At the beginning of this year, I listened to the sharing of a Korean missionary at his church in person. His family has been engaging in the evangelism ministry in Japan for 22 years, during which they experienced many difficulties and graces. Their work is really an example for us to follow. He also gave a great number of tips and advice to those who would embark on the same path.
God called their family to work as missionaries in Japan at their own expense, so they accepted His mission in 1999. After arriving in Japan, they had dealt with many hardships. First, they were homeless, thus they had lived on the streets for about two months. The whole family had nothing to eat but a little flour for more than a week. Then, the younger son, Joseph, had a heart problem, for which he underwent more than a dozen of surgeries. After the doctor said that the child would not live past 20, all of them had been praying and relying on God for it. Now he’s 24 years old and his heart disease gradually alleviated from Level 1 (the most serious) to Level 2, 3, and finally 4. The doctor said that usually this kind of illness would progressively become more and more serious, from Level 4 to Level 3, 2, 1 and death eventually. However, they had experienced God’s grace that their child was getting better and better. Though medical practitioners said that patients with this disease wouldn’t live past 40, they believed that every day was a new life given by God. The rest of their lives were ready to be used by the Lord, so they thought it didn’t matter how much time God gave to them and that their lives would be meaningless till they were of use to Him.
Later, the eldest son, John, had a medical condition too. John recently suffered vision loss in his right eye, which was diagnosed as corneal deformity and the treatment needed a transplant. Fortunately, the son was also optimistic, saying that he still had one eye to see and at least he wouldn’t die from it. With the experience of the younger son’s surgeries, the family were brave enough to face and accept such adversities.
We all cried at hearing their testimony. The missionary wondered, was their family cursed by their ancestors so that they had to experience all these tribulations in Japan? Or was it a spiritual war in Japan? In any case, every day they pray at the altar hoping to be used by God.
Thanks to God, all the five family members have always been serving in evangelism. When delivering a sermon, the mother plays the piano, the eldest son leads singing hymns, the younger son plays the drums, and the youngest daughter sits to listen to the sermon. From time to time, they are in financial difficulties. It has been more than two years since these three Japanese came to faith. The church venue they rent costs 200,000 yen a month, with several million yen on renovation. The rent for their own home is 100,000 yen a month. Taking living expenses and the high tuition of the youngest daughter into account, the monthly expenditure is close to 600,000 yen. But they are grateful that since they have always looked up to God and relied on Him, God has moved some family members to give them offerings. It hasn’t been easy for them to persevere until now.
The wife also shared, saying that she personally only spread the gospel to about 100 Japanese in Japan, which was too few. Her husband preached the gospel whenever he saw Japanese people, even to the decorators every day during the church renovation. Another testimony she shared was about a Japanese churchgoer who was arrested for drug use. Later the pastor was asked to testify in court. Because of his testimony and guarantee, the sentence was very light. The judge asked the pastor how he would change the defendant. The pastor said, "I would rely on the words of God that I believed in and my prayers." The judge advised the drug addict that he had to believe in God who could change him. What a wonderful testimony.
The husband also shared his 20 years of experience and his advice on evangelism ministries in Japan.
Japan is the most developed country in East Asia and has always been ahead of its neighbors in many aspects, for which the Japanese are proud of themselves. Aside from that, Japanese idol worship is a powerful temptation. As Shinto and Buddhism are intertwined in Japanese culture, it is difficult for them to accept foreign religions.
Last, there are many overseas missionaries in Japan, especially those from Europe and the United States, who have not achieved much either. Historically, Japan invaded Korea and China. Consequently, Japan waits for Chinese and Korean missionaries to preach the gospel. Yet, the current Korean missionaries in Japan are mostly pastoring and preaching to Koreans. Meanwhile, there are very few Chinese missionaries. When there are more Chinese missionaries in Japan, at the same time Korean missionaries preach the gospel to Japanese people, God will remove the hardcore in the hearts of the Japanese.
May God be here, and bless Japan through the Chinese missionaries, who can love the soul of Japan with forgiveness and the love of Jesus Christ. Are you and your church willing to bless a country that has hurt us with love?
CCD reprinted with permission.
- Translated by Shuya Wang
年初的时候去看望了一位韩国宣教士，他一家在日本22年，去到他的教会，听到他的分享，经历了许多的难处和恩典，真是我们效法的榜样。也给我们后来者有很多的提醒和劝勉。
他们一家1999年领受神的使命，被神呼召自费到日本宣教，到日本一段时间后经历了非常多的事，一家人没有住的地方，流浪街头两个月左右。一家人靠一点面粉维持一个多礼拜，小儿子约瑟又心脏有问题，手术做了十几次，医生说孩子活不过20岁，他们一家一直祷告依靠神，现在孩子已经24岁了，而且是从一级（最严重的）慢慢降到二级，三级，四级，医生说这种病一般都是四级慢慢变成三级二级一级，到死亡，越来越严重，但是他们经历到神的恩典，孩子越来越好。医生说这种病的人超不过四十岁，他们也说每一天都是上帝给的新生命，让我们余下的生命被神使用，神给多少不重要，神使用我们的生命才有意义。
后来大儿子约翰又出现了问题，最近他们的大儿子右眼失明，现在也看不到东西，医院说是眼膜畸形，需要移植，大儿子也是很乐观，说不是还有一只眼睛可以看嘛，再说又不会死人，因为经历了弟弟一直的手术，所以一家对这些事都比较敢面对和接受。
听到他们一家的见证我们几个都哭了，他说，我们一家难道是祖先的咒诅吗？在日本经历这样的事情？或者又难道是日本的属灵征战吗？无论怎样，他们每天都在献上祭坛的祷告，愿被神使用。
他们一家有五口人，一直是宣教士讲道，师母弹琴，大儿子主持带领诗歌，小儿子打鼓，坐在下面听道的是小女儿，一家人都在服侍，感谢主，现在他们教会是租的一个房子，一个月20万日元，装修也花了几百万日元，直到现在是两年多的时间，有三个日本人信徒，他们自己住的房子需要10万日元一个月，小女儿读书也是比较高的学费，加上生活费，一个月接近60万日元的开支，他们只有三个信徒，他们也是经常遇到紧张的时候，但是感恩的是他们一直仰望神，依靠神，神就感动一些家人奉献给他们，让他们能够坚持到现在真是不容易的一条路。
师母也有一些分享，说她个人在日本只向一百多个日本人传福音，太少了，他丈夫看到日本人就传，装修教会时也是每天跟装修工人传，还有一个见证就是一个到教会来的日本的因为吸毒被抓，后来请牧师去庭上作证，因着牧师的作证和担保，被判的很轻。法官问牧师说你用什么方法改变他，牧师说我用我信的神的话语和我的祷告，法官对那个吸毒的弟兄说，你要好好信上帝啊，上帝可以改变你。多么美好的见证啊。
他也有分享他在日本20几年对日本的看见和在日宣教的建议。
日本在东亚几国是最发达的国家，一直在很多方面领先邻国，日本人自身处在骄傲里面。还有一方面日本拜偶像严重，神道教和佛教几乎融入了日本文化，所以很难接受外来宗教。
最后就是在日本的海外宣教士很多，特别欧美国家很多宣教士在这边，但是也没看到太大的果效，日本侵略过韩国和中国，日本的福音在等待中国和韩国的宣教士进来传。只是现在日本韩国宣教士大多针对韩国人牧养传道，中国宣教士又少之又少，所以什么时候中国的宣教士在日本多起来了，韩国宣教士针对日本人传福音了，相信神必除去日本人里面那刚硬的心。
惟愿神在这地做工，借着中国教会来祝福日本，带着饶恕，带着耶稣基督的爱来爱这个国家的灵魂。您和您教会愿意带着爱来祝福这个曾经伤害过我们的国家吗？
在日宣教的见证
At the beginning of this year, I listened to the sharing of a Korean missionary at his church in person. His family has been engaging in the evangelism ministry in Japan for 22 years, during which they experienced many difficulties and graces. Their work is really an example for us to follow. He also gave a great number of tips and advice to those who would embark on the same path.
God called their family to work as missionaries in Japan at their own expense, so they accepted His mission in 1999. After arriving in Japan, they had dealt with many hardships. First, they were homeless, thus they had lived on the streets for about two months. The whole family had nothing to eat but a little flour for more than a week. Then, the younger son, Joseph, had a heart problem, for which he underwent more than a dozen of surgeries. After the doctor said that the child would not live past 20, all of them had been praying and relying on God for it. Now he’s 24 years old and his heart disease gradually alleviated from Level 1 (the most serious) to Level 2, 3, and finally 4. The doctor said that usually this kind of illness would progressively become more and more serious, from Level 4 to Level 3, 2, 1 and death eventually. However, they had experienced God’s grace that their child was getting better and better. Though medical practitioners said that patients with this disease wouldn’t live past 40, they believed that every day was a new life given by God. The rest of their lives were ready to be used by the Lord, so they thought it didn’t matter how much time God gave to them and that their lives would be meaningless till they were of use to Him.
Later, the eldest son, John, had a medical condition too. John recently suffered vision loss in his right eye, which was diagnosed as corneal deformity and the treatment needed a transplant. Fortunately, the son was also optimistic, saying that he still had one eye to see and at least he wouldn’t die from it. With the experience of the younger son’s surgeries, the family were brave enough to face and accept such adversities.
We all cried at hearing their testimony. The missionary wondered, was their family cursed by their ancestors so that they had to experience all these tribulations in Japan? Or was it a spiritual war in Japan? In any case, every day they pray at the altar hoping to be used by God.
Thanks to God, all the five family members have always been serving in evangelism. When delivering a sermon, the mother plays the piano, the eldest son leads singing hymns, the younger son plays the drums, and the youngest daughter sits to listen to the sermon. From time to time, they are in financial difficulties. It has been more than two years since these three Japanese came to faith. The church venue they rent costs 200,000 yen a month, with several million yen on renovation. The rent for their own home is 100,000 yen a month. Taking living expenses and the high tuition of the youngest daughter into account, the monthly expenditure is close to 600,000 yen. But they are grateful that since they have always looked up to God and relied on Him, God has moved some family members to give them offerings. It hasn’t been easy for them to persevere until now.
The wife also shared, saying that she personally only spread the gospel to about 100 Japanese in Japan, which was too few. Her husband preached the gospel whenever he saw Japanese people, even to the decorators every day during the church renovation. Another testimony she shared was about a Japanese churchgoer who was arrested for drug use. Later the pastor was asked to testify in court. Because of his testimony and guarantee, the sentence was very light. The judge asked the pastor how he would change the defendant. The pastor said, "I would rely on the words of God that I believed in and my prayers." The judge advised the drug addict that he had to believe in God who could change him. What a wonderful testimony.
The husband also shared his 20 years of experience and his advice on evangelism ministries in Japan.
Japan is the most developed country in East Asia and has always been ahead of its neighbors in many aspects, for which the Japanese are proud of themselves. Aside from that, Japanese idol worship is a powerful temptation. As Shinto and Buddhism are intertwined in Japanese culture, it is difficult for them to accept foreign religions.
Last, there are many overseas missionaries in Japan, especially those from Europe and the United States, who have not achieved much either. Historically, Japan invaded Korea and China. Consequently, Japan waits for Chinese and Korean missionaries to preach the gospel. Yet, the current Korean missionaries in Japan are mostly pastoring and preaching to Koreans. Meanwhile, there are very few Chinese missionaries. When there are more Chinese missionaries in Japan, at the same time Korean missionaries preach the gospel to Japanese people, God will remove the hardcore in the hearts of the Japanese.
May God be here, and bless Japan through the Chinese missionaries, who can love the soul of Japan with forgiveness and the love of Jesus Christ. Are you and your church willing to bless a country that has hurt us with love?
CCD reprinted with permission.
- Translated by Shuya Wang
Testimonies on Evangelism in Japan
