Our man in Japan

The lame man who was healed.. Acts 3:11 We are all lame one way or another. 

Gold I do not have.. Acts 3:6 Happy Golden week, minna san. Why does it always rain this week? It's almost like God thinks Easter is more important? 🤔

Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.. Acts 2:38 Remission is an interesting word. When people get cancer, sometimes it goes into remission - which is good. Less pain. A temporary recovery. Alas, it doesn't always last. But what Peter is talking about here is the remission of sins. Sin is a spiritual cancer. And we need relief. 

His soul was not left in Hades.. Acts 2:31 Seeing the Greek pagan underworld being referred to in the New Testament is quite jarring until you remember that St Luke is writing in Greek. Is St Peter who is speaking here, using Greek, or has he been translated? I'm no scholar. He's a fisherman from Galilee, so hardly a scholar himself, but we know Greek is the lingua franca at this time, (as English often is today) so he may have known it fairly well. Plus the Holy Spirit is really good at languages, unlike me.  The thing to avoid doing here is to assume Hades is a myth. It's true it has different associations from the Hebrew word Sheol, which is used by David in the Hebrew version of Psalm 16:10 that Peter refers to, but the world of the dead is clearly being referred to either way. The Greek Septuagint is the Greek OT, and hence the book St Peter may be quoting directly.. 🤔 The word my Japanese Bible uses, Yomi (黄泉) has different associations again..

Let this be known to you & heed my words.. Acts 2:14 So Musk bought Twitter, & believes in free speech. We await developments. I hope the radical leftist that banned me from that platform is having a very happy Easter!😀🤗 ♥️ Certainly it seems an answer to prayer. I said Twitter could not go on banning people for telling the truth, & now hopefully those days are gone.

You, O Lord, know the hearts of all, show which of these two you have chosen.. Acts 1:24 Maybe time for Le Pen to retire & let the right pick a new leader that can push them over the edge? Anyhow, happy St Marc's day, vive la France! 🤗♥️

He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs.. Acts 1:3 A terrible tragedy in Japan yesterday. Don't blame God. It seems to me the captain was tempted to go out because he needed the money. I can sympathize. I love boat trips. On this Divine Mercy Sunday, remember God is so merciful, and hope that those kids especially are with Jesus alive in heaven right now. For the adults it may take a little longer, but death is not the end for anyone. 

Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.. 1 Corinthians 5:7 There's a lot to unpackage here. Christ= anointed one, the Jewish Messiah. It's a title not a surname. The Passover is also a thing Jews still do, a celebration/remembrance of how the Angel of Death passed over their ancestors houses smeared with the blood of lambs, & only struck down homes not protected in this way. See Exodus chapter 12. So Jesus is embodying these two important Jewish concepts in a Way the Jews did not expect, & still mostly do not understand. He is the Messiah, the King of Kings. And He is our perfect Passover Lamb, the Lamb of God who is God, the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for His sheep to keep the wolf from their door. I get this, & am truly grateful (though not nearly grateful enough). Do you? It is vitally important that you do! 

Now the Son of Man is glorified, & God is glorified in Him. John 13:31 Jesus does reveal Himself to be divine in the New Testament, probably most clearly in the Transfiguration & His own Resurrection, but sometimes in a much more coded way. The title He often uses of Himself, "Son of Man" is a reference to Daniel 7:13-14: One like a son of man came on the clouds of heaven. He faced the One of Great Age & was brought into his presence. Dominion, honor & kingship were given him, & all the peoples & nations of every language served him. His dominion is eternal & shall never pass away; his kingdom will never be destroyed.. So when Muslims often try to rebut claims of Christ's divinity they reveal their own lack of understanding of what He is actually saying. 

They feared the people.. Luke 22:2 The Guardian today has cracks in the Chinese wall of social media censorship. Is the beginning of the end of the evil regime in Beijing in sight or is it merely another false dawn? 

The world has gone after Him.. John 12:19 We can talk about the decline of Christianity in the affluent West, or we can talk about the continued worldwide growth of the church on a global scale. Even here in East Asia, the church has seen massive recent growth in China & South Korea. Japan seems to almost take a pride in holding out. Why is this? Now as an English teacher I only really meet a subsection of the population- those most interested in learning English. But it doesn't seem to me that a devout appreciation of Buddha or Shinto is holding many back. Like China & Korea, Buddhism has lost much ground here too, & continues to do so. I think most Japanese are more like my mum: busy with work for much of the week, and preferring on Sundays to go to the mall, or a restaurant, to play sport or follow a hobby than listen to a sermon. It was only when she got cancer that she was ready to hear the local Methodist talk about heaven.

The Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him.. Matthew 22:23 Archbishop Welby is making lots of enemies in the UK this week by preaching politics at Easter. He is finding new fans on the secular left, as his comments about sending immigrants to Rwanda were very critical of the government. On Welby, I tend to feel the man is too woke, and preaches politics way too often, but in this case I feel he is legit representing Jesus & the Bible. Maybe it is time the secular left darkened a church door? I will say one thing for the Sadducees: they died out...

Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid!" Matthew 28:10 We spend much of our lives in anxiety about one thing or another. Being anxious is just a form of fear. Yes, mask wearers, I'm talking to you. 

Did not believe the seemingly nonsensical story.. Luke 24:11 For those who question whether the Resurrection of Jesus really happened, I have one simple question: is anything too hard for God? 

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.. Hebrews 13:2 In France, southern England and Texas, immigrants are arriving by the 1000. I'm not going to criticise Le Pen or Patel, but I do want Christians coming from dangerous places to find refuge in the West. 

Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews? They cried out again, Not this one but Barabbas! Now Barabbas was a revolutionary. John 18:39-40 The Greek word is closer to brigand or robber than revolutionary, although all 3 are used in English translations. I guess Robin Hood would be a good point of comparison. A popular thief, stealing from the less popular. I thought of this with the events in NYC, a black dude shooting up the subway. Here he is on Good Friday being led away on the front pages. Does he have a popular movement behind him? No. Did Black Lives Matter lead to this? Yes, although this will be controversial, in a way it did.  BLM chose Marx over Christ. Every black adult in America has to make a similar choice. America is often compared to Rome, as a declining world power. If white supremacy in America is a thing, and clearly people disagree to what extrent it is (I will note Kamala the VP is Jamaican/Indian, & the last Dem Prez was Kenyan-American) then ...

The cup of salvation.. Psalm 116:13 Ever been to a Japanese tea ceremony? I was blessed to be invited to one once. Zen Buddhism has probably had more of an influence on Japanese culture than Christianity, so far, but as far as I understand it, there is no question that the tea used in the ceremony is actually salvific. It is more of an aesthetic experience. So that brings us to the mass. Catholics regard it as so important that rarely a day goes by without it being offered. In fact, the only day that one isn't offered is this weekend. I don't have time here to explain every detail, I'm not even sure I understand everything about it myself, I certainly have no qualifications in Latin or Greek. Ironically what was meant to draw Christians together in brotherhood has become deeply divisive as people with differing theologies argue over how it should be done, & quite what it means, but Christians agree that what happened at the Last Supper all those years ago changed everyt...

Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undue the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? Isaiah 58:6 Muslims are often talking about their fast of Ramadan, but the fact is just about every Muslim majority country oppresses Christians in one way or another...

Satan entered into him.. John 13:27 Judas plays a big part in Holy Week, ironically. Where does evil come from? What makes a man betray his friends? Or his party, like the disgraced MP for Wakefield, West Yorkshire, who has been expelled from the Tories now he has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15 year old boy. How does this happen? Modern psychology & sociology tries to answer this question, & I had to study a little of it while training to be a teacher. The left claim deviant behavior is usually the result of poverty (By the way, our friend Mr Khan MP was the son of a doctor) and the social environment. The right claim the individual is solely responsible. There is some truth to both of these claims, but not the full picture. When we return to the Bible we see a third supernatural factor is in play. There is such a thing as diabolical evil: a malevolent evil spirit that seeks the destruction of individuals & communities, a force directly opposed to God. Modern...

"There is no peace", says the Lord, "for the wicked". Isaiah 48:22 My Dad wasn't one for Bible quotes, mostly. But this was one he did know & regularly quoted. Clearly it spoke to him. The other was "Jesus wept". 

Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails .. John 20:25 If you are reading this, but you aren't celebrating Easter, why not? Tom here is holding out on belief. He's making conditions. He needs evidence, he wants to see certain things, certain details. Now modern men whether in Japan, or America, or Britain, are a lot like St Thomas. They want peer reviewed science. History is not an exact science. But there is still evidence to be assessed.  Jesus is undeniably historical. Only fools think He didn't exist at all. And billions of people throughout history have considered His death by crucifixion worth remembering & even celebrating. And yes, His death on the cross is historical. Muslims may have been taught He only "swooned", but no serious historian thinks that. So this Easter, spend some time looking into how & why Jesus died, and why Christians call Him Lord. 

It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.. Hebrews 9:27 10 years for Will is a little harsh, I feel. Three would have been enough. It was only a slap. These sinners in Hollywood may want to remember Jesus's words: The measure you use for others will be used for you. (Mt 7:2)

There is no other; no God besides him Isaiah 45:14 I know it isn't easy to turn work down in today's economy, but if you are an architect or a construction worker, please think twice before you get involved in projects involving Shinto shrines or Buddhist temples...you will be rewarded in the long run if you refuse to work for false gods. 

I know their sorrows.. Exodus 3:7 God knows what you are going through.

Taken from the ends of the earth,  called from its farthest regions.. Isaiah 41:9 On English world maps, England is put at the centre. On Japanese maps, Japan is put at the centre. But in fact, most Jews, God's Chosen People, live at the centre of 3 continents: Asia, Europe & Africa. Tokyo really isn't the centre of the universe. 

He makes the judges of the earth useless.. Isaiah 40:23 So Carrie Lam, that lady that repressed the people of Hong Kong, or at least did very little to protect them from Chinese oppression, is retiring this June. For family reasons of course. But remember, the Brits were evil white imperialists & colonialists, nothing to see here.  China is always justified in using whatever force it likes to destroy democracy or self determination, because China is not Russia. It's the Ukraine, stupid. 

Sick & near death.. Isaiah 38:1   Western culture is sick & near death. Evidence for the prosecution item 665: a Grammy nomination for a gay rapper whose song has lyrics like "shoot a child in your mouth while I'm riding". Now, I'm not saying he shouldn't be free to sing about what he likes: censorship of pop culture is tricky, & who censors the censors? - but celebrating his dark fantasies (I hope they are just fantasies) with a Grammy nomination is everything wrong with 2022. This is why social conservatives have some sympathy for Putin: yes, he is far from a decent man, but at least he isn't scared of offending perverts & sodomites, unlike much of the West. 

We Will Persevere, No Matter What! / OrthoChristian.Com

Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" John 20:13

God is not unjust.. Hebrews 6:10 Well, the groups are out for the World Cup! If Japan can beat both Germany & Spain they deserve to win the cup! However, the good news for Japanese fans is that a mere draw with both may be enough to at least get out of their group (If they can win their third match) Meanwhile England has to get past Iran and the US of A. Has Japan gotten the group of death? Maybe. It is gonna be a tough ask, so hope & faith are required. But at this point, I remind you it is better to have hope & faith in Jesus Himself rather than a mere footy team. 

The wisdom of their wise men will perish .. Isaiah 29:14 I like sport. A lot. Wimbledon was on in my house in London for 2 weeks every summer in the 70s, back when Borg was king. Now I hear politics is ruining it. It was bad enough when Russian soccer players were banned from the World Cup without playing a match, now Russian tennis 🎾 players have to denounce Putin or they don't get to play. HOW MANY MORE INNOCENT RUSSIAN PEOPLE IS THE BRITISH ESTABLISHMENT GOING TO PUNISH FOR THE CRIMES OF ONE MAN?