Guy's Night



Christian men are a huge rarity in Japan. Super busy schedules
may be the biggest reason for this. Japanese men simply do not
have time for anything!
Both in an attempt to get more fellowship for myself, and as
a way to encourage other guys in Christ as well, we have been
doing "Guy Nights". Once a month we are trying to get together
outside of the busy church environment, to simply relax, eat
together, study the Bible and share our lives. Last time we
threw in a little worship time too. All to say, God has really
blessed us all with this time. I hope that these men will
continue to see our home as a place to rest and be encouraged.
Please pray for this precious minority as we continue to meet!

My Pilot Missionary Friend
God sometimes sends certain people that just make your life a little
easier. They encourage or help in such a way that you just can't help
but say, "Thanks!"
Rudy Vaughan, a pilot/missionary who works for UPS is one of these
types of persons in my life. Rudy wanted to be a missionary, but he
also wanted to be a pilot. Then God called him to be both! Rudy flies
for a living and then gets to stay in foreign countries for a few days
where he encourages missionaries and churches.
Two weeks ago Rudy came to rescue! Rudy spoke on "Getting a Vision for
your Christian Life" to our college Christians. We asked him to speak on
this because we leaders felt this is what God wanted us to emphasize. He
did a great job. It was refreshing to hear from a person outside of our
ministry. Many college students commented on the way his talk encouraged
them. The next day, Rudy presented a cool lesson on flight for my 4th and
5th graders. (Picture) He also encouraged the kids to think about how
they can serve and glorify God with their future jobs like he is doing.
We were all happy and thankful for Rudy.

Click here to look at
Rudy's ministry.

Reformation Evangelism

As I read through Numbers, one thought keeps coming back to my mind: God is
Holy! He is quick and decisive in executing judgement on
people who dishonor His glory. In this period of grace, it is sometimes
hard to imagine how HOLY God is.

While thinking about this God led me to watch the 2003 movie, "Luther".
Of course Luther was quite literally struck by God's holiness and judgement
in a thunderstorm in 1505. From then on he vowed to give himself to God.
As a young monk Luther was zealous to be holy. Increasingly he realized,
however, that he was not holy and never could be!

There is a tendency to think that the Catholic Church, with its ritualistic
ceremonies is somehow more "holy" than Protestant churches. However, by the
true definition, people who try to be holy for God, turn out to be the least
holy! Like Luther, we need to be aware that only God is holy and then be
AMAZED at the wonderful grace and holiness of God to judge His Son on our
behalf so that we might be MADE holy!

Please pray as I use this movie in my Sunday English class. Pray for good
discussion and for people to see through Luther what true faith and love is.
Pray that they could see that the only Holy One is God Himself. May they be
drawn to this transcendent majesty!

...And have a wonderful Reformation Day - October 31st.

The Need for Cultural Immersion


- I hope this helps you as you think and pray about how to love the people around you.

Listen to Mark's testimony (w/Maki's translation)

just click here!

If you want to look for the CrossRoads Chapel podcast (most messages are only in Japanese), go to the podcast search and type in "Ogaken".

A short hiatus from English...
I adapted this from John Piper's "A Quest for Joy"

聖書は喜びについて、何と書いてありますか？

すべての人間には、一つの共通点があります。
みんな幸せになりたいということ。喜びが欲しいのです。
なぜなら、こういうふうに造られたからです。
ただ神様しかこの欲望を完全に満たすことはできません。

イエス様の教えの目的（中心）は人のための喜び　（神様によって）
ヨハネ１５：１１- 「私がこれらのことをあなたがたに話したのは、私の喜びがあな
たがたのうちにあり、あなたがたの喜びが満たされるためです。」

イエス様を信じる時に神様の喜びは私達の心を満たします。
ローマ１５：１３
『どうか、望みの神が、あなたがたを信仰によるすべての喜びと平和をもって満たし、聖霊の力によって望みにあふれさせてくださいますように。』

神様の御国は喜びです。
ローマ１４：１７『なぜなら、神の国は飲み食いのことではなく、義と平和と聖霊による喜びだからです。』

聖霊様の実の一つは喜びです。
ガラテヤ５：２２『しかし、御霊の実は、愛、喜び、平安、寛容、親切、善意、誠実、柔和、自制です。』

クリスチャンというのは素晴らしい宝物を見つける人です。
マタイ１３：４４『天の御国は、畑に隠された宝のようなものです。人はその宝を見つけると、それを隠しておいて、大喜びで帰り、持ち物を全部売り払ってその畑を買います。』

聖書というのは本当の喜びを見つけることができる本です。
詩編１９：８『主の戒めは正しくて、人の心を喜ばせ、主の仰せはきよくて、ひとの目を明るくする。』

神様こそが私達の喜びです。
詩編４３：４、１６：１１
『こうして、私は神のさいだん、私の最も喜びとする神のみもとに行き、たて琴にあわせて、あなたをほめたたえましょう。神よ。私の神よ。』

『あなたは私に、いのちの道を知らせて下さいます．あなたの御前には喜びが満ち、あなたの右には、楽しみがとこしえにあります。』


イエス様を信じるなら、本当の命と喜びがもらえます。
ヨハネ１０：１０『盗人が来るのは、ただ盗んだり、殺したり、滅ぼしたりするだけのためです．私が来たのは、羊がいのちを得、またそれを豊に持つためです。』

神様は全ての国と民族を呼んで、その喜びを与えたいです。
詩編６７：４、６６：１
『国民が喜び、また、喜びうたいますように。それはあなたが公正をもって国々のたみをさばかれ、地の国民を導かれるからです．』

『全地よ。神にむかって喜び叫べ。』

福音というのはよい（喜びある）知らせです。
イザヤ５１：１１
『主に購われたものたちは帰って来る。彼らはよろこび歌いながらシオンに入り、その頭にはとこしえの喜びをいただく。楽しみとよろこびがついて来、悲しみとなげきとは逃げ去る。』

天国に行ったらイエス様に会って、永遠の喜びに入ります。
マタイ２５：２３
『その主人は彼に言った。『よくやった。良い忠実なしもべだ。あなたは、わずかな物に忠実だったから私はあなたにたくさんの物を任せよう。主人の喜びをともに喜んでくれ。』

唯一、創造主の神様は喜びなさいと命令します。
詩編３７：４、３３：１、３２：１１
『主をおのれの喜びとせよ。主はあなたの心の願いをかなえてくださる。』
『正しい者たち。主にあって、喜び、楽しめ。すべて心の直ぐな人たちよ。喜びの声をあげよ。』
『主のはかりごとはとこしえに立ち、御心の計画は代々に至る。』

聖書の焦点
＃１　神様の栄光のために人は造られました。
（人は神様の栄光／良さ素晴らしいさを見て、喜ぶこと。）
イザヤ４３：６−７
『わたしは、北に向かって「引き渡せ」と言い、南に向かって「引き止めるな」と言う。わたしの子らを遠くから来させよ。わたしの名で呼ばれるすべての者は、わたしの栄光のために、わたしがこれを創造し、これを形作り、これを造った。』

＃２　全ての人が唯一の神様のために生きるべきです。
１コリント１０：３１
『こういうわけで、あなたがたは食べるにも、飲むにも、何をするにも、ただ神の栄光を現すためにしなさい。』

＃３　全ての人は神様の栄光を無視して、自分の神様を作ります。
（罪の意味）
ローマ３：２３
『すべての人は、罪を犯したので、神からの栄光をうけることができず。』

＃４　全ての人は公平な罰をもらいます。
ローマ６：２３
『罪からくる報酬は死です。しかし、神の下さる賜物は、私達の主キリスト・イエスにある永遠のいのちです。』

＃５　神様のひとり子を送る理由は人の罰を支払って、永遠の命と喜びを得るためです。
１テモテ１：１５
『「キリスト・イエスは、罪人を救うためにおの世に来られた」という言葉は、まことであり、そのまま受け入れるに値するものです。私はその罪人のかしらです。』

＃６　イエスキリストを受け入れて、信じるなら、救われます。
使徒１６：３１
『ふたりは、「主イエスを信じなさい。そうすれば、あなたもあなたの家族も救われます。」と言った。』

We want to bless you too!
Over the years many of you have so personally blessed our lives through your prayers and love.
Recently in talking with my brother Gary, he made a generous offer that I thought might help our ministry in Japan and you, if you live in Iowa.
If you know of someone who is thinking of buying or selling real estate, my brother Gary, and his wife Melynda Wolter, have been helping people like you for over 5 years now at Skogman Realty. Gary & Melynda have agreed to donate 10% of all money earned in your name to our ministry for every real estate referral after it closes. Please visit GaryWolter.com to learn more about them and their services. - Thank you Gary!

WHITEFIELD ON EFFECTUAL CALLING

Let George Whitefield, the great revivalist from the 18th century, preach to you here on Ephesians 2. This blunt, unvarnished message is so different from the saccharine, feel-good sermons often heard from today’s pulpits:

“Come, ye dead, Christless, unconverted sinner, come and see the place where they laid the body of the deceased Lazarus; behold him laid out, bound hand and foot with graveclothes, locked up and stinking in a dark cave, with a great stone placed on top of it. View him again and again; go nearer to him; be not afraid; smell him, Ah! how he stinketh. Stop there now, pause a while; and whilst thou art gazing upon the corpse of Lazarus, give me leave to tell thee with great plainness, but greater love, that this dead, bound, entombed, stinking carcase, is but a faint representation of thy poor soul in it natural state;...thy spirit which thou bearest about with thee, sepulchered in flesh and blood, is literally dead to God, and as truly dead in trespasses and sins, as the body of Lazarus was in the cave. Was he bound hand and foot with graveclothes? So art thou bound hand and foot with thy corruptions; and as a stone was laid on the sepulchre, so there is a stone of unbelief upon thy stupid heart. Perhaps thou has lain in this estate, not only four days, but many years, stinking in God’s nostrils. And, what is still more effecting, thou art as unable to raise thyself out of this loathsome, dead state, to a life of righteousness and true holiness, as ever Lazarus was to raise himself from the cave in which he lay so long. Thou mayest try the power of thy boasted free will, and the force and energy of moral persuasion and rational arguments (which, without doubt, have their proper place in religion); but all thy efforts, exerted with never so much vigor, will prove quite fruitless and abortive, till that same Jesus, who said ‘take away the stone” and cried “Lazarus, come forth,” also quicken you. This is grace, graciously offered, and grace graciously applied. Or as the Confession [Westminster Confession] originally puts it, “grace offered and conveyed.”

CrossRoads Fall Picnic



After lots of planning and help from Maki and others
it has been a joy to start putting on more activities
for our young adults. As you know, I have had a vision
for getting more natural opportunities for ministries
outside of events at our building. The purpose is to
love people where they are at and show them the love of
Christ as we do things together. Praise God that many
other friends seem to be feeling the need for the same
things!

On Sept. 23 we had a little fall picnic, which God
blessed with great weather and several not-yet Christians
whom we were happy to see enjoy the day with us.
A personal highlight for me was the nice game of touch
football and of course the opportunity to get
to know one of the guys (Yuzo) a little bit better.



On the 26th, Maki and I had the privilege of teaming up
to give the bi-lingual message at CrossRoads Chapel. I
shared my testimony (which is recorded below for you - It
should be coming to Ogata's podcast soon also) and
afterwards I was able to talk to Yuzo who had some questions.
God seemed to use this story (really the story of HIS work
in my life) to speak into several people's hearts. May He
continue to be seen as wonderful and full of grace in everything
we do. Through this we can rejoice even when we struggle or even
when we mess up. God uses all of this to show His greatness,
mercy and love. To God alone be all the glory - Alleluia!

"I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' And to the south,
'Do not hold them back.' Bring my sons from afar, and my
daughters from the ends of the earth, everyone who is called
by My name, and whom I have created for My glory,"
- Isaiah 43:6-7