Be holy yourselves
1 Peter 1:13-16
The epistle is written to encourage the Christian church under persecution. First of all the author tries to make sure of the grace given to the Christians. "By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."(1:3.4).
"Therefore,"says the author ,"gird up your minds, be sober, set your hope full upon the grace that is coming to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ."(13,14) He means to take posture, to get ready to wait upon the coming of the Lord. But what is 'to get ready' definitely ? He tells it is 'to be holy '(15). Verse 16 quotes Leviticus 11:44 ff,"consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy."It is a solemn call to every Christian as well as to Israel and is not some kind of option, there is no other way.
The word "holy" means first to be set apart as the Lord's possession only. And to be holy cannot be separated from love, for love cannot exist without unity. Jesus Christ loved his Father in heaven and he declared he was one with his Father(John 10:30) . He belonged to his Father solely because he loved his Father. At the time of Pentecost, Christians gathered in total unity in the Spirit because pure love had fallen upon them(Ac. 2:46,47).
Christians must be one with him who called them. They must accept the Holy Spirit into their hearts. They ought to obey totally to the Spirit, to surrender wholly being filled with the Spirit. Shall we accept the Holy Spirit into our heart and life without any reservation ?
Bethel , in response to God's grace
Genesis 35:1-15
God requests his people to commit sincerely to serve for the making of his kingdom.
First of all God called a nation for his plan to restore and to bless mankind who rebelled against the Creator. He called a man, an ancestor of the nation, Israel. And his son was Isaac who was the father of Jacob.
Jacob's life was a long round. He betrayed his brother and fled away from his country to the distant place where his uncle lived. And he lived there for some twenty years , toiled hard for the cunning and wayward uncle. Because there were incessant strives between two households, Jacob had to make his mind to leave there and return to his home country. Having met again his brother, he lived the place near Shechem where he had met God on the way to his uncle's region twenty years ago. But after not so long time, God told him to go to Shechem to serve the Lord there as he had swore before.
'Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there; and make there an altar to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.' (35:1)
God had been faithful for Jacob and stayed with him as he promised. Now was the time for him to fulfill the promise to God. But to do so, he and his family ought to be cleansed and be made ready for the service.So Jacob told his family, 'Put away the foreign gods that are among you, and purify yourselves, and change your garments'(35:2)
Christians also must be cleansed from all the gods of this world and to confess to serve the Lord faithfully, for they, as Jacob, have seen the faithfulness of God, typical of which was the suffering of Christ for all the mankind.
(Nov.18, 2018)
To serve in one accord
1 Corinth 12:12-27
Church of Christ is the community to serve with the care for each other and with true humility.
First, church is the community of those who have been saved by the grace of God in Jesus Christ. Once they were slaves of human made idols as well as other people in this world(1 Cor. 12:1-2). But now, they believe in Jesus Christ according Holy Spirit, and they became followers of Jesus. Holy Spirit is the very source of life which Christians share in Chris Jesus. Every Christian has his own personality and ability. As St.Paul says, even though there are many members but the body is one. There are many members in the church, but the body of Christ is one. And each one is given his own gift from Him for the(church's)common good(12:7). So, then , every Christian gives what he is for the Lord(14-22). All this never bears arrogance but sympathy for the weakness of the fellow Christians.
We would appreciate that we are called as the members of the body of Christ, would learn to serve God and people with true humility in Jesus Christ, and would care for each other and serve in one accord.
Nov.4 2018
The encounter that changed lives
Mark 1:16-20
There are various encounters in our life.
Encounter with special people, books and so on, and it sometimes determines our life.
In a sense we can choose some encounters, but we cannot be sure whether they are really good or bad for us until we go some distance or spend some period of time. In the book of Proverb we read, "The lot is cast into the lap, but the decision is wholly from the Lord"(16:33). We cannot decide the result of casting any lot.
Life is harsh for every one of us and it sometimes makes us uneasy. The phrase for today, however, tells of one who is able to change our lot, even if it were not so good for us, for wonderfully fine encounter. It is He, who is the Creator and omnipotent God and His only Son Jesus Christ. We come to know Him not owing to our own choice, but by the choice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "You did not choose me, but I chose you "(John 15:16) .He gives us wonderful life and future.
The fishermen of Galilee are supposed to have been poor and miserable and that was the lot they've got. But Jesus came to them and "saw Simon and Andrew ...casting a net",again "he saw James ...and John...who were in their boat mending the nets." The bible says Jesus sees every one of us! None, but Jesus knows us individually! "Uneducated, and common men " (Acts 4:) was their title and was their lot. And Jesus came beside them and invited them saying ,"follow me and I will make you become fishers of men." Hearing the call, they followed Him.
By the encounter, they knew the love of the Lord , were made ones plentiful for God and for neighbors.
Do you trust and follow Him who promises us to meet us in seemingly bad lots and to change our lives for wonderful plentiful ones for God and those who are around us? Dec.21 2018
Useful Vessels
2 Timothy 2:14-26
The epistle gives advices to the younger minister Timothy and his colleagues how to minister the gospel of Jesus Christ.
1. To shun disputing about words, and to abstain from godless chatter
For Paul, gospel was the proclamation of what had happened on Jesus Christ ie the incarnation, the death on the cross, and the resurrection on the third day, and not the problem of disputing which often leads people to deviation from sound stepping in the life of the believers.
"Remind them of this, and charge them before the Lord to avoid disputing about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers.・・・・Avoid such godless chatter, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will eat its way like gangrene."(2 Timothy 2:14.16 )
2. To shun passions in the days of younger days
Timothy was comparatively young preacher, and his colleagues were also. Young people have their own temptations. Paul recommends them to keep themselves clean before the people whom they minister and before the Lord whom they serve. Big or small, noble or ignoble, the Lord can use only pure vessels. The servants of the Lord ought to be pure.
"So shun youthful passions and aim at righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call upon the Lord from a pure heart. "(2:22)
3.To abstain from controversies
Controversies cannot lead people to the truth. Good minister of Christ meets all the people, including the opponents, with patience and perseverance in the Lord, and lead them to the truth of life.
"And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to every one, an apt teacher, forbearing, correcting his opponents with gentleness."(2:24.25) Sept.24 2018
Guard the Truth
2 Timothy 1:1-14
St.Paul loved and trusted one of his young disciples Timothy and disciplined him to be a good preacher in the church. The apostle wrote to him this letter as it were his last words because he was in prison. The gospel he preached was 'the promise of life which is in Jesus Christ '(1:1). Timothy had been entrusted several important things from God for his service in preaching the gospel. Paul solemnly recommended him to keep them.
1. Faith
Timothy knew from his childhood, the faith in Jesus Christ which 'dwelt first'in his grandmother and then in his mother, and he also received it. We must take in the faith in our lives, but it is also the gift of God. The love of Christ caught us first, and we could believe it.
2.The gift of the spirit of power and love and self-control.
⓵"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you "(Acts 1:8). The power from the
Grace.
②"I have loved you, that you also love one another"(John 13:34) The love given by Christ.
③"Now we have received not the spirit of world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might understand the
gifts bestowed on us by God."(1 Corinth 2:12) The Spirit of discerning to guard the sound words of the
Gospel.
3.What were given to us
God gave us faith, power, and love, and that to guard the good, sound words of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Sept.9 2018
AGAPE, THE CHURCH-FEEDING LOVE
1st Corinthians 12:31b-13:13
Church of Christ is the community which should make every member, who are called to it by the Lord ,sound and blessed. Then, it needs "love"more than all. The book of 1Corinthians tells much of it for us all.
Corinthian church, set up by the mission of St.Paul there, was in the danger of schism at that time(middle of the 1st century), about leaders, about some ecclesiastical problems, people were tended to think differently. In such a church, the most important thing required was "love" says Paul.
The apostle means it is love which makes the community grow sound. But here, we must know that the "love "is the special one called "agape"in original language in NT. The agape is God's love which loves all without any exception, even those who are against him. Only the agape-love heals and makes all sound and united. This love no natural person owns, because no one loves what is not profitable for him or her, what is against him or her.
Only those who have known the love of God love as He does,for God loved them and sent his only Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem all of their sins and iniquities. Those who are agape-loved love all.
"because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us."(Romans 5:5)
"And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony."(Colossians 3:14)
The epistle sets forth what is this agape-love in action.
1."If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing." 13:1-3
There can be no spiritual gifts without love, and if there were such things without love they are of no value at all.
2."Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." (13:4-7)
Agape-love always pursuits others' good to the uttermost. It reveals itself in all the intentions to heal the community.
3."So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love." (13:13)
Any gifts and services are to pass away. What abide to the end are faith(connecting man to God ), ho;e(leading man to the eternal), and love(uniting God and man, person and person) , and the greatest of these is love, says the apostle, for God is love.
Sept.2. 2018
Immeasurable love of God
Romans 8:31-39
This phrase of the Bible is known as "the pearl in the Scripture "which setting forth the love of God equipped for each one of us. It witnesses that "God is for us"(vs 31) ,and that is all that the Gospel means! We, however, sometimes lose sight of Him who is for us.
I was born in a Christian home in China. I grew up Christian but I was not confident in my soul.But I deeply remembered one thing, my mother praying every day in her place.
Having graduate high school in my country, I came to Japan to go to one of universities, the background of which was Buddhism. At the university I studied Buddhism with other subjects, it surely was a fresh experience but it never gave me any satisfaction. I was so hungry and thirsty for something which could satisfy my soul at that time, but any knowledge I got from many hard studies or familiar campus friends or the teachings of Buddhism could not gave me true satisfaction I needed. I really wanted true home for my soul. And then I began to remember the faith of my mother who always prayed for me to her God. Suddenly I was aware that what I had been seeking was not any knowledge but God, living God. I made up my mind to come to the faith of my mother, and I found true peace in the Lord.
God says "Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you"(Isaiah 4.:4 ) . God loves us and shows his love for us in every day life! Moreover he promises "He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, will he not also give us all things with him? " (Romans 8:32) He is ready always to give us the bountiful blessings! Aug. 19 2018 by Koh , a theological student from China
The glory filling in the world
Psalm 8
When Jesus saves a man, he would be renewed and come to discern the Creator of the world.
Psalm 8 introduces the praises for the Creator of the universe.
General praise (vs 1,9)
"O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is thy name in all the earth! "
The greatness of the majestic universe( vs 3)
"When I look at thy heavens, the work of thy fingers,
the moon and the stars which thou hast established;
what is man that thou art mindful of him,
and the son of man that thou dost care for him!"
The Psalmist is almost overwhelmed by the consciousness of the presence of the Creator of himself and the
universe to which he belongs.
What is man ? (vss 4-8)
"what is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou dost care for him?
Yet thou hast made him little less than God,
and dost crown him with glory and honour .
Thou hast given him dominion over the woks of thy hands;
thou hast put all things under his feet,
all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the sea."
The Psalm asks us what is man in the midst of the Universe God has created. Man is like a reed blowing in the wind. It's so feeble and unreliable, but God gave him dominion over all the creatures. What a wonderful Providence! Though man is not God, but the psalmist cannot but praise the fact that God made man as such .
Who discerns and gives praises to the Creator ? (vss 1b-2)
"Thou whose glory above the heavens is chanted
by the mouth of babes and infants,
thou hast founded a bulwark because of thy foes,
to still the enemy and the avenger."
Again the psalm asks us who discerns and gives praise the Creator. It is neither scholars nor intelligent ones that know and adore the Creator. It is the ones who accept God with simple mind like little children who come to know the Creator and adore Him. Later, Jesus Christ said in his prayer to the Father, "I thank thee, Father , Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will. " (Matthew 11:25-26)
Shall we accept Jesus as our saviour with simple heart like infants and be renewed , and praise the God who created all the universe?
Jul.29.2018
A prayer out of illness
Psalm 6
The Psalmist of this Psalm appeals to God in his illness.
In the old testament, usually, illness of a man was thought to be the result of his transgressions. When a man falls in to illness, he must suffer from three kind of dishonor, the first the illness itself, the second the fact that he must bear the consciousness of his sinfulness before God, the third people assume him as a sinner.
The psalmist, therefore, feeling as if he were in the endless tunnel, asks the Lord, crying, "But thou, O Lord-how long? "
He feels God standing far away from him, Gehennah coming nearer him. Mourning before God, he poured out all of his heart, and then he became aware of the steadfast, neverfailing love of Him, who controls life and death of man.
'Turn, O Lord, save my life;
deliver me for the sake of thy steadfast love' 6:5
What is steadfast love? It is neverchanging grace of God who pities the sinners and opens the way of forgiveness
and reconciliation for them!
We sometimes suffer various kind of illness, troubles, and distresses in our lives. It is not easy for us to accept them, but each one of them gives us chance to to see what we really are, to stand before God, and to know the meaning of the mercy and grace of God.
'and call upon me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me. ' Psalm 50:15
This deep comfort in the Lord witnessed in this psalm was to be sealed by the savior Jesus Christ, through his sufferings and death on the cross, hundreds later from the time of the Psalmist. Jesus said 'Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.' Matthew 11:28
Jul.22.2018
What is reliable
Psalm 3 Romans 8:31,32
David, the second king of Israel, established his kingdom firmly. But afterwards, Absalom, one of his sons betrayed him and declared he is new king of the country. For David, all of his status, wealth and establishment has been lost now.
The author of the psalm, in the same experience as that of David, kneels down before God and pours out his troubles before him.
1.He appeals what he is to God. 3:2,3
Many of those who has been familiar to him accuse him and scorn him now. Betrayals and sneers around him. But he knows the One to whom he can appeal. We also know to whom we can pour out all that is in us, even when we we lost all and feel lonely.
2.He confesses the confidence in God. 3:4-7
He knows God has been true to him always, so he confesses that God can make him overcome every difficulty, and answers his applications. So he can lie down and sleep, wake again in such a time of trouble.
What makes him so confident ? It is the saving grace of God revealed in the deliverance of God's people out of Egypt. God saved those who were humble and lowly because of his grace.And the saving grace is fully completed through Jesus Christ who was crucified on the cross for all mankind. St.Paul says in the epistle of Romans,"If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave up him up for us all, will he not also give us all things with him?"(8:31,32).
3.He prays for intervention of God.3:7,8
He asks God for his help. It is not for him to avenge those who are wicked around him, it is God. And then he
asks God blessings for those who are committed to him. Those who rely upon God bless those who are with him.
Jul. 15 2018
Blessed man
The book of Psalms tells us the blessedness of those who obey the statutes of the Lord.
In the New Testament we see many psalms quoted to witness for the life and works of Jesus Christ. It's one of the most important book of the Old Testament books.
The Book is said to have been edited in the time of exile in Babylon, when the people of Israel had no nation,no shrine, and no prophets any more. The editors of the book felt need to teach the people in exile to respect the words of the Lord, so called Torah. They ought not to go in the way of the pagan ungodly. So the Psalmist utters "but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night."(3,6).And in the second psalm, which is the counterpart of the former, the psalmist prophesies of the coming of the ideal king. The godly who walks in the way of the Lord would see the sacred king. The psalm tells to those who wait upon the promised king the blessedness of obeying the teaching of the Lord,and of praising him.
The psalm still gives us encouragement and hope who waits upon the words of the Lord, and upon the coming of the Lord, the ultimate king.
Living Sacrifice
Romans 12:1-8
The foundation of the Christian life
The author of the epistle,st.Paul, made clear that all the mankind is under sin(ch.1,7). No one is saved by his own merit in any meaning. He can be saved only by the grace of God in Christ Jesus. So, every Christian ought to live the rest of his life as holy offering for God, and to obey Him totally in everyday life.
The attitude needed in the church life
The life offered before God must be proved first in the life in the church.
The church of Christ has three dimensions. First, Unity in Christ. Second, Variety of gifts. Third, Mutuality of the members (cf vss 4-6). Such a body as the church of Christ is , each member must know some crucial thing in making up the church, humility. Only humility can unite, respect and cooperate ! Let's remember Christ who knelt before his disciples, washed their feet and loved them to the end! Jul.1 2018
Building up the church,body of Christ
Ephesians 4:1-6
We would know the growth of the church, the body of Christ.
The epistle tells us of the salvation of Jesus Christ as the universal scheme of God.God wishes to save the world and unite all creatures one in Jesus Christ.So, Christians ought to be one in Him in spite of all differences in their racial,cultural ,characteristic background.
St.Paul, however, stresses that the unity of the church does not necessarily mean uniformity, but it is unity in variety. Every Christian has been given his own peculiar gift and power from God through the Holy Spirit, and that to serve the Lord's church.
1.Growth of the church as the body of Christ(vss 12,16)
Church is the body of Christ and to serve it means not merely to work for any optional group but to serve Christ the savior and head of the church.It is the sacred service to build up the Christ's body.
2.Growth of the church worthy of Christ(vss 13-15)
The destination of such services is the mutual growth of the Christians in the sound faith in the gospel.The church grows day by day through these services reflecting Christ's love and holiness.
3.What is required of us(vss 15,16)
What we need is love like Christ's, without asking any reward, agape. Love of agape only builds up the church. And the love prevails when it goes with humility without asking its glory.
(Jun. 17.2018)
Power to enable one to discern God
Holy spirit is the life of Christian church.
In the Corinthian church,which had been established by the mission of St.Paul, there was a crisis. People in the church were going to be separated asunder into some parties. One party was to Paul, another to Apollos, and the other to Peter, the rest to Christ!
As the founder of the church Paul tries to make peace among them. Only one basis of the Christian church must be the gospel of the cross of Christ.
But how, he asserts, one could receive the gospel of the cross, how could it be possible to be available for people?
1. The folly of preaching
God decided to save people through the simple preaching of the cross. By it the Spirit of God awakes faith in Jesus Christ in the minds of those who listens.
2.Through the work of the Spirit
Holy Spirit reveals one the meaning of the cross.It makes one to understand the cross of Christ was for himself.And through it the Spirit opens the eyes of our mind and makes us know the consciousness of the real presence of the Living God! May.20.2018
Why are you troubled ?
The tidings of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the foundation of the church of Christ. He was risen indeed !
When Jesus was arrested, his disciples went away leaving him alone. And they returned to their room in Jerusalem with its doors shut and locked tight.
On the third day of his burial, some of the disciples met risen Lord and told the body that they had met Him. They've got troubled to hear that. And at that time Jesus himself appeared to them, asked them why they were so troubled. And he reminded them of the prophecies that he foretold when he was with them.
Easter has its special meanings.
IT POINTS TO MAN'S STATE OF DESPAIR
Israel, the God's people, having been chosen for the witness of the Lord God the creator and lover of the world, failed to obey him and betrayed him again and again. This proves man's moral and religious disability to perform God's will. All the mankind are short of God's patronage. They need only God's intervention of love and Easter is the token of it.
IT SETS FORTH GOD'S DECISION
In spite of man's failure, God did not abandon him because of his love. God, in his unfathomable love, decided to redeem man's sin by the death of his Son,Jesus Christ, on the cross. And Jesus Christ, in the dark garden of Gethsemane, made up his mind to obey the will of God the Father and give up his life over to the death on the cross.
IT PROVES THE CERTAINTY OF SALVATION
He died but God raised him from death on the third day because redemption has been completed for ever. Resurrection of Jesus is the proof of the completion of man's salvation! By the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the scheme of God's salvation of the world has come into the new phase. From that time on the disciples began to preach the gospel to all the world.
Are you troubled in life's tempest or the despair of your own? Living Jesus stands today , as well as 2000 years ago, and says,"I died for you and was raised from the dead, the redemption is over. You come to me and be eased forever, why are you troubled,and why do questionings rise in your heart?" April 1. 2018
Freedom and Discipline
St.Paul's letter to the Galatians tells us of the grace of free salvation without human merit. And it also sets forth the ground of Christian ethics for without it no Christian can be sure how he should stand right without any law before God and people.
"For freedom Christ has set us free" says Paul. In vss 7-12 he tells them of the danger of Judaizers who dared to force the gentile Christians to observe Jewish tradition to be saved. And in vss 2-6 he warns them of making light of 'grace'.
Here, then, Paul tells how can those who have been saved live holy lives without legalism ? He says the freedom which the gospel of Jesus Christ gives us is not the freedom of sinning but freedom of loving God and people. 'Love' is the very end of the Law. 2018.4.2
Do you do well ?
Jonah 4:1-11
Jonah the prophet, coughed up out of the big fish, went to Nineveh, the capital of Assyrian empire, according to the will of God who told him to tell them "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown ! " And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to least of them. Seeing that God decided to cancel what the wrong he had told them to perform. This made Jonah so furious because he expected to see what happens on the people of Assyria who were hostile to Israel, the people of God. Jonah did not know the mind of God. God was Creator of the world, and he loved all the nations as well as Israel.
It was so hot a day when he watched the city of Nineveh whether it would be thrown down or not by God.And on that day God made a plant come up over Jonah to cover him against the sun.But at the dawn of the next day, the plant withered because of a worm and when the sun rose high in the sky, the heat of it hit the head of Jonah. He became faint and murmured against God for it. Then God spoke to him,"Do you do well to be angry for the plant?""You pity the plant, for which you did not labour, nor did you make it grow which came into being in a night, and perished in a night. And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left ? "
The book of Jonah tells us of God's love on all the people on the Earth, admonishing us not to hate, discriminate any peoples around us. God loves anyone on the Earth !
When He Had Seen the Vision
Jonah 1:1-15 Acts 16:6-10
God desires all men to be saved.
The book of Jonah , probably written in 5th century B.C.in the latter period of the Exile , has its setting in 8th century B.C. under the reign of Jeroboam Ⅱ, intends to amend the narrow-minded nationalistic belief of Israel, pointing to the way to the gospel of the New Testament witnessing that the love of God covers all the nations in the world.
In the first chapter, it is described that prophet Jonah, ordered by God to go to Nineveh, the great city of Assyria, escapes from God and his mission. "Why" ,asks Jonah, "ought I go and tell the message of salvation to the opposing people?". There was a gap between God and Jonah. For God loves all the people on the Earth without any discrimination. It was a tragedy that the people of Israel, who had been elected God's agent of blessing to all the nations on the earth , denies their mission.
Christians, who are true people of God, are called to preach the gospel to all the people. The tidings of God's love are open for all, but how are we Christians? Are we not pick and choose the people to whom we witness the love of God? Are we not neglecting to be sent to those who are not desirable to us.
St. Paul, on his second missionary journey, saw a vision in which a man of Macedonia beseeching him to come to Macedonia and help them. And when he saw the vision he immediately made his mind to go on into Macedonia, convincing that God had called him to preach the gospel to them. Are we ought to go and communicate the love of Christ to every one around us with no discrimination by God's love ?
Putting of the dark
Amos 8:9-14
Even a tiny sin can separate us from God. How could we deal with it ?
In the middle of the 8th century BC, people of Israel, which had recovered its prosperity under the reign of the king Jeroboam Ⅱ, were religiously and morally degraded in their economic success. The prophet Amos told that they must repent lest God should judge them.
In those days , the people expected "the day of the Lord" as the day when God would destroy the nations around Israel and save them. "No," he said, "it is you who are to be judged." Who could ask the other nations' condemnation ? For they were tottering between the Lord and the gods who had been made by human hands expected to grant what they request, injustice and wickedness were seen anytime and anywhere in the society, and their religion was only formal and without fidelity.
Amos warned that darkness was lying on the Lord's people (Amos 8:11-12) , the famine of God's word was coming (11-12), and misery of the society was falling on the people(13). Though God's warning through him was not for their disappointment, but for their repentance and returning to Him.God wishes all those who are lost to be revived and restored saying "Seek me, and live !"(5:4)
It is fatal to leave any sin in our lives. Shall we kneel down before Christ the Lord who died on the cross bearing every sin of us, resurrected on the third day having completed redemption for us all, con fessing our sins and disobedience. He will surely forgive us, heal us,and renew us again.
Let justice roll down like waters
Amos 5:21-27
The Lord's will for us is to bear fruits of righteousness in our lives.
In the 8th century BC, people of Israel were enjoining the prosperity of the nation under the reign of the king Jeroboam Ⅱ. But in that prosperity they(both of high society and of low ) lost true piety to the Lord. Their religious life became only formal and conventional , and The Lord warned them of the crisis of the nation thy his prophets like Amos and so on. But most of the people didn't care and were absorbed in pursuing this world's success and riches.
The Lord told them that he hated their offerings and cults, and required them to repent and seek the Lord fervently. Amos tried to remind them of the ancestors' wandering in the desert after the exodus out of Egypt by the strong arms of the Lord, when they traveled with no cults and sacrifices but with sincere sense of gratitude, though sometimes they failed to behave rightly. But they knew how to repent and return to the "first love"(Rev.2:4,5).
' Remember "the first love" and return to the Lord!' was the life message of Amos. He required people to bear fruits of God's justice in their lives, and that was possible only when they come to the saving,amazing grace of the Lord. For every Christian, to find himself in the infinite love of Christ, showing it in the suffering on the cross and the resurrection, is the origin of the life of bearing fruits of justice both individually and socially.
"But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream "(Amos 5:24)
Jan. 21.2018
The Cause of Prophecy
Amos 3:3-8 John 8:25-30
Amos, the man from Tekoa, Judah, went to Israel, the Northern kingdom, and told the oracle of the Lord to the people there. But why he prophesied there ?
There were several causes. He shows four of them, 1. If two people walks together, there had been the promise to do so. 2.A lion roars when it has found some games and decides to to catch them.
3.Birds come down to snare because there is lure on it. 4.Watchmen blow trumpets because some crisis is drawing near to the town. So, Amos prophesies because God tells him .
For Amos, to serve the word of God is to obey God. God's word is the word of creation.True credibility of a prophet depends on whether his word becomes true or not. Amos must have to listen to the word of God all through his life.
The prophecies of Amos were written down and preserved. They have been handed down from age to age, and now we have them. "The grass withers, and the flower falls but the word of the Lord abides for ever"(1Peter1・
23) . We ought to listen and obey to the word of God.
The way of divine justice
Amos 2:6-3:2
The real divine way of justice ought to be established in the society and in the life of the individual.
In the age of 8 century BC, northern kingdom of Israel recovered its power and prosperity under the reign of king Jeroboam Ⅱ. But, on the other hand, people of the country became so worldly and ungodly, moral of the county being so degenerated.
Priests of the temple sought first their own riches, judges of the court didn't pursue justice and wouldn't have protected the weak of the society. Ordinary people also had fallen ungodly and awful sins and crimes were seen every corner of the country. But they were not aware of their spiritual sickness before God. They were still confident that they were the chosen of God.
At that time God called Amos the farmer, prophet to preach the way of God. God first told by him to the people that He was the one who saved Israel. "Also I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and led you forty years in the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite. "(2:10). It is the sole ground of all God's requests for us.God is the only savior of us all. We are nothing but sinful before Him. But Israel forgot that truth. They despised the grace of God. They made light of sins. The crisis was near at hand. God is surely to judge them. "For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; "(2:6).
Amos cried, "Seek the Lord and live"(5:6). Jesus Christ, after some hundreds of years, came to the world, was crucified on the cross for all the sins of us, and opened the way of salvation for those who repent their failures and sins call every one of us saying , "It is the day of grace, Seek the Lord and live!"
Do not be anxious !
Matthew 6: 25-34
Lord Jesus told his ones that they ought not to be anxious about their lives.
What is anxiety Jesus referred to? It means caring about everyday life too much rather than about life itself. God loves life of everyone and cares for every need of him. Watch birds of the air, Jesus says, and flowers in the fields, they never toil but heavenly Father gives them what they need for their lives. He does know what we need, so we ought only to seek after the will of Him in our thoughts and deeds every
moment. He will surely take care of us, then,
providing what we need. Nov. 19. 2017
God's word, man's tradition
The Jews, from ancient times,through many ages, has made fences around God's law bestowed through Moses to avoid violating it. But such an attitude often tended to cause fault of making too much of man's tradition rather than God's word. In Jesus' time religious leaders required people to wash hands before eating foods. (that was not required of as a sanitary act but as a religious rite.) And they accused Jesus' disciples of their spoiling washing their hands before eating.
Jesus, answering this, told them it's a fault of them that they ignored God's will behind the traditions of man.
Christian church once made a big mistake. It lost sight of Jesus' gospel of salvation behind many human traditions and teachings. It taught the way of human merit instead of the way of salvation by Jesus' grace. God then raised the men, Martin Luther, John Calvin,・・・, for its reformation five hundreds years ago. By the Reformation, rediscovery of the Gospel, the world under the Roman Catholic Church of the Middle ages was changed. But the church of any age is under the same danger of wasting the word of God by the convenience of man.So, true church of Jesus Christ ought to be renewed incessantly by the word of God . Let every one of us,too, being awakened by the mercy of God, do not to make light of God's word behind the convenience of man. (Oct.29 2017)
Ebenezer, the stone of help
1 Samuel 8:3-14
In the time of "Judges", people of Israel were threatened by the Philistines. At the time of Eli the priest, "God's ark" was taken away by the Philistines.
Later, it was put back but was lain at the temporal place by the Israelites for twenty years. After these years people of Israel cried for the ark back to the sanctuary. Samuel, then, gathered the people and appealed them to abandon the idols of Canaan and serve the Lord with their whole hearts.
To know the assembly of the Israelites, the Philistines
thought that the Israelites gathered for war against them. Then the Philistines came to attack them. People of Israel feared them and asked Samuel to pray to the Lord for help. He then prayed for help giving sacrifice . The war was the important one because Israel was on the point when it was going from the state of united tribes to the kingdom. The Lord helped them and they won the battle with Philistines. The first thing Samuel did after the victory was to take a stone and set it up on the ground saying "This is EBENZER, for hitherto the Lord has helped us". He remembered first to glorify the Lord who had helped. He and the people gave thanks to Him and promised to follow and serve Him to the end.
Our church celebrates 20th anniversary this year. Mr and Mrs Yuzawa were sent here, Futamatagawa, by the Lord 20years before by His will. They have been working for the mission. It is one thing. One the other hand, however, there had been so many prayers asking for the church in this city, and more than that there had been
the earnest wish and will of Jesus for saving the city.We, the church, began with nothing but the word of God.
And now we see here the worshiping people united in the word of God, the word of salvation.
Here we give great thanks to the Lord and set the monument stone EBENEZER saying "Hitherto the Lord has helped us." Nov.15 2017
Guiding Angel
Genesis 24:11-27
God stands by, help and lead those who trust in and obey Him.
Now aged Abraham was about to leave his life. He then ought to get wife for his only son Isaac because the Lord had promised that his descendants would be God's people for the blessing of all the world.
He called one of his oldest servant and asked him to go to his country and get a wife for his son. The wife must not be of the Canaanites in whom Abraham and his family live and also she must come to where God had promised Abraham to bestow .
This incident reveals the way of response of all who belong to God to the same calling as that was given to Abraham.
First, Abraham was called to inherit the promised land and he insisted to own it never giving up the promise. We, the Christians, too are called to inherit the blessings prepared in Christ. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ ! By is great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead , and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. "(1 Peter 1:3-5) We never neglect such a calling in every respect of our lives. St.Paul says in his epistle "Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect"(Romans 12:2).
Second, Abraham's servant prayed to the Lord before all. "O Lord God of my master Abraham, grant me success today, I pray thee, and show steadfast love to my master Abraham."(Genesis 24:12) In our journey to the promised end, prayer is needed more than everything. The servant had too big a problem ! What he did first was to pray and watch ! On our course of life of divine calling, at every parting of the ways, before too big problems, kneel first before the Lord and pray. God will surely hear the prayers of such people and reveal the way to go sending His guiding angels to help them ! "he will send his angel before you" (24:7).
The Sacrifice for all
Genesis 22:1-19
The time of trial came to Abraham, when the Lord required him to sacrifice his only son Isaac as an offering for the Lord on the mountain He told of.
How perplexing it was !
But he went, taking his only son. His son Isaac bore on his back wood for burnt offering and Abraham took in his hands the fire and the knife.
Arriving at the place Abraham piled the wood and laid his son on it and was about to kill him holding the knife on him. Then suddenly an angel of the Lord
appeared and stopped him from killing his son saying "I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me."
Lastly, he offered a ram,caught in a thicked by his horns, instead of his son. In the epistle to the Hebrews, the Bible tells that Abraham believed that God could raise the son from the dead and put him back to the father.
Abraham called the place "The Lord will provide".
We cannot but remember the story of God's salvation of the world. God the Father gave up His only Son for us all. The Son, Jesus Christ, bore His cross on which He was to be nailed, died for us to redeem our sin. The story of Abraham's offering his son was the very picture of God's saving act for every one of us.
Sept. 24. 2017
The light to the senior
Luke 2:22-35
The bible gives light to the aged people. We can learn it from the old prophet Simeon.
The parents of Jesus took the infant to the temple to do for him what the Jewish law ordained. And just at that time, the old prophet Simeon who had retired from every duty of the society, spending his days on praying for his nation of its restoration by the coming of the Messiah promised by the old saints.
He had been told by the Lord that he would never die until he meets the Messiah !
Entering the temple he met the child with his parents, and the Holy Spirit revealed him that the boy is the Messiah he had been waiting. Then he , moved by the Spirit, sang the praise known as "Now, Lord ! " (Nunc , Dimittis)
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace,
according to thy word;
for mine eyes have seen thy salvation
which thou prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to thy people Israel. Luke 2:29-32
Dr. Billy Graham , a great preacher of America , often said man's life is a term for preparation for eternity. Have you seen your savior as old Simeon did ? And if you have met the Lord, are you meeting Him day by day and being made like Him?
"And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of gory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." 2 Corinth 3:18
"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed every day. " 2 Corinth 4:16 Sept. 17 2017
Intercession
Genesis 18:16-33
Three persons from the Lord visited Abraham and told the admonition that Sodom, the city where Abraham's nephew Lot and his family lived, would be destroyed because of its evilness before the Lord.
When he heard this, he became shocked and went before the Lord, asked not to destroy the city because there were some godly people. He appealed the Lord "Wilt thou indeed destroy the righteous with the wicked ? " After this he continued to negotiated with the Lord for saving the city and his relatives. At last the Lord promised that if there were ten righteous men in the city he would not destroy.Consequently, in spite of Abraham's earnest intercession,
the city was destroyed. There must have not been ten righteous men.
We can, however, learn from Abraham the life of intercession. He interceded for his relatives earnestly and patiently. We who have received God's infinite love,ought to pray for the people around us for God's love.
But in so doing we must be aware that it is the Lord's intercession that sustain our prayer. Jesus Christ, Son
of God, bore our sin as only entire righteous person on the cross. "Consequently he is able for all time to save
those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25)"
"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers,intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in
every way." (1 Timothy 2:1-2) Sept.10. 2017
The Way of Awakening
1 Timothy 6:2-19
Timothy's church was, in a sense, in the danger of slackness. Many many years have passed after our Lord's crucifixion and ascension. Church of Christ has been growing in its teaching and order.
But at the same time it had some dangers in itself, backsliding from living faith, loss of wakefulness and temptation to be rich . The apostle suggests his younger minister the way of awakening of his church.
1) What to avoid
Sound Christian ought to be careful not to be merely intellectual."If any one teaches otherwise and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching which accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit, he knows nothing; he has a morbid craving for controversy and for disputes about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, base suspicions and wrangling among men who are depraved in mind and bereft of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. " (6:-5)
He also ought to be careful about the love of wealth of the world. It is not reliable. God only is the one whom we can rely.
2) What to seek after
The apostle instructs that they should always seek after the faith, ever-growing faith. "But as for you, man of God, ･･･aim at righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. "(6:11) We ought to seek after incessantly the faith which is active and works in love. We need everyday feeding by the words of the Bible, religious books, and fellowship with the Lord through faithful devotion. And after all we must learn to live expecting the second coming of the Lord. Aug.20.2017 N.YUZAWA
Keep Yourself Pure
1 Timothy 5:17-25
Elders in the church of Paul's age were of great importance. They, with apostles, laid their hands on those who were to be sent to the gentile mission (Acts 15). The care and nourishment of the church is committed to them. Paul suggests that the church members ought to respect them as ministers of Christ co-operating with them in their ministries, respecting their position in the church because they had been appointed by Christ and his church.
On the other hand, Paul instructs the elders to be careful and serious in their services for it is for the building up of the body of Christ that they were called.They must do their work without favour and partiality. They must be patient, humble, and affectionate. More than all they must be pure for the sole source of the power of true service remains only in the pure intention of the ministers of Christ. Aug.13.2017
Breaking Down The Wall of Hostility
Ephesians 2:11-22
Peace issues out of the reconciliation between human hearts.
In the epistle, we find God's magnificent plan of salvation of the world, crown of which is the completion of Christ's church.
Originally God called Israel to be the foundation of the blessing of all the peoples on earth. But Israel failed, missing the will of God and being proud of God's choice. They became arrogant and looked down the other nations. There,then, appeared enmity between Israelites and other peoples.
What a tragedy is this! God's desire to save all the world seemed to have failed!
But God then decided to send His only eternal Son to the wold to reconcile the mankind to Himself. The Son, Jesus Christ, being without any sin, bore whole of mankind's guilt, sentenced guilty, killed on the cross as a sinner. The bible says by this act of atonement the way of entire reconciliation between God and human has been established. So called gentiles are now invited to salvation without any merit, and also those who have been under the legalism, Israelites or not, are liberated from the yoke of the law and are under the grace of God.
This means the wall which separated Israel and gentiles has been broken down. Jesus Christ put away the wall of hostility which separates individuals or communities.
The bible says "Remember that"(2:11) . Remember Christ has broken down the dividing wall of hostility. Remember He came and preached peace to you! Do you accept the peace that Christ has brought to you? Do you admit Christ's entire sacrifice on the cross for you and for your neighbors ? Aug.6 2017