Our man in Japan

As yet they did not know the Scripture.. John 20:9 What do you know? How do you know it? How can you know for sure? There are far too many men in the world rejecting the Holy Word of God in the Bible because of some half remembered biology high school text which is now out of date.  Worse, arrogant fools like Richard Dawkins think they can dismiss centuries of careful theological study with a few insults. The branch of philosophy devoted to knowledge is called epistemology. 99% of atheists don't know the first thing about it. 

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good & acceptable & perfect will of God. Romans 12:2 Britain's leading transgender surgery closes in shame & disgrace after many scandals. This secular religion of transgenderism needs to die out. God never makes a mistake when He creates us. His will is perfect. 

We know that an idol is nothing in the world, & that there is no other God but one. 1Corinthians 8:4 Japan and India still need to learn this. Most countries already have. 

The wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.. John 10:12 Sticking with footy, did you see Korea v Japan last night? Korea did not impress at all. They managed a fairly decent first half, but panicked at the first sign of trouble in the 2nd. Not looking good for them v Uruguay in Qatar. Meanwhile if Soma can play like he did last night at the World Cup Japan certainly look like having at least one win in the tournament. Will it be enough? They probably need a draw with Spain or Germany too, which may be a tougher ask. They won't have home advantage there: how many of you Japanese fans are planning a trip to the Middle East in November? 🤔 Can't wait to see Japan v America in September..

Keeping the commandments of God is what matters. 1 Corinthians 7:19 So the Swedish lesbians are out of the Euros, & England's lesbians are in the Final. Meanwhile China held Japan to a nil-nil draw away.  Which seemed a good result for China, frankly, although checking, it seems China are ranked 16th in the world, not too shabby. Japan are 13th.  England at 8th may struggle against Germany or France in the Euro Final because both are ranked higher, but it seems home advantage is helping as the Swedes were ranked 2nd in the world yet still lost 4-0. Or maybe sexuality does matter after all?  France to win everything at the Euros. (Least openly gay team) 

Each one has his own gift from God. 1 Corinthians 6:7 RIP Lord Trimble, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for his courageous peacemaking in Northern Ireland. Now there is a statesman that truly deserves a state funeral. 

Blessed is the fruit of your womb.. Luke 1:42 There is a long article in The Guardian today, bastion of the secular left in the UK and no friend to traditional Christians, as to why the theory of evolution is breaking down.

Repentance & remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations.. Luke 24:47 There is no remission of sins in Shintoism. There is no remission of sins in Buddhism or Hinduism, or in Islam. It is through the Most Holy Name of Christ that we are saved. Choosing to ignore the Bible is a dead end. Things are not good right now but they will get a lot worse if Japan and Britain continue to ignore God Almighty. 

When they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, & led Him away to be crucified.. Matthew 27:31 Christians are easy to mock. None of us are perfect. But comedy is usually reductive. If you fail to see the Christ in the Christian, it is not always the Christian's fault. Sometimes it is your fault. Gandhi famously said: "I like your Christ but not your Christianity". As a flip soundbite, it is very effective, until you unpack it. Gandhi seems to be arrogantly suggesting that Christ only died for us Christians, that he has no need for a Holy Perfect Redeemer. This from a man that slept naked with young women he wasn't married to. I understand Gandhi needed to reject British imperialism for his political ends. Was embracing Hinduism instead better for India? Nationalistic Hinduism in India today looks a lot like fascism. Trump & Abe were quick to befriend Modi as a bulwark against China, but expedient embrace of a rather dubious Hi...

You are already rich! 1 Corinthians 4:8 Many of us, even if we are barely getting by financially in the West, or Japan, have it so much better than kids in Egypt scavenging rubbish dumps for food. And here St Paul isn't even talking about material blessings but rather spiritual ones. If you are the kind of person that never raises her voice in anger, did you develop that yourself, or is that a calm & placid nature that God has given you? 

Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.. Luke 1:41 As I said earlier, I'm no great fan of Liz Truss. She can quote St Paul but I'm far from sure if she is much of a Christian. However, she is not a Hindu, and that is enough at this point to win my support over Rishi. And certainly she is better than Kier. 

God gave the increase.. 1 Corinthians 3:6 The number of Catholics worldwide grew by more than 15 million between 2018-2019. I don't have more recent figures. 

You come short in no gift.. 1 Corinthians 1:7 Tom's out, sadly. Final 4. Anyone but Penny at this stage. Prefer Liz I think, but I like Kemi. 

Learn from me.. Matthew 11:29 Jesus is a much better teacher than anyone else. He never makes a mistake. 

They conversed and reasoned.. Luke 24:15 So trans issues are still debatable in Japan. In Norway if you say men cannot be mothers you face prison time. Be very clear: there are people out there on the far left mostly that absolutely want to shut down all debate on this issue, in the name of "transphobia". Free speech is important. Speak up before it is too late. 

Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.. Luke 6:21 When I look at the state of British culture today, it is enough to make me want to weep. Britain was always corrupt, even during its glory days when it ruled a quarter of the earth, but these days because I am living through it, it just feels like we suck harder. Maybe I have a golden nostalgic view of the 1970s because I was a fairly innocent kid at the time. The 70s actually had swingers and wife swapping, but at least we knew who were men and who were not. So many these days struggle to articulate the difference. Including Penny. If men can legally be women it is well past time that law was reformed. 

Greet Herodion, my countryman. Romans 16:11 Technically, Rishi is my fellow countryman, but I'm still not keen on him becoming PM. Which it looks like he won't. Although he is leading the Tory MP polls, Penny is more popular with the grassroots. I can't say I'm highly enthusiastic about either of the top two. Is it racism? Well, I acknowledge Indian Brits have brought good food, good music and a lot of good business sense to the UK. I even dated a Indian British girl for 3 years before I met my wife. She was a deeply intelligent, compassionate person. The difference is, she was a Christian (albeit a much more liberal one than me, which is why it didn't work out) and Rishi is Hindu. Ultimately that is why I can't support him. Hindus in Britain may consider a temple in Neasden NW London a good thing, I cannot. Why bring Indian problems to the UK? Leave them back East. 

Minister to the saints.. Romans 15:25 Minister is a verb, not just a noun. It comes from Latin, meaning servant. Does Rishi want to serve the Queen, or is it all about Rishi? 

Full of goodness, filled with all knowledge.. Romans 15:14 Rishi seems full of ambition.. 

What about this man? John 21:21 Should have a clearer idea of the Tory race by this weekend. We could do a lot worse than Tom T. 

Blessed is she who believed.. Luke 1:45 Kemi is "agnostic really", tho married to a Catholic, & Penny goes on Pride marches while pretending she isn't woke. So is Tom T my only hope for a Christian Tory leader? What kind of Catholic is he? 

Marveling to himself at what had happened.. Luke 24:12 It has been quite a week. God knows the future: we do not. 

Henceforth all generations will call me.. Luke 1:48 Already in America NPR (which NHK broadcasts on its BS1 channel) has called Abe an "ultranationalist" & "divisive". Which he was. 

Wise in your own opinion. Romans 11:25 So Boris is gone. Next we need someone full of wisdom & the Holy Spirit, not full of themselves. 

Take away my reproach among people.. Luke 1:25 Boris has a lot of critics these days both within & without the Tory party, but changing leader is not a magic solution that automatically solves Britain's issues. Who exactly would be better? Certainly not Rishi or Javid, certainly not Kier. 

Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.. Luke 1:41 So Boris is clinging to power for now while major colleagues quit. Liz Truss is named as a possible replacement, but I can't say I like or trust her, nor do most Daily Mail readers, which should be her potential base. I want the next PM to be a man or woman who accepts their need to be guided by the Holy Spirit, and Rees Mogg seems to be the only obvious Catholic. Leading a country is very difficult, and without help from God, and the Bible, you are unlikely to do a good job. 

The gospel of peace.. Romans 10:15 I have so far mostly kept from commenting on the upcoming Japanese election, as I can't vote anyway. But as I have been paying tax in Japan for 22 years, here's my 2 cents worth: Japan since Hiroshima has warned the world of the horrors of war, and still doesn't have an army, merely a SDF (self defence force). Yet Kishida seems intent on supporting Biden's war games with Russia, in spite of Biden's own family profiting unjustly from Ukraine. I cannot support sending weapons & billions to Ukraine, when there are poor across the world who require food, not rocket launchers. Sending support to Ukraine is merely prolonging this terrible war, prolonging the suffering: it is time for Ukraine & Russia to talk peace, & this is what Japan should be urging for. 

I will call them My people, who were not My people. Romans 9:25 So today would have been my dad's birthday. For most of his adult life, Dad didn't go to church, even though his mum was observant. He finally turned to the Bible in coping with my mother's death in 1990. It's also America's kinda birthday. For most of its history, America has been Christian. However this latest generation votes for people like Biden who are scarely Christian at all in real terms. I hope Americans see sense before it is too late: what kind of disasters does a country need to suffer before it wakes up and recognizes fighting the God of the Bible is a really bad idea? 

Preach the gospel.. Mark 16:15 The Gospel in summary is quite simple: 1) We are all sinners. 2) Jesus died for us sinners. 3) We need to respond to the love God showed us by sending His Son Jesus to die for us. 

The one who betrays.. John 21:20 Japan is very big on loyalty. To a fault, I believe. Clearly loyalty is a good thing, but it does depend what or who you are loyal to. To betray Jesus, the Son of God, God Himself, is a terrible thing, & Judas paid a terrible price, though I believe Christ could have forgiven him if Judas hadn't given in to despair. But Mafia & Yakusa have loyalty codes too. Is it truly a bad thing to warn the police if your friends are planning a murder? Grass is not a good word in slang English, and few respect a police informer. But sometimes their help is absolutely vital, & can save lives. Whistle blowers reveal corruption, and mostly deserve respect. 

Blessed is she who believed.. Luke 1:45 Terrible pictures today of a crazy person attacking a Catholic church in Washington. A very foolish & short-sighted act. I hope they repent before it is too late.