My book review on a book about marriage – Apr 27, 2021

I recently bought a book called Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work written by John M. Gottman at a used book store. It cost only $1. Although it is by no means a Christian book, I think Christians can benefit from reading it.

Christian books about marriage are Bible-centered so they give us biblical principles for marriage. But they tend to give narrow definitions of manhood and womanhood, which may not fit everyone. Each man has different needs because he is different in character, temperament, and social background. So does each woman.

On the contrary, the author of this book has a needs-centered approach to marriage. He makes a scientific observation on hundreds of married couples in their special labs and draws seven principles for a healthy marriage. He explains why and how some married couples stay together happily while others don’t. Here is a paragraph from the first chapter.

“What can make a marriage work is surprisingly simple. Happily married couples aren’t smarter, richer, or more psychologically astute than others. But in their day-to-day lives, they have hit upon a dynamic that keeps their negative thoughts and feelings about each other … from overwhelming their positive ones. … Rather than creating a climate of disagreement and resistance, they embrace each other’s needs. When addressing a partner’s request, their motto tends to be a helpful ‘Yes, and…’ rather than ‘Yes, but…’. This positive attitude not only allows them to maintain but also to increase the sense of romance, play, fun, adventure, and learning together that are at the heart of any long-lasting love affair. They have what I call an emotionally intelligent marriage.”

To be honest, I got more from this book than the Christian books about marriage that I have read. I believe we can get some insights from non-Christian authors whatever subjects are.

A Brochure for Yokota Church of Christ – Mar 23, 2021

We are making a brochure for the Yokota Church of Christ. We are living in an age of confusion and chaos. I think this is the time we should reach out to people.

In today’s world, everyone is entitled and able to express his or her opinion through the Internet. Even a socially lowest and despised person can make a great impact by expressing his own opinion.

I believe that this is the time we can let Christ’s Light shine by making His message known to the world. Less than 1% of the entire Japanese population is considered to be Christian. Most of the Japanese people have never read the Bible nor known the words of Christ.

Christian Baptism and Conversion – Feb 5, 2021

In the last ten years, several people who were baptized in Christ in other congregations started attending the Yokota congregation. As I talked to them, they confessed to me that they had never experienced a spiritual transformation. They didn’t feel that they had changed anything spiritually. The only difference is that they went to church after their baptism. It is no surprise that some of them faithfully attended the assembly and every bible class available. The confession of those people made me think about the meanings of baptism and conversion.

By baptism, a person is born again in Christ. He is baptized into Christ’s death, buried with him, and raised with him. After baptism, he is expected to continue growing spiritually and be transformed spiritually into the image of Christ. I am afraid that only some of us experience this spiritual transformation. I conclude that a person’s conversion in Christ doesn’t take place in baptism instantly, but takes place in the process as he strives to follow Christ. More importantly, I believe that becoming like Christ is a lifelong goal for every Christian.

This is the Time of Evangelism – Feb 5, 20201

This is the 21st century. One-fifth of the century has already passed. I think this is the century of chaos and confusion. In the year 2001, September 11 attacks struck in the US. A big earthquake and tsunami struck Indonesia in 2004. A lot of Japanese people who saw it never dreamt something like that would ever hit Japan, but it happened even in a bigger scale in 2011. In the US, political chaos has been going on. Also, we have been fighting Covid-19 which is a new pandemic all over the world. Who knows what is going to happen this year and next year? What is going to become of the US-Japan relation and treaty? What will become of Yokota Base?

People feel uncertain and insecure about their future. Older generations may have experienced similar uncertainty during the depression and WWII. But things are much different from the past, and I think the degree of uncertainty has been a lot higher than in the past.

I think this is a great chance to evangelize people in Japan. We plan to do the following things.

(1) We will make a tract for non-Christians. This tract has a very important and relevant message to them.
(2) We will distribute the tract in the communities surrounding the congregation as much as possible. This is the toughest part of evangelism in Japan. We have to come up with the most effective way to distribute it.
(3) We will try to become a congregation that people feel friendly, free, and open. Always smile and friendly. No pressures are put on them.
(4) My sermon message is always God-Christ-centered.
(5) Although I am responsible for the entire congregation in many different ways, I don’t represent the congregation. Our members understand that every member is an ambassador of Christ. Nobody is regarded highly among us. Every Christian is considered as brothers and sisters in Christ.

My prayers for Christianity – Jan 15, 2021

Human history is like a rollercoaster and has gone through ups and downs. One-fifth of the 21st century has passed. I think that the 21st century is the age of confusion and chaos. Name a few chaotic historical events: the terrorism in 2001, earthquakes, tsunami, covid-19, and political chaos.

Likewise, Christianity is more confusing than ever. I am referring to Japanese Christianity. It is often seen that self-proclaimed Christians reprehend one other on the internet. They are often dogmatic about their beliefs and denominations. They are nothing different from street gangs who use vulgar language. Another extreme is to accept homosexuality as normal. This trend among Japanese churches may be stronger than that in the US.

This may be the age that Christ describes in Matt. 24, but I don’t speculate what is going to happen as those premillennialists do. I think that this is the time that I should go back to the basics of the gospel message. Christ warns us to go through the narrow gate.

My prayers are to proclaim the gospel of Christ as simple as possible so that people can understand it. I would like our church to be completely denominational free and free from any trend of religious movements.

The state of Japanese Christianity and my concern – Jan 15, 2021

I have been using Twitter and Facebook. I’ve got to know many people who have had negative experiences with Christianity. Those people visited churches to look for peace in mind and life solutions for their worries, but they had completely opposite experiences.

Denominational preachers bind their members in two wrong ways. All of the preachers in the denominations call themselves “pastors” and claim to have received God’s calling. First, they have ultimate authority next to Christ and preach as the will of God. Naturally, the members are expected not to ask their authority but to obey them. If the members question the validity of their sermons, they are treated as rebellious and lacking faith. Second, they interpret the word of God in order to meet their own agendas and try to use the members accordingly.

A few people who had similar experiences with denominational churches have visited our congregation. They told me about how they were treated. This verified my assumptions.

Besides, in maybe the last 30 years lots of people have had mental illness and depressions. Most of them cannot have regular jobs anymore and become totally dependent on the government. When they come to those denominational churches, they are treated as second class members because they cannot function as regular members.

This has raised great concern. I have decided to try to evangelize more than ever. Our church members are willing to do so. I will write out our own tract to distribute in our communities and towns.

Two Kinds of Christians – Dec 2, 2020

There seem to be two kinds of Christians in Japan: one who hears the word and put in practice what he hears and the other one who only hears the word, just as Christ describes in Matthew 7. The latter one is a Sunday Christian. Spiritual transformation has not taken place in such a person.

Recently I started having a bible study with a middle-aged man who used to attend a nearby church of Christ. He faithfully attended the service for over 10 years there, but he has not felt that he had grown spiritually while he was in that congregation. He listened to a sermon every week, attended the Bible study, and did faithfully what the preacher told him to do, but nothing clicked with him. He must have been considered a faithful member of the congregation.

His story was typical. He was always passive, not active with his spiritual life. He faithfully did what the preacher suggested, but he did not go beyond that.

At the beginning of our study, I told him that all of us were expected to be transformed into the image of Christ by the Holy Spirit. We have to decide to follow Christ if we desire to grow in Him. He cannot be passive but must be actively seeking Christ and His kingdom.

He and I have made a covenant with one another that both of us grow together.

About the Tokyo Olympics – Dec 10, 2020

Nobody knows how long the covid-19 chaos will continue. As you know, the 2020 Olympics was canceled. I hoped it would be in 2021, but now we are not sure of anything.

Meantime, in Japan, the final athletic competitions have been taking place in order to select the best. Those athletes who have been selected have to be prepared for the Olympics even though they don’t know the Olympic definite schedule.

I hope that the Olympics will take place next year for their sake, but I am not sure if it is a feasible idea.

Up to now, no official announcements have been made concerning the Olympic schedule.

I know some of our friends who plan to come to Japan to do some mission work next year. I am hopeful, but I am afraid that it might be delayed.

One of the Biggest Challenges – Dec 10, 2020

People come and go. Unfortunately, some people don’t stay long in the church. Many people who come to visit church have experienced negative relationships with others. Some of them may have been to other churches and have suffered moral harassment from Christians there. They come to our congregation to look for some positive relationships.

Here is a challenge. Our members are very sincere and honest. A few of them are very straightforward and self-assertive to express their opinions, but those new people are not used to such an attitude. Also, our members always have good intentions to help them. For instance, our members may encourage them to read the Bible and pray daily, but sometimes they overdo it. This can create tension between them and those newcomers.

I hope that our congregation will become where people feel completely free to come and visit anytime. Every week I encourage our members to make a free atmosphere so that visitors feel comfortable. I believe that this is biblical. People can be encouraged to do a certain thing, but should never be forced to do it. After all, Christ is always patient with us and gives us free will to do what we think is right and good.

Having a good intention is not good enough. Some people may be very sensitive. They may easily feel harassed by others.

I pray daily that God will give us the wisdom to discern what is right to do.

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The American Congregation – Oct 2, 2020

We did not have a worship service at the building from the beginning of March to 20 September. On 27 September, some of us met for the worship service at the building. We had a good service and meaningful time together.

We will continue meeting at the building as often as possible.

Preaching from the Psalms – Nov 5, 2020

Beginning this Sunday, I will preach from the Psalms. But in this Sunday’s lesson as Intro to the Psalms, I will encourage the congregation to have a daily devotional time and mini-worship time by reading a Psalm. Although it depends on an individual’s schedule, I will suggest that it is good to have a mini-worship time in the morning because it is the beginning of the day. It can be only 10 minutes. There are no rigid rules.

The mini-service consists of the following three: reading a Psalm, praying to God, and singing. Psalms are basically believers’ prayers. You don’t have to think about how to interpret them. They are not as complex as Paul’s letters and other biblical materials. In some of the Psalms, there are only praises to God, but others are prayers of agony and pain in which the writers hope in God’s everlasting love and mercy.

I think that singing is also a form of prayer. We pray to God by singing. There are two types of prayers: inaudible and audible. You can pray to God without saying actual words. I would pray to God in a train silently. (If I prayed audibly in a train, the police might come to take me to the police station.) But in singing, we express our thoughts audibly. We hear ourselves while we sing. I think that this has double effects.

I have this devotional habit for a long time. It works well for me, so I would like to share it with others.

One of the Biggest Challenges – Nov 23, 2020

People come and go. Unfortunately, some people don’t stay long in the church. Many people who come to visit church have experienced negative relationships with others. Some of them may have been to other churches and have suffered moral harassment from Christians there. They come to our congregation to look for some positive relationships.

Here is a challenge. Our members are very sincere and honest. A few of them are very straightforward to express their opinions, but those new people are not used to such an attitude. Also, our members always have good intentions to help them. For instance, our members may encourage them to read the Bible and pray daily, but sometimes they overdo it. This can create tension between them and those newcomers.

I hope that our congregation will become where people feel completely free to come and visit anytime. Every week I encourage our members to make a free atmosphere so that visitors feel comfortable. I believe that this is biblical. People can be encouraged to do a certain thing, but should never be forced to do it. After all, Christ is always patient with us and gives us free will to do what we think is right and good.

Having a good intention is not good enough. Some people may be very sensitive. They may easily feel harassed by others.

I pray daily that God will give us the wisdom to discern what is right to do.

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A Daily Devotional Thought to Members and Family – Sept 1, 2020

Some Christians have a great desire to grow spiritually while others have lost theirs. Even non-Christians have such a desire and interest in Christianity. I have been sending a daily devotional thought to those (both members and non-Christian friends) who requested it. They told me that they were encouraged by it daily.

From January to July I use the Gospel of John. From August I just started the Sermon on the Mount. I usually don’t skip any verse unless it is very trivial. It is a very short one, a couple of verses with a short application of the passage.

This daily routine has been good for me too. As I begin my work at the office with a devotional thought, I pray for members and friends.

A Recent Lesson on Juda Iscariot – September 1, 2020

There are two people in the Bible who denied the Lord Jesus Christ publicly. They are Judas and Peter. But the other disciples maybe not much different from two of them in the sight of God. After all “all the disciples left him and fled” anyway (Matt. 26:56).

However, only Judas Iscariot is capitalized as a betrayer. Although Peter’s denial of the Lord is recorded in the Bible, his denial is not as bad as that of Judas. I have met many people who are named after many biblical names such as David, Peter, and Paul. But I have never met a person named Judas. Have you? But there may be one in the world named after Judas Iscariot.

Last week I spoke on the life of Judas. We thought about his motives, his way of repentance, and his free will. Also, we thought about how God judged him.

Next week I will speak about the life of Peter.

Reading a Good Book – September 19, 2020

I have just started reading How to Stop Worrying and Start Living written by Dale Carnegie. This is the second book written by him for me. The first one is How to Win Friends and Influence People. Both of them are classic for self-development. I have learned a lot from the first one. In many parts of these books, Christian principles are applied.

In this age and time, very aggressive and assertive, we Christians need to go back to the golden rule. Many people and even many Christians think it is good to get ahead of others and get your own way. I’m not really sure if God approves of this kind of attitude.

What do you think about my opinion? I would like to hear from you.

Preaching from the Gospel of John – September 19, 2020

I have been preaching from the Gospel of John since May of last year. It has been long, but I will finish it sometime in October.

The words “faith” and “believe” are probably used more than 100 times in this book. Although the word love does not appear as much as these two words, I think most of us feel how much Jesus loves us and cares about us.

Probably most of us do not respond to him and his love in a way we are expected to by God. I humbly bow down before God to pray for his mercy.

The Bible was written thousands of years ago, but we still feel the love of God by reading this ancient book. But sometimes I wonder if we truly understand his love toward us, especially in this age and time, when we live in a chaotic world.

I think Jesus calls us to trust in Him and not to be anxious about anything. It is already September 2020. 2021 will be coming soon before you know it. I wouldn’t be surprised that some crazy things take place next year because the evil power is so active that it permeates in the world. Who knows?

I hope you will have blessed days in the rest of the year. Be safe and healthy.

Life Discovery Class – July 10, 2020

Even after a person becomes a Christian, he might hold on to old habits and mindset. This is not unusual but very common. As a result, his Christian life is not productive and fruitful.

I believe that a person has to be really born of water and the spirit in order to experience the grace of God. Just being baptized into Christ doesn’t lead him to spiritual growth unless he works on it. Some people may make irrational decisions and get into a more confusing maze of life. Life Discovery Class is for such type of people.

God initially accepts us as we are, but at the same time, he tells us to change our thinking and behavior. In our class, we admit our weaknesses to God, but we pray to God that he will transform us.

Our class is very practical. We have three basic themes.

(1) To become a goal-oriented person. Make a short term goal, a middle term goal, a long term goal. Each goal varies from person to person because people are different. My role is to help each person make a biblical and practical goal so that he might live a fruitful Christian life.

(2) To make a schedule each day. Each person is expected to make a list of things to do for the next day. I believe how to live each day is very important. Today is a day for tomorrow. How to live today determines tomorrow. Also, he makes a year-long schedule.

(3) To make rational decisions prayerfully based on biblical principles. Whatever backgrounds a person has religiously or socially, this task is very important. Old habits tell him to move along with a wave as it moves. In this process, he needs to make up his mind about what his first priority is.

I believe this class is never-ending even if we end it and don’t meet together, because life goes on.

Two Themes I Have Been Preaching – July 11, 2020

I have been preaching from the Gospel of John. We came to John 14:13-14, “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” I had to pause and ponder about it. I ended up speaking on the subject of prayer in eight consecutive lessons.

After that, we came to the passage John 14:15-17 where Jesus talks about giving the Spirit to the disciples. The Work of the Holy Spirit is confusing to many people, so I have decided to speak on it. So far I have spoken on the following topics. (1) The Old Testament, the Old Covenant and the Work of the Holy Spirit, (2) God in Trinity, (3) Jesus Christ and the Work of the Holy Spirit.

On 12 July I will speak the fourth lesson on the Work of the Holy Spirit. It is about “The New Covenant and the Spirit’s Blessings.” I think many people may overlook this point. I believe it is important to understand what blessings the Holy Spirit provides for us.

8 Lessons on How to Pray and What to Pray – June 10

As a baby Christian, after I became a Christian, I didn’t have a private prayer life for a long time. I was terrible. My excuse is that nobody taught me about it. I didn’t know how and what to pray. I didn’t know the meaning of prayer and the importance of private prayer.

I started to work as minister for Yokota Church of Christ, I was forced to pray to God for help and guidance simply because I didn’t know what to do with somethings going on in the church.

Since last year I have been preaching from the Gospel of John. We came to John 14:13-14 “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” I paused and decided to have consecutive lessons on how and what to pray. Next week I finish this. It amounts to 8 lessons (1) why we pray, (2) three principles of prayer, (3) who is God we praise? (4) God’s kingdom and will, (5) give us daily bread, (6) forgive us our debts, (7) Lead us not into temptation, (8) Don’t give up but keep on praying. This has been good for both the congregation and me. I have also posted them on YouTube so that church members can listen to them and reflect them again.

Using Twitter and YouTube – June 10

Churches of Christ may not use the Internet such as social media and YouTube as the means of communicating the gospel. Although high technology moves faster than we can keep up with, I think we should make use of it as much as possible. I have decided to use YouTube and upload every sermon with a visual aid.

I have been using Twitter to communicate the simple gospel. Twitter also helps me understand what people are thinking in the Japanese denominational world. In this way, I can have a meaningful conversation with visitors who have different Christian backgrounds.

Daily Devotionals – June 12

I began to send a daily devotional to the members and non-Christian friends several months ago. It consists of a few verses from the Bible and a very brief message to think over who Jesus is. This has been much better than I expected. First of all, my message is extremely short. I use the word “we” so that I can show the recipients that we are with one another to follow Jesus. We may have similar life struggles and setbacks, but they know Jesus is with us to encourage us and support us and help us.

A Daily Devotional Thought to Members and Non-Christian Friends – May 22

I send out a daily devotional thought to members and non-Christian friends. First, I started sending just a few Bible verses several years ago. At the beginning of 2020, one of the members made a request that I give them a simple explanation of the text and my comments on its applications. This has been working very well for me and them. They understand what the Bible text means and how to apply it to themselves. It also gives me a short devotional time with members and friends besides my personal one. Probably I should’ve done this long ago, but I wasn’t sure how this kind of thing would be accepted by them.

Our OnLine Service – May 22

The American congregation has not met at the church building since March. The Japanese congregation also stopped meeting, but the Japanese congregation has an online service that most of the members are able to participate in.

The by-product of this online service is that I started examining and listening to my own lessons. I also upload it on YouTube. I hope we will continue the use of Youtube in order to reach out to someone out there.

An article on singing in the worship service – May 22

The use of musical instruments in the service is a thorny issue for Japanese Christians. It pops up occasionally among Japanese preachers.
I have written an article on the congregational singing on our church website. The title is “A-Cappella is the Best Way of Singing in the Worship Service.”

I will continue bringing up this issue to try to encourage even other Japanese preachers. I think there is a great pressure some Japanese preachers feel when they get together with denominational preachers. “Why not? Don’t be legalistic. You are losing great opportunities to reach out to people.” I have often heard these comments from both young and old Japanese Christians. This is the time I need to clearly express why we sing A-Cappella. I believe it is the best way. I don’t and won’t cut down those people who favor the use of instruments.