Our man in Japan

Preach the gospel.. Mark 16:15 The Gospel: The bad news is we are all sinners who deserve hell. If you think this is not true stop deluding yourself.  The Good News is Jesus died to save us, & by trusting in His grace we start on our path to heaven. Please do so today. 

Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name?  Acts 5:28 Japan is usually less direct than the Jewish establishment in the way it exerts pressure. 

Fell down & breathed his last .. Acts 5:5 We all die sooner or later. 

Your holy servant Jesus.. Acts 4:27 Christians & Christianity are mocked every day, killed, persecuted. The Church continues, as it has for 2000 years. 

Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than God, you judge.. Acts 4:19 Biden 24? No thanks. From endless war in Ukraine, the debacle in Afghanistan, the anti Catholic policies on abortion or transgenderism, I cannot support this guy's reelection. The guy is too old for starters. Next please. The Dems can & must do better. 

By what power or what name..? Acts 4:7 Tucker & Don Lemon both lost their jobs on American TV today. But no one can strip Jesus of His eternal power to change lives for the better. 

In your seed all the families of the earth will be blessed.  Acts 3:25 I read the news. Seems to me so much of what is going wrong in America, England & even Japan is to do with the breakdown of the traditional family. Boys need dads. And Dads need Jesus, even if they think they can cope without Him. It's not easy being a dad. Just admit it, you need some Help! 

Jesus came & spoke to them saying, "All authority has been given to me, in heaven & on earth..." Matthew 28:18 If you own something, particularly something complex, you tend to have a user's manual. Yet people scoff at the Bible. 

Killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses Acts 3: 15 It's one thing to study the laws of physics. Another to control the laws of physics. 

He gave them his attention.. Acts 3:5 There are dozens of vans with loud 📢 politicians shouting around the neighborhood these days. I can't even vote, I wish they would develop more modern methods of campaigning. Email has been invented, by the way.   Meanwhile Biden plans to run again despite promising to be a mere stop gap, and the mainstream media seem determind to ignore Kennedy, his main Democratic rival, who actually would be considerably better, I believe. Kennedy has been harshly but justly critical of Big Pharma, and the American war machine. 

Be saved from this perverse generation  Acts 2:40 You may think LGBT Sodomite propaganda is only a Western problem, but just yesterday the Japanese government failed to contest a Ugandan lesbian residing here, and even my local libraries in Japanese suburbia promote the homosexual lifestyle. Taiwan is worse, but being the most Westernized country in Asia is a foolish prize in this case. Mess around with God's Holy laws & watch what happens. 

I make your enemies your footstool.. Acts 2:35 It's not looking so good for Tibetan Buddhists right now ..

Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved .. Acts 2:21

Judas by transgression fell.. Acts 1:25 Planned Parenthood, the pro-abortion group, will want you to know DeSantis in Florida has passed new tighter restrictions on infanticide in Florida.They probably are not quite so keen for you to know one of their own just killed himself in New England after feds raided his neighbor looking for him on child porn charges. 

Presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs.. Acts 1:3 If Jesus did not rise from the dead, why did the Christian Church grow exponentially? Why did the Apostles die under torture saying they had seen Him resurrected? 

Indeed, Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us.. 1 Corinthians 5:7 Passover is a Jewish festival, commemorative of the time God spared the Jews in Egypt from the Angel of Death. By putting the blood of an unblemished lamb on the lintels of the doors, the Angel passed over the house and did not kill the firstborn of those inside. This is described in Exodus, chapters 12 & 13.  In the same way, the death of Christ on Good Friday, described in all 4 Gospels, is the sacrifice of the Lamb of God to save us all from the death we deserve for our sins. Japan has kept the death penalty for serious crimes when more liberal western countries like England have not. But it takes true humility to recognize that the sins we commit alienate us from God & deserve hell. Many people in 2023 lack that sense of moral reality. 

Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me'.  John 14:6 Japan has many ways- Bushido, Judo, Kendo, Aikido, chadō. There is only one true Way to heaven: Christ.  

He who has no sword, let him sell his garment, & buy one.  Luke 22:36 Now sword fighting is still a thing in Japanese culture. Even tho to carry a sword in public was banned over a 100 years ago, we see TV dramas & movies with sword fighting heroes almost daily. Not to mention video games. This is somewhat true in the West also, but I think Americans mythologize guns to a greater extent. So Jesus here is telling his disciples to buy swords. I note at this point that Hebrews tells us that the Bible is the sword of the spirit. So I suggest to you, strongly, if you are the kind of man or woman who is thinking about suicide, or is merely struggling with life, buy a Bible instead. We are in a mental, emotional & spiritual fight with evil in this world, & you need to arm yourself. But it's no good just owning a sword, you need to master it. You need to learn how to use it most effectively. 

They loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.. John 12:43 A constant distraction & temptation, especially for political figures. 

A shepherd divides his sheep from the goats..🐐  Matthew 25:32  The goats in Kasuga seem to have had kids! Adorable things. 

Have faith & do not doubt.. Matthew 21:21 If you approach the Bible with a negative critical 💜 heart, you won't get the full benefit ..

Behold, your King is coming to you.. Matthew 21:5 Jesus is alive, Risen from the dead, & He's coming back soon! 

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8 They killed Him once. Now He is Risen they cannot kill Him again. Japan 🗾 found that out a while back, as will every tyrant. Amidst Xi's Chinese crackdown on Christians,  around 60 have escaped and made it to Texas! 

He who is mighty has done great things for me.  Luke 1:49 John's Gospel make it clear Jesus did not have to accept His arrest. He chose to. Jesus the miracle worker, the Only Son of Almighty God, accepted a ignominious death on a cross for us. For you, for me. Our sins put Him there. In His total humility and Perfect sinless life is the salvation of the world. The sacrificial Lamb had to be spotless. 

The God of truth.. Isaiah 65:16 Easter is rooted in historical reality. Unlike some religions we could mention. 

The ordinances of justice⚖️.. Isaiah 58:2 Before you condemn the showbiz circus of Trump's trial in NYC, (and yes, let's be clear, this is absolutely political) let's remember that in Japan recently a former leader who probably could have faced criminal charges was assassinated instead. Abe would love to be on trial in NYC today, compared to where he probably is now. The God of the Bible IS merciful, as well as just, but Abe chose to ignore that God and all his life worshipped false ones instead, who can't help him now. 

Him whom man despises .. Isaiah 49:7   Jesus never deserved to be treated the way He was.  

The Lord, your Redeemer.. Isaiah 48:17 I think the reason so many people reject Christ is they have no idea of their own desperate need for redemption. Atheists call sin an "imaginary" disease, but we see its effects all around us. Who isn't greedy, lustful, proud, lazy, avarious, envious, or 💢😡😡 angry sometimes? Some sins are more obvious. We can all see when an alcoholic is destroying their life, but pride is actually the deadliest sin. Pride, the sin of the Devil that cast him out of heaven & into hell, says: Who needs this foreign religion? These Christians are hypocrites! I'm fine as I am! 

These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, & that you may have life in His name.. John 20:31 I hope you find faith in Christ this 🐣🐰 Easter. Rabbits are great, so are chicks, both beautiful parts of God's Creation, but Easter is about more than that. This Holy Week would be a good time to read the Gospel of John, if you haven't yet. Or to reread it, if you have! 

Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.. Hebrews 9:28  This is the heart of what Easter is all about. Japan celebrates a secular Christmas 🎄 but is still mostly wary of Easter. Good Friday is bloody and violent, & I can see why that alienates people, but the truth is, the history of the 🌎 🌍 world has always been bloody and violent. Christ Himself is the Prince of Peace.