recommendation of where to go. The point for me, however, is to not let my heart be troubled, playing “what if” games, but to trust God and my Lord Jesus, because as He told Jeremiah, His plans for me are to prosper me and not harm me. (Jeremiah 29:11) All sorts of things are changing around me, and in me for that matter, but my God will never change, and I just need to rest in that assurance.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You also for the circumstances that make it so timely. You long ago told me to rest, relax, and rejoice in You, and I’m still learning to do that. Help me keep going through this training session, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Accepting Christ; September 3, 2023

Posted on September 4, 2023 by jgarrott

John 13:20 “I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”

This verse is at the same time challenging, encouraging, and frustrating for anyone who is actively involved in evangelism. It all hinges on what Jesus meant by “accepts” here. We set up all sorts of formulas for how people are saved, how they pass from death to life, but on the face of it, this blows all of that out of the water. We have the famous formula in Romans, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9) This seems even more simple than that! We put all sorts of doctrinal barriers in people’s way, when God “wants all men to be saved and to come to a know­ledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4) We need to be careful we don’t fall into a simplistic, “Into bliss and out of blister” picture of salvation, (as one of my grandfathers expressed it) but we aren’t to complicate it unnecessarily. Jesus certainly doesn’t mean something casual, but we definitely need to let Him define in each case just what acceptance means. We tend to think of Christians in terms of church members, but there are manifestly some church members who have never made Jesus their Lord, and there are some outside the organized church whom the Lord counts as His. We are back to needing to be faithful to share the Good News of salvation with all who will hear, and leaving the rest in God’s hands.

This is an especially acute issue for me since I serve in Japan, which has by far the lowest “rate of return” of anywhere in the world when it comes to evangelism. As I have written before, my father once prostrated himself on the floor and cried out, “God, if I’m standing in the way of revival in Japan, then take me out of the way!” I understand and empathize with him completely! We have been in Omura for fully 42 years now, since I arrived in September, 1981. Some people have accepted the Gospel and been baptized and a few have gone through the motions and just gotten wet, but not so many total. However, there have been many who have seemed to genuinely accept us, which is not a small thing in this xenophobic culture. Given this verse, I cannot say definitively what their eternal destiny is. I am not to dilute the Gospel in any way, but neither am I to push people away. Jesus Himself accepted the people who came to Him, but He also said some very strong things that caused many to drop away, as came up in the readings a few days ago. I am not to sugar-coat the Gospel, but neither am I to set barriers in people’s way. All I can do is be faithful, and pray that the results will be exactly as God desired, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. You know the people I’m thinking of right now. I pray that acceptance would blossom to full commitment leading to active discipleship, building up the Body of Christ for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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