Sunday, December 28, 2008

Messages From the Nativity

As 2008 comes to a close, do you have some things that need to be cleared up? You have taken down the Christmas things...put up the New Year things… broken your promise to loose some weight… tried to answer all the face book notes, email, and letters that have piled up in your in-box. You may have some unanswered questions that still need clarification. What messages have you left unanswered?

This morning, we will try and help with five messages of this season.

Overview: God used amazing events to communicate that Jesus Christ was the promised Messiah who would be the Savior of the world. Today, we will be looking at five messages of the Nativity.

Message One.
God Promised Christ’s Arrival Throughout History.
The promise of the coming Savior appears like a thread running through the Old Testament, starting with a hint after the first recorded sin...MAN CHOSE TO DISOBEY GOD! The Promise came right after that, so-called FALL with a promise that the serpent (Satan) would be crushed by the seed of Eve. (Gen 3:15). The next promise came to Abraham when God told him that all the world would be blessed through his family line (Gen 12:3). A great, grandson of Abraham, Judah by name, was promised that an eternal rod of power would come from his family line (Gen 49:10). Over 1,000 years later, Kind David, the son of Jesse, came from that line to rule Israel.

The Promises go on. Isaiah prophesied that from him would come the ultimate king (Isa 11:1-5). Isaiah wrote that a virgin would bear Jesus (Isa 7:14) and that He would do miraculous things (Isa 35:5-6). A prophet named Micah wrote that this Promised one would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). Zechariah accurately described His humble situation and betrayal (Zeck 9:6; 11:12-13). Isaiah vividly foretold the torturous death Jesus would die and why (Isa 53) and David told of Jesus’ resurrection (Ps 16:10).

This Message # One was told over many, many years and was found to be true in the Baby born in that stall in Bethlehem.

Message Two.
God Became a Man.
The most astounding message of the Nativity is that God became man. John tells us God became flesh and lived with us (John 1:14)...to show us the Way to His Heart. As one translation puts it: “He moved into the neighborhood.” Paul wrote: “God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him.” (Col 1:19).

God just did not TELL us what He was like, God came to SHOW it and did so personally!

Message Three.
Angels Testified to Christ’s Coming.
The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, not only to prepare her, a virgin, for bearing the Son of God, but to give her specific instructions concerning Him… The angel told her to name the Child “God Saves”--Jesus. That Jesus would be the Son of the Most High God, that God would give Him David’s throne, and that it would last forever! An angel told the step-father, Joseph, that the Child would be called Immanuel-- “God with us”. The angels told the shepherds the joyful news that was for ALL people everywhere, that THE Savior had been born--Jesus Christ the Lord.

Message Four.
Witnesses Proclaimed Christ the Messiah.
Eight days after Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph took him to the temple. Simeon, who had been promised he wouldn’t die before seeing the Lord’s Christ, said, “My eyes have seen Your salvation” (Luke 2:30-32). A prophetess, Anna, told everyone that Jesus was the Child they have been waiting for--looking for--to redeem Jerusalem (Luke 2:38). Still later, Wise Men from the East, Magi, followed a star that they knew meant that a King had been born. When they found that Child, they worshiped Him. The gifts they gave were gifts fit for a King (Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh) (Matt 2).

Message Five.
Christ Came for Our Salvation.
Jesus came to fulfill thousands of years of prophecy. He would be the One who not only represented God, but was God (John 1:1). When Adam and Eve sinned... all mankind was doomed to follow, so God knew we needed saving and He provided the only Savior that could take care of this mess! His only Son, Jesus. He sent Jesus to die in our place, forgive our sins, and conquered death once and for all time by coming alive again--beating the grave! (1 Cor 15:3-4). After Jesus rose from the dead, His Holy Spirit came to dwell within anyone who would put their trust in Christ to forgive their sins and give them new life in His Name (2 Cor 5:17).

What do these five points have to do with my life today? Can either one of them really effect how I live in 2009? These are not just cold facts, a shopping list to follow or disregard.

#1. These are very important things to consider as you make your mind up as to how you are to navigate through the next months and years of your life. This God thing is not just for the weak or just for those who can’t make it in the real world. Great thinking men and women all through history have been challenged by this Visitor from the right Hand of the Creator. Men like Inazo Nitobe, Kanzo Uchimura, Ayako Miura, William Clark, Robert Boyle, Blaise Pascal, Isaac Newton, and C.S. Lewis.

He is the God of History so we can find evidence of Him in History. It is His Story after all.

#2. Why is the one about Him being Human so weird for us? Maybe because we expect God to be just like us with our limited power and resources. The idea of Him becoming flesh is somewhat alarming. How can He defend Himself? How could He limit Himself into the body of a child: an open door to hurt and pain? It was so He could identify with us. Immanuel means “God with us.”

#3. Angels? Can they be real? Sounds so… fairy-tale after all. Why would this message be given to us from anyone like them? Ones who lived next to God, who know Him from the beginning of time.

With every court case, witnesses are needed to either collaborate with the verdict or contradict the evidence. The facts are in: Guilty of being TRUTH!

#4. Once people learn about this Promised One, they might have a few different responses. Call it off as foolishness. (The Bible says that only a fool says there is no God.) Let it ride for a while. A need to learn more-gain more knowledge (could be your downfall!) Or, be one of many around the World who will bow down & worship the King of kings, the Lord of lords!

#5. Christ came for our salvation! Born for YOU. Came from God’s side to give YOU new life in His Name. To grand you a complete pardon for your wrongs.

This Nativity is for you! All you need to do is receive the Best of all gifts! Talk to Him today . You might want to tell Him you don’t understand everything right now but you know He died for you! Tell Him you need Him. Seek Him and you will find Him!

Taken from a handout written by Johannah Reardon, associate editor of ChristianBibleStudies.com.
_____ _____ _____ _____
Get ready for 2009! Pray more, Read the Bible, love more, be active in the local Christian Community more. Sounds like "works" but it really DOES take some effort to grow up in Jesus. Please don't expect to be the one being feed all the time. Take a bold step and move out of your comfort zone. Ask your Pastor to use you. Better still, organize a group of people to take some project to completion. And while you are at it, pray for the leadership at your Church.
See you next year!

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Being focused on the Main Thing

Let's start with these two verses.

Luke 1:38 “I am the Lord's servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
Luke 1: 57 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son.
Last week, we were encouraged to return to the prayers we made...God has not forgotten us. He remembers! The God who remembers is here today. With these two verses, we can see the response of two women-different times in their life, (Old/Young). Both teach us--4 things about the way to respond. Can we be a little like Zechariah AND a little like Mary and Elizabeth? At the end of today’s talk, you talk to the person next to you. Tell them what you are going to do with these four words/actions.
Believe: The angels announced in spectacular fashion that the Messiah had been born. As soon as the angels left, the shepherds looked at each other and said: “What are we waiting for?…”
New Chinese believer: was so thankful to the missionary. The new believer was so moved that such a story was both true and so powerful. He then asked: How long ago this happen? The missionary quickly said, "About 2000 years ago in Israel! Why?" The Chinese believer looked deep into the eyes of the missionary and sad very so sadly: "Why did it take so long to get this to us? Why did people keep such Good News from us for so long? So many here had died NOT knowing of this Jesus. Why has it taken so long...?"
Obey: The shepherds did exactly as they were told. We sometimes think of Christmas as a tame holiday. Chestnuts roasting on an open fire… We think of sweet little baby Jesus asleep on a bed of hay...but soon, the leader in the nearest city sent his army to kill not only the Baby King, but also ALL children about His age---just in case. In this case, the parents of the Child also did what they were told and took the Baby into Egypt.
How do you respond to the Message of Christmas… “For unto YOU is born this day…” The Savior is born FOR YOU!
He came for you: The Gospel...
Tell: When the shepherds arrived in Bethlehem and saw the child lying in the feed trough, “they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child.”… This message needs to get out. People need to hear. Need to know this Truth. WHY? It is the Good News! His Passion for you is so complete, He wants you to know His Love and forgiveness.
Experience: The shepherds were overwhelmed at the angel’s announcement. They experienced holy wonder… What would it take to be just a little excited about the Baby Jesus. Just a little excited about this life altering message of God’s Perfect gift to us! You can express some emotion! You can get excited about Him! You can sing a song!
BE like a Mary! Be like a Zechariah! Sing a song.
Mary's Song 46~55
And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— Holy is His Name. His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped His servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and His descendants forever, even as He said to our fathers.”
Zechariah's Song
Zechariah Said: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has come and has redeemed His people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David (as He said through His holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us— to show mercy to our fathers and to remember His Holy Covenant, the oath He swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve Him without fear in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days. And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him, to give His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
Believe, Obey, Tell and Experience or Do. How can we as a community here in Kotesashi, do these four things this day, this week, this month, the rest of our lives? The shepherds keep telling people well past the season. The Angels’ message cannot be lost over time. What shall you DO with this information? Ask the other person to pray for you and to check with you later in the month as to how you are doing...

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

COMING SOON TO TOKYO!


More details as they are known


Save the date!  
Join the World in prayer!
Invite many to the event (TBA).
May 31, 2009 is coming!
Go to: www.gdopjapan.com
or
www.globaldayofprayer.com/
for more details

Monday, December 22, 2008

Christmas To-Do List: Being focused on the Main Thing 一番大切なものを一番にする

Luke 1:38 “I am the Lord's servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
Luke 1: 57 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son.

Last week, we were encouraged to return to the prayers we made...God has not forgotten us. He remembers! The God who remembers is here today. With these two verses, we can see the response of two women-different times in their life, (Old/Young).
先週は私たちが過去に祈ったことについて話しました。神様は私たちのことを忘れてなかったのです。神様は覚えていてくださいます。私たちと共に居てくださるのです。
今、読んだ聖書箇所では二人の女性の人生が書かれてあります。

Both teach us--4 things about the way to respond. Can we be a little like Zechariah AND a little like Mary and Elizabeth? At the end of today’s talk, you talk to the person next to you. Tell them what you are going to do with these four words/actions.
この二人から4つの答え方を学ぶことができます。私たちはザカリヤやマリアやエリザベツのようにもなれるのです。

Believe: The angels announced in spectacular fashion that the Messiah had been born. As soon as the angels left, the shepherds looked at each other and said: “What are we waiting for?…”
1.信じる:天使は劇的な方法で救い主の誕生を告げました。天使が去ったあと、羊飼いはお互いに顔を見合わせて言いました。「自分たちは何をまだ、待っているのか」

Illustration:
In the 1840's or so, missionaries went into the large areas in the middle of China. No Gospel message was ever presented there before. The work moved onward when one young Chinese believed: he was so thankful to the missionary. The new believer was so moved that such a story was both true and so powerful. He then asked: "How long ago this happen?" The missionary quickly said, "About 2000 years ago in Israel ! Why?" The Chinese believer looked deep into the eyes of the missionary and sad very so sadly: "Why did it take so long to get this to us? Why did people keep such Good News from us for so long? So many here had died NOT knowing of this Jesus. Why has it taken so long...?"
クリスチャンになったばかりの中国人の人が宣教師に感謝しました。宣教師が語った力強い真実な話しにとても感動したのでした。いつこのことが起こったのですか?と彼は尋ねました。宣教師は「約2000年前にイスラエルで起きました。」と答えました。中国人は宣教師の目をじっと見つめて悲しそうに言いました。「何故、私たちのところに来るまでに2000年もかかったのですか?なぜ、そんなに良い知らせなら、直ぐに教えてくれなかったのですか?大勢の人がイエス様を知らずに死んでしまいました。何故、そんなに長く・・・?




Obey: The shepherds did exactly as they were told. We sometimes think of Christmas as a tame holiday. Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…(song is sung)
We think of sweet little baby Jesus asleep on a bed of hay...but soon, the leader in the nearest city sent his army to kill not only the Baby King, but also ALL children about His age---just in case.
2. 従う:羊飼いは言われたとおりに行動しました。私たちはクリスマスをただの休日だと考えがちです。暖炉で栗を焼いて・・・という歌がありますが。
可愛い赤ちゃんのイエスが飼い葉おけに寝かされていました。・・・そして直ぐに近くの町の王様がイエスを殺すために同じ年の子供を皆殺しにしました。

In this case, the parents of the Child also did what they were told and took the Baby into Egypt .
How do you respond to the Message of Christmas… “For unto YOU is born this day…” The Savior is born FOR YOU! He came for you. The Gospel is that great news of God providing His creation with a way to find forgiveness that was not bound to the blood of animals. He knew that a price needed to be paid. The ONLY price that could/would satisfy this dept was the death of the Holy One--His one and only Son, Jesus. So, He sent Him to the earth as the little Baby. He was born to a Virgin. That Child of Promise grew to be a Man. Sinless, Without blemish. THAT Man now needed to die in our place. He went to the Cross and died there to take the penalty for our sins. ALL of them! For everyone! For all time! That is the Good News!
イエスの両親はエジプトに逃げるようにと言われ、イエスを連れてその通りにしました。
皆さんはクリスマスのメッセージをどのように受け止めますか?
あなたがたのために御子はお生まれになりました。
救い主はあなたのために生まれたのです。あなたのためにイエスは来られたのです。

Tell: When the shepherds arrived in Bethlehem and saw the child lying in the feed trough, “they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child.”… This message needs to get out. People need to hear. Need to know this Truth. WHY? It is the Good News! His Passion for you is so complete, He wants you to know His Love and forgiveness.
3. 知らせる(伝える):ベツレヘムに羊飼いが到着したとき、飼い葉おけに寝ている子供を見ました。そして、この子供について告げられたことについて知らせました。
この知らせは人々に伝えられるべきなのです。この真理を知らせなければいけません。
なぜでしょうか?それは良い知らせだからです。イエス様は皆さんに愛と赦しを知らせたいのです。

Experience: The shepherds were overwhelmed at the angel’s announcement. They experienced holy wonder… What would it take to be just a little excited about the Baby Jesus. Just a little excited about this life altering message of God’s Perfect gift to us! You can express some emotion! You can get excited about Him! Can you sing a song!
BE like a Mary! Be like a Zechariah! Sing a song.
4. 体験する:羊飼いは天使が告げたことにとてもおどろきました。彼らは聖なる体験をしたのでした。イエス様の誕生にちょっとだけ感動してみてはどうでしょうか?
このイエス様の人生が神さまから私たちへの贈り物なのです。その贈り物に感動してみてください。感動を表現してみてください。歌を歌って表現してみてください。
マリアみたいに!ザカリヤみたいに!さあ歌を歌いましょう!

Please, now, let the women here read this aloud! Make this your prayer of praise to God. A young teen, one who had not had sexual relation with a man, now blessed with this GOOD NEWS! Sing it out!
Mary's Song 46~55
And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— Holy is His Name. His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped His servant Israel , remembering to be merciful to Abraham and His descendants forever, even as He said to our fathers.”

Zechariah's Song
We will hear the song of a heart set free this Sunday. When you consider that Zechariah had been absolutely silent for probably a whole year, it is amazing to think of what it meant to him to be able, at long last, to express what had been held back in his heart. When you finally obey God, you are suddenly released from whatever has held you back, and the Lord opens His heart to you once again.

今週は自由になったザカリヤの心の歌を聞いてみましょう。ザカリヤは約一年間、全く話せませんでした。心に思っていたことをやっと言葉で表現できるようになったことはザカリヤにとっては驚くべきことでした。私たちがやっと主に従う決心をしたとき、ためらいから解放され、神さまは私たちに対して心を開いてくださいます。

Zechariah Said: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel , because He has come and has redeemed His people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David (as He said through His holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us— to show mercy to our fathers and to remember His Holy Covenant, the oath He swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve Him without fear in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days. And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him, to give His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”


Believe, Obey, Tell and Experience or Do or BE. How can we as a community here in Kotesashi, do these four things this day, this week, this month, the rest of our lives. The shepherds keep telling people well past the season. The Angels’ message cannot be lost over time. What shall you DO with this information? Ask the other person to pray for you and to check with you later in the month as to how you are doing...

信じ、従い、伝えるそして体験することですが、今週小手指でそれらを実行することができるでしょうか?また、今月、そして私たちの生涯を通して実行することができるでしょうか?羊飼いたちは自分たちが見聞きしたことを告げ知らせました。天使が告げたことは今も忘れ去ることはできません。みなさんはこのこと対して何をしますか?このことについて他の人に祈ってもらってください。また、一ヵ月後にお互いに何をしたか確認し合ってください。

HAVE a VERY Merry Christmas!!! Come to the Chapel on Christmas Eve at 6:30 PM for a Candle Light Service with Christmas Carols, Bible story of the Birth, Prayer for the coming year and join us as we walk around Enoki-Cho and SING Christmas Carols at people's homes. If you are living in the Enoki-Cho area and are reading this, invite us to sing to your family as well--or just join us as we walk and sing!

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

"WHEN GOD ANSWERS": a reasonable response. 神様が答えを下さるとき

If we were in the mood to be honest and not trying to be more spiritual than the next person, we would all probably admit that there is a little unbeliever living inside every one of us.
他人よりも霊的になろうとせず、正直になってみると、不信仰な思いが私たちの中にあると認めざるをえません。

Given the sudden onset of a difficult situation in our lives, prayer may not be our first thought; trust in God may not always be our default position.
突然、人生に困難がやってきたとき、神様に信頼し、直ぐに祈ることはあまりないと思います。

When we are in church or when we are with other believers, we have learned exactly what words to say and how to frame a conversation so we always look good. We believe we believe all the right doctrines.
教会に居るとき、また他のクリスチャンの前で何を言えば霊的に見えるか私たちは知っています。何が正しいかを知っているのです。

We probably know how to pray in a way that exemplifies a mature spirituality, but if we are presented with an opportunity to take a step of faith, we will likely take a step back. All this comes from years of training in which we learned how to act Christian, without living Christian.
霊的に成長した祈りの方も知っています。しかし、信仰によって一歩踏み出すことになったら、後すがりしてしまうでしょう。それは私たちがクリスチャンの生き方ではなく、心得だけを学んだからそうなってしまうのです。

If the Christian life were only a short sprint, if it were possible for us to "git ‘er done" quickly and easily, we might be able to fake our way through to the end. But the Christian life is neither quick nor easy. The Christian life is a long haul. We've been told this before. It's a distance run, a marathon, in which the prize goes to the one who lasts all the way to the finish line.
もし、クリスチャン生活が短距離走だったら、適当にごまかしながら生きることは出来ます. しかし、クリスチャン生活は簡単なものではありません。それは長く続くものです。聞いたことがあるかもしれませんが、それはゴールまで走り続けたものだけが認められる長距離マラソンのようなものなのです。

While we all want to win this race, the fact is that we all stumble around quite a bit. If the Christian life is a marathon, by the time we get to Heartbreak Hill, we are running on fumes!
レースに勝ちたいと思っても、転んでしまうこともあるでしょう。もしクリスチャン生活をマラソンに例えるなら私たちは心臓破りの坂で力尽きてしまうでしょう。

We are running on empty. We have very little spiritual energy left. There is no disgrace in that – this is simply the truth about life as we are living it. The wonderful thing is that we have a relationship with this God who has revealed Himself here in His Word. Our Father God is compassionate and merciful.
そしてへとへとになり、霊的な力は少ししか残っていません。そのことを恥じ無くてもいいのです。生きるということはそういうことなのです。しかし素晴らしいことに私たちは神さまと関わりが持てるのです。私たちの父なる神は同情深く、憐れみ深いお方です。

In truth, it is God who picks us up and carries us across that finish line at the end.
神様が私たちをゴールまで運んでいってくださるのです。

Today we are going to look at the account of Zechariah and the announcement he received from God, which came near the end of his marathon run, concerning the upcoming birth of a son that God named John.
今日はザカリヤに焦点を当てていきます。ザカリヤは人生のマラソンを終えようとしているときに神さまからお言葉を頂いたのです。それは生まれてくる息子ヨハネのことでした。

Luke 1: 5 - 25
Like many people in those days as well as today, Zechariah and his wife experienced barrenness in their life together. Although they were believing and faithful people, the reality was for them as it is for us, that life does not always work out to our liking. Though they tried, they never had a baby.
当時も今日も多くの人が経験していると思いますが、ゼカリヤ夫妻には子供が居ませんでした。彼らは信仰的でしたが、現実は彼らにも私たちにもおなじです。人生は私たちの思うようにはいかないのです。彼らは努力しましたが子供は出来ませんでした。

Though they prayed – and we are given to understand that they prayed for years – they never had a baby. Though they had believed God for a miracle, they never had a baby. Now in their old age, Zechariah had come to the place where he knew that this was one prayer God was not going to answer. So, Zechariah and Elizabeth stopped praying for a child.
彼らは何年も祈りましたが、子供は出来ませんでした。彼らは神さまの奇跡を信じましたが子供は出来ませんでした。ついに彼らは年を取り、神さまは自分たちの祈りを聞いて下さらなかったと結論を出しました。

They began to believe that if God was ever going to answer that prayer, He would have answered it by now. That was not an unreasonable conclusion. Luke tells us that they were both old: "Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years." What a nice way to put it: they were older than dirt! They were all used up. They had nothing left to offer.
今になって答えがないのだから、神様はその祈りには答えてくださらなかったと彼らは信じました。そう信じてしまうのは無理もありません。ルカ書には彼らは年をとっていたと書いてあります。「エリザベスは不妊の女だった、二人とも年を取っていた。」と・・・彼らは疲れ果て、彼らには何も残っていませんでした。

Some questions to think about: How many prayers have you stopped praying because the answer has not yet come? How many reasonable conclusions have you reached because if God were to answer your prayer, it would have been answered by now?
ここで考えて見ましょう:祈りの答えがないので祈るのをやめてしまった祈りはいくつありますか?もう、祈りが聞かれていい時期なのに祈りが答えられないから自分で答えを出してしまったことは何回ありますか?

How many of us believe that because we have reached the end of our endurance, that God has also come to the end of His resources? How many of us believe that answered prayer is what happens to the other guy?
自分はもう耐えるのに限界だから、神さまも限界があると信じている人は居ますか?他の人の祈りは聞かれると信じている人は居ますか?

Zechariah and his wife were both descended from priestly families. He took his place among the priests at every special day and performed the rituals of the faith, along with the other priests. In verse 9 we are told that Zechariah was chosen by lot to enter the Holy Place and burn incense before the Lord.
ゼカリヤもその妻も祭司の家系に生まれました。ゼカリヤは祭司として勤めを果たしていました。9節では「祭司職の習慣によって、くじを引いたところ、主の神殿にはいって香をたくことになった」とあります。

This was a great honor for a priest, and since there were many thousands of priests, it is quite possible that one could live his whole life as a priest and never have that honor. So, this was a very special day for Zechariah.
これは何千人もの祭司の中から選ばれたのはとても名誉なことでした。一生祭司をしていたも選ばれない人も多かったと思います。この日はザカリヤにとってとても特別な日となりました。

The faithful were outside praying and devoutly seeking God while Zechariah the priest entered the Holy Place to light the incense before the Lord. When the angel of the Lord appeared to him, Zechariah responded the way anyone would: he was full of fear. Fear in the presence of God is a very reasonable response.
ゼカリヤが主の神殿に入って香をたいている間、信仰的な人々は外で神を求め祈りを捧げていました。主の御使いが現れたときゼカリヤは普通の人と同じ反応をしました。彼は恐怖に襲われました。神さまの前で恐れるのは当然の反応です。

Some Christians have come to believe that God is their cosmic buddy, that hanging around with Him would be a hoot. But that is a false belief. The manifest presence of God always produces fear.
あるクリスチャンは神さまを遊び友達だ信じています。それは間違っています。神様のご臨在の間ではいつも恐れが生まれます。

That fear is not the fear you experience when faced with a bully in the schoolyard; rather, it is the fear you feel when you, in your sin, are confronted by TOTAL AND COMPLETE HOLINESS, RIGHTEOUSNESS, and UTTER PERFECTION. God is so "other," so beyond us in holiness, in the revelation of His might, in the opening our eyes to His deeply personal love for us – that knowledge cuts us to the very core of our beings.
この恐れはは学校でいじめられる恐怖とは違います。それは皆さんが罪を犯したときに完全に清く、正しく、完璧な方に直面する恐怖なのです。神様は清さ、力、愛、全てにおいて私たちより勝っておられます。それにより私たちは神さまを恐れるのです。

God's knowledge of us, from our greatest joys to our darkest secrets, lays bare our hearts. The revelation of God brings us to a place where we are undone. We are toast. As one who is completely unworthy, as one who deserves to be crumpled up and thrown into the flames, Zechariah was, just as you and I would be, "gripped with fear."
神さまは私たちの喜び、隠し、嘘など、心にあることを全てご存知です。神さまからの啓示により自分がどんなに未熟であるかわかります。また、価値がなく、裁かれて当然の者であるとわかります。ザカリヤも私たちと同じで恐怖に襲われたのでした。

Before Zechariah stood God's messenger, who later identified himself as Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God. Just now, Gabriel's desire is to bring peace to Zechariah's heart, and to encourage him not to be afraid, which was no small task.
神の御使い、ガブリエルの前にゼカリヤは経ちました。ガブリエルの願いはゼカリヤを平安にすることでした。そしてゼカリヤに「こわがることはない。」といいました。

Some peace! – he tells Zechariah, "Your prayer has been heard." What prayer? Which prayer, of the thousands of prayers he has prayed? Oh, that prayer! That prayer which he had stopped praying... for which he had given up hope... which no longer was possible to be answered. ZECHARIAH WAS TOLD THAT PRAYER WILL BE ANSWERED BY GOD.
また、ガブリエルは「あなたの願いが聞かれたのです。」とゼカリヤに言いました。「どの祈り?何千回も祈ってきたけど。あ、あの祈り・・・祈るのをやめてしまった祈り。もう答えられないとあきらめてしまった・・・。」しかし神さまはあの祈りは聞かれたとゼカリヤに言いました。

Now would probably be the right time to tell you what the name Zechariah means. The name Zechariah means "The Lord remembers." Our short term memory has just about fizzled, but God remembers. That cry of your heart is not forgotten by God; GOD REMEMBERS. That prayer you prayed for years on end, and finally gave up praying; GOD REMEMBERS.
ではここでゼカリヤの名前の意味を教えましょう。ゼカリヤは「主は覚えておられる」という意味なのです。私たちの記憶が消えそうになっても神様は覚えておられます。あなたの心の嘆きを神さまは忘れません。神さまは覚えています。何年も祈ったのにあきらめてしまったあの祈りを神さまは覚えています。

Your age is not a problem to God. Your barrenness is not a problem to God. Your physical ability, your financial situation, the state of your health, your family situation – none of that is a problem to God. This is the God whose messenger spoke to Zachariah and promised him a son in his old age.
神さまにとってみなさんの年など問題ではありません。また、不妊も問題ではありません
皆さんの体力経済力健康状態家庭環境、これら全て神さまにとって全く問題ではないのです。これが年老いたゼカリヤに息子を与えると約束された神様です。

Not only a son is promised, but Zechariah was told that this son that Elizabeth would bear will be named John. He will be a man of destiny. John will be a man of great faith, who will be the forerunner of the Kingdom of God . John "will be great in the sight of the Lord." He will preach so that many people will repent... will turn toward God... will come home to God, be converted... turn away from sin.
息子を与える約束だけではありませんでした。妻エリザベスが子供を生み、生まれた子供をヨハネと名づけなさいといわれました。ヨハネは優れた者となり、神の国の道備えをする者となると約束されました。

It was at that moment Zechariah found, when it came to faith, he was running on empty. While he was a man of faith on the outside, he was a blatant unbeliever on the inside. When God spoke, Zechariah doubted. He looked up at that angel, at that messenger of the Most High God, and doubt sprayed out of his mouth, right in the face of the angel who stands in the presence of God.
ザカリヤは信仰を持たずに走っていました。外から見たら信仰の人のように見えましたが、心の中は明らかに不信仰でした。神様が語られたことをザカリヤは疑いました。ザカリヤはいと高き神の御使いを見たとき疑いの言葉を口にしました。

This could hardly have been more of a definite Word from God. Yet, Zechariah was not certain. He was not sure. He could not understand how it could possibly happen that way.
神さまの言葉以外の何ものでもなかったのにゼカリヤは確信できませんでした。なぜそのようなことが自分の身に起きるか理解できませんでした。

Faith was five months pregnant with twin boys. We were to leave JP in two weeks. We were excited…have twins in the US . That eve, she felt pain and soon we were in the car driving to a hospital in Fusa. As driving out down the road, we realized that this was not going to end well. Boys were too young and most likely will die.
私の妻、フェイスが双子の男の子を妊娠して5ヶ月目でした。二週間後にアメリカで双子を産む予定でした。ある晩、お腹が痛くなり私たちは福生にある病院に向かいました。運転しているときに悪い予感がしました。胎児は小さすぎるから死んでしまうかも知れない・・・

We DECIDED to give it to the Lord…in prayer, scripture and song, we kept driving. Within a few miles of the hospital, our first son came out and Faith laid him on her lap. Between the street lamps, I could see him. Then #2 came. Both boys were beautiful yet way too small. At the hospital, they tried to keep them alive. I held their hands and felt their hearts beating fast.
私たちは主にゆだねる決心をしました。病院の数キロ手前で、一人目の子どもが出てきました。フェイスは膝の上に子どもを乗せました。そして二人目が出てきました。二人はとても可愛かったけど小さすぎました。病院は必死で手当をしてくれました。子どもたちの手を取ったとき脈が早いのを感じました。

Later that night, Son #1 died. A few hours later, #2 went to the Lord. I otld Faith, we both cried but they were not tears of anger. I drove home and laid on the floor. I felt the Eternal Arms of my Go d holding me. I thought, when He lets me go, what will my feelings be.
その晩遅くに、一人目が召されました。その数時間後、二人目も主のもとに行きました。私たちは怒りの涙を流しました。家に帰り床の上で横になりました。そのとき主が私を抱きしめてくれているように感じました。主が居なかったらどうなっていただろうと思いました。

He said to my heart: “I will never let you go, nor forsake you.” I KNEW His Peace that passes understanding. Anna was born to us during our US stay and a number years later, Joseph and John came to us. Quiver is full. His Peace still holds us. Our prayers for boy children was heard…years later. just when we were finished with the dream.
主は私に語りかけました。「わたしは決してあなたを離れず、見捨てない。」神さまの平安が友にあることを知りました。アメリカ滞在中にアンナが生まれました。数年後にジョンとジョセフが私たちのもとに来ました。私は震えました。神さまの平安は私たちを支えてくれました。双子の息子たちに対する私たちの祈りは何年も経ってから答えられました。まさにあきらめようとしたときに答えられたのです。

When God answers prayer, we need to be ready to receive His answer, don't we? Zechariah was not ready, he was not prepared for the answer of God to the prayer of his life. His life's prayer was not some trivial thing. He and his wife had prayed for a son. But when God moved, he did not recognize the handiwork of God. As a result, Zechariah was made unable to speak.
私たちは祈りが答えられたときのために準備が必要ではないでしょうか?ゼカリヤは祈りが答えられたときの準備が出来ていませんでした。彼の祈りは些細なことではなかったのです。妻と一緒に息子を与えてくれるように祈ったのです。しかし、神様が答えられたときにゼカリヤは気が付きませんでいた。その結果、ゼカリヤはものが言えなくなったのです。

If you look ahead to Luke 1: 62, you see there that after John was born, people "made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child." It appears Zechariah was not only unable to speak, but he was also unable to hear. He was made deaf and dumb for nearly a year.
ルカ1:62ではヨハネが生まれたときに「身振りで父親に合図して、幼子に何と言う名をつけるつもりかとたずねた。」とあります。ここでゼカリヤはものが言えなくなっただけではなく、耳も聞こえなくなったようです。彼は約一年間この状態で過ごしました。

Even though Luke says they were both well along in years, they must have still enjoyed their marriage relationship, because in due course, Elizabeth became pregnant, just as God said.
ゼカリヤとエリザベスは長い間一緒に生活しましたが、結婚生活を楽しんでいたと思われます。神さまの約束どおりエリザベスが身ごもったからです。

But Zechariah could not speak, which was probably a great blessing to his wife, and his loss of speech continued until the promise of God to him was completely kept, which was another great blessing. Even as his wife grew more and more visibly pregnant, Zechariah could not testify that this was God's goodness, THIS WAS GOD'S HAND OF FAITHFULNESS TO HIM and his wife.
ゼカリヤが話せなくなったのはおそらく妻にとっては祝福だったでしょう。またゼカリヤは主の約束が完全に成就するまで離せませんでした。それも祝福だったと思います。妻のお腹が大きくなっていくにも関わらず、ゼカリヤはその神さまの素晴らしさを証しすることが出来ませんでした。神さまはゼカリヤと妻に対する約束を忠実に守ってくださいました。

But Elizabeth could speak, and she did, verse 25. Even though she was just as well along in years as her husband, SHE HAD NOT LOST HOPE. She had not lost her faith that the will and purpose of God was a living and driving force in her life.
しかしエリザベスは話せました。25節:何年もの間、夫と仲良くしてきましたが彼女は希望を失いませんでした。神様は生きて働いてくださるお方だと信じて、信仰を失うことはありませんでした。

During that whole time, Zechariah was unable to speak and apparently unable to hear. As he had a great deal of time on his hands, A LONG PERIOD OF SILENCE ENVELOPED HIM. This was time God designed into the life of Zechariah for him to reflect on the Word of God and the work of God in his life.
約束が成就するまでずっとゼカリヤは話せず、聞くこともできませんでした。彼は長い間、静けさに包まれました。神様の言葉と御業がゼカリヤの人生で表されるようにと神さまはこのようにされたのです。

From that moment until his newborn baby was to be presented in the temple after his birth, Zechariah was silent. He could not preach. He could not converse with his wife or with their friends. He was able to speak only to God. His was a year-long enforced quiet time!
神殿で語られたときから息子が生まれるまで彼はものが言えませんでした。妻や友だちとも会話ができませんでした。会話が出来たのは神様とだけでした。強制的でしたが一年間、主と静まるときが持てました。

Zechariah had lost his ability to testify to God's goodness and His faithfulness. When we doubt God's word to us, we lose our joy, and the song of our heart is silenced. We live in a day, probably not unlike any other day, but today hope is dried up for many.
ゼカリヤは神さまの良さ、忠実さを証することが出来ませんでした。私たちが神さまの言葉を疑うとき、喜びを失い心から歌えなくなります。私たちは昔と違って望みがない時代に生きています。

The heart is only an organ that pumps blood. Joy is more than just a dish washing detergent. A relationship with God is something very dry and religious.
心臓は血液を循環するだけです。ジョイ(喜び)は食器用洗剤になってしまいました。神さまとの関係は冷たく宗教的です。


The song of many hearts is silenced-because when God gave us an opportunity to trust Him, we doubted, even in the face of His promise. Even when God was about to answer, we ran out of faith just we reached Heartbreak Hill.
人々の心から歌は消えてしまいました。神様が信頼するようにチャンスと約束を下さったのに私たちが疑ったからです。神様が答えてくれようとしているのに、心臓破りの坂にで信仰を失ってしまったからです。

Are you ready for God to answer your prayer? Are you thinking that God has passed you by and that it is no longer possible for God to answer your prayer? God has not forgotten you, just as He did not forget old man Zechariah and old lady Elizabeth. God's heart is for you. His will for your life is always good. His purpose is always to build you up and not to tear you down. Even in pain and difficulty, God is working our lives out for our good and His purpose.
皆さん、祈りの答えを受け取る準備は出来ていますか?神様は私のもとを去ってしまったから祈りはもう聞かれないと思っていますか?神様はあなたのことを忘れてはいません。年老いたゼカリヤと妻を忘れなかったと同じように!神様はみなさんのことを思っています。神様の御心は人生に良いものをもたらしてくれます。神様の目的は皆さんを立てあげるためであり、傷つけるためではありません。たとえ痛み、苦しみの中にあっても神さまは私たちに良いものを与えるために働いておられるのです。

Much thanks goes to Ed and Cheiko for their hard work and time spent getting this ready for print.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

What to get for Christmas?

If you are anything like me, Christmas buying kinda takes my breath (and some cash) away. I really wish it was easier. Someway different this year. I can remember leaving the Candle Light Service and rushing to the local store to get just three more gifts. (I have been known to get more than three last minute gifts!) When I get them home and wrap them, I place them under our tree and there is a sense of "Let's not do this again next year". Or else, after Christmas Day, I wonder why my friend from the US sent me a bird feeder that is to be hung on a tree when I live in an apartment. I would venture to guess that many of you have gotten some pretty strange gifts in the past.

What I am about to suggest is NOT that you send me all your strange gifts but that you consider the following video. After I saw this, I felt bad. I felt bad because I was going to Costco Wholesale. I felt bad because I could go to Costco and not be in want. There are many around the world today who can't even drink a clean cup of water...

Well, you watch this and let me know what you really want for Christmas, OK?





And Merry Christmas! Everyone!

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Sorry for the Delay!

Christmas Greetings!

I have been away from my post for about 15 days. Traveling, as it were.
But, I am back once again! Please return to this site for this month's Christmas messages.

This Sunday, we will have Ken Nishiono share the message. He will be speaking in Japanese and Tim Timura will be translating! This will be a first for Tim, so pray for him. Ken is a student at a Bible School near Osaka.

Please note the different activities that are happening around ICCS this month. We will be hosting a team from Singapore this month. They will help us in the Enoki-Cho area. There are a lot of handouts to pass out telling the Christmas Message of The Savior, a free offer to get a new Manga that tells the story of Jesus and an invite to ICCS to learn how to sing Christmas Carols. The Christmas party will be on December 19. Join us if you can. If you are reading this from outside the Tokorozawa area and are unable to attend, PLEASE pray for the moving of God on our neighbors. Over the past months, the Lord has opened many doors of relationships with many of them and there are some deep personal needs. Some are very sick, some are alone, and some are very eager to become close friends.

Please check back during the week for details on what is in store here at ICCS.
Your place to belong.

KEEPING CHRIST CENTERED IN CHRISTMAS!

Monday, November 24, 2008

What God Is Looking For In Our Community?

What Community Is:

God created us to be in community—beginning “in the beginning with Adam and Eve”. The Old Testament is the story of God interacting with the people of Israel, a community united by genetics and a special relationship with God. When Jesus comes, to this community, He selects the twelve disciples to be His primary community. And as He comes to the night before His crucifixion, He prays for them:
John 17:20-23

He not only prayed for those twelve, He prayed for those who believe because of the message of those twelve. He prayed for the community of believers down through the ages. He prayed for you and for me.

The apostle Paul teaches much about living in community.
Romans 12:4-5

Paul teaches that we are connected to one another through our relationship with Christ. We belong to one another. We are linked together.

1) What God is looking for?

When God looks at us, as His community, what does He hope to see?

1. Love for God
Ephesians 3:14-19

God is looking for people who have their hearts prepared to make room for Him to live, through our faith in Him. Because of our faith, we have the Holy Spirit, God-in-us, giving us the power to grasp, together in community, how big God’s love actually is. He is looking for people who are open to receiving the love that God has—this immense, immeasurable love.

What can be our natural response to that knowledge but to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and strength?

2. Love for one another

If this is who God is looking for—this is how He wants us to live:
Ephesians 4:1-5

Live a life worthy of the calling we have received. That is demonstrated through humility, gentleness, patience, and bearing with one another in love. All of these are characterized by a unity of the Spirit of God that is living within us. Unity doesn’t mean “same”. “ keep the harmony and oneness of [and produced by] the Spirit” Amplified Bible. So we can, as a community, disagree humbly, disagree gently, disagree patiently because we are united in the Spirit, and we have the love of Christ at work in us.

1 John 3: 11 ~ talk about how we need to love one another. This is the sign that we are alive in Christ. If we don’t demonstrate Christ’s love through love for one another, then John asks in verse 17 if God’s love can actually be in him. Love for one another is not just words, but actions.

3. Image of a body, working together

So how does a community of believers demonstrate our love for God and our love for one another?
Hebrews 10:22-25
  1. Draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, being forgiven!
  2. Hold on to the hope we have in Christ.
  3. And spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
  4. Keep on meeting with one another, to encourage one another.

a. All are important

Paul uses the image of a body in three different passages, to describe how we work together in community.
Romans 12:4-8

Just as our physical bodies have different parts or members, but work together to make a working “us” so the community of believers, the church has different parts or members who function doing what they do best so that the whole body works together.

b. Not all are the same

We have different parts, but one body.

Paul elaborates on this in 1 Corinthians 12.

We can go into a study of what are called “spiritual gifts” here, but that will have to happen in the New Year. As a sampler, though, here are a list of what people have summarized as gifts the Holy Spirit gives the different parts of the body to contribute to the working of the whole community—

Look for the List in this passage...

Paul says in Romans 12:6, we have different gifts, according to the grace given us. And the following verses show that if you have a certain gift, use it as a service to the Lord.

4. Heart for the world.

In Jesus’ prayer for his disciples (John 17:23), the reason Jesus prayed that we would live in unity was so that the world would know that God had sent Him.


“This concern for the survival of the church down through the ages provides the explanation for the anguished tones of Jesus’ prayer. He knew that if the church should fail to demonstrate community to the world, it would fail to accomplish its mission, because the world would have reason to disbelieve the gospel. According to that prayer, the most convincing proof of the truth of the gospel is the perceptible oneness of his followers.” Gilbert Bileziakian quoted in Building a Church of Small Groups, p 32.

2) How do we measure up?

As we look around at each other, how do we measure up?

1. How is our relationship with God?

Are we as a community grasping the extent of God’s love for us? Are we being rooted and established in the love of Christ? What do we do to nurture that relationship in community?

2. Do we know one another?

Look around you in your worshiping community. How many of you know everyone’s name? This is the reason for the name tags on covered dish Sundays. Is there one other person in our community you know well enough to share a personal concern and receive prayer? Are there people in the community who you could call in if you needed help?

3. How do we show love for one another?

How do we demonstrate love for one another?
Colossians 3: 12-17

This gives a great overview of what our life should be like in the community, in the body of Christ. How much of this is at work in the life of the ICCS Community?

4. How do we work together as a body?
I realize that some might wonder why I chose to talk on this today. Stan and I recently looked at some demographic data on ICCS. We were looking for some trends, and for the answers to a couple of questions we get from people outside of this fellowship, such as “what proportion of your congregation is Japanese?” We discovered that our off the top, ball-park figure of 1/3 is actually correct!

One of the last things we looked at was how many of our people are involved in the ministry at ICCS in one way or another. This encompasses anything from leadership and teaching, to helping with the coffee. I have read that in most churches, 10% of the people do most of the work. But at ICCS, we found that 65% of our people are doing something to contribute to the community! I praise God for His work in this community, this body!

This is a great piece of news, but you know, I think we can do better! Some of us are not using the gifts and abilities God has given us for the ministry at ICCS. Some of us are doing too many jobs—working in and out of our gifting in order to cover things that need to be done. And then some of us have held off from getting involved, for whatever reasons. As you looked at the photos from years at ICCS, one thing you will notice is that you didn’t know a lot of those people. Turnover is a big part of an International fellowship. Yet whether you are a part of our community for a long time or a short time, God wants you to function in your part of the body!

3) Personal inventory
I want to close with a few personal questions. I don’t expect you to verbalize the answers to me, but I want you to think about and pray about what God wants to do in your life as you grow to know and love Him more in this community of believers.

1. What is one thing I can do to know God better?

2. Who do I need to get to know here?

3. Where do I fit in the life of this community?

a. Do I need help finding a place?

4. Who do I know that needs to find Christ?

a. Am I praying for them?

If you are interested in finding a place to serve, please let Stan or me know. We want to help you grow in your understanding of how God has made you and where you fit into the body. It is possible that in the New Year we will have a “gifted to serve”.

Conclusion

Ephesians 4:13 says that we exercise the gifts God has given us so to prepare God’s people for works of service so that the body of Christ might be built up until we reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God; and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. V 16 From [Christ] the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

I think this is a lifetime process—and at ICCS we’re well on the way, but we need to continue to build one another up in love, exercising our gifts, doing our part.

Ephesians 3:20, 21 as closing prayer.

Community

We have several opportunities coming up to function as a community—

Next Sunday we have scheduled a Cleaning Day after church of the worship hall and classrooms. Not only do we all need to come prepared to do our share, we need to develop a plan for the ongoing upkeep of the chapel. Stan has mentioned before that we do not have a custodial staff—and if you’ve used the toilets in the past few months, or looked at the kitchen floor recently, you will recognize that! Come next week prepared to pitch in. We all have our specialties—some like windows, some of you may have looked at the toys upstairs and thought, these should be sorted, cleaned and some need to be tossed…where you have thought “this should be done” — perhaps next Sunday is the time to do it.

On December 4 we are hosting a Gospel Choir Workshop. This is an excellent time for our community to invite family and friends to a delightful evening of practice. Will those we invite see that we love Christ and one another? I hope so! Do you want to help in some way, in addition to bringing someone? See Fumi or Yumi. Do you think we could fill the room?

Christmas Outreaches, including Christmas Eve

There are always many concerts scheduled throughout this time of year. The Charity concert at the Muse is on the 6th, and we have tickets here that can be purchased ahead of time.

Our church has become known as a Caroling Church…and last year we were able to greet friends in the neighborhood on Christmas Eve with Christmas Carols after our Candlelight service. This year we are again going caroling, but this time we’re offering a pre-caroling practice! The date is still not clear, but it will be announced so please check again.


Christmas Eve is a night when we have many neighborhood people come. There have been many Christmas Eve services where there has been almost no one from the ICCS community here, though. Consider putting this into your calendar for December 24. And if you want to be a part of putting together the cookies and hot drinks reception after the caroling that evening, let me know.

Now, let's be thankful for ALL the Lord has both given to us and provided for us IN CHRIST JESUS. Apart from Him, we would have a huge need. He cares for us and loves us deeply!

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Oh, the Pain! Oh, the agony!

Suffering Theology is what we need.

If you would, please go to the following web address and download the ten page paper of this very timely article. I could not say this any better. Thank you Dr. Ken Williams for all the work of love you put into getting this together. The team you work with is awesome.

I, for one, find this material a life line!

http://www.relationshipskills.com/articles/Toward%20a%20Theology%20of%20Suffering.pdf

May the Lord of Creation continue to give each of you a fresh look into His Heart.


He cares so much for each of you.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

The Persecuted Church

Taken from a web site on the Persecuted Church, we can find: “The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) is a global day of intercession for persecuted Christians worldwide. Its primary focus is the work of intercessory prayer and citizen action on behalf of persecuted communities of the Christian faith. We also encourage prayer for the souls of the oppressors, the nations that promote persecution, and those who ignore it.”

“We believe that prayer changes things. Exactly what happens is a mystery of faith. God invites us to present to Him our requests and to pray without ceasing. Persecuted Christians often plead for prayer to help them endure. The most we can do is the least we can do — pray.”

Other web sites point to the need for prayer for these countries that have made life very difficult for Believers.

Christian Freedom
International Christian Solidarity
Worldwide Christians in Crisis
Gospel for Asia
Greater Calling
International Christian Concern
Compassion Radio
Iranian Christians International
Jubilee Campaign
Mission India
Open Doors
The Voice of the Martyrs
World Evangelical Alliance
The Last Harvest

One web site also says: “International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) is a global day of intercession for persecuted Christians worldwide. We also encourage prayer for the souls of the oppressors, the nations that promote persecution, and those who ignore it. IDOP is a rallying point for Christians across all denominations to stand behind those who suffer for their faith.
We believe that prayer changes lives.

This year join thousands of churches around the world on Sunday, November 9 and send the greatest gift of all—prayer.

Why is the focus this year on children of the persecuted Church?
* Christian girls are kidnapped and forced to I....
* College students risk expulsion or worse if they profess the Word of God.
* Pastors who give their lives for their faith, leave behind traumatized children.”

Believers in Pakistan, Laos, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, India…others around the world. Over 200,000,000 Believers area finding persecution a day to day reality and that number is really low...

Why this problem? 2 Timothy 3:12 & has some answers.
In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
テモテへの手紙二 / 3章 12節 キリスト・イエスに結ばれて信心深く生きようとする人は皆、迫害を受けます。
Hebrews 11:36-39 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37 They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.
39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.
ヘブライ人への手紙 / 11章 36節 また、他の人たちはあざけられ、鞭打たれ、鎖につながれ、投獄されるという目に遭いました。彼らは石で打ち殺され、のこぎりで引かれ、剣で切り殺され、羊の皮や山羊の皮を着て放浪し、暮らしに事欠き、苦しめられ、虐待され、 荒れ野、山、岩穴、地の割れ目をさまよい歩きました。世は彼らにふさわしくなかったのです。

A look into the past…: China's Boxer Rebellion
During China's Boxer Rebellion of 1900, insurgents captured a mission station, blocked all the gates but one, and in front of that one gate placed a cross flat on the ground. Then the word was passed to those inside that any who trampled the cross underfoot would be permitted their freedom and life, but that any refusing would be shot. Terribly frightened, the first seven students trampled the cross under their feet and were allowed to go free. But the eighth student, a young girl, refused to commit the sacrilegious act. Kneeling beside the cross in prayer for strength, she arose and moved carefully around the cross, and went out to face the firing squad. Strengthened by her example, every one of the remaining ninety-two students followed her to the firing squad.
From~Today in the Word, Feb. 89, p. 17

It cost something to follow Jesus. If it doesn’t cost you yet…it still might.

You may have heard that this Gift of Salvation is free. Is it? It Cost ... It cost Mary and Joseph the comforts of home during a long period of exile in Egypt to protect the little babe. It cost mothers, in and around Bethlehem, the massacre of their babies by the cruel order of Herod. It cost the shepherds the complacency of their shepherd's life, with the call to the manger and to tell the good news. It cost the wise men a long journey and expensive gifts and changed lives. It cost the early Apostles and the early church persecution and sometimes death. It cost missionaries of Christ untold suffering and hardship to spread the Good News. It cost Christian martyrs in all ages their lives for Christ's sake. More than all this, it cost God the Father His own Son, He sent Him to the earth to save men. It cost Jesus a life of sacrifice and service, a death cruel and unmatched in history. It has a price!!!
~Source unknown

Pray for young women around the world. Many are taken and forced to marry much older men when they are not yet teenagers.
Along with the forced marriages, they are forced to become followers of Islam.

Our response: PRAYER

So often, when faced with hardships or pain, we ask the Lord to remove these adversities. Others ask God to strengthen their back to carry the load He has for them.

When we live in anticipation of seeing Jesus and hearing Him say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: enter into the joy of your Lord,” we can endure suffering. Why? Because such a focus helps us realize that the worst thing that happens to us here and now can never separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus. With our focus not on self but Jesus, we more fully realize the truth of 2 Corinthians 4:17: “Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”
Taken from ~<>

What is needed in our churches today is a Theology of Suffering.

How Not to Respond During Suffering. The Lord not only teaches us how to respond, but now not to respond when we are suffering. Here are some ways He mentions.
1. Don’t be afraid, for He is with us. Isa.41:10. See John 14:27, 1 Pet. 3:14
2. Don’t be ashamed to suffer as a Christian. 1 Pet. 4:16
3. Don’t be dismayed, for He is our God. Isa. 41:10
4. Don’t be fainthearted, because the Lord goes with us. Deut. 20:3
5. Don’t be overcome by evil; overcome evil with good. Rom. 12:21
6. Don’t be surprised at painful trials, as though something strange were happening to us. 1 Pet. 4:12
7. Don’t complain. Num. 11:1
8. Don’t disown God. 2 Tim. 2:12
9. Don’t do evil by turning away from God. Ps. 18:21
10. Don’t fret, because it leads only to evil. Ps. 37:8
11. Don’t fret when the wicked succeed. Ps. 37:7
12. Don’t get angry. Ps. 37:8
13. Don’t grumble. Ps. 106.25
14. Don’t let our hearts be troubled. John 14:1
15. Don’t shrink back. Heb. 10:39
16. Don’t throw away our confidence. Heb. 10:35

How to Relate to God’s Word in Suffering God’s Word is a wonderful resource when we are hurting. But we must consciously make use of it, in ways the Lord shows us in it. Here are some ways God teaches us to relate to His Word.

1. Delight in it. Ps. 119:92,143
2. Don’t forget it. Ps. 119:61,83,109
3. Don’t forsake it. Ps. 119:87
4. Don’t stray from it. Ps. 119:110,157
5. Find comfort in it. Ps. 119:52
6. Keep His commands. Ps. 119:115
7. Hope in it. Ps. 119:81,114, 130.5
8. Let His promises comfort us in suffering. Ps. 119:50
9. Love it. Ps. 119:165
10. Meditate on it. Ps. 119:78
11. Ponder it. Ps. 119:95
12. Remember the word of encouragement. Heb. 12:5
13. See the promises & welcome them from a distance. Heb. 11:1
14. Tremble at it. Ps. 119:161

Please pray for the Believers who find themselves in differcult times as they face persecution on a day in, day out reality. Pray that their hearts would remain strong. Pray also for those who are inflicting harm on them, that they would find mercy and open their hearts to the Savior!

PRAY FOR JAPAN’S CHURCHES
  • Unity - 一致(いっち)
  • Growth - 成長
  • Boldness - 大胆さ
  • Power - 力
  • Forgiving Spirit - 寛容な心
  • Purity - 純粋
  • Leadership - 新しいリーダーシップ
  • New Believers - 新しいクリスチャン
  • Families - 家族
  • Evangelism - 伝道(でんどう)

PRAY AS GOD WOULD! John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

The Persecuted Church is a Growing Church


Next week: Lord willing, How did Paul respond to his sufferings and how can we develop a Theology of Suffering?

Sunday, November 2, 2008

God and Man's Concerns

Please read Jonah 4 for background understanding.

Does God REALLY know about your concerns? Really? What does He do about them? Ever really wonder if He does? Is it just FATE that drives us along? Is it deeper than that?

Look at what God did in the life of our Hero Jonah. Father God provided for everything. EVERYTHING!

In Matthew 6:19~29, Jesus teaches us about how to view real life from His point of view. With His heart and understanding. What we find there does not sound like the way man has been viewing life nor his heart or with human understanding. He speaks about two areas of 'concern.'

Treasures in Heaven.
19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
Do Not Worry.
25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

God provided:
In the book of Jonah, we can see that Father God provided all things for Jonah--even things that he did not appreciate nor want. Even things that went against his belief system.

God provided:
Message to carry to Nineveh.
Ship to carry Jonah.
Fish to hold Jonah.
Mission to Nineveh.
Open hearts of the people.
Compassion for the lost.
Answers to Jonah.
A vine.
A worm.
A wind.
An answer.
Mercy.

With Man, and with most of us (meaning those other people who are reading this blog--not you...) have some things in our lives that take up our time and energy. Things that drive us. Could be a video game, or education, advancement in the work place, a relationship. Some, in themselves, are not so bad. Indeed, we need certain things to move us to advance and help others along the way. The problem is when they get out of balance.

As surely as the compass needle follows north, your heart will follow your treasure.

Now, that is one side of the same coin. On the other side, we find something that is personal. That being:

Man’s Concern:

What are some things that people concern themselves with? Think of any? Try this list of concerns. MAybe you will find your compass needle in there somewhere.

Comfort. Money.
Answers. Health.
Little pressure. Power.

When it come right down to the truth, we might understand that our concerns are as the vine VS God’s plan to reach out to the lost of the World.

Jesus said: "Consider the lilies of the field..."
Jesus said: "Consider the birds of the air…"

All these 'things' are common things that are covered…by His Grace+
They are not any effort at all by our side.

Now ---
Consider the needs/wants/desires of our heart.
Is Jesus enough?

Yes! No! Don’t know!?! .

And with those three answers, there are a lot of room for movement one way or another.
Tight relationship with Jesus.
Loose relationship.

What concerns God with our approach? We need to KNOW that His love for you is eternal. He does not love one more than another. There are no favorite sons or daughters with God. His LOVE is FULL and it is ready to experience.

Just open your heart to accept it!
In balance with what God wants/has for us.
All these concerns are covered by being IN JESUS.

2 Corinthians 7:10~12 (NIV)
Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. Things were made right! Repented! So even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did the wrong or of the injured party, but rather that before God you could see for yourselves how devoted to us you are.

Philippians 4:18~20 (NIV)
I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

•Here’s something to Praise God for!•

He will meet all your needs—according to His Glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Are you in Christ?
Then He is yours!