The Christian as "gaijin"

The Lord is firmly leading my family to become missionaries in Japan, to share the law of God and the love of Jesus Christ to a nation and culture that has little understanding of what either of these even are.  

As it has been shared with me by many brothers and sisters in Christ who have served and currently serve in Japan, beyond the barrier of lacking the cultural exposure to Jesus (which is something we Americans often take for granted in our own country), there also exists a cultural barrier against the foreigner; the Japanese word is "gaijin."

This is not to say that this concept is racist in tone, because I don't believe it is. Naturally, there are racist people in every country and culture.  Instead, whoever put in the Wikipedia entry on the term gives it fair treatment, and is worth checking out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaijin

Now, what about the Christian being gaijin to the world?  This is something I have faced every time I am on the street, and indeed I have also faced it among some I talk with in the church.  It is a daily struggle for me to not feel like I am on an alien planet, but I must remember I should not struggle against it!  

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Romans 12:2 (KJV)

As I continue in street ministry in anticipation of when I can do it on the streets of Japan, I wish to exhort you and remind myself to follow the strength of the early Ephesian church but to not make the mistake of forsaking my first love, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

"2 I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars;

3 "and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary.

 4 "Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

 5 "Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place--unless you repent."

Revelation 2:2-5 (NKJV)

The Lord bless you and keep you!

5 things a disciple of Christ does

I have had this devotion for years, but recently sent it to a friend, and thought I would post it, as well.  

Of course, there are many more things a disciple of Jesus Christ does, but these are for me fundamental and I share them with those the Spirit allows me to on the street.  Not listed, but placed above all else, is of course to  "'...love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment." (Mark 12:30, NKJV)

5 things a Christian disciple does

1) reads and studies the Word daily

2 Pet 3:18

2 Tim 2:15

Joshua 1:8

Acts 17:11

     Psalm 119:9-16

Phil 4:8-9

     2 Tim 3:16-17

2) prays constantly

    1 Thes 5:17, "Pray without ceasing."

3) works toward the Great Commission

    Matt 28:19-20 "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."  

4) stays in fellowship with Christians

    Heb 10:24-25 "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."

5) shows love and concern for others with exhortation and accountability

    2 Cor 9:5 "Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness."

    2Ti 4:1-5 v5- "But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry."

(image on this post is from the evangecube product)

Jesus is Lord

Phillipians 2: 8- 11

"And being found in appearence as a man, He humbled Himself and became obidient to the point of death, even the death on the cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tounge should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Be encouraged, Christ is Lord!

In His service,
Chrissy

The Law of God

So I have been listening to some really good teachings lately, for those who havent heard the John MacArthur one from the Preach The Word conference do yourself a favor and get it from Mitch, but I have found that I have started to really examine myself and I think that God is showing me and growing me in something that I would like to share. This Country is in a moral downward spiral that I personally dont think we are going to recover from, at least not any time soon, and Im asking myself, where is the Church? Then yesterday I listned to a teaching by Voddie Bauchum and he quoted something that really hit me, it was this:

"The root of our trouble putting it quite plainly seems to be that we neither know nor care much about the law of God. On the one hand we do not give ourselves to studying and applying the law, in the way that our evangelical forefathers did. Our neglect of the Old Testament in particular bears witness to this, on the other hand our thinking unlike theirs has a lawless tinge, there is a antinomian streak running through it. We act as if our freedom from the law has made it a matter of comparative unimportance whether we keep the law in daily life or not. We appear to care more for right faith than we do for right living, we show a greater concern to be orthodox than to be upright. We seem to be more anxious to know the truth than we are to adorn it by our behavior. We are it appears more interested in feeding our own souls than in doing good to our neighbor. We lap up the doctrinal chapters of the epistles but we skate over the ethical ones. Our Lord accused the Pharisees of antinomianism, telling them that they had overlooked the weightier demands of the law, justice, mercy, good faith. Would he not have reason to bring a similar accusation against us? Here then is the root cause of our present moral flabbiness, we have neglected Gods law."

-J.I. Packer

Then as if that wasnt enough he followed that by reading what Jesus said:

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:17-20

I am as guilty as anyone in buying into what I know rather than what I do. Now I realize by Jesus saying they had to be better than the most moral upright people of their day, was to point them to himself and say apart from Him there is no other way. But the law was not Gods failed attempt at saving us, the law is perfect. So I asked myself, what I was striving for, was it to gain knowledge and truth or was it to be like the Christ? Sadly I realized I wasnt where I should be and I thank God for showing it to me. To quote I believe it was G.K. Chesterton when he was asked what was wrong with the world, he replied "I am!". In asking where is the church, God showed me where I am and if a revival is ever going to start it will start in the church. Anyways, if youve read this far thank you for joining me in this public self examinaton of myself and I looking forward to seeing some of you down on Alvarado tonight.
Tom
2 Corinthians 13:5

God of Wonders

The more I come to realize how great God really is, the more I come to fear Him and what He is able to do!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJJVe3s79UA&feature=related

Be encouraged today! God is greater than.......

In His service
Chrissy