Our man in Japan

Saducees say that there is no resurrection- and no angel or spirit .. Acts 23:8 Philosophical materialism is extremely common today, unlike ages past. But the important thing to note here is that the Saducees died out. As will secularism. When a Muslim holds a sword to your head, and asks whether you want to believe in his religion or perish, how many secularists will suddenly find faith? The majority, I suspect. So be not fooled: popular ideas now aren't always popular in the future. Atheism is doomed. It has no hope. 

They stopped beating Paul.. Acts 21:32 Sadly violence against Christians continues. This week, Baltimore, Maryland..

The will of the Lord be done.. Acts 21:14 I was hoping Erdogan was gonna lose, but God knows best. 

Large fish, 153.. John 21:11 Nary a day goes by on Japanese TV without someone eating or catching fish. And this time of year, or a week or three back, all the fish flags fly.  As 'fishers of men', I think you have to admit Jesus taught his disciples well. The church has come a long way from 12 men in Galilee. Christian growth in Japan though is more mixed. Initially most reports suggest when Christians first arrived here in the 1500s there was an enthusiastic reception. Then politics got involved. And even today I would argue the Japanese establishment loves Shinto and pretty much despises Christianity. Being a Christian in this country usually doesn't help you get on. In fact you could say it is still somewhat counter cultural. Yet the church here, which we celebrate each Pentecost, continues to grow slowly. Too slowly, if you ask me, but there you are, I'm impatient & God knows best. 

Continued his message.. Acts 20:7 I've been following Catholic traditionalist Dr Taylor Marshall on YouTube for quite a while now, so I'm delighted he is running for President. I hope he does well. America could do a lot worse. He is certainly better than Biden. 

Reasoning & persuading.. Acts 19:8 So much of the modern left is emotional rather than reasonable. 

They will speak with new tongues.. Mark 16:17 So I was watching Rocky 3 last night. Dubbed into Japanese. Now I have to say, I much prefer subtitles any day of the week. Whatever the movie, whatever the language, give me subtitles, not a dub. But credit where it's due, the Japanese actor playing Stallone/Rocky did a really good job, and I don't even know his name.

They will hear My voice.. John 10:16 Is Jesus calling you? 

The world itself could not contain the books.. John 21:25  I read this week Japanese nationalist nuts were planning to assassinate Charlie Chaplin. This is just begging to be made into a movie. Crazy Asians 2: the prequel?

They will by no means follow a stranger.. John 10:5 I can't say I loved it when Kishida dragged the G7 round the local Shinto shrine. I don't think he is converting anyone to Shinto (hopefully not, anyhow!) but at the same time he gave Shinto a day in the sun. I really do think Japanese people prioritize patriotism over truth when it comes to their support for Shinto. But God loves Japan 🗾  and knows it better than any Shinto priest- after all He created every hill, every island. Jesus seems like a stranger to most Japanese because He's Jewish, not Japanese, and his churches are newer than the temples. But Jesus was here creating Japan with our Father in heaven long before the first Shrine or temple were built. He was in at the beginning. The first Shinto text, the Kojiki, may I remind you, is about 600 years AFTER the crucifixion. 

I am ascending to my Father & Your Father, & to my God & your God.. John 20:17 Jesus went back to Heaven, but through His perfect life & death He has provided us with a Way there too. 

The contention became so sharp.. Acts 15:39 The fighting between factions is just exhausting. 

No distinction between us and them.. Acts 15:9 The Anglophone world is incredibly divided right now, between conservatives and liberals. It seems to me the language barrier is even harder to overcome. But at the end of the day we are all created by God, in His image. Whatever the G7 leaders decide, if they forget this, they will be not building a stable & peaceful world anytime soon. 

He opened the door of faith.. Acts 14:27 I like this image. Finding faith in Christ is like opening the door to a whole new better world. 

For a time of about forty years he put up with their ways .. Acts 13:18 So many people seem to think God will let them get away with their stuff forever ..

Blessed are you poor.. Luke 6:20 In the Old Testament, riches are often seen as a sign of God's blessing. But Proverbs 30:8 says "Give me neither poverty nor riches..lest satisfied, I deny [God]." Jesus takes this radically further. 

It is his angel.. Acts 12:15 A few of us see angels when they aren't there. In this case in Acts 12, they are almost right- angels are involved but not in the way they think. But a far more common problem these days is many people failing to see the actual work of real angels & real demons at all. How many people today are locked up in mental 'hospitals' (might as well be a prison if you're not allowed to leave) for telling the truth about the angels or demons that they have met? If you don't believe me, I suggest you watch "Terminator" again. That is science fiction , but it makes the point quite eloquently: the 'insane' are sometimes saner than the people locking them up. This was especially the case in the USSR, when the KGB deliberately targeted Christians for needless mandatory psychiatry. I can see it happening again in the West- when the men who call themselves women are seen as "brave" by the loony left, how long is it before ...

As yet they did not know the Scripture.. John 20:9 It's so important to read the Bible for yourself. Don't let anyone else tell you what's in there, find out personally! 

When you are old .. John 21:18 Japan recognizes it has an aging problem. It seems to me they are inconsistent about solving it. Why are they not cracking down on abortions? Japan can't afford to have the number of abortions it currently has. Making it harder would save lives, & help the future of this country. If you think inviting Muslim immigrants from Malaysia & Indonesia is going to sort things, I suggest you visit a European city with a high % of Muslim immigrants. Is that really what you want? 

In a trance I saw a vision .. Acts 11:5 We live in a material age where science tries to explain everything in secular terms. Not everything is capable of being reduced to brain chemistry. As Hamlet said: There are more things in heaven & earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy..

Oppressed by the devil.. Acts 10:38 You do still see some people promoting Buddhism online. Those Christians murdered by the state in Japan in the 1500s are evidence Buddhists are not the good guys they pretend to be. 

Men with the same nature .. Acts 14:15 Trump has been found liable in a sexual assault case in Manhattan. He joked about 'grabbing' women so this is hardly surprising, but he is appealing. Hopefully he will not now be the GOP nominee. Meanwhile Biden has been accused of rape by a member of his own party & we see him frequently grabbing children on camera, yet no court case yet, for him or his son. I hope Kennedy beats him in the primary. America desperately needs to move on from Trump v Biden. 

A just man, one who fears God.. Acts 10:22 Better to be just than rich or famous. 

Eating & drinking such things.. Luke 10:7 Croissants today! For the first time in ages.. 

He is not here, but is risen!  Luke 24:6 I didn't watch much of King Charles's coronation yesterday, but I did see the bit where Archbishop Welby reminded everyone that Christ is risen. He got that right, at least. 

Power to cast into hell.. Luke 12:5 No tyrant on earth 🌍 has this power. Only God Himself. 

It is hard for you to kick against the goads.. Acts 9:5 In the KJV this is 'kick against the pricks'- which is now now proverbial in English, as my Oxford dictionary has it: "hurt oneself in persisting in useless resistance.." A goad is a prickly thing used to motivate oxen to move- more stick than carrot. Interestingly many of my translations miss this line- whether because it is not easy to understand, or to avoid a somewhat rude word, or out of misguided reverence for St Paul, I'm not sure. I think it is important, which is why the KJV & this Orthodox translation leave it in: yes, the Apostle Paul is one of the greatest Christians the world 🌍 has ever seen, but as I'm sure he would be the first to tell you, on this particular day he was behaving with misguided zeal & hence Jesus metaphorically compares him to a dumb ox. How like St Paul we are in this- we cannot fight God, yet we persist in trying. 

Candace, the queen of the Ethiopians.. Acts 8:27 England was blessed with a wise leader in Elizabeth II. I'm not sure her son is quite as wise. 

Poisoned by bitterness.. Acts 8:23 Foreigners visiting Japan who fail to pick up on non-verbal passive aggression often come away thinking Japan is a kind place. Some Japanese are very kind, it is true. Not all. Sometimes all you have to do to make enemies here is be white. 

Watch, therefore, for you know neither the day not the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.  Matthew 25:13 Things won't just go on the same as they have always done. Radical change is coming. Christians in North Korea will finally be free of oppressive totalitarianism. The secular world 🌎 will be destroyed. 

Has My hand not made all these things?  Acts 7:50  Christians don't need to worry about kosher or halal, or vegan. Buddhists & atheists however, have a harder time justifying the eating of meat, because they make less distinction between the human & animal world.