Jesus in Japan

Our church sends aid to Sendai

2011-03-20T04:10:00.000-07:00

"What you do for the least of these, you do for me."

Jesus called us to help those in need, in His love we are reaching out where we can. Many of those receiving aid from these trucks are hearing the gospel message for the first time, Praise God!!

8.9 Earthquake

2011-03-11T15:46:00.000-08:00

Those in Sendai and Aomori areas are suffering enormous damage and lose after the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and subsequent Tsunami. Please keep these people in prayer, ask for open doors to bring the gospel into their lives as they look for answers. God can answer their cry, but they need to know who to cry out to.

Thought of the day

2011-03-06T21:35:00.000-08:00

Reading in James today, I was smacked in the face by this:

"God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble and oppressed." Submit yourselves, then, to God. (James 4:6-7, TNIV)

Reaching Out, Not In

2011-02-27T21:10:00.000-08:00

I have been constantly reminded over the last few months that Christians are called to reach out to the lost. Jesus came to save that which was lost, not to hang around with the righteous. He was so effective in His ministry to the lost and broken of this world that he was called a friend of sinners. Where do we stand on friendships, are we a friend to sinners? In view of His example, my answer is painfully: No.

In a recent discussion about discipleship, one of my church leaders said, "we are called to reach out, not in." He was stressing the importance of going and making new disciples, not building up the ones we already have. The question was raised, "How much training is enough training? When are we ready to go and make disciples?" I was very happy to hear his answer to that question, "We have Jesus, He is all the training we need to speak the Good News to someone who does not know it." Awesome response.

As I have been challenged to find ways to reach out, I decided to take a step toward developing friendships and relationships outside of the church. Although I placed myself into an uncomfortable situation, both culturally and linguistically, I moved forward and Jesus was with me as I reached out. We must always remind ourselves that Jesus is in control of our going and He will always be with us as we reach out to the lost. (Matthew 28:18 - 20)

Here is me trying to reach out to those around me, please keep me in your prayers as I continue to learn from and with these Japanese men.
http://homepage3.nifty.com/hsg/HASE/index.files/top.htm

Lausanne Occasional Papers

2011-02-25T20:10:00.000-08:00

I have uploaded my journal responses to two Lausanne Occasional Papers. The titles of the Occasional Papers I responded to were The Willowbank Report: Consultation on Gospel and The Local Church in Mission: Becoming a Missional Congregation in the Twenty-First Century Global Context and the Opportunities offered through Tentmaking Ministry.

Both papers can be found in the Short-Papers section of my Seminary Papers. Use the link to the left to access.

Gospel for Asia Report

2011-02-08T00:05:00.000-08:00

Listen to Francis Chan report on the activity of Gospel For Asia.

Francis Chan on GFA

For more information check out the link on the left, this is a great outreach to India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan.

New Paper Uploaded

2011-02-05T14:26:00.000-08:00

New Critical Book Review on Cross-Cultural Servanthood: Serving the World in Christlike Humility by Duane H. Elmer has been posted. In this book Elmer presents an insightful and refreshing view of serving others through cross-cultural
missions.

You can find the paper using the link to the left, then look in 'Critical Book Reviews' folder. Please reply to this post if you have questions relating to the paper.

God speaks ...

2011-01-31T01:30:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had one of those words from God that is so strange that you know it had to be from Him and Him alone? Well, here is one of those cases.

Last night I was praying for a Japanese friend of mine. I have been praying for this friend for about 2o years and others have been praying for her even longer. As I was praying a verse came to me, which is not strange at all, I receive verses or passages all the time while praying, I am sure most people do. What was strange, however, was the verse I received while praying for the salvation of a friend, Genesis 1:2, not one of those go too Scriptures regarding salvation or promise or ..., if you know what I mean.

Anyway, so I got up and read the verse just to make sure I wasn't missing something, because I usually am :)

Here is what God says, "Now the earth was without shape and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the watery deep, but the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the water." (Gen 1:2, NET)

I am not sure why, but I did not keep reading, I just sat there thinking about that verse and went to bed. When I woke up the verse was right there in my head again, but this time I felt a strong desire to read what comes after that verse, so I did.

Here is what God says, "God said, 'Let there be light.' And there was light! God saw that the light was good, so God separated the light from the darkness." (Gen 1:3-4, NET)

I was totally stunned, God has confirmed His promise, there will be Light in my friends life and not only that, He will set her apart from the darkness.

Praise God!!

Hillsong City Campus Wall

2011-01-28T20:47:00.000-08:00

Confirmation

2011-01-23T22:20:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful thing it is to receive confirmation from God when we have patiently, I use this term with hesitation, waited on Him to answer us in His time. I have found that God brings us to the place He wants us, both physically and spiritually, before giving us an answer, which He then gives us in such a way that we cannot deny it has come from Him. Let me explain what I mean.

I have been wrestling with my place in God's mission and His purpose for me. Many times I have asked Him for a clear answer, however, it would not come. I continued to press forward with what I believed to be right, some doors closing, some doors opening. Ultimately leading me to yesterday.

As I was worshipping yesterday, I realized just how comfortable I was in the environment I was in. The worship music was in Japanese and English, the worship leader was switching between both languages with out hesitation, but nothing seemed special or out of place to me. As I looked around the room, there were many ethnic groups represented, all worshipping together, again nothing seemed strange or different to me. It was at that point that an overwhelming spirit of peace filled me. God had put me where He wanted me to be and He let me know I was where I was suppose to be.

Confirmation had come.

Love Your Neighbor

2011-01-21T14:47:00.000-08:00

Reading a discussion post by another student today I was struck by what he said. The question was to discuss what we thought were the most important passages of Scripture related to World Evangelism. The other student mentioned the more obvious verses, as most of us did, Acts 1:8, Mark 16:15 and Matthew 28:16-20, but he went on to talk about what should motivate us to listen to and obey the call to evangelism. He listed the following verses:
- Romans 6:23...For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- Romans 3:23...For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
- Matthew 10:33...But, whoever disowns me before men, I will disown before my father in heaven.

As I read those verses in the light of World Evangelism, I was struck by the command of God to love our neighbor as ourself. To understand man's hopeless situation as they stand before God without Jesus and not give all that we are to bringing His message of hope to those who do not know Him, would be to sin against the second greatest commanded. I must confess, I needed to ask forgiveness for my sin.

I guess the real question is, "Do we believe what the Word says about the hopelessness of those who do not come to the Father through the Son?" If we do, then will we obey His commandment to "Love your neighbor as yourself?"

Please pray over these two questions, Asia needs workers, Japan needs workers.

Overflow

2010-12-13T03:21:00.000-08:00

Have you ever noticed how God seems to speak to us in the most common things of life? At times I am so amazed how he does it, but there is never a question that it is Him when He does it. This Sunday was example of what I am talking about.

Over the last four weeks we have been studying a series titled "Overflow." The primary message of the series is that as we are growing in our relationship, discipleship and service to God, He will pour out His blessings on us to a level of overflow. It is this overflow that we use to bless those around us in relationship, discipleship and service. Although many speak about blessings these days, most of the time we only hear about material blessings and how we should give out of our material abundance. There is truth in that message, however, it seems to me that the number of times we hear it compared with what we read in the New Testament is out of balance. Shouldn't we pay more attention to our spiritual blessings, our blessings of discipleship and our blessings of service to our brothers and sisters and a little less time concerned with the material? God will take care of His children, He promised :)

OK, back to my point.

As our Pastor was speaking about the overflow of our spiritual blessings and the growing of disciples through our overflow of love and compassion for our church family and city, I looked behind me and our room was literally overflowing with people, many of whom I have never seen before. I also spotted two people sitting in the small area just outside the room next to the elevator. The message was clear, God is overflowing His blessings on Yokosuka Grace Bible Church.

I am a firm believer that when the church body builds itself through faithful discipleship, prayer and leadership, God will build the numbers in His time, when He knows we are ready to take care of the overflow.

What is Church?

2010-11-26T22:59:00.000-08:00

As I sit in Chiba today I am wondering to myself, "What is Church?" Is what we commonly refer to as the church today The Church or is it something else? In many places in the world, including America, I can clearly see what the Bible refers to as The Church, however, is the thing we most commonly refer to as the normal church setting real? Is church a business or a system? Is it a building with wonderful people and wonderful programs? Is it mega or small? Is it narrow or wide? Does it have a wonderful speaker and a cool worship band, or does it have a regular guy speaking truth and a tambourine? Is it denominational or non-denominational? Do we need a strategy or method to grow our church or should we just follow Jesus and allow Him to grow His Church? The questions can go on forever, so I will stop.

What did Peter see as church? What did Paul see as church? What did Jesus see as The Church? As I read the Word I am challenged to look around and see what we call church. I have to ask myself, in light of what I see and what I read, "Why am I so uncomfortable with what I see, why am I so uncomfortable with what I read?"

Are we going to worship God in Spirit and Truth with our Brothers and Sisters in Christ, shining light into the community around us, providing for those who are in physical and spiritual need or are we going to just stay inside the building we meet in to watch the sideshow once a week. The world needs us to come and Jesus commanded us to go, what are we waiting for?

Christ's Agony

2010-11-24T14:30:00.000-08:00

While reading Jonathan Edwards' sermon 'Christ's Agony,' I was, probably for the first time, overwhelmed by the truth of the Cross. I will do my best to summarize the primary points of the sermon:

While Jesus was in the garden praying, He was shown the cup that He had come to drink. He was at that point fully aware of the pain and suffering He would endure the next day. As He prayed to have the cup pass from Himself, if it was God's will, He was in such agony that He sweat as drops of blood. As we can imagine, the physical pain of the flesh must have been horrible, but it was the knowledge that He would, for the first time, be completely denied and rejected by His Father. He would be condemned by the Father and separated from Him although He had committed no offense.

While He was praying in agony of the full knowledge of what He would endure at the hand of His Father, He also knew the hearts of those for whom He was going to suffer. The level of their wickedness, hatred, unbelief and total depravity, yet He prayed, "Not my will, but your will be done." Knowing He would suffer to the point of physical and spiritual death for such an undeserving people, He stayed and continued to pray and wait.

Here is what totally amazes me about the scene in the garden. Although Jesus had full knowledge of what was to come, although He had full knowledge that it was to come to rescue an undeserving wicked people, although He was fully aware that His betrayer would come to where He was praying to arrest Him, HE STAYED THERE AND WAITED.

I have never put any thought into the idea that, although Jesus was fully aware of what was to come and why, He did not simply leave the garden and save Himself. I do not understand that level of love and obedience?

In the Bible we are reminded that someone may choose to die for a good man, but who would choose to die for an evil man? Making that question more relevant to the Cross:

Having full knowledge of the physical pain and suffering to come, and the complete separation and condemnation of God who would knowingly wait to be arrested and be put to death to save the same men who are putting them to death?

I can think of only One man who would do that.

The sermon, and many more, can be found at Christian Classics Ethereal Library

Love of a Brother

2010-11-10T18:54:00.000-08:00

When was it, I don't know,

Does it matter, not really, no,

How did it happen, it was on the road,

Rt 17 to be exact, not in Virginia,

but below,

He started to talk, I had no where to go,

I was in a car you see, and we were

headed home,

It was then that my brother said,

"If you die today, where will you

go?"

The question threw me for a loop,

So I said, "I don't know."

He said, "I do, not to Heaven, but

to Hell you will go."

This is the day long ago, when my

seed was sown,

And now, thanks to my Bro, it has

grown, and grown and grown.

New Link added

2010-11-07T01:34:00.000-07:00

I have added a new link to some of the papers I have submitted while attending Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. All of these papers were submitted while I was attending Liberty in pursuit of a Master of Arts in Theology Studies.

I hope you enjoy reading what God has allowed me to write.

My Heart

2010-11-07T00:23:00.000-07:00

You are my peace, my life, my Lord
In sorrow, I will turn to You
In joy, I will praise You
In fear, I will hide in Your shadow

You Lord are always with me
You have never forsaken me
Your love, uncompromising
Your word, unwavering

You bought me with Your blood
You stand before God in my place
You have made me pure in his eyes
You Lord, are my Savior and King

Give me the endurance to follow You
Give me the strength to stand with You
Give me the understanding to know You
I give you my life, a living sacrifice

* Written in December 2006. *

Heart Broken

2010-11-01T02:41:00.000-07:00

As I was walking to Church yesterday, I passed by a garbage truck at the stop light. The smell was absolutely horrible and I had to cover my nose and mouth as I passed by. As I was doing this a thought came to me, "There are millions of people who live in the slums in India who endure much worse 24 hours a day as they live in it, not able to pass by." This broke my heart as I thought about the children who know no different than this horrible level of life.

Then I began to think, "The smell is the least of their problems, what about food, clothing, education, water..." Again, this broke my heart, but God was not done with me yet. As I continued to think about it, even all this was the least of their problems, "What about their souls, the millions of men, women and children who will never know Jesus, will never have the opportunity to know Him or hear about His love for them. They will be born, live and die in darkness."

The next time you smell the horrible smell of rotting garbage, think about the millions who are not only living in total poverty, but also going to Hell because I am too worried about the smell...

Pray for the Dalits of India and all of the Native Missionaries who sacrifice daily to reach them, specifically pray for Nita Saurah and Rajani Kumari who live in the slums and Elizabeth Killingpi and Raj Kumar who minister to them daily. I praise God for Elizabeth and Raj, their service and sacrifice humble me.

Jesus took away the sins of the world !!

2010-10-28T17:00:00.000-07:00

I love to read Oswald Chambers in the morning. He always helps me focus my attitude and strengthen my hope in Truth. This is an excerpt from his My Utmost for His Highest 29 October entry:

"We are acceptable with God not because we have obeyed, or because we have promised to give up things, but because of the death of Christ, and in no other way. We say that Jesus Christ came to reveal the Fatherhood of God, the loving-kindness of God; the New Testament says He came to bear away the sin of the world."

This is one of the most important points we must continuously be aware of. It is the foundational truth in our relationship with Jesus. We can in no way deserve, earn or work to obtain our salvation. How many times do we need to hear this truth to actually stop trying to earn our salvation or stop working to retain our salvation. Again I will quote Oswald Chambers, 28 October entry, his words are much for insightful than anything I could ever write:

"I am not saved by believing; I realize I am saved by believing. It is not repentance that saves me, repentance is the sign that I realize what God has done in Christ Jesus. The danger is to put the emphasis on the effect instead of on the cause. It is my obedience that puts me right with God, my consecration. Never! I am put right with God because prior to all, Christ died. When I turn to God and by belief accept what God reveals I can accept, instantly the stupendous Atonement of Jesus Christ rushes me into a right relationship with God; and by the supernatural miracle of God's grace I stand justified, not because I am sorry for my sin, not because I have repented, but because of what Jesus has done." (Bold emphasis added)

As we go to those around us in Japan, we must maintain the truth that Jesus died for the sins of the world, and His death alone is our salvation.

Who's victory parade am I marching In?

2010-10-27T16:13:00.000-07:00

I will never conquer anything in my life. I cannot defeat the powers of darkness that war against my flesh. I am lost and helpless, a sheep without a Sheppard. But…

Jesus has already won the war, he has conquered the powers of darkness and cast them out. He is the good Sheppard. So…

Where does that leave me? Where do I stand? Who do I stand on? Do I even try to make a stand?

Paul tells us that we are to march in the victory procession of Christ, to join in His victory parade. We are not to gain or try to gain a victory, we are to simply join with the One who has already won the victory and is marching today.

We must stop trying to win a victory over sin and just accept the fact that the victory belongs to Jesus, march with Him as the One who is in victory.

Been too long

2010-10-22T00:56:00.000-07:00

It has been quite some time since my last post, however, I was reminded today that somebody may actually read this blog :)

Many exciting things have taken place over the last few years, too many to mention. The biggest news is that Yokosuka Grace Bible Church (YGBC) has grown so much and is now renting two floors of the building. Many new faces and it has truly become an international church in Japan. No less than 3 languages are heard constantly, some days 4 or 5 can be heard.

"Many will come from the east and the west and recline at the table..."

So, I will make a commitment to keep this blog updated with news about what God is doing in my small part of Japan.

I have Jesus

2008-12-16T23:48:00.000-08:00

Last night while I was at work, sometimes I have too work overnight, it hit me that "I have Jesus." Although as a Christian, I should always be aware of that fact, sometimes as days go by the truth of His presence in my life becomes dim or I live on auto-pilot. What is hard to understand here is that even when I am actively studying His word and praying, the truth of His presence becomes dim. It becomes more of a regimen than a relationship.

I am so blessed to have been given the opportunity to follow Jesus and last night as I contemplated the meaning of "I have Jesus," I realized the awesomeness of that simple statement, maybe for the first time. Does anything else really matter?

Big Mac

2008-11-26T03:50:00.001-08:00

Tonight I was eating a Big Mac, which for any of you who know me is an extremely odd thing, and my daughter looked over and asked me, "When was the last time you had a Big Mac?" What a simple question, at least that is what she thought.

I thought about it for a second and when I started to answer her, I teared up and couldn't. You see, I have not eaten a Big Mac since 1986, when I first moved to Japan. When it hit me just how fast those 22 years have gone by, I could not believe it.

It is amazing how God can use the smallest things in our lives to speak to us. Just yesterday I posted about how quickly our lives slip by, as the Bible tells us our lives are but a vapor in light of eternity, but it was today when I finally realized what I was really saying yesterday.

We do not have time in this life to ignore God. We must respond to Him before it is too late to actually live this life, the way He designed it.

Time really does fly

2008-11-25T15:11:00.000-08:00

We all know the old saying, "Time flies when your having fun." Well, as I look at the date on my last post, I must have been having one great time over the last 5 months ;-)

We are told in the Bible that our life here on earth is but a vapor and the older I get the more I know this to be true. As I look back on my life, it is obvious that my time is passing away at a tremendous pace, so why do I continue to spend so much of my time and effort to achieve and accumulate as if I will be here forever?

Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us that God set eternity in the heart of man. We are built to believe we will live forever, God made us that way. The real question is where will we spend our eternity? We know it will not be here, although we often live as if it will be.

If you are in doubt as to why we are placed on this earth and where we should focus our efforts, I recommend you read through Ecclesiastes, when you are done there will be no doubt how trivial your efforts to achieve and accumulate have been in the sight of God.

If there is still doubt, just take a look in your closet, garage or attic. Or, maybe I am the only one with too much useless junk...

Suffering or God's Will?

2008-07-08T00:04:00.000-07:00

We recently went through a bit of a scare as one of my family members needed medical attention. This situation ended up requiring a small operation. As this was the first time any of us have had to go through this, it was scary at times. However, as I look back through the entire process, I honestly believe it improved our relationship with each other and brought them into a closer relationship with God.

This is the first time I have personally had a situation which appeared to be bad from the outside, work for good. We are told that all things work for the good of those who are His. He is not talking about material, personal gain, or other things of the flesh, He is concerned about what is going on in the hearts of those who are called His. Many of us prayed that God would us this situation to build a closer relationship and He did.

Not only that, the love that was shown by my Christian brothers and sisters spoke to the heart. Their love and prayers can not be ignored. They are real and I know it has made an impact.

As I was reading this morning, this verse really said what I have been thinking the last few days:

"You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus."

Galatians 4:13 - 14 (ESV)

I am sure that many viewed Paul's ailment with sadness, however, the Church at Galatia may never had been, if Paul had not been in pain and suffering. The most important point however, is that Paul continued to speak the Gospel, no matter what pain he was in.

The Work of God

2008-06-29T15:14:00.000-07:00

How often have you heard someone refer to the "Work of God?" How many times have you asked God to show you what He wants you to do for Him? I have prayed that many times, as many of us have. We are very concerned about doing the right thing. Many of us have struggled and worried about not doing the work God wants us to do. As you know, that can lead to a totally miserable life.

What does the Word of God say about doing "God's Work?"

As I was preparing a little Bible Study for my family last night I came across two verses that show us how God views our relationship with His work. As always, He makes it so simple that we often can not believe it, so we just move on looking for something more complicated to tell us what God wants us to do for Him.

Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

John 6:28 - 29 (ESV)

"Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"

Psalm 46:10 (ESV)

Both of these verses simply say, "Believe." Our human nature says do, but God says believe.

How much time, money and work have been put into learning better methods to accomplish God's work? How many more conferences do we need to attend or books do we need to read before we turn back to God and listen to what He is saying?

Are we so small minded to think that God is not able to complete His work unless we do it. What kind of a God do we serve? He does not need us to do His work, it will be done with or without us. He tells us to Come, Repent, and Believe in the One He has sent.

Come to Me...

2008-06-15T23:36:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I was sitting with a couple of friends talking and the following verse came up,

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV)

At the time I remember we talked about the verse and how important it is to take on His yoke to learn. It was strange to us that even though we are "taking on a yoke", which sounds like more work, Jesus is actually making the load easier for us.

Well, I could not get that passage out of my head all night that night. The next morning it just happened to be the verse used in my morning devotion, umm... I always love the way God does that for us. Two days after that the verse came up again in a book I am reading, so I started to pray for understanding. I knew there was something God wanted me to hear in this passage.

After about a day of praying, reading the passage over many times and thinking about it, I got the message and it was like a burden had been lifted from me. It was "you will find rest for your souls" that really grabbed me.

Jesus tells us to come to Him for rest, yet I have spent most of my days searching for Him in other places, like books, sermons, devotional teachings, etc. Even though I was searching for God or Jesus or Truth, I was looking all over the place to find it, but He was telling me to come to Him. I thought to myself, "Man, I am tired of having a heavy laden and laboring soul." So, that day I just came to Him and asked for rest for my soul and He gave me rest for my soul.

As this passage says, when we come to Him to learn He will be gentle and loving with us, not angry, not condemning. Each day over the last week, I have been able to look at things with this one thought in my mind, "I am no longer seeking Him, I have come to Him and He has given me rest for my soul."

End your search today, Come to Him. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Building Dedication Service

2008-06-14T22:36:00.000-07:00

YGBC Worship team leads the Church in a Japanese Worship song. You can see the song we are singing on the screen behind the team. It is wonderful to hear the Japanese praising God in their own language.

Pastor Scott, from Yokohama Grace Bible Church, blesses Pastor Ray and Satomi during the dedication service. Pastor Scott sent this team out from Yokohama to start a Church in Yokosuka about 1 1/2 years ago.

As you can see, we had a huge lunch after the service. We love to eat together after service and spend time in fellowship with our Church Family

Dedication Service Group picture. Many here are from the Yokohama Church.

Mustard seed is growing

2008-06-14T22:04:00.000-07:00

We have had our first service in the new building a few months ago and it was an awesome day for all of us. It was wonderful to see the face of each person there in a place we can call our own, after a year of temporary meeting places. I praise God for the dedication of our Church Leadership.

So, as we often do, we had a small meal after the service. As usual there was great food available and Hiro made his famous yakitori for us. We always love to eat yakitori when we BBQ :-)

Here are the boys from our Church. As you know it is so important for us to reach the youth around us. This has always been one of the focus areas for YGBC and I am sure we will continue to see growth in both the number of boys and girls in our Church as well as growth in their knowledge of God through the Church.

Name Change

2008-06-14T21:45:00.000-07:00

I have changed the name of my Blog. I will continue to focus on Japan, however, I would like to bring articles and updates from other areas in Asia, so I have changed the name.

I will make a post soon, to update what has been going on at Yokosuka Grace Bible Church and my time in Asia.

Sorry for my absence

2008-04-15T02:45:00.000-07:00

Well, we all know there are times in our lives when we do the things we do not want to do, and do not do the things we want to do. I believe the first person to put that in writing was Paul, even though many before him were guilty of the same thing.

I have been so distracted by the things of this world over the last 3 months that I really do not know where the time has gone and I know I have missed out on many wonderful things that came my way, I just didn't notice. I am sad to say that I allowed myself to be take away from the most important thing in my life, but happy to say He is always there for me and always has been.

God has been faithful to Yokosuka Grace Bible Church and all things are moving forward, thanks to the many faithful people involved listening and living in God's will. I thank God for these brothers and sisters.

My next post will be an update to the Mustard Seed post below. So much has happened since that post, it needs to be updated.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Josh 1:9

Mustard Seed

2008-01-06T14:29:00.000-08:00

"The Kingdom of God is like a Mustard Seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch on its branches."

It amazes me when I look at the history of some of the worlds greatest ministries or christian movements. With faith the most humble beginning can change the world. Paul started with one bold missionary trip, Luther started with a piece of paper and a nail. Jesus tells us "Ask and it will be given, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you."

I have been blessed to be part of something small and humble. God is allowing me to serve Him with a group of faithful believers who are boldy proclaiming His name in Japan. I believe He will bless and provide for the faithful, like a Mustard Seed.

Wonderful New Year

2007-12-31T15:20:00.000-08:00

This is going to be a wonderful New Year in Japan. God has His hand on this land and on the Church in Japan. I have seen such wonderful growth over the last year and feel that God is moving here, now. The fields are white and ready for the harvest, but the workers are few. I am very excited about the coming year and what God is doing here in Japan. Let's join God in all of the wonderful work He is doing in Japan in 2008.

Heart Broken on Christmas

2007-12-25T23:34:00.000-08:00

As I spent time with friends and family this Christmas, it became too apparent that the true meaning of Christ's Birth has been lost. It was very sad for me to sit through an Evening Service and listen to what was being said, to see all of the decorations on display and then to sing a few of the songs chosen for the service. It was very festive but not very Christ like.

It is sad to say that I did not get the feeling anyone was really celebrating the birth of Christ, the Almighty Son of God, who was sent here for one reason: The salvation of sinful man. As I thought about that I wondered if we would ever figure it out. I believe the answer is, "Not until that day when we bow trembling before Him and beg for mercy from the Almighty Son of God." Will He know you?

When is the Church going to wake up and see that they are as lost as the world. We joyfully come to church on Christmas Eve or morning and blindly join the pagan celebration without regard for who Jesus truly is. We say the words as we quote the "Christmas Story," but who is listening? Is it the children jumping around thinking about new toys, or the teens bored to death thinking about new clothes, or the parents half asleep thinking about how much debt they are in after the Christmas bills come in or maybe Santa himself is paying attention.

Please, as we live in Japan spreading the Gospel message to this lost nation, leave out all the American junk about Christmas. Stick to the real truth for the day we call Christ mas.

What a privilege

2007-12-19T20:25:00.000-08:00

The purpose of this post is to respond to the following statement:

"God does not need us in order to fulfill His purpose on earth. He is God and He will make it happen, with you or without you."

I had to really think about that statement and I questioned it when I first heard it. I thought God did "want" to use us to fulfill His purpose, doesn't He desire to work through us to reach others and spread His Gospel throughout the world?

Then as I really thought about the statement, it does not say want or desire, it says need. How small minded and self-centered am I to believe God needs me to do anything He desires. Have I been so blind not to see that God created all, is all and can do all, without beginning or end. umm...

So, thinking about what God really is, or at least trying to imagine it, I can only view my service to help fulfill His purpose as an undeserving privilege. He has granted me this incredible opportunity to serve Him, not because He needs me but because He loves me and wants to have fellowship with me.

This truth is new to me and I praise God that He taught it to me. I pray that you will hear what is really being said here, I am not completely sure myself.

His purpose will be fulfilled in Japan, with or without me or you. But, how awesome is it that He has given us the chance to be part of that purpose? Each day God is allowing us to be part of who He is in Japan.

"God does not need us in order to fulfill His purpose on earth. He is God and He will make it happen, with you or without you."

Today

2007-12-19T01:33:00.000-08:00

You are my desire
How often I forget
All you have done
Then comes regret

My heart cries out
You answer me
I run from you
You follow me

I accept your love
Then deny your face
My heart is broken
You heal with grace

My eyes are open
Yet I do not see
All you have done
You set me free

I will serve you
Until the end of days
Without complaint Lord
I will follow your ways

What a price

2007-12-16T16:30:00.000-08:00

As I thought about the price Jesus paid for me on that wonderful day I began to look deeper into what He did. I have thought about His sacrifice many times. It is clear that the pain and suffering He went through to take on my sins and to be seperated from God the Father for me was more than I could ever imagine. He assumed every single bit of pain and seperation so I will never need to.

At times I have gone through heart break, loneliness, sadness and internal struggle while running from God and while seeking Him. I have thought to myself that it was more than I could handle, yet it has never been close to the pain He suffered for me. I have never truely been seperated from God's presence. I have often tried to hide from Him, but He was always "walking through the garden, looking for me." He has always been there, regardless of where I was. So, I can not relate to the pain of being "forsaken" by God.

So, lets think about the worst internal struggle or heartbreak we have ever suffered in our life. No matter how bad we believe it was, it does not even compare to the pain of total seperation from God for the sin we are guilty of. Jesus took this for us, for each and every one of us. What an awesome sacrifice to have taken on all of the sin I have commited and pay for it with "Total Seperation" from the Father.

So, as I thought about the signifigance of what Jesus did for me, I was completely overwhelmed by the following thought:

"He did not only take on all the pain and suffering for me, He took on the sin for every single person living on this planet, past, present and future. The level of pain and suffering for that amount of sin can not be measured."

As I tried to think about that, I could not even begin to get a handle on it. I can not even begin to understand that sacrifice...

Wonderful Day

2007-12-08T23:36:00.000-08:00

I have been involved in many small churches, but I have never been involved in one in it's very early stage, so what I saw today was absolutely amazing to me and it filled my heart with joy.

As is common with most new churches in Japan, they all start without much support and never have a place to meet. This requires them to rent any place they can and is often a different place week to week. Some are lucky when starting out and can rent the same room for many weeks straight, but it is normally only available for a few hours on Sunday resulting in no central location to meet during the week or just to hang out together for prayer or study. This is normally a bit of a problem because houses / apartments in Japan are very small as well, so getting more than 5 people together means you need a place to meet.

So, what was I talking about anyway, o yea...

We got the word last week that a permanent place may be available for a price we can afford. The owner accepted the offer the church made and the only thing left was for the church members to take a look and pray about it.

Today we all went to see the place. What an amazing sight. About 15 adults and 10 kids showed up to see it, which is about the whole church. Everyone looked so happy and we were all talking, looking and laughing. Smiles all over the place. The kids were all running around checking everything out. It was awesome to see. Then we prayed about it and asked for God to bless the decision either way.

As we all stood there looking around and talking, it just felt right. We have all been in prayer over a place to meet and God completely slammed the door shut on the only other option we had, so we believe this is the one, even though the Pastor never thought this would be the one, it is too nice for the price, but God is good to his people :-)

Now we just wait for the paper work to be written up and see if it works out.

What is the most important thing?

2007-12-05T23:44:00.000-08:00

Today was a very eye opening day for me. As I looked around at all of the things I have and many of the ones I do not have and thought about what Jesus has done for us, I came to a conclusion, with much help from Paul.

The Bible tells us that we will have many things if we follow Jesus and the commandments of God. It tells us we will have joy, peace, love and prosperity, although I do not believe God is talking about earthly prosperity. These are the things we are taught by many in the church and all of them are good. We also read about mercy and grace and these are more than good. The problem I have found in my life though is that, I look at these things, know they are good, and am amazed that God would ever show me mercy and grant me grace; however, I have often missed the point in it all.

The only thing that Jesus gave us that really matters is Salvation. His death and resurrection are the source of it all. Without it we would not be able to have right standing with God, there would be no peace, love joy or anything that comes close to them if not for His dying for us. As Paul says, "For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." That is the one thing that really matters in all that we do and have. When we have salvation, we have all we will ever need in this life.

A popular saying where I work is BLUF (bottom line up front.) Well, there it is, "Jesus Christ and Him Crucified." Nothing else comes close to it. Without it, everything else is useless.

Have you truly accepted the salvation that God has given you? Do you understand what God means when He says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness?"

Take this message to you friends in Japan, tell them this simple message. The Holy Spirit will do the rest.

How do I just "Give up?"

2007-12-02T17:00:00.000-08:00

We are often faced with hard decisions in our life. Many times we do not know if we should stay, go, start, stop or just wait. This is where I am right now. The biggest problem I have with this decision is that I have not stopped worrying about it. I have not given up and placed it in God's hands.

As I look at Japan and all that God has shown me here, I believe He wants me to stay, but at the same time, I am not sure how He wants me here. Does He want me here full time or does He want me to continue what I have been doing? These are the problems I face, but do I need to face them as problems? Does God want me to be concerned with this, I do not think He does, so why am I?

Giving up is the hardest thing we can ever do, but that is all God wants from us, isn't it? What He wants from us is so simple, yet so hard. He wants us to give up on this life, trust Him and just walk with Him no matter where He is heading.

Please pray for God's direction in my life. Not just that He will show me, but that I will follow Him and be part of what He is doing around me, not for me.

What is God's plan for me?

2007-11-12T22:55:00.000-08:00

We often ask God to show us His plan for our lives or we ask Him to lead us and help us to fulfill His plan for our lives and the work He wants us to do for Him. Should we be asking this question so often? Should we be asking God to bless our work for Him? When I look back at some of the things I have asked God to bless, I see that I had a preconception of what I wanted to do for God. If I am on my own program, I am not on His. We may actually be placing a barrier between us and God. At times we are only asking God to bless our work not His work.

I recently read an interesting perspective on "Doing God's will." The author said, "God's work is going on all around us, He does not need us to complete or accomplish His work, however, He does invite us to join Him and allow Him to use us in His plan. We should look to see what God is doing around us and join Him. His will for our lives is to join Him in what He is already doing."

When I read that it made since to me. What makes me think that God's work will not get done if I don't do it? I mean, He is God and His plan will always be accomplished, despite what we do or do not do for Him. He has placed us where He wants us to be, we are not living and working where we do by chance. We are blessed, through blessing or helping others, when we join Him.

So, as I continued to read and think about it all, this popped out at me like a beacon. "We must have an intimate love relationship with God before He will ever show us what He is doing." We must have an intimate fellowship with Him to see what He is doing around us. He will reveal Himself to us through His Word, prayer and as we reveal ourselves to Him. Simply put, "Seek ye first..."

As an example for us to follow, Jesus himself did not even follow His own plan to accomplish His works on earth. Here are 2 of many scriptures showing this. "My doctrine is not mine, but His who sent me." (John 7:16) "The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works." (John 14:10)

Let's just open our eyes and our hearts and take a look around. See what God is doing in your community and join Him. You have been placed there for that purpose, there is no reason to look any further. If He wants you somewhere else, He will put you or lead you there, all you need to do is follow.

What do you say when they do not know Jesus?

2007-11-03T22:39:00.000-07:00

How can you reassure someone that everything is going to be O.K. when they do not know the hope and truth of Jesus and His free gift of Eternal Life? Is there a way to tell someone that they are in God's hands before surgery or that a loss is part of God's plan for their life?

I really do not think anything can honestly be said and truly believed when the one in need or the one who has lost someone does not know or believe that God is in charge. The problem is not that they do not believe in God or that He is in charge. The problem is that He is in charge and they do not believe.

I have been thinking all day of a way to tell someone that God has their situation in his hands, but they do not believe in God, so I am at a loss for how to tell them this. I am sad about this situation because I have had so many opportunities to tell them before, now it is getting close to being too late.

It is easy to say, "Well just tell them." Well, I have said that many times myself, but for some reason it becomes very difficult to do it. I need to have the conversation translated by someone else, who also is an unbeliever at this point. I am completely filled with sorrow and remorse for not trying harder years ago.

God's Word must be brought to this Nation of Japan. Everyday so many fade away without knowing the perfect Love and Peace of Jesus. Please pray that this generation of youth will not follow their parents into eternal destruction and pain...

Shibuya Harvest

2007-10-19T18:57:00.001-07:00

In the late 80's and early 90's, there was a wonderful place in Shibuya called "Shibuya Harvest." This service was held every Sunday night at 6pm. The message was given in English, Japanese, Korean and Farsi. There is no doubt in my mind that Harvest was the single most international place in Tokyo from 6 - 9 pm every Sunday night. To name a few counties represented each week, US, Japan, Nigeria, Samoa, Korea, Canada, Australia, Iran, England, France, Brazil, Singapore, Thailand, China, etc... It was absolutely awesome place and the Spirit of God was in that basement and among His people. Yes, I said basement. The service was held in the basement of a large, yet empty, church in Tokyo. Many times people had to sit outside on the back porch to hear and worship.

Here is a nice picture of the Worship Leader and his wonderful wife. He is now the Pastor of New Hope Tokyo, another international church in Ochanomizu, Tokyo.

Jesus wants to know these kids

2007-10-15T19:19:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of videos from around Yokosuka Chuo Station. It is sad to know that no one in these videos knows who Jesus Christ is. How awesome would it be if only 50% of the High School kids in this video knew Christ?

Have you ever seen Jesus in Japan?

2007-10-11T16:22:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen Jesus in Japan? Well, if not, here is a picture of Him right here. Who are the children of God? Does this man look like a child of God to you? He does to me. This man lives on a road near the Harbor in Yokosuka, he has 2 cats and one pair of clothes. He normally sits on a bench near his tent, but today he was at the tent, so I asked him if I could take his picture and he said yes.

This man was asleep under the train tracks. I asked him if he was hungry and he looked at me straight in the eye and said, "Onaka suita." He was hungry. "If a man is hungry, give him something to eat, thirsty, something to drink." These are not words to believe are great ideas, this is what Jesus told us to do. "What you have done for the least of these, you have done for me." Please show the Love of Jesus in Japan.

Poverty of the Heart

2007-10-10T21:23:00.000-07:00

During her three visits to Japan, Mother Teresa averred that there is hidden in materially rich Japan a "poverty of the heart" that is more serious than the destitution of India. Now in Japan there are 16 men and women of the Missionaries of Charity order that she founded working in Tokyo, Nagoya and Oita.

To read more:
http://www.cbcj.or.jp/eng/jcn/sep2007.htm

Is there a God in all this?

2007-10-04T01:39:00.000-07:00

What do all these idols and temples mean? These are the symbols of a culture who may or may not believe in Buddhism. Although Japan is traditionally known as a Buddhist country, I have not found many Japanese who believe in it, especially amongst those under the age of 40 years old. It is strange that manay Japanese have Shinto or Christian weddings and Buddhist funerals. This is primarily because of the beauty of the wedding s and the somberness of the funeral, not because they believe in any particular reasons to have it this way.

Although you may believe this is a sad thing, I find it very encouraging. Their lack of believe in a particular religious system or God leaves them open to and ready to hear the Words of Jesus. He is the answer to their non-belief. It is amazing how beautiful and well kept these religious symbols are, even in the most remote areas of the country.

Why does Japan need Jesus?

2007-10-01T02:36:00.000-07:00

Hey, why does Japan need Jesus? They are one of the richest nations in the world, right? Well, just because Japan is very modern and appears to be a nation of wealth, they are hurting inside. They continue to grow, create and improve all that they have because they are trying to reach the one thing that will make them happy, but we all know that one thing is Jesus. They need to hear these words, then they will know. Many of my friends have heard the name of Jesus and have responded, but they are not even a drop in the bucket of this nation. Please pray for Japan, ask Jesus to move His spirit in this nation and to soften the hearts of Japan. Please do not give up hope on this nation, they need Jesus in their lives, they need to be freed from the darkness that has a hold on them.

Japan is a 3rd World Nation

2007-10-01T01:58:00.001-07:00

With respects to knowing who Jesus is, Japan should be considered a 3rd World Nation. Many do not see Japan as one of the lost nations on this planet, however, I have lived here for 18 years of my life and I can tell you, this Beautiful, Wonderful, Awesome place is Lost and completely covered in Darkness.

This blog was created to showcase this darkness and try to get the word out to all "Who will go, " to consider Japan as a true Mission Field. The people of this nation need you, they need to hear the Word of God and they need to know who Jesus really is. Their are many searching in this land, they have seen that the success of their parents and their traditional values do not give them the peace and joy we all desire.

The wonderful people of Japan need Jesus. There are many here spreadng the Word, but the Japanese need more to come and bring the message to them. Please consider Japan as a place to bring God's Word.