Community

2 weeks ago I attended the Acts 29 church planting boot camp in San Jose on June 3rd and 4th. I was excited to learn more about the spread of the good news across the Bay Area and how to be a steward of the deposit entrusted to us (2 Tim 1:14). I definitely feel convicted that there are not enough gospel-centric churches in the Bay Area and that the Bay Area is in need of more churches that will go and plant other churches that will go and plant more churches.

It was also a pleasure meeting other brothers and sisters passionate about His glory being known and magnified, and I felt encouraged by the testimonies and convictions we exchanged. The worship was also amazing, courtesy of a band called Zimmerman. Definitely check them out! http://www.zimmermanband.com/

Some of the speakers I listened to before at The Gospel Coalition Conference back in April such as Mark Driscoll, Matt Chandler, Jeff Vanderstelt, and D.A. Carson. (I also met Steven Chin at the conference who is in the video above and a pastor in the Boston area). D.A. Carson, research professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and one of the most noted New Testament scholars alive today, made up roughly half the talks at the Acts 29 conference.

In one of his talks Carson asked the audience to think about their church and ponder how many people would they actually be friends with at their church if it weren’t for the gospel. Me being the weird idiosyncratic person that I am, the answer for me is probably countable on my fingers! Carson’s question really pierced me in realizing how the Christ really brings believers together as one body and family of God. People from all ages and backgrounds are reconciled together through the reconciling work of Christ.

Communities truly testify to the power of the gospel. They are an amazing blessing that believers have to enjoy and a powerful witness to those who do not yet believe. I realize though that this is something that many in Japan do not have the privilege to enjoy in the way we do in the United States. Even in the Bay Area where we meet and have conferences just to talk about how we need more Christ centered communities in the area, the same could be said ten-fold for Japan.

Please pray for the community of believers to multiply across the Japanese nation!


Kevin



Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.
Hebrews 3:12-14 ESV

Exodus

Today's blog post is inspired by a friend. I met Elisse while studying abroad in Kyoto when she showed up one day at our church. Elisse like me, is also a Japanese American and was studying abroad in Kyoto when we met.

In particular, I want to share about her experience with a cult in Japan called Setsuri. Setsuri (also known as Providence) is one of 183,000 cult groups in Japan. They classify themselves as Christian but hold doctrinal beliefs different than that of orthodox Christianity. Their leader is currently imprisoned for sexual abuses against his cult members and the leader's interpretations are commonly considered divine revelation among his followers.

Elisse while searching for a Christian group during her stay in Japan inadvertently became involved with this group. As she later discovered false teaching and the group's true identity, she found it difficult to leave the group as group members pressured her to stay in the group. Her heart broke for the friends she made in the group as she witness firsthand the ways they were led astray from the truth. Her experience helped cultivate a heart for the Japanese in her, and Elisse is also going to intern with Micheal Oh, but for longer than me for a total of 10 months starting hopefully in August. Check out her blog here! She's also fundraising as well so if you're interested in learning more and maybe supporting her, let me know and I'll share her support letter with you!

Anyhow, it is a great tragedy that with so many cult groups in existence, instances like Elisse's experience with Setsuri are not uncommon. But there is still hope in God's deliverance. Just as God led Elisse safely out of the cult group, God promises to deliver His people. Jesus knows his sheep and not one of them will be snatched from his hand (John 10:27-28). He is the good shepherd (John 10:11) and will lead his sheep even through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23).

Even though the Japanese people are under bondage to false gods and false teachers, I have hope in the promise of God to deliver His people. Just as He fulfilled His promise to the Israelites by freeing them from slavery and bondage in Egypt under the blood of the lamb and delivering them to the promised land, I trust that God is mighty to free the Japanese from the bondage of false gods and false teachers and deliver them by the blood of the lamb into the kingdom of God. While the situation with Setsuri was in my opinion ugly, I have hope because God turns ugly things into beautiful things, the greatest example being the ugly gruesome horrible crucifixion of Christ becoming the glorious beautiful gift of grace by which we have life. My God grant life to the Japanese.

Kevin

For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. Hebrews 2:10

Discipleship

Michael Oh from Urbana 09 on Vimeo.

I'm excited to be joining Michael Oh and CBI Japan this summer in working to advance the gospel in Japan. Michael has been a speaker at Urbana (featured above), Desiring God, and The Gospel Coalition. You can check out him speaking here at DG or here at The Gospel Coalition. I enjoyed meeting Michael at The Gospel Coalition Conference this past April and am looking forward to his mentorship and discipleship in Japan.

Japan is also desperately in need of disciples who will make disciples who will make disciples. Jesus calls us to make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe ALL that he has commanded of us (Matthew 28:20). The gospel works not just to justify us to the father but also sanctify us and works to complete the work that He started in us (1 Cor 15:1-5). Japan in particular is in need of the training of leaders dedicated to the advance of the gospel both within and outside the Church.

Many Japanese who by the work of God's grace come to know Christ lack resources to help equip themselves and others for the work of Christ. This is a tragedy. Michael's ministry is dedicated to helping to train disciples who will make disciples who will make disciples. They will become the next leaders of the Japanese church and help build churches that will plant churches that will plant churches.

I'm excited to be a partnering with Michael in doing this work and hope that I can be of help in whatever way I can this summer.

Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.

You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains, but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me—may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that Day!—and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus.

You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

(2 Timothy 1:13-2:2 ESV)

Kevin