Serving in Japan: Reality

Our two cell groups gathered together, we all listened in silence as a new believer from the other group shared some heartbreaking news.

A thin middle-aged man with glasses, he spoke in a low, slow and steady way as he shared that his high-school-aged daughter’s friend had committed suicide that week. As he shared, he mourned the early loss of life. Why did she have to die? Why couldn’t he have said something to her sooner? He didn’t get the chance to tell her about Jesus.

With tears in his eyes, and tears brimming the eyes of everyone sitting in the room, he looked up for the first time at his cell group leader.

Do you think it’s possible that she could go to heaven? She never had the chance to hear about Jesus.

Our hearts lurched. This is the reality in Japan.  People are dying without hope everyday. People who have never had the chance to hear about the love of Christ. There was no one to tell her.

A common topic we ourselves have been asked recently is about the loved ones of new believers who passed without the opportunity to hear about Jesus. Can you imagine the hurt we hear in their voices because their mom or grandparents never had the chance to hear the message of grace, forgiveness and hope that they have had?

They ask us, with pleading eyes, begging eyes almost, to tell them that their loved ones are not in that lake of fire they’ve heard about.

It’s a hard question. These are sobering moments.  And the only thing we can do as we share that grief with them is to reflect on the character of God and the justness of Him who loved and created each one of their loved ones. Perhaps the Lord met them in a special way before they passed- we will never know. But we do know that we can trust God and that His decisions are always right.

Recently learning about the realities of a place called hell, one new believer my husband knows well said, “It is absolutely necessary that we tell the Japanese about Jesus. We must spread the teaching of the Bible.”

And with many perishing at so young an age, we must tell them soon.

"For 'Everyone who calls upon the name of the LORD will be saved.' But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent?" Romans 10:13-15a

by Janine Alvarado, Missionary to Japan

Serving in Japan: 30 Foot High Bonfires

At the beginning of the year, I was at the local elementary school where I teach English to the Japanese students. As I prepped with the teacher, she asked me to finish my second class 5 minutes early.  Something about everyone going outside for "dondoyaki."

Dondoyaki… hmm… what’s that?? I started processing it to try to figure out the meaning.

Takoyaki- Octopus batter balls
Yakiniku- Grilled meat
Yakitori- Grilled chicken

My best guess: grilled something.  Must be food. Grilled seafood of some sort?

After the first two classes, I came back to the office for my break.  One of the office staff encouraged me to grab my coat and head outside.  “It’s Japanese culture.”

Ok- new piece of the puzzle: it’s related to Japanese culture.  A New Years food perhaps?

In the middle of the schoolyard, there looked to be a cherry-shaped bunch of pine-branches, standing some 30 feet tall, with ropes holding the top of the “cherry stem” into the air.  Here and there were adornments and also at the bottom there seemed to be many pieces of paper with black calligraphy characters on them.

No sight nor smell of food anywhere.

After all the students gathered in a huge circle, a massive fire was lit and naturally everything was enveloped in flames.  Even from my distance, I could feel the wave of heat. Huge pops and cracks occasionally startled me, which I later found out was the bamboo cracking on the inside of the bonfire.  Clouds of ash rose to the sky and some students and moms collected some of the pieces of bigger ash that fell to the ground.

As I headed back to the office to wait for the students to pick me up for my next class, I knew it was time to do my research.  What was this that I’d just observed?

Dondoyaki is the Japanese tradition of burning all the New Year decorations and the lucky charms bought at the temple that hold the zodiac of the previous year. Apparently it’s the only way to dispose of these things, as it’s extremely bad luck and bad taste to just throw them away.

Most Japanese see these things as traditional superstitions and consider it better to do than not to do it. Unfortunately, there seems to be many such cultural superstitions they keep an eye on, There are charms for many occasions that they can buy at the local temple: for graduations, for safe driving, for health, etc.

Even if it may seem fun or just cultural to them, perhaps the root is deeper than they know. The overwhelming majority of them have never had the opportunity to hear of the freedom in Christ - of the love and care of a Heavenly Father who paid the price for their sins and healing - the Holy Spirit who would go with them - the freedom from any fear found in a fulfilling relationship with Jesus. 

The question is: will they have the opportunity to hear? Who will go to them? The reality of Romans 10:14-15 becomes stark in light of this situation. Will they have the chance to hear in their lifetime?

"But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? Romans 10:14-15a (NLT)

by Janine Alvarado, Missionary to Japan

Bondslaves of God

"Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. I Peter 2:16

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German pastor, theologian and anti-Nazi dissident. You may very well know his story. For his outspoken opposition to Hitler's regime he was arrested and put to death at the Flossenburg concentration camp in 1945. Bonhoeffer was more than a leader of the Resistance under the Third Reich. He was a man of God and also a powerful voice for the church. Under persecution, Bonhoeffer discovered that, even though God's grace is freely given, it can also extract a high cost.

It was costly grace that led Bonhoeffer to leave a safe haven in America and return to Nazi Germany so he could be with his fellow Germans. Costly grace led him to openly teach and preach the word of God even though the Nazis tried to suppress his work. Costly grace led Bonhoeffer to stand against a turncoat church that mixed Nazi doctrine with Christian truth and to bravely establish (with Martin Niemoller and others) a new church, the Confessing Church. Costly grace led Bonhoeffer, as early as 1933, to speak boldly in opposition to the persecution of Jews (even sending a memorandum to Hitler himself) and to attempt to smuggle Jews out of Germany, even though that act led to his arrest.

Even in prison, Bonhoeffer's life radiated divine grace. He confronted other prisoners, who looked upon him as their chaplain. A fellow prisoner described him as "different, just quite calm and normal, seemingly perfectly at his ease...his soul really shone in the dark desperation of our prison. He was one of the very few men I have ever met to whom God was real and ever close to him."

On the morning of April 9, 1945, less than a month before Hitler was defeated, Bonhoeffer knelt and prayed, then followed his captors to the gallows. His prayer: "May God in His mercy lead us through these times; but above all, may He lead us to Himself."

The story of Bonhoeffer’s life took on a whole new, powerful meaning just this past September. My husband and I were on a walking tour in the picturesque town of Wertheim, in Bavaria in southern Germany. We had passed by many points of interest and had extended our walk to include a tour of Wertheim's Jewish Quarter.

During World War II Wertheim had lost many of its Jewish residents to the maniacal schemes of Hitler. There were about ten of us in our group. We walked up a steep hill to the old Jewish cemetery. Under some beautiful trees our guide asked if we had any questions. One person in the group said this, "We've been in Germany now for a week and have heard bits and pieces of history relating to the Holocaust. I need to ask...how much about Hitler, the Concentration Camps and the persecution did German citizens know?"

Our guide, probably about 60 years old, got a little bit quiet and then shared this: “I wasn’t alive back then. I grew up in a home where such things were never discussed. No one really talked about the neighbors who just disappeared. No one really asked questions or confessed any knowledge, but then it came time for me to go to high school. I got to go to the new academy that had just opened in Wertheim. The new school was named Dietrich Bonhoeffer HS. I didn’t know that name, I didn’t know why a school should be named for a man I had never heard of. As a young teenager I began to research Bonhoeffer’s life. I learned about this man and what he had done and where and how he had died. Through his life – and death, as a child of God and bondslave of Jesus Christ, I discovered Jesus for myself and became a believer. Now I know the Truth."

I praise God for the way that the Resurrection came so alive for me that day in Wertheim.

Christ’s death and resurrection – His “one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone.” (Romans 5:18) – changed the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. And the witness of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s life of faith in Christ decades later drew our tour guide himself, to the Risen One.

… "even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ." Romans 5:17

by Connie Grosse

Let Jesus Be Perfected in You

"Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us." 2 Corinthians 4:7

Don't be afraid to be broken by the LORD. In fact, pray for it! All the years we've spent trying to hold ourselves together, our utter brokenness because of sin...the futile efforts and means we've used to try to fix ourselves in a pursuit to be pleasing to God, appealing to others and tolerable to ourselves is nothing more than vain efforts.

Only God.

May we reject the deceptive idea of "fixed broken" and invite the Holy Spirit to break us of our pride, which says "I've got it."

No...we really don't.

The reason He is such a trustworthy Lord is because He is our Savior. We can trust Him to break us perfectly because He made us and He knows how to make us perfectly new.

by Dana Lange

New Beginnings

The Lord gave me the following verses awhile ago with regards to the season of life I had been walking in as a result of personal family hurts (a lifetime of memories for the enemy to use in his arsenal).  These verses became such an encouragement and brought much joy and hope to me as I walked thru the year focused on Him, the blessing of my family unit and extended family of Christ, as well as His promises to me in His Word.  I placed my trust in Him completely for all the coming year would bring.

“Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19

Isaiah 61 was big for me, especially verse 3:

"To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”

The past few years living overseas has brought trials, triumphs and especially big break throughs in my walk with the Lord; I am praying for more of the same this year.  I never want to find myself "dull" in my faith. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy green pastures and still waters, but everything is being used by God for our good (Romans 8:28)...especially the trials and pains.

The Lord faithfully gave me scriptures for each situation of this past year.  He also blessed me with the ability to "break free" from heavy bondage and strongholds; brought on through the hurt caused by others (unforgiveness and unresolved issues stuffed down; wanting to forgive but not really knowing how...until He met me in that quiet place). He reminded me often that He is no stranger to rejection, especially from family.  It's what drove Him to the cross so that I would have victory over my sin, rejection & hurt caused by others, and every other trial brought on by life...because He overcame the grave.

"Nothing touches us that has not first flowed through the fingers of our God. That’s why we can trust Him completely." Chuck Swindoll  The LORD taught me a new approach to the things I was dreading (like being a "pastor's wife" and hurtful relations) through this little phrase: "Don't despise the very thing that God is using to drive you to Him.". 

I learned how to take my thoughts and hurts directly into His presence and allow Him to speak His truth in difficult situations (rather than waste time revisiting those things and allowing bitterness and strongholds to come in). My mind is often my biggest battle field. He gave me this scripture:

"We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete." 2 Corinthians 10:5

By doing this, He revealed where I may have wronged others (Psalm 139:23-24); allowing me to "come clean".

These are ways that I can remain completely surrendered to Him daily; by staying in His presence and treasuring up scripture in my heart to enable me to do battle when the enemy attacks. It also instills in me His Perspective and heart towards others...the ability to choose love, grace and mercy over all.  After all "Mercy triumphs over judgment" (James 2:13) and "love" is the greatest gift (1 Cor. 13:13). It's "choosing" "the more excellent way" (1 Cor. 12:31).

Time in His presence is to be purposeful (not necessarily lengthy, but purposeful), and I found how important it is to just sit in silence and ask Him to simply "speak" (Jeremiah 33:3)

I do not know what He has in store for the rest of this year but I know that my desire is to abide in Him "daily" (John 15), with no expectations; other than to know that whatever comes my way, His hand is on the pulse of it and He is true to the promises in His Word.

by Coleen Jejeran, CCEA Missionary to Romania